Binge Eating Disorder, or BED for short, accompanies many people. This is not the same as the occasional overeating, for example during the holidays. Have you been experiencing regular episodes of bulimia at least once a week for at least three months? It could be BED.
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BED (Binge Eating Disorder) is translated as compulsive binge eating disorder, eating disorders with episodes of uncontrolled binge eating, as binge eating disorder, or bulimia nervosa. The latter date, however, should only be reserved for bulimia nervosa, and BED is not the same.
Symptoms
It begins inconspicuously. You eat a packet instead of two cookies, then two, first once every few months, then every week. Suddenly you notice that you are gaining kilos, and your behavior embarrasses you enough that you start overeating alone. You eat despite not feeling hungry, and your actions make you feel guilty and remorseful. To make matters worse, your attitude towards your body deteriorates as you start to gain weight and eating is closely related to your emotions. You stop controlling the amount you eat and you just can’t stop eating. Often times, you also start withdrawing from your social life and ceasing to be active. Weight gain, in turn, pushes you to start losing weight. Unfortunately, a drastic reduction in caloric intake only exacerbates the problem. A few days of fasting eventually trigger unrestrained overeating. To make matters worse, a bad diet reduces the level of serotonin, which in turn is associated with deterioration of mood, nervousness and appetite for carbohydrate-rich foods (which of us did not notice this phenomenon during menstruation?). Check how many of the factors indicating BED do you find at home. We have included a short ‘test’ in the article ‘Compulsive Eating’.
Risk group
This problem affects both women and men, although it is more common for women of all ages to deal with it. In the case of men, BED most often affects them in middle age. What can trigger disorders? Experts are not sure about this. Probably the influence is a combination of many factors, from mental predispositions, through genetic determinants, and ending with inadequate weight loss. A triggering factor may also be a traumatic experience or a stressful lifestyle.
Impact on the body and psyche
Unfortunately, most often people with compulsive overeating syndrome have to deal not only with their emotions and approach to eating, but also with being overweight. It is estimated that up to two-thirds of people with BED are obese and 2 percent of those on a diet suffer from binge eating disorder. So it is related to low level of self-esteem or embarrassment of one’s own body. In addition, there is often depression, anxiety, addictions, a sense of stress or sleep problems.
BED a bulimia
Although in both cases there is uncontrolled overeating and remorse, in the case of BED there is no harmful loss of extra calories such as vomiting, excessive physical activity, diuretics or the use of laxatives. Episodes of bulimia are also usually less frequent than with bulimia nervosa, and there is no reluctance to eat after the seizure itself. Moreover, bulimics are most often slim or with normal body weight.
Treatment
It is possible to overcome this problem, however, it requires outside help. It is necessary to introduce both an appropriate diet and guidance by a psychologist. Sometimes pharmacological agents are additionally introduced (antidepressants, but also drugs used in ADHD). It can be helpful to keep a food diary to help you control your diet and curb binge eating. However, appropriate psychological therapy is indispensable. Support from relatives and coping with stress is also very helpful. ‘How to deal with compulsive eating’, an article written by our psychologist will be helpful reading if you notice disturbing symptoms.
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