Binge eating disorder: signs & symptoms

Finding comfort in an overconsumption of calories may (temporarily) ease our erratic emotions, but how do we differentiate demolishing delicious desserts on a difficult day, from a detrimental dietary disorder that drives us to despise our relationship with food?

Here are just a selection of signs that may signal you're suffering from binge eating disorder...

1. It's a struggle to sustain self control.
Your failure to control how many calories you consume results in you rapidly eating a feast of food, as you battle to banish a binge that continues to beat you regardless of how hard you try to tame it.

2. You're fixated with food.
Although the dominance of binge eating disorder won't push you to purge, your fixation with food will often feel overpowering to the point where you become obsessed with over consuming calories.

3. You feast even when full.
You binge on an abnormal amount of food - often during a discreet timescale - even if you're not experiencing physical hunger and/or you feel uncomfortably full.

4. You disguise your dietary disorder from friends and family.  
You over satisfy your stomach in seclusion because you're embarrassed about your binging behaviour and/or the amount of calories you consume, and eliminate every potential piece of evidence of your binge via the discreet disposal of the empty packets that may pin point your problem.

5. You loathe your 'bigger' body and binging behaviour.
Your abnormal eating actions not only leave you repulsed by your reflection - the 'bigger' body that binging creates causes you to constantly criticise your fuller figure - but overwhelmed by feelings of failure, guilt, shame and disgust - you begin to despise your episodes of excessive eating and the effect that they're having on your body and brain.

Although the development of a dietary disorder can stem from a selection of underlying psychological problems such as shattered self-esteem, stress and a distorted self image, it is vital to understand that no two sufferers are the same - be it in terms of triggers and/or symptoms. If you feel that you may be failing to fight an unhealthy obsession with food and/or your figure, don't be ashamed to seek support from your GP who will be in the position to refer you to a specialist who deals with dietary disorders and a distorted body image.

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