Is overeating (being overweight) an eating disorder?

When people discuss eating disorders they usually talk about anorexia
or eating and purging, but it seems to me overeating is the most common
and deadliest eating disorder. Just as people who seem too thin and are
unhealthy but do not recognize it, there are many more who are
overweight, unhealthy, and also fail to recognize their condition. dkw

dkw12002@yahoo.com wrote:
> When people discuss eating disorders they usually talk about anorexia
> or eating and purging, but it seems to me overeating is the most common
> and deadliest eating disorder. Just as people who seem too thin and are
> unhealthy but do not recognize it, there are many more who are
> overweight, unhealthy, and also fail to recognize their condition. dkw

There's also the condition known here on ASD as FFID. It differs from
the problem you describe in that the victim knows they have excess
weight. However, they refuse to do anything about it, and they accept
as natural the creeping effects of the condition. For instance, here's
a case:

A 40 year old male weighed 385 pounds. The weight had gradually
increased over the previous decade. The subject was fully aware of his
increasing weight, but even as his mobility and energy level decreased,
he found excuses to avoid corrective behavior. He accepted not being
able to fit in booths in diners, not being able to walk for long
distances or walk up and down stairs properly, not being able to find
clothes that fit him, not going out, not participating in activities he
enjoyed, not feeling comfortable, not having good health, not having
self-esteem, not.... not.... not....

Fortunately, FFID is usually treatable, with a full recovery in most
cases, And, for this subject, there is a happy ending.

Neil
Recovering FFID
385/280/220

<dkw12002@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1164579414.839507.195500@l12g2000cwl.googlegr oups.com...
> When people discuss eating disorders they usually talk about anorexia
> or eating and purging, but it seems to me overeating is the most common
> and deadliest eating disorder. Just as people who seem too thin and are
> unhealthy but do not recognize it, there are many more who are
> overweight, unhealthy, and also fail to recognize their condition. dkw

Binge Eating Disorder is a recognized eating disorder. It's the binge and
purge without the purge. Google is your friend.
--
the volleyballchick

On 26 Nov 2006 14:16:54 -0800, dkw12002@yahoo.com wrote:

>When people discuss eating disorders they usually talk about anorexia
>or eating and purging, but it seems to me overeating is the most common
>and deadliest eating disorder. Just as people who seem too thin and are
>unhealthy but do not recognize it, there are many more who are
>overweight, unhealthy, and also fail to recognize their condition. dkw

In my experience, compulsive overeating (binge eating disorder) is a
world away from just overeating and being overweight. It may seem the
same to the outside observer but usually the outside observer never
gets to see what's really going on, which is one of the symptoms of
binge eating disorder. I would say that by no means all the people
who have become hugely overweight have disordered eating - they just
eat too much.

I've never been bulimic but I've always thought of binge eating
disorder as bulimia without the purging. It has only fairly recently
become recognised by the medical profession, and many doctors still
don't acknowledge its existence, whereas bulimia and anorexia have
been known as eating disorders for some years.

janice

dkw12002@yahoo.com wrote:
>
> When people discuss eating disorders they usually talk about anorexia
> or eating and purging, but it seems to me overeating is the most common
> and deadliest eating disorder. Just as people who seem too thin and are
> unhealthy but do not recognize it, there are many more who are
> overweight, unhealthy, and also fail to recognize their condition. dkw

I do consider myself as having an eating disorder. My eating must
have been disordered, as evidenced by the fact that I fed myself to
being over 120 pounds overweight. I did recognize that something was
wrong, but I was pretty good at convincing myself that things weren't as
bad as they were.

So basically, I guess this is just a long winded "me too" post.

--
Annie

As of 11-16-06: 258/182.5/140 Standing at 5 foot 4.

75.5 pounds lost. 42.5 left to go. Started February/07/05

Come visit my weight-loss web site, Annie Takes Off.
http://webpages.charter.net/lenny13/DietFrontPage.html