Although there is a lot of information on low-carb diets and healthy lifestyles, many of us still struggle with staying fit and eating healthily. The reason is that even though we know what and how we should eat, there are many factors that influence our food choices. Perhaps, the main factor that comes into play when it comes to eating is stress.
Quite often, people experience strong food cravings when they feel down and are emotionally vulnerable. Seeking comfort in food seems natural so it’s no surprise that many people resort to emotional eating whenever they’re in a bad mood or go through challenges in their lives. However, emotional eating can lead to many negative consequences for both physical and emotional health.
Do I Have Binge Eating Disorder?
Although everyone can go a little too far with a tasty meal, there is a difference between occasional overeating and binge eating disorder. This is the most common type of eating disorder. People with this mental health problem experience episodes of uncontrollable eating, consuming a lot of food at once. Quite often, such episodes are accompanied by feelings of shame and guilt. When left untreated, binge eating can lead to obesity, heart diseases, and type 2 diabetes.
Episodes of binge eating don’t have much in common with overeating driven by feelings of pleasure and satisfaction. Quite often, people with binge eating disorder don’t even notice the taste and smell of the food that they consume. It’s all about consuming as much food as possible, as quickly as possible. People with this disorder may binge eat even when they’re not hungry and keep eating until they physically cannot eat anymore.
Not only do people with this disorder often ignore the taste of food, but they may also feel disgusted by the amount of food that they consume while feeling incapable of changing the situation. This, as well as weight problems, are the two main reasons why people with binge eating disorder often feel shame and develop low self-esteem. That’s where licensed online therapy can help. All eating disorders lead to a range of negative consequences for mental health and require proper treatment.
Symptoms of Binge Eating Disorder
One of the main signs of eating disorders is the changing appetite. Therefore, if you realize that you started to eat more than usual, this might be a warning sign. However, the National Eating Disorder Association also clearly defines how frequently a person must experience binge eating episodes to call it a disorder. One might be diagnosed with binge eating disorder if episodes occur at least once a week for three months.
Obviously, the most noticeable sign of binge eating disorder is weight gain. It’s impossible to consume massive amounts of food without gaining weight because all the excess calories will inevitably turn into body fat. However, there are also some signs of the disorder that have nothing to do with the body.
For instance, people with such a disorder may eat in secret because of the shame associated with their binge eating episodes. They may eat in the car and avoid public meals. Besides, a person with a binge eating disorder may have strict rules about the “good” and “bad” types of food and try countless diets to address the weight gain. However, the only effective way to fix the problem is to address its root cause, which is a mental health disorder.
It’s also important to keep in mind that overeating can be a result of other mental health problems, including depression. People with depression don’t always look sad, and this disorder may manifest itself in a variety of other ways. Therefore, if there is a connection between the changes in your eating habits and mood, we suggest that you take a smiling depression test and discuss the results with a therapist.
How to Cope With Binge Eating
1. Don’t skip meals
Although it might sound counterintuitive, meal skipping is an important risk factor when it comes to overeating. When people eat regularly, they are less likely to overeat in the evening or at night. Therefore, if you keep trying to figure out how to stop binge eating at night, one of the solutions might be not to skip breakfasts and lunches.
2. Forget about extreme restrictions
Unfortunately, many people with binge eating disorder only become concerned with weight gain and fail to recognize the underlying factors. As a result, they may try exhausting diets in an attempt to minimize the effects of binge eating episodes.
For example, some people cut off entire groups of “unhealthy” foods or only drink smoothies and juices for weeks. The truth is that such extreme restrictions may only lead to cravings and worsen the situation. A better solution is to adopt healthier, sustainable approaches and change your eating habits gradually.
3. Consume more fiber
An important thing to know about fiber is that it moves through your digestive tract slowly, keeping you sated for a longer period of time compared to carbs and fats. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains contain lots of fiber so they are a better choice than processed and fat-rich foods. Besides, foods that contain fiber can also help lower blood sugar and cholesterol.
4. Try intuitive eating
Intuitive eating is a pretty straightforward concept: you have to eat when you’re hungry and stop eating when you’re full. Such an approach can help you establish a healthy relationship with your body and give yourself permission to eat when you actually need it.
Although all of us were born with this simple mechanism, many of us start to use food as a comforting tool or distraction as we grow up. Therefore, you may need to re-learn intuitive eating from scratch.
5. Talk to a therapist
Just like any other mental health problem, binge eating disorder requires proper treatment. Therefore, the best solution is to talk to a licensed therapist who’ll be able to come up with the right diagnosis and suggest effective coping practices.
If you don’t have much time to visit a therapist in person, you can use video chat therapy and get the necessary help from the comfort of your home. Online therapy platforms like Calmerry offer a more flexible approach than traditional in-person sessions that require you to commute to a therapist’s office. You can learn more about therapy and its benefits so that you will know what to expect from the treatment process.
Final Thoughts
The first step toward a better life is to acknowledge the fact that binge eating disorder is a mental health problem. Don’t try to fix it by following extreme diets that might be promoted as a quick solution. People binge eat for different reasons, so we recommend that you talk to a licensed therapist who will help you figure out what caused the development of the disorder and suggest the right treatment.
