Guest guest Posted June 20, 2003 Report Share Posted June 20, 2003 Does anyone know of a website or book that deals with the psychological problems in compulsive over eating? The world is eye-brow deep in low-fat healthy recipes, great healthy diets and I am familiar with a huge number of them. However, they are all utterly useless to me because I cannot stop eating way too much. I cannot bear to be hungry even for a few minutes and if you want to lose weight you must endure some hunger for at least a while until your body adjusts. I know hundreds of recipes for nice low-fat, low calorie meals but I also know when I eat one I'm going to be hungry in an hour or two and must endure for hours until the next meal. In the past when I hunt for info on this issue I get a bunch of stuff on anorexia nervosa (must be nice) or bulemia. These are extremely rare diseases and affect a tiny fraction of mostly the female population. Obesity is now affecting more than half the adult population, both men and women with huge health consequences usually culminating in early death. If you go to any of the diet websites or pick up any of the diet books you get not a whisper about how to deal with hunger, in fact it is seldom even mentioned. You get a bunch of recipes, some nice info on how healthy it is to lose weight and some cheerleading. That's it. If I could walk that way I wouldn't need the talcum powder. So does anybody know of anyone anywhere who is dealing with the psychological issues? Susan -- --------- Check out an excerpt of my recently published historical novel " Jubilee " : http://members.cox.net/sbcogan/ " JUBILEE is an excellent read, brilliantly written and historically illuminating. " Brett Scott, reviewing for The Romance Studio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2003 Report Share Posted June 20, 2003 Here's a place to start looking. A friend says after only two sessions she feels her life coming together. My brief look at the website was impressive for dealing with the whole person. https://www.centerpointe.com/life/life-signup.cfm Dave Susan Cogan [susan-brassfield] Friday, June 20, 2003 10:45 AM Psychiatric Issues Does anyone know of a website or book that deals with the psychological problems in compulsive over eating? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 20, 2003 Report Share Posted June 20, 2003 >Here's a place to start looking. A friend says after only two sessions she >feels her life coming together. My brief look at the website was impressive >for dealing with the whole person. > >https://www.centerpointe.com/life/life-signup.cfm > at $199 a pop I think I'll pass. Susan -- --------- Check out an excerpt of my recently published historical novel " Jubilee " : http://members.cox.net/sbcogan/ " JUBILEE is an excellent read, brilliantly written and historically illuminating. " Brett Scott, reviewing for The Romance Studio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 Don't waste your money! If you feel depressed, go to your General Practitioner first. Your mental health is very important and cutting too many corners or seeking a mythical cure can be down right dangerous! Do not compromise your life and your health! There is no magic bullet for mental health and telecourses cost quite a fortune without any personal human interactions. Not a good idea when you already feel lonely and reclusive in depths of depression. Wouldn't't you rather talk to a real live person? Yes, depression can make us anti-social but even the minor interactions with a doctor, counselor, or caring family and friends can help to greatly improve your mood and self-esteem. Medications and counseling are the best step you can take in battling depression. Mediation or prayer (depending on your personal beliefs) are also quite helpful, available 24/7, and not to mention free. If money is your main concern, you do not trust in medical doctors, or if like me, you do not have medical insurance coverage, there are other courses of action available to you. St. Johns-wort has helped many depressed people to the same effect as Prozac, but be aware of the side effects of this herb. St. Johns-wort causes sensitivity to sunlight, which can be a problem if you are already fair skinned. It can cause headaches in some. Also be aware of drug interactions if you are taking any medications please consult your doctor before using St. Johns-wort. Many people also do not realize that St. Johns-wort interferes with the absorption of iron and other minerals. You will need to supplement with a multivitamin to compensate this problem. On the plus side, St. Johns-wort can be just as effective as Prozac and with less side effects. Just look at the long list at comes in the prescription box of Prozac, there are phone-books and encyclopedias less boring! Next on the list, counseling. If you can afford it please get counseling. However if you can not fit sessions in your budget, most pastors and priests have a counseling degree and will accommodate you for either a small fee or free of charge. I strongly suggest some type of counseling to keep dark moods and negative illogical thinking in check. This can be a life saver and I speak from personal experience! If you do not wish to go to a pastor/priest or counselor, talk to a very trusted and non-judgmental friend or family member. This is not a matter that you can sit and stew on your own. You need to talk to somebody, I don't care how many self help books there are on the market! Lastly try your best to relax and de-stress your life. Easier said than done, but give it your honest best to improve this area. Take mini vacations! At work you can; take a 5 minute stretch, listen to music or even sing if your co-workers do not mind impromptu karaoke, eat chocolate (be sensible a few m & ms or Hershey's kisses can go a long way), go outside on a 5 to 10 minute break and really stop to smell the roses, bring stress toys that you can fidget with to work, set up a poster with a relaxing scene that you enjoy (the beach, a sunset, mountains, Dilbert, whatever you wish), have warm cup of tea or hot cocoa, you are only limited by your imagination! At home mini vacations get even better; a warm bubble bath by candle light and relaxing music, bake cookies, start a garden, spoil your pets or kids, do some yoga, go for a walk, write on a piece of paper all the things that are stressing you out at the moment then burn that paper to oblivion (please be careful), if you are in a relationship;sex can be therapeutic if not; don't forget self love, help someone in need thru volunteer work like habitat for humanity or feeding the homeless at a coalition you may realize that your life is not that bad and helping others also boosts your compassion, eat more nutritional meals the problem could be a lack of vitamins ( for fellow vegetarians usually a lack of mood stabilizing B vitamins), find a hobby you enjoy..... The list goes on! What is most important is to do what is right for you. Everyone is unique when it comes to what helps lift depression and how long the depression lasts, but certainly do not buy into what ads claim will cure you instantly! That is a salesman's lie! I hope this helps! Good luck to you and to anyone on this forum who is feeling, or has ever felt blue. I leave all of you with an open invitation to e-mail me personally for more info or if you simply need someone to talk to. I've been down that dark spiraling path to chaos several times and will help in anyway possible to prevent others from falling into that black pit of despair. It's a nasty drop. Dee at keybookritter SBC DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 Dear Susan, You do not have to starve to be skinny. Overeating is mainly underlined as an emotional problem when you go to websites devoted to the subject.They will rant over compulsive eating or emotional eating or those dreaded comfort foods. However, it can also be that your body and metabolism really need that much food to stay fueled. There is nothing physically, emotionally, or mentally wrong with you, because this is a very normal body reaction. Different people have different eating requirements, it is that simple. So compromise with your body! Eat several small meals instead of three main meals. Five or six mini meals should do it. By meals I do not mean main course proportions! Healthy snack-size meals packed with nutrients should keep you going, try to get a little of each food group in there. Don't skimp on the fluids either, hydration is key to losing weight! You will also find that eating several small meals throughout the day gives you more energy and revs up your metabolism. That is great news for your trim down goals! Here is a sample menu, but please modify to your personal nutritional needs and tastes! meal #1 3 egg white omelet with just a sprinkle of low fat cheddar cheese, whole grain wheat toast or unsweetened bran muffin, one serving of fresh fruit or one glass of juice, and one glass of skim milk meal #2 One low fat protein bar, or a 1/4 cup of trail mix Plus one apple and a cup of baby carrots or chopped celery Bottled water to drink. meal #3 One salad with fat free dressing of choice and one low fat sandwich with protein soy analog of choice ( veggie burger, hot dog, bacon, chic patty, etc) no mayo but ketchup and mustard to taste and pile on the veggies (lettuce, tomato, onions, mushrooms, pickles, etc) Bottled water, skim Milk, fresh unsweetened fruit Juice, or unsweetened ice tea to drink. meal #4 Matzo or whole grain low fat crackers (handful) and low fat peanut butter, nut butter of choice, or even apple butter for a completely fat-free choice. Fat-free plain or vanilla yogurt flavored with fresh berries and sweetened with a tad of honey. Beverage of choice, just no soda. meal #5 Baked potato no topping (if you absolutely need favor be sensible with a few sprinkles of veggie bacon, a low fat butter spray, chives, or fat free sour cream) A main course; Low fat veggie pasta or lasagna. Or a veggie soy analog. Or simple beans and rice/ chili. One salad with dressing of choice. Beverage of choice, just no soda. meal# 6 Glass of water. Half or quarter cup of fat free cottage cheese. A piece of fruit of your choice. Also to increase weight loss start an exercise program if you have not already done so. Exercise will further increase your metabolism to burn off extra calories, decrease your fat stores and improve your strength. Good luck! SBC DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 At 10:52 PM 6/20/03 -0700, you wrote: Dear Susan, You do not have to starve to be skinny. Overeating is mainly underlined as an emotional problem when you go to websites devoted to the subject.They will rant over compulsive eating or emotional eating or those dreaded comfort foods. However, it can also be that your body and metabolism really need that much food to stay fueled. I'm more than 100 lbs overweight. I've found a few websites that list the symptoms of compulsive overeating, and of course thousands that offer diets, usually for a fee but not always. I was a chubby kid and my mother put me on a diet when I was 10 years old. I've known how to diet for a very, very long time. I know how many calories it takes to keep a person my size and activity level going (approx. 1700 per day). I've struggled to eat that and no more. On that number of calories I " shouldn't " be hungry. That's three squares. I simply can't do it for very long. There is nothing physically, emotionally, or mentally wrong with you, because this is a very normal body reaction. Different people have different eating requirements, it is that simple. It's the worst at potlucks and festive situations. I will eat constantly for hours. I will eat until I'm in such terrible pain I can hardly stand it. Fortunately those situations only come up every couple of months. So compromise with your body! Eat several small meals instead of three main meals. Five or six mini meals should do it. By meals I do not mean main course proportions! This is my day when I'm doing well. I have 400 calories for breakfast. I'm starving and miserable by lunch time. I'm white knuckle between 11 and 12. Sometimes I can't stand it and I portion off part of my lunch and eat it at 11. Then I'm white knuckle between 11:30 and 12. I can't even stand the thought of an entire afternoon with no food, so break up my lunch into one 250 calorie unit and another 200 calorie unit that I eat about 2 p.m. I have another 100 calories late in the afternoon around 4 o'clock. By 5:30 I'm so miserably hungry I'm trembling. I usually have 500 calories for dinner. By 8:30 I'm hungry again. I know that if I eat something then I'll be starving again by bed time so I tough it out until 9:30 and try to limit the snack to 200 calories. That's when I'm doing well. I did the above religiously for 3 months once and lost about 15 lbs. Some days would be better than others. Some days I wouldn't be hungry at all--though I never missed a snack, mind you. In order to lose weight not only do I need to increase my exercise but I have to figure out what to do when I am presented with unlimited amounts of great food at parties, buffets, potlucks, etc. Or when someone brings a big tray of cookies to work. Or when my husband pulls out the potato chips and sits on the couch beside me eating them. I don't even *like* potato chips very much, but I'll eat half the bag and still be hungry for my 200 calorie evening snack. The food at birthday parties in my family usually is pizza & cake. A single slice of pizza and a piece of cake are not a big disaster--that's usually what my son-in-law eats. My daughter usually eats 2 slices. If I can limit myself to 4 it's a bleeding miracle. It's usually 4, then I eat what my grandchildren left on their plates and then later maybe one or two more when I'm putting the leftovers away and nobody's looking. It's self-destructive and it's nuts. I know I probably need professional counseling. Peer-group counseling probably ain't gonna git it. But it's very nice to vent and I appreciate your suggestions and support. I also think your post about depression is quite cogent. The compulsive over eating and depression are obviously linked--certainly in me and probably in many others. I took antidepressants for years (didn't lose much weight, but it helped). I went off of them because my life changed--I got married--and I was *much* happier in general. Now I'm being successful with my writing career and I'm terrified. I have a feeling that fear is directly related to the binging I've been doing in the last few months. And I can tell that I'm sliding back into depression. I hated the antidepressants because I lost mental acuity. But I'm thinking being a bit fuzzy might be better than eating myself to death. Susan ---- Please check out my recently published historical novel " Jubilee. " http://members.cox.net/sbcogan/writing.html " JUBILEE is an excellent read, brilliantly written and historically illuminating. " Brett Scott, reviewing for The Romance Studio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 Susan Cogan [susan-brassfield] Saturday, June 21, 2003 6:31 AM Subject: Re: Psychiatric Issues>> I'm more than 100 lbs overweight ... I know how many calories it takes to keep a person my size and activity level going (approx. 1700 per day). I've struggled to eat that and no more... << A year and a half ago, I tipped the scales at 209. Not too bad for most guys. I'm 5'-9" and have a average build. I've been veggie for over 20 years, so the carbs in my diet were considerable, as are most veggies. After trying so many ways to keep the pounds under control, I found the "soy zone" diet. I'd heard all the stories about the "zone" and the high protein meals they promote. Everybody warned me it was dangerous. Well, I did it anyway. Within 2-4 months, I noticed a big difference. At the end of 6 months, I was weighing in the mid-170s. Here's what I learned from the diet and my body's response to it. Oh, and I agree it's not for everybody. 1. As a veggie, I was getting about half of the protein I believe I needed. 2. The amount of carbs I ate was twice what I eat today. 3. My fat consumption is now about double what it was. 4. I believe my results are from creating a better balance in the amount of protein, fat, and carbs that I eat. My current calories count per day is in the range of 1600-1800. Will a diet like this work for you? I don't have a clue, but I'd say it's worth a look. In my own life I know that what I eat is more a habit than a choice. No matter how hard I try to keep focused on this issue, I see that food impules drive me more than my decisions. I'm finally at the point where the taste of sugar in my food gets overpowering pretty quickly, and that helps me to stop a little easier. After reading your story, I know that you face a big struggle (no pun intended.) I'd check the phone book in your area. There must be no-cost groups to help you stay focused on achieving a healthy weight. Good luck with it. Go, girl!! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 8, 2003 Report Share Posted July 8, 2003 Susan, Have you tried OA - Overeaters Anonymous? I am a recovering overeater and find it to be a GREAT way to deal with my " stinking thinking. " You can ck them out online, or find a meeting near you. Good luck with your search. Let me know if I can lend a hand. Susan In a message dated 6/21/03 6:53:37 AM, writes: << Does anyone know of a website or book that deals with the psychological problems in compulsive over eating? >> " A mind at peace, a mind centered and not focused on harming others, is stronger than any physical force in the universe. " Wayne Dyer, 1940 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 8, 2003 Report Share Posted July 8, 2003 At 11:05 PM 7/7/03 -0400, you wrote: Susan, Have you tried OA - Overeaters Anonymous? I am a recovering overeater and find it to be a GREAT way to deal with my " stinking thinking. " You can ck them out online, or find a meeting near you. Good luck with your search. Let me know if I can lend a hand. Yes, I was in OA for several years in the early 90s and did lose some weight. I finally couldn't deal with the religiosity. I am completely atheist and having a " pretend " higher power set my teeth on edge. I've had some success with Rational Recovery and I'm re-reading the book. It's helping some. So far I've gotten two wonderful things from it that I sort of overlooked when I read it the last time " hunger (as it pertains to dieting) is necessary, inevitable and *harmless* " and " I am not helpless and I can change. " I've taped both gems to my computer desk and I've had a couple of better days so far. Thanks for the suggestion, though! Susan ---- Please check out my recently published historical novel " Jubilee. " http://members.cox.net/sbcogan/writing.html " JUBILEE is an excellent read, brilliantly written and historically illuminating. " --Brett Scott, reviewing for The Romance Studio. " . . . action packed, suspenseful and romantic. " --Dawn Myers, reviewing for Writers Unlimited Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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