Coming to Terms

Hello Everybody!

So, here I am once again with a new post which I'm hoping you all will enjoy reading. As you all know, yesterday was the 4th of July and boy was it fantastic!

Yeah, yeah... Happy Birthday I guess...

 Hey! No need to be so cranky Grumpy Cat! Anyway, I enjoyed spending quality time with my family on this wonderful holiday. My family and I decided that we would go to Silver Lake Park (in Alliance) to watch the Fireworks. Now let me tell you, those fireworks were gorgeous! We did so much yesterday! Before we left for Silver Lake, we stopped at Drugmart to get a few last minute items. That was when Kristin found this amazing game!

And boy let me tell you...there was quite a few dilemmas!

The way this game works is that you have one person start off reading a card (the card will have a scenario that may prove to be a moral dilemma), after the "card reader" finishes the other players will answer by placing a token face down in front of them (the tokens have Yes, Maybe, and No). The "card reader" will do the same, then it is up to the card reader to guess what the other player's answers will be. If they guess correctly, the "card reader" will get a point. Now the "card reader" also has the option to call "bullshit" on a player. So basically, if the card asks if I would pick up a tip at a restaurant that was meant for the waiter/waitress and you guess my answer would be no when I answered yes, you can call bullshit and argue that I wouldn't do that because I get upset at the fact that the waiter/waitress have to pay taxes on that whether they receive a tip or not. Then I would provide an argument for my answer and the other players vote for which argument they are in favor of. If my answer is switched then the "card reader" gets a point. That's basically the idea of this game, if you're interested I would definitely suggest you go and buy it. This game is a lot of fun and it opens up dialogue, I would definitely suggest you purchase this game if you have a family member who doesn't like to talk much.

Moving on, more activities that occurred were corn hole, football, gem mining and just dancing around like a fool.

Wow... you're really terrible!

Ummmm...yeah, I know! That's why I said, "dancing like a fool," gosh you're mean! Anyway, it was a really wonderful time and I'm happy I got to spend an entire day with my family. However, as many of you know...the holidays can be a difficult time when you're trying to do better about eating especially when you have a disorder. When I was going to see a counselor in school and discussing my eating habits with her and the emotions that correlate, she informed me that I have a binge eating disorder. For binge eaters, overeating is regular and uncontrollable. You use food to cope with stress and other negative emotions, even though afterwards you feel even worse. When I was told this by my counselor I refused to believe that I could have such a disorder. I felt that if I admitted to having this problem, people would only laugh at me and tell me how my overeating isn't a disorder... it's just cause you're fat and like to eat. Yes, I do like to cook and eat good food but I don't like overeating and stuffing myself with it. Then all that time and effort just goes to waste and the food isn't as appreciated. I hate that, so therefore...no, I don't overeat because I'm just fat and like eating food, it's because binge eating disorder is all too real and is difficult for someone to stop.

Some people, like myself, binge off and on all day long and will often eat when they're not hungry and even after they're full. People with binge eating disorder struggle with feelings of guilt, disgust, and depression. They worry about what the compulsive eating will do to their bodies and beat themselves up for their lack of self-control. They desperately want to stop binge eating but feel like they can't. Binge eating may be comforting for a brief moment but then reality sets back in, along with regret and self-loathing. Binge eating often leads to weight gain and obesity, which only reinforces compulsive eating. The worse a binge eater feels about their appearance, the more they use food to cope. It becomes a vicious cycle: eating to feel better, feeling even worse, then turning back to food for comfort.

People with binge eating disorder are embarrassed and ashamed of their eating habits, so they often try to hide their symptoms and eat in secret. Many binge eaters are obese or overweight, but there are some who are of normal weight. To help you better understand what someone with a binge eating disorder goes through, I will provide behavioral and emotional symptoms of binge eating.

 First off, Behavioral:

• Inability to stop eating or control what you're eating.
• Rapidly eating large amounts of food.
• Eating even when you're full.
• Hiding or stockpiling food to eat later in secret.
• Eating normally when you're around others but gorging when you're alone.
• Eating continuously throughout the day, with no planned meal times.

Second, Emotional: 

• Feeling stress or tension that is only relieved by eating.
• Embarrassment over how much you're eating.
• Feeling numb while you're bingeing- like you're not really there or you're on auto-pilot.
• Never feeling satisfied, no matter how much you eat.
• Feeling guilty, disgusted, or depressed after overeating.
• Desperation to control weight or eating habits.

Binge eating leads to a wide variety of physical, emotional and social problems. People with binge eating disorder report more health issues, stress, insomnia, and suicidal thoughts than those without an eating disorder. Depression, anxiety, and substance abuse are also common side effects. As I had said before, binge eating can lead to obesity which can thus lead to a wide variety of health issues such as: Diabetes, Gallbladder disease, Heart disease, High cholesterol and/or blood pressure, Osteoarthritis, Certain types of cancer, Gastrointestinal problems, and Sleep apnea.

I have to say that writing this post was extremely difficult for me because it means that I am finally coming to terms with my disorder. After doing my own research on binge eating disorder and looking back on my own experiences and feelings, it is EXTREMELY hard to stop binge eating. In fact, it was mentioned that having a support system (family, friends, or even joining a group) will definitely help you in achieving your goal to treat the disorder. Though I am coming to terms with the fact that I do have this disorder and need to treat this, I keep hearing the same words in the back of my mind. Your disorder is a joke, it's not serious enough to require treatment. However, the fact of the matter is...binge eating disorder is extremely dangerous and can be fatal due to the health issues it can cause.

If you read this and find that you have the same symptoms (behavioral and emotional) or maybe a loved one is demonstrating them, I encourage you to seek help or have your loved one seek out help. I also encourage you to research the disorder and look up ways in which you can help with treatment.

 If you follow this link: Binge Eating Disorder
  This website will provide information on the different kinds of treatments for binge eating disorder, it will also provide information on biological, social, and psychological causes of binge eating disorder. You will also find the above information that I provided in this post on their site as well. Other articles from HelpGuide.org related to the topic can be found at the bottom of the page.

Please don't hesitate to leave a comment or send an email, I encourage anyone who reads this post who finds themselves in the same situation or would like to speak to me about my own story to talk and express themselves.

I will be posting again soon and as always...See You Tomorrow!!