What is Binge Eating

What is Binge Eating?

Binge eating disorder is characterized by recurrent episodes of consuming unusually large amounts of food in a short period of time. During these episodes, individuals often feel out of control and unable to stop eating, regardless of hunger or fullness. These binges are typically followed by intense feelings of shame, guilt, or distress, which can further reinforce the cycle of emotional eating.

Unlike other eating disorders, binge eating does not usually involve purging or extreme compensatory behaviors, but it can still lead to serious health consequences. Many individuals continue to overeat even when they feel uncomfortably full, increasing their risk for obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other physical complications. Early intervention and compassionate, evidence-based care are essential to break the cycle and support long-term recovery.

Signs & Symptoms of Binge Eating Disorder

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Binge Eating

To receive a formal diagnosis of binge eating disorder, an individual must experience at least one overeating episode per week for 3 months or more.

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Lack of Control

People suffering from binge eating disorder may feel out of control during and overwhelmed during episodes of overeating.

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Eating Alone

Binge eating disorder causes some people to feel uncomfortable eating in front of family members, friends, or even strangers.

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Food-Related Rituals

Some with binge eating disorder develop rituals related to eating like only eating alone, restricting themselves to one type of food, or chewing food excessively before swallowing.

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Abnormal Eating Behaviors

Binge eating disorder disrupts an individual’s normal eating habits, which may cause them to skip meals, follow fad diets, or develop other unusual eating behaviors.

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Weight Fluctuations

Depending on how often a person with binge eating disorder overeats, their weight may increase or decrease over time.

Do I Have an Eating Disorder?

Do you engage in episodes of overeating accompanied by guilt or shame? Click below to take our eating disorders quiz.

Treatment Options for Binge Eating Disorder

  • Individual Psychotherapy

    A trained therapist will work with you to explore your eating behaviors, emotional triggers, and relationship with food. Evidence-based approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) are often used to develop healthier coping strategies.

  • Medication Management

    Medications may be prescribed to support emotional regulation, reduce binge urges, or treat co-occurring conditions such as anxiety or depression. These medications are carefully monitored and tailored to individual needs as part of a comprehensive treatment plan.

  • Nutrition Counseling

    A registered dietitian will help you rebuild a healthy, balanced relationship with food by reintroducing structure and teaching intuitive eating principles. You’ll learn to recognize hunger and fullness cues while reducing fear and shame around eating.

  • Group Therapy

    Group sessions provide a supportive space to share experiences, challenges, and victories with others in recovery. Facilitated by a licensed professional, these groups offer accountability, encouragement, and connection.

  • Meal Support & Exposure Therapy

    Supervised meals and food exposure exercises help reduce anxiety around eating and address avoidance behaviors. Clients learn to tolerate challenging foods in a safe environment while rebuilding trust in their bodies.

  • Family Therapy

    For those with close family involvement, therapy sessions help improve communication, set boundaries, and educate loved ones about binge eating disorder. A supportive home environment is often essential to long-term recovery.

  • Mindfulness & Emotion Regulation Skills

    Mindfulness practices such as meditation, breathing exercises, and grounding techniques help increase awareness of emotional triggers. Clients also build skills to tolerate distress without turning to food for comfort or escape.

  • Relapse Prevention & Aftercare Planning

    Before discharge, clients work with their care team to create a long-term recovery plan that includes coping strategies, continued therapy, and community support. This planning is vital for maintaining progress and reducing the risk of future relapse.

Client Testimonials

Luxury Treatment for Binge Eating

Binge eating disorders can cause lasting physical and emotional consequences without proper treatment, including weight fluctuations, digestive issues, emotional distress, and feelings of shame or isolation. Left untreated, binge eating may escalate and begin to interfere with daily functioning, relationships, and overall health. At Virtue Recovery, our comprehensive treatment program is designed to address these challenges in a safe, private, and luxurious setting. Clients benefit from peaceful surroundings, comfortable accommodations, and a calm environment that promotes healing on all levels.

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Our Las Vegas Luxury Inpatient Binge Eating Disorder Treatment Center

Come visit our luxury Las Vegas inpatient eating disorder treatment center that offers private suite with your own bedroom and bathroom in beautiful open-design villas and plenty of outdoor space. Smoking is permitted in specific areas and we ask that individuals bring unopened containers of their nicotine products to avoid tampering.

Name: Virtue Recovery Las Vegas

Address: 9230 Corbett St, Las Vegas, NV 89149

Phone Number: (702) 996-5973

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Our Las Vegas Outpatient Binge Eating Disorder Treatment Center

For individuals who do not require inpatient care or who are transitioning back into daily life, our Las Vegas outpatient center provides flexible treatment options.

Outpatient programs allow clients to receive structured therapy, nutritional counseling, and group support while continuing to live at home. This level of care is ideal for those balancing recovery with work, school, or family responsibilities.

Name: Virtue Recovery Las Vegas Outpatient

Address: 2585 Montessouri St # 100, Las Vegas, NV 89117

Phone Number: (702) 996-5973

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Our Las Vegas Adolescent / Teen Inpatient Binge Eating Disorder Treatment Center

At Virtue Recovery, we recognize that compulsive overeating and other eating disorders affect teens differently than adults. Our Adolescent / Teen Inpatient Eating Disorder Program is designed specifically to meet the unique needs of young people and their families.

Our teen program combines medical monitoring, therapeutic support, and nutritional counseling with age-appropriate strategies that foster resilience, confidence, and healing.

Name: Silver State Adolescent Treatment

Address: 8225 W Robindale Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89113

Phone Number: (725) 777-1440

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Frequently Asked Questions About Binge Eating Disorder Treatment

Like other eating disorders, binge eating disorder is more common in women than men. Approximately 1.25% of adult women have BED, compared to just 0.42% of adult men. Binge eating disorder also affects teenagers. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases estimates that 1.6% of teens between the ages of 13 and 18 are affected by BED.

Binge eating has several potential risks depending on what type of food you consume and how often you engage in overeating. Binge eating may increase your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Overeating is also associated with an increased risk of gallstones, which can block the bile ducts in your digestive system, increasing the risk of serious liver diseases and life-threatening infections.

On its own, overeating once in a while doesn’t mean you have an eating disorder. You may overeat if you’re celebrating a special occasion or having such a good time that you’re unaware how much you’re consuming. Binge eating disorder causes recurrent episodes of overeating often accompanied by feelings of guilt and shame. Therefore, overeating isn’t exactly the same as binge eating. You don’t have binge eating disorder unless you have at least one overeating episode per week for at least 3 months in a row.

Binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa both cause recurrent episodes of overeating. The main difference between the two eating disorders is that people with bulimia nervosa alternate bingeing with purging or other compensatory behaviors. They may force themselves to vomit after eating, perform excessive exercise, or abuse laxatives to counteract the effects of their bingeing. People with BED don’t engage in these compensatory behaviors.

No single factor causes binge eating disorder. Instead, multile combined factors may increase your risk of developing BED. Your genetic makeup, the way you think about your weight, and your psychological health can all affect your risk of developing this condition. For some, living in a weight-obsessed culture increases the risk of developing BED or another eating disorder.

BED is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of consuming large amounts of food quickly, often accompanied by feelings of guilt or shame and a lack of control.

Unlike bulimia, BED does not involve purging after binge episodes. However, both disorders can be emotionally distressing and require professional treatment.

Yes. Many individuals with BED also experience depression, anxiety, PTSD, or other conditions, which are addressed in our integrated treatment plans.

It depends on the severity of symptoms. We offer inpatient, outpatient, and adolescent residential programs to meet clients where they are in their recovery journey.

Most major insurance plans are accepted. Our admissions team will help verify your benefits and explain your coverage options.

Glossary of Terms for Binge Eating Disorder Treatment

A serious eating disorder involving repeated episodes of eating large amounts of food in a short time, often without physical hunger and followed by distress or guilt.

The act of eating in response to feelings rather than hunger, often to cope with stress, sadness, boredom, or anxiety.

A common feeling during binge episodes where the individual feels powerless to stop eating or limit the amount consumed.

A nutritional approach that encourages listening to the body’s natural hunger and fullness cues, promoting a healthier relationship with food.

Support from licensed dietitians to help clients relearn how to nourish themselves in a sustainable and balanced way.

An evidence-based form of therapy that helps individuals identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors related to eating.

A skills-based therapy that teaches emotional regulation, mindfulness, and distress tolerance—particularly helpful for binge eating driven by emotion.

Care provided through scheduled sessions at a treatment facility while the client lives at home. Includes PHP and IOP.

24-hour residential treatment providing full-time clinical, nutritional, and therapeutic support.

A recovery-oriented philosophy that emphasizes self-acceptance, body diversity, and respect for all body shapes and sizes.

Eating Disorder Treatments

Anorexia Nervosa

Virtue offers medically supervised treatment for individuals struggling with severe food restriction, body image distortion, and extreme weight loss associated with anorexia.

Bulimia Nervosa

Comprehensive care is provided for those experiencing cycles of bingeing and purging, helping them restore physical health and emotional balance.

Orthorexia Nervosa

Treatment focuses on addressing obsessive behaviors around “clean” or “healthy” eating that interfere with daily functioning and well-being.

Binge Eating

Individuals receive therapeutic support to overcome compulsive overeating and emotional eating patterns that impact mental and physical health.

Compulsive Overeating

Virtue’s approach helps clients manage chronic overeating behaviors linked to stress, trauma, or emotional triggers.

Rumination Disorder

Specialized therapy is offered for the repeated regurgitation of food, often tied to anxiety or developmental concerns.

Laxative Abuse

Care targets both the physical effects and underlying psychological issues related to the misuse of laxatives for weight control.

Diabulimia

Integrated treatment supports individuals with type 1 diabetes who manipulate insulin for weight loss, addressing both eating disorder and medical risks.

Body Dysmorphia

Treatment involves cognitive and behavioral strategies to reduce obsessive thoughts and distorted self-image tied to body appearance.

OSFED

A flexible, individualized treatment plan is developed for those whose symptoms don’t fit neatly into other diagnostic categories.

ARFID

Virtue helps clients expand their food choices and overcome fear-based or sensory-related food avoidance.

UFED

Clients receive personalized care for disordered eating patterns that require clinical attention but lack a specific diagnosis.

Special Eating Disorders

We provide tailored treatment for less common or overlapping eating disorders that fall outside standard diagnostic categories.

Dual Diagnosis

Our integrated approach addresses both eating disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions for complete, whole-person healing.

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