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Health

Types of binge eating

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 20.11.2021
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There are many different reasons that can lead to eating disorders. Causal factor in conjunction with the symptoms determine the main types of overeating.

  1. On sensations :
  • Explicit - the excess volume of food leaves behind a feeling of heaviness, exhaustion, drowsiness. Disturbance of digestion causes flatulence, nausea. To ease the painful condition, you have to take enzymes and other drugs. Most often this form of pathology occurs during festive feasts.
  • Hidden - a person does not realize and does not feel that he ate. In some cases, after a binge eating, there is a feeling of hunger. Latent overeating occurs when there is a violation of the regime of the day and the main meals, when a person regularly seizes the hunger with fast food and other harmful and seemingly low-calorie foods.
  1. Due to the occurrence of :
  • External - a violation caused by external factors. It can be food irritants or food "for the company."
  • Emotiogenic - is caused by internal factors. The psychological component of this type is most often associated with stress, depressive states and personality disorders.
  1. By controllability:
  • Gluttony, which can be stopped - a food violation is manageable. The inner voice is able to tell the stop non-constructive behavior.
  • Uncontrolled - a person can not stop by himself. Eating ends when there is no more food, vomiting or a pronounced sense of shame.
  1. On psychological consequences:
  • With a sense of guilt - after the abuse of food comes the realization of what has been done. Because of this, there is a feeling of shame and guilt. A person tries to correct his mistake, sits on a strict diet or goes to the gym. If the overeating has passed in the form of bulimia, then the feeling of guilt ends with attacks of vomiting.
  • Without a sense of guilt - this kind of more relates to hidden gluttony, when a person does not fully understand and does not feel the problem. In rare cases, gluttony is an occasion for pride.
  1. By the nature of the current:
  • Paroxysmal - a person eats huge portions of food, which are 3-4 times higher than the permissible rate for 1-2 hours. At the same time, there is absolutely no sense of control. After the episode of binge eating, self-flagellation begins, which can result in vomiting.
  • Compulsive - overeating occurs throughout the day, because of this, it can go unnoticed for a person. Most often associated with emotional factors.

As a rule, all of the above types of overeating are combined with each other, some lead to the appearance of others.

Compulsive overeating

Uncontrolled absorption of excess food in the absence of pronounced appetite and hunger is a compulsive overeating. This type of eating disorder is characterized by the fact that for the patient it does not matter what and where he eats. Its main goal is to quickly fill the stomach, until the expressed discomfort, vomiting, nausea.

Another peculiarity of compulsive eating disorders is that after a binge eating, a feeling of guilt arises. The need for food is completely based on psychological, rather than physiological, reasons. The treatment of the disorder is done by a nutritionist together with a psychotherapist.

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Uncontrolled overeating

Compulsive or uncontrolled gluttony, characterized by the inability to independently stop the process of eating. This type of food disturbance is directly related to psychological factors. For example, very often the state of stress causes overeating, causing after that a sense of guilt. According to medical statistics, women are more prone to uncontrolled gluttony than men.

Causes of food dependency are not thoroughly established, but there are a number of risk factors that contribute to the emergence of the problem:

  • Depressive state.
  • Nervous experiences and stresses.
  • Low self-esteem.
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder.
  • Overweight at an early age.
  • Dysfunction of diet.
  • Female.
  • Abuse of psychoactive substances and drugs.
  • Concern over appearance and figure.

Excessive consumption of food is characterized by such symptoms:

  • Fast food intake.
  • Gluttony before the appearance of pain.
  • Binge eating in the absence of severe hunger.
  • Overeating due to psychological discomfort.
  • Feelings of guilt and self-disgust after eating.

Treatment of the disorder consists of such methods: cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, the use of medications. As for preventive measures, it is possible to prevent the disease only while maintaining a healthy mental and emotional background.

Cognitive overeating

Uncontrolled food intake associated with central nervous system disorders and psychosomatic factors is a cognitive overeating. This type of disease is characterized by periods of glutton with further self-flagellation.

Most often this form of food disturbance is diagnosed in such groups of people:

  • Teenagers - a disorder occurs during the period of active puberty, personality formation and socialization. Dissatisfaction with their own appearance, constant emotional experiences and stresses lead to seizing problems. Attacks of gluttony are multiple. Without assistance from the outside, self-discontent will continue to grow, regular overeating will cause an increase in body weight and pathology of the gastrointestinal tract.
  • People with excess weight - patients with obesity suffer from personality disorders. Unstable self-esteem and increased nervous excitability create a vicious circle. The person experiences and there and then jams the stress. This happens with alcohol and drug dependence.
  • People with mental illness - gluttony occurs because of constant anxiety. Increased eating can restore a sense of security.

As for the symptomatology, this type of disease is characterized by frequent attacks of gluttony, the inability to control meals, the absorption of food until discomfort and pain.

Overeating usually occurs alone, without a pronounced hunger. After the episode, there is a feeling of shame and a desire to cleanse the body by inducing vomiting, taking laxatives. Treatment of a painful condition is individual for each patient. Therapy is handled by a psychologist in conjunction with a nutritionist.

trusted-source[6], [7], [8], [9]

Psychological and emotional overeating

Abuse of food for moral satisfaction, and not for replenishment of energy in the body - is an emotional overeating. With the help of products, a person tries to drown out the lack of emotional needs. This leads to the appearance of excess weight and various violations from the gastrointestinal tract.

There are such signs of psychological gluttony:

  • The appearance of stress and even the slightest emotions leads to a strong zeal.
  • The patient continues to eat in the absence of hunger and the appearance of painful sensations in the stomach.
  • Food helps you to calm down and feel better for a while.
  • Food is an award for the work done or some actions.
  • Overeating gives a sense of security.
  • Loss of control over appetite leaves a feeling of impotence.

If at least half of the above symptoms are present, then this clearly indicates a psychogenic overeating.

The algorithm for eliminating food dependence is reduced to the following rules:

  1. Recognize the existence of a problem and soberly realize that it is necessary to fight it.
  2. Analyze the factors that cause the desire to overeat. If it is stress or emotional dissatisfaction, then calmly understand this problem.
  3. Learn to control emotions. If it boils, do not keep everything in yourself. You can describe your problem on paper, and after a few days reread to make sure that it can be easily solved or understand that the described and is not at all a problem.
  4. Breathing exercises. The best method to deal with emotional stress or a conflict situation is a deep breath and a slow exhalation. Calm breathing will help calm down, analyze the current situation and find ways to solve it. Remember that to go and seize the problem is the easiest way.
  5. Develop a daily routine and stick to it. To make it easier to control your diet, you can start a diary of food, writing down everything that was eaten and when. When choosing a meal, buy natural and seasonal products.
  6. To maintain good health - get enough sleep. Observance of a mode of a dream and wakefulness will allow to adjust a food and to improve a condition of nervous system. Also do not forget about physical activity. Regular physical activity will support the body in tone.

Nervous overeating from stress

If food is used as an encouraging, relaxing or tonic, then it indicates eating disorders. In fact, nervous overeating is an attempt to beat emotions, not the stomach. Due to the fact that emotional hunger can not be eliminated with food, regular gluttony occurs. Very often the painful condition is formed against a background of chronic stress, depression, nervous disorders.

There are a number of signs that make it possible to distinguish between physical hunger and a desire to eat on a nervous basis:

  • Physical hunger develops gradually and does not require urgent compensation. Nervous hunger arises abruptly and requires a special meal, for example, fatty, sweet, fried.
  • When trying to muffle nervous hunger, there is often a loss of control. When the physical hunger is quenched, there is a marked saturation.
  • Nervous hunger lives in the head and aggravates under stressful situations, the effects of certain tastes or smells. The physical desire to eat is manifested by rumbling of the stomach and suction under the spoon.
  • Nervous binge eating causes feelings of guilt, shame and regret. While physical hunger does not cause any problems, because the body receives what it needs.

In order to cope with an eating disorder, you must follow these recommendations:

  1. Establish the real cause of binge eating and try to eliminate it. If necessary, seek help from a psychologist and other specialists.
  2. Learn to manage your own emotions. Find other ways to deal with stress and nervous experiences. In order to lack the strength for overeating, you can enroll in a gym, dance, or at the first urge to eat out for a walk.
  3. Learn to tell yourself to stop. Ability to leave a psychological impulse in time will overcome the problem of food abuse.
  4. Physical health. In some cases, the problem of nervous overeating is directly related to poor physical condition. Strengthen your body, take care of it. Observe sleep and wakefulness, rest and eat healthy, natural food.

Overeating at night

The problem of night gluttony is familiar to everyone who spends the whole day at work and does not have the opportunity to fully eat. At the same time, scientists determined that overeating before going to bed is dangerous not only for indigestion, but also for lack of a pronounced sense of satiety, which makes you want to eat even more.

Statistics indicate that over 20% of people with a problem of excess weight regularly overeat at night. There are many causes of overeating, its main features include:

  • Lack of normal meals during the day.
  • About 80% of calories are eaten after 20:00.
  • After midnight, there may be hikes in the kitchen for an additive.
  • In the morning, there is no desire to have breakfast.
  • There is a sense of guilt and resentment during the gluttons.
  • Frequent spills at night for a snack.

All of the above symptoms indicate a syndrome of overeating at night. To combat this problem, there are many methods. Consider a simple algorithm that will help you overcome the habit of eating before bed:

  1. Plan your daily diet and clearly limit the time of your last meal.
  2. Eat while sitting at the table, concentrating only on food. Turn off the TV, do not read the books.
  3. Chew your food well, so that your stomach will be full.
  4. Reduce the amount of alcohol or refuse it altogether.
  5. Prepare food yourself, give up store dumplings and sausages. Also under the ban get snacks buns, sweets or cakes.
  6. If the desire to eat anything harmful occurs while watching TV, then it's better to take yourself into homework.
  7. Go to bed earlier, since lack of sleep is one of the reasons for being overweight.

If night gluttony is associated with psychological factors, stress, nervous experiences, then it is better to contact a specialist who will help to solve the problem and get rid of it.

Persistent overeating

The violation of eating behavior is an actual problem for both adults and children. The consequences of constant overeating are so dangerous that doctors advise to remain with a slight sense of hunger, rather than abuse products.

Dangers of regular binge eating:

  • Violation of fat and carbohydrate metabolism of the substance, because of which all organs begin to suffer from excessive load.
  • Negatively affects the cardiovascular system, since the heart is forced to enrich the blood with more space due to the increase in organs.
  • The muscular walls of the heart increase and the frequency of their contractions increases. Because of this, hypertension and pressure problems occur.
  • The increase in the amount of fats negatively affects the liver and the whole gastrointestinal tract. Against this background may develop gastritis with a decreased acidity, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, colitis.
  • Overeating leads to an increase in body weight, which leads to a violation of the hormonal background. There are problems with the development of thyroid hormones, the deficiency of which leads to pathologies on the part of metabolism. For women, this is manifested by violations of the menstrual cycle, and in severe cases - infertility. Men may have problems with erection.

To normalize eating behavior, you need to develop a diet and diet. Nutritionists recommend to adhere to three full meals a day and 1-2 snacks. It is also necessary to reduce the amount of salty, fatty and spicy food in the diet. Restrictions apply to sugar, finished products, sweets, baked goods, fruits.

Reducing the size of a serving is another point on the road to healthy nutrition. To do this, you can take a smaller dish, then the plate will not seem empty. You can also try out unloading days. This is a kind of mono-diet, the duration of which does not exceed 24 hours. The most useful is unloading on apples, cucumbers, rice or water. If you can not cope with the problem of gluttony yourself, you should consult a specialist: a dietician, a psychologist.

Overeating of fatty foods

An important nutrient and a source of useful cholesterol is fat. It is the content of this substance in the products that determines their nutritional value. Fats contribute to the assimilation of vitamins A, D, E, K, which are fat-soluble. At the same time, normal absorption of fatty foods is impossible without pancreatic juice and bile.

Oily and fried in oil food overloads the gastrointestinal tract. Increased amounts of food cause a deficiency of enzymes for their processing. Because of this, undigested foods are retained in the intestines, causing accumulation of gases and increased pressure in the abdominal cavity. Stagnant processes lead to autointoxication, that is poisoning the body.

Abuse of fatty food gives an excessive load on the stomach, pancreas and duodenum. Slow down the digestive process and the splitting of fats into acids and glycerol. Frequent overeating fatty threatens not only indigestion, but also insufficiency of the pancreas.

Overeating of salt

The dining room, that is, food salt, is a mineral, which we regularly add to our meals. The recommended rate of salt intake for an adult is 6 g, that is, one teaspoon. But most people significantly exceed this norm by eating 2-3 or more times more. The fact is that the mineral is found in many ready-made products, the abuse of which causes overeating of salt. The most sodium chloride is found in such foods:

  • Smoked meat and sausages.
  • Canned olives.
  • Salted and canned vegetables.
  • Smoked and salted fish.
  • Soy and mustard sauce.
  • Hard cheeses.

Excessive eating of salt causes strong thirst and a number of other negative consequences for the body. First of all, the blood pressure rises, and the aggravation of diseases from the side of the cardiovascular system is also possible. Salt increases the risk of developing stomach cancer and heart attacks. But you can not completely abandon salt, because it also has a negative impact on health.

In order not to overeat the salted, you must try to prepare yourself, controlling the amount of spices. You can try to replace the mineral with fragrant herbs or peppers. Also, you should minimize the use of ready-made sauces: mayonnaise, mustard, soy sauce.

Overeating of ascorbic acid

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid performs many important functions in the body. It regulates redox processes at the cellular level, as well as carbohydrate metabolism and blood coagulation. Strengthens the structure of bone and dental tissue, increases the protective properties of the immune system and stimulates the production of certain vitamins. The substance is a part of many food products, vegetables, fruits and berries. Also there are pharmaceutical preparations of ascorbic acid.

Overdose of vitamin C most often occurs with overeating of foods with its increased content. This is observed during the winter holidays, when people overeat citrus fruits, as well as when trying to independently strengthen the immune system. Excess in the body of ascorbic acid causes such symptoms:

  • Allergic reactions.
  • Increased weakness.
  • Stomach ache.
  • Stool disorder, diarrhea.
  • Headaches and dizziness.
  • Severe nausea and vomiting.
  • Heartburn.
  • Increased excitability.

The above reactions require lowering the intake of vitamin C. If this is not done, a prolonged overdose of ascorbic will lead to the following consequences:

  • Diseases of the kidneys, stomach, pancreas.
  • Deficiency of B vitamins.
  • Ulcerative lesions of the stomach.
  • Persistent allergy.
  • High blood pressure.
  • Failures in the menstrual cycle.
  • Violation of blood clotting.

With extreme caution, ascorbic acid should be consumed by people with a predisposition to form concretions in the kidney and gall bladder, diabetes and other endocrine pathologies.

Overeating after removal of the gallbladder

Hepatocytes, that is, liver cells, produce bile, which is necessary for complete digestion of food and absorption of its beneficial substances into the blood. Bile accumulates in the depot - gallbladder. If the organ stops functioning normally, it leads to serious complications and even to its surgical removal.

After removal of the bile in the body, changes begin. Liver cells still produce bactericidal fluid, but there is nowhere to store it. Because of this, severe food restrictions are imposed to normalize bile secretion and digest food.

Abuse of food after removal of the gallbladder is dangerous for such complications:

  • Infringement of intestinal microflora.
  • Delayed digestion.
  • Constipation.
  • Painful sensations in the side and abdomen.
  • Increased gas formation.
  • Belching.
  • Attacks of nausea.
  • Bitterness in the oral cavity.
  • Deterioration of well-being and general weakness.

In addition to the above problems, a violation of diet can lead to the development of colitis, esophagitis, duodenitis and other gastrointestinal diseases. Overeating of fried and fatty foods is dangerous by repeated formation of stones, but already in the bile ducts.

To reduce the risk of developing food problems, people with bile ducts need to eat low-fat foods. The most useful vegetable and protein food, cooked on steamed, boiled or baked. Observance of the basic principles of healthy nutrition favorably affects the general well-being and allows not to feel problems due to the remote organ.

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