Eating Disorder Clinics

Compulsive eating disorder is an eating disorder that affects both women and men. Individuals who suffer from Compulsive overeating disorder are commonly described as having an addiction to food. Women who suffer from compulsive eating disorder engage in frequent episodes of uncontrolled eating, or binge eating. During an eating binge the woman may feel frenzied or out of control. While binge eating, a woman will eat much more quickly than is normal, and continue to eat even past the point of being uncomfortably full. Binging in this way is generally followed by a period of intense guilt feelings and depression. Unlike individuals with bulimia, compulsive overeaters do not attempt to compensate for their binging with purging behaviors such as fasting, laxative use or vomiting to admit in eating disorder clinics. Compulsive eaters will typically eat when they are not hungry, spend excessive amounts of time and thought devoted to food, and secretly plan or fantasize about eating alone. Eating disorder often leads to weight gain and obesity, but not everyone who is obese is also a compulsive eater.

     In addition to binge eating, compulsive eaters also engage in grazing behavior, during which they return to pick at food over and over throughout the day. This result in a large overall number of calories consumed even if the quantities eaten at any one time may be small. When a compulsive eater overeats primarily through binging, she can be said to have binge eating disorder. Where there is continuous overeating but no binging, then the sufferer has compulsive eating disorder.

Compulsive eating Disorder Clinics

    Left untreated, compulsive eating can lead to serious medical conditions including high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and clinical depression. Additional long-term side effects of the condition also include kidney disease, arthritis, bone deterioration and stroke

Some Symptoms of Compulsive Eating Disorder

Fear of not being able to control eating, and while eating, not being able to stop

Isolation. Fear of eating around and with others

Chronic dieting on a variety of popular diet plans

Holding the belief that life will be better if they can lose weight

Hiding food in strange places (closets, cabinets, suitcases, under the bed) to eat at a later time

Vague or secretive eating patterns

Self-defeating statements after food consumption

Blames failure in social and professional community on weight

Holding the belief that food is their only friend

Frequently out of breath after relatively light activities

Excessive sweating and shortness of breath

High blood pressure and/or cholesterol

Leg and joint pain

Weight gain

Decreased mobility due to weight gain

Loss of sexual desire or promiscuous relations

Mood swings, depression, and fatigue

Insomnia and poor sleeping habits.

Recovery from eating disorders

Compulsive eating is treatable with counseling and therapy. Approximately 80% of sufferers who seek professional help recover completely or experience significant reduction in their symptoms. According to Dr. Gregg Jantz of The Center for Counseling and Health Resources in Edmonds, WA; less than 2% of morbidly obese clients ever recover. Many eating disorders are thought to be behavioral patterns stemming from emotional conflicts that need to be resolved in order for the sufferer to develop a healthy relationship with food. Like other eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, compulsive overeating is a serious problem and can result in death So, they should think and consult about eating disorder clinics. However, with treatment, which should include talk therapy, medical and nutritional counseling, it can be overcome. Several Twelve Step programs designed to help members recover from compulsive overeating and food addiction exist today.