The basic definition of binge eating is that you eat a lot of food and you get on it quickly and then you start feeling guilty about it when it is done.
Binge eating and binge eating disorder vary from person to person. A few people binge eat but do not have this disorder.
Boston Medical Centre states that 40 million Americans each year attempt to lose weight whereas The National Eating Disorder Association reported that thirty percent of Americans who are seeking weight loss treatments can qualify for the binge eating disorder.
They are getting fatter every year as dieting leads to binge eating. You do lose weight for six months or a year but do get back the cravings.
If you struggle with binge eating disorder, you need to know that you are not alone.
How to stop binge eating?
But first, let us look at the seven clinical criteria for binge eating disorder.
- You must have a lack of control.
- You eat large amounts of food in a short time. (It is defined by a two-hour limit and the amount of food is subjective)
- Eating rapidly
- Consuming a large amount of food when not hungry.
- Eating alone or having impaired social relationships
- Later, feel disgusted and ashamed of yourself.
- Feeling stressed.
Moving on, let us find out and throw some light on how to stop binge eating by asking:
- How to know if you have an eating disorder?
- How to help someone with an eating disorder?
- How to recover from an eating disorder?
HOW TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE AN EATING DISORDER?
Eating disorders usually start their effects in the adolescent years. Self-image, food, eating, and body weight each become a source of anxiety for people and they experience distorted thinking and behaviors that cause problems in their lives.
These disorders can even be life-threatening. The types of eating disorders are a) Anorexia Nervosa b) Bulimia Nervosa c) Binge Eating Disorder.
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Anorexia Nervosa
- It is diagnosed when someone restricts food intake and loses weight until he or she is significantly below healthy body weight.
- In females, menstrual cycles stop and they feel lethargic.
- It can cause some severe medical conditions like bone and heart problems if left untreated.
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Binge Eating Disorder
- People eat large proportions of food in a really short period.
- They feel out of control and helpless about their desire to eat, yet they cannot stop.
- Binge Eating disorder can also lead to a lot of medical problems like obesity, high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes.
- People say they feel disgusted and ashamed of themselves.
- It also includes binge eating.
- People feel upset with themselves and then try to compensate with purging behaviors.
- Purging can be done through intentionally vomiting, using laxatives, or exercising excessively.
- People feel a great deal of shame and try to hide their binging and purging.
SIGNS OF EATING DISORDERS
- Withdrawing from family mealtime.
- Refusing to eat certain foods.
- Having a rigid rule about food.
- Stockpiling or hiding food.
- Calorie counting.
- Excessive exercise.
- Vomiting when not ill.
After identifying the signs, the next step would be how to help someone with an eating disorder?
HOW TO HELP SOMEONE WITH AN EATING DISORDER?
Below mentioned are helpful tips that will enable and provide you the answers on how to stop binge eating and help those you care about:
- Do It Yourself. Make yourself aware of the disorder and the treatment options. We need to understand what is it, they are going through, what it is looking like and what treatment options are out there, especially if we are assisting them in some way.
- Taking conversations ahead. Try to connect with your loved ones suffering from eating disorders. When you talk about these challenges, be empathetic, compassionate, and kind towards them.
- Providing support. Unconditional support from family is vital.
- Expect resistance from them. A person with an eating disorder can experience embarrassment, shame, guilt, fear, and hopelessness. Family members need to be patient as possible.
- Understand the recovery process. Recovery is a process and not perfection. There are going to be times when your loved ones will be eating more than they should. Unlike, addiction and other issues that we work on in therapy, we always have to eat.
- Physical health can deteriorate. When eating disorders remain untreated and symptoms persist, we can see dramatic changes in health, including sudden weight loss or weight gain, high or low blood sugar, easy or frequent bruising, unhealthy skin and hair, easily broken bones, gastrointestinal problems, rotting teeth, and other significant medical issues.
- A Crisis is possible-Physical deterioration that can lead to a crisis. While most people receive before a crisis, eating disorders can result in life-threatening situations including cardiac arrest, coma, organ failure, suicidal thoughts, and behaviors.
- Treatment works-eating disorders are serious conditions that are scary for the person suffering and the family. It is important for family members to confidently discuss the treatment options for these conditions. Also, know that evidence-based treatments can be successful. Because these disorders are common, there are mental health providers, and physicians dedicated to providing useful, empathetic, and supportive resources for both patients and their families.
With some basic preparation and awareness, we can provide help to our loved ones suffering from this disorder. With help, there is hope.
HOW TO RECOVER FROM AN EATING DISORDER?
Eating disorders can be difficult to treat and recovery is often a long road but the road to recovery needs to be taken. To know how to recover from an eating disorder, below mentioned are the tips to ponder over:
- Outpatient care with a therapist who has experience in treating eating disorders.
- Visit with a dietician or nutritionist for medical nutrition therapy.
- Visit a medical provider regularly to ensure medical stability.
- Many people benefit from group therapy.
- If outpatient care is not progressing, consider an intensive outpatient program, partial hospital program, or day treatment program which would involve attending multiple days of therapy, individual and group therapy, as well as possibly meeting with a psychiatrist to address medication concerns.
Below mentioned are Evidence-Based Treatments that are extremely useful in treating eating disorders.
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or CBT
- Interpersonal Therapy or IPT
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
- Family-Based Treatments for Teens and Children.
- Medications
To conclude, these eating disorders affect people’s relationships, sense of self, and hope for the future. They can cause greater medical problems, and even cause death. But the answer to the question of how to stop binge eating remains constant to the fact that with proper treatment, including medical and nutritional support, CBT or IPT, and medications, they do not have to last forever. People can recover and find light in darkness again.
Feel free to reach out to us for counseling and psychotherapy sessions from our trained psychologists, and psychotherapists.
