binge eating

For most of us, eating is a normal and often entertaining activity. Aside from the fact of simply replenishing the nutrients our body needs in order to properly function, eating with friends and family can be a joyous and bonding experience as well. Sharing meals with others can be a time to reflect on the day’s activities or even recall incidents from the past that we shared with one another. For some, however, eating can be a scary time that is filled with sadness, conflicting emotions, and followed by a sense of guilt and loss of self worth. These can stem from those individuals who take part in the act of binge eating.

Now, most of us can recall a time where we sat down to eat and we filled our bellies overflowing by taking in a huge meal that was surely more than we needed to eat. Perhaps it was a special occasion such as a holiday or we were simply sitting down to a meal after not having eaten in a while. No matter the case, most of the time these incidences are a normal part of life but for some, they are a daily activity.

binge eating

Binge eaters feel a compulsion to eat as much food as they can get their hands on when they engage in these sessions. They eat well beyond their feelings of being full and often don’t stop until their body tells them it’s time to regurgitate. This compulsion to over eat may stem from a variety of psychological conditions that could include depression, forms of anxiety, insecurity issues, or simple addictions to food. No matter what the cause, binge eating is a harmful practice that can lead the sufferer down a road of horror and despair that sometimes even leads to their own death.

One of the harmful side effects of binge eating is how these individuals get rid of the massive amount of calories they consume at any one meal. Some of them choose to simply go into the bathroom and throw up their meal. This is perhaps one of the most common and affects many young women who are trying to emulate the supermodels they see in magazines and on TV. Another practice is that of taking diuretics which are different types of pills or drinks that will speed up the metabolism and flush the food from your system and make you basically pass all the calories through your body before they are absorbed. One of  the final harmful practices that these binge eaters partake in is that of exercising. This is not regular exercise though, but intense sessions that often last for two hours or more where the person will exercise to the point of exhaustion just to burn off the calories they had eaten.

So it is important to manage the amount of food you take in at any one time. If you notice someone else who seems to exhibit the symptoms of the binge eater, it is important to seek professional help so that the problem does not exacerbate and lead to a more harmful state of ill health.