Talk:Overeating

It is very simplistic to say that overeating is a symptom. Don't we all overeat at times? How does one distinguish between normal and irrational overeating? JFW | T@lk  23:58, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

I think that the "specific definition" for this article would be:

"Excessive consumption of food in relation to energy expended that persists over a period of time that leads to weight gain. It is sometimes linked with bulemia, depression, and other problems.

Over-eating is also common during festive periods and when going on holiday - often leading to short-lived use of gyms and exercise regimes.

Animals that hibernate often consume large quantities of food in the late autumn, to enable them to survive the winter."

Expand as required (the second paragraph is tongue in cheek, even though the point is relevant (and is, I presume, what Jfdwolff| is referring to).

212.85.15.69 17:55, 1 September 2005 (UTC)

Overeating is simply eating too much food. Overeating is most typical when someone is very hungry or on special occasions when food is a gathering point. Considered an aspect of "normal" eating (i.e., is not considered disordered eating), since minimal health consequences result. Although people typically feel guilty after overeating, overeating is common among normal weight and moderately overweight people (about 55% of the population). Intense shame and embarrassment are not typical with overeating. Triggers can also include environmental stress.

People who engage in twelve-step treatment for "compulsive overeating" make reference to the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous http://www.aa.org/bigbookonline/en_tableofcnt.cfm in defining the difference between a "compulsive overeater" and a "hard eater." The Big Book, talks about the difference between an alcoholic and a hard drinker. The hard drinker is someone who, upon realizing that he is damaging his life or his body, can stop or moderate his drinking. An alcoholic is someone who, even though realizing that alcohol is damaging his life or his body, and even though realizing that his drinking is out of control, continues to find the "insanely trivial excuse" for continuing to drink -- and therefore cannot stop drinking. Those in the twelve-step rooms for eating disorders believe that the same is true for food. The "hard eater" upon noticing that he or she is 30 lbs overweight or even 100 lbs overweight, makes a decision to reform and then does so. The addict, the true "compulsive overeater," like the alcoholic described in the Big Book, cannot stop eating without a "vital spiritual experience" as described in the Big Book. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.167.163.109 (talk) 02:44, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

PWS
Also reference to Praeder Willi (spelling?) Syndrome should be included


 * You mean Prader-Willi syndrome? JFW | T@lk  12:13, 4 September 2005 (UTC)

Yes. The topic should be divided into "Medical" conditions (ie PWS and bulemia etc) and "non-Medical" (ie ordinary overeating, seasonal overindulgence etc) - using non-technical definitions.

Overeating for hibernation, long journeys etc does not count.

Question
I tend to eat a great deal of food, but I am an athlete and train 14 times per week (2 workouts per day... morning and afternoon) and as a result stay remarkably thin at 6'0" and 188. My question is: Is my appetite dependant on my athleticism? I have been an athlete most of my life, so I have nothing to base the question on, but if I stopped training, would my appetite compensate and decrease, or would I continue overeating?

I realize this isn't the proper forum for questions, but I was just curious. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ubergenius (talk • contribs) 00:33, 1 February 2007


 * According to a letter to New Scientist, experiments by Jean Mayer showed that the amount people (and rodents) eat increases with exercise, but only if the amount of exercise is over a certain threshold. Below this threshold, their appetite would be higher the less exercise they did! Eric Kvaalen (talk) 19:34, 22 August 2008 (UTC)

The relevant question here is "Are you exercising so that you can eat more or are you eating more because you have exercised?" If the former is true, you may be an exercise bulimic, a type of compulsive overeater. If the latter is true, you are just an athlete. If you are a compulsive overeater, you will not be able to decrease your eating just because you stop exercising, and you will gain weight. If you are a normal eater and athlete, you will be able to moderate your intake of food based on your activity. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.167.163.109 (talk) 02:31, 13 October 2008 (UTC)


 * You seem to be saying the proof of the pudding is in the not eating. 5.81.165.128 (talk) 11:57, 26 July 2018 (UTC)

Merge with Compulsive overeating
These two articles discuss practically the same subject. "Compulsive" overeating is certainly a subset of overeating, therefore it would make sense to make "Compulsive overeating" a section in this article. Neelix (talk) 17:57, 23 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Oppose merging with "overeating". Compulsive overeating (also called "emotional eating") is an addictive behavior, and very different from simple overeating due to lack of nutrition knowledge or careless inattention. A compulsive overeater cannot just decide to stop overeating - that's the key difference. It's an addictive behavior and comprises a large and separate body of knowledge. It should be treated as a separate topic. Scanter (talk) 15:27, 24 March 2009 (UTC)


 * Support merge at the moment as both together overlap to the point that would be most accurately discussed in the one article. Ambiguity in the use of "compulsive" and how it is applied complicates a split. Cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 11:54, 6 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Opposed The term "compulsive overeater" is a psychiatric term, which refers to a particular mental illness. Anyone can overeat, for instance at a holiday or party.  An overeater is not necessarily someone who suffers from the mental illness of "compulsive overeating."  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.167.163.109 (talk) 02:36, 13 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Support per Casliber. The IP editor has a point, but words like "compulsive" and "addiction" are really quite murky. "Feeling disgust or hatred for one's body" is listed in this article a cause of overeating, but if one feels compelled to eat a lot, even once, for such a reason, you could argue that the act was...well, compulsive--and psychologically troublesome. Even so, you could also argue that individual, isolated instances of overeating are not notable enough to warrant an article emphatically devoted to them. If someone has too much turkey on Christmas, so what? Why is this article-worthy? From either angle, I'd say a merge is warranted. Cosmic Latte (talk) 16:47, 25 October 2008 (UTC)

Meaning
Does overeating refer to the amount one eats at a time or the calories one consumes. It is not clear in the article. For example, if one eats 2kg of chopped tomatoes, this still is only 400kcal's, which still is too low even for a single meal, while its can be considered "overeating". Still eating this amount of tomatoes wouldnt cause central obesity, even after doing so for a prolonged amount of time (actually you might even lose weight).

Answer: Overeating simply means eating more than what the body needs for fuel, very simple and straightforward. The complication comes when you ask why. People overeat for vastly different reasons. Some people overeat just because they don't have knowledge about nutrition and portion sizes and they eat too much fast food and packaged food. You educate them, and they stop overeating. Other people overeat as an addictive behavior - this is compulsive overeating, also called "emotional eating". A compulsive overeater cannot just decide to stop. A compulsive overeater is usually very well aware of what he or she "should" be eating, but cannot do it. To stop compulsive overeating requires dealing with the underlying addictive component. This is completely different from simple overeating and very much warrants its own topic. Scanter (talk) 15:35, 24 March 2009 (UTC)

other medications that can cause over-eating
Anti-depressants, especially SSRIs, some hormonal contraceptives, and probably other medications can also cause over-eating --  TyrS  chatties  06:26, 14 February 2011 (UTC)

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