To consider going to see a psychologist or counsellor about overeating

[Mammylamb]

I've put on about 2 and a half stone in the past 15 months. I compulsively eat. Honestly, I want to eat all the time. Even if I'm not hungry!!

I'm thinking that slimming world would work for a week or so and then I'd go back to my old habits

Has anyone had psychological treatment for overeating?

No but like you I struggle constantly

Can't see it working to be honest.

Whys that oaks?

I am uncertain of how helpful counselling is anyway, but addiction seems to be that it only stops when the person is so desperate for it to stop that the desperation matters more than the addiction, if you see what I mean.

I don't think that is true at all, Oaks. OP, I think counselling would potentially benefit you because you can recognise triggers for overeating and think about strategies to cope with this and avoid situations which lead to overeating. Good luck. Have also suffered with this and still do to an extent.

Thanks Papa. i don't know where to find such a counsellor but I think my problem is psychological

Try here
www.itsgoodtotalk.org.uk/therapists

This is the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy directory. Search for a specialist in eating disorders. My GP recommended it for finding a therapist.

Mammy I am a serious emotional eater and I’m going to try counselling. Nothing else has worked. I don’t see anything else working. Love to know how to find a counsellor though.

Alvin see above. Or your GP might have a list.

Hypnotherapy helped my friend with his binge eating (and other things besides, but particularly that).

Yes, I had 10 sessions with a CBT counsellor that I paid for privately. Feel free to PM me.

I was also going to mention hypnotherapy

Chicken

Can I ask how it helped?

Sure.

Simply signing up for it focused my mind and sort of showed me I was serious about dealing with the problem. We discussed some of my negative thought patterns eg "you may as well eat it, who are you kidding, you're always going to be fat" and why I thought like this (childhood issues) and what I can do differently now (act like a slim person eg if you do have a piece of cake, have a smaller dinner). We also focused on changing behaviour and getting into good habits. There was no magic bullet but I found it beneficial to have an hour devoted to me one a fortnight with a professional just for some support really.

Papa, thanks for that! I'll have a look for someone local. Chicken, thanks for sharing your experiences. Has it helped you control overeating?

Also check out the b-eat website. They have online message boards as well as online support groups for eating disorders.

Hi,

Yes, in short. I haven't overeaten or binged since I started the therapy. It was a watershed moment really. Eg I hardly even snack any more because I realise I'm not really that hungry. I only eat proper meals and I have gone from 14st to just over 11 in 5 months and have been regularly going to the gym and seen my fitness improve significantly.

Basically, going to counselling is certainly not going to do you any harm. Why not go and meet someone and see if you feel you can work with them. Mine cost £75/hr but thats a drop in the ocean compared to all the binge food/diet books/pills etc etc.

Well done chicken

You've given me a lot to think about

I'm glad!
Good luck with whatever you decide!

We'll done chicken. I'll have a look at therapists!

I was referred to an NHS dietitian as I put on a stone in just a month due to meds & was already overweight.

She did some eating related CBT with me which was very useful.

Also she worked out my calorie requirement to lose weight so I started counting calories daily & following the NHS diet of low saturated fat & low sugar food.
I've lost 3 stone.

Even if u can't get referred to a dietitian it's worth trying CBT to help with your eating problems.

I know what to eat and actually eat healthy meals; but then I compulsively eat cakes biscuits and chocolate. I am not even hungry when I eat them. But i just really enjoy eating them and get a "buzz" whenever I eat them (if that makes sense)

Does sound like it's psychological but possibly a physical addiction to sugar as well hence the "buzz". Don't worry, very common (both) and can be fixed.

I also think I have issues with over eating, plus food for me is emotional, social and enjoyable as opposed to diets that are not.

I have lost weight with slimming world, and put 'some' back on, and lost again! But I've found I can still eat lots with SlimmingWorld just different things ! So I eat twice as much as my husband during the day buy most of the extra is salad and fruit, so it has helped? And although I've put weight on again I'm now a size 16 as opposed to size 22 before !

I would love to try therapy if I could afford it. In the long run weight will affect your health, and my wake up call was having a liver scan and being told I had a fatty liver, and having just had my 3 child, it really hit me that this is not just about me but also about being able to be a good mother to my children. I hated going out as i would feel so ill I need to be near a toilet all the time. The summer after i lost weight my 9 year old said it was the best summer ever and his highlight was the whole family playing football on the beach 😀 I couldn't of done that before.

I eventually, after 20 years of keeping my binge eating a secret, sought counselling. No use, to be blunt. Maybe it was the wrong kind of counselling? I went for psychodynamic counselling, and she was v dismissive of my food issue, repeatedly saying "but you don't look overweight", and drawing attention to the fact she was a lot bigger than me. In the end I gave up trying to talk about it because i felt embarrassed.