therapy/treatment for binge eating

liveyourlifex

I've been binge eating a lot more lately. every day is a struggle. i don't restrict, i do eat lots of vegetables and drink lots of water. i want to have a therapy session to try to stop my binge eating. however, the prices are so high! its around $120 for a 50 minute session, one day! i don't think my mom will want to pay for all of this, so i was wondering what else i should do. i don't think buying a book and reading it will help me. i read tons of articles online and have done lots of research on binge eating, but whenever i want to eat and munch, i just let everything go and love the feeling of eating. but then, i feel so crappy afterwards and feel hatred towards myself and my body. is there any cheaper alternatives for therapy?

i also try my best to keep myself busy. i paint my nails, clean, go out with friends, etc, but whenever its late at night (no matter what time it is) i will always end up eating a lot! i ate a HUGE dinner last night because i didn't wanna binge after. but i just proceeded and continue to binge even though i was bloated. I'm in desperate need of help asap!

also, i tend to binge on healthy foods. i try my best to keep junk food out of the house. so i usually just binge on nuts

echoica

it sounds like you are really putting a lot of effort into tackling this issue and you are doing a lot of things that i would suggest as well having gone through outpatient and inpatient treatment myself. is there other factors that are playing a part in this - emotional perhaps? or is it straight up habit and boredom? if you cannot afford therapy and there are no assistance programs for your area to do so, you really should buy an EVIDENCE-BASED self-help book and follow it EXACTLY. such as 'overcoming binge eating' (dr. fairburn). and you have to come clean with your family or at least some people you trust that are around you a lot and can call you out when your behaviours become erratic. you have to tell someone just how severe of an issue this is. if they don't take it seriously, tell them the lengths you will go and some of the more horrible things you have done to engage in these eating disordered behaviours. kind of like a shock to them so they have no choice but to deal with it emotionally because IT IS SERIOUS. chances are they aren't going to get it but you need to take yourself out of isolation with the disorder and get more people on your team to help you. also you have to consider that no matter how much this hurts you may not be at stage of change where you REALLY WANT to change this around. When will that be? Who knows...it depends on so many things. Usually some kind of 'rock bottom' hits first. For me, it took 15 years!!! I know that is so depressing but the earlier you force yourself to tackle this the better the outcome. eating disorders are typically chronic and you have to find a healthy way to live with it. much love xx

Abigaillee15

I feel like I can relate! I have read a TON of articles and books on Binge Eating and "Emotional Eating" and all of that. I try to keep myself busy too so I don't binge but I still manage to binge two times a week. I am so desperate for it to stop. It is such a distraction in life. It is constantly on my mind!

sdm329

I have to say that my employer just started a healthy/wellness program at work and one of the items was binge eating. I signed up and for the last 3 months, they've been sending me emails and a ton of information. One thing they suggested was a food log, that's part of the reason I joined MFP, granted I didn't join until March. It has been easier to log here than on paper somewhere. Another thing they said was an emotional log. Basically writing down how you feel when you binge; it helps you find your triggers. That way you can try to avoid them. Something that I did was not beat myself up when I binged, I just would say to myself tomorrow is another night (my favorite time to binge). With any type of addiction, ours is food, the first step is to admit you have a problem and start looking for help, which is what you've done. Binge eating isn't about what you eat, but why you eat. Feel free to add me and I'll give you as much support as I can.

b3kah5

There is an excellent 12 step program for overeaters that offers support and is free. There are also places that offer reduced cost therapy sessions. But you should tell your parents. You don't need to go through this alone.

InTheInbetween

There may be other mental/emotional factors that play into and/or even result in your bingeing (I'm learning this one about myself . . ) so treatment might really help you sort it out. Would your parents insurance maybe cover it? You're right, it's totally cost prohibitive by itself! It might be worth checking if it's covered.

greekygirl

There is an excellent 12 step program for overeaters that offers support and is free. There are also places that offer reduced cost therapy sessions. But you should tell your parents. You don't need to go through this alone.

This. Posting here and lots of friends for support help too. I believe we CAN'T do this alone. Addiction is a disease that thrives on isolation. If I get stuck in myself I tend to binge but when I get out of myself and focus on others, mainly helping others, I do much better. (This is a HUGE part of 12-step programs - getting out of ourselves and helping others that are afflicted with the same disorder/addiction).

I'm glad you're here. We CAN get better together.