Binge eating is actually quite a common disorder and more serious that people realise
. Often it is overlooked because of the shame associated with it and many find it very difficult overcoming binge eating.
Binge eating can be done in a number of different ways and its important to know whether you fall into one of the categories as this is the first step to taking on the problem. If you find that you eat so much until you feel full and physically sick, or else you eat large amounts of food when you are not actually hungry then you may have a problem. Equally, if you find that you are eating along and feel depressed and guilty after eating then you should seek help.
As well as being a physical problem affecting your health, binge eating is a mental or emotion issue as well because this is the underlying reason as to why it is happening. The disorder is marked by times of distress and you therefore you need to look at why you are depressed and tackle that head on before the disorder goes away.
Often its a vicious cycle whereby people are depressed in their lives so they binge eat, which in turn makes them feel even worse. They begin to feel worse in themselves and look worse physically through weight gain and illness, which in turn causes further depression and comfort eating.
You need to take everything one step at a time and to pursue your long term goal of eating normally. Food is the drug of choice for binge eaters so its important that you look for help, perhaps from your doctor or support groups, much like anyone addicted to drugs or alcohol would do.
Counselling and talking to friends and family is important. Do not be ashamed of what you are going through, it happens to so many people who do not want to talk about it, yet can lead to far serious problems if not discussed. Take each day at a time and surround yourself with support. Gradually you will get better.