Question:
Has anyone been diagnosed with BINGE EATING DISORDER?

I just became aware of it and how severely I have had it. Have battled it 40+ years. It's different than anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. (2+ more hours/day, 4-7 days/week of bingeing without purging. Hence, the OBESITY.) If anyone has had this diagnosis, have you been advised that WLS a good or not-good idea? Thank you for any help.    — [Anonymous] (posted on January 4, 2002)

January 3, 2002
"Binge eating disorder" - although not "offically" diagnosed, that pretty much was my pattern for 30+ years... I am 4 months post op, have lost 68 lbs and feel FULL! Hard to "binge", even small amounts when you feel FULL! (Which I never felt before - either empty-ish or stuffed!)
   — blank first name B.

January 3, 2002
One of the things that you find out for yourself after you have the surgery--although people can tell you 'til they're blue in the face--is that the surgery by itself won't change they way you think about food. If you have a problem with bingeing, you may want to address it with a therapist so you don't end up stretching your pouch or "eating through" (grazing) and defeating the surgery. I think that one of the reasons I have had few problems is that I had addressed (to a large extent, anyway) my bingeing problems and am able to stop eating (most of the time) when I feel satisfied. I have never thrown up--not to say I haven't come close several times--but I think I would have if I hadn't already been on that path of stopping eating when I am comfortably full. Food is a complex issue for most of us or we probably wouldn't be obese in the first place. The pouch will address the physical side of it--telling your brain you are full--but you have to address the emotional side of it--telling your hand to stop putting food in your mouth and redirecting that energy to something else.<P>The bottom line is that I think you can be successful with this surgery as long as you realize it is a tool and you also address any other issues you have with food. I went through a rough period about 3 mos after I had surgery and I couldn't eat to soothe myself. I handled this by ordering 7 cubic yards of mulch and shoveling, shoveling, shoveling away my stress.
   — ctyst

January 4, 2002
I begin my binge eating nearly 15 years ago when I started college. In college I felt like this was one thing I could control in my life. It took nearly six years before someone asked me directly in the face: "Do you have a binge eating disorder?" I nearly fainted! I never knew there was a name for what I did. I went into counseling and was in counseling nearly four years before the surgery. Because I was willing to work with therapists, I was okay to go ahead with the surgery. You have to work at this, it is not a magic cure. The surgeon knew of this and reminds me surgery is a tool and my brain is not what he operated on. I have again started counseling and am confronting the disorder head on. It is tough, and I have stumbled a few times. But I know that at least now I have the right tools, I just have to figure out how to use them together. If you know you have this disorder, don't do it alone. Please go seek counseling. It works, and you will feel so much better. If you want to talk more about this, please email me at [email protected]. Good luck! Amy
   — purdue_1993