Therapy and Weight Loss

schultcw

I am thinking about finding a counselor and doing some therapy. I know there must be reasons that I have let the weight keep coming back, and gained more each time. It's almost like purposeful self-sabatoge. Has anyone had success with shedding "baggage" (mental, emotional) and losing weight while on that journey? I am interested in your stories and any suggestions you would have for me to choose a counselor. Thanks!

mei0007

You are very correct in that oftentimes there is a strong connection between mental/emotional experiences and our physical health. People often turn to eating as a source of comfort, whether they are aware of it or not, and gaining insight into your difficulty losing weight/developing healthy habits can be very powerful and helpful. Will counseling itself make you lose weight? No. What counseling can do is help you gain insight into yourself, identify any negative coping skills you are currently using, and then implementing positive coping skills to replace the bad ones. Counseling is very powerful and can help people gain a sense of hope, strength, and confidence in themselves that they may never have had/have not had in a long time!

When choosing a counselor, I recommend meeting with them face to face (or perhaps talking over the phone) and learn about how they practice counseling (as there are many different theoretical approaches), how they believe change occurs in people, and overall gather your impression about the counselor's overall self (meaning, are they empathetic, genuine, and do you feel comfortable with them). It is FINE to decide after talking to a counselor that they may not be a good fit for you, and counselors should understand and may even be able to make recommendations. Some counselors may be more straight to the point, up front, and honest (sometimes can appear a little harsh unintentionally!) and other counselors are very focused on building a relationship with you, and are slow to move to a solution and focus more on exploring your past and current relationships etc. It is completely up to you to decide who you feel comfortable with! Some counselors even specialize in "eating disorders"...this is not to say you have an eating disorder, but that the counselors may have more experience in helping clients identify the connections between food and mental health. Best of luck to you!

schultcw

Thank you mei0007 for your thoughtful response! I really think it's time to figure out what is going on with me, emotionally. All through my life until a round of post-partum depression more than 11 years ago, I was a naturally thin person and active. Somewhere after that I began gaining (and losing - doing the yo yo thing complete with gaining even more weight each time on the way up). I'd like to invite you to be part of my friend network, I'm very new to this website. I'd love to be able to share some of my experiences as I move through this process and maybe be able to help you and others as we all try to regain our health! Thanks again!