I woke up with my face swollen and belly bloated, feeling like I had physically and emotionally trudged through the food battle of my lifetime. The entire contents of my kitchen had not so conveniently relocated into my abdomen. With an overwhelming sense of shame, I tried my best to hide my latest binge episode from the world. End Scene.

I would love to be able to tell you that I only had a few binge episodes, but the truth is that I struggled with binge eating disorder (BED) for years. For me, food became the substance I forced down to escape the emotional aches of my life.