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Eating Disorders

by Kevin Richardson, Founder of the Naturally Intense System of Diet & Exercise™

Binge eating disorder is a condition that probably affects millions here in the United States and around the world. In my practice as a personal trainer I have often worked with individuals with such disorders and it is alarming how many young women suffer from this affliction. People with binge eating disorder often consume large amounts of food while feeling a real loss of control over their eating1. This disorder differs from binge-purge syndrome (bulimia nervosa) since people with binge eating disorder usually do not purge afterward by vomiting or using laxatives.

Defining Eating Disorders

Most people overeat from time to time, and many feel that they frequently eat more than they should. However eating large amounts of food and even being over one's ideal weight does not mean that a person has binge eating disorder, on the contrary many individuals that are considered to be in good shape actually do have serious problems with their attitudes towards food, to the point where it can indeed be classified as a disorder. The criteria for binge eating disorder are:

· Frequent episodes of eating what others would consider an abnormally large amount of food.

· Frequent feelings of being unable to control what or how much is being eaten.

· Several of these behaviors or feelings:

1. Eating much more rapidly than usual.

2. Eating until uncomfortably full.

3. Eating large amounts of food, even when not physically hungry.

4. Eating in isolation out of embarrassment at the quantity of food being eaten.

5. Feelings of disgust, depression, or guilt after overeating.2

Episodes of binge eating also occur in the eating disorder bulimia nervosa, a condition that affects many bodybuilders and fitness models in numbers higher many would expect. Persons with bulimia regularly purge, fast, or engage in an unhealthy pattern of prolonged strenuous exercise after an episode of binge eating. The purging process is usually understood as vomiting but it can also include the use of diuretics (water pills) or laxatives in greater-than-recommended doses to avoid gaining weight- practices that many in the health and fitness circles regularly engage in to allow themselves to maintain their look.

Fasting is defined as not eating for at least twenty-four hours. Strenuous exercise, in this case, is defined as exercising for more than an hour, but not as a means to better health and or self improvement, but rather as a reactive practice meant solely to avoid gaining weight after a binge. Purging, fasting, and prolonged strenuous exercise are dangerous ways to attempt weight control. Excessive shape and weight concerns are also characteristics of bulimia, issues that may seem benign in someone in extremely good shape, but when explored can sometimes reveal that their 'being in shape' is not at all the result of a balanced approach to health and fitness and is inevitability self destructive.

Most Bodybuilders & Fitness Athletes Engage In Unhealthy Eating Patterns

As was mentioned previously, many competitive bodybuilders and fitness athletes suffer from some form of the aforementioned eating disorders. The only difference is that their cycle of weight gain and weight loss, extreme dieting, nutrient deprivation and dehydration combined with the thousands of hours of almost daily prolonged periods of strenuous exercise has become almost socially acceptable. Be that as it may, the extreme practice of that particular lifestyle falls within the realm of a disorder nevertheless. That applies for those that employ the use of illegal drugs and for those that make the claim of being natural.

Unless there is a real balance where overall health is prioritized over attainment of a transient cosmetic appearance such as being big or having an extremely low body fat level, it is a disorder and has no relation to health and fitness whatsoever. Psychological disorders aside, there is research that indicates that a pattern of weight gain and weight loss (yo-yo dieting) is not all healthy. This is true as much for the competitive athlete as it is for members of the general population. Studies show possible harmful effects for large weight regains including increased cardiovascular risk factors and type 2 diabetes in overweight/obese individuals. Harmful metabolic changes may also occur in young, normal weight individuals who do not need to lose weight as well as decreased immune system function and reduction in bone density in women.4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Night Eating Syndrome- Eating Late At Night

There are other eating disorders that can also often go unrecognized. Night Eating Syndrome is a prime example and it is one that many can relate to, albeit in a less extreme form. Night Eating Syndrome is characterized by a lack of appetite for breakfast; the consumption of more than half of daily food intake calories after the evening meal, and waking up at night to consume high calorie, high-carbohydrate snacks and insomnia.3 Foods eaten during the nighttime binge are almost always unhealthy. After the night binge, the person is usually not hungry in the morning, and breakfast, the most important meal of the day is skipped. The excessive food intake at night also creates a decrease in melatonin, a critical sleep relate hormone. Research has shown that the decrease in melatonin contributes to increased sleep disturbances and insomnia.

Again, it should be stated that most people may not have the characteristics of this particular syndrome to the extent that it becomes pathological, but the pattern of almost uncontrollable late night snacking on high carbohydrate and unhealthy foods is a very common issue for many individuals. While the general population may not be diagnosed as having an eating disorder, most still find the task of controlling their eating habits to be an almost impossible endeavour. However there are practical and systematic approaches that make the likelihood of success much greater and none of them involve quick fixes.

References:

1.Marcus MD. "Binge Eating in Obesity." In: Fairburn CG, Wilson GT (eds). Binge eating: nature, assessment, and treatment

2.Stunkard AJ. "Eating Patterns and Obesity." Psychiatric Quarterly, 1959, Vol. 33, pp. 284-295.

3. January issue of the International Journal of Eating Disorders

4.Field AE, Byers T, Hunter DJ, et al. Weight cycling, weight gain, and risk of hypertension in women. Am J Epidemiologic. 1999;150:573-579.

5. Weinsier RL, Nagy TR, Hunter GR, et al. Do adaptive changes in metabolic ratefavor weight regain in weight-reduced individuals? An examination of the set-point theory. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Nov;72:1088-94. 3. Leibel RL, Rosenbaum M, Hirsch J, Changes in energy expenditure from altered body weight. N Engl J Med. 1995 Mar; 332:521-628.

6.Nutrition NoteworthyVol. 7 [2005], No. 1, Article

7. Field AE, Manson JE, Taylor CB, et al. Association of weight change, weight control practices, and weight cycling among women in the Nurses' Health Study II. Int J Obesity. 2004;28:1134-1142.

8. Kajioka T, Tsuzuku S, Shimokata H, et al. Effects of intentional weight cycling on non-obese young women. Metabolism. 2002 Feb;51:149-154. 6. Sea M, Fong W, Huang Y, et al. Weight cycling-induced alteration in fatty acidmetabolism. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2000;279:1145-1155.

9. Graci S, Izzo G, Savino S, et al. Weight cycling and cardiovascular risk factors inobesity. Int J Obesity. 2004;28:65-71. 10. Field AE, Manson JE, Laird N, et al. Weight cycling and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes among adult women in the United States. Obesity Research. 2004;12:267-274.

11. Fogelholm M, Sievanen H, Heinonen A, et al. Association between weight cycling history and bone mineral density in premenopausal women. Ostseoporos Int. 1997

12. Shade ED, Ulrich CM, Wener MH, et al. Frequent intentional weight loss is associated with lower natural killer cell cytoxicity in postmenopausal women:Possible long-term immune effects. J Am Diet Assoc. 2004;104:903-912.

13. The Psychological Review

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Information contained in this article is not meant to treat, diagnose illness, nor substitute for medical counsel and is intended for purposes of information and education only. Consult your physician before modifying your diet or starting any exercise program. Copyright 2009 by Kevin Richardson, Naturally Intense NYC Personal Trainer.

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Controlling Your Eating Habits By Kevin Richardson, NYC Personal Trainer
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