Health News / June 2007
Binge Eating Disorder
By Trisha Gura
Everyone overeats once in a while. There’s the Thanksgiving feast, where guests gorge themselves, unbutton their waistband, and, however ladylike, sprawl on the couch. And, there’s an occasional dinner party where one too many cocktails might wash down far too many appetizers. But there’s a much more serious condition involving overindulgence called binge eating disorder. Although it has only recently been recognized as a distinct condition, it may be the most common eating disorder, affecting more people than anorexia and bulimia combined. Binge eating makes women obese and the disorder can be life threatening. Most people with binge eating disorder are obese - more than 20 percent above a healthy body weight- but normal-weight people also can be affected.
These seven questions a woman may wish to ask herself that can indicate if she has a binge eating disorder:
Have I eaten a huge amount of food in a short period of time, perhaps as much as 2,000 calories in less than two hours? People who binge do not graze continually. They eat a lot at once and feel helpless to stop until uncomfortably full, and sometimes still keep going.
Do I ever shovel food down, barely chewing, barely tasting or savoring what is being eaten? People who binge use food as an anesthetic for agitation, anxiety, anger or any uncomfortable feelings. When they binge, they may be psychologically stuffing down negative emotions and swallowing them, before they can reach the surface.
Do I sometimes, and perhaps often, eat alone in secret? People who binge feel ashamed about their eating habits, so they tend to cut off social contact, relying on food as their best friend.
Do I ever find my appetite craving so strong that I eat frozen or scalding hot food? People who binge are so driven by the urge to binge they can’t wait for food to thaw or cool down.
Have I ever eaten food from the trash put there as a preventive measure? People who binge often know a binge is coming and throw food away in hope of thwarting their urge. It’s a doomed tactic. People who try it only retrieve the food from the trash can and binge anyway.
Have I ever mixed strange or unpalatable foods, like adding chili peppers to ice cream? People who binge do this as a tactic for preempting binge eating. One woman would drop her son off at preschool every day, return home and put all the leftovers from the night before into a pot with water. She would combine fried chicken with salad and cake, stew the ingredients for 20 minutes, then eat the concoction. She hoped the nausea from the mixture would keep her from a binge. It didn’t.
Have I ever gone to great lengths to procure “favorite foods,” which often are also “forbidden foods”, like chocolate, ice cream or junk food? People who binge feel trapped in their heads, obsessing about and acquiring food. Willpower does not work to thwart a full-blown case of binge eating disorder. Someone who regularly binges might drive to a convenience store at 2 a.m. to buy double chocolate brownie mix, make the dessert and eat the entire panful.
If any of this sounds familiar, take heart. Binge eating is treatable, especially if recognized early on. No one should postpone getting help, even though they may feel embarrassed or ashamed of their eating habits. There are more than a million more Americans who share the problem. Doctors are still debating the best ways to determine if someone has binge eating disorder, but most people with serious binge eating problems have frequent episodes of eating what others would consider an abnormally large amount of food and frequent feelings of being unable to control what or how much is being eaten.
Women with binge eating disorder are not lazy or powerless. They simply need treatment. Cognitive behavioral therapy, which works on both behaviors and the feelings behind those behaviors, is one of many avenues a woman can choose to begin taking charge of her mind, her body and her life.
Trisha Gura, trishagura.com, is the author of Lying in Weight: the Hidden Epidemic of Eating Disorders in Adult Women, . For more information, visit www.4woman.gov/faq/bingeating.htm.
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