Stephanie Watson - Conquering Binge Eating

Published in 2016 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
29 East 21st Street, New York, NY 10010

Copyright 2016 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Mallick, Nita.

Conquering binge eating / Nita Mallick and Stephanie Watson. - First edition.

pages cm. - (Conquering eating disorders)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4994-6199-2 (library bound)

1. Eating disorders in adolescence--Juvenile literature. 2. Eating disorders --Treatment-Juvenile literature. I. Watson, Stephanie, 1969- II. Title. RC552.E18M358 2016 616.85'2600835-dc23

2015019912

For many of the images in this book, the people photographed are models. The depictions do not imply actual situations or events.

Manufactured in the United States of America

CHAPTER ONE
Identifying Binge Eating Disorder

CHAPTER TWO
Roots of the Problem

CHAPTER THREE
Physical and Emotional Effects

CHAPTER FOUR
The Road to Recovery

CHAPTER FIVE
Changing Your Attitude Toward Food

Binge eating disorder, also known as compulsive overeating, affects about four million Americans, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

CHAPTER ONE

A chieving a healthy relationship with food can be tricky even for the most health conscious individuals. However, when a relationship with food becomes so unhealthy that it interferes with basic daily functioning, it is likely an eating disordera potentially life-threatening medical illness. Eating disorders have both a physical and emotional component. Millions of people are or have been affected by an eating disorder in their lifetime.

There are different kinds of eating disorders. They can involve a dangerously low intake of food, a dangerously high intake, or other abnormal eating habits. The three major types are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. The most common among adults is binge eating disorder, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The Institute estimates that 3.5 percent of adult women, 2 percent of adult men, and 1.6 percent of adolescents have it. Binge eating disordercharacterized by consuming large amounts of food frequently and feeling unable to stopoften results in obesity, which, in turn, can lead to major health risks including diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. However, with the proper treatment and support, many have overcome binge eating disorder to develop a healthy relationship with food and with themselves.

People who eat a lot of food in a short amount of time, and do so often, are at high risk of being obese. According to some estimates, two people out of three who have binge eating disorder are obese.

Binge eating disorder, also known as compulsive overeating, is different from occasional bingeingeating a large amount of food once in a while, such as on holidays or special occasions. People with binge eating disorder regularlyat least once a weekconsume much more food than their bodies can use and dont stop even when they feel full. Unlike people with bulimia, people with binge eating disorder do not get rid of the food, or purge, after they have eaten. Binge eating usually results in weight gain and, often, obesity.

Binge eaters generally enjoy eating sweets such as cupcakes and other sugary desserts and high-calorie meals. They stop eating only when they feel unbearably full.

Although some distinguish between binge eating and food addiction, the two conditions are often related. Much in the way that alcoholics are addicted to alcohol, binge eaters are addicted to, or hooked on, food. Their lives are controlled by thoughts of what, when, and how much they will eat. They feel so guilty about their lack of selfcontrol about food that they often eat alone or hide their food and eat it secretly. They eat whether or not they are hungry. They often eat large amounts of sweets and high-calorie foods and do not stop until they feel uncomfortably full. These episodes are usually followed by feelings of shame, disgust, sadness, or other negative emotions.

What Makes It an Eating Disorder?

As with binge eating disorder, other eating disorders involve some kind of extreme emotional reaction to food. The two best-known eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia is a condition in which a person believes he or she is overweight and refuses to eatin order to lose excessive amounts of weight. Bulimia is when a person binges, or eats large amounts of food in a short period of time, and then purges, or gets rid of all the food by self-induced vomiting, abuse of laxatives, diet pills and/or diuretics, or fasting.

Compulsive exercise (also sometimes called exercise addiction) is also considered a serious eating disorder-related problem. This conduct is when a person constantly exercises to get rid of calories. This behavior is also known as exercise bulimia, because the person is using exercise to purge food from the body.

The cause of eating disorders remains unknown. There are often social or environmental factors that might trigger an eating disorder and possibly a genetic or biological basis as well. Depression or anxiety might also increase the risk of developing an eating disorder. While any or all of these might play a role, there does not seem to be a sole cause.

Who Does Binge Eating Disorder Affect?

Most teenage girls and many teenage boys have probably been unhappy with their body once in a while. It is nearly impossible to live in a culture obsessed with fitness and thinness without having a negative body image at least occasionally. However, teens who suffer from binge eating are never free of these bad feelings.

Binge eating disorder is the most common of all eating disorders. According to a 2011 study, 1.6 percent of teens out of ten thousand surveyed were affected by binge eating disorder, compared to 0.3 percent affected by anorexia and 0.9 percent by bulimia. Both males and females can be affected. Of the adults affected by binge eating disorder, about 40 percent are male and 60 percent are female.

Behavioral and Emotional Signs of Binge Eating

Most people overeat now and then, and thats typical. But if you often eat until you are overstuffed or you eat large amounts of food when you are not really hungry or its not a regular mealtime, you may be a binge eater.