Eating disorders
The term ‘yo-yo’ dieters described people that go through patterns of weight gain and loss. For some it can feel like they have tried every diet going yet maintaining any weight lost is impossible.
“I feel like I’ve been on a diet for my whole life. I can’t remember a time where I haven’t been conscious of my weight and have cycled between periods of weight loss and gain since my early teens. I’m now nearly 40.“
How effective diets are can vary from person to person. While some diets may work for some individuals in the short term, research suggests that many diets fail to produce sustainable long-term results for the majority of people.
A diet for some people can be viewed as a short-term solution. For weight loss to succeed in the long-term, the changes you make need to become part of your everyday life, not just for the period you are “dieting” for.
“My mindset is that I’m either on a diet or off it and that when I’m off it, I can just go back to eating what I want. I’ve realised that this is the type of thinking that sabotages me as there is no way to possibly maintain weight loss or avoid weight gain if I just eat what I want all the time.”
Diets can promote a thought pattern of certain foods being “good” and others “bad”. This can lead to people having feelings of guilt and shame when they eat certain foods.
Binge eating
A small number of people may struggle further with weight gain because of conditions such as ‘Binge Eating Disorder’ which we’ve covered in more detail below.
“If I’m on a diet and then I eat something that I shouldn’t I feel like I’ve failed. It doesn’t just stop there though as it almost gives me permission to eat more because I’ve already ruined it; like ‘oh well I’ve done it now, so might as well just go for it’. It then becomes impossible to stop which then just leads to such guilt and shame”.
When you think about eating disorders, what normally comes to mind is the image of someone being severely underweight. In reality, most people that screen positive for an eating disorder are actually in the overweight or obese BMI category.
The diagram below represents the vicious circle that people can find themselves in where feelings of guilt and shame leads to a period of restriction to compensate for a binge.
Binge eating is a serious eating disorder characterised by recurrent episodes of consuming large quantities of food in a short period, accompanied by a sense of loss of control over eating during these episodes. People who experience binge eating may feel unable to stop eating even when they are physically uncomfortable or full.
“I didn’t realise that I had an eating disorder. I had no idea that what I was doing to myself wasn’t my fault, it wasn’t just that I was being greedy or having no control over myself. It had control over me. I used to feel so disgusted afterwards that I would have a period of restriction, where I would trim down every meal possible to restrict as many calories as I could. This would ultimately lead to me bingeing as I was so hungry that I just lost complete control.
It’s important to distinguish between occasional overeating and binge eating disorder, as the latter is a serious mental health condition that can have severe physical and emotional consequences. If this is something that you struggle with, there is help available, the first step is to speak to your GP who will be able to refer you to an appropriate specialist.
“I remember when I eventually saw an eating disorder specialist and we discussed my food diary. He pointed out how little I would eat during the day and I remember being so horrified when he told me I needed to eat more. I was so resistant to it at first as in my brain I had to try and save calories wherever I could to compensate for bingeing. I had to put my trust into what he was saying as what I was currently doing wasn’t working. Having regular complete meals was definitely a key part in controlling my bingeing.”
Treatment for binge eating disorder may include psychotherapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT), as well as medication in some cases. The goal is to address the underlying emotional issues, develop healthier eating habits, and improve coping mechanisms to manage stress and negative emotions in a more constructive way.
“What has also been helpful is understanding the difference between overeating and a binge. Everyone overeats at times – this is normal and it doesn’t have to turn into a binge. Also letting myself eat ‘bad’ foods as part of my diet. This doesn’t mean I have them all the time, I have them as a treat. The difference is that I let myself have them without making myself feel guilty for them. That has taken away part of the control they had over me. Don’t get me wrong, there are certain foods that I just don’t buy as I know they are a trigger for me – a jar of Nutella for instance. I would just eat that with a spoon so for me, it’s just better if I don’t buy it. That is one part of the many strategies I’ve put in place for myself.”
There are a number of different eating disorders, binge eating being one of them. If you think you might have an eating disorder then please visit your GP.
For more information on eating disorders, have a look at the NHS or BEAT websites.
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