Eating Episode Research Articles

Functional assessment of binge eating in a clinical sample of obese binge eaters

The aim of this study was to assess the antecedents and consequences of binge eating in ten obese binge eaters. The subjects completed retrospective measures and monitored themselves at the time binge eating occurred. The results show that the common temporally remote antecedents to binge eating included being very busy throughout the day, feeling unusually tired/fatigued, having consumed too much food during the day, and feeling down or irritable. A number of affective variables (e.g., anxiety, anger, frustration, sadness, guilt, agitation) temporarily decreased during a binge eating episode, yet increased again following binge eating. Furthermore, the antecedents and consequences surrounding binge eating episodes were moderately to highly variable both between and within subjects, thus supporting the need for individualised functional assessments of the antecedents and consequences of binge eating. The implications for treatment and future research are discussed.

Obese women with binge eating disorder define the term binge.

The purpose of this study was to provide information regarding the criteria used by women with binge eating disorder (BED) to classify an eating episode a binge. Sixty women who met DSM-IV research criteria for BED were interviewed and asked to define binge eating in their own words. Two independent raters classified subjects' responses according to a structured classification scheme. Loss of control over eating was the only criterion used to define binge eating by a majority (82%) of our subjects. Large amount of food and eating to relieve negative affect were reported less frequently, but appeared to be important criteria. The findings from this study are important to consider in an evaluation of the proposed DSM-IV research criteria for BED.

Reasons for Initiation and Cessation of Eating in Obese Men and Women and the Affective Consequences of Eating in Everyday Situations

Reasons for the initiation and termination of eating were investigated in 78 female and 36 male obese subjects following a weight control programme. Self-monitoring diaries were completed during a 24-h period, in which subjects selected the main reason for starting and stopping an eating episode. Additionally, subjects recorded mood before and after eating using visual analogue scales. Hunger was chosen as a reason to start eating in only 20% of cases. Environmental cues such as mealtime were selected as the main reason for the initiation of the majority of eating episodes. In contrast, self-assessments such as “I felt I had eaten enough” was the main reason for terminating eating (39·4%). Gender differences in the reasons for initiating eating revealed a greater tendency for men to initiate eating for environmental reasons than women, whereas the opposite was found for the termination of eating, with women more likely to stop eating for environmental reasons than men. Changes in affect during eating revealed a significant decline in negative emotions such as tension and tiredness, and in the heavier subjects a trend for increased happiness was observed following eating. As hunger was less commonly reported as a reason to start eating than external reasons, treatment strategies for the obese might benefit by targeting individual reasons for meal initiation.

What is binge eating? A comparison of binge eater, peer, and professional judgments of eating episodes

Binge eating is a central diagnostic feature of bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge-eating disorder (BED), yet the phenomenon of bingeing has not been adequately defined, and there is considerable variability in how individuals label eating episodes as binges. We examined the agreement among binge-eating individuals, non-eating-disordered peers, and professional dietitians over whether particular eating episodes were binges. Twenty-nine females with BED. fifteen nonclinical binge eaters (NCB), three peer judges, and three dietitians rated a sample of eating episodes of the binge-eating individuals as either binges or nonbinges based on the types and amounts of food eaten as well as the duration of each eating episode. BED participants labeled a significantly higher proportion of their intakes as binges relative to NCB participants. Peer judges were more likely than were dietitians to label participants‘ eating episodes as binges. Agreement within dietitian and peer groups was poor to fair, whereas agreement between these groups was fair. Finally, agreement between participants and the external judges (i.e., peers, dietitians) was poor. Possible explanations for these findings as well as implications for the diagnosis of BN and BED are discussed.

Affective and cognitive antecedents to eating episodes in bulimia and binge eating

The present study investigated seven antecedents to the binge-purge cycle proposed by Orleans and Barnett (1984), including restraint, stress, mood, thoughts of food, fatigue, hunger, and dichotomous cognitions. For 1 week, 19 bulimics, 15 binge eaters, and 20 normal control subjects recorded detailed information about these antecedent conditions and the types and quantities of food consumed for each eating episode. Results indicated that prior to their binge episodes, bulimics reported significantly greater stress, preoccupation with food, and negative mood than binge eaters reported prior to their binges and normal controls reported prior to all of their eating episodes. Both bulimics and binge eaters reported greater dichotomous cognitions prior to binge episodes than normal controls experienced prior to all of their eating episodes. Comparisons of the antecedents to eating episodes which bulimics and binge eaters regarded as nonbinge episodes with all eating episodes of the control group indicated that although bulimics and binge eaters experienced significantly greater negative moods than normal controls prior to their nonbinge episodes, only bulimics experienced significantly greater dichotomous cognitions prior to these eating episodes. Theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

The topography of binge eating.

The present study investigated the topography of binge eating by comparing characteristics of eating episodes recorded by individuals who engage in binge eating (n = 29) with those who do not (n = 27), and characteristics of binge and non-binge episodes recorded by individuals who binge eat. For 2 weeks, subjects continuously recorded the type and quantity of food eaten during each eating episode, time and place of consumption, number of persons present, mood while eating, and whether the food eaten was part of a meal or snack. Results indicated binge eaters experienced negative moods during a significantly greater proportion of their eating episodes than non-binge eaters. Within the group of binge eaters, negative moods were experienced during a significantly greater proportion of binge episodes than non-binge episodes. Furthermore, binge episodes occurred significantly more often than non-binge episodes from 6:00 to 12:00 p.m. and significantly less often at appropriate places. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.