Are You a Compulsive Overeater?
Many of us found it helpful to answer the following questions when considering whether compulsive eating had become a problem in our lives.
1. Do you eat when you’re not hungry, or rather, do you find yourself eating when you’re not physically hungry?
2. Do you go on eating binges for no apparent reason, sometimes eating until you are stuffed or even feel sick?
3. Do you have feelings of guilt, remorse, or depression after overeating?
4. Do you eat sensibly in the presence of others and then make up for it when you are alone?
5. Is your eating affecting your health or the way you live your life?
6. When your emotions are intense—whether positive or negative—do you find yourself reaching for food?
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7. Do your eating behaviors make you or others unhappy?
8. Have you ever used laxatives, vomiting, diuretics, or excessive exercise to control your weight?
9. Do you fast or severely restrict your food intake to control your weight?
10. Do you fantasize about how much better life would be if you were a different size or weight?
11. Do you need to chew or have something in your mouth all the time?
12. Have you ever eaten food that is burned, frozen, or stale; from the containers in the grocery store; or out of the garbage?
13. Are there certain foods you can’t stop eating after having the first bite?
14. Have you ever lost weight with a "diet" or "period of control" only to be followed by bouts of uncontrolled eating and weight gain?
15. Do you spend too much time thinking about food, arguing with yourself about whether or what to eat, planning the next binge, or dreaming up ways to lose weight?
If you answered "Yes" to several of these questions...
...you may be a compulsive overeater. But you are not alone. OA is a community of people who support each other in recovery from compulsive eating.