Binge Eating

Thank you for your reply! After going to my mandatory support group meeting the other day, I realized that I needed to attend more. So I am glad that they signed me up for a 4 week support program. Hopefully this will help me work through some of my issues, and help prepare me for life after surgery too. I know I have an unhealthy relationship with food, I am just not sure on what level. But I am prepared to use all the resources that are available to me!

a lot of people on this forum (and obese people in general) have issues with binge eating, so I wouldn't be offended.  They just need to rule it out (if you don't have it), or help you work through it (if you do have it).  Because if you do, the surgery isn't going to help with that - you have to work on the mental issues.  Like so many people have said, we have surgery on our stomachs, not our brains.  If the mental/emotional issues aren't dealt with, the surgery won't be as successful.  They're just trying to help by covering all the bases - they want you to be successful.

I'm not offended by it at all. I've been seeing psychiatrists and counselors since I was 12, and nobody has ever mentioned that my eating habits could be anything more than overeating. I definitely want treatment if this is what they diagnose me with. I just know something has to change so I can lose weight before it's too late.

Binge eating is very common.  It's sometimes related to an eating disorder, called binge eating disorder, and sometimes not.  It is very hard to live with, and many of us who have the disorder struggle with shame and many other things.  You can also have binge eating habits and not have an eating disorder.

She is absolutely right to be cautious, as the eating habits you described can be potentially life-threatening after surgery.  They also, well, care a lot, and do not want to set us up for failure.  I have helped bariatric patients who overate (not even binged) after surgery and they were utterly devastated.

One of the best things to do is to speak to a counselor or psychologist or psychiatric professional, because they are trained to assess such things whereas a regular doctor or nurse may not necessarily know the diagnostic details.  If it's not binging, you will be validated by this.

I was utterly resistant to the fact I was binging foryears and fought tooth and nail to NOT go to treatment.  Finally, I caved in and while it's been hard, I have no regrets.  Down the road I was diagnosed with BED, long after the fact, but the initial treatment and counseling helped so much.

Again, I am NOT saying you have a diagnosis.  However, any overeating can help in general with eating habits.  If nothing else they can tell you that you don't have it :)

 

Thank you for your reply! I don't really object to the fact that this is something I may have to accept, it's just that I have been seeing psychiatrists and counselors since I was 12 and I've never been told my eating habits are anything more than overeating. So it's all very new to me. I am at my breaking point now, and I need to get healthy any way that I can. If therapy is a part of that, then I welcome it. I will be starting in a binge eating support group in a few weeks, so hopefully that can begin to help with the overeating soon.

I was not told until I directly asked about it, actually.  As a counselor myself, we approach people when they are ready.  It may be nothing - or it may be something.

Either way, good luck.  I hope it works out :)

I know it doesn't feel like it now, but as someone who was diagnosed with Binge Eating Disorder post-op, I think it's really great that you're going to start to get help for this now - the sooner the better!  It sounds like you'll still be able to have surgery, just with a bit of delay and with another tool added to your tool belt for success.  

When I had my first WLS in 2002 I had absolutely no education, psych eval, nothing and I failed miserably.  In hindsight I realize I could probably have been successful had I been evaluated and treated for my eating issues.

As it was with my revision in 2010 not much had changed with the program but I vowed to learn from my mistakes and not repeat them.  The first thing I did was address my eating issues.  I educated myself on the surgery and follow up and committed to changing my eating.

I wish I didn't have to go through the demoralization of failure to get to where I am now but as I learned, I had to go where I went and do what I did to get where I am at.

I think it is great that so many WLS programs are implementing education, support and treatment.  It can mean the difference between a successful surgery and a failure.

Binge eating Disorder is a "new" disorder, but I'm sure I had it when I had surgery or at least something similar to it. My wife said she never saw anything like how I ate. She said I would eat, then 2 minutes later make myself another meal...and I'd do this for hours on end. I was constantly eating.

I still do this....to a point. The VSG part of the DS limits how much I can eat (a little bit now...but I'm 10 years out). I think that it's changed my tastes as well. But I need and rely on the high amount of malabsorbtion that I have with my surgery to maintain my weight.

I've maintained a 300 lb weight loss for 11 years. I think you have to know your issues...and how much you are going ot be able to change before surgery. I knew I couldn't/wouldn't change- so the DS was the only real option for me. That is not the case (or best choice) with/for everyone.

Scott

I do thing a pattern of binge eating in the past hurts your chances of being successful with the surgery .. as does all-day- " snacking" , and never moving. 

That said I still think people can be extremely successful long term provided they are truly willing to change their eating and moving ways. 

I have seen way too many people either regain or never even lose through ingrained bad habits they didn't take seriously enough to address .

Whats WRONG with taking a free 4 week course ?  You probably will learn some valuable tools and maybe even wake up watching others rationalizations to laughing at a few of yours .  

 

((( Good luck)))) I never mean to be harsh .. just honest