Hi all! I'm new to MFP, and this is my first post on this group. I joined MFP at the suggestion of my physician to start gaining some awareness of my nutrition. I have cycled between binging and restricting for the majority of my life. I used to have big weight swings of 30lbs or more over the course of months when I regulated my weight by purging. I never sought treatment even though I would purge multiple times a day for weeks until I dropped enough weight, and then I'd swear I was done and the cycle would start over. I suffered some abuse in an unhealthy relationship as a young adult and at one point finally, truly resolved to stop purging (as a protection against men, I'm guessing). After that, I rapidly gained 120+lbs over the course of about 4 years and then the gain began to slow. I very slowly lost about 20lbs and then more quickly lost 30lbs last year doing weight watchers. But admittedly, I would fast through much of the day and then binge within my points (intermittent fasting is probably not a healthy thing for me). Since stopping WW, I have gained about 20-25 lbs back in the past 5 months or so.

ALL that to say, clearly I am in need of some therapy. Thankfully, the purging is a thing of the past (although I still crave that feeling of erasing my binges). My doctor has encouraged me the past several visits to see a mental health provider to discuss all this and also rule out mood disorder etc since there's an ongoing issue with depression too. I'm having some difficulty finding a counselor or psychologist who specializes in eating disorders that takes insurance in my area, so I may end up with a provider in another specialization.

I'd love to hear if anyone has had any successes with some kind of counseling relating to binge eating. If so, was it group, individual, or something else? Is your counselor eating disorder specialized, or is that unnecessary? What kind of methods are used (I'm just beginning to research all this)? Do you feel it has helped you?

I know this is a LOT of personal info to read through, and I also know many people on this group may not need professional help, so it won't hurt my feelings if there aren't many responses. Just wondering what info I may learn. Thanks in advance.