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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffWhen you have binge-eating disorder, sometimes called compulsive overeating, you regularly eat excessive amounts of food (binge). A binge is considered eating a larger amount of food than most people would eat under similar situations. For instance, you may eat 10,000 to 20,000 calories worth of food during a binge, while someone following a normal diet may eat 1,500 to 3,000 calories in a day.
The precise definition of a binge remains up for debate, though. A binge episode is typically considered to last about two hours. But the duration also is under debate, and some experts say binges can last an entire day.
You may have no obvious physical signs or symptoms when you have binge-eating disorder. You may be overweight or obese, or you may be of a normal weight. In fact, most obese people don't have binge-eating disorder.
On the other hand, when you have binge-eating disorder you often have numerous behavioral and emotional signs and symptoms. These may include:
- Eating large amounts of food
- Eating even when you're full
- Eating rapidly during binge episodes
- Feeling that your eating behavior is out of control
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Frequent dieting without weight loss
- Frequently eating alone
- Hoarding food
- Hiding empty food containers
- Feeling depressed, disgusted or upset about your eating
After a binge, you may try to diet or eat normal meals. But restricting your eating may simply lead to more binge eating, creating a vicious cycle.
