What is the definition of a binge? Is it only when you eat too much, or when it is too much only when your not hungry? Because it seems a lot of times I feel I've eaten a lot, but I am always hungry(well, almost almost always), it's not like I eat for no reason.

I don't believe a binge has to be when you're not hungry. In fact, I thought in most cases it was associated with rampid hunger on account of not eating enough prior to the binge.

The technical definition is: "Consumption of a very large amount of food in a brief time (e.g., 2 hours) accompanied by a loss of control over how much and what is eaten". Now, a binge can actually just be more then you're comfortable with, like if someone is starving themself then "binges" on a piece of cake, cause to them they would feel out of control. Or a binge can be planned. Do you feel upset/guilty after it? Or do you feel like you were just hungry and ate until you were full? Is it ever for emotional reasons?

If it were a binge, I think you'd know it. That emotional component would be there. It's not the same as eating a hearty meal out of genuine, normal hunger. The best definition I've heard is that it's "eating without dignity." Bingeing is when you feel uncomfortably full, and you keep stuffing your face, not because of 'hunger' but for various psychological reasons.

my doctor told me a binge is only really a binge if you consume more than 1000 calories. i don't know if I believe that though, because a lot of food means different things to different people.

Naa, that's not true. I mean think of it this way, what if someone ate a really fattening piece of cake that was 1,000 calories, but didn't even know it? Most people would not consider a piece of cake to be a binge. But if you binged on 1,000 calories of grapes and lettuce...holy crap that would be a lot!!

I've always interpreted a binge as eating too much of a wrong food at one sitting. Before I became a vegetarian my "axis of evils" were Twinkies and pepperoni pizza. I could consume an entire box of those naughty yellow spongecakes, or devour an entire delivery pizza during a binge.

Boy, am I glad those days are long gone! Today I have discipline.

I've always thought of binging as having to have the emotional aspect. It's not the same as being really hungry, eating more than you should really fast, and then filling over-full(think Thanksgiving). It's more of emotional upset causing one to lose control and consume large quantities of food and then experience guilt. Often people feel "outside" themselves when bingeing -a dreamlike state.

I always think of bingeing as out-of-control eating. Even if it's not a huge amount of food, if you feel out of control, it can be considered a binge. (at least that's how I have it defined for myself).