Do you need binge eating disorder treatment?
Are you feeling “stuffed” again?
Are you upset with yourself for eating way too much, way too fast?
Are you confused by how out of control you feel when it comes to food?You are not alone.
You’re not wrestling with a willpower problem. You’re experiencing a very real condition called Binge Eating Disorder (BED). According to the National Eating Disorders Association, around 2.8% of the American population is affected during their lifetimes. No age, race, or socioeconomic group appears to be spared. Though, rates of BED do affect women about 20% more than men.
What’s happening to you?
Sufferers of BED engage in repeated binge eating. However, they do not usually purge or take any other steps to counter their food intake or mitigate weight gain like a person with bulimia nervosa might. The most prevalent symptoms include:
Binge eating episodes in which you eat much more than is considered normal on a regular basis, but not necessarily in one sitting.
Binge eating is characterized by extremely fast eating, the overstuffed feeling, and the negative way you feel afterward.
Episodes accompanied by the sense that you cannot help binge eating or can’t stop binge eating.
That’s the short story.The real key to understanding BED is determining why you have such a compulsion to eat until it hurts.
Why do you do it?
Sitcoms and movies often make a joke of broken-hearted women or teenage girls binge eating pints of ice cream, a bag of chips, and jars of cookies to ease the pain. But when real life gets hard and those scenes become personally relevant, it isn’t at all funny. Binge eating can be a dangerous solution to emotional pain. Research on the causes of BED is ongoing, but there is strong evidence to indicate that most people who habitually binge eat do so in order to ease depression and need binge eating disorder treatment. The B.E.D. Association lists the following triggers and possible risk factors as well:
Genetics
Dieting or restrictive eating patterns
History of changing weight
Anxiety and other mood disorders
Experiences of weight stigma or bullying
Major relationships issues
Serious trauma or loss
Emotional/physical abuse or neglect
Substance abuse/addiction
Sexual trauma
How do you handle it?
Most people with BED hide their eating behaviors. They express a significant amount of stress, shame, and guilt which, can fuel the binge-eating fire. If you are overweight due to bingeing, BED’s negative impact on your quality of life may be clear. Not only that, but there are health risks like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, joint and muscle pain, and certain cancers.
It's important to note that obesity isn’t always a BED symptom. Many sufferers are normal weight. Whatever your size, the fact is, nearly 57% of people with the disorder never receive the binge eating disorder treatment they need. You don’t have to live this way.
How can you stop and start binge eating disorder treatment?
Remember, BED is an eating disorder. It's not a bad habit or a problem of willpower. It's a condition that requires treatment in order for you to recover successfully. A therapist can help you through powerful interventions. You may need support in learning how to appreciate and care for your body. And you may need help coping both mentally and emotionally.
Through individual counseling, group work, body-centered awareness techniques, meditation, or other methods, your therapist can help you understand the root causes of your BED. Binge eating disorder treatment will help you to trust your body without having to interfere. Let’s restore your health now.If you would like some extra support and are looking for a psychotherapist, please contact us for a free consultation to learn about how I can be of service.
To find out more about my services click here: Eating Disorder Treatment. Serving Boulder, Longmont, Denver.
For your other needs, you can count on April Lyons Psychotherapy Group, to help you heal and grow through EMDR therapy, somatic therapy, trauma therapy, and PTSD treatment – because we believe in your strength and potential for recovery.
