With more guilt comes more bingeing, which creates a vicious cycle that can be difficult to escape. As Bulik notes, "The guilt itself tends to be a trigger for binge eating."
It's a situation with which Lindberg says she can sympathize.
"I can't imagine in today's society with our economy, God, the guilt that you must lay on yourself when you spend money on it that you need to spend on something else," she says. "I can't imagine the guilt."
Lindberg, however, says she is living proof that those with binge eating disorders can overcome the condition.
"I can't stand the thought of it now," she says. "I can't overeat; I just kind of 'hit the wall' when I'm eating now. But it's taken lots of years to get to that point."
And while for some the additional finance-related guilt of binge eating can lead to a downward spiral, for others the extra costs could be a life-changing wake-up call.
"It's probably different strokes for different folks," Bermudez says. "I think there are people who would probably be willing whatever sacrifice to keep bingeing, but for other people it may be a motivation.
"In that they are dealing with guilt as a trigger and guilt as an outcome, people face this struggle differently. But sometimes people will regard that guilt as an important motivation to seek help, and they can use it to control their behavior."
Bulik agrees. "If anything, this could be another reason to really work on [binge eating disorders] now; it not only impacts your health, but it also impacts your and your family's pocketbook."
Do you have more information about this topic? If so, please click here to contact the editors of ABC News.
