Overeating Lovers Benefit From Therapy, Not Dieting
“Maybe people who are not dieting need binge therapy rather than food restrictions,” says Claire Zulka in the Atlantic . She describes the cycle that many dieters get into: a controlled meal plan – lots of ounces of cheese, a serving of meat from a deck of cards, maybe no Cheez-Its – and then the overeating frenzy that occurs when the dieter , gives in to temptation: a whole pizza, three breakfasts at Hardees, lots of boxes of Cheez-Its. Frustrated and ashamed, they switch to an even more restrictive diet (often preceded by a final binge) and start over.
Binge eating is a relatively new diagnosis, although Zulki notes that it affects up to 40% of dieters, and healthcare providers may not know how to treat it. This is compounded by the fact that binges themselves may insist that the problem is just a problem of willpower – if they could just discipline themselves, they could lose weight. And for people who secretly eat McDonald’s bags to hide from their families, shame heightens the sense of failure. This is a complex problem, not least because overeating, especially unhealthy food, is common and even normal in our culture. (Consider all jokes about how to loosen your pants on Thanksgiving.)
But there are doctors, therapists and hospitals who do this. BED responds to therapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy; Zulki notes that “almost 80 percent of patients refrain from overeating after 20 sessions. And, unlike most calorie-restricted diets, the success of CBT lasts for many patients over time. ” So this is good news.
Now I read this and thought, does the treatment help me finally lose weight? I suspect this shouldn’t be the main thing: I should seek treatment for my secret Oreo problem because I want to stop the binge cycle, stop feeling ashamed, and maybe even lower my cholesterol levels. But, I confess, I always hope for the Jedi ploy: “I will stop caring about my thinness and will love my body as it is, and these steps will help me finally get thin .” I suspect this is part of a messy mindset.
Need help with overeating? Zulkey links to the Nutritional Recovery Center , which has 11 health care facilities, according to its website. You can also, of course, start with a referral from your family doctor and ask potential therapists specifically if they have CBT training for binge eating disorder. Psychology today also allows you to search by zip and sort through eating disorders, but again, the first phone call should weed out therapists not trained in that department. If you do not have access to mental health care or are otherwise determined to tackle this problem yourself , there are a couple of books on Amazon that you might find helpful: The Overeating Brain Recovery Guide and the Overeating and Binge Eating Workbook .
And good luck. Anyone who has secretly stuffed their mouths with an unreasonable amount of calzone knows that overeating can be a lifelong problem.