The Dangers of Binge Eating

When you realized you just binged, you start feeling guilt, bloated, frustrated, uncomfortable and depressed. If you are a fitness person, the next thought is “all my progress has been ruined in the last 12-24 hours”. The feeling of turning back the hands of time will set in, time to give up. Right?

Most times we have had periods where we eat and we know deep within that it’s time to stop, but our “longer-throat” (like the funny Nigerians would call it), would make us feel like we cannot stop. So we find ourselves eating more, even in the discomfort and though we are not hungry.  That is what binge eating is, and it consist of foods that are high in calories, fat, starch or sugar. For example cheese burgers, cakes with cheese, greasy foods like fries, pizza, pork and many more. It is a serious eating disorder or pattern of eating consisting of episodes of uncontrollable eating, the feeling of inability to stop eating.

Truth is, almost everyone overeats at some occasions we find ourselves, such as having a second and a third meal as serves. That is quite understandable but when it becomes a regular occurrence it crosses the line to a binge eating disorder. It is usually followed by a feeling of shame and guilt and it can be a likely factor to obesity, especially in families who has a history of obesity.

The cause for this disorder is not known but medically there is a trace of family history of obesity and longtime dieting. Another shocking factor is psychological issues or ETD (emotionally transferred disease) such as heart breaks, emotional imbalance etc.

“He broke up with me today, I can’t live without him, and he is the air I breathe.”

Then she goes into a stage of I will eat all I want, with the thoughts of affecting him, but that is not the way it works. What you eat is going to formulate in your body and not that of the person you are trying to get at. The after-math of all these is obesity coupled with medical conditions such as heart diseases etc., social isolation, poor quality of life, and most of all depression. Some people eat their way out of depression only to fall back into that state at the end of the day.

Research shows that about 3.5% of women (5.6 million) and 2% of men (3.1 million) have it. So it’s most likely to occur in women than men, but still it doesn’t mean there is no solution to every problem

  • Start with telling a doctor about it, this will be a support system for you when you are relapsing, a guide for you as you go on the journey of recovery.
  • Practice the act of drinking a cup of water or two before every meal. It helps you feel fuller before you start with your meal. It also helps in the digestive process, detoxes the body and clears the mind.
  • Eat regular meals. When recovering from binge eating disorder, do not deprive yourself of certain meals (high calories containing meals, starchy foods) because they are “bad”. This sends signals of this restrictions and the cravings starts to set in. You need to make an effort to give your body all the appropriate nutrients it needs.
  • Plan your meals as much as you can.
  • Because binge is intertwined with shame, poor self-image, and some negative emotions. There is a necessity to treat the psychological issue. A therapy session would be highly recommended.

Signs of binge eating disorder

Ask yourself the following questions. The more “yes” answers, the more likely it is that you have binge eating disorder.

  • Do you feel out of control when you’re eating?
  • Do you think about food all the time?
  • Do you eat in secret?
  • Do you eat until you feel sick?
  • Do you eat to escape from worries, relieve stress, or to comfort yourself?
  • Do you feel disgusted or ashamed after eating?
  • Do you feel powerless to stop eating, even though you want to?

Above all, remember to always tell yourself, YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT.

WHAT YOU EAT DOES NOT AFFECT ANYONE BUT YOU.

The more you keep reminding yourself after this knowledge, you will be psychologically reminded of the effects if you toll that path.

By Blessing Nwachukwu | [email protected]
Diet234 Team

4 Responses

  1. This is a really nice piece. The part abt heartbreak and the binge eating is very true………..good one.

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