I RECEIVED an email from someone asking me to discuss a behaviour pattern they are conducting but don’t even understand. I am happy to do this as eating disorders are some of the most common and dangerous ones that there are.

There are three major eating disorders – Anorexia, which is basically self-starvation, Bulimia which occurs when one has a binge episode (overeats) and purposely rids it from the body such as vomiting or laxatives and finally there is Binge Eating Disorder (BED) characterised by recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food (often very quickly and to the point of discomfort).

All three are severe and life-threatening, but treatable.
Binge Eating Disorder (BED) feels like a loss of control over your eating. You eat when you’re sad, bored, excited – pretty much any emotion, but there are a few emotions that come right back around – shame and guilt.
Now, many of us overeat at times, especially during holidays or special occasions, but when does it become BED? When should you be worried?

It may be BED if :
– There are recurrent episodes of binge eating. This means eating in a discrete period (e.g., within any two hours), an amount of food that is larger than what most people would eat in a similar period under similar circumstances.
– Often eating rapidly and being uncomfortably full
– Eating large amounts of food, even when not physically hungry
– There is a lack of self-control during the eating binge – control over what or how much you are eating.
– Eating alone due to an embarrassment of the amount or content of food.
– Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty afterwards.
– The binge eating occurs, on average, at least once a week for threE months.

You can begin to tell if one has Binge Eating Disorder by a few behavioural and emotional warning signs and symptoms. These include being uncomfortable eating around other people, fear of eating in public, hoarding food in strange places just for you, withdraws from usual friends and activities, visible weight gain, obsession about weight and obvious low self-esteem.

One should treat BED as it leads to some physical health issues such as clinical obesity and health issues which may follow such as high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes.
There are a few causes of BED, with the most prevalent being genetic and environmental factors. These can mean parents who have had psychological issues to traumatic events in one’s life. One of the main reasons is also low self-esteem and depression. There is also the huge social pressures of being thin and therefore ‘beautiful.’

There are also biological risk factors such as biological abnormalities can contribute to binge eating. For example, the hypothalamus (the part of your brain that controls appetite) may not be sending correct messages about hunger and fullness.

So, how does one go about treating BED?
Of course, there is counselling from a mental health professional. This will help you find the route of your binge eating and make a plan on how to stop.
The first thing to do is to develop a healthier relationship with food; you’re not on a diet but a part of a healthy, completely new lifestyle. You have to do this as there is no substitute for food; you can’t wean your way off of food.

There are many ways you can do this.
Identify your triggers– what causes you to binge? Boredom? Sadness? Anger? Once you know this, it is easier to regain control.
Listen to your body. Eat regular, healthy meals when you are hungry, not bored or upset. It’s key to manage your emotions during this time as negative emotions tend to result in more consumption.

Develop and maintain a food schedule. This means, planning your meals each week and trying your best to eat them at the same time every day.
Keep a food journal. This is a very effective way of cutting out unnecessary foods, as it’s written right there in front of you.

Remember that everyone slips up and takes a slice of cake, but don’t have an all-or-nothing attitude which looks like, “well I’ve already had cake so I might as well have ice cream and chocolate too.
Keep only healthy food and snacks within the home. It’s much easier to resist if you know you’d have to leave the home to binge.
Pick up a hobby that makes you feel good. This is vital as people binge when they feel low with nothing else to do.

Finally, remember that you’re only human and bound to have slip-ups – it doesn’t mean you give up- try and try again.

Thank you for reading and please continue to send your requests to caitlinvieira@gmail.com

If you would like to book a personal counselling session with me, please WhatsApp +592 623 0433

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

• Pica
• Rumination Disorder
  Unspecified Feeding or Eating DisorderSometimes it feels like the urge to binge hits without warning. But even when you’re in the
• Rumination Disorder
• Unspecified Feeding or Eating Disorder
• Laxative Abuse
• Compulsive Exercise
• Risk Factors
• Health Consequences
• Co-Occurring Disorders & Special Issues
• Busting the Myths About Eating Disorders
• Stages of Recovery
• Warning Signs and Symptoms
• Identity & Eating Disorders
• Body Image
• Prevention
• Statistics & Research on Eating DisordersTreatment