Real Life Stories : Binge Eating and Physical Illness

by | Real Life Stories

I cried for the first time in years! 

In this article, Chinmayi helps out Katy, a reader of her book who is suffering from physical illness as a direct result of her binge eating. 

Katy writes:  

Hi Chinmayi 

I binge most nights and have done for years, so much so that I have a physical illness at present because of it.   

I completed chapter 1 of your book today and cried for the first time in years…What a relief! I have spent so long trying to squash my feelings down that I didn’t know what they were anymore. 

I realized today the physical illness I am currently experiencing has mimicked all of the emotional feelings I have I been avoiding.  

So far an amazing book, the best I have read about this topic so far and I have read a lot! 

Thank you already! 

Katy 

 

Chinmayi Replies: 

Firstly Katy, thank you so much for sharing this. My guess that as well as the relief you are feeling from letting out some of those squashed feelings, you will feel better for sharing your struggles. 

You now know that you are not alone! 

Binge eating has only recently been seen as an eating disorder. Most people see only bulimia and anorexia as such. It’s the way of the world to have to label these things but they are not so black and white. 

Binge Eating Perils

Long-term binge eating is bound to have an attack on physical health eventually. Whilst the body is an amazing thing, very capable of bringing us back into balance, it can only take so much. You have not said what illness you have as a result but high blood pressure, diabetes, IBS, constipation, adrenal fatigue, candidiasis, panic attacks, depression, anxiety, and insomnia are ones that I have heard about often.  

But I don’t think the actual binge eating is solely to blame for all of these health problems. If we’re squashing down our feelings, not feeling comfortable about showing our emotions, it will not only be the disordered eating that is causing the illness.  

The body and mind are so closely connected. If we suppress our feelings, long-term, they build up an intense pressure and sooner or later the energy from this pressure creates a physical response.  

As well as bringing us back into balance over and over again, the body has a way of trying to let us know it’s not happy. What’s missing in our society is learning how to listen. Instead of numbing out on food, alcohol, drugs or taking pharmaceuticals to numb the symptoms of illness, we should be looking at the causes, the real reasons why we’re out of whack.

 

You can take it one step even further depending on your beliefs. If you feel that life is a journey, full of soul teachings, then sometimes we can look at what we’re supposed to be learning about this experience. What do we need to realize, embrace or let go of? 

I’m so happy for you Katy, I hope your journey to BodyMAGIC! continues to reveal the amazing beautiful soul that you are.  

Reach Out

If you have a question or want to share some of your experience with BodyMAGIC! please email chinmayi@chinmayimagic.com. Chinmayi will answer as many of these as possible publicly so that everyone can benefit. Your name will be changed unless you express otherwise. 
Please consider reading Chinmayi’s best-selling and award-winning book – BodyMAGIC! – a Blissful End to Emotional Eating. Find out more HERE 
-Namaste