By Kathy Jordan, MS, RD, LDN, CPT, CTA

Remember Thanksgivings as a child when you ate so much your tummy hurt and the rest of the afternoon was spent laying on the couch? You can probably recall a number of other occasions when you’ve asked yourself, “why did I eat so much?” There are many factors that influence overeating, many of which are learned behaviors. There are also different types of overeating, from occasional excess related to a holiday or social event to more chronic issues with over consumption.

The Risks
While eating too much once in a while is not likely to be a big issue unless you have certain medical conditions, chronic overeating can lead to excessive weight gain. This can have psychological, physiological and medical consequences. Chronic overeating is associated with depression, low self-esteem, a lack of energy and compromised quality of life. A number of other medical conditions are linked to and/or exacerbated by being overweight. Most of us want to lead a long, healthy life, so why would we do something, such as overeating, when we know it could negatively affect our health and well-being?

The Why

• Medical – While there are a few medications and medical conditions that contribute to being overweight (such as Prader-Willis syndrome and hypothyroidism), the majority of overeating and weight gain occur as a result of psychosocial reasons.
• Psychological Reasons – many people eat in response to emotions rather than true hunger.
• Restrictive dieting can cause cravings for foods the diet suggests avoiding. We often dwell on what we “can’t have.” If you give in and eat the “forbidden” foods, it may generate feelings of failure and guilt, which often lead to more overeating.
• Boredom
• Procrastination
• Fatigue
• Learned behaviors/habits
• Coping mechanism
• Comfort
• Anxiety/ feeling overwhelmed
• Feeling upset or hurt
• Stress
• Loneliness
• Eating as a reward
• Mindless eating
• Social Factors – Food is all around us. It seems that everywhere you go, whether it be the movies, the ball game, the office or even the hardware store, we are surrounded by food cues (triggers which result in the desire to eat). There is even pressure to eat in many social situations. Some examples of social factors that may lead to overeating include:
• Portion distortion
• TV
• Special occasions
• Specific places (associations)
• Friends, family, co-workers
• Visual cues
• Disordered Eating – below are a few forms of disordered eating that are associated with overeating:

Compulsive overeating, also called binge eating disorder, is characterized by recurring episodes of uncontrollable eating as a coping mechanism, and usually results in weight gain. It is accompanied by a feeling of lack of control in which the individual believes they are unable to stop eating.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association, these binge-eating episodes are associated with some of the following:
• rapid eating
• eating past a sense of fullness to a point of pain
• eating large portions even when not hungry
• eating alone to hide the episode
• experiencing embarrassment or shame over the episode
• feeling depressed, guilty, or disgusted with oneself after overeating

Treatment for this type of eating disorder may include self monitoring, cognitive restructuring (forming alternative views of a situation and challenging beliefs that interfere with positive change), goal setting, stimulus control and working with a dietitian and/or support group.

Bulimia, also called bulimia nervosa, is an eating disorder characterized by the consumption of large quantities of food followed by some form of purging, fasting or excessive exercise. Professional help is recommended for managing this condition. It is best treated with a multi-disciplinary approach involving a physician, psychologist or other behavioral therapist, registered dietitian, and in some cases, additional allied health professionals. In order to make the most out of your weight management efforts, it is important to recognize any behavioral or psychological factors that may be affecting your eating patterns and discuss them with your doctor.