How to deal with compulsive overeating on your own? This is a common question. Let's look into it in more detail.
Each of us at least once in a lifetime got up from the table during a noisy festive feast with a feeling of a full stomach. If this happens irregularly and there is no loss of control over appetite, and such a situation is just a desire to relax and enjoy the taste of the dishes offered, then you cannot call such a process pathological. A day of fasting, a walk in the evening, or an extra hour in the gym can solve the problem and rid the body of unnecessary calories.
Unconscious and uncontrolled overeating
Another question is if the situation with overeating happens unconsciously and uncontrollably, especially after suffering stress or emotional stress. This is called compulsive overeating and is defined by nutritionists aseating disorder, the main cause of which is considered a negative emotional background. This overeating can lead to overweight and, if left untreated, extreme obesity.
Description
Compulsive overeating is listed as a disease in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. If in a stressful situation a person shows an uncontrolled appetite, which he is not able to fight, we can talk about an eating disorder. This is considered a mental pathology and requires treatment. The cause of compulsive overeating can be the loss of a loved one, dismissal from work, or seemingly minor troubles that become a reason for negative emotions.
There is also another name for the disease, which is used in the medical literature, namely, psychogenic overeating, which more clearly reflects the essence of the phenomenon. Appetite in this case is uncontrolled, due to mental, not physiological reasons.
Reasons
To be able to overcome psychogenic overeating, it is necessary to understand the causes of its occurrence. There are only two main factors - feelings and stress. However, here one should also distinguish between a situation where a person is experiencing the loss of a loved one, or another, when it comes to girls with a vulnerable nature, who, due to minor experiences, begin to seize negative emotions with a lot of sweets.
In the first case, seriousthe help of a specialist in the field of psychotherapy, and in the second - simply making changes in one's own views and worldview. Sometimes a rigid diet can also provoke compulsive overeating, when, after strict and prolonged food restrictions, a person begins to sweep away everything that is in the refrigerator. Quite often, the cause of this phenomenon is an unsatisfactory result from dieting.
Some scientists tend to espouse the idea that a genetic predisposition may influence the development of compulsive overeating. Three types of genes have been identified that can lead to obesity and a tendency to overeat.
Symptoms
The main signs of psychogenic overeating are able to reveal both the person suffering from this disorder and the people around him. Hiding some manifestations of the disease can be quite difficult. Binge eating symptoms include:
1. Eating becomes the only way to relieve stress and get rid of loneliness, longing and sadness.
2. Food is consumed alone, as a person does not want to show his problem to others.
3. There is a need to fill up until the stomach feels full.
4. There is no control over appetite and the process of eating food.
5. Food is taken even in the absence of hunger.
6. Eating abnormally large amounts of food at one meal.
7. After eating, a person tends tofeel guilty and self-loathing for another bout of overeating.
8. Overeating during times of stress is very pronounced.
A characteristic feature of compulsive overeating is the inability to control appetite. Mental anguish during stress is unconsciously eaten with a large amount of food. It is human nature to not even notice that he eats more than usual.
Risk group
The most susceptible to such a disorder are people who are mentally unbalanced, taking what is happening in their lives too close to their hearts. Adolescents and young girls are at high risk. Men who have trouble expressing their emotions also tend to have trouble eating.
A feature of compulsive overeating is the almost complete refusal of a person to eat the right foods and dishes, namely soups, cereals, vegetables and fruits. Most often, the diet consists of food from fast food restaurants, fried, fatty and s alty foods, alcohol and soda, etc.
Treatment for binge eating
If a person understands and admits that he has a problem with overeating, this is a good sign and a guarantee for a successful cure. In this case, there is a motivation for realizing the need for the fastest possible search for a solution and a way out of the current situation. It is almost impossible, however, to get rid of a psychogenic disorder on your own. You should start with a visit to a psychotherapist or nutritionist. The specialist will appreciatethe patient's condition, clarify the diagnosis and prescribe appropriate treatment on an individual basis.
How to get rid of compulsive overeating is not an idle question.
As a rule, therapy is carried out in two directions, that is, an integrated approach to solving the problem is required. A combination of physiological and psychological therapy is strictly required in the treatment of compulsive overeating.
What is the threat?
Eating disorders over time lead to obesity and metabolic syndrome, as well as disruption of metabolic processes in the body. This is followed by overstrain of internal organs, hepatosis and other complications. Therefore, treatment of comorbidities is required.
In addition, it is necessary to eliminate the cause of overeating, that is, get rid of depression, avoid stress, learn to control appetite during emotional overstrain.
Psychotherapy
There are several psychotherapeutic techniques for eliminating compulsive overeating. The choice of therapy depends on the patient's condition and individual characteristics.
1. Group psychotherapy. Sometimes overeating is the result of a lack of socialization, that is, a person depends on the opinions of those around him. For the purpose of socialization, special self-help groups are created. Their main task is to relieve nervous and emotional stress by increasing the self-esteem of those attending group classes. When communicating with other patients, the patient realizes that he does notone that others accept it, and everything is not so bad. In every fifth case, such activities become enough to eliminate compulsive overeating.
2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This is the most effective way to treat psychogenic overeating. The duration of the course is usually 5 months, which is faster than others. The therapy focuses on finding yourself, learning self-control, coping with stress and changing eating behavior.
3. Interpersonal psychotherapy. It also makes it possible to achieve good results. However, the duration of the course is longer than in cognitive behavioral therapy. It will take eight months to a year. In the course of therapy, the patient begins to feel like a part of society, learns to adequately communicate with others, not to be closed and detached. A person needs to learn to perceive himself as a self-sufficient person and not take the words of others to heart. As a result, anxiety is reduced and stress resistance is increased.
4. Hypnosis and suggestion. This technique is considered controversial. It makes it possible to stop the development of the disorder for some time, but does not eliminate the disease as a whole. The main advantage of hypnosis and suggestion is immediate results. Recovery occurs after a few sessions. However, there is no awareness by a person of how he got rid of the problem. Accordingly, the old model of responding to a stressful situation is preserved, which means that it is possiblerelapse.
When visiting a psychotherapist, you must be aware that the recovery process can be very long and require serious work on yourself.
Compulsive Overeating Reviews
Reviews on this topic abound. People confirm that it is very difficult to cope with such a pathology. Especially in the evening. Even the help of a specialist is not always effective.
You have to deal with your own negative emotions on your own, and only really strong motivation can change the situation.
Now we know how to deal with compulsive overeating.
