Compulsive/Binge Eating

Introduction

First, you need to be proud of yourself, by coming here you have recognised you have a problem and that you want to get better. You've taken a big step in the right direction.

There are two types of problems that are related to eating too much, they are called “binge eating disorder” and “compulsive overeating.”

They are a very similar problem. Basically it’s when you either eat large quantities of unhealthy junk food regularly or you constantly eat even when you are not hungry. You can identify if you have the problem by seeing if any of these relate to you:

• Eating much more rapidly than usual
• Eating until feeling uncomfortably full
• Eating large amounts of food when not physically hungry
• Eating alone because of embarrassment at the quantities of food consumed
• Feeling out of control around food
• Feeling self conscious eating in front of others
• Feeling ashamed, depressed or guilty after bingeing
• Constipation

Over eating is normally done to give you “comfort” and emotional satisfaction. Whilst the food is being eaten ‘happy hormones’ called Serotonin are released which makes you feel good. Apart from this overindulgence being terrible for your health, once the food has been eaten it can make you feel guilty and depressed amongst various other negative emotions.

If you get help you can learn how to get emotional comfort in different ways without consuming large quantities of food. You can also learn to love yourself so that you don’t need food to feel good. There are lots of reasons to feel good about yourself – you just need a little reminder.

Who Overeats?

Anyone can start to over-eat. However, the problem is more common in females than men. People of all age ranges over-eat. Some start before their teens and others much later in life. Normally, people that over-eat are insecure, depressed and not very confident about themselves.

Causes of Overeating

There are many, many different reasons and can change from person to person. Some common examples include:

• Stress
• Depression
• Being bullied
• Poor family diet
• Quitting smoking
• Boredom
• For comfort
• A long-term developing habit

What Does Overeating Feel Like?

It feels satisfying when you are eating, like a pleasure you can’t get from anything else. It’s not really the taste you enjoy it's more the feeling of becoming full. However, once you have eaten you may often experience feelings of embarrassment, guilt and depression.

What are the Symptoms of Overeating?

There are two different sorts of symptoms:

• The way you feel physically
• The way you feel mentally

If you have experienced any of the symptoms below make sure you get yourself some help so you can start to improve your life. Look at our Treatments section and we’ll show you how.

Physical Symptoms:

It can take time to experience any major physical symptoms, however, can be incredibly dangerous in the long term. Overeating can lead to:

• Weight gain & obesity
• Heart attacks
• High blood pressure & cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Strokes
• Kidney disease and/or failure
• Digestion problems
• Stomach ulcers
• Arthritis
• Bone deterioration
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Bowel cancer
• Constipation or Diarrhoea
• Trouble sleeping
• Sleeping too much
• Lethargy & tiredness

Mental Symptoms:

Overeating can affect your mental health too, some symptoms include:

• Craving food
• Constantly thinking about food or your eating problems
• Feeling lazy
• Depression
• Guilt & shame

What should you do now?

The fact that you have recognised you may have a problem is a very positive step forward. Have a chat with your doctor about how you’re feeling, what you’re thinking and any troubles you may have. This might sound like a massively scary thing to do, but please remember your doctor is there to help, it’s all confidential and they won’t judge you at all, they will have met a lot of people that are going through what you are – all they will do is help you out.

When you speak to the doctor discuss with them whether you can see a clinical psychologist so that they go over “talking therapies” with you like CBT.

In the meantime you may want to Chat to a Buddy, or check out our Treatments and Self Help sections, try to take little steps everyday to make yourself feel better.