Compulsive Overeating Symptoms

There are a number of compulsive overeating symptoms. If anyone has these symptoms, they should seek medical attention and get help.

Compulsive overeating symptoms are for a common eating disorder where people eat and eat even after they are completely full. Compulsive overeating is different from bulimia nervosa (where people binge, but then they try to “purge” food from their bodies by vomiting or some other means). Compulsive overeaters do not “purge”.

According to the American Heart Association, dinner is only the beginning of a compulsive overeater’s ‘nighttime eating’. Having a healthy snack such as fruit, whole wheat toast, plain popcorn, etc. a couple of hours after dinner is fine. Nighttime eating only becomes a problem when snacks that are high in fat and calories like chips, cookies and ice cream are eaten excessively.

Some compulsive overeating symptoms include:

• Feeling as though you can’t stop eating
• Binging frequently and repeatedly
• Eating in secrecy
• Feelings of shame about binging
• A history of “failed” diets
• May be overweight and depressed

According to the American Heart Association, if you eat in response to emotions you must learn other ways to react to those impulses. Emotional responses don’t usually last long, commonly between 10 minutes to an hour. For that amount of time you need to distract yourself from eating.

Another one of the compulsive overeating symptoms is difficulty in maintaining a healthy weight. The resulting weight gain can lead to other problems such as high blood pressure, cholesterol and leg and joint pain. Perspiring easily, experiencing a shortness of breath even when there is not a lot of physical activity, food being one’s only friend and a significantly increased appetite when anxious or stressed are all compulsive overeating symptoms.

Other compulsive overeating symptoms include mood swings, insomnia and poor sleeping habits. Additional long-term side effects of the condition also include kidney disease, bone deterioration, stroke and arthritis. Compulsive overeating symptoms are signs that someone’s health is at risk, so it’s important that anyone with these symptoms should contact their doctor and get help as soon as possible.