Combining Therapy with Weight Loss??

[Gen]

Ok so after reading quite a few threads in the past little while and looking at my own progress or lack thereof... and constantly seeing the same thing I have decided to put up a post on whether we should be combining our weight loss journey with therapy to sort the emotional issues which got us to the place we were before we started our journeys??

My reasons for putting this up are as follows, from reading different threads/diarys/posts I have observed the following traits....

- people on the first leg of the VLCD journey doing brilliantly but still worried about introducing food back into their lives
- people on the second/third/millionth leg of the VLCD journey really struggling or giving themselves such a hard time for not being able to get back on it or finding it very hard

Whilst doing a VLCD like Cambridge/Lighterlife etc we all have to deal with our emotions as they come up because we don't have the comfort of food to numb the pain... unfortunately, i think, that we are unable to sort some of these emotions out ourselves and then when we do start introducing food back into our lives no matter how much we loved being slim these emotions come back to haunt us and for the most part we go back to our old habits of overeating and putting back on some or all of the weight we so proudly lost.

So back to my initial thoughts.... should we be combining getting therapy with losing weight to try to sort the emotional issues out before introducing food back into the equation

All comments, suggestions, theories gratefully accepted

love

Gen xx

ps... before anyone thinks i'm being insensitive here... i have been through all of the above and am now in therapy to try to stop me piling back on the weight when i do finally lose it AGAIN

 

[Pollyanna]

Yes I agree, I entered therapy in 2002 left in 2005 but always know Id go back again!
Funnily enough when I started I was lighter ( 2 stones) and i remember my therapist saying the extra weight was "emotional padding." Of course that gave me a great excuse to eat what i wanted! So I think its a great idea to combine the two , I just need to find a good therapist .
BTW can someone point me to the correct forum for me? im not following a particular diet but cutting out sugar, saturated fats and exercise . Im guessing GI may be the place??

 

[Gen]

Yes I agree, I entered therapy in 2002 left in 2005 but always know Id go back again!
Funnily enough when I started I was lighter ( 2 stones) and i remember my therapist saying the extra weight was "emotional padding." Of course that gave me a great excuse to eat what i wanted! So I think its a great idea to combine the two , I just need to find a good therapist .
BTW can someone point me to the correct forum for me? im not following a particular diet but cutting out sugar, saturated fats and exercise . Im guessing GI may be the place??

hey there... see ur in dublin.... me too!!!!

i found it very interesting that no one had replied to this thread..... cos i believe in it very strongly!!!

Not sure what forum you should be on but i'm sure someone will point ya in the right direction!!!!

love

Gen xxx

 

[kandy]

Hiya Gen,
I agree this is very important , I know that i really need some help to discover what it is thats makes me dive head first into a crisp bag when a situation arises !

I have an idea what the underlying issue is but no idea how to resolve it .
I would love to not use food as a crutch but also realise the few times in my life that i havent used food i have used cigarettes or alcohol (sometimes together lol ) so how to overcome it and do people get over it ???

Would be very interested in anyone elses experiences with therapy ..............

Love to all be strong Julie xxxxxx

 

[baileysandice]

Hi I see a therapist and it’s really helping me to deal with my emotions. For example, I don’t express my anger even when someone’s really upset or angered me, I just walk away.

Unfortunately I then internalise my anger/frustration/upset and binge to ‘medicate’ myself to dissociate myself from the pain I’m feeling. Obviously this really doesn’t help or work and if anything I always end up feeling worse about myself and ultimately put on weight!

Anyway, having a therapist has helped me, as I’m able to talk to someone who has no connection or emotional attachment to me so I feel she gives me an unbiased reflection of incidents in my life. I’m beginning to stand up for myself and tell people how I feel without feeling guilty that I might upset them! Which is having a really good effect on my urges to binge. That’s why Cambridge is really good for me, as I can’t hide behind food, I have to face my emotions and find other ways to deal with them.

The funny thing is that people that know me think I’m really strong and that nothing affects me.

Baileysandice x

 

[katieo]

I agree with you Gen, I'm on first week of CD and I know very well that if I don't sort out my emotional issues I will put any weight I lose, back on. My doctor referred me for CBT and I'm on a waiting list as i cannot afford to pay privately.

Hopefully someday I will learn how to stop trying to eat my feelings away!

X katie

 

[Angel]

Hi all - how do you go about seeing a therapist/counsellor? This is so weird, as I've been thinking about this for the last few days, I think I'm addicted to food, well I don't think, I know I am, it takes over my whole life and I don't know how to stop it, I feel so low at the moment, can anyone help? Thanks

Love Angel xxxx

 

[katieo]

Angel

I went to my GP and told her that I felt I had a problem with binge eating, she referred me to a mental health worker who I had a chat with and he decided to refer me to an Eating Disorders team, they assessed me and decided that I may benefit from therapy and put me on a waiting list.

Any kind of counselling should help but I felt I would benefit more from an eating disorder specialist.

Hope this helps!

X katie

 

[Angel]

Thank you for the advice Katie - I am definately a binge eater, I eat in secret too, but I really don't know why, I have a lovely hubby and baby, something I've always wanted, I shud be content but obviously there's something adrift - habit maybe? I duno, but I know I need to get it sorted, I can either go to my GP or, see our psychologist thru work, he's a lovley bloke, I've seen him b4 - thanks tho, and hope that your doing ok

Love Angel xxxx

 

[AmandaJayne]

I've only just happened on this thread, and I definitely agree that, for me the CBT and TA group counselling I have done as part of the LL programme has been crucial to my continued success (and future success at maintaining). It has been money (£66 initially per week) well spent.

I am on week 10 of the 12 week Management programme just now, and am down to just 7 packs a week (one a day) for £16.50. After week 12, I can continue to attend the counselling meetings for support, for free, for as long as I need.

When I did my initial research, I considered CD because it was half the price and there seemed to be more variety of food packs.

However, I decided to go with LL because I felt that unless I 'changed my mind', just 'changing my body' would be simply not enough. I'd tried that through conventional diets for thirty years, and realised that there had to be something more.

So, LL was the obvious choice, even though the LL counsellor I go to lives 20 miles away, and the CD counsellor 2 miles away.

LL/CBT counselling was MY answer, but it may not be everyone's. We all have to find our own way.

 

[That's_So_Fetch]

I am only on day 6 of the diet but before i even started i decided that i was going to start a mood/food diary to help me through the diet. I note down the date and time of when i feel the need to eat and why. Its only been 6 days and i have already identified when my eating is linked to my emotional issues.

I am also lucky to have a psyhologist aswell (for treatment for an illnes i have) and she helps me to figure out how to combat my emotional eating and how to resolve it.

I think it would be very beneficial for people on any diet, especially ones like CD and LL where you dont have any food, to monitor their feelings and emotions relating to food and life because it is a good tool to prevent weight gain in the future.

xx

 

[texasmorning]

I, too, have just stumbled onto this thread. If you don't mind me putting in my two scents (i.e. aromatherapy)...

The sole sourcing is a wonderful way to do just as you have pointed out. Not having food at all puts into great relief (----^^---^^^---^----) the issues where, in the past, you ate to self medicate. This is where you take a deep breath, shake your shoulders and say to yourself, "Great, now I am getting somewhere!" (rather than beat yourself up for feeling like resorting to food) Start a list of the times of day, the triggers, the emotional issues, the smells, etc. that raise these feelings. And while you are drinking another litre of water, congratulate yourself that you are dealing with your old nags!!! You are developing critical strategy here!

Another list to start is one of the things you can do 'when'... Such as, when I feel like eating, and I know that I am not hungry, I could:

• clean out a drawer
• rip up an old shirt to make cleaning rags (do it with great gusto!)
• go on the Minimins site and look at some piccies
• sew those buttons back on that fav shirt (not the one you just tore up)
• dance like no one is watching ;o}
• sing out loud using a hairbrush for a microphone
• laugh
• walk
• cleanse your face and massage your neck to make it more supple and toned.
• (you fill in the blank)

This will serve several purposes, you know. You benefit by getting those itty bitty jobs done that pester you but never seem to get tackled. Plus you will be finding new ways to cope with the issues that were previously poorly dealt with by food. And you will feel better afterwards, not angry at yourself for having succombed again.

If anger is one of those issues, and for most of us, it is: try something that requires you to move or shout or throw something. Good time to tackle one corner of the garage or something. You may find that most of your anger is aimed at yourself, rather than at others. Go ahead and shout at yourself, get it out of your system, then laugh at yourself, and forgive yourself. But get it out and learn from it. Depression is the result of anger turned inwards. Anger is the mind's way of telling you that 'something is wrong somewhere'. Pay attention to that, and find out what is wrong with any given situation. Then you can deal with it. Sort it. And thank your mind for bringing it to your attention.

We are all on a great learning curve. There are no exams, and everyone gets off track here and there. It takes time to learn new skills and break old habits. But that time is going to pass anyway, it might as well be used constructively! If you have learned that the old habits don't get you what you want, then you are well on your way to discovering what does!! Just remember:

If you keep doing what you've always done, you will keep getting what you've always got.
​

And as one of my Southern Baptist friends says, "Go now and thin some more!" }


texasmorning

 

[AmandaJayne]

I've just started a new sub-thread on the Lighterlife thread called D.I.Y. C.B.T.

I read an article in the sunday paper and typed out a bit of it because I found it illuminating. It lists 10 ways in which negative thought processes can cause problems, and suggests writing out a 'mood log' to monitor upsetting events, negative feelings, and automatic thoughts they trigger. It suggests trying to substitute more realistic thoughts.

It's worth a look...

 

[KD]

I know my therapy was very much a DIY effort. It took me a long time to sort myself out. Perhaps it would have been quicker seeing a therapist I dunno.

I do think that for most of us, you have to really confront your 'issues' and then work out your solution, whether you go it alone or not. I think many people are pretty good at working out why they eat, it's finding the solution to the problem that they don't give enough time to.

All the diets I did in the past, but I never really confronted them as deeply as this time. Maybe because this time I knew I had to!

 

[Paws]

I really believe that, for me, food and mood are very closely linked. I have just started having counselling for low self esteem and body issues primarily, and my counsellor says I have "weight distress"! Food is a comfort blanket, but it is making me bigger and bigger each year and I need to address this before my body starts to really suffer.
I am hoping that counselling can help me feel happy with who I am making food less of a comfort and more of a treat.
Someone said to me that comfort eaters think about food every waking hours UNLESS they are eating, when it's gone too fast and not tasted nevermind enjoyed.
This is me.

 

[AmandaJayne]

"....Someone said to me that comfort eaters think about food every waking hours UNLESS they are eating, when it's gone too fast and not tasted nevermind enjoyed.
This is me....."

Yup, Paws, it used to be me too. I totally blanked out and didn't think of anything while eating - just switched off. Weird, eh?

 

[That's_So_Fetch]

I think whenever you decide to diet and lose weight the emotional and psychological issues should always be addressed. Because there are always reasons fo why you became overweight in the first place and if you dont try to identify them you risk the chance of falling into old eating habits and gaining weight.

The therapy offered by Lighetlife is a good tool to prevent weight gain. But i also feel you can do it yourself by doing things such as keeping diarys of food/mood/situatioanl triggers, anything that makes you want to eat. Then you can start to find ways of how to deal with it.

I personally want to do my own therpay so that i feel i am n contol of my food and weight and not have it contoling me.

Yes i do have extra support from a psychologist but that therapy focuses on other areas of my life.

I would be happy to post any information and suggestions that my psychologist gives me to help with my weight and my CD journey. Let me know if you want me too.

Good luck to everyone xx

 

[Gen]

I would be happy to post any information and suggestions that my psychologist gives me to help with my weight and my CD journey. Let me know if you want me too.

I think that would be a fantastic idea if you would feel comfortable doing it....

Every little helps eh!!!!

 

[That's_So_Fetch]

I think that would be a fantastic idea if you would feel comfortable doing it....

Every little helps eh!!!!

I dont mind at all .

My weight issues are no longer the focus of my sessions for now(we're taking a little break, lol ) but we always have time to discuss it. Also because i have started CD she feels that it will make it easier to identify problems with food because there is no food on the diet, so we should have something to talk about every week.

I'll keep you posted

xx

 

[EmMUK]

I definitely think therapy is key to our success and especially our maintenance. I have had about 3 years of therapy almost purely about my weight issues and why I eat etc and this was before I started any weight loss because my counsellor always thought it best to deal with the issues before trying to loose. It was a really hard road but it got to the bottom of why I ate and eat and also helped me to understand myself and my emotions better. and then eventually, about 6 months after I had finished therapy, something went off in my head and it was the right time for me to start CD. And I think that's imporant as well, it has to be the right time for YOU or it won't happen. and now I am doing CD and it's working I have realised that I still need help because I have a major food addiction and so last month I joined OA and that's doing really well for me. I don't need CBT or any other therapy any more, I need support and somewhere to share and talk.

great thread, thanks