Binge Eating Disorder (also
referred to as Compulsive Overeating Disorder) is characterized by episodes of
uncontrolled consumption of unusually large amounts of food followed by periods
of guilt and depression.
Sufferers are upset by their binges,
often become depressed and are very ashamed of their behaviour. They usually feel
badly about themselves and may miss work, school, or social activities to binge
eat.
Binge Eating is not a repsone to hunger but a response
to depression, stress, or self esteem problems. Eating becomes a way of dealing
(or not dealing) with emotional issues.
"I was eating non-stop.
I usually ate enough food for three or four people in just one day."
"I
comforted myself with food. I would sneak down the hallway to the vending machines
and get as many candy bars as I could from them."
"After eating
tons of food I feel guilty about what I have just done but at the same time I
wonder when and what I can eat next."
"I was doing my best
to try and hide it, but my parents would notice when a big box of cookies went
missing. I would just say that my younger siblings had it all."
What to do when you feel
like losing control... Instead of binging, try to calm yourself down. Ask yourself
"Do I really need to binge?"
The following tips may help you
get the control back over your impuslive eating behaviour.
When you
feel like being at risk of losing control: Wait ten minutes; count to 100 - waiting
for a couple of minutes usually makes the cravings go away.
Have a big
glass of water.
Call a friend.
Visit a friend.
Ask
a friend to come over.
Call an Eating Disorder Hotline.
Call
your therapist.
Call someone from your support group.
Write
your journal. Write an e-mail to a friend.
Listen to music.
Listen
to a comedy tape or video.
Dance to your faviourite songs.
Watch
a movie.
Read a book.
Take a nap.
Pray.
Exercise.
Medidate.
Go to a tanning salon.
Paint a picture.
Clean
your room.
Take a relaxing bath.
Go for a walk (don't take money
with you!)
Spend time with your pet.
Plant flowers or pull weeds
in a garden.
Colour your hair.
Paint your nails.
Go
to eating disorder support websites and chat online with people who are going
through the same as you are.
Plan regular activities for your most difficult
time of day.
The self esteem of compulsive
overeaters is extremely low, and very often virtually non-existent. They feel
guilty, isolated, depressed, helpness, worthless and are ashamed and disgusted
by themselves and their behaviour. Oftentimes they hate their body and their life.
"I feel heavy and extremely uncomfortable in my body. But
this is not as bad as the inner pain, the low self-esteem, shame, isolation and
embarrassment I experience."
People with binge eating disorder can
be treated and the disorder can be successfully overcome. Support groups (i.e.
Overeaters Anonymous - www. oa.org)
can be a very valuable tool in treating this disorder and are an excellent step
to take on the road to recovery. Binge eating disorder involves the mind and the
body, so psychological and medical help (provided from such as health doctors,
psychologists, psychiatrists, clinical social workers, dietitians) is beneficial
and necessary. Counselling focuses on the reasons and triggers for the abnormal
eating habits. The goal is to make the person feel better about themself and to
improve their self-esteem, so that they focus less on food and become less dependent
on their eating disorder.
"Compulsive overeating is my life.
I'm either thinking about food, or eating."
"The more I tried
to control what I was eating - the more out of control I became."
Eating disorders can be treated and a healthy weight
restored. The sooner these disorders are diagnosed and treated, the better the
outcomes are likely to be. Because of their complexity, eating disorders require
a comprehensive treatment plan involving medical care and monitoring, psychosocial
interventions, nutritional counseling and, when appropriate, medication management.
At the time of diagnosis, the clinician must determine whether the person is in
immediate danger and requires hospitalization.
The treatment goals and strategies
for binge-eating disorder are similar to those for bulimia, and studies are currently
evaluating the effectiveness of various interventions.
The primary goal
of treatment for bulimia is to reduce or eliminate binge eating and purging behavior.
To this end, nutritional rehabilitation, psychosocial intervention, and medication
management strategies are often employed. Establishment of a pattern of regular,
non-binge meals, improvement of attitudes related to the eating disorder, encouragement
of healthy but not excessive exercise, and resolution of co-occurring conditions
such as mood or anxiety disorders are among the specific aims of these strategies.
Individual psychotherapy (especially cognitive-behavioral or interpersonal psychotherapy),
group psychotherapy that uses a cognitive-behavioral approach, and family or marital
therapy have been reported to be effective. Psychotropic medications, primarily
antidepressants such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), have
been found helpful for people with bulimia, particularly those with significant
symptoms of depression or anxiety, or those who have not responded adequately
to psychosocial treatment alone. These medications also may help prevent relapse.
People with eating disorders often do not recognize or admit that they
are ill. As a result, they may strongly resist getting and staying in treatment.
Family members or other trusted individuals can be helpful in ensuring that the
person with an eating disorder receives needed care and rehabilitation. For some
people, treatment may be long term.
Eating disorders seriously affect the
hormonal system and therefore make it extremely difficult to both conceive and
carry a child to term. Women suffering from eating disoders put their lifes and
the life their baby in danger and raise the risk of miscarriage, prematurity,
postnatal depression. You should not attempt to get pregnant until you are well
on your way to recovery, or recovered. It is important for all pregnant women
to receive proper prenatal care and have regular pre-natal visits. In addition,
an enrollment in a prenatal exercise class is a good idea.
For more detailed
information on eating disorders and pregnancy - please click
here.
Compulsive overeaters are similar to bulimia
sufferers because they are unable to control the amount of food that they eat.
However, compulsive overeaters do not throw up, fast, overexercise, use laxatives,
enemas, diuretic or diet pills after their binges and oftentimes feel guilty and
ashamed of themselves. As a result, most compulsive overeaters are overweight
or obese.
This remarkable guided workbook shows emotional
eaters - in a constructive, non-judgmental way - how to stop using food as a substitute
for handling difficult emotions or situations, and how to enjoy eating and still
lose weight naturally.
By using the liberating exercises and techniques developed
by Geneen Roth in her highly successful Breaking Free workshops, dieters,
who've tried every conceivable diet - losing weight again and again, only to gain
it back - and bingers, who are harming their health, can learn wholesome, beneficial
ways to achieve their goals. This proven program offers concrete, constructive,
reassuring guidelines and helps you peel back the layers of your emotional eating
until you get to the very heart of the matter. This workbook will allow you to
work alone, at your own pace, or as a guide for support groups.
This is how Geneen Roth remembers her time
as an emotional overeater and self-starver. After years of struggle, Roth finally
broke free from the destructive cycle of bingeing and purging. In the two decades
since her triumph, she has gone on to help tens of thousands of others do the
same through her lectures, workshops, and retreats. Those she has met during this
time have shared stories that are both heartrending and inspiring, which Roth
has gathered for this unique book.
Twenty years after its original publication, Feeding
the Hungry Heart continues to inspire women and men, helping them win the
battle against a hunger that goes deeper than a need for food.
Geneen Roth
is the bestselling author of Breaking Free from Compulsive Eatingand
When Food Is Love. She conducts workshops and retreats on issues of self-esteem,
eating, diet, and intimacy.
It Was Food vs. Me ... and I Won How I learned
to face my feelings. Feed my cravings. Make my choices. And live a life
beyond food. by Nancy Goodman
Publisher: Viking Adult
Publication Date: April 26, 2004 ISBN: 0-670-033-12X
"I have a great life, if only I could stop eating." Those
were the words Nancy Goodman used to describe herself. Like millions of women
of all ages, she had an obsession with food. She was obsessed with her weight,
obsessed with eating, and obsessed with not eating. It didn't matter that
she "looked OK" or "good enough" to most people. She was trapped in a life of
dieting and deprivation rather than leading a life true to who she wanted to be.
This book speaks directly to readers and Nancy shares her inspiring story and
lessons for breaking free. As Nancy discovered, when she finally began to confront
the true issues facing her, instead of the self-created ones about food, she was
able to lose weight, start eating the foods she loved, stop obsessing, and flourish
in more ways than she had ever imagined. With total honesty and a passion for
helping others, she offers refreshing advice on dealing with everything from daily
food choices, cravings, and emotional triggers to the realities of binges and
setbacks, setting nonweight goals, and living one's dreams.
Overcoming Binge Eating by Dr. Christopher
G. Fairburn
Proven Effective in Clinical Research
Publisher:
The Guilford Press Publication Date: March 10, 1995 ISBN: 0-898-621-798
Do you have a binge eating problem or know someone who
does? This authoritative book provides all the information needed to understand
binge eating and bring it under control. Wheter you are working with a therapist
or on your own, clear, step-by-step guidelines will show you how to:
Overcome the urge to binge
Gain control
over eating behaviour
Reduce the risk of relapse
Establish
stable, healthy eating habits
This unique book has been
tested in controlled clinical research - and its success rate is outstanding.
From a leading international expert, here is the advice, encouragement, and detailed
guidance that can help you transform your relationship to food.
Understanding Compulsive Overeating -
by Judy Lightstone - Binge eating disorder, or BED follows predictable
patterns. Compulsive overeating patterns can be understood by following the diet/binge
cycles described below on this page.
Becoming
a Non Compulsive Eating Family- by Judy Lightstone - 1. Set up demand
self feeding for each family member equally (regardless of weight). Have a shopping
list available for all to add to (help children who can not write ...
Are
You a Binge Eater? - by Carol Solomon - You do not have to be overweight
to be a binge eater. Learn to assess if you have a significant problem with binge
eating, and what to do about it.
Binge Eating:
Will This Cycle Ever Stop? - by Carol Solomon - Here's a letter from
my inbox: How to get back on track after a binge. This article helps you bridge
the gap between KNOWING what to do and being able to put it into practice.
Emotional
Eating: 5 Tips for a Lifelong Challenge - by Carol Solomon - This article
addresses the issue of emotional eating, and offers 5 quick tips for dealing with
what can feel like a lifelong challenge.
Why
Binges Take Place - by Karen Sessions - Being a former victim of an
eating disorder I understand the fear of eating, the sudden binges and the feeling
of being completely out of control and lonely.
