• Need More Help Around the House?
  Look Under Your Own Roof!
• Are You An Emotional Overeater?
• Sneak Some Exercise into Your Work Routine
• Dear Dr. B.: Was My Eating Disorder Caused By Abuse?

Most of us feel the urge to overindulge in food from time to time. This can happen during holidays or other times of celebration, when we are faced with an array of food temptations that we just can’t resist. We may feel uncomfortable for a while after the splurge, but soon return to our regular eating patterns. Those who suffer from Binge Eating Disorder, however, feel the urge to overeat regularly and are unable to stop even when they feel full. The food is usually eaten very quickly and sometimes barely tasted. Hunger has little to do with the practice that becomes an obsession that consumes their lives. This out-of-control feeling causes significant physical and mental stress.

Often binge eaters use food to manage feelings. Do you find yourself regularly using food for any of the following?

• to cope with emotional highs and lows
• in reaction to stressful events, particular tension, or conflicts with important people in your life
• to calm your nerves or deal with anxiety
• when you have trouble handling an emotion

Binge eaters usually feel great shame over their behavior but are unable to control themselves. They often feel disgusted with themselves. Research has also shown that as many as 50 percent of binge eaters also suffer from depression.

There are steps you can take to begin gaining control of your eating habits. One important step is to identify which feelings or stressful situations are driving your emotional overeating. Once you identify the emotional triggers, over time you can learn new coping strategies and healthier alternatives to overeating. This process is not easy, but if you can stick with it, you can succeed.

Remember to be patient with yourself, as these changes take time and don’t happen overnight. Be proud of yourself for each step you take. The changes you are making in your life will improve your health and help you feel better about yourself.

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Are long hours at the office keeping you from getting the exercise you need? While it’s important to make moderate exercise a regular part of your routine, here are some small steps you can take on those days when time doesn’t permit you to get to the gym.

1. Park far away from the door, and walk to and from your car.
2. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
3. Take a brisk walk during your lunch break
4. Do bicep curls and other simple exercises with hand-held weights or water bottles that you keep in your desk.
5. Tighten and release your abdominal and/or gluteal muscles several times while sitting up straight in your chair.
6. Get up and walk to a colleague’s desk or office instead of calling or sending an email.
7. Stand up and stretch several times a day.

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Dear Dr. B.:
I have been bulimic for nearly four years, since I was a senior in college. I finally started seeing a counselor for it a couple of months ago, someone who did marriage counseling for a friend of mine. I am getting confused about the counseling. We barely even talk about my eating, or my purging. We always seem to come back to my childhood. My counselor told me we need to do that because most people with bulimia have been sexually abused. I’ve tried my best to go over my past, and I just can’t remember anything like that. She thinks I may have repressed my memories of abuse. My childhood wasn’t the greatest. I was heavy, and got a lot of teasing from my sisters and criticism from my parents for it. That was all very painful, but I just can’t remember anything sexual happening to me. I feel like the counselor must be getting frustrated. Meanwhile, I’m bingeing and purging as much as ever. Where do I go from here?

- Amy

Dear Amy;

You went to this counselor because she provided marital therapy to a friend of yours. Do you know how much experience she has had in treating eating disorders? If not, it is important to ask her about her experience with bulimia and her approach to treating it.

People who have been sexually abused as children have a higher risk for psychological problems later in life, including substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. However, not everyone who has an eating disorder has been sexually abused. It will be useful to ask your counselor whether there is additional evidence that leads her to suspect you were the victim of sexual abuse, other than bulimia.

Many eating disorder therapists focus extensively on issues of weight and body image. While you cannot recall sexual abuse, you certainly remember some very painful experiences associated with your weight. Does the counselor think that these experiences are related to your bulimia? Does she think you should be discussing these issues in greater detail?

Bulimia treatment typically involves helping the person to develop stable eating habits. For many therapists, this would be viewed as a critical goal for the early stages of treatment. You need to ask your counselor whether stabilizing your eating habits will be a goal of your treatment, and if so, when it will occur.

Listen carefully to your counselor’s answers to these questions, and see whether they make sense to you. It is vital that you come away from this discussion with a sense that you and your therapist are working towards the same goals. If you are unsure whether to continue treatment with her, you can always consult another mental health professional for an evaluation and second opinion.

Send your questions for Dr. B. to info@myselfhelp.com. You will remain anonymous if your question is printed in an upcoming newsletter. We regret that we cannot answer every question we receive.

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