Binge Eating Scale

The Binge Eating Scale is a 16-item questionnaire assessing the presence of certain binge eating behaviors which may be indicative of an eating disorder.

Below are groups of statements about behavior, thoughts, and emotional states. Please indicate which statement in each group best describes how you feel:.

I do not think about my weight or size when I’m around other people.
I worry about my appearance, but it does not make me unhappy.
I think about my appearance or weight and I feel disappointed in myself.
I frequently think about my weight and feel great shame and disgust.

I have no difficulty eating slowly.
I may eat quickly, but I never feel too full.
Sometimes after I eat fast I feel too full.
Usually I swallow my food almost without chewing, then feel as if I ate too much.

I can control my impulses towards food.
I think I have less control over food than the average person.
I feel totally unable to control my impulses toward food.
I feel totally unable to control my relationship with food and I try desperately to fight my
impulses toward food.

I do not have a habit of eating when I am bored.
Sometimes I eat when I am bored, but I can often distract myself and not think about food.
I often eat when I am bored, but I can sometimes distract myself and not think about food.
I have a habit of eating when I am bored and nothing can stop me.

Usually when I eat it is because I am hungry.
Sometimes I eat on impulse without really being hungry.
I often eat to satisfy hunger even when I know I’ve already eaten enough. On these occasions I can’t even enjoy what I eat.
Although I am not physically hungry, I feel the need to put something in my mouth and I feel
satisfied only when I can fill my mouth (for example with a piece of bread).

After eating too much:
I do not feel guilty or regretful at all.
I sometimes feel guilty or regretful.
I almost always feel a strong sense of guilt or regret.

When I’m on a diet, I never completely lose control of food, even in times when I eat too much.
When I eat a forbidden food on a diet, I think I’ve failed and eat even more.
When I’m on a diet and I eat to much, I think I’ve failed and eat even more.
I am always either binge eating or fasting.

It is rare that I eat so much that I felt uncomfortably full.
About once a month I eat so much that I felt uncomfortably full.
There are regular periods during the month when I eat large amounts of food at meals or
between meals.
I eat so much that usually, after eating, I feel pretty bad and I have nausea.

The amount of calories that I consume is fairly constant over time.
Sometimes after I eat too much, I try to consume few calories to make up for the previous
      meal.
I have a habit of eating too much at night. Usually I’m not hungry in the morning and at night I
      eat too much.
I have periods of about a week in which I imposed starvation diets, following periods of when I
      ate too much. My life is made of binges and fasts.

I can usually stop eating when I decide I’ve had enough.
Sometimes I feel an urge to eat that I cannot control.
I often feel impulses to eat so strong that I cannot win, but sometimes I can control myself.
I feel totally unable to control my impulses to eat.

I have no problems stopping eating when I am full.
I can usually stop eating when I feel full, but sometimes I eat so much it feels unpleasant.
It is hard for me to stop eating once I start, I usually end up feeling too full.
It is a real problem for me to stop eating and sometimes I vomit because I feel so full.

I eat the same around friends and family as I do when I am alone.
Sometimes I do not eat what I want around others because I am aware of my problems with
food.
I often eat little around other people because I feel embarrassed.
I’m so ashamed of overeating, I only eat at times when no one sees me. I eat in secret.

I eat three meals a day and occasionally a snack.
I eat three meals a day and I usually snack as well.
I eat many meals, or skip meals regularly.
There are times when I seem to eat continuously without regular meals.

I don’t think about impulses to eat very much.
Sometimes my mind is occupied with thoughts of how to control the urge to eat.
I often spend much time thinking about what I ate or how not to eat.
My mind is busy most of the time with thoughts about eating. I seem to be constantly fighting not to eat.

I don’t think about food any more than most people.
I have strong desires for food, but only for short periods.
There are some days when I think of nothing but food.
Most of my days are filled with thoughts of food. I feel like I live to eat.

I usually know if I am hungry or or not. I know what portion sizes are appropriate.
Sometimes I do not know if I am physically hungry or not. In these moments, I can hardly
understand how much food is appropriate.
Even if I knew how many calories I should eat, I would not have a clear idea of what is, for me, a normal amount of food.

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