Binge Eating Disorder (BED)

– Fact Sheet –

More than nine million people in the U.S.struggle with Binge Eating Disorder (BED). BED is a debilitating condition characterized by periodic episodes of an uncontrollable urge to eat followed by the inability to stop eating, despite being physically full. These bouts of bingeing are frequently magnified by self-destructive cycles of guilt and self-loathing. Body shame is a dominant characteristic of BED that affects all aspects of a person’s life. To help create a therapeutic environment free from the shackles of shame, Green Mountain at Fox Run (GMFR) in Ludlow, VT opened theWomen’s Center for Binge & Emotional Eating (WCBEE) —the country’s only clinical counseling program specializing exclusively in the treatment of BED and emotional eating for women only.

Did You Know?

  • BED is an illness.
  • BED is the most common eating disorder in the United States.
  • It affects more women than men.
  • Women more commonly develop BED in early adulthood.
  • BED affects people of all races and cultures.
  • BED is also known as emotional overeating and food addiction.
  • BED can be triggered by dieting, stress, and psychological issues.
  • BED has health consequences often associated with obesity, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, gallbladder disease, fatigue, joint pain, and sleep apnea.
  • BED can be difficult to spot – those struggling with it go to great lengths to hide their behavior.
  • BED often goes undiagnosed and those with the disorder feel socially stigmatized and alone.
  • BED gets worse when left untreated.
  • BED can lead to poor quality of life, including diminished performance at school, work, or social life.

Characteristics / Symptoms / Warning Signs
Eating Behaviors /
  • Frequently/regularly succumbing to an uncontrollable urge to eat large amounts of food, even after reaching satiety
  • Binge episodes may have three or more of the following:
  • Eating much faster than normal
  • Eating until feeling unpleasantly full
  • Eating large amounts food without feeling physically hungry
  • Eating alone out of embarrassment
  • Anxiety/distress regarding eating/food
  • Occurs at least once a week for three months
  • No recurrent purging or starvation experienced with bingeing
  • Possible weight gain
/
  • Fear of eating in public or in front of people
  • Frequent/extreme dieting or fasting
  • Disappearance of large amounts of food in short periods of time or large amounts of discarded wrappers and food containers
  • Hoarding food
  • Hiding eating episodes
  • Creating lifestyle schedules or rituals around binge sessions
  • Irregular eating patterns, skipping meals, hiding food from others, hiding empty food containers, and avoiding conversations about food

Body shame /
  • Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty after eating
  • Extreme restriction and rigidness around food
  • Obsessive behavior towards weight loss
/
  • Frequent negative comments about body/self
  • Poor self-esteem
  • Frequent/extreme dieting or fasting
  • Hiding eating episodes

Depression /
  • Experiencing feelings of anger, anxiety, worthlessness or shame
  • Social isolation, moodiness, irritability
  • Avoiding conflict
  • Inflexible “all or nothing” thinking
  • A strong need to be in control
/
  • Bingeing as a solution to relieve tension or numb negative feelings
  • Having strong negative feelings of guilt, remorse, self-loathing
  • Difficulty expressing feelings and needs

If you are interested in learning more about the programs offered at Green Mountain at Fox Run and the Women’s Center for Binge & Emotional Eating, visit Follow GMFR on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

Media Contact:

Korinne Leonardis/Alisha Zaveri

Pollock Communications

212-941-1414