How common is binge eating after a competition?

Short answer

Very common. 46% of 45 competitors and 72% of 60 competitors reported binge eating after shows. It is the body's response to regain lost fat and muscle, and on average 3.4 kg of fat came back within 6 weeks after the show.

How common is binge eating after a competition?
'Show ends → foods you held back → binge' — is it just me?
Many competitors finish a show, eat months' worth of off-limits food at once, then blame themselves. Is it a willpower problem? We checked how common it is and why it happens.
About one in two
46% of 45 competitors binged after shows
When 45 drug-free competitors were surveyed, 46% had binged after competitions and 85% regained weight. Over the season they lost 6.8 kg on average and gained back 6.2 kg. 81.5% were often preoccupied with thoughts of food.
A recent survey found even more
72% of 60 competitors had binge episodes
In a 2026 survey of 60 competitors, 72% had frequent binge episodes, mostly after competitions. 27 people who competed binged more often than 25 who trained just for fun. Bingeing rose with competing, not with lifting itself.
Why: the body wants back what it lost
Those who had recovered less ate more
A reanalysis of 12 people who were starved and then refed found that those whose fat and muscle had come back less ate more when allowed to eat freely. Bingeing was tied less to willpower and more to the body's signal to refill lost fat and muscle.
After the show, the body came back fast
4 kg of fat returned within 6 weeks
19 drug-free competitors lost 7.1 kg during prep (5.8 kg of fat). Within 6 weeks after the show, they regained 3.4 kg of fat and 2.7 kg of lean mass (muscle and everything except fat). At 12 weeks, fat was back to the starting level, and lean mass was 1.6 kg above the start.
Prep was harder on the mind
Eating-disorder symptoms peaked before the show
In the same 19 people, eating-disorder symptom scores were highest during prep and fell over the 12-week recovery. Of 348 women who competed, 46.6% showed disordered eating, and 35% of 25 had a past eating disorder. Eating problems were bigger during prep than after the show.
Bottom line: post-show bingeing is a common response
More than one in two went through it
46% of 45 competitors and 72% of 60 binged after shows. It was the body's response to regain lost fat and muscle. Those who raised their food intake more after the show recovered their metabolism faster and also gained more fat, so treating the post-show period as a planned phase works.