Overeating in Women

If you are a woman, or if you are in love with one or have a little girl of your own, then you need to look at these startling statistics:  

?      It is believed that more than 10 million women and girls suffer from eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia. 

?      Experts believe that 50-70% of people with binge eating disorders are women.  

?      More than 84% of people with eating disorders are women.  

?      About 90% of patients being treated for bulimia and anorexia are women or girls.  

Eating disorders are a major physical threat to the health of women in the US. What makes it worse is the fact that eating disorders are chronic illnesses that have been largely misunderstood by the scientific community. In fact, these are only just beginning to attract the kind of attention they deserve. Even so, many women live out their entire lives under the cloud of serious eating problems. 

Why does overeating occur in women? 

According to studies, a growing girl is quite consumed by her looks. It would not be wrong to say that in many cases, body image plays a vital role in social recognition and appreciation. Thus, girls have always had heightened awareness of the need to look trim and good. However, due to the availability of too many food choices and the lack of exercise, a large percentage of girls and women are unable to live up to their ideal. This leads to poor self-esteem and the birth of eating disorders. Dieting and restrictive eating are some of the most important reasons for people developing eating disorders. Studies show that the majority of dieters in the US (and the world) are women. 

Sexual abuse is another reason for the prevalence of overeating in women. Since women are more prone to abuse, you find greater occurrence of overeating in women who try to ‘stuff’ their feelings of self-loathing, fear and guilt through food. 

Loneliness, depression and stress also lead to overeating in women. Here again, it is noticed that women are more likely to overeat when faced by an emotional dilemma than men, who prefer to handle their issues differently. 

Whatever be the cause of overeating in women, it is clear that the female psyche is more prone to problems pertaining to self-image and good looks. Thus, this section of the population bears the biggest brunt of overeating disorders.  

If you want to stop overeating and have a better relationship with food, get your hands on a copy of the Emotional Eating Solution, a powerful book which can teach you how to control what you eat, lose weight, and become free of overeating.