Posts Tagged “Binge Eating Disorder”

Episode description:

The Emily Program’s Chief Strategy Officer Dr. Jillian Lampert joins Peace Meal this week to discuss eating disorders and the brain. Dr. Lampert educates listeners on the two experiences of eating and how they play into each type of eating disorder. We wrap up the episode by comparing the brains of those with eating disorders to the brains of individuals who are unaffected by the illnesses.  

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Episode show notes:

Dr. Jillian Lampert is The Emily Program’s Chief Strategy Officer and the co-founder of the Residential Eating Disorders Consortium. Dr. Lampert has a Master’s degree in nutrition and a Doctorate degree in nutrition and epidemiology. In addition to this, she is also the author of numerous book chapters and articles discussing eating disorders and she regularly speaks nationally about eating disorder related topics.

For the past few months, I have been fortunate to sit in as the dietitian for a meal support group at The Emily Program. In this group, clients of all eating disorder diagnoses and levels of recovery bring in their own meal to eat. During this shared meal, clients use the support of trained staff and other group members to work through and process their own food issues.

At a recent group, it just so happened two group members brought in cheeseburgers for their meal.

At check-in prior to the meal, one participant made the observation that she felt hungrier at this meal because the aroma of the cheeseburger she was bringing filled the car on her way over. Her goal was to eat mindfully and stop when she noticed she was feeling physical fullness. She found that this goal was challenged by her heightened “hunger” and desire to eat due to the exposure to the food aroma.

Eating disorders are real, complex illnesses that can cause serious harm. Eating disorders are characterized by a disturbance in an individual’s eating and food behaviors or self-perception. Common warning signs of eating disorders are extreme weight changes, altered eating behaviors, or an intense fixation on food and body talk. Eating disorders are biologically-based brain illnesses that are affected by environmental, social, and psychological factors. This means that illness is not caused by one specific factor, but rather by a series of factors in an individual’s unique life experience.

Types of Eating Disorders

Due to the complexity of eating disorders, the DSM-5 divides eating disorders into the following five categories:

Anorexia Nervosa. Anorexia is noted by extreme food restriction that causes dramatic and prolonged weight loss. It often presents with body dysmorphia and a genuine fear of food.

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). ARFID includes feeding or eating disorders that involve a lack of interest in or an avoidance of certain foods that result in a failure to meet nutritional needs. ARFID, unlike anorexia, does not include a drive for thinness.

If you are struggling with disordered eating and looking into treatment options, it is common to schedule an appointment with a primary care physician, dietitian, or therapist. While making an appointment with one of these professionals is a great place to start eating disorder treatment, it’s best to receive continued treatment at an eating disorder specialty center. Eating disorder centers like The Emily Program are able to offer a level of specialty care that other healthcare providers are often unable to offer. Due to the extensive knowledge of the illnesses and high-quality treatment, eating disorder centers can often facilitate lasting recovery at a higher rate. Programs like The Emily Program achieve success by offering expert staff, specialized facilities, tailored treatment, and ongoing care.

Expert Staff

The Emily Program’s multidisciplinary teams of eating disorder experts, including dietitians, therapists, and doctors,  are able to provide quality, well-rounded care to treat every aspect of an eating disorder. Our teams integrate nutritional, psychiatric, medical, and therapeutic expertise to provide exceptional eating disorder care with a focus on collaboration among staff, clients, and families. Staff at The Emily Program undergo ongoing eating disorder training, ensuring that they stay up-to-date on the latest research and treatment options.

Binge eating disorder is a serious eating disorder that unfortunately may be overlooked by medical providers due to stereotypes and/or a lack of information about the illness. Understanding the complexities of binge eating disorder may provide insights into why binge eating often goes unnoticed in a medical setting and what individuals can do about it.

Binge Eating Disorder

Binge eating disorder (BED) is characterized by repetitive and uncontrolled episodes of excessive food consumption. Bingeing often leaves individuals feeling shame, guilt, or disgust. However, in contrast to bulimia, those with binge eating do not engage in compensatory measures, such as purging, following binges. Binge eating is often followed by dieting attempts that typically turn into a pattern of yo-yo dieting. In addition to causing negative emotions, frequent bingeing can also have consequences for physical health.

Binge eating disorder can affect anyone, regardless of appearance. While the illness is most common in individuals who are overweight, binge eating disorder can be diagnosed at any weight. In addition to affecting any individual, binge eating is the most common eating disorder.

Do you find yourself struggling with binge eating episodes? Are you eating extreme amounts of food and experiencing guilt or shame afterward? Do you find yourself stuck in a cycle of binge eating and yo-yo dieting? If so, you may have binge eating disorder—a real and serious eating disorder.

What Is Binge Eating Disorder?

Binge eating disorder starts when individuals repeatedly and uncontrollably consume excessive amounts of food. Binge eating may be driven by a need to soothe negative emotions, anxiety, stress, or depression. However, the feeling of comfort that eating may bring does not last long and individuals may experience shame, guilt, and distress following bingeing episodes. These post-binge feelings may lead the sufferer to swing to the other extreme end and engage in restrictive dieting. This cycle of binge eating followed by extreme dieting is a type of “yo-yo dieting” and can become a long-lasting cycle with negative effects.