A condition in which persons overeat, not in response to hunger but in response to compulsive feelings driving them to eat. This problem is similar to bulimia, but does not involve purging behaviors. Compulsive overeating may be a way of dealing with difficult emotions or painful life situations as the eating may numb uncomfortable feelings. The behavior can become habitual, like an addiction. Weight problems including obesity may result from binge-eating, and persons who compulsively over-eat generally also chronically diet. Dieting itself sets one up for overeating as it creates emotional and physiological deprivation, which can lead to overeating. Dieting also lowers one’s metabolic rate and increases normal levels of fat storage in the body, both of which contribute to slower weight loss and more rapid weight gain. “Yo-yo dieting,” or frequent substantial increases and decreases in weight, create significant health risks.