When
is it a full-blown
eating disorder?
1. When food and food thoughts are being used to manage any and all
intensity of feeling
2. When these coping behaviors feel like they have taken on a life
of their own and they are now impacting the person's mental or physical
health and/or their ability to function…to socialize, go to work
or to school, etc...
EMOTIONAL EATING
CONTINUUM
A Binge Eating Disorder is an illness. People struggling with a
Binge Eating Disorder and its consequences experience a great deal
of emotional distress. Distress over weight and/or eating behaviors
can become all-consuming.
There is often clinical depression present. Clinically, we also
see a fair amount of black- and-white thinking, problems with impulse
control and sometimes obsessive-compulsive behaviors.
Earlier, we talked about the carbohydrate / serotonin brain chemistry
theory. With clinical depression and emotional eating disorders in mind, let's
now take that "sensitivity" theory about carbohydrates
and mood regulation one step further.
Ellen
Age 31
At An Eating Disorders Treatment Center
in Naples, Florida
Here's
How The Cycle Goes…
1. We have FOOD THOUGHTS to escape feelings
2. We typically choose carbohydrates for our binges (sweet and starchy
foods)
3. When eaten, carbohydrates produce the amino acid Tryptophan
4. Tryptophan is what the brain uses to boost Serotonin
(Serotonin is the brain chemical that's in short supply when we
are clinically depressed)
5. The Serotonin helps us feel calmer, less anxious and satiated.
So after we binge we feel better, at least for a little while
6. Then, typically, we experience the intense guilt and shame that
follows most binges
7. We experience more emotional distress…
8. We have more FOOD THOUGHTS in an effort to escape the guilt and
shame and sense of hopelessness
9. Soon we binge again to quiet the emotional unrest… and so
on… and so on… and so on…
10. The cycle feels inescapable!
Questions
Raised
By This Theory
Does
a person with a predisposition towards depression (a family history)
start bingeing on carbohydrates in an effort to self-medicate the
depression… and to feel better emotionally?
Or, does a person who habitually binges and desperately hates his/her
body (has a lot of negative thoughts about body shape and weight)
become clinically depressed because he or she can't escape this
painful cycle of negative thoughts, food obsession, eating and shame?
Which comes first…the chicken or the egg? No one knows. Likely,
it works both ways…And, there are probably many, many other
scenarios that predispose one to the development of an eating disorder.
We know very little about Binge Eating Disorder at this time.
If an eating disorder is suspected, whether it's Binge Eating Disorder,
Bulimia or Anorexia, a person should be evaluated by a licensed
mental health professional. Eating disorders rarely go away without
treatment.
Now
learn how to End The Emotional Eating Cycle
For more information call (513) 321-4242
or email A WEIGH OUT.
To learn more, read about
Binge
Eating Disorder,
Bulimia or Anorexia.
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