Do I have an eating disorder?

[ShoppGirl 4,799]

So the psychologist I seen before my surgery didn’t ask any questions about my eating habits and seemed more like a rubber stamp sort of deal. There were four doctors on the list though and I am thinking about seeing one of the others because I am two months out and I am starting to be able to eat more and want to eat more times a day than I am supposed to. I basically always want to eat when I am board and sometimes when I am stressed or anxious. Is this an eating disorder? Can a therapist really help with this. I am still losing weight but I worry as I can eat more and more at a time and once the hunger hormones come back that I may not be in the best place to win this battle. Any advice?

[DoodlesMom 98]

If you are concerned about eating habits and behaviors it might benefit you to be evaluated. An eating disorder diagnosis is best made by a mental health professional. Your Primary can provide you with a referral to a licensed psychologist (PhD / PsyD) who specializes in eating disorders, or a bariatric psychologist.

Can a therapist help with what you described? Yes. Be honest about what is going on and find someone you feel like you can connect with. This is so crucial because if you can't be open about what's going on they may be less able to help you.

I was in therapy for a long time with a therapist who specialized in eating disorders. The main focus was dealing with the stressors that led me to overeat. Whenever stress increased, so did my eating. I was the peacekeeping type who struggled to say when my feelings were hurt or when I felt bulldozed. I was walking on eggshells in my relationships to keep the peace.

The process can be emotionally draining. It forces you to deeply evaluate your behavior and there can be some uncomfortable truths. There were times I would dread going because I knew it would be a lot of work. At the time I thought, "This is hard but I'm trying to get myself better." With hindsight, I can see why my therapist pushed me, asked the tough questions, and made me accountable to my goals. I'm so much better now and I don't regret going.

These are some of the things we worked on:

• Improving mood
• Self-care
• Cognitive restructuring/ CBT--changes the way you cope and react to stress
• Mindful eating- eating at the dinner table, 30-45 minutes, smell food first, one small bite at a time, eat slowly, identify flavors and textures
• Identified vulnerabilities
• Identified triggers--that negatively impact mental health
• Negative self-talk--challenge the truth behind the talk
• Identified emotions
• Behavior patterns
• Full/ not full/ beyond full
• Beliefs surrounding weightloss
• Urge control--resist the urge to eat by distracting yourself for 1, 5, 10 mins

I kept a food and mood log. For a few weeks, I wrote down everything I ate for Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I would rate my stress and hunger level from 1-10 and emotions/feelings--happy, stressed, sad, tired at each mealtime. If important, I would document a bit about my day like had a fun time with friends or had a fight with my husband. Like I said, every time I had a rough day, I skipped meals or overate. Not only did therapy give me clarity about what I was doing, but it also gave me tools to deal with it and improve. I'm not cured, but the pull to eat, eat, eat is quieter and the behavior/thoughts are less constant. Another benefit is my therapist had my back even when friends and family didn't. She could point out some of their crazy-making behavior and confirm it wasn't always me which made me feel better.

Good luck, I hope you get some peace. ❤️

Edited May 7, 2021 by DoodlesMom

[Jnfinney 526]

@ShoppGirl seriously, thank you for posting this. I've been experiencing the same thing. My psychiatrist referred me to a specific program that works with bariatric patients and disordered eating. I haven't gone yet because I am waiting for school to be done for the year that way I have more time to go to appointments. I am really anxious to get started with this because my head has been telling me to eat when I'm not hungry, kind of like before the surgery. With that being said, I'd like to hear where your journey takes you and maybe we can stay in touch. Best of luck!

[ShoppGirl 4,799]

Update. I called the other doctors on the list and they are not accepting new patients (they only do evaluations) Does anyone have a doctor that does telehealth or zoom appointments specializing in eating disorders?

[lizonaplane 1,612]

On 5/7/2021 at 2:14 PM, ShoppGirl said:

Update. I called the other doctors on the list and they are not accepting new patients (they only do evaluations) Does anyone have a doctor that does telehealth or zoom appointments specializing in eating disorders?

You can try using BetterHelp and stating in your intake form that you are specifically looking for someone that specializes in eating disorders. I tried to do that, but I didn't really have much luck because I have a history of other issues that they picked up on. You can always switch therapists with them. I just stuck with the person I was matched with because it worked well enough and it turns out I don't really have an eating disorder, I just eat too much too often and take medications that cause weight gain. Good luck!

[ShoppGirl 4,799]

Well my psychologist said I really should see a specialist about this and be referred me to someone but she isn’t taking new patients but directed me to alliance for eating disorder awareness and I searched their website and found two people kinda close that are registered. I left a message for one of them today. If neither are taking new patients I was thinking that maybe I can just search FLORIDA and call around asking if any of them do telehealth. I will keep betterhelp in mind though. I never heard of it but I bet it would be same issue with me because I have bipolar disorder as well.

[lizonaplane 1,612]

57 minutes ago, ShoppGirl said:

Well my psychologist said I really should see a specialist about this and be referred me to someone but she isn’t taking new patients but directed me to alliance for eating disorder awareness and I searched their website and found two people kinda close that are registered. I left a message for one of them today. If neither are taking new patients I was thinking that maybe I can just search FLORIDA and call around asking if any of them do telehealth. I will keep betterhelp in mind though. I never heard of it but I bet it would be same issue with me because I have bipolar disorder as well.

I think more people are doing telehealth now, so hopefully, as long as they are in your state (due to licensure issues) they will be willing to see you over the internet. I saw someone a few years ago for eating issues virtually, but that's because I was traveling every week. I didn't find it helpful, but I am not sure that was really my problem. Hopefully you will find someone.

[ShoppGirl 4,799]

Update. I was able to get an appointment with one of the therapist that is relatively close to me. It’s not until end of July though. I called the other one to see if they can get me in sooner. Anyone have any good books or other resources I can read In the meantime?

[lizonaplane 1,612]

On 5/15/2021 at 9:04 PM, ShoppGirl said:

Update. I was able to get an appointment with one of the therapist that is relatively close to me. It’s not until end of July though. I called the other one to see if they can get me in sooner. Anyone have any good books or other resources I can read In the meantime?

Oh, that's rough. There are some good podcasts, but I don't think they substitute for therapy. Maybe try "Reverse the Relapse"? It's a podcast from Australia. Or BariAftercare. That one is weird because there are two weekly shows and one is on the podcast feed and the other is on her website, and I haven't made it to her website yet, so I'm only ever hearing half the show! Good luck, and keep us posted!!