Compulsive Eating Disorder

When one consumes excessive amount of food in an obsessive manner, the condition is known as compulsive eating disorder or food addiction. Generally we tend to overeat or binge when we have to cope with stress and negative emotions. And after gobbling down all the calories, I feel all the more miserable.

We binge to feel good when we are low and after consuming we feel guilty because we have eaten a lot and we don’t know how to get rid of the extra calories. It is a vicious cycle. Most compulsive eaters feel the urge to snack and end up overeating. When we binge we generally eat sweets, chocolates, aerated drinks, chips and all things junk and bad for the system.

Like any other addiction like alcohol or drugs, the more you binge eat you get tempted to consume more food. Mostly this condition arises due to pressure or stress, but the other reasons can be neuro-chemical abnormalities or hormone disorder. But again feeling guilty does not stop them from over eating. Like any other addiction they suffer from denial syndrome. The first step of coming out of this addiction is to acknowledge the problem and needs to be taken seriously. The earlier we start working on it, the easier it is to get out of this addiction.

Those who suffer from compulsive eating disorder are ashamed of their eating habits and hence gorge on all things sugary, salty and fried secretly because they don’t want people to know that they have a problem. Emotional symptoms that are noticed after binge eating is that extreme guilt after eating and yet not stopping and consuming huge amount of food even when they are full.

Practice yoga and also if you feel that your condition is severe then consult a psychologist. Develop a healthy relationship with food. Eat food that is nutritious and freshly prepared. Don’t store anything that is high in calories, canned and full of preservatives.

 Eat small meals. Avoid junk food, fried food and sweets. Stop eating sauces, vinegar and pickle. Avoid red meat, salty nuts, white flour, white sugar and deep fried food.