When it’s done, you never feel better. You never really feel full. Emotionally, you’re empty. Mentally, you’re drained. You try to stop. But facing binge eating disorder facts has been hard. You may think that you are doomed to repeat your secret eating habit forever.
You may be scared, believing that you’ll have to go on swallowing embarrassment and shame with the food. Secretly stuffing it all down, hiding it all. But you needn’t keep stuffing your hurts. Your sickness lies in the secrecy and self-imposed solitude. You and those who love you just need the truth. You are more than this. More than shame, or blame, or impossibly large portions of food. You need concrete, helpful binge eating disorder facts that will put you on the path to who you really are.
Binge eating disorder is primarily an issue of compulsive overeating.
For most people it begins during phases of dieting in late adolescence or early adulthood. A binge-eating episode may stretch from a couple of hours to a full day. A binge session isn’t triggered by hunger or completed by a sensation of physical fullness. It is triggered by unpleasant emotions and only temporarily alleviates them. It is distinguished from bulimia nervosa by the fact that the binge eating isn’t rectified by vomiting or extreme amounts of exercise. You usually worry about how the food will affect your weight.You hate your lack of self-control. But you don’t know how to stop eating.
The Symptoms of Binge Eating Disorder
Behavioral symptoms of compulsive overeating
Your eating is cyclical. You eat to feel better, you feel worse, then eat to feel better.
You eat huge amounts of food quickly.
You eat when you're full or not hungry at all.
You stockpile food to eat secretly.
You gorge when you’re alone and eat normally with others.
You eat all day, meals are unplanned.
Emotional symptoms of compulsive overeating
You eat to relieve stress and tension.
You feel embarrassed by how much you consume.
You feel nothing or numb while binge eating.
You never feel full, regardless of how much you eat.
You feel terrible afterward. You feel guilt, disgust, and depression.
You desperately want to have more self-control regarding your weight and consumption.
The Causes of Binge Eating Disorder
Biologically, it is believed that the portion of the brain that controls appetite is not functioning well and the brain chemical serotonin levels may be low.
Psychologically, binge eating has been shown to be connected to depression, poor impulse control, and low self-esteem.
Socially, people deeply affected by societal or familial pressure and the value placed on thinness may be drawn to binge eating. Highly critical environments or sexually abusive experiences may cause you to manage your feelings with binge eating as well.
The Impact of Binge Eating Disorder
Very real consequences may arise from compulsive overeating:
stress
insomnia
depression and suicidal thoughts
weight gain or obesity
diabetes, heart trouble, high blood pressure, and digestive issues
Some of the most important binge eating disorder facts are these:
The release of chemicals in the pleasure centers of your brain do happen when you binge eat. That release makes binging addictive. It doesn’t help the pain you’re feeling. To give up your habit, reach out to your loved ones and contact us for a free consultation. We can help you make a plan. You can feel truly satisfied. You can be the very best you.
To find out more about my services click here: Eating Disorder Treatment. Serving Boulder, Longmont, Denver.
For your other needs, you can count on April Lyons Psychotherapy Group, to help you heal and grow through EMDR therapy, somatic therapy, trauma therapy, and PTSD treatment – because we believe in your strength and potential for recovery.
