The symptoms of binge eating disorder are similar for those of emotional overeating. You become obsessed with food - you can't stop thinking about certain things you want to eat, and when you do eat something that you've been preoccupied with, you can't seem to stop. When you're done, you've consumed way more food than you intended, way more than most people would eat in that amount of time, and the guilt, disgust even, sets in.
But it's not like these eating disorder symptoms just happen once. It's like it has a grip on you. You do it frequently, and the guilt can become overwhelming. But no matter how hard you try, no matter how many promises you make to yourself, you just can't stop.
Technically, in terms of the signs of eating disorders, binge episodes occur at least two times a week for a minimum of six months. Even if you don't fit these criteria, however, you could still have symptoms of binge eating disorder.
The Symptoms of Binge Eating Disorder
When you start to binge eat, you feel as if you cannot stop
You eat a lot of food in a short amount of time - much more than another person would eat in the same amount of time
You binge in secret - you may even eat in secret even when you are not binging
You are not necessarily hungry when you binge eat, but instead you want comfort or you are upset about something
You feel guilty during and/or after a binge
You feel depressed during and/or after a binge
You are upset with yourself during and/or after a binge
You eat until you can't fit any more in, or until you are really full it is uncomfortable
After a meal, you eat more even though you may already feel full
You don't do anything to compensate for the amount of calories you consumed (e.g. vomit, exercise, cut your calories extremely, take laxatives or diuretics)
You obsess about food - it consumes your thoughts, and the obsession doesn't go away until you have satisfied it by binge eating
You hide food so you can eat it later when you're alone
If you are upset or concerned about something, you only feel better after you have eaten
You feel embarassed eating around other people
You don't feel anything while you are binging - like you're numb
You don't ever feel full
You don't ever feel true hunger, or you feel hungry all the time no matter how much you eat
You hate your body - you have a poor body image and all you want to do is lose weight and control your eating, to the point of desperation; but no matter how much you try, you can't stop binging
These are not necessarily all the symptoms of binge eating disorder, however, it is a pretty comprehensive list that can tell you if you suffer from emotional overeating. You can also check out more information on binge eating disorder and on compulsive overeating.
