I know some of my readers have suffered with eating disorders in the past, so if this is something you are currently battling and this may trigger negative reactions within you, you may want to consider not reading this post.
This post has been a long time coming, as it’s a topic I’ve been internalizing ever since I received an email over a month ago from a reader.
This reader, who shall remain anonymous, sent me an email that said the following (paraphrased):
Your site popped up when I googled "volume eating" [hyperlinked to the post she was referring to]. I only recently heard the term and realized I was hearing about myself. I had no idea other people did this and gratified to learn I’m not the only one. It’s kind of a secret thing with me, and I can control it for periods of time (like on vacation with other people) if I have to.
Can you tell me more about it? It is considered an eating disorder? Is it considered a form of bulimia?
I can see that it’s something I’ve always done but I didn’t understand what was going on. It could explain why I was overweight (not grossly obese but I filled up on the wrong stuff like cookies) as a child.
What do psychologists say about volume eating? Is it to fill yourself up because something else is missing in your life? Are control issues involved, as in anorexia (which I’ve had also).
I’ve never addressed this before and thank you for your honesty in your blog.
Where can I find out more information about this?
Well, for the record, the first thing I told her (and am reminding all of you now!) was that I am not a Registered Dietitian, doctor, or psychologist.
That said, the next thing I replied with was that I had honestly never thought of volume eating as being an eating disorder.
Before I go any further, I just want to make clear how exactly I’m defining volume eating.
Volume eating, to me, is having the bulk of your foods consist of foods that are not calorically dense, therefore allowing you to essentially eat more for less. For me personally, I employ volume eating in my own diet as a way to also ensure I’m getting all the nutrients I need.
For example: instead of a dinky little fast food cheeseburger for 300 calories, I’d rather have a spinach salad with tofu, a whole wheat English muffin and a small organic apple for my lunch. Calorically equivalent, just a lot more food, and more nutritionally balanced, too.
That said, after I thought about it, I did see how volume eating could be seen as an eating disorder or even be used as a tool for an eating disorder. Yes, you can have two small bowls of equal size, one full of a filling breakfast of oats, banana, milk and peanut butter, and the other full of watermelon. But that does not mean that’s a smart choice. For me personally, a small bowl of watermelon will not keep me full or my blood sugar stabilized. But, I can see that if you are dealing with disordered eating, you can fill a plate with mostly lettuce or fruit and call it a meal, because it’s "safe" since it has so few calories.
So – what are your thoughts? I brought this topic to the blog (with the permission of the reader who sent the email) because I really wanted to see other feedback and discussion about this topic. I’m truthfully not sure if there’s really an answer as to whether volume eating is an eating disorder or not. I personally think that, like many things, it will depend on how the individual is using it.
Discuss away, friends. And, like always, please remember to keep things respectful in the comments. I totally support differing opinions, just be tactful and respectful please! Thank you!
Also, just to note: if you all find this topic really interesting, I’d be glad to do some more in-depth research on the topic and share some scholarly findings with you. If you’re interested. 
I think volume eating is a disordered way of thinking when you use it as an excuse for not eating enough – either variety or calorically – in your daily intake. It is a disorder when it keeps you from fueling your body properly AND you refuse or have difficulty adding in more dense foods that will benefit you.
I don’t think its a problem to prefer a big salad because it keeps you fuller than a similar caloric meal. It’s all about fueling our bodies properly and without fear of food.
“It’s all about fueling our bodies properly and without fear of food.” –agreed! well said
That is really interesting… I definitely am a big volume eater but can see how one could abuse that if you take it to an extreme.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by BigdreamsSkinnyJeans, Meghann. Meghann said: Interesting post on Volume Eating http://bit.ly/b4j57k (via @SoundEats ) [...]
If taking to the extreme any type of eating can be disordered. I don’t see volume eating as disordered on a normal level because it the caloric value is the same but my mind sees the salad and extras differently than just the cheese (or in my case veggie) burger. I’d still want to eat thinking the burger was too small but with the larger variety I’m satisfied.
Eating is as much mental as physical.
“Eating is as much mental as physical.” — YES! This is why even though food is, at its absolute simplest use, fuel, we still need to take into consideration the cultural, emotional and personal ties to food, too.
hmm.. this is a really interesting topic. i’ve learned this term in my psych class from one of my classmate’s presentation. i see your definition for volume eating. so many american english are bending rules and a lot of times there is no boundary. it’s similar with “ethical eating” and everyone has their own definition of ethical eating.
i couldn’t have answered the way you did. you did really good.
I loved your point on the ethical eating and how everyone has their own definition. It’s so true! Thanks for sharing.
Anything taken to an extreme can be considered disordered eating.
I love how Emily from The Front Burner talks about volume eating. She’s obviously a girl that loves food but you never see her munching on a bowl of iceberg and then talking about how it filled her up. She does it the right way.
exactly. That’s the same way I think of volume eating, and I think it’s the healthy view of volume eating. Great point!
Excellent topic Lindsey. I believe that any and all “types” of eating can be at one point or another, categorized as an eating disorder. To me (and I don’t know if this is a textbook definition or not), eating disorders are any irrational thoughts about food, but to a scale where there is significant duration and intensity. I could see someone irrationally eating volumes of low calorie foods (volume eating) and practicing this behavior over and over and becoming very strict about it. That’s borderline eating disorder to me.
Keep this post coming – I love reading about everyone’s perspective.
Very good point. I think it’s also important to remember that, at least I personally think, there’s a difference between “an eating disorder” and “disordered eating”. I think the occasional thoughts of disordered eating is what can lead up to a full blown eating disorder, and which can blow things like volume eating out of proportion, using it as a way to eat a big bowl of iceberg lettuce. Thank you for sharing!
This topic is very interesting. I suffered from a severe eating disorder not too long ago. I was eating less than 500 calories a day and the foods I chose were definitely high in volume. That said I DO NOT think that volume eating in and of itself would be an eating disorder. It’s really about how much you eat. Whether you choose calorie dense foods or volume heavy foods, the disorder is going to be how many calories you take in. A person who eats 500 calories in a burger is no different than a person who eats 500 calories in watermelon. If that’s all they’ve eaten in the day, both would be considered anorexic. Its certainly easier to control your caloric intake by eating volume foods only, and that could be considered disordered eating, but if you’re meeting necessary caloric and nutritional requirements that I don’t believe it is an eating disorder.
“If that’s all they’ve eaten in the day, both would be considered anorexic.” — good point! Thank you for sharing your thoughts, I definitely agree that volume eating in and of itself is not an eating disorder. Thanks!
I don’t think volume eating is indicative of an eating disorder, but in the hands (mouth?) of someone who is eating disordered, it is. I know this because I have very disordered eating habits. I have food fear, restricting tendancies, etc. I’ve also lost 275 pounds, so that stems from the fear of it coming back, and having binging issues from childhood. I’m trying to get over these issues, but it’s tough. Oh, I’m in Jacksonville, too.
First of all, congratulations on the 275 lb weight loss – that is incredibly inspiring! Let me know if you ever want to share your weight loss story! Also – we should meet up sometime! And you should tell me the fun places in Jax I should hit up.
On another note, I think it’s totally understandable that you’re having some fears of food and restricting tendencies. Have you checked out Andrea’s blog?
http://canyoustayfordinner.com/
She’s a recent new blog that I’ve found and I LOVE her. She has also lost a lot of weight, and talked about how seeing a nutritionist once she was segueing into maintenance mode/ living life mode was really helpful for her to listen to her body again/ get over some fear foods.
Hope we can meet sometime!
EDs are filled with excuses, so i believe that this could be one of them. like eating a ton of veggies and nothing else really fills you up…so your excuse is that you are too full to eat anything else.
I guess I can see both sides to this. On one hand, volume eating can be a valid method of obtaining essential nutrients in an entire meal, but on the other hand, then you could rely on all of your meals to be more voluminous, even when you aren’t really hungry to consume as much as you normally would. I guess it could be a bad habit if you start to obsess over it, but that goes with any kind of eating.
I’d say, as long as you maintain a healthy relationship with food, no matter how you are eating it, that’s all that matters.
“I’d say, as long as you maintain a healthy relationship with food, no matter how you are eating it, that’s all that matters.” <–Amen!!
I have to agree with previous posters that volume eating in itself isn’t neccesarily disordered, but can be taken to an extreme.
I honestly never considered this as a way of disordered eating. I guess I try to eat things I know will keep me fuller longer and are healthy. It seems that healthy foods like most veggies, whole grains, and a lot of fruits fall into the category of voluminous by default.
Interesting topic!
Thanks for contributing! I was in the same boat as you, where I had honestly never considered volume eating as a disordered way of eating until I got that email. I just thought it was very interesting, and if it was a new concept to me, it may be new to others too, which was why I shared.
And I’m the same way – I’m all about healthy foods that keep me full.
When I read this, my first thought was “Weight Watchers.” The point counting program essentially encourages people to eat a lot of low calorie foods if they want to “feel full.” I don’t think volume eating is really an eating disorder but more a personal preference. I don’t think there is a problem with eating a lot of health food. The problem occurs when people over indulge in unhealthy foods.
agreed. Regardless, calories are calories, and you do need a certain amount to fuel you, and you can get that whether through a small amount of high calorie food or a high amount of low calorie food, or a balance of both.
I’ve heard that about Weight Watchers – I don’t know much about it, but I am vaguely aware that basically the less calorically dense a food is, the less points it seems to have.
As others have already said, I think volume eating is something that could potentially be incorporated into disordered eating, but so could lots of other things. Exercise, eating vegetables, drinking lots of water to delay hunger are all generally considered “healthy habits”, but, when taken to the extreme or done in an unhealthy way, all of those can be part of an ED.
Volume eating seems to be the same – having a nutritionally sound dinner of veggies and whole grains would be the healthy form, and eating a bowl of watermelon and calling it “dinner” would be the unhealthy form.
Very thought-provoking!
[...] you for the discussion on the volume eating seen as an eating disorder post. I loved reading every comment as it came in, and will be responding to some shortly. Also – [...]
I think volume eating is a very interesting concept. I used to think it was the only way to stay full while staying within my recommended maintenance calories, but I’ve learned that my body has a way of knowing what I have ingested regardless of volume.
For example, I used to be scared of eating bagels for breakfast because I didn’t want to be hungry later and have to eat more. But when I eat a bagel with a decent amount of cream cheese and some coffee, I am full for 4-5 hours.
Another example: the other day, I was at a party with no vegetarian options, and I wound up having chips & salsa and a sliver of cake for lunch. I wasn’t hungry again until dinner. I’m sure there are exceptions to this, but overall, it seems like my body just knows when it’s had enough calories, regardless of how much volume I’ve consumed.
I can eat a sandwich and carrots with hummus for lunch and be completely satisfied until my afternoon snack 3ish hours later. I don’t understand why people NEED a huge spread of food to feel full, and I wonder if it is mental or physical or a little bit of both–like maybe they have trained their mind AND their body to want lots of food through using volume eating as a weight loss tool? Or maybe I’m the weird one here, haha
100% AGREE!! I think once you become in tune to your body and your body’s needs, your body knows when you’ve had enough, whether it be through chips & salsa and a sliver of cake or whether it be through a huge salad of veg, fruit and protein.
This whole post and all the comments have definitely inspired me to re-evaluate where I stand and make sure that regardless the “volume” of my food, that I’m listening to my hunger cues.
Thanks love!
(And no, you’re not the weird one lol.)