Eating disorders are extreme manifestations of a variety of
weight and food concerns experienced by women and men. These include anorexia
nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and compulsive eating. These are all serious
emotional problems that can have life-threatening consequences. In this
article, experts from The Meadowglade, an Outpatient Rehabilitation Center
specializing in Mental Health and Eating Disorders, will focus on compulsive
eating, a severe, life-threatening, and treatable eating disorder.
Compulsive eating is primarily characterized by frequent
episodes of uncontrollable eating, or non-stop eating. There are no purges, but
there are sporadic fasts or repetitive diets. Weight can range from normal to
discreet, moderate, or severe obesity. Like anorexia and bulimia, compulsive eating can result in mental and medical complications. Fortunately, with proper help, this can be treated and people can heal. It’s recommended to work with a treatment team that specializes in eating disorders. The Meadowglade team is comprised of doctoral level medical healthcare professionals, mental health specialists and therapists, and eating disorder practitioners and therapists.
Most of us surely know what it means to eat a meal until you
feel really uncomfortable. It is a fairly accepted behavior on certain dates,
such as Christmas. But what happens when this behavior is repeated often? The
consequences can be really serious, causing physical health problems such as
obesity, diabetes, increased cholesterol ... And also psychological and
emotional changes such as insecurity, feelings of guilt and shame, sadness,
insomnia, depression, social isolation, among others.
Compulsive eating, or binge eating disorder involves a
deterioration in the quality and satisfaction with one's life, as well as
problems in adapting socially. Obesity is another consequence of people who eat
compulsively.
How do you know if you are a compulsive eater?
It is very common to meet people who are not aware of their
real problems. Eating abusively is apparently accepted in our society. Therefore,
it is even more difficult to discern normal behavior from problem behavior.
What's more, advertising encourages us to eat to “be
happier”. So it is easy to believe that my relationship with food is fine,
without realizing that we really have a hard time working.
Another reason why it is difficult to identify whether or
not I am a compulsive eater is that I have been able to learn these behavior
patterns from my closest environment. So I have no examples of what a healthy
relationship with food entails.
How can I identify if I am a compulsive eater? Here, The
Meadowglade shares some signs that can give you the answer.
·
Hunger appears as an urgency and you must be
satiated at that very moment.
·
You eat even without hunger and feeling full.
·
When you are bored, tired, you just eat.
·
You eat excessive amounts of food in a given period.
·
Feeling of lack of control over the amount of
food and the way you eat.
·
After the act of eating, feelings of guilt,
regret, sadness, shame appear...
·
You are looking to eat alone or on the sly.
·
Lack of consciousness during the act of eating.
·
Intense concern for body, weight and image.
·
You eat faster than most people do.
·
Go on a diet, repeatedly.
I If you or someone you know is
struggling with compulsive eating, chronic dieting, or emotional eating, it can
be helpful to get support from a treatment team. The Meadowglade’s professional
team has a reputable track record with many years of experience in the fields
of adult mental health and adult eating disorders.
