Are you looking for overeating support groups? Do you need a support system as you work to overcome overeating? Do you know someone who needs an overeating support group? Are you looking for information on eating disorder support groups? If you answered yes to these questions, you have come to the right place.
Hi. My name is Sean Galla. As a support group facilitator, I know how important it is for a person to have a support system when aiming to achieve specific goals.
Eating disorder recovery can be one of the most challenging things to do. In my 11 years of work, I have seen how helpful being part of an overeating support group can be. I have seen many people working to overcome overeating and manage to reach their goals after joining an overeating support group. In this article, I will tell you everything you need to know about overeating support groups and how they can help.
Table of Contents:
What are overeating support groups?
Overeating support groups, or Overeaters Anonymous (OA), are programs created to offer support, guidance and access to resources to people living with an eating disorder. These groups can consist of people from different walks of life battling a common issue: compulsive overeating. The group can include people living with obesity, anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), or bulimia.
Living with an eating disorder can be life-threatening, hence the need to work on overcoming the disorder. Being part of a support group can be beneficial because it puts you in contact with people battling the same issues and also recovering overeaters. Here, you learn from others who understand while getting the support you need as you battle the condition.
According to statistics, more people stick to their recovery process when they are part of a group. In a support group, you will make friends with people who understand your journey. You can get accountability partners to share in your challenges and success. Support groups also offer mental health support, which can be significantly affected by the ups and downs of binge eating.
Understanding overeating disorder
An overeating disorder or binge eating disorder (BED) is termed a behavioural disorder that manifests in the form of compulsive overeating. While overeating on occasion is considered normal. Overeating disorder is a condition people battle with every day.
When you have an overeating disorder, the urge to constantly overeat controls your thoughts and interferes with your emotional, physical and mental well-being. When you have BED, you find it difficult to control the amount of food you eat. You find yourself eating a lot of food in a short period without control.
Criteria used to diagnose binge eating include:
- Eating a lot more food over a short period than most people can.
- Lacking self-control when it comes to eating.
- Regular binge eating episodes (at least once a week for an extended period).
- Feelings of self-loathing and distress after the overeating episode.
- Eating even when full or not hungry
- Eating rapidly when binging
- Eating until uncomfortably full
- Hiding the eating habit from your loved ones
While most people living with a binge eating disorder are overweight or obese, some are actually at average weight.
Overeating disorder is more common among women than men. This condition affects people in all age groups and is more rampant among young and middle-aged adults. The average age of diagnosis is 25. Many people living with an overeating disorder have a history of dieting. They are always trying different diets as a way of controlling their urges and suffer from poor body image and low self-esteem.
How overeating support groups can help
Even when considering different treatment options like behavioral therapy and therapy for mental health, your ability to overcome an eating disorder depends largely on your willingness to make a complete lifestyle change.
This includes learning how to control your urges, eat smaller portions, keep a healthy diet, and include exercise in your daily routines. Most people need a support system to stick to plans. Not having one makes it challenging to attain one’s goal.
There are numerous benefits associated with being part of an overeating support group. If you have recently decided to start your journey, here is how you can benefit from being part of a group.
Access to a reliable support system
Support groups offer a safe space to share your challenges, concerns, achievements, and frustrations. Here, you can vent without worrying about being judged or misunderstood. Like you, the other support group members are people going through the same issues related to binge eating, which makes them understanding and highly relatable.
Overeating support groups are mutually beneficial
When you are a part of an overeating support group, you benefit from access to resources and tips. You also get to be part of a group where you can offer guidance and support to the other members. This gives you a feeling of responsibility and accountability to others, which works to ensure you stick to your recovery goal.
You are more likely to stick to your plan when other people look up to you and want to see you succeed. Sharing your routine and coping strategies makes it easier to stick to it.
Find information about addiction support groups for men in this article.
Overeating support groups are good for mental health
The process of overcoming overeating addiction can take a toll on your mental health. Sometimes, it takes longer to see results, which can be stressful. This is especially true if you feel your efforts are not fruitful.
When doing it alone, it is easy to give up and go back to your unhealthy habits or get into a cycle of emotional eating.
The best way to prevent this from happening is by joining an overeating support group. Talking to other support group members can be the best way to relieve stress whenever you are stressed or discouraged.
In a support group, you learn of healthy coping mechanisms and ways to relax your brain and boost your self-esteem while on your healthy lifestyle journey. All these are essential aspects of keeping your mental health in check even as you overcome the eating addiction.
Finding overeating support groups
Why are male support groups important? The National Center for Eating Disorders highly recommends joining a support group even as you seek eating disorder treatment and healthcare.
In-person support groups
An in-person support group is one where you get to meet with others living with an eating disorder. In-person support group meetings require members to be physically present at a preset location.
When not meeting, group members can keep in touch to create companionship and accountability. These meetings are held in local medical centers and are overseen by medical professionals and providers, dietitians, and clinicians who offer guidance and answers to questions.
Support organizations and eating disorders associations usually offer referrals for in-person support groups and treatment centers in different localities. They also host live free eating disorder webinars on overeating disorders and where to find free support, in-patient and outpatient treatment programs.
Online support groups
If you are always on a busy schedule but still need to join a binge eating support program, there are numerous overeating support groups online to join. Most of these peer support forums offer a safe and private space for members to share their lived experiences, plans, challenges, and coping mechanisms for the benefit of all members.
While most support groups online are non-gender specific, you can find a men-only overeating support group on online platforms such as MensGroup. Most online support groups are facilitated by other group members who have successfully overcome their overeating disorder and want to help others do it.
Most online support platforms meet on meeting platforms like Zoom or Google Hangouts.
About MensGroup
MensGroup is an online men’s support group that offers group support, help, and guidance to men interested in becoming better versions of themselves, including men working to overcome binge eating.
It is a supportive network of men ready and willing to help others like them through shared life experiences. The men’s group session contains relevant information to help you lead a better life. It is more than just a self-help group. It offers one the support and guidance for relapse prevention to become a better man and lead a more fulfilling life.
As an online support group for men, the group meets virtually over video or chat, making it perfect for busy men who prefer not to attend physical, overeating anonymous meetings.
Conclusion
Like any other health problem, understanding binge eating is a necessary first step when working towards recovery. Whether you are a person with an overeating disorder looking for help or a friend or family member to a person with an eating disorder, this article has all the information you need to understand what overeating support groups are and how the role they play in recovery.
MensGroup offers a solid social network of friends who will walk with you in your recovery journey for men needing a support network.
