Binge Eating Disorder (B.E.D.), is an eating disorder that is characterized by compulsive intake of large amounts of food without resorting to elimination maneuvers. What sets binges is:
- eating, in a defined period of time, for example two hours, a clearly more abundant quantity of food than most people wouldn’t eat in a similar period of time and in similar circumstances;
- experience the feeling of loss of control during the episode, that is the feeling of not being able to stop or to control what and how much you are eating.
Binges are also accompanied by the following behaviors:
- eat faster than normal;
- eat until feeling unpleasantly satiated;
- eat large amounts of food even if you are not feeling physically hungry;
- eat alone because of embarrassment or shame for what you are eating;
- feel disgusted with yourself, depressed or very guilty after overeating.
People with this disorder are very concerned about their behavior, are ashamed and found a serious problem, both for the feeling of loss of control and for the consequences that the binges have on body weight and health.