 
What is a Compulsive Eater? Fifteen Tendencies Often Present
1. Loneliness in all relationships
a) Inability to experience intimacy
2. Presence of fear of authority figures or being controlled by another
person
a) Difficulty in maintaining a "sense of self".
3. Possible history of abuse
a) Neglect of emotional needs
b) Verbal Abuse (overt or covert)
c) Sexual Abuse
4. Early "rejection" of the opposite sex
5 . If a male Compulsive Overeater, possible over-identification with
mother
a) Over-involved emotionally
6. Tendency towards "Social Anxiety"
a) Tend to isolate and use food as a "friend"
b) After social situations, relieve anxiety by bingeing or overeating
7. A history of "diet failures"
8 . Preference for food instead of other activities
a) Food is friend
b) Food is hobby
9. History of Guilt/Shame
a) Parents used guilt as a form of control
b) Life filled with "shoulds", "oughts", "always" and "nevers"
10. Possible other addictions
a) Sugar
b) Prescription Drugs
c) Alcohol
d) Sex
11. A long-term, unhappy marriage or other significant relationship
a) Food becomes a point of intimacy instead of spouse
b) Food to cope with conflict
c) Food to fill a void
12. Long-standing relationship difficulties
a) Avoidance of conflict
13. Difficulty dealing with Anger
a) Internalization of anger
b) Ends in resentment
14. "Loving Heart" has been damaged (hurt)
a) The compassionate heart is buried, though still present
15. Hunger for acceptance and love
When you just can't stop eating
"I surrender my food to God by weighing and measuring, counting calories and fat grams. Without abstinence, food becomes my god again." This is a contribution to Lifeline, the online magazine of the organization Overeaters Anonymous, among whose ranks former spice girl Geri Halliwell has just been spotted in LA.
Feed Emotional Hunger & Say Bye To Bingeing!
Many times weight and eating difficulties are a symptom of an underlying problem that you may be unaware of. It's not uncommon to struggle with this issue if you haven't learned effective ways of coping with everyday stress and other emotional setbacks. What I'm referring to is what I call emotional eating. This is when you eat to avoid something or to fill a void in your life that you can't cope with in a more constructive manner.
Bingeing: The Most Common Eating Disorder
Bingeing is the most common eating disorder and occurs in young men as well as women, unlike bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa, a recent study found. Out of 23 subjects with eating disorders, 1 had anorexia nervosa, 3 had bulimia nervosa and nineteen were diagnosed with binge-eating disorder.
 Physical effects of anorexia, bulimia and binge eating
Finding hope when eating is a problem
When Valerie was in fourth grade, her parents decided she was fat and would not be allowed to have second servings of food. In an attempt to help her daughter lose weight, Valerie's mother also hid food from her. Today, Valerie is a college student battling depression, diet-pill dependence and a weight-gain weight-loss cycle that makes her anywhere between a size zero and a size 12 in a given year.
 Overcoming Binge Eating
Christopher Fairburn
An urgently needed source of information, this authoritative book presents the facts about binge eating and offers concrete solutions to help overcome it. This book is a must read for binge eaters and their families.
 Anatomy of a Food Addiction
Anne Katherine
Featuring an honest account of the author's own struggles with food, Anatomy of a Food Addiction helps readers understand binge eating and plan a recovery through exercises, self-tests, and an examination of family issues.
Three studies on the factorial distinctiveness of binge eating and bulimic symptoms among nonclinical men and women.
According to DSM-IV's proposed nosology, binge eating disorder is separable from bulimia nervosa. The basis for separation rests with compensatory behaviors (e.g., induced vomiting)-people with bulimia nervosa engage in compensatory behaviors, whereas those with binge eating disorder do not. We addressed the validity of this nosology.
Overeating In Binges
We think of binge eating & bulimia as parts of a curious and biologically perverse puzzle - the craving for and the compulsive eating of foods that cause illness and obvious suffering. Cravings may be interpreted as urges to find missing nutrients, but the foods found in compulsive searches are not biologically correct. Instead, food cravings are a symptom of an addictive loop.
Things To Do Instead Of Bingeing
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Get enough rest and expand positive relationships. |
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Take deep breaths, close your eyes, picture yourself in a field or at a beach. Turn on quiet
music; any method of relaxation helps.
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Begin an enjoyable task or project immediately after eating a meal.
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Carry food to work rather than buying it there. Pack healthy, satisfying food.
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Call a friend who knows about your problem and have him/her just Listen
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Learn your triggers, learn your danger zones.
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Work on your perfectionism. It’s okay to not be perfect about every external matter.
For more information, contact Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention, Inc. (EDAP) at 603 Stewart street, Suite 803, Seattle, WA 98901, 206-382-3587. |
Read more articles, reports on Eating Disorders by going to www.aplaceofhope.com/eating.html
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