- Do you have an inability to consistently abstain (stop, or stay stopped) from overeating, including episodic binge eating?
- Do you experience impaired behavioral control with food? For example;
- Constantly eat when you’re not hungry?
- Throw food away and then retrieve it later?
- Steal other people’s food on multiple occasions?
- Eat food that is spoiled?
- Binge and then purge by vomiting/laxatives/exercise?
- Do you experience cravings for your compulsive eating pattern? For example, do you frequently obsess over food, or spend large amounts of time fantasizing about food.
- a) Do you find that you often try to control the amount of food/calories you eat by dieting only to fail and relapse back into uncontrolled eating?
b) Have you ever tried to control your weight by using: laxatives, vomiting, diuretics, excessive exercise, diet pills or surgery?
- Have you ever substituted one type of food for another in an attempt to minimize the harm you are doing to yourself?
- Have you increased the frequency of your food intake over time? Was there a time when you did not eat as much as you currently do?
- Has your eating caused problems in your relationships?
- Has your addiction to food or your compulsive eating pattern affected your work performance?
- a) Do you have any health problems related to your eating patterns?
b) Has your doctor told you that you are obese?
- Do you have financial problems due to your eating habits (includes medical bills)?
- a) Do you often feel guilt or shame after a binge episode?
b) Are you embarrassed about your weight?
- Do you hide your eating behavior by eating ‘normally’ when you’re around others and then overeat/binge when you’re alone?
- Do you become angry and irate when your usual eating ritual is stopped, delayed or interfered with?
- Does your eating provide you with reward and meaning in some way? For example;
- Does overeating or bingeing provide you with a feeling of comfort?
- When your emotions are intense (whether positive or negative) do you find yourself reaching for food to reward or relieve yourself?