Tips for Resolving Compulsive Eating
Compulsive Eating or Binge Eating is understood to be an Eating Disorder (it will probably be included in the next DSM) meaning that those struggling with the disorder will have a disordered eating pattern. In short, CED/BED (Compulsive Eating Disorder or Binge Eating Disorder) is marked by eating an unreasonable amount of food in a short period time without any compensatory behaviour. The person may binge by eating 5000 calories in an hour or two and afterwards they do not vomit or use laxatives or over- exercise.
Clearly the definition of CED/ BED is in contrast to Normal Eating which may need a fuller explanation. Normal eating consists of eating three meals a day, plus three snacks a day with caloric amounts from 2000-3000 per day. The caloric amount depends on a variety of factors such as size, level of activity, and weight. Nutritionally, the meals and snacks should involve a variety of food from different food groups.
Healthy persons with a normal eating pattern should eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. This means that one should eat every 2.5 to 3 hours (hence the snacks) with each meal being about 300 – 500 calories and each snack about 200-300 calories.
What does “full” mean? The satiety experiences we can have range from being extremely hungry (a “1”) to being extremely full (a “10”) and a middle range wherein we not hungry and not full (a “5”). It is in this middle range (4-6) that we want to stay for most of the day. When we are in this range for most of our day, then our eating pattern is probably quite normal, out blood sugar levels are quite stable, we are comfortable, and our caloric intake quite reasonable.
So what happens for a compulsive eating pattern to develop?
Deprivation leads to Binges! Someone is much more likely to set themselves up for a binge if they experience deprivation of food in some way. It can be the type of food (treats), the amount of food, or the frequency of food. If we go for a long period of time depriving ourselves, then chances are very high that at some point we will develop a bingeing pattern. Or, if we go for a day without eating very much, then we have a very high chance of bingeing at night. (This is the most common time for a binge.)
For example, 50% of those with Anorexia Nervosa go on to develop Bulimia Nervosa. The entire body, brain and psyche conspire to bring food into the body for survival. You cannot outwit that primal combination for long. So the best, most effective technique is to follow the rules of normal eating – three meals and three snacks with protein and fibre evenly spaced throughout the day. Take the time to plan and prepare the food, and to start eating normally, eat according to the clock (every 2.5 -3 hours).
The disordered eating patterns that distinguish CED often develop in people at a young age, but sometimes they develop quite suddenly in adulthood. I’ll give examples for both: in persons who have a long history of over eating, they often have grown up in households where specific rules were in place about food, such as “you must eat everything on your plate,” “treats are not allowed ever in this household,” or “we eat treats to celebrate.” The pattern of deprivation and bingeing begins early and becomes chronic. The bingeing often is a way of attempting to comfort oneself for a recurring emotional /relationship issue.
When compulsive/binge eating begins suddenly, it almost always means there is a psychological stressor in the person’s life. Further, I would suggest that part of the stressor is “dangerous knowledge.” This means that to know the stressor and acknowledge it requires some life changes.
In general, the symptoms of an eating disorder develop in order to get your attention and often are symbolic of the deeper issue that is not being acknowledged and dealt with. For example, I had a client who ate chocolates for dinner every night. She was very lonely and loveless. The chocolates symbolically pointed to the lack of love or romance in her life. She didn’t know how to deal with the loneliness, and if she were to acknowledge the lack of love and romance in her life, it would mean she might have to do something about her situation (such as send signals that she wanted a relationship or grieve and develop another life passion).
If you have developed CED/BED rather suddenly (i.e.you have not a life long history of overeating) then it will pay off to look at the issues in your life that you would prefer to avoid. Explore your patterns of resistance and avoidance. Track when you binge – just before you have the urge to eat, observe your thoughts and feelings. Look at what you eat and ask yourself: “what are 10 meanings that this food has for me?” (e.g. potato chips = party food= don’t have to be responsible).
Look at some emotional solutions for what you might find to be your “dangerous knowledge.” For example, look at improving your relationships, try to be more honest with yourself and others, question a difficult relationship, and learn to be more assertive. Learn to sit with intense feelings and to watch them pass. A professional can help you with the phases of exploration and solution.
If you have a long history of bingeing, and it feels more like a lifestyle issue than a sudden unwanted change in your eating pattern, then the task to resolve CED is more complicated and more difficult. What is required here is an awareness of long standing patterns that trigger eating; any life situation may trigger compulsive eating. For example: “my team won, yeah, let’s eat!” or, “my team lost the game, let’s eat to feel better.”).
Usually what happens is that a pattern is set up so that the person has an uncomfortable feeling (say, guilt), and they have discovered that eating some comfort food will instantly distract them from the feeling. They learn this is an immediate and short term effective method to relieve emotional pain. Then, they begin to use this method over and over, until it becomes automatic and basically moves out of their consciousness. See my blog on “A Theory of Addiction” for more information.
One needs to carefully look at emotional, internal triggers and search for better emotional solutions. Food is not an emotional solution, and it does not work long term. By this, I mean that the uncomfortable feeling returns, and then you may find yourself compulsively eating again.
You should also look at external triggers such as food ads and passing restaurants.
Allowing yourself to become really hungry (below a “4”) is a setup for a binge. So work hard to create a meal plan with 3 meals and 3 snacks, with each one containing protein and fibre. Creating and sticking to a meal plan is the most effective technique to fight eating disorders of all types.
It takes a great deal of commitment and time to change a lifestyle, but changes in habit, coupled with internal emotional work, can go a long way to resolving compulsive eating.
By Fay Ferris, Counsellor
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