Is it possible to have a binge eating disorder but still be skinny?
156 Answers
Last Updated: 06/12/2022 at 9:32pm
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Psychotherapist
I have been through a lot in life too, which helps me to be able to empathize with situations, thoughts and feelings that we have. Sometimes, it's not easy just being human.
Top Rated Answers
Anonymous
November 11th, 2017 4:37pm
Eating disorders don't depend on weight and body image. Being skinny doesn't mean being anorexic just as much as being skinny doesn't mean you don't have a binge eating disorder. You can have a binge eating disorder and still be skinny due to your metabolism or due to restricting when not binging or due to purging or sports or whatever but if binging is bothering you and taking too much place in your life, whether you are skinny or not, you need to get some help so as to handle it better and stop being bothering by it. Weight and body image don't define eating disorders.
Anonymous
November 12th, 2017 7:31am
It is possible to have BED (Binge Eating Disorder) especially if it's in the early stages or you have a fast metabolism. If you are worried make sure to seek guidance from a counselor or dietitian
Yes! My eating disorder started by binging til the point I would get sick over and over for about 3 days straight, then I would stop eating all together for an amount of time, back to binging. It has nothing to do with my weight, and is about control over something in my life when everything else feels out of control. I have lost a bunch of weight and have stayed skinny, which is actually something I don't like because it was never about that.
yes, of course. An eating disorder is in the head and anyone fat or skinny can have an eating disorder
If you work out regularly, you can still be skinny with a binge eating disorder. Running daily could be a good way to burn calories.
Anonymous
December 1st, 2017 2:42am
It is, yes. It could have to do with metabolism or maybe just the activity of purging (assuming this is a binge/purge question)
I've bounced between binging and refusing to eat for years now, aware of my ED but never really doing anything about it because I stayed pretty a pretty standard weight. Because I've never actually eaten properly since childhood, who knows what my natural weight is, but I can tell you that as someone who often binges- yes. Yes, you can binge and be skinny. You can eat and eat and eat and if your metabolism is relatively high or you've got that magic spell, you aren't going to gain weight like other people with EDs might. That doesn't mean that you don't need help.
Anonymous
January 5th, 2018 4:37pm
Yes, it possible to have binge eating disorder and be skinny. You can have an eating disorder no matter what size you may be.
Anonymous
January 8th, 2018 10:46pm
Yes it is. I actually sort of have this problem. I can eat a lot, and I mean a lot, but I am still super skinny. It just means that you have high metabolism.
Absolutely, as BED is often associated with other eating disorders. In my life, I struggled with both BED and Anorexia. It had a nasty see-saw effect.
Anonymous
January 25th, 2018 11:28pm
It is very possible. In the beginning of the disorder you may start off at any weight. If you lead an active lifestyle and do not purposely try to burn off what you have binged on then it is most certainly possible.
Anonymous
February 1st, 2018 4:49pm
Yes, it is quite possible. The only way that the person would be able to stay skinny would be if they have a fast metabolism or by exercising. It also depends on what specifically the person is binge eating. For example: fast food is high in calories and fat, meanwhile food that is low in fat or low in calories would be harder to gain weight from.
Anonymous
February 23rd, 2018 6:05pm
Yess!! A binge eating disorder has nothing to do with size, just like anorexia or bullimia. If you are following the unhealthy patterns of BED then you may have it.
Anonymous
February 23rd, 2018 11:45pm
Yes. People of all weights can have any eating disorder. Everyone has a different body and metabolism effects people is all different ways.
Yes. It's very possible. You most likely have a good metabolism, therefore you burn fat quickly even with eating a lot. Although, sometimes, that metabolism becomes not as good, and you'll end up gaining quite a lot of weight by binging.
Yes, this is possible if you also have bulimia eating disorder. This would mean that your body isn't fully absorbing your binges. Another possibility would be if you have developed this eating disorder recently and how frequent your binges are. Gaining weight also depends on your diet outside of binges and how much you exercise.
Anonymous
April 6th, 2018 3:52am
It is possible to have a binge eating disorder but still be skinny. Just because a person has a disorder does not mean it is physically visible.
Yes, it is very possible. There is no weight restriction or set weight one has to have with an eating disorder.
Anonymous
June 8th, 2018 8:20pm
Yes. You do not need to look a certain way or weigh a certain amount to have a eating disorder. Many people will see a person's body and make judgements on whether or not they have an eating disorder and what kind. This is not accurate and actually harmful. If a person is diagnosed with an eating disorder, then they have one. Regardless of their body and weight. Often people are made to feel their disorder is invalid because they do fit into a stereotype. You can laugh and still have depression; you can be skinny and have a binge eating disorder.
Yes absolutely! It all depends on your body type, metabolism, what you binge on etc. All of those different concepts must be taken into account. Eating disorders don't discriminate and your body type doesn't matter when it comes to having an eating disorder. You can be skinny and have a binge eating disorder just like you can be bigger and have anorexia. All that's important is that you reach out and get the help you need.
Yes, of course! Binge eating is the act of eating a lot of food or a large amount of calories in one go, usually, but not always, to help cope with emotional distress. How much weight one puts on is dependant on things such as how fast ones metabolism is and how much exercise one does to burn off calories. Thus the two may exist side by side if someone has binge eating disorder but also does a lot of exercise and has a fast metabolism they may stay skinny.
Anonymous
June 23rd, 2018 9:19pm
Absolutely! Some people's metabolisms work faster than others, and that may be why binge eating may not affect the person's body as much as it may another. It's like how I struggle with anorexic tendencies -- but I'm not deathly and lethally thin and bony. The same goes the other way. Perhaps your body just processes food in a different way, so despite eating a lot at a time, it does not convert a ton of it into fat but rather energy or other vital minerals.
Anonymous
June 24th, 2018 9:11pm
Of course, but as you might expect, it depends. For one thing, your own metabolism could, by itself, keep you skinny despite eating unreasonable amounts of food. Also, depending on what types of food you binge on, you can stay relatively skinny, especially (an very importantly) if you exercise enough!
Anonymous
June 27th, 2018 12:59am
Of course. Similar to other mental illnesses, eating disorders don't rely on a certain body type, they can affect anyone.
Absolutely. Although from personal experience I never viewed myself as skinny. I binge ate only once every 24 hours and routinely starved myself for the remainder of the day. I was quite thin but couldn't see it, I was more concerned with being in control of what went in and came out of my body.
Sure. Binge eating can be associated with throwing up... Anorexia and bulimia are often linked, like two sides of the same coin...
Anonymous
July 5th, 2018 6:51am
Yes. A person could eat a lot and gain little to no weight due to having a high metabolism. It happens to many.
Anonymous
July 5th, 2018 12:39pm
Yes it is very possible and very real. It goes the other way too. Many people are anorexic but might be overweight. So yes being skinny but still having a binge eating disorder is very real and possible.
Yes indeed It is you may have a fast metabolism that keeps your body skinny now the eating disorder may be some emotion that you’re feeling in your life that you’re probably trying to get over but maybe if you talk to one of our listeners you can talk with us and we will be here to listen
Of course, the disorder- which sounds grossly harsh and clinical to me- is binge eating, it doesn't say anything about keeping it down or eating when not binging. It's a devil, and it's clever, it'll eat at you any way it can.
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