Anyone that has had therapy for binge eating?

nicebumwhereyoufrom

I'm starting to seriously look into seeing a therapist/counselor to try and win my battle with binge eating. Has anyone had success? If you haven't, can you bump the page so that I can find somebody who's been there, done that? Thanks guys.

sam308lbs

bump!

LinaBo

I have. I am now just at the tail end of my therapy, checking in with my ED counsellor every few weeks. It has greatly helped me recognize my behaviours that lead to unhealthy eating. I've learned a lot about what I do subconsciously that leads me to overeat, and how to be mindful. I don't eat until I feel sick any more (let alone to the point where I involuntarily puke, which has happened sometimes, in the past). I'm more aware of when I am legitimately hungry, as opposed to craving foods out of boredom or for emotional reasons (which includes celebrating with food).

One thing that I definitely didn't notice, until I was in therapy, was my "black and white" dieting behaviours. I didn't see myself as having any dieting behaviours, because I was never into the kind of behaviours that lead me to truly starve myself in a dangerous way. I would polarize foods as either "good" or "evil", and basically said "screw it" to the rest of the day, if I fell off the wagon, and would wait until the next day to "try again". I am now incorporating some "bad foods" in with the "good", without feeling the least bit guilty (I just have my melted havarti/BBQ sauce/steak sandwich on toasted foccacia post-weight training, usually, for example. My body can better use those nutrients for muscle recovery).

I highly recommend getting into ED counselling. Many people in western society, while not classifiable as having a a specific, diagnosable eating disorder, can be said to have disordered eating. Seeing my current counsellor has been one of the best things that I have done for myself.

Keep in mind that every counsellor is an individual, and not to give up if you don't click with the first one's approach. I originally saw someone back when I was living in Toronto (I'm currently living back in my home town in BC, now), and while she was a great person to talk to, I just wasn't making progress with her... perhaps because I was in a stressful ongoing situation and just wasn't ready, perhaps because she was still pretty green, but either way I wasn't making progress at that time.

Finally: I see that you are from Calgary. There is a great workshop called "Craving Change" that is offered in various cities, at least within Canada. It is actually based out of Calgary. I was able to attend it free through my local health authority, and it was lead by our local dietician. I would contact your local health authority and ask where the nearest workshop is being offered, and how you can get in. They can probably help refer you to an ED counsellor in your area, too. It runs over several sessions, mine was once a week for something like 4-6 weeks, I think. It's not the same as one-on-one therapy, but the skill set it provides really complements it. http://www.cravingchange.ca/index.php

TavistockToad

bumping for you

jacquelyn124

I just started reading "Brain Over Binge" - the author talks about how she cured herself of over 8 years of non-purging bulimia.

I'm about halfway through (in just one night) and so far it's EXCELLENT.

Read some of the review on Amazon - totally worth a try if you ask me: http://www.amazon.com/Brain-over-Binge-Conventional-Recovered/dp/0984481702/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1349257857&sr=1-1&keywords=brain+over+binge

TyAShby2012

Hi there, i found that drinking lemon water helps me get over the binge eating thing. Also keeping busy. I know at 10pm at night when the munchies start knocking on the door you cant help yourself.

Have you tried eating celery or apples... chopped up small. I find that can help.
But that is just me and would be interested to hear other peoples ideas.