When you feel stressed or overwhelmed, eating can be a way to take care of yourself. Sometimes, however, this habit is too much for your body to handle.
When you are stressed, your hormones get out of control. Your stress hormones tell your brain that there may be danger so they begin to search for ways to deal with the threat.
Some people make decisions to eat more because they think they’ll lose their appetite if they don’t. They also believe by swallowing something they’ll go into a sleep mode and eventually wake up feeling refreshed.
This behavior becomes problematic when you start to consume more food than normal – even when you aren’t hungry. You could have just cut back on how many snacks you ate and still reap the benefits of nutrition and rest.
It becomes an addiction when you need increasingly large amounts of food to achieve the same result. This is often accompanied by feelings of guilt, remorse, and frustration as you try to determine why you are not able to stop feeding your habit.
There is no one right way to manage eating habits, but it is important to talk about yours with someone. It may help to recognize what traits you have in this area and see whether anyone around you can offer advice or suggestions.
Reading different stories about other people who suffer from disordered eating will show you that this condition has a very negative impact on both individuals and their loved ones.
Types of eating disorders
There are several types of eating disorders, all characterized by persistent dieting or compulsive exercise along with anxiety about food or excessive intake of food.
Many people develop eating habits as they grow up. Some eat mostly vegetables and fruits while others love to eat large amounts of meat and sweets.
Some individuals prefer to cook their own meals rather than dining out frequently, whereas other people enjoy going out more because it feels like social interaction.
But if you notice yourself consuming less and fewer foods than before, then this can be concerning. You may worry that you’re not feeding yourself well enough or that someone will think you don’t like certain foods.
This is especially true for teens who might start paying closer attention to what they consume due to growing awareness of nutrition in schools. This could make them feel uncomfortable too.
Binge eating
For some people, food becomes too appealing or attractive to avoid, causing them to eat more than they normally would. This is called binge eating.
When you binge eat, you don’t make conscious decisions to overeat – you just kind of get into a rhythm where it feels like you have to keep eating because there’s never an end to how much food you have.
You may also feel out of control when you’re hungry, which can be frustrating. It can also cause worries about whether or not you’ll have enough to eat at next opportunity, or if you’ll run out before your next meal.
People who engage in binge eating are often unhappy with their bodies and think about ways to reduce weight and body shape frequently. Some individuals even try limiting what they eat in order to lose weight faster.
However, this only creates another problem – dieting. Because you’re trying to limit yourself to a certain amount each day, you’re usually hungry most of the time, so you tend to give in and eat something else instead. This can continue until you’ve eaten as many calories as you wanted to start with and nothing seems to help.
There are several types of binging behaviors, but all involve going beyond the average level of consumption for your own personal norm.
Compulsive eating
When you feel hungry, try to ignore your hunger by not eating anything or taking any food. Or, if you eat something, make it as small as possible and only taste it for a minute before putting aside more time to wait.
There are several reasons why someone may develop compulsive eating behaviors. Some of them are due to stress, mental health conditions like anxiety or depression, low self-esteem, and/or body image issues.
Certain foods can play a big role in how you feel about yourself and your weight so going through emotional changes can sometimes be difficult. This makes overeating seem like the best option.
It is very important to recognize that binge eating is not healthy. Overconsuming calories beyond what your body needs is one of the main causes of obesity. You will need to work on learning how to balance meal times and snacks to avoid this.
Another harmful behavior associated with binging is purging. Purging includes using laxatives, vomiting, exercise, and/or cold showers to get rid of what you have eaten.
This could be fat, carbohydrates, protein, or nothing at all! Sometimes people do this to feel better about themselves, but it usually does the opposite. It can cause worry and discomfort in the long run because you were sick for some of the day on account of the poisoning.
Food addiction
Another term for eating disorder is food addiction. This is when you eat too much of certain foods beyond what would be needed to satisfy your hunger.
You may also find that you are unable to stop buying or eating these foods even though you want to. It can make it difficult to enjoy other parts of your life because you’re spending time trying to get through this food cravings.
This goes beyond simple food addictions, like getting addicted to chocolate or eating lots of sweets. With food addiction, you feel an intense desire to have more of the food, not just taste some of it. You will need to look into why this is happening so that you can treat the disease properly.
Some underlying causes of food addiction include genetics, malnutrition in early development, stress, depression, or anxiety.
It’s important to note that while there is debate about whether or not someone could develop an eating disorder due to nutritional deficiencies, people who suffer from binge-eating disorders often show symptoms of kleptomania (the urge to steal) and pyromania (the urge to set things ablaze).
Social eating
When you feel hungry, you go out to eat! You choose what restaurant, what food, and how much you are going to eat because it feels good to consume foods that make you happy or feel comfortable.
This is called social eating. It’s when people eat together and talk about food while they’re eating.
Many people develop habits of social eating. Some of these behaviors include:
Ordering only part of the meal for one person and then sharing the rest with the other people at the table
Having several people at your party and buying enough food for everyone so that no one goes home hungry
Going out to eat as a group more than once a week
The problem with this habit is that it can lead to overweight and obesity. People may forget that they still need to eat before their next activity, like working or sleeping. Plus, spending lots of money on food makes it easier to keep up pre-existing diets that don’t work well.
When you think about it, most people who try to lose weight also spend time watching TV, chatting with friends, and doing things that require energy. Having a lot of activities in your life can help you stay active, but only if you give yourself adequate time to relax and recover.
By relaxing and giving yourself some time to recharge, you will probably find that you are able to stop thinking about food and manage your appetite better.
Trouble eating
Sometimes, people develop uncomfortable eating habits or behaviors that they feel they need to address. This is referred to as having an “eating disorder”.
People with eating disorders will often deny how hungry or tired they are by not eating for extended periods of time. They may also eat very little food, take very long to eat, or avoid foods altogether in order to feel full.
Some common symptoms include:
Sensory sensitivities around certain types of food (for example, being intolerant of gluten)
Tightness in the body due to lack of glucose and/or insulin
Weight loss despite normal dieting
The need to exercise more to burn off the same amount of calories you consumed
If you are concerned about someone you know who has an eating disorder, talk to them about your concerns. Do not make any assumptions – ask them directly if it’s okay to touch their skin or if they use the bathroom before.
Remember that anyone can develop an eating disorder at any time, so do not assume something is wrong unless there is clear evidence of one.
Food refusal
When you eat too little or nothing at all, this is referred to as food avoidance or food refusal. This can occur because of taste aversion, fear of eating enough, or not wanting to spend time in the kitchen when you’re trying to lose weight.
People with restrictive diets often feel hungry more frequently due to their lack of intake, which can be frustrating. They may also feel tired since they are spending less time sleeping and ingesting adequate amounts of nutrients and energy.
Thinking about food and your body makes sense of how much you eat related to hormones. Hormonal changes during dieting can make it difficult to know whether you are full. Having appropriate levels of nutrition and sleep aid in mental recovery.
What should you do if someone you love has anorexia? First, try to understand what is causing the behavior. For example, is there something happening at work or school that is making them feel stressed out? Are they being bullied or excluded by people around them who don’t agree with their diet choice?
If these things seem relevant, ask yourself if these experiences have made you feel bad before. If so, recognize that those feelings developed into an eating disorder for someone close to you.
Now, instead of getting involved, you must learn how to stay out! Don’t get angry or hurt, but use this opportunity to show care and understanding.
It could help them return to normal functioning.
