{"id":41061,"date":"2015-07-01T07:15:57","date_gmt":"2015-07-01T11:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=41061"},"modified":"2022-01-20T07:29:56","modified_gmt":"2022-01-20T12:29:56","slug":"binge-eating-disorder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/binge-eating-disorder\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Conquer Binge Eating \u2014 And When to Seek Help"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"What
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Anne-Sophie Reinhardt was trying to lose weight, she\u2019d start the day with black coffee and maybe a slice of toast. But by lunchtime, she\u2019d be so ravenous she\u2019d stuff herself with a huge meal of meat and pasta. That\u2019s when the day would spiral out of control. Next came Nutella-slathered bread and entire bags of jellybeans while watching back-to-back episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer<\/em>. Some days, she\u2019d feast on pizza and fries \u2014 occasionally, an entire cake. Then panic would set in, and she\u2019d hit the family treadmill, trying to make a dent in daily calorie totals that could top 10,000. Within six months, Reinhart, then 17 years old, had added 50 pounds to her 5\u20191\u201d frame and reached her heaviest weight of 150.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 5 Ways to Stop Stress Eating From Taking Over Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI had a hole in my belly I couldn\u2019t fill,\u201d explains Reinhardt, now 27. \u201cI would fight myself not to get more food, but the urge to overeat would always win out. I wouldn\u2019t even get any enjoyment out of it because I was so busy beating myself up. \u2018Why again?\u2019 I\u2019d say. \u2018You have to be better tomorrow. This is going to be the last time.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

What Is Binge Eating Disorder?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Reinhardt was eventually treated for binge eating disorder (BED) which, unlike anorexia and bulimia nervosa, hasn\u2019t received a lot of attention over the years. In 2013, the syndrome, which is estimated to affect five million women<\/a> and three million men in the U.S., was finally included as a distinct entry<\/a> in the American Psychiatric Association<\/a>\u2019s most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders<\/em>. The disorder is characterized by repeatedly eating large amounts of food \u2014\u00a0and being unable to stop when full. People who binge will often eat when they are not hungry and consume their food quickly, often to the point of being uncomfortable.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Orthorexia: When Healthy Eating Becomes an Obsession<\/a><\/p>\n

The main difference between bingeing and bulimia is that binge eaters do not purge later to prevent weight gain, which is a common side effect of the disorder. One study<\/a> found that among people entering a weight loss program, about 30 percent suffered from binge eating disorder.<\/p>\n

\u201cSatisfy your cravings\u00a0in moderation so they don\u2019t come back<\/a> to haunt you.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Bingers typically eat alone and feel disgusted or embarrassed by their behavior. \u201cA person without the disorder can say, \u2018Well, that was just a bad night,\u2019 and shake it off, but the person with binge eating disorder would feel shame and depression,\u201d explains Stacey Rosenfeld<\/a>, PhD, a Miami-based psychologist and author<\/a> of\u00a0Does Every Woman Have an Eating Disorder? Challenging Our Nation’s Fixation with Food and Weight. <\/em>\u201cAlso, when you overindulge with other people, you don\u2019t have such severe physical discomfort. Bingers might not be aware of fullness signals. Or they choose discomfort as a way to punish themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Psychologists are hesitant to define quantities or types of food associated with BED, although Rosenfeld says it\u2019s typically high-fat, high-calorie fare. You just have to binge at least once a week for three months to qualify for the diagnosis. \u201cThey key is you\u2019re doing it on a regular basis and feel out of control,\u201d she says. In other words, occasionally overdoing it at summer barbecues probably doesn\u2019t count.<\/p>\n

\"What
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How to Stop Binge Eating <\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you think you might suffer from binge eating disorder, talk to your doctor to find out how to get help. But even if you don\u2019t fit the criteria, many of us occasionally push our limits and eat way more than our bodies need. Here\u2019s how to prevent an excessive eating episode:<\/p>\n

1. Get off the diet roller coaster.
\n<\/strong>If you severely restrict what you can eat, you\u2019re more likely to overdo it on those forbidden foods later. \u201cIt\u2019s a diet-binge cycle,\u201d explains Rosenfeld. \u201cPatients feel deprived and hungry, and the pendulum swings in the other direction.\u201d Case in point: Reinhardt once lost nearly 10 pounds eating kale soup for two weeks straight. Then she returned to her bingeing behavior and gained back the weight<\/a>. Find a program that includes regular meals and snacks, along with occasional treats so you\u2019ll always feel satiated.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> When Is It OK to Cheat? The Pros and Cons of Cheat Days<\/a><\/p>\n

2. Feed your cravings.
\n<\/strong>Feeling on the verge of chocolate obsession? Eat a gooey truffle or scoop of ice cream before your desire balloons into a brownie-nut-fudge calorie bomb<\/a>. \u201cSatisfy your cravings<\/a> in moderation so they don\u2019t come back to haunt you,\u201d says Rosenfeld. \u201cFood is a pleasure. There\u2019s nothing wrong with that. Treat yourself well.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Know your triggers.
\n<\/strong>Food is often used to numb out uncomfortable feelings<\/a>, so become aware of which situations (or people!) make you want to overeat. \u201cTry to identify them in advance so you can find other ways of ways of coping,\u201d says Rosenfeld. For example, if you know that getting angry with your husband makes you want to hit a greasy drive-thru, you can go for a walk or call friends next time you’re frustrated.<\/p>\n

4. Try meditation.
\n<\/strong>If you\u2019re using food to escape your feelings, regular meditation<\/a> may help you feel more present in your body and learn to manage uncomfortable emotions. One review<\/a> of 14 studies on the effect of mindfulness meditation concluded it helped control the disorder, although it didn\u2019t always result in weight loss.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>7 Ways to Carve Out Time to Meditate<\/a><\/p>\n

5. Seek treatment.
\n<\/strong>Don\u2019t hesitate to get help. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, which helps people manage negative thoughts and behaviors, may help deter binges, according to the American Psychological Association<\/a>. Talk to your doctor about which treatments might be best for you.<\/p>\n

In her early 20s, Reinhardt managed to stop binge eating \u2014\u00a0but then she went to the other extreme. She ate so little she dropped 65 pounds from her 5\u20191\u201d frame, leaving her at only 80 pounds. Three months in a residential treatment center helped her heal. So did reading actress Portia di Rossi\u2019s eating disorder memoir Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain<\/a><\/em>, she says. \u201cIt was the first time I realized I wasn\u2019t alone.\u201d Now Reinhardt works as a body image coach<\/a> and believes that helping others keeps her focused on her recovery. She also swears by chronicling her feelings in a journal and engaging in exercises that make her feel more connected to her body. \u201cYou\u2019re always going to have days when you struggle,\u201d she says. \u201cSo be kind to yourself and find others who understand what you\u2019re going through.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all had days where we overeat \u2014 but at what point does it become an illness? Here\u2019s what you need to know about binge eating disorder. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":41063,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7,18],"tags":[217,51,71,345,394,285],"class_list":["post-41061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","category-weight-loss","tag-disease","tag-food-choices","tag-nutrition","tag-tax1conditions","tag-tax2pcos","tag-weight-loss"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41061\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}