Binge eating is a disease that is marked by repeated bouts of overeating food without being able to stop. It can have serious consequences on a person’s body and mind. Understanding the causes of binge eating, recognizing the symptoms, and seeking treatment are all essential first steps in solving this issue. In this blog post, we’ll talk about why people binge eat, the physical and mental factors that make them do it, ways to fight the urge, the effects of binge eating, signs to look out for, and how to get help or help oneself. 

Why people overeat: 

Many things can lead to binge eating. Here are some of the most popular reasons why people overeat: 

• Emotional Triggers: Many people use food to deal with challenging feelings like stress, worry, loneliness, or sadness. Food can temporarily make you feel better and take your mind off bad things. 
• Dieting or eating less: Intense cravings and a sense of deprivation can result from strict diets or extended periods of eating less. This can make you binge eat because your body wants the nutrients and comfort it hasn’t had. 
• Body Image and Self-Esteem: Having a wrong opinion of your body and having low self-esteem can make you binge eat. People may use food to make themselves feel better or fill a void. 
• Societal and cultural factors: People may be more likely to binge eat as a result of social pressures and cultural influences that emphasize being thin or promote unhealthy eating patterns. Media, ads, and social comparisons can change how a person feels about their body and cause them to overeat. 

How to avoid the urge to overeat: 

Even though it can be hard to stop binge eating, there are things you can do to avoid the urge to do so: 

Build a support system by surrounding yourself with people who understand and care about you and can give you mental support and motivation. This could be done with the help of friends, family, or support groups. 

• Find Your Triggers: Pay attention to the exact situations, feelings, or thoughts that cause you to binge eat. You can devise good ways to deal with them by figuring out what sets you off. 
• Choices for treatment: To stop binge eating, you need a complete plan that tackles the disorder’s physical and emotional parts. Here are some popular ways to treat the problem: 

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), the most effective type of treatment for binge eating disorder, is a type of psychotherapy. It assists people in identifying and correcting their incorrect attitudes toward food and their bodies.   Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT) are also good ways to deal with mental problems at their roots. 

• Nutritional counselling: Working with a registered dietitian or nutritionist can help you set up a healthy and balanced eating routine. They can help you figure out what to eat, how much to eat, and how to get a range of healthy foods into your diet. 
• Medication: In some cases, people with binge eating disorders may be given medicine to help them control their eating. Some of these drugs, like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), can help keep your mood stable and reduce the number of times you binge. 

Mindful eating means paying attention to the present, savouring the tastes and textures of food, and being aware of signs that you are hungry or full. It can help you feel better about food and stop overeating. 

What happens when you binge eat?

Both your physical and mental health can be affected by binge eating. 

• Consequences for your body: Binge eating can cause you to gain weight, become obese, and have health problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. It can also make digestion hard, cause stomach problems, and throw off the balance of nutrients. 
• Emotional and mental effects: Binge eating often makes people feel guilty, ashamed and have low self-esteem. It can exacerbate or cause mental health issues including body dysmorphia, anxiety, and melancholy to worsen. 

Binge Eating Disorder has these signs: 

To get help, it’s essential to know what the signs are. Some common signs are: 

• Frequent episodes of eating a lot of food in a short duration of time. During these episodes, the person often feels out of control. 
• You eat fast until you feel too full, even if you aren’t hungry. 

• Because they are embarrassed or ashamed, they eat alone or in secret. 
• After binge eating, you might feel guilty, ashamed, or upset. 

Helping oneself or trying to find help: 

Help and guidance from a professional are often needed to stop binge eating. Here are some options to consider: 

• Get help from a professional: Talk to therapists, psychologists, or registered dietitians who are trained to help people with eating problems. They can make individualized treatment plans that include therapy (like cognitive-behavioral therapy), nutritional counselling, and, if needed, drugs. 
• Support Groups: Joining support groups or online communities can make you feel like you’re not alone and are being understood. Getting to know people who have been through similar things can help you learn and feel better. 
• Self-Help Strategies: Use self-help strategies like keeping a food log to track eating patterns and feelings, practicing stress management techniques (like exercise and meditation) and learning about healthy eating habits. 

You can better understand the significance of binge eating disorder by understanding how prevalent it is. Recent studies show that about 2% to 3% of the general population has binge eating problems. Women are more likely to have it than men, and about 60% of identified cases are in women. Binge eating disorder is also often linked to other mental health problems, like anxiety and sadness. 

The Omron Healthcare BCM (Body Composition Monitor) is a valuable tool for keeping track of good weight loss or gain. It gives exact measurements of body fat percentage, muscle mass, visceral fat, and more. You can make intelligent choices about your health and well-being by tracking how your body changes over time. 

To stop binge eating and start eating healthily, you need to be committed, get help, and take care of yourself. People can reclaim control over their relationship with food by comprehending the causes of binge eating, receiving the appropriate care, adopting precautions, and identifying the symptoms. Remember to talk to medical professionals for personalized advice and help. Tools like the Omron Healthcare BCM Product can also help you track your progress while trying to live a healthy life. 

References: 

1. https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/bed  
2. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-14907-000  
3. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/binge-eating-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20353627  
4. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/eating-disorders