Over Eating

Overeating is a disease of addiction or a health problem, just like alcohol and drugs. Food addiction has all the progressive physiological and psychological maladies affecting the heath, socio-economic qualities of life of the addicted.

The cases of overweight and obesity is increasing worldwide at an alarming rate in both developing and developed countries. Environmental and behavioral changes brought about by economic development, modernization and urbanization have been linked to the rise in global obesity. Obesity is increasing in children and adults and true health consequences may become fully apparent in the near future.

Many overeaters use food for comfort. No one knows the exact cause of overeating, but there are many attempts to explain this disorder. Many binge to deal with stress. Eating makes them feel better, but only for a short time. Usually they feel guilty for eating so much, which makes them feel bad about themselves. This leads to more stress, which leads to more overeating and so on. It becomes a pattern that is hard to stop. Overeaters often feel like that their eating is out of control. overeating leads to obesity which is related to serious medical problems like diabetes, sleep problems like apnea, heart disease, trouble breathing and high blood pressure.

While much of today's obesity is associated with environmental factors, there is a percentage of the population that is truly addicted to food. One might say chemically and emotionally. Considering alcoholism as an example, we make the distinction between moderate and heavy drinkers and the true alcoholic. The moderate and heavy drinker can stop or moderate their drinking when the alcohol affects their daily living. The alcoholic cannot. On the same lines many overeaters can moderate and reduce their weight through a change in their diet and exercise but the food addict cannot. Further problems can occur if the person tries to lose a lot of weight in a short span of time, usually by starving themselves for a period of time. It is advisable for overeaters to get professional help to control their eating habits and to lose weight in a healthy way. Help can come from a healthcare provider, a counselor, or a support group like Overeaters Anonymous.

One of the most popular tools for determining if you are overweight or obese is the Body Mass Index. This is a mathematical formula, which divides your body weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. To convert this formula to English pounds and inches, multiply the results by a factor of 704.5.
Weight (Kg) / Height (M) * Height (M) = BMI OR
Weight (lbs.) / Height (in) * Height (in) * 704.5 = BMI
A BMI between 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight. Any BMI over 30 is obese.