"Calorie Prisoners" Latest Type of Eating Disorders

"Calorie Prisoners" latest type of eating disorders
Posted: Aug 06, 2009 5:20 AM PDT

Calorie prisoners becoming newest type of eating disorder

(NBC NEWS) -- Are you a secret eater? A calorie prisoner? A University of North Carolina survey finds 60-percent of women have an eating disorder, and they may not take more familiar forms like anorexia or bulimia.

One woman shares her story. Chocolate and red wine isn't just a guilty pleasure for her, but secret. "After he goes to bed, I'll break out the big bar of chocolate", this secret eater said. "That's pretty sad."

Clinical Psychologist Dr. Jay Ashmore knows this type of eating can be serious for women, and is one of the most common eating disorders.

"Eating a large amount of food in a certain discreet period of time, feeling a sense of loss of control, as if you can't control your eating", Dr. Ashmore said. "A host of criteria have to be met such as eating in secret, eating until uncomfortably full, and feeling negative about it during or after the eating episode."

Secret eaters are not alone.

Calorie prisoners are consumed with counting every morsel; the career dieter's weight is like a yo-yo. Up and down, up and down.

Dr. Ashmore says the conditions can lead to more serious disorders.

"Anger, stress, anxiety. And that in and of itself or in combination without eating can trigger a binge or over-eating or eating when not hungry.

Why? Because it just feels good, and you're going to do something that feels good to help you manage that negative mood."

And when food takes over your life, doctors say it's time to take control.

Two steps can put most women on the road to recovery.

First, find another more constructive way to make yourself feel good.

"Pleasant activity scheduling, whatever that is", Dr. Ashmore said. "Taking a job, going shopping, something you like to do, calling a friend."

Then, Dr. Ashmore uses cognitive therapy to help women find their core issue and deal with it without the help of food.

"Can I actually cope with it and get it done? Well the fact is if i sit down and really think about it, I can", Dr. Ashmore said.

Doctors say if you don't tackle the problem early, harmless eating disorders can turn into obesity, heart disease and even diabetes.

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