Seeking solace in food leaves you feeling worse
Feb 21, 2011
JOSEPH'S bedroom is his refuge. After a hectic day, he locks himself up in his room and listens to music, watches TV or chats with his friends online. For the most part, it looks like a typical bedroom except for what is under the bed — a haven for snacks, bread and candy. <br>
MANY people often resort to binge eating in a bid to fight stress, but this too has health implications. Vique-Ocean Kahinju lets you know how binge eating may develop into a disorder and how you can fight it
JOSEPH'S bedroom is his refuge. After a hectic day, he locks himself up in his room and listens to music, watches TV or chats with his friends online. For the most part, it looks like a typical bedroom except for what is under the bed — a haven for snacks, bread and candy.
Joseph can consume a pack of cookies and a plateful of chips in one sitting as he watches TV. He is overweight, and surprisingly, he hates it but cannot bring himself to stop, especially when stressed.
What causes impulsive eating?
Dr. Dorothy Baingana, a psychotherapist (specialist who treats mental illness with counselling rather than drugs) at Ebenezer Medical Centre in Kampala, says: “If overeating is a regular and uncontrollable habit, one may be suffering from stress binge eating disorder.â€
Edith Karugaba, a psychotherapist in Kampala, adds that: “Binge eating is a disorder characterised by obsessive overeating in which people consume huge amounts of food while feeling out of control and powerless to stop.
This is especially when someone is stressed or depressed. Such people find solace in eating all the time because to them eating is an anti-depressant. They find solace in food,†she adds.
Baingana says since binge eaters use food to cope with stress and other negative emotions, irrational overeating makes them feel worse. The disorder affects different age groups at varying degrees.
“Binge eating characteristically lasts around two hours, but some people eat whenever they want to calm their nerves,†says Karugaba.
“Unfortunately, binge eaters eat even when they are not hungry and carry on eating long after they are full,†she clarifies. “Such victims may also overeat while barely registering what they are eating.
People with a binge eating disorder battle thoughts of guilt, repugnance and depression.â€
Karugaba says such people fret about what the uncontrollable eating will do to their health, and hate themselves.
Effects of binge eating
“Binge eating can lead to problems such as abnormal weight gain, unhealthy dieting especially if one eats junk food and emotional problems such as loss of self-esteem due to weight gain,†Karugaba clarifies.
“These painful feelings may make binge eating worse because one will always turn to food as a way of dealing with their emotions,†she says.
Stress binger eaters resort to food to
Fill a void in life
or cheer themselves up
Calm down or soothe their nerves
‘Escape’ from problems
and cope with stress and worries
Reward themselves
“Binge eating due to stress is treatable with counselling,†says Dr. Suzan Namugerwa, a general physician at Cadam Medical Centre in Kampala .
Features of binge eating
Frequent occurrence of uncontrollable and rapid eating of large amounts of food
Feeling guilty, disgusted or depressed after overeating
Feeling tension that is only relieved by eating
Feeling awfully distressed or upset during or after binge eating
No regular attempts to make up for the overeating for instance by fasting or exercising
Feeling out of control when eating
Thinking about food all the time
Hiding or stocking food and eating it in hiding
Eating until you feel sick even when you are full
Eating continuously throughout the day, with no planned mealtimes
Namugerwa says it takes a combination of things to develop an eating disorder. This includes a person’s genes, emotions and experiences.
“Some studies reveal that biological abnormalities breed binge eating. For example, the hypothalamus (the part of the brain that controls appetite) may not be sending correct messages about hunger and fullness, thus causing insensitive eating habits,†Namugerwa says.
Overeating usually leads to obesity, which can result in medical complications such as type 2 diabetes, gallbladder disease, high cholesterol and blood pressure and heart diseases. Others are joint and muscle pain, gastrointestinal problems, sleep disorder (insomnia) and suicide.
Nutritionists say a diet high in saturated fat, salt and sugar can increase stress levels. Therefore, eating highly processed foods (fast food, frozen meals, cookies, cakes and chips) can raise blood pressure and/or blood glucose levels — conditions that make one feel more stressed. The healthier the food, the better you will feel.
Dos and Dont’s
Do not eat as you watch TV.
Opt for healthier foods like fruits, if you cannot the urge to eat
Never keep food within easy reach if you cannot control yourself.
In case you find yourself eating just to kill boredom, engage in a fun activity or stay in the company of friends to keep you busy and save you from thinking about food.
Do not sit in one place for too long if this tempts you into eating. Keep yourself busy.
Seek counselling if you cannot stop eating even when you are full.
Do not resort to binge eating in a bid to calm your nerves as this is not always effective.
If you battle feelings such as guilt or low self-esteem after eating, it is time to seek help.
How to beat the stress binge eating disorder
Engage yourself in routine exercise to nip stress or depression in the bud.
Avoid keeping unnecessary food within your reach. This helps you guard against temptations of eating all the time.
Take a cup of a hot beverage instead of snacks to calm your nerves when stressed
Avoid sitting in the same place for long hours for instance when watching TV or surfing the Internet. This can easily tempt you to eat uncontrollably to kill boredom
Find yourself a hobby such as stamp collecting or singing. Getting yourself busy can also save you from over eating.
Stay in the company of friends to keep you indulged in a conversation and stay away from food.
JOSEPH'S bedroom is his refuge. After a hectic day, he locks himself up in his room and listens to music, watches TV or chats with his friends online. For the most part, it looks like a typical bedroom except for what is under the bed — a haven for snacks, bread and candy.
Joseph can consume a pack of cookies and a plateful of chips in one sitting as he watches TV. He is overweight, and surprisingly, he hates it but cannot bring himself to stop, especially when stressed.
What causes impulsive eating?
Dr. Dorothy Baingana, a psychotherapist (specialist who treats mental illness with counselling rather than drugs) at Ebenezer Medical Centre in Kampala, says: “If overeating is a regular and uncontrollable habit, one may be suffering from stress binge eating disorder.â€
Edith Karugaba, a psychotherapist in Kampala, adds that: “Binge eating is a disorder characterised by obsessive overeating in which people consume huge amounts of food while feeling out of control and powerless to stop.
This is especially when someone is stressed or depressed. Such people find solace in eating all the time because to them eating is an anti-depressant. They find solace in food,†she adds.
Baingana says since binge eaters use food to cope with stress and other negative emotions, irrational overeating makes them feel worse. The disorder affects different age groups at varying degrees.
“Binge eating characteristically lasts around two hours, but some people eat whenever they want to calm their nerves,†says Karugaba.
“Unfortunately, binge eaters eat even when they are not hungry and carry on eating long after they are full,†she clarifies. “Such victims may also overeat while barely registering what they are eating.
People with a binge eating disorder battle thoughts of guilt, repugnance and depression.â€
Karugaba says such people fret about what the uncontrollable eating will do to their health, and hate themselves.
Effects of binge eating
“Binge eating can lead to problems such as abnormal weight gain, unhealthy dieting especially if one eats junk food and emotional problems such as loss of self-esteem due to weight gain,†Karugaba clarifies.
“These painful feelings may make binge eating worse because one will always turn to food as a way of dealing with their emotions,†she says.
Stress binger eaters resort to food to
Fill a void in life
or cheer themselves up
Calm down or soothe their nerves
‘Escape’ from problems
and cope with stress and worries
Reward themselves
“Binge eating due to stress is treatable with counselling,†says Dr. Suzan Namugerwa, a general physician at Cadam Medical Centre in Kampala .
Features of binge eating
Frequent occurrence of uncontrollable and rapid eating of large amounts of food
Feeling guilty, disgusted or depressed after overeating
Feeling tension that is only relieved by eating
Feeling awfully distressed or upset during or after binge eating
No regular attempts to make up for the overeating for instance by fasting or exercising
Feeling out of control when eating
Thinking about food all the time
Hiding or stocking food and eating it in hiding
Eating until you feel sick even when you are full
Eating continuously throughout the day, with no planned mealtimes
Namugerwa says it takes a combination of things to develop an eating disorder. This includes a person’s genes, emotions and experiences.
“Some studies reveal that biological abnormalities breed binge eating. For example, the hypothalamus (the part of the brain that controls appetite) may not be sending correct messages about hunger and fullness, thus causing insensitive eating habits,†Namugerwa says.
Overeating usually leads to obesity, which can result in medical complications such as type 2 diabetes, gallbladder disease, high cholesterol and blood pressure and heart diseases. Others are joint and muscle pain, gastrointestinal problems, sleep disorder (insomnia) and suicide.
Nutritionists say a diet high in saturated fat, salt and sugar can increase stress levels. Therefore, eating highly processed foods (fast food, frozen meals, cookies, cakes and chips) can raise blood pressure and/or blood glucose levels — conditions that make one feel more stressed. The healthier the food, the better you will feel.
Dos and Dont’s
Do not eat as you watch TV.
Opt for healthier foods like fruits, if you cannot the urge to eat
Never keep food within easy reach if you cannot control yourself.
In case you find yourself eating just to kill boredom, engage in a fun activity or stay in the company of friends to keep you busy and save you from thinking about food.
Do not sit in one place for too long if this tempts you into eating. Keep yourself busy.
Seek counselling if you cannot stop eating even when you are full.
Do not resort to binge eating in a bid to calm your nerves as this is not always effective.
If you battle feelings such as guilt or low self-esteem after eating, it is time to seek help.
How to beat the stress binge eating disorder
Engage yourself in routine exercise to nip stress or depression in the bud.
Avoid keeping unnecessary food within your reach. This helps you guard against temptations of eating all the time.
Take a cup of a hot beverage instead of snacks to calm your nerves when stressed
Avoid sitting in the same place for long hours for instance when watching TV or surfing the Internet. This can easily tempt you to eat uncontrollably to kill boredom
Find yourself a hobby such as stamp collecting or singing. Getting yourself busy can also save you from over eating.
Stay in the company of friends to keep you indulged in a conversation and stay away from food.