We have all overeaten at some point – whether at a holiday meal, family celebration, or our favorite restaurant. However, behind these rare occurrences are people who struggle with constant overeating or binge eating uncontrollably at least once a week.
Do you find yourself overeating at almost every meal? Have you overeaten so often that you can no longer feel when your stomach is genuinely empty or full? Or do you unconsciously devour a variety of foods at one time, leaving you with physical pain, guilt, shame, and embarrassment?
Both binge eating and overeating are mental health disorders that can lead to emotional and physical complications, but you can find healing and help.
The Difference Between Overeating and Binge Eating
Are you confused about overeating or bingeing? Although both acts include eating much more than the body requires, there are differences between the two disorders.
Signs for Overeating Disorder include:
- Eating larger portions than is necessary
- Going back for seconds or third helpings with most meals
- Difficulty feeling full and satiated
- Frequently overeating to chase away other emotions like anxiety or depression
- Signs for Binge Eating Disorder include:
- Eating large amounts of food within a small period, such as two hours
- Feeling out of control while eating
- Eating in secret (examples: alone in the car, after the family has gone to bed)
- Feeling guilt, shame, or embarrassment after a binge
- Eating until you feel physical pain
The effects of too much food are detrimental to your health. First, you may feel physical pain and gastrointestinal problems with overconsumption, followed by tiredness, guilt, self-loathing, and shame.
As the overeating or bingeing pattern continues, insulin levels rise and crash, creating a cascade of effects throughout the body. Over time, this can lead to weight gain, obesity, diabetes, and cardiac problems.
Respiratory conditions can also develop as food in your stomach pushes against the lungs and diaphragm, making it difficult to breathe. As fat cells continue to expand, they take up more room in the body, compressing the organs.
Binge eating and overeating can lead to other mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression; and eating disorder behaviors such as purging.
Why We Tend to Go Overboard
Food is a substance we need to survive, and unlike other abused substances, food is unavoidable. God created us to enjoy the taste of food. It tells us in Proverbs, “My son, eat honey because it is good, and the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste.” (Proverbs 24:13) But the very next chapter reminds us about the effects of overeating honey: “Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, lest you be filled with it and vomit.” (Proverbs 25:16.
Sometimes overeating is used as a comfort tool. Do you eat more than you should when feeling anxious, stressed, and depressed? It is often a feeling of security we are chasing, a knowledge that everything is going to be all right. Unfortunately, it is easy to turn to food to fill that need.
Eating foods that contain sugar and artificial ingredients can trigger overeating and binge eating. Sugar gives the brain a “hit,” and that rewarding surge causes the body to crave more sugar and more food. Even simple carbohydrates like white potatoes and white bread are easy to consume in mass quantities because of how they convert into sugar.
Overeating episodes triggered by cravings could be due to nutritional deficits. If the body lacks essential nutrients and proper hydration or is sleep-deprived, the brain will send messages that it is in desperate need of energy. We misread this at the moment as food, and often as a sugary treat.
Some medications can cause patients to eat when not hungry. A medication may cause you to feel queasy without enough food on your stomach. However, unless you consume more food, you may become dizzy if the medicine affects your blood sugar levels.
If you believe a current medication is causing you to eat more than you should and triggering binges, do not stop the medication without consulting your physician. It is dangerous to stop the medication. Your doctor may switch you to another well-tolerated prescription.
How to Stop Overeating
Whether you are fighting the urge to overeat, or binge eating has left you feeling out of control, you can try a few things to help you tame the cravings and move past the behavior.
Avoid sugar. It may be time to take stock of how much sugar you consume in the form of baked goods, soft drinks, sweetened drinks, and candy. Also, look at the condiments you frequently use like ketchup, honey mustard, and barbeque sauce. You can find replacements for sugar with natural sweeteners that will not cause a spike in your insulin levels or trigger that reward sensation in the brain.
Practice self-care. Ensure you are eating a balanced diet, taking a multivitamin, drinking enough water, and sleeping well. A nutritionist can assist you in creating a plan to incorporate the right foods in the right amounts.
Slow down. Make it a point to eat your meals in front of people. If you live alone, turn off all distractions like the television and phone while you eat. Stay in the moment and enjoy the conversations around you. Celebrations and holidays do not have to revolve around the food. Rather, they should revolve around the people in your life.
Make a deal with yourself. If overeating is an issue, tell yourself that you will eat one serving and wait thirty minutes. Since it takes the body at least twenty minutes to send the brain the signal that the stomach is full, you may find that you are not hungry at all in a half-hour.
Learn portion sizes. Even healthy eaters misjudge portion sizes at times. Use measuring cups and spoons at home and pack your lunch for work until you can “eyeball” a portion size. It would not hurt if occasionally, you go back to using the cups and spoons to refresh your perceived servings.
Ask for support. Do you have someone you can lean on for support? Finding someone to keep you accountable can make the times when a craving does hit hard more bearable. This person can be a family member, close friend, group therapy buddy, or coworker.
Perhaps you can find someone who has dealt with overeating or bingeing in the past. Try face-to-face meetings, online group chats, or text messages when you need help.
Not all eating behaviors can be dealt with purely by home treatments. Faith-based counseling can make a difference in how you manage and eventually overcome Overeating Disorder or Binge Eating Disorder.
Help for Eating Disorders
Choosing to seek help from a faith-based counseling center that combines psychological science and proven methods with the grace of Jesus Christ can make your journey to the other side of an eating disorder sustainable.
Although people with Overeating Disorder and Binge Eating Disorder want to stop the weight gain and focus on weight loss, initially, we will work with you to set a healthy goal weight and work on the behaviors that trigger overeating episodes.
We also incorporate one-on-one talk sessions, group therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and other techniques to get to the root of the behavior and reframe your response to these triggers.
We are a center of therapists willing to work with you to strengthen your faith and spiritual journey. We will pray with you and help create a plan you can use when confronted with another urge to binge.
It may seem strange to those who are not familiar with overeating or bingeing, but the urge is real, and it is powerful. But it does not define you. Eating disorders, no matter how insidious, are not the One who calls you to His purpose. You are so much more.
If you need help, please reach out to us today.
