Heo Ga-yoon (35), a former member of the group 4Minute, confessed that she suffered from binge eating disorder for seven years.
Heo Ga-yoon appeared on tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block' broadcast on the 25th, sharing her recent life living in Bali for three years. With a healthy appearance tanned by the sun, Heo Ga-yoon said, "As difficult things piled up, my body started to hurt. I thought that if I died tomorrow, I wanted to live without regrets, so I left for Bali, and it felt so peaceful. Living like a local doesn’t cost much," and added, "In Bali, I finally learned what kind of person I am, and my binge eating disorder has eased, which is why I stayed here."
As is often the case with bad things, the "difficult things" continued to pile up, leading to physical and mental issues. Heo Ga-yoon, who started her trainee life at 14, revealed, "I was bullied at school and said, 'I can't give up on my dream, just don't hit my face.'" She debuted in 2009 as part of the group 4Minute, but the team disbanded before completing seven years, and she later shifted her focus to acting, which was not easy. She mentioned that the question, "What are you doing these days?" was the hardest to hear. During this time, she also experienced the loss of her older brother, who passed away just days before heart surgery.
Even after her difficult debut, Heo Ga-yoon was always anxious and suffered from insomnia, which led to her binge eating disorder. Heo Ga-yoon explained, "Since I was awake for long periods due to insomnia, my appetite kept increasing. Later, I realized this was binge eating disorder. I would sweep up lunch boxes, bread, sandwiches, and snacks from convenience stores," and added, "It was different from just having an appetite. I wasn't hungry, but I couldn't feel full. My stomach felt like it was going to burst, and it hurt, so I would stop. I would eat the food I bought without even taking off my padding in winter."
After spending seven years like this, Heo Ga-yoon said, "Through psychiatric counseling, I was told that I have a strong tendency toward perfectionism and a high obsession index. They said this is a type often seen in fields where evaluation and training are involved," and added, "If you keep trying to control everything, it will eventually break down. I realized that I was tightening myself too much."
Heo Ga-yoon experienced binge eating disorder due to anxiety, obsession, and a sense of loss. Let's learn more about binge eating disorder, which is a type of eating disorder.
Binge Eating Disorder
Binge eating disorder is a type of eating disorder characterized by the repeated consumption of excessive amounts of food in an uncontrolled manner. The core symptom is losing self-control while eating more than double the usual amount in a short period. It mainly refers to bulimia nervosa, and behaviors such as vomiting or excessive exercise to compensate for binge eating may accompany it. Unlike anorexia, individuals often have a normal weight or are overweight. It is characterized by being repeated due to psychological pressure rather than simple overeating.
What Causes It?
Biologically, genetics, hormonal imbalances (such as serotonin and endorphins), and abnormalities in the brain's appetite pathways are cited as causes. Psychologically and socially, stress, depression, difficulties in interpersonal relationships, perfectionist personality, and past traumas (such as weight teasing) can trigger binge eating. In particular, if the pattern of resolving negative emotions with food becomes entrenched, it continues.
Like Heo Ga-yoon, perfectionism and obsession can lead to excessive fixation on weight and appearance, which encourages binge eating when dieting fails. Research has confirmed that the higher the level of perfectionism, the more significant the binge eating behavior becomes. Additionally, anxiety increases emotional instability, leading to temporary relief through food, while obsession forces dietary restraint, causing impulsive breakdowns. The cycle of perfectionism → obsessive restraint → self-blame and anxiety upon failure → impulsive binge eating repeats.
Anxiety and obsession can lead to insomnia due to excessive thoughts at night, and lack of sleep decreases impulse control, making binge eating easier. For example, when daytime anxiety during stress leads to insomnia, a pattern emerges where hunger or emotional emptiness is filled with food in the early morning. This exacerbates depression and anxiety, reinforcing the entire cycle.
Treatment
The most effective first-line treatment for binge eating disorder is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which corrects binge eating impulses and distorted body image. Cognitive behavioral therapy is conducted once or twice a week for 4 to 5 months and alleviates symptoms in 30% to 50% of binge eating patients. Nutritional counseling helps establish a structured meal plan, and regular meals (three meals a day) reduce impulses. Interpersonal therapy or family therapy also aids in emotional regulation.
For patients with binge eating disorder who have perfectionism, the key to treatment is to relax self-standards and shift to flexible thinking. Cognitive therapy that changes perfectionistic thoughts like "My diet must be perfect" to "It's a success if I do 80%" is practiced first. Patients are trained to write down small goals and recognize achievements instead of self-blame. Practicing self-love reduces appearance-based evaluations, and methods such as breathing techniques, meditation, yoga, and hobbies lower the pressure of perfection.
Medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) reduce anxiety and impulsivity, decreasing binge eating, and family support and nutritional counseling are provided concurrently. Appetite suppressants are used as adjuncts, and in severe cases, inpatient treatment is combined with nutritional balance and monitoring.
Preventing Relapse Lifestyle Habits
To prevent relapse of binge eating disorder, regular meals and stress management habits are essential. It is effective when practiced alongside reducing perfectionism.
Do not skip meals and eat three meals a day and snacks at set times. Hunger is the number one trigger for binge eating. Chew slowly more than 20 times and take more than 30 minutes for meals to feel full. When the urge to binge arises, develop flexibility through distraction activities like "waiting for 5 minutes," walking, brushing teeth, or making phone calls, and identify patterns through food diaries or thought records. Limit the frequency of weighing to once a week instead of daily, and create a list of enjoyable activities to prevent boredom or low moods.
Get enough sleep (7-8 hours) to balance appetite hormones, and engage in moderate exercise (like brisk walking) for 30 minutes daily to enhance impulse control. Using blue dishes or smaller bowls can also help naturally reduce intake.
