How Compulsive Overeating Affects Your Health and Happiness

Eating habits can reflect a lot of elements of a person's mental health if they are in anyway unique or irregular. While not all unusual eating habits indicate a disorder, they can offer a glimpse of someone's state of mind or inner emotional life. Someone might describe themselves as a "food lover" if they have a habit of eating large portions and snacking often even when they are not necessarily hungry. While they may have a love of food, there could be indications in their behavior that are related to compulsive overeating. The problems that most often accompany something like binge eating disorder are an addictive nature, anxiety and depression. People that suffer from this type of eating disorder show signs of being very overweight and most often, morbidly obese. A BMI greater than 30 is considered to be obese and many people with an overeating disorder are well within this range as they often consume nearly twice or even three times the amount that an average person needs to have a healthy diet. Their desire to constantly eat is fueled not by a bodily need but by an emotional one. Whether they are conscious of it or not they are most likely engaging in what is known as emotional eating.

People who are diagnosed with compulsive overeating struggle with feelings of stress and anxiety but appease themselves through the comfort of their favorite foods. The type of food that usually becomes "comfort food" is often high in fat and sugar, making the person's eating habits very unhealthy and leading to tremendous weight gain. Consuming much more than the average person needs can actually put quite a strain on the body and the physical stress of being overweight is detrimental to a person's health as well. The biggest problem with an eating disorder such as this is that there is no real telling how much weight the person might eventually gain. If they continually eat far more than is recommended by health guidelines then they are likely to gradually increase weight over time which leads to even more health problems with fatal consequences.

The sooner a person with compulsive eating disorder gets treatment, the better they will be able to recover from both their food addiction and their growing health problems. A combination of diet and psychological care is crucial as a preventative measure to keep their health intact for years in the future.

Sovereign Health of California offers a highly specialized team of qualified and licensed professionals with diverse clinical experience in behavioral health and addictions. Our staff will create your unique program to improve your mental and physical health, helping you get back to life.

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