Binge Eating Disorder (BED) recovery?

MrsMargoLeadbetter

Hello

I finally 'came out' about my eating disorder - Binge Eating Disorder - about a year ago. It is has been part of my life since my teen- 25 years.

I was lucky enough to have CBT on the NHS (am in UK) but I am not recovered but on the road to recovery as I understand more about my illness etc.

I have started seeing a counsellor to continue to address my issues and also to help me reduce my weight. I have c8 stone to lose.

All the ED CBT was focused on not dieting as it is felt that restriction leads to binging.

But new counsellor is suggesting I need to keep to around 1500 cals a day & logically I know I need to eat less.

So I need to try to find a way to keep to this level without feeling too deprived etc.

Has anyone else successfully calorie counted (and used MFP) whilst recovering from an ED?

Thanks
MML

vonniepooh90

You have inspired me to admit I have the same problem. When I'm stressed I binge eat. I have used MFP for a while. I have found counting calories work for me. I wish you the best in the upcoming year.

distinctlybeautiful

May I ask why the counselor is telling you 1500 calories a day? I wonder if it would be helpful for you to start by simply logging what you're eating already. That might get you into the habit of counting calories without the added element of restriction. When you do go into a deficit, I'd just encourage you to try different things until you figure out what works. For example, my husband and I are very different. He's a volume eater, so if he were trying to eat at a deficit he'd be more successful with a lot of fruits and veggies because he could eat a lot without racking up the calories. I tend to get satisfied more quickly, so what works for me is eating smaller, more calorie-dense meals throughout the day. I'm sure you know this, especially working with counselors, but my last suggestion is to try to find a balance between focusing on losing weight and focusing on a healthier mindset. If you find yourself sacrificing one for the other, it might be time to reassess.

ARC1603

I'm not a medically trained professional, but I don't really agree with what your counsellor has suggested. If you have around 8 stone to lose, then 1500 cals a day is a pretty steap deficit to begin. I'd recommend working down to that level gradually over time. Start just tracking what you eat without sticking to any calorie limit, then after you feel comfortable with that move onto sticking to your maintenance calories, then gradually reduce that 100 calories a time. I'm 5'1 and can lose weight eating around 1800 cals a day. 1500 would leave me deprived and binging.

Have you read the intuitive eating book? I've found it really helpful regarding binging. I didn't have BED but I was definitely heading in that direction. I do believe restricting what I eat and too strong a focus on weight loss has made the matter worse for me.

MrsMargoLeadbetter

Thanks so much for your replies.

Sorry I should say the counsellor hasn't said "stick to 1500 from now on". She mentioned that I need to start calorie counting and usually her ED clients need around 1500 - 2000 calories a day. I am doing a diary as a starting point. I made the assumption that it would be 1500 in order to lose (she sees all type of ED suffers including anorexia, so had assumed they'd need more) - but as you point out, that might be too low and shows where my mind goes!

For me the bigger issue is calorie counting in general. As it feels so alien to the messages I have received during my ED treatment. You have reminded me how easy it is to jump into a 'dieting mindset' when actually I need to get a balance between calorie counting and a healthy mindset as you say Arc

Vonnie sorry to hear you are suffering the same. Glad you have found counting cals useful. I did find the Dr Fairburn book really interesting in understanding my behaviours if you are looking to read up about EDs. W

alaskalady2013

I have lived with binge eating for as long as I can remember - preteen years at least - but was only officially diagnosed and began treatment this year. Everyone has their own journey and triggers, etc., but I have been using MFP off and on for years, and when I started treatment, I didn't track because I was afraid that would send me into diet/binge mode. When I did start tracking to try to get an idea of when/where/why/what the binges were about, I manually set my calorie count over 2000 so that I would keep from feeling guilty if I went over a set amount or from wanting to restrict more if I went under. Eventually, I lowered that to 1800 because that seemed to be an average amount of calories for me in a day without restricting. I've done that consistently for two months and basically given myself permission to eat anything that I want to eat. I lean a lot in the direction of carbs and sugar, and I know that's not good for my body. I am now ready to begin lowering my calorie amount to try to lose some weight, because I need to for my health, but I'm only dropping it by about 50 calories to start, and not giving myself a goal weight. I'm also looking at things that I tend to eat/drink a lot of (I love Frappuccinos) and trying to find healthier alternatives that can be a little healthier and a lot cheaper, and substituting instead of just cutting things out. Totally restricting certain foods is a trigger for me to binge, so I'm trying to learn how to navigate being healthier with being happy with what I eat. It is very difficult to not jump into diet mode and make huge changes to try to get the weight off fast, but I know this slower pace is the better choice so that it becomes second nature to me. It's very hard though, when every instinct tells you to diet because that's what you're used to doing. My best advice would be to just go slow and try not to overwhelm yourself with changes, as tough as that may be at times.

allyphoe

I find it helpful to set my goal calories at maintenance, or very close to it, if I'm doing all right with a lot of variance in my diet. If I find the variance feels binge-and-restrict-ish, I spend a week or two eating exactly (like, break a mini pretzel in half and eat half, so I'm within 2-3 calories of goal) all my calories, whether I want them or not.

LeviJGoff1995

Just lookup the topics in the search engine via My Fitness Pal, and you shall find that a lot of people talk about it.
Did you know you could go to groups like Overeaters Anonymous, I attend weekly.
I do CBT, IMR, & DBT.
There is nothing wrong with eating in moderation.
I have binge eating disorder.
Did you know that a lot more women than men have BED?
There is a whole website based in America to give you facts on the eating disorder if you have any questions.
I think that you're a strong group of ladies and gentlemen who can help me get through this issue too.
I exercise for 8 hours a day because of my job at the hospital.
I am currently working on not dieting and eating in moderation.
I'm in the beginning stages of understanding my own triggers to binge.
I write songs about this disorder like it's a monster; my band is called: Quick Blade Jake, but we need a bassist or pianist because I'm filling in for the pianist that just left, and I was originally intended for guitar and vocals.
I spend all of my time that I can help myself from the binge episodes and put my head into making my first album; I'm gonna call this album: Slip Shape, and the next one is going to be: Ship Shape when I am physically fit.
I am releasing my first EP for free on SoundCloud, and it's going to be called: The Slip Shape EP, and it comes out on the 19th of June 2016; you will also find it on YouTube. I chose that date because I turn 21 that day; we play punk bordering hard rock, so it should be tolerable for the mainstream.
My main point on talking about my band is: find something to distract yourself that is far from food when it's not meal time or you don't really need a snack: if you wouldn't eat a plate of veggies, then you don't need food.