Most people overeat from time to time. The holidays, birthdays, nights out, you name it – people like to celebrate with excess. It’s a different story, however, when binge eating happens on a more frequent basis and is affecting how you feel, how you act, and getting in the way of things you once loved. Binge eating symptoms can be classified as such when they are done in excess and regularly.

Most people with binge eating disorder are overweight or obese, but it can affect people who are normal weight as well. Here are some of the major things to look out for if you suspect that you or a loved one have binge eating disorder:

Binge Eating Symptoms

• Eating unusually large quantities of food in a short period of time
• Feeling like you eating behavior is not in your control
• Eating even when you don’t feel like it
• Getting uncomfortably full after eating because of how much you ate
• Eating alone or in secret
• Feeling guilty and ashamed about your eating habits.

Severity of Binge Eating Symptoms

The severity of binge eating symptoms depends on how frequently a person is exhibiting the behaviors of binge eating, and how affected they are by it. For example, if a person is noticeably more withdrawn, and eating more in seclusion, chances are that their binge eating is becoming more of a problem than someone who can eat a lot in one sitting, be temporarily upset, and then go on living their normal lives.

Like with anything, if the symptoms of binge eating begin to cut into everyday life and get in the way of ordinary tasks, it is definitely time to seek help. It is best to seek the help of a professional because binge eating symptoms will not get better and can escalate if they are left untreated.

Binge Eating Symptoms Can Indicate Another Issue

It is important to also go beyond the eating disorder and see if there is something else might be an underlying issue, like anxiety or depression for example. Many of these mood disorders cause people to take things out on themselves – like in this case abusing their body with food, and then the subsequently punish themselves for eating so much.

Addiction is often coupled with Binge Eating, so it is important to take care of any substance abuse that may be going on. Substance abuse and binge eating can be quite comparable in the sense that they both display a lack of control and indulgence in excess.