Overcoming bingeing without a specialist?

imtriagain

As my binges start to get more and more frequent I need to take some action rather than just saying 'next time it won't happen'. . thought I'd go the self help or online resources route first. Is it possible to overcome BED without seeing a therapist or similar? I'm not sure that a therapist will really help me but then again I don't know what they do to help either.

lynn1982

You need to figure out why you are binging - are you bored? Are you trying to fill a void in your life with food? Are you severely restricting at other times? I'm not a therapist (or any type of health professional for that matter), but those were the questions that I needed to address. I still struggle with binge eating from time to time, but I definitely struggle less. Tricks/tips that I use include: not having my "trigger" foods in the house (I live alone, so this is easy), not grocery shopping while hungry (because then I'm more likely to pick up something that I will binge on later), making sure I plan what I am eating in advance, and finally, I keep a journal of how I feel when I have the urge to binge. It's always emotional for me, so I find writing down those feelings and getting them out into the open releases them and I don't feel as much of an urge to calm my feelings with food. This is just my experience and I definitely still have the urge to binge from time to time, but I hope it perhaps helps somewhat.