Low self esteem being the main reason for all the eating disorders.
Compulsive Overeating:
A condition which can be defined as an “Addiction to food”. People suffering from this disorder use food as a medium to suppress their emotions or fill the void they need to feel inside. Sometimes they often tend to overeat to cope up with the daily stress.
Being overweight is one of the output of compulsive overeating. Having obsessive eating habits and finding comfort in the food they eat are the main symptoms. When Pal says, “Dude, why don’t you just go on a diet” to a sufferer- It turns out to be one of the devastating advice to the sufferer.
Many health risks are associated with the person having Compulsive overeating which includes:
- Heart attack
- High blood pressure
- Cholesterol
- Kidney Disease and failure
- Arthritis
- Bone deterioration
- Stroke.
People suffering from this disorders often consider themselves not good enough and tend to overeat to control their emotions which in turn leads to many issues. They often isolate themselves from the external world which only makes it worse. Along with a constant need for love and attention which they may not get at all times. He/she will often have over eating episodes in order to forget their pain.
It is important to remember that most Eating Disorders, though their signs and symptoms may be different, share a great number of common causes and emotional aspects.
From Tom…
I suppose it is ironic that I work at a hospital. I was married to an alcoholic… how nice it would be to have a simple addiction like booze… you give it up and you are recovering. But you have to eat. Well I eat… when I’m hungry… when I’m full… when I’m anxious… when I’m happy… when I’m sad… well you get the idea. Food, the friend that never fails.
When I was a kid I was trained that food made it all better. When we were totally broke my mom would cook the most. She was a compulsive feeder so I became a compulsive eater.
Every diet has failed. I am a lifer on Weight Watchers, I have been through Nutra System. But it’s not about the weight… it’s about the inability to deal with feelings and emotions… about using a bowl of pasta or a pound of m&m;’s as a narcotic to stem the pain.
That’s what compulsive overeating is.
I cry because it makes me overweight and no one sees the real me inside. I try to show the real me and I think that people don’t like me because I am overweight. Another catch 22 or chicken and egg thing. I see my son gaining weight and I grieve. I want out… but then I realize that there is no out… only control… and control is harder than being in or out.
Read MORE Personal Stories
from people living with Compulsive Overeating