Binge Eating Disorder and Body Image

Reviewed by Joseph Goldberg, MD

Everyone has looked in the mirror at one time or another and not liked the way they looked or how their clothes fit. If you have binge eating disorder, research says you likely have these thoughts a lot. This type of thinking, called poor body image, can trigger binges and affect your recovery. Know that you can learn to change these feelings and get better.

“You aren’t born hating your body,” says Samantha DeCaro, PsyD. She is the assistant clinical director at The Renfrew Center, which specializes in treating eating disorders. She says poor body image is “something you learn” from the way people around you talk about themselves and others. This can create long-lasting effects -- good or bad -- on the way you see yourself.

“A healthy body image is acceptance of one’s self, period,” says Michelle May, MD, founder of the Am I Hungry? mindful eating program.

A healthy body image means:

You do not obsess about your appearance.You do not avoid activities, such as going to the beach, because you hate the way you look.You feel comfortable in your body as it is right now.You don’t confuse your value as a person with how you feel about your looks.

There are ways to know if your body image needs a boost. Some warning signs are:

Always comparing your body to othersConstant criticism of yourselfNegative self-talk

If you will not date, buy new clothes, go to the doctor, or take a vacation until you lose weight, you likely have a body image problem.

“People create rules about what they can and cannot do,” DeCaro says. This can prevent taking part in events, like hanging out with friends, that help you recover from binge eating disorder.

Improving your body image is important, but it’s a shift that can be tough to make. “Body image isn’t a quick fix. People have longstanding, firmly held beliefs,” DeCaro says. Even with those challenges, it is certainly possible.

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