COMPULSIVE and/or BINGE EATING

Common Behaviors:

• Eating for reasons other than physical hunger
• Eating past physical fullness
• Continuous eating (grazing) or periodic binges
• Excessive participation in activities involving food and/or eating (grocery shopping, meal planning, cooking, parties, any event where food is served)
• Eating in secret
• Hiding food
• Lying about eating
• Chronic, frantic dieting
• Repeatedly starts & stops fitness activities

Other Signs:

• 20% or more over maximum healthy weight for height and build
• Usually have specific food addictions
• Will try anything to lose weight/runs from one method to another
• Weight fluctuations, but generally weight increases over the years
• People pleaser (falsely cheerful, compliant, helpful at whatever cost) or anti/social (rude, defensive or "touchy", tough exterior) usually one extreme or the other
• Social withdrawal
• Low self-esteem
• Depression
• Denial OR constant trying to get control over behavior
• Low expectations of success/apathy (accustomed to and expects
  defeat)