Eating disorder signs: bingeing, restricting, self-check
CareOps editorial team · · 6 min read
Mental wellness information and service guidance published by CareOps.
About the CareOps editorial team
The CareOps editorial team publishes these guides. Sources are linked at the end of each article; examples are illustrative, not customer stories. Product descriptions refer to CareOps Maeumi. Publication and revision dates appear above.
Read our full editorial standards →You are full but cannot stop, and guilt floods in once you finish. Or eating itself feels frightening, and you spend the whole day calculating what to eat or whether to eat at all. If thoughts about food and your body are taking over your days, it is not about weak willpower. It may be a signal from your mind.
At a glance
- In eating disorders, eating and thoughts about weight and shape take over daily life. They cannot be read from body weight alone and often stay hidden.
- Restricting relates to anorexia nervosa, bingeing then purging to bulimia nervosa, and repeated loss of control while eating to binge eating disorder.
- The SCOFF self-check screens for eating concerns with five yes/no questions. With eating disorders, getting help early supports recovery.
What is an eating disorder?
An eating disorder involves major disturbances in eating behavior, with thoughts about weight, shape and food sitting deeply behind them. The US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) explains that becoming fixated on weight loss, body weight or shape, or controlling food intake can be signs of an eating disorder.
According to the review by Treasure et al. (2020), disturbed attitudes toward weight, shape and eating play a key role in how eating disorders start and continue. That is why an eating disorder is often tied, even before food, to how you see yourself and how you handle painful feelings.
Eating disorders are not rare. A systematic review of studies from 2000 to 2018 (Galmiche et al., 2019) reported an average lifetime rate of 8.4% for women and 2.2% for men. They affect men too, and they can develop at any age and body size.
Bingeing and restricting: how do eating disorder symptoms differ?
Diagnostic systems describe several eating disorders. The three most often discussed are summarized below. A diagnosis is made in a clinical conversation.
| Name | What keeps happening |
|---|---|
| Anorexia nervosa (restricting) | Eating is heavily restricted, there is an intense fear of gaining weight, and the body may be seen differently from how it is |
| Bulimia nervosa | Episodes of losing control while eating are followed again and again by efforts to undo them, such as purging or fasting |
| Binge eating disorder | Episodes of losing control while eating keep happening without efforts to undo them, followed by strong distress and guilt |
There are other forms too, such as avoiding certain foods or the experience of eating itself. More important than the name is how much eating is unsettling your mind and your life.
What signs might point to an eating disorder?
- You spend much of the day calculating what to eat or whether to eat.
- Guilt or shame after eating is so strong that you end up eating alone in secret.
- You start avoiding meals with other people.
- You keep checking your body in the mirror or on the scale, or you cannot look at all.
- You soothe low moods with eating, or feel in control by not eating.
- Your health has changed enough for others to worry, yet you feel you are fine.
According to NIMH, eating disorders often come with physical complications and with depression, anxiety and substance use problems. If your body is sending signals such as dizziness, feeling faint or changes in your period, see a doctor about your physical health first.
How can I check myself for an eating disorder?
The SCOFF is a five-question screening questionnaire published by Morgan et al. (1999) in the BMJ. It asks yes or no to whether you make yourself sick because you feel uncomfortably full, worry you have lost control over how much you eat, have recently lost a lot of weight, believe you are fat when others say you are too thin, and feel that food dominates your life.
Try a self-assessment without signing inEating concerns (SCOFF)Concerns around eating and weight. Answer the app’s questionnaire and see your result right away.Start the check →The result screen shows two or more ‘yes’ answers as a positive screen for eating concerns. Because it is a screening tool, the score alone does not decide whether you have an eating disorder. Even with a low score, if thoughts about food and your body are taking up your days, that alone is a good reason to talk about it.
What can I do now?
Eating concerns tend to ease more when the mind is cared for alongside them, rather than through sheer determination alone. Below are first steps that support recovery. They are not a plan to lose weight or change how much you eat.
- Note your feelings before and after eating — instead of what or how much you ate, write down whether you were hungry, eating because of feelings, or holding back and then eating a lot at once. You will see how eating and mood connect. Our guide to keeping an emotion diary can help.
- Try not to skip meals — holding back for a long time can set up a loop of eating a lot at once. Start by giving your meals a steady rhythm through the day.
- Check your body less often — repeatedly checking the mirror or the scale can make anxiety grow. When the urge to check comes, practice putting it off for a little while.
- Change how you talk to yourself — being harsh with yourself after eating tends to lead to the next binge or fast. Say what you would say to a friend: ‘this has been really hard.’ Self-compassion practice can help.
- Tell one person — eating concerns are easy to hide. Try telling one person you trust, even just that things are hard right now.
Please talk with a professional when
If you answered yes to two or more questions, if eating is unsettling your daily life, if purging or fasting keeps happening, or if you notice physical changes such as dizziness, please see a doctor or speak with a mental health professional. NIMH also notes that eating disorders can be treated successfully and that early detection and treatment are important. Asking for help is itself the start of recovery.
If this feels hard to say to anyone, you can start by sorting through your feelings in a conversation.
Frequently asked questions
- I binge but do not purge. Could it still be an eating disorder?
- Yes, it could. If episodes of losing control while eating keep happening and leave you very distressed, they may relate to binge eating disorder. You do not need to purge to have good reason to seek help.
- Can someone have anorexia without being very thin?
- Eating concerns cannot be judged by weight alone. If heavy restriction and an intense fear of gaining weight are taking over daily life, it is worth looking into, whatever you look like.
- Does a positive SCOFF result mean I have an eating disorder?
- The SCOFF is a screening tool that shows whether a closer look is needed. Whether you have an eating disorder is decided in a clinical conversation. If your result is positive, treat it as a reason to talk with a professional.
- I think a family member or friend has an eating disorder. How do I bring it up?
- Rather than commenting on weight or how much they eat, start by showing concern for how they feel, such as ‘you have seemed to be having a hard time lately, and I am worried.’ Listen without blame and offer to look for help together.
Sources
- Morgan, Reid, Lacey (1999), The SCOFF questionnaire: assessment of a new screening tool for eating disorders, BMJ
- Treasure, Duarte, Schmidt (2020), Eating disorders, The Lancet
- Galmiche et al. (2019), Prevalence of eating disorders over the 2000–2018 period: a systematic literature review, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Eating Disorders
This guide shares mental wellness information. If you are in immediate danger, contact emergency services where you are. Support and contact information.