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Advice: Binge Eating

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31 March 2015

By Lauren H

Binge eating is a form of eating disorder, and it can occur due to many reasons – it is usually done in secret in an attempt to supress any negative thoughts and feelings. It is strongly linked to anxiety, depression and stress, but if you binge eat it is not to say that you definitely have any of these other mental health conditions.
Although there are times when almost all of us eat more than usual, someone would be seen to be ‘binge eating’ if they are doing so because of how they are feeling. Some signs of it would be deliberately eating separately from other people so that they don’t see how much you are having, and eating excessive amounts within a short period of time. Usually, people eat a sufficient amount at meal times, when others are there, and then binge in between these meals.

 

If you feel as though you are experiencing this, you should first consider why you feel as though you must eat more to feel better about yourself. Has something happened recently that has triggered it in you? Are you feeling lonely, or upset? Once you have figured out the reason, this will help you to stop yourself more often – if you start to feel a particular emotion again and again, and it triggers this feeling in you; try to distract yourself with other things instead. Read a book, watch some TV or call up a friend – food is not the only distraction, and it can often make you feel worse than you did before. If this doesn’t help then you may want to seek out some advice from others – if you feel comfortable talking to a doctor, they could be able to talk through your habits with you and come up with a sensible food plan which would improve your diet. Or, they may offer you some therapy or counselling for it – again, if you don’t feel comfortable with this then you could turn to a friend or family member and discuss how you are feeling with them.
If you allow yourself to make a change and be honest about your lifestyle and feelings then this will get better. Like many other things, it just takes time and patience.

Good luck!

If you have a specific question you want answering, or a topic that you would like advice on, then don’t hesitate to contact B**P at lauren.h@nebeep.com– you can remain anonymous or we can publish your name, just let us know what you would prefer.

 

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