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Binge eating is something most people have heard of, although many are likely not aware that food binging is classed into two broad categories.

1. Binge and Purge: The eater induces vomiting after binging.

2. Binge without Purge: The eater does not induce vomiting.

We will be addressing the second type of binging in this article (no purging). This problem is more common than many realize as some 3% of adults suffer from this disorder.

Binging is an even greater problem for obese adults. If we limit ourselves to this population only, we find the percentages increase to as high as ten to fifteen percent. So as you might expect, binging is much more of a problem for obese people.

A discovery that has turned up in research is that dieting is often the trigger for binging. Binging is one way in which some people try to reduce stress. Dieting certainly qualifies as a stressful event. For some people, binging is a way of self-medicating in an effort to relieve feelings of frustration and anxiety.

In this regard, it is appropriate to view food consumed for this purpose as an addictive behavior. Like many addictive behaviors, binging creates a nasty and vicious psychological circle.

We binge because we feel bad, then we feel bad because we binged. The sufferer ends up caught on a treadmill with no off switch. This is a state of affairs that can be truly devastating.

Round and round and round?

If you or someone you care about is a chronic binger, realize these important points:

1. Outside help may be required to cure the problem.

2. There are several therapy options available today for this type of problem.

If you are going to tackle the binging problem on your own, here are some actions that have proved effective for others.

1. Do not try to lose more than 1 to 2 pounds a week. Severe calorie reduction is much more likely to trigger binging.

2. To make your diet more enjoyable and reduce stress, budget two hundred calories a day for foods that you really like.

3. NEVER go more than 4 hours without food.

4. Keep the food coming! Distribute your daily food intake over four to six meals every day.

5. Do your best to maintain a regular eating schedule. I know for some, this may feel restrictive, but studies show that this works best for the majority.

Remember that binging is related to stress. You need to address this in order to really free yourself from binging. Look into meditation or sports or exercise to help reduce the stress levels in your life. Learning to see things differently; wearing different color glasses so to speak, can help you look at the world in a way that is not stressful. This of course would be the best route.