Maria was sitting at home watching TV with a bucket of fried chicken to her left and a half-eaten box of cookies to her right.  Lately she had been eating anything and everything she could get her hands on.  She had been so stressed out by school, family, and friends that she had developed almost a dependency on food – it had become the only way for her to find some comfort.  At the same time, eating so much made her feel guilty.   The guilt, of course, led to even more eating.  Maria was caught in a vicious cycle of binge eating. 

For her entire teenage life, Maria had tried hundreds of diets and none of them ever seemed to work.  Mounting pressures from school and friends, as well as all of her failed attempts to lose weight, left Maria anxious and depressed.  Eating became her escape.   She found herself eating all of the time –especially when she was alone, and even when she wasn’t hungry.  She would eat rapidly until she became uncomfortably full. 

You may be thinking to yourself, so what?  We all overeat now and then.  That may be true, but unlike the occasional pig out, Binge Eating Disorder (BED) often stems from psychological problems. It can develop into serious health conditions such as obesity.  A person with BED overeats constantly, and does not perform compensatory actions, (such as working out excessively) to balance the large food intake.  Like Maria, a sufferer of BED often feels a great deal of pressure and imbalance in his or her life. She uses food as a quick fix rather than trying to deal with what’s really bothering her.  BED seriously affects both your body and your psyche. While food can be used to provide a temporary sense of comfort, constantly using food as the answer can be very unhealthy.

There are several known, effective methods to lose and control weight. Help is available so nobody has to suffer with food and weight issues alone.