Hi everyone,

I hope to get some advise from you on the issue I am facing.  I've began the process of gathering the evidence to apply for the surgery. One of the initial hurdles was to speak with their psychologist. After the consultation I was told that I have a binge eating disorder and that right now they suggest that I find a psychologist and work with them to get that under control. So I've sent a meeting with one of the psychologists in my area and hoped to get some constructive input from her. Instead I felt that it was a big waste of time because:

A) everything she mentioned I already knew

B) her suggestion was to basically go in to address this cold turkey "just clean out your kitchen, and start a new life, do not bring junk into your house" "you just need to decide that you want to do it"

C) she has not given any other constructive feedback or pointers AT ALL.  She even told me that she does not know how much more of help she can be, but I should feel free to schedule another meeting if I thought it would be useful. This is from a "specialist" who supposedly "specializes" in eating disorders.

D) when I asked her what would she suggest for the compulsive (this crazy food binging that takes over me), she said if I wanted I could use welbutrin.  After researching that drug I do not think it would be much of help, but will give me a side effect of being a raging nut (to put it mildly)

So I called the psychologist I spoke originally and she said I should try to see somebody else.  I am afraid that I am just waisting my time. Yet I also think unless I show some kind of "recorded" improvement (and she also wants to speak with the psychologist I am working with) they would not let me go forward with other steps.

Do you guys have any advise/experience with this? Is there real help with this food addiction? I can't be the only one going thru this, but I am pretty upset that this is delaying my possible surgery.  I do understand that in the long run my surgery could be a waste if I do not get it under control. But what have you done to help yourself thru this?  When "marked" by the psychologist to have this issue, is there ever a quick way to get back on track?  I did start to go to Overeaters Annonymous, but I can't say it changed by habits, though does make me feel like I am not the only one battling this.

One more question: I need to select my benefits for the next year. If I were to change my insurance, would I have any problems with them telling me I have a pre-existing condition and thus not covering the surgery? 

Thanks for all the info you can share with me!

After the consultation I was told that I have a binge eating disorder

Ye gods. How did you keep from saying, "No sh*t, Sherlock!"? That's about as useful as a doctor saying that eating right and exercising will solve all our problems. If that worked, no one would be overweight.

No one gets to be obese by eating healthy foods in proper amounts. And yes, we SHOULD talk to someone about the issues that cause us to overeat in whichever manner we do that caused us to weigh as much as we do. But I can tell you this much: I am a binge eater/stress eater, and I always will be. But almost 10 years out from my surgery, I'm still maintaining a 170-pound weight loss.

Not all obese people have binge eating disorder, or any other eating disorder.

This is true. I have a BMI of 60 and I have never binged, unless you count the times I go to an indian food buffet....man I love that indian food. It wasn't because I was emotional or using food to cope, it was because it was delicious. I ate till I felt kind of sick once or twice. I don't think that counts, though. lol.

Here are a few articles that have great information about the battles we deal with on a daily basis!  Please keep us posted on your progress!

Understanding A Food Addiction

Are You A Food Addict?

Uncoupling: Separating Food And Emotions

Mind Over Platter

Mind Matters: Mindful Eating

Sometimes 'talk therapy' and medication can be conjoined to give best possible outcomes especially as it relates to compulsory behaviors.  Especially if it's something that with 'talk therapy' only that it would take longer to see a benefit.  Compulsory behaviors are seen to be working with an anxiety base attached with some mood dysregulation.  Wellbutrin is a decent medicine but there are all kinds of medicines out there that should be handled by a psychiatrist based upon your specific needs.  The psychologist was making a recommendation that she/he was comfortable making based upon his/her experience...it doesn't mean that it's the absolute rule.  I might be of some benefit to see your PCP and/or psychiatrist to ask about the possibility of a SSRI (anti-anxiety/mood component) medicine.  Your PCP will have a general knowledge of all things mental health but really a psychiatrist is a better bet especially with your specific diagnosis if your insurance company will pay for it.  I would perhaps get a meeting set up with your PCP or a psychiatrist and go from there.  As far as your insurance and changes impacting your surgery...I have no clue.

It's probably good that you are addressing the mental side of weight loss before your surgery.  You can "eat around"  any  WLS and gain all your weight back.  They operate on your stomach...not your brain.  WLS is just a tool to help get the weight off quickly, but the window to do that is relatively short.  The real work is keeping it off.  Hats off to you for recognizing the problem and working on it now.  

If you don't like your therapist... find another one that you are comfortable with.  Getting your head in the game is just as important as the surgery itself.   She was right in saying that it's up to YOU to make the right choices...but she should have given you more pointers.  Getting the junk food out of your house is only part of the solution.  I agree with the previous poster about "talk therapy".  Usually there is some underlying issue causing your binge eating that you may not even be aware of right now.  Talking it through with a professional can uncover a lot.  Don't give up.  It took many years for us to become obese.... it will take some time to unravel the reasons why and fix them.

The Affordable Care Act eliminated pre-existing conditions.  Insurance companies can no longer ask you health questions in order to get coverage.  You just have to find a plan that includes weight loss surgery coverage and sign up.  Some do not.  You have to research the plans before you sign on the dotted line.

Best wishes to you!

I suggest you find a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist in your area.  They work specifically on helping you change your behaviors.  If you are motivated and have a good relationship with your therapist they can help you overcome some of the binge eating tenancies.  It's not a cure all but in my experience (I went for another reason but still valid) if you do your homework you will find that your behaviors can change quite quickly.

I wish you luck in finding a therapist that will help you reshape your world.

God bless,

Is there a difference between Cognitive Therapy vs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

The therapist I saw before had eating disorders and cognitive therapy in her profile. Should I be looking specifically for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

Hey NY, I believe it's the same.  Therapy is like a relationship some therapists will suit you and others won't.  Keep trying!  Good on you for going to OA, it's a great program especially if you feel you have control issues with food.