– I ate everything I could find at home. I often made several portions of dinner that I thought I would freeze, but then I ate it all at night, says Hulda Torisdottir (57) in Arendal. She is bulimic, a binge eater and a night eater. Several treatment centers and help agencies for eating disorders are experiencing an increase in the number of inquiries from people who overeat. This is confirmed by the Evjeklinikken and Rådgivning om eating disorders (ROS). HIDING PLACE: Hulda Torisdottir hid candy and food in many places in the house, hidden from her husband. When evening and night came, she brought it out. Photo: Leif Dalen / news Sweets for NOK 3–4,000 a week Many overeaters eat at night to hide what and how much they eat, according to experts news has spoken to at the Evjeklinikken, ROS and obesity researchers at the University of Bergen. Hulda was single until she was over 30 and ate as she pleased. – I didn’t eat anything during the day, but when the evening came I started eating and throwing up one after the other. It was a bad feeling and after a long round of food and vomiting I just lay on the sofa and was ashamed, she says honestly. Sweets, snacks and dinner food were the favourites. – I have not calculated how much money I have spent on food, but it is a lot. Maybe NOK 3–4,000 a week, she says. Then she adds all the kroner she has spent on various slimming courses and diets, in an attempt to take control of the ailments. – I stayed slim because I threw up the food again. This is how I lived for 10–15 years without anyone noticing, says Hulda. She does not want to talk about what caused her to have problems with food. But she says that she has been seeing a psychologist regularly and that the problems started already in childhood. – The food dulled the feelings even then, she says. You may have seen the hashtag nighteating syndrome on TikTok or other social media? A series of videos of people who are open about overeating when others are under the covers. There are also many videos that give advice on how to get out of it. The man in this video is a doctor and shares his advice and tips. Several say that they overeat “Night eaters” consume most of the day’s calorie intake late in the evening. Many people get up several times a night to eat. – Around 3 percent of the Norwegian population suffers from binge eating disorder. This makes overeating the most common eating disorder, more common than anorexia and bulimia, says researcher Cathrine Horn Sommersten. She has a doctorate in dietary treatment of obesity from the University of Bergen and works as a nutrition advisor in Bergen municipality. – Night eating is often seen in connection with overeating and sleep disorders, says Horn Sommersten. She is behind a study on obesity that was published in the renowned British Journal of Nutrition. 192 overweight people from Bergen took part in the study. It showed that night eaters had the highest energy intake from foods such as sweets, alcohol and fast food. RESEARCHER: Cathrine Horn Sommersten has written a doctorate in dietary treatment of obesity. Photo: Stian Sørum Røkenes / news Long waiting lists Counseling on eating disorders (ROS) has almost 100 people on waiting lists at the offices spread across the country. The majority of these struggle with overeating. It is usually well-grown women, and some men who make contact. – There are almost no treatment options for this group, says Line Orvedal, operations and academic manager at ROS. Those who ask for help have often had various eating disorders throughout their lives, according to Orvedal. Shame and suicidal thoughts The overeating became more challenging when Hulda met her husband and they moved in together. – To hide myself, I ate fast food in the car on the way home from work, and I hid sweets under the sofa, in my purse and my knitting. When my husband went to bed, I started eating from my hiding places, she says. After the food was eaten, came the shame and the ugly thoughts. “You’re bad” “Nobody wants you” This is what she used to say to herself. – I thought that if I can’t control this, I can just jump into the sea, says Hulda. Found help and support After many years of problems, she decided to do something. She searched for help and came into contact with “Overeaters Anonymous” in her native Iceland. There she got a helper and had to weigh her food and go to regular meetings. – For me, it was good to have a strict pattern, she describes. Hulda’s husband eventually discovered what she was struggling with, and was supportive. – My husband has his own candy drawer and has full control over the contents. He weighs the candy so he knows how much he has, and whether I’ve taken anything. It sounds strict, but it gives me peace of mind that he is in control, says Hulda. HIDING PLACE: The 57-year-old hid candy in many places. Among other things, in the knitting basket behind the sofa. Photo: Leif Dalen / news Help is available in several places Overeaters Anonymous also exists in Norway with groups all over the country. The 57-year-old himself took the initiative to start a group in Arendal. Now she leads the meetings of this group. – The first time I held a meeting, no one came. Now there are four of us, but I know that many struggle with food. They are too ashamed to come here, she says. The last time Hulda overate was in October last year. – I take one day at a time, she says. Treatment and hope One of the country’s treatment centers for lifestyle change and treatment of morbid obesity and night eating is located in Evje. – We also have long waiting lists for our treatment offer for binge eating, says specialist nurse in mental health at the Evjeklinikken, Siv Helleren. – Can binge eating and night eating be treated? – Yes, we talk our way out of the shame and make the patients understand that overeating is a disease. It will be a relief for many and they feel hope for recovery again, she says. She says that food can provide an experience of security. – Binge eating has not been a separate diagnosis within eating disorders, but it will soon enter the authorities’ diagnosis manual, she says. Modum Bad in Vikersund does not offer treatment for patients with binge eating disorder. – It is an offer that the healthcare system does not pay for, but we would like to do it because the need is there, says Karianne Vrabel, psychologist specialist and research leader. Both treatment centers agree that the diagnosis manual may mean that the healthcare system must facilitate more treatment centers for this group. – Society stigmatizes the obese and the support system is not well equipped for those who struggle with overeating and night eating problems, says Helleren at the Evjeklinikken.
ttn-69
Drops food during the day and gluttons all night – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
