Facts on Compulsive Eating

Compulsive Eaters and overweight Binge Eaters also experience uncontrolled eating, sometimes kept secret. Both groups often experience depression and/or other psychological problems. Up to 40 percent of people who are obese may be
binge eaters.

Binge Eating Danger Signals:

• episodes of binge eating
• eating when not physically hungry
• frequent dieting
• feeling unable to stop eating voluntarily
• awareness that eating patterns are abnormal
• weight fluctuations
• depressed mood
• social and professional successes and failures attributed to weight gain or loss

Physical complications:

• weight-related hypertension and/or fatigue
• nausea
• weight gain
• increase in risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer (for obese individuals only)

The information on this page was taken from the National Eating Disorders Screening Program Newsletter (February, 1996). The Newsletter was sponsored by The Renfrew Center (Philadelphia and Florida) and was published by the Massachusetts Eating Disorder Association, Inc., a national nonprofit corporation.