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Binge Eating Disorder and The Holidays

It is that time of year again! A line of holidays and festivities are marching closer and closer as the year nears the end. Halloween zipped by! Now, steadily approaching comes Thanksgiving followed by even more December holidays, celebrated by a variety of people and cultures, such as: Christmas, Hanukkah, the winter solstice, Kwanzaa, and more! Each of these celebrations bring with them deep seeded traditions, delicious foods, and fun-filled memories.

Unfortunately, not everyone experiences holidays the same way, often when someone is struggling with binge eating disorder (BED).

What is Binge Eating Disorder?

A binge eating episode occurs when a person experiences a loss of control while eating and consumes a larger than common amount of food in a shorter than common amount of time. 1 If this event becomes a pattern taking place at least once a week for at least 3 months, this may fit the criteria of a binge eating disorder (BED). 1 A binge eating episode is usually triggered by stress or anxiety.

How can the Holidays Impact Someone with Binge Eating Disorder?

Although the holidays involve plenty of parties and celebration, what often happens behind the scenes is growing stress surrounding the preparation of all those events. To add, someone struggling with BED may be anxious about incoming dinner gatherings. The pressure of friends and family might also trigger a binge eating episode or having a refrigerator stocked full of left overs while being alone could be another trigger. Finally, there could be a friend or family member that comments about having to fast for the rest of the following day as a way to compensate for the holiday dinner, or skipping meals in preparation for the meal, these kinds of comments can trigger a mental strom inside the mind of someone struggling with BED.

What Can You Do to Help?

Friends and family members may not always know if someone they love is struggling with an eating disorder, such as a binge eating disorder (BED) as these disordered eating behaviors often occur in secrecy Therefore, if you want to create a total food-friendly-space for the holidays for all your friends and family members, below are some suggestions to consider:

Avoid conversations that focus on body aesthetics, diet trends, weight loss, weight gain, or comments about anyone’s body.
Keep comments about food portions to yourself. If someone would like a second helping of stuffing, let them have a second helping. Everyone has different levels of hunger and fullness cues and no one’s body is the same as someone else.
Share to all guests what you will be serving in advance, that way there won’t be any unknown fears about which foods will be there or not there.
If a friend or family member does reach out to you for support, give them the support they need. If that means they need to eat before the event, reassure them that it is okay. If that means they need certain food items set aside for them in advance, reassure them that it is okay.

What Can You Do to Prepare?

If you are on the road to recovery from binge eating disorder (BED) take a moment to realize that recovery is about progress, not perfection. Also, you being here and reading this right now is already an amazing step toward recovery! If you sense yourself growing in anxiety and stress about Thanksgiving and other looming holidays, here are some suggestions to consider:

Ease your anxiety or stress with breathing exercises.
If you know what triggers your anxiety, come up with a plan in advance to cope with the situation. If it will help to write down a list of “If this, then this,” write it down. For example: If someone tries to pressure me to eat more when I am already comfortably full, then I will tell them that I am already full and that I can take the food item home with me. Another example: If the food item I wanted to eat is not there, then I will bring with me an alternative food item to eat.
Reach out to your support system in advance! Let them know what you need from them and how they can help you. If that means you need to step outside the party for a few minutes to breathe let them know how they can help with that.
Have a meeting with your therapist or eating disorder specialist before the event to come up with a plan, a strategy of how to navigate your way through certain conversations or how to speak to certain relatives. Leave nothing out!
Remember that recovery looks different for everyone.

Our team of licensed therapists, dietitians, and lifestyle coaches are here to help you find freedom, health, and healing! Take our simple two-minute quiz here and schedule a consultation with Dr. Jen to see if FAB might be a good fit for you!.

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Raquel Rodriguez
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