Binge eating disorder. I don't know where to begin.

[LittleDoritt]

I don't know how to pick myself up off the floor and where to begin.

I come from a family of messed up eaters. My sister died of anorexia last year, my mum is a high-functioning anorexic. I've been hospitalised in the past for bulimia, but now am "just" an out of control binge eater. I can't go on like this but I can't afford private therapy and the NHS waiting lists round here are beyond ridiculous. When you finally get to the top of the list you get six weeks of group CBT - is that really going to help anyway?

How do I break this cycle and live a life that is not dictated by food and feeling out of control? How do I stop feeling so utterly shit about my relationship with food and with my body?

I had some success with the books Brain over Binge and the Christopher Fairborn book. I still have to work at it but these books have really helped.

I wish I knew how to help but I just want to say hi and well done for writing down your problem. Best of luck sorting it out. I'm sure knowledgeable folk will be along soon.

Things that have helped me - Eating Less by Gillian Riley, Brain over Binge by Kathryn Hansen, the Health at Every Size movement (try Isabel Foxen Duke), and more recently Why We Eat (Too Much) by Andrew Jenkinson.

I no longer diet or restrict, I eat loads & feel satiated & satisfied, and I binge much less frequently. I think these things are often life-long - you hit a bad patch and fall back into old eating patterns. But that's OK. I've found I can recognise what's happening sooner & stop quicker, and most importantly, not give myself a hard time for bingeing.

Therapy helped me understand the original reasons for why I binge eat, but it's done nothing to help me change it.

Thank you for the book suggestions.

That's interesting about therapy Dido - it always seems to be presented as the answer to everything.

I have issues, I'd be interested in talking and giving moral support? Xx

Just to say. EMDR isn’t a talking therapy and doesn’t explore the reasons why. It moves traumatic memories from one part of the brain to the other which prevents trauma responses like like binge eating, anxiety, hyper vigilance etc.

Though it's not your fault, in a lot of foods (esp junk foods) there are ingredients to MAKE us want to overeat. The traditional way of eating is not a healthy one. it's impossible to be around highly sweetened, and salty wheat foods without feeling disordered in our reactions. We are all different of course.

I lost 3 stone doing Food Combining and The Blood Type. I'm maintaining but I have to work at it. There's no 'quick fix' Sorry!!