I Keep Binge Eating and Feel Out of Control, What Can I Do
Binge eating is not simply “eating too much” or lacking discipline.
Binge eating is not simply “eating too much” or lacking discipline.
A central experience can be the feeling that eating has become difficult to control, followed by distress, shame or secrecy. Some people then try to compensate by restricting food afterwards, which can make the overall relationship with eating even more difficult.
If this is happening repeatedly, speak to your GP or an eating-disorder professional rather than responding with a harsher diet.
The feeling of losing control matters
People often focus only on what was eaten.
For an eating-disorder assessment, the experience around eating also matters: feeling unable to stop, eating rapidly or secretly, distress afterwards and repeated patterns over time.
A healthcare professional can assess whether this may be binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, another eating disorder or something else. You do not need to diagnose it yourself.
Do not turn the next day into punishment
After a binge, shame can create an urge to impose much stricter rules.
That can reinforce a cycle in which eating becomes increasingly organised around restriction, loss of control and compensation.
This guide will not give instructions for fasting, compensatory exercise, purging or other methods intended to undo eating. If those behaviours are part of your pattern, tell your GP or eating-disorder service.
Treatment is not simply a weight-loss programme
NICE is explicit that for binge eating disorder, weight loss is not a therapy target in itself.
Recommended treatment focuses on the binge eating. For adults, NICE recommends eating-disorder-focused guided self-help as an initial psychological treatment, with eating-disorder-focused CBT if guided self-help is unsuitable or does not help.
That is very different from being told simply to diet harder.
Look at what happens around the episode
Without trying to police every mouthful, notice the wider context.
Were you extremely hungry after restriction? Upset? Lonely? Overwhelmed? Had you been trying to follow rigid food rules? Was the binge followed by secrecy or self-criticism?
These patterns are useful to discuss with a clinician because treatment can address the thoughts, emotions and behaviours maintaining the problem.
Weight-loss treatment is a separate medical question
If you are also considering prescribed weight-loss treatment, discuss your eating pattern openly with the healthcare professional assessing you.
NICE’s current weight-management prescribing guidance says that if an eating disorder is suspected, the person should be assessed in line with eating-disorder guidance and referred immediately to an appropriate eating-disorder service.
Do not use somebody else’s visible weight loss or treatment experience as a substitute for your own medical assessment.
Last reviewed
6 September 2026
Important informationThis guide provides general information only and is not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional medical or eating-disorder advice. Eating disorders can affect physical as well as mental health, and appearance or body weight alone does not show how unwell somebody may be. If you are worried about your eating, food-related behaviours, body image or physical health, speak to your GP or another appropriately qualified healthcare professional. If an eating disorder is suspected, specialist assessment should be arranged as early as possible.