Troubles with being a binge eater
Sometimes I don't understand why I binge eat. I know others do not understand this. I broke down a couple of weeks ago and told my mom that I was a binge eater and that sometimes it gets so bad that I just gorge until I get sick. She told me that she and Dad knew when I was in high school that I binged but that they didn't know what to do about it. They would find food wrappers and dishes in odd places but they didn't know how to help or approach me with the fact that I had a problem.
The Mayo Clinic defined binge eating as "overeating becomes a regular occurrence, shrouded in shame and secrecy. It's called binge-eating disorder, a serious eating disorder in which you frequently consume unusually large amounts of food". When you have binge-eating disorder, you may be deeply embarrassed about gorging and vow to stop. But, you feel such a compulsion that you can't resist the urges and continue binge eating.
What are the symptoms? A binge is considered eating a larger amount of food than most people would eat under similar situations. When you have binge-eating disorder you often have numerous behavioral and emotional signs and symptoms. The ones that I currently have are: Eating large amounts of food, eating even when you're full, eating rapidly during binge episodes, feeling that your eating behavior is out of control, depression, anxiety, frequent dieting without weight loss, hoarding food, hiding empty food containers, and feeling depressed/digusted/upset about your eating.
Like I told my mother, I don't eat because I find it pleasurable. It is more like cutting myself, punishing myself by hurting myself. I'm hoping that it will get better but I'm unsure what to do now. I've admitted to this... now what? I'm just kind of lost.. I just need to concentrate on what is making me do this... that's the hard part unfortunately.
Admittingly,
Jennifer