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What Is Binge Eating?
- Do you feel your eating is out of control?
- Do you find yourself seemingly unaware that you're stuffing down food?
- Do you use food to numb uncomfortable feelings such as anxiety, depression, loneliness, or boredom?
If so, you may be struggling with the symptoms of binge eating disorder.
Binge eating, which is also known as compulsive overeating, is different from occasionally eating too much.
If you're suffering from binge eating disorder, you feel irresistible urges to overeat. You routinely eat unusually large amounts of food and you don't stop eating once you're full.
A person suffering from binge eating disorder feels powerless to stop eating, even if they're aware they've already had too much.
Compulsive overeating affects a wide range of people of all ages and backgrounds.
Generally speaking, individuals with binge eating disorder have a tendency to be overweight, feel ashamed of their eating behaviors, and have a long history of dieting and trying to control their weight.
Obesity has serious health implications, and it's important for those who feel their eating behaviors are out of control to seek professional help as soon as possible.Binge Eating: Signs and Symptoms
If you find you're:
You're likely suffering some of the symptoms of binge eating disorder.
- Eating excessive amounts of food in short periods of time;
- Feeling your eating behaviors are beyond your control;
- Preoccupied with your weight and body-image;
- Negatively comparing your self-image to others; or
- Practicing secretive eating behaviors, especially late at night;
Like those who have bulimia, you probably use food to numb uncomfortable feelings.
From the time we're infants, we learn to soothe with food. I think most of us can remember times when life was stressful and we headed for the pantry or the fridge. Many carry this coping mechanism throughout their life. When you feel anxiety, depression, or stress, food becomes your medicine.
Another common underlying cause of binge eating disorder has to do with being noticed, especially sexually.
Quite often, people with this disorder use food to make themselves feel invisible.
This can be true for girls who experienced puberty at a young age and had a difficult time dealing with others noticing the early physical signs of their womanhood, those who suffer from shyness or social anxiety, and women who've been sexually abused.
If you have a subconscious fear of being noticed sexually, a large body with a wall of insulation can feel extremely protective.
If you've been bingeing for any length of time, it's likely you're already overweight and that your self-esteem has taken a beating.
Every day, we're bombarded with messages telling us "thin is in and fat is bad." These stereotypes run throughout our culture, and it's not uncommon for people to consider media examples of "thin-body perfection" as normal. This credo may even occur within your family, especially if your parents or siblings are overly concerned with their physical appearance. However, for many, this physique is unattainable.
If you've tried losing weight to achieve this look, you're probably aware how quickly a binge can be triggered when the deprivation strikes. Once a binge is set off, hopelessness commonly ensues, which in turn just triggers more bingeing.
When it feels like everyone is telling you that you can't have a relationship, a good job, or be happy if you're overweight, your self-loathing likely continues and you may feel like giving up and continuing to binge to cope with the hopelessness.
Fortunately, there is hope... and help! And research has shown time and again that the sooner people who are concerned about their body image receive treatment the faster the healing process and the better the outcome.
Successfully Treating Binge Eating
According to the National Eating Disorders Association, the most effective eating disorder treatments involve some form of psychotherapy. Therapy can help you uncover and address the underlying issues that trigger negative self-image and binge-eating behaviors.
However, therapy must go hand-in-hand with careful attention to your specific medical and nutritional needs. For this reason, I work with a team of professionals that can help you determine a healthy weight, monitor your health, and help you learn about your body, your nutrition options, and discover what physical activities you enjoy.
Every treatment plan I create is individually tailored to each client and your treatment will depend on the severity of the problem you're facing and your individual strengths and needs.
That having been said, some common goals of the work I do with clients suffering from compulsive overeating and its symptoms include:
In a supportive, compassionate, and confidential setting we can work together to determine if you need help, uncover and resolve the issues that keep you focusing on your body image and eating issues, and create a treatment plan that makes the most sense for you.
- Medical management to restore normal eating patterns and a healthy weight;
- Identifying the underlying issues that trigger binge eating behaviors;
- Increasing your self-esteem and your ability to solve problems in a healthy manner;
- Developing a positive, healthy body-image;
- Finding healthy ways to cope with anxiety, stress, and depression;
- Gaining awareness of the societal triggers for obsessing about your weight;
- Educating family members about binge eating and developing a support system to help speed your recovery; and
- Reconnecting you with the things in life that bring you joy so you can reclaim your life and replace your food and weight obsessions with meaningful and rewarding activities.
I consider it vitally important that mothers and daughters in our society learn to accept their bodies, understand their weight and eating issues, and create healthy lifestyles that meet their personal needs.
Your body is not an "enemy" that needs to be controlled. You can develop a positive self-image and learn to eat anything you want… just not everything you want.
And, by learning to spend less time obsessing about food and weight, you'll find more energy to focus on all the aspects of life there are to enjoy and truly be thankful for!
Life can replace the obsession! As one of my recent clients commented, "I got my life back! Now that I'm not constantly thinking about food, I remember how creative I am and how much fun life can be!"For more information about binge eating and the prevention and treatment services I offer, I encourage you to call me at 650-854-4631 with any questions you have or to schedule a free, initial phone consultation.
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