Why do ppl binge eat?
Answer:
I think for a lot of people it's because they have this "void" inside of them, emotionally, and they're eating because it makes them feel like they are filling the void.
Also boredom, emotional distress, coping with stress.
Look at it from perspective. You've lost a husband, wife, child, or loved one, you've lost your job, or you are just depressed. You're so sad with everything but you aren't to the point of cutting and suicidal thoughts. You just want comfort. Most people rely on food for that. When you lose people to rely on, the next best thing seems to be food. That's why many binge ice cream or alcohol after a really nasty breakup. I saw this guy once who, at an all-you-can-eat restaurant, was crying as downed 7 bowls of soup and 5 bowls of ice cream. It's not a good thing to rely on, and I think that it is almost equivalent to self-mutilation.
The satisfying of hunger is one of our bodies most base instincts to fulfill. So when we satisfy that need, your brain releases certain chemicals that indicate satisfaction, which is often enough to take away whatever short-term bad feelings you might have at the moment.
Normally, the human ability of higher reasoning allows you to control your eating enough so that you don't overdo it or eat too little. But various sicknesses, such as bulimia, untreated diabetes, and even simple depression, affect the brain in ways where that reasoning just isn't quite enough to overcome the base biological urge, so people instead give into it and just eat until their brain says they are satisfied.
Depending on the severity of the sickness, it could take a LOT of food to trigger this effect...after which, the reasoning kicks back in and people usually feel intense remorse for what they just did...remorse that is sometimes strong enough to get people to take further dangerous actions to purge the food (which is what bulimics do). Sometimes though, as in anorexics, the fear of being fat is much stronger than the hunger instincts, and as your brain gets practice suppressing the hunger, this instinct to satisfy is greatly diminished or even eliminated altogether (anorexics).
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