Binge eating - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Binge eating^[1]is a disease characterized by episodes of compulsive overeating.

It has the following characteristics:

1. People eat too much. This is known as overeating. When this happens, they often lose control, and cannot stop.
2. Very often, they eat more food than other people in the same time.
3. People feel very painful and distraught while they eat or after eating.
4. People want to make up the consequences of binge eating by some inappropriate and unhealthy ways.

The vicious cycle of binge eating

It can make people feel satisfied for a while, but after that, they will feel guilty and they will regret eating so much. People overeat to feel better, but they actually feel worse, and go back to overeating for relief, forming a vicious cycle.

Other characteristics: If binge eating becomes a pattern, this is an eating disorder. People who suffer from this have a high risk of weight gain. They may feel ashamed of their eating habits and become depressed. People who binge and then purge, (usually by vomiting), have a different eating disorder called bulimia. People with anorexia may also binge and purge.

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