Binge eating causes many things to happen physically and mentally. When a person eats a great deal in a short period of time, that person rarely thinks clearly or recognizes what she feels as she eats. The stimulation provided by food and the constant attention needed to keep the food supply coming simply makes her too busy to recognize what is going on emotionally.
Binge eating is therefore an effective way to avoid negative emotions--sadness, anger, loneliness, anxiety, envy, and more.
After a binge, another negative emotion arrives--guilt--that becomes overwhelming and overshadows the rest. The original negative emotion is gone for a time. But the effect is temporary, and the emotional cost is high.
