If you are experiencing a serious issue relating to not eating or to eating too much, you should seriously consider checking yourself into an eating disorder clinic. Seeking treatment for any type of disorder or addiction is often the hardest step to take. Once you have taken that perilous first step you are on your way to getting better.
An eating disorder clinic will treat people with a number of different eating problems. The most common ones are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating. Women are the usual patients when it comes to purging illnesses such as anorexia and bulimia. While men make up the majority of the patients suffering from binge eating. Regardless of the specific type of disorder, the first step in getting it resolved is to tell someone. Then you can begin the process of getting some help.
What causes a person to develop a problem with food? Well, there are a number of reasons how a person would develop this type of problem, an eating disorder clinic will help the sufferer identify the causes and then work towards a resolution. Some of the possible causes of a disorder could be linked to the stress caused by such things as constant dieting, put-downs from family or friends, sexual or emotional abuse, relationship problems, lack of affection or even a psychological disorder.
It can be very difficult to overcome an eating problem on your own; this is why it is important to seek the professional help at an eating disorder clinic. While suffering from an eating problem, people feel that it is controlling their life, which is why it is important to seek treatment. Sometimes, the therapy or treatment will involve family members so that they can learn how to deal with the problems associated with the disorder and to help them understand what is happening.
In conclusion, we have briefly discussed the reasons for people to seek help at an eating disorder clinic. If you suspect that you or someone close to you may have an eating problem of some kind, then it is important to speak to a physician who can then recommend a course of action, which may include a visit to a clinic.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The Top 10 Steps For a Binge Eating Disorder Treatment
Anyone who has suffered from an eating disorder knows that it is difficult to overcome this condition. Binge eating disorder treatment may involve the individual attending a treatment center in order to solve the problem. Binge eating consists of over eating large amounts of food. It is difficult to stop this sort of destructive behavior. One issue encountered with this problem is that we all need to eat, so food is always going to be in the picture. This is why it can be difficult to treat this condition.
What steps are involved with binge eating disorder treatment? Well, to start with, here is a list of things that he or she should do to solve this serious eating problem:
1. Tell someone you have a problem
2. Get treatment or therapy
3. Limit the amount of food you have at home
4. Take part in relaxing endeavors
5. Do not beat yourself up emotionally
6. Start an exercise routine
7. Try to determine what causes your binge eating - record your findings in a journal
8. Do not skip breakfast
9. Do not go on a diet
10. Accept you for who you are and not for your appearance
Most people that suffer from this eating disorder will not be able to treat it without some form of binge eating disorder treatment. Plenty of clinics treat these issues. Talk to your family doctor, as they should be able to refer you to a clinic or getting you into therapy. Here is a list of some of the things a clinic will focus on for the individual that suffers from these disorders:
* Reduce the amount of eating binges
* Develop healthy eating habits
* Help the patient deal with guilt and shame associated with an eating disorder
* Develop a healthy outlook on yourself
* Treat the conditions that may be causing the eating problem such as depression or anxiety.
So, go ahead and make that first step in getting help if you have a problem with eating. Binge eating disorder treatment starts with telling someone. If someone, you know, may suffer from this condition, then talk to them and try to convince them to see a doctor.
What steps are involved with binge eating disorder treatment? Well, to start with, here is a list of things that he or she should do to solve this serious eating problem:
1. Tell someone you have a problem
2. Get treatment or therapy
3. Limit the amount of food you have at home
4. Take part in relaxing endeavors
5. Do not beat yourself up emotionally
6. Start an exercise routine
7. Try to determine what causes your binge eating - record your findings in a journal
8. Do not skip breakfast
9. Do not go on a diet
10. Accept you for who you are and not for your appearance
Most people that suffer from this eating disorder will not be able to treat it without some form of binge eating disorder treatment. Plenty of clinics treat these issues. Talk to your family doctor, as they should be able to refer you to a clinic or getting you into therapy. Here is a list of some of the things a clinic will focus on for the individual that suffers from these disorders:
* Reduce the amount of eating binges
* Develop healthy eating habits
* Help the patient deal with guilt and shame associated with an eating disorder
* Develop a healthy outlook on yourself
* Treat the conditions that may be causing the eating problem such as depression or anxiety.
So, go ahead and make that first step in getting help if you have a problem with eating. Binge eating disorder treatment starts with telling someone. If someone, you know, may suffer from this condition, then talk to them and try to convince them to see a doctor.
Overeating - Why You Might Be Overeating
If you're currently trying to lose weight, identifying whether or not there is some overeating at play becomes critically important.
Overeating is a big problem because weight loss will basically boil down to how many calories you've consumed versus how many calories you've burned.
If you aren't burning more than you are consuming, you aren't losing weight.
So, it doesn't really matter how great of a diet you are following, if you have a tendency to overeat and when do so, put yourself over your caloric balance, you will then gain weight.
There are many reasons why overeating can take place so determining what is at the root of the issue will really be a step in the right direction for overcoming this issue.
Here are three common reasons you may find this becoming an issue.
Oversized Dishes
If the food is there - you may just eat it. It's amazing how many people tend to lose track of how much food they are consuming when it's sitting there on their plate.
Far too many of us have the 'clean your plate' mindset, which basically means that if you are dishing up more food, you're therefore taking more in.
To quickly recover from this problem, buy smaller plates. It really can be that easy in some instances.
Eating Triggers
The next thing you should be doing is identifying the emotional triggers that will cause you to eat. This could be anything from stress, to being in a good mood, to feeling tired (when you really just need sleep), to whatever is applicable to you.
While identifying it definitely will not stop it from happening, but bringing it out in the open you can then address it much more easily.
Too Much Working Out
Finally, this last one may shock some people. If you work out with too much intensity, too often, this can actually serve to work against you.
You see, while you definitely do want to be getting good exercise sessions in, when these sessions become overly intense and you're not recovering from them, the body will tend to increase its appetite, trying to get you to eat more so that you supply more than enough reserves to recover.
The issue is that while you definitely do need fuel to recover, you don't need 'more than enough'. Plus, more often than not, more time is actually what you really need, rather than more food.
So, in order to keep hunger in check, workout with intensity, but also be sure you aren't overdoing it.
Keep these three factors in mind and then think of others that could be at play with you.
Overeating is a hard thing to stop once started, but step by step it is possible.
Overeating is a big problem because weight loss will basically boil down to how many calories you've consumed versus how many calories you've burned.
If you aren't burning more than you are consuming, you aren't losing weight.
So, it doesn't really matter how great of a diet you are following, if you have a tendency to overeat and when do so, put yourself over your caloric balance, you will then gain weight.
There are many reasons why overeating can take place so determining what is at the root of the issue will really be a step in the right direction for overcoming this issue.
Here are three common reasons you may find this becoming an issue.
Oversized Dishes
If the food is there - you may just eat it. It's amazing how many people tend to lose track of how much food they are consuming when it's sitting there on their plate.
Far too many of us have the 'clean your plate' mindset, which basically means that if you are dishing up more food, you're therefore taking more in.
To quickly recover from this problem, buy smaller plates. It really can be that easy in some instances.
Eating Triggers
The next thing you should be doing is identifying the emotional triggers that will cause you to eat. This could be anything from stress, to being in a good mood, to feeling tired (when you really just need sleep), to whatever is applicable to you.
While identifying it definitely will not stop it from happening, but bringing it out in the open you can then address it much more easily.
Too Much Working Out
Finally, this last one may shock some people. If you work out with too much intensity, too often, this can actually serve to work against you.
You see, while you definitely do want to be getting good exercise sessions in, when these sessions become overly intense and you're not recovering from them, the body will tend to increase its appetite, trying to get you to eat more so that you supply more than enough reserves to recover.
The issue is that while you definitely do need fuel to recover, you don't need 'more than enough'. Plus, more often than not, more time is actually what you really need, rather than more food.
So, in order to keep hunger in check, workout with intensity, but also be sure you aren't overdoing it.
Keep these three factors in mind and then think of others that could be at play with you.
Overeating is a hard thing to stop once started, but step by step it is possible.
Eating Disorder & Pregnancy - Will Anorexia Kill the Baby?
How does pregnancy and eating disorder work together? A friend of mine was twenty four when she was pregnant for the fist time in her life. That was great news. But I knew from her that she was suffering from a severe eating disorder. Would the baby be able to survive? Would she even put her own life at risk?
Karen was battling anorexia for almost ten years when she found out that she was pregnant. She was in the third month already before she knew it. Because of her eating disorder her period did come and come irregularly, often not at all. She also was vomiting several times a day. It was normal to her. That is why she discovered her pregnancy very late.
Women that suffer from anorexia nervosa or any other eating disorder do not really like to go to the physician. They are scared that their disease is discovered. It was the same with Karen but now she had to do something. She was worried that the baby would die, starve to death because she was not eating much at all. She knew she had a problem.
In the Internet she read different stories about anorexic women that were pregnant. Some said that their baby died, others said that even their own life was at risk because the baby took the calories it needed from the mother to survive. Karen was shocked. Could her baby kill her? The panic drove her to the physician.
An anorexic person suffers from a deadly disease. They starve themselves to death. It is amazing that a body in this condition can become pregnant. But when it happens, both, the mother and the baby, are fighting for their lives.
Even the physicians have different opinions. Some say that the baby would die, others say pregnancy is not a problem because the baby would take what it needs. However, the key is that a woman who has an eating disorder looks for professional help during her pregnancy. She even might be hospitalized to get enough vitamins, minerals and calories during her pregnancy. Without help it easily ends in a disaster. With help the pregnancy is no problem and the woman can have a healthy baby.
Karen was battling anorexia for almost ten years when she found out that she was pregnant. She was in the third month already before she knew it. Because of her eating disorder her period did come and come irregularly, often not at all. She also was vomiting several times a day. It was normal to her. That is why she discovered her pregnancy very late.
Women that suffer from anorexia nervosa or any other eating disorder do not really like to go to the physician. They are scared that their disease is discovered. It was the same with Karen but now she had to do something. She was worried that the baby would die, starve to death because she was not eating much at all. She knew she had a problem.
In the Internet she read different stories about anorexic women that were pregnant. Some said that their baby died, others said that even their own life was at risk because the baby took the calories it needed from the mother to survive. Karen was shocked. Could her baby kill her? The panic drove her to the physician.
An anorexic person suffers from a deadly disease. They starve themselves to death. It is amazing that a body in this condition can become pregnant. But when it happens, both, the mother and the baby, are fighting for their lives.
Even the physicians have different opinions. Some say that the baby would die, others say pregnancy is not a problem because the baby would take what it needs. However, the key is that a woman who has an eating disorder looks for professional help during her pregnancy. She even might be hospitalized to get enough vitamins, minerals and calories during her pregnancy. Without help it easily ends in a disaster. With help the pregnancy is no problem and the woman can have a healthy baby.
Monday, September 8, 2008
A Binge Eating Disorder Is Treatable
If you overeat on a regular basis in order to cope with stress or negative feelings then it is quite possible that you suffer from a binge eating disorder. In addition, the over eater feels even worse after they have finished their binge. An important point to note is that this condition is treatable. Therefore, please consult a physician as soon as possible if you suffer from this condition.
A binge eating disorder is seen as compulsive overeating where the person eats a large amount of food without being able to stop eating or control their eating. These episodes can last for a couple of hours at a time. In some cases, the individual will eat off and on all day long. They will eat when they are not hungry and will not stop eating even when they are completely full. Another symptom is that they could eat so fast that they do not even register what they have just eaten.
As you can see, a binge eating disorder can be extremely harmful. It leaves the person with feelings of guilt and feeling depressed. These negative feelings just add to the problem of over-eating. This eating disorder affects both men and women. Whereas, other eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia affect mainly women. For most people, the only way out of it is professional help. The first step to get out of this downward spiral is to tell someone that you have a problem.
Another tip to help overcome a binge eating disorder is not being so hard on yourself. Do not beat yourself up. Learn from your mistakes and move on. In addition, do not keep so much food at home. Try to figure out what causes you to overeat. What are the triggers that cause the overeating? Of course the most important step is to seek professional help, you cannot do it all on your own.
Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the United States. However, it does not receive as much attention as the purging disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia. These conditions are likened to substance abuse. They all involve obsessive thoughts and an overwhelming compulsion to over consume. The individual feeling overwhelmed by different feelings such as guilt and shame usually follows this.
Only recently have researchers and scientists discovered a number of brain messengers that are involved in the hunger, eating and satiation. This will allow doctors to develop better methods for treating people with a binge eating disorder. When a person with this form of addiction seeks help, the goal is for them to be able to eat when they are hungry, and not when there is something in their life that is causing stress. Treatment will also teach the individual when to stop eating when they are full. Changes in eating habits will not happen overnight. It is important to stay positive and trust your doctor or therapist. If you do not have the trust in the person treating you then it is highly advisable to change therapists. Trust is important in treating any form of eating disorder.
In conclusion, a binge eating disorder is treatable. However, anyone suffering from any kind of eating disorder should consult with a therapist or a physician to help solve the eating problem.
A binge eating disorder is seen as compulsive overeating where the person eats a large amount of food without being able to stop eating or control their eating. These episodes can last for a couple of hours at a time. In some cases, the individual will eat off and on all day long. They will eat when they are not hungry and will not stop eating even when they are completely full. Another symptom is that they could eat so fast that they do not even register what they have just eaten.
As you can see, a binge eating disorder can be extremely harmful. It leaves the person with feelings of guilt and feeling depressed. These negative feelings just add to the problem of over-eating. This eating disorder affects both men and women. Whereas, other eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia affect mainly women. For most people, the only way out of it is professional help. The first step to get out of this downward spiral is to tell someone that you have a problem.
Another tip to help overcome a binge eating disorder is not being so hard on yourself. Do not beat yourself up. Learn from your mistakes and move on. In addition, do not keep so much food at home. Try to figure out what causes you to overeat. What are the triggers that cause the overeating? Of course the most important step is to seek professional help, you cannot do it all on your own.
Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the United States. However, it does not receive as much attention as the purging disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia. These conditions are likened to substance abuse. They all involve obsessive thoughts and an overwhelming compulsion to over consume. The individual feeling overwhelmed by different feelings such as guilt and shame usually follows this.
Only recently have researchers and scientists discovered a number of brain messengers that are involved in the hunger, eating and satiation. This will allow doctors to develop better methods for treating people with a binge eating disorder. When a person with this form of addiction seeks help, the goal is for them to be able to eat when they are hungry, and not when there is something in their life that is causing stress. Treatment will also teach the individual when to stop eating when they are full. Changes in eating habits will not happen overnight. It is important to stay positive and trust your doctor or therapist. If you do not have the trust in the person treating you then it is highly advisable to change therapists. Trust is important in treating any form of eating disorder.
In conclusion, a binge eating disorder is treatable. However, anyone suffering from any kind of eating disorder should consult with a therapist or a physician to help solve the eating problem.
Binge Eating Disorder Treatment - Three Binge Eating Disorder Treatments That Work
Binge eating disorder treatment is essential for binge eaters to control this disease. We all over eat something we love from time to time, but if you are unable to control how much you eat and food is all you can think of all day long, you might be suffering from binge eating disorder. Although we cannot put away food for the rest of our lives, binge eating disorder treatment teaches you how to develop a healthy relationship with food. In turn, it helps you to control you binge eating disorder.
Many binge eaters are over-weight or obese. Is dieting a good binge eating disorder treatment? Many experts do not recommend dieting to their patients. Many diet programs require patients to stop eating certain types of food, such as sugar, carbohydrates, and fat. The more they restrict themselves from eating certain types of food, the more they want them. Once they cannot control their cravings, they tend to overeat and binge on even more food. Effective binge eating disorder treatments focus on managing emotion, dealing with stress, and overcoming depression. They have to find out the root cause of their binge eating disorder, then tackle the causes. Once they are able to deal with the causes of overeating, then getting on a weight loss program will be more likely to success.
How do people develop binge eating disorder? According to National Institutes of Health, almost half of the people who suffer from binge eating disorder also suffer from depression, or they were depressed in the past. Most people also have trouble managing emotions. They turn to food when you are angry, bored, worried, stressed, or sad. Many binge eating disorder treatments help their patients to resolve emotional issues and help them to establish a healthy relationship with food. With the right binge eating disorder treatment, food is no longer something that they turn to every time they go through emotional turmoil.
The three common binge eating disorder treatments are:
1. Cognitive-behavioral therapy. This therapy help their patients to deal with difficult situations. It also helps them to feel more comfortable with their body image and weight.
If you are using this therapy, creating a food journal is an effective tool to analyze your binge eating habits. Keep track of the following in your journal:
- What and how much did you eat and drink?
- When did you eat?
- Are you stressed when you eat? How do you feel before you eat?
- How do you feel after bingeing?
With this information, your doctor can help you to discover the causes of your binge eating and your binge eating patterns.
2. Interpersonal psychotherapy
Many people binge because they do not have good relationship with their friends and family. When an argument arise, they are stressed and they turn to food. If you are one of them, this therapy help you to improve your interpersonal relationship with the people around them.
3. Drug
Many health care professional also use anti-depressant to help their patients.
You can find facilities that provide inpatient binge eating disorder treatment. They have a group of professionals that help each patient to meet their special needs. You can ask your doctors to find information about this type of facilities in your area.
Many people feel alone and helpless because none of their friends understand them. If you are suffering from binge eating disorder, it is important to know that you are not alone. It is difficult to control it on your own. Emotional support is extremely important. You can join overeater's anonymous groups you to help you get more emotional support. People in these groups have the same problems as you, and you can relate to them. With emotional support from people who understand you, you are more likely to be successful in dealing with this problem.
Getting binge eating disorder treatment is critical in overcoming this disease. Do not feel alone and helpless, and don't try to fight it on your own! If you know you have a problem, getting physical and emotional help from various binge eating disorder treatments can help you to get healthy, feel better, and regain control of your life again.
Many binge eaters are over-weight or obese. Is dieting a good binge eating disorder treatment? Many experts do not recommend dieting to their patients. Many diet programs require patients to stop eating certain types of food, such as sugar, carbohydrates, and fat. The more they restrict themselves from eating certain types of food, the more they want them. Once they cannot control their cravings, they tend to overeat and binge on even more food. Effective binge eating disorder treatments focus on managing emotion, dealing with stress, and overcoming depression. They have to find out the root cause of their binge eating disorder, then tackle the causes. Once they are able to deal with the causes of overeating, then getting on a weight loss program will be more likely to success.
How do people develop binge eating disorder? According to National Institutes of Health, almost half of the people who suffer from binge eating disorder also suffer from depression, or they were depressed in the past. Most people also have trouble managing emotions. They turn to food when you are angry, bored, worried, stressed, or sad. Many binge eating disorder treatments help their patients to resolve emotional issues and help them to establish a healthy relationship with food. With the right binge eating disorder treatment, food is no longer something that they turn to every time they go through emotional turmoil.
The three common binge eating disorder treatments are:
1. Cognitive-behavioral therapy. This therapy help their patients to deal with difficult situations. It also helps them to feel more comfortable with their body image and weight.
If you are using this therapy, creating a food journal is an effective tool to analyze your binge eating habits. Keep track of the following in your journal:
- What and how much did you eat and drink?
- When did you eat?
- Are you stressed when you eat? How do you feel before you eat?
- How do you feel after bingeing?
With this information, your doctor can help you to discover the causes of your binge eating and your binge eating patterns.
2. Interpersonal psychotherapy
Many people binge because they do not have good relationship with their friends and family. When an argument arise, they are stressed and they turn to food. If you are one of them, this therapy help you to improve your interpersonal relationship with the people around them.
3. Drug
Many health care professional also use anti-depressant to help their patients.
You can find facilities that provide inpatient binge eating disorder treatment. They have a group of professionals that help each patient to meet their special needs. You can ask your doctors to find information about this type of facilities in your area.
Many people feel alone and helpless because none of their friends understand them. If you are suffering from binge eating disorder, it is important to know that you are not alone. It is difficult to control it on your own. Emotional support is extremely important. You can join overeater's anonymous groups you to help you get more emotional support. People in these groups have the same problems as you, and you can relate to them. With emotional support from people who understand you, you are more likely to be successful in dealing with this problem.
Getting binge eating disorder treatment is critical in overcoming this disease. Do not feel alone and helpless, and don't try to fight it on your own! If you know you have a problem, getting physical and emotional help from various binge eating disorder treatments can help you to get healthy, feel better, and regain control of your life again.
My Personal Struggle And Victory Over Binge Eating Disorder
Hi, my name is Nadine and I am not a compulsive overeater. In fact, I don't even think about food anymore. But for over 20 years food was the main focus of my life. Food was my savior, my comfort factor, my friend and worst enemy. Or so I thought.
Why do I want to write my story and share my personal details with the world? Because I have something important to say and I have learned that without speaking about healing binge eating disorder others who suffer from it might stay that way forever when they truly don't need to.
My experience with eating disorders started with anorexia when I was 16 years old. Growing up I had always been self-conscious about my body even though I was of normal height and weight. But being "normal" doesn't make a hill of beans if you don't feel it on the inside. That's just the outside. My grandmother used to tell me I would be fat if I ate those "bad" foods and those thoughts were the start of an unhealthy view of food. I adopted her belief that I would become fat so I feared food and I feared becoming fat.
As I got older I kept an unhealthy relationship with food at an arms length. I married at 22 and had my first baby at 25. At 27, I left my husband. I chose not to live a life filled with deception and corruption which is what my husband had gotten into. He was embezzling money from the police department he worked for and was blaming me for it. I couldn't believe this man that said he loved me would do something so wrong and blame me for it. Did he ever really love me?
Even though I was 3 months pregnant with my second baby, I took my 2 year old and left with a broken heart. He didn't care about me, my 2 year old or my unborn child and my self-esteem hit rock bottom. In the three weeks that followed, I lost my job, I lost my grandfather, I lost my marriage and I lost my unborn child. My life would never be the same.
At first I used food as consolation. I had lost just about everything in my life that was important to me and food seemed to soothe my soul. I was depressed, angry, sad, hurt, and desolate. A few months had passed and I started to put myself back together for the sake of my daughter. I started exercising and dieting because in my twisted mind I thought that no man would want me unless I looked like a skinny model from a magazine. I was 27 years old, getting divorced and had a 2 year old. Who wants to get involved with that?
I started starving myself and compulsive exercising and the weight just melted off my body. Of course so did my muscles and immune system. But I didn't care because my body was responding to the control I wanted to have over it. I couldn't control what was going on in my life but I sure could control my own body.
My family was close to doing an intervention as I pushed my body beyond healthy limits. I was smoking cigarettes so I wouldn't eat and still compulsive exercising. My lungs were screaming at me but I kept pushing. My knees finally gave out from overuse and it was then that I was forced to stop exercising compulsively. My body was trying to regain control over my brain and it was using methods to get me to stop. It finally worked. It amazes me now when I think about how brilliant the human body is and how it sends messages when the brain isn't listening!
In the meantime, I began dating again and found that I was still attractive to men even with a child in tow. My self-esteem seemed to get a little better but food was still an issue. I hardly ate and still smoked. I had not dealt with the underlying issues of abandonment from my marriage so there was still emptiness in my heart.
A few years later I met my current husband. I was ready. I had waited 7 years after my divorce to meet him, had let go of the pain I felt inside, and he was like a fairy tale prince. My life had finally turned around and I fell in love with him. We were planning our wedding and building a house at the same time so my stress level was enormous but I was on cloud nine.
Here is the interesting thing about eating disorders though. Even though you may feel euphorically happy, you can still have inner struggles that bring out those dormant eating disorder feelings. Because I didn't deal with the issues, I began to binge eat. I used food to combat my stress. And of course as I became a full time binger I had to hide what I was doing. How ashamed and embarrassed I was that I had become this hideous person that hid cakes in the bottom of the refrigerator and stuffed myself so full that I could barely move after. And to top it all off, I started to gain weight.
After three years of hiding my binging, I "came out of the closet". Binge eaters typically hide their pain and food intake from everyone so coming out is scary but liberating. Another thing that happened when I finally decided to stop hiding is that I wanted to heal my eating disorder as fast as I could. I wanted help and was going to find it.
I attended Overeaters Anonymous meetings for some time but they were of no help to me whatsoever. My experience with OA was that a hand full of people got together at my local church and sat around complaining about how stressed they were. No one knew how to deal with binge eating. No one knew how to heal it. In fact, every time I went to a meeting I had to state my name and that I was a compulsive overeater. I didn't want to keep saying that. I wanted to say that I was cured. I also got tired of listening to other people complain. My next attempt was to contact my primary care physician.
My PCP had no idea what binge eating disorder was. She suggested I join a structured eating program like Weight Watchers. She also thought I should try an anti-depressant. She sent me home with a prescription for pills and a huge dose of frustration. Didn't anyone know how to heal this? What kind of options did I have? It turned out, not many.
That's when I decided to study holistic health and nutrition. I realized that I had been sent on my path of eating disorders for a purpose and that was to help other people find options to heal their disorder when they finally reach the point of "coming out".
Finding the help I needed was miraculous. My healing included: stress management, challenging my old belief systems, getting to the root cause of my disorder, learning meditation, visualization, and assertiveness training and coping skills. It all came down to me and no one else. All of my actions and decisions up until the time I began healing my disorder where focused on everyone else except me. It came down to realizing that I have a great deal of value and self-worth and I can participate in life by being true to myself.
I learned that anyone can have an eating disorder no matter what their background is or income is or color is. I learned that stress can literally put you over the edge and cause you to binge eat and not knowing how to deal with stress correctly is part of the problem.
I also know that with healing comes an obligation for me to speak out so that other wonderful individuals don't go home with a prescription for something that only masks the problem and not solves it. I urge people to learn about the disorder, to find online or offline methods available for help and stick it out. Healing binge eating disorder is possible. I am living proof of it.
"My name is Nadine and I am a healthy, happy, beautiful person."
Why do I want to write my story and share my personal details with the world? Because I have something important to say and I have learned that without speaking about healing binge eating disorder others who suffer from it might stay that way forever when they truly don't need to.
My experience with eating disorders started with anorexia when I was 16 years old. Growing up I had always been self-conscious about my body even though I was of normal height and weight. But being "normal" doesn't make a hill of beans if you don't feel it on the inside. That's just the outside. My grandmother used to tell me I would be fat if I ate those "bad" foods and those thoughts were the start of an unhealthy view of food. I adopted her belief that I would become fat so I feared food and I feared becoming fat.
As I got older I kept an unhealthy relationship with food at an arms length. I married at 22 and had my first baby at 25. At 27, I left my husband. I chose not to live a life filled with deception and corruption which is what my husband had gotten into. He was embezzling money from the police department he worked for and was blaming me for it. I couldn't believe this man that said he loved me would do something so wrong and blame me for it. Did he ever really love me?
Even though I was 3 months pregnant with my second baby, I took my 2 year old and left with a broken heart. He didn't care about me, my 2 year old or my unborn child and my self-esteem hit rock bottom. In the three weeks that followed, I lost my job, I lost my grandfather, I lost my marriage and I lost my unborn child. My life would never be the same.
At first I used food as consolation. I had lost just about everything in my life that was important to me and food seemed to soothe my soul. I was depressed, angry, sad, hurt, and desolate. A few months had passed and I started to put myself back together for the sake of my daughter. I started exercising and dieting because in my twisted mind I thought that no man would want me unless I looked like a skinny model from a magazine. I was 27 years old, getting divorced and had a 2 year old. Who wants to get involved with that?
I started starving myself and compulsive exercising and the weight just melted off my body. Of course so did my muscles and immune system. But I didn't care because my body was responding to the control I wanted to have over it. I couldn't control what was going on in my life but I sure could control my own body.
My family was close to doing an intervention as I pushed my body beyond healthy limits. I was smoking cigarettes so I wouldn't eat and still compulsive exercising. My lungs were screaming at me but I kept pushing. My knees finally gave out from overuse and it was then that I was forced to stop exercising compulsively. My body was trying to regain control over my brain and it was using methods to get me to stop. It finally worked. It amazes me now when I think about how brilliant the human body is and how it sends messages when the brain isn't listening!
In the meantime, I began dating again and found that I was still attractive to men even with a child in tow. My self-esteem seemed to get a little better but food was still an issue. I hardly ate and still smoked. I had not dealt with the underlying issues of abandonment from my marriage so there was still emptiness in my heart.
A few years later I met my current husband. I was ready. I had waited 7 years after my divorce to meet him, had let go of the pain I felt inside, and he was like a fairy tale prince. My life had finally turned around and I fell in love with him. We were planning our wedding and building a house at the same time so my stress level was enormous but I was on cloud nine.
Here is the interesting thing about eating disorders though. Even though you may feel euphorically happy, you can still have inner struggles that bring out those dormant eating disorder feelings. Because I didn't deal with the issues, I began to binge eat. I used food to combat my stress. And of course as I became a full time binger I had to hide what I was doing. How ashamed and embarrassed I was that I had become this hideous person that hid cakes in the bottom of the refrigerator and stuffed myself so full that I could barely move after. And to top it all off, I started to gain weight.
After three years of hiding my binging, I "came out of the closet". Binge eaters typically hide their pain and food intake from everyone so coming out is scary but liberating. Another thing that happened when I finally decided to stop hiding is that I wanted to heal my eating disorder as fast as I could. I wanted help and was going to find it.
I attended Overeaters Anonymous meetings for some time but they were of no help to me whatsoever. My experience with OA was that a hand full of people got together at my local church and sat around complaining about how stressed they were. No one knew how to deal with binge eating. No one knew how to heal it. In fact, every time I went to a meeting I had to state my name and that I was a compulsive overeater. I didn't want to keep saying that. I wanted to say that I was cured. I also got tired of listening to other people complain. My next attempt was to contact my primary care physician.
My PCP had no idea what binge eating disorder was. She suggested I join a structured eating program like Weight Watchers. She also thought I should try an anti-depressant. She sent me home with a prescription for pills and a huge dose of frustration. Didn't anyone know how to heal this? What kind of options did I have? It turned out, not many.
That's when I decided to study holistic health and nutrition. I realized that I had been sent on my path of eating disorders for a purpose and that was to help other people find options to heal their disorder when they finally reach the point of "coming out".
Finding the help I needed was miraculous. My healing included: stress management, challenging my old belief systems, getting to the root cause of my disorder, learning meditation, visualization, and assertiveness training and coping skills. It all came down to me and no one else. All of my actions and decisions up until the time I began healing my disorder where focused on everyone else except me. It came down to realizing that I have a great deal of value and self-worth and I can participate in life by being true to myself.
I learned that anyone can have an eating disorder no matter what their background is or income is or color is. I learned that stress can literally put you over the edge and cause you to binge eat and not knowing how to deal with stress correctly is part of the problem.
I also know that with healing comes an obligation for me to speak out so that other wonderful individuals don't go home with a prescription for something that only masks the problem and not solves it. I urge people to learn about the disorder, to find online or offline methods available for help and stick it out. Healing binge eating disorder is possible. I am living proof of it.
"My name is Nadine and I am a healthy, happy, beautiful person."
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