Signs of a Compulsive Eater
|
Compulsive overeating is characterized by uncontrollable eating followed by feelings of guilt and shame. It is different from bulimia in that it does not involve any purging. While it inevitably results in weight gain, it is also not to be confused with obesity. Not everyone who is overweight has an eating disorder. There is no single cause of compulsive eating but the condition is brought about by a combination of individual risk factors which lie in the individual's physical and emotional makeup. These factors are brought to life in a culture in which there are abnormal and insistent pressures to achieve an unrealistic size or shape. |
Compulsive eaters often feel powerless to control their desire to keep 'comfort eating'. They may develop health problems as a result of carrying too much weight.
Following is a list of the most common "symptoms" of the compulsive eater.
- Think about food a lot.
- Eat to relieve worry or stress.
- Continue to eat even after feeling sick from eating too much.
- Become anxious while eating.
- Daydream or worry while eating.
- Overeat.
- Eat too fast.
- Eat everything on the plate.
- Feel guilty when you eat.
- Eat secretly.
- Cannot eat one cookie, or any treat that you really like.
- Binge after a diet.
- Hunger makes you feel fearful and uncomfortable.
Compulsive overeating has only recently come to be taken seriously. With this kind of disordered eating, people are often stereotyped as lazy and gluttonous, or, at best, as having too big an appetite and lacking in willpower or self-control. Your pain is then overlooked not only by yourself, but also by other people.
Recovery is completely possible for compulsive overeaters through a gradual process of lifestyle change and with the help of others.
Along with the medical, psychological and nutritional assistance helpful to anyone with distorted eating habits, oftentimes groups such as Overeaters Anonymous are very useful.
If you, or someone you love, shows any signs of being a compulsive eater, please do seek help from a physician or registered dietician.
To your health!
Health Concern Tool
| Find a Supplement Suggestion Buy Your Supplement at Discount Price! | |
Extras!
