Expert: Leigh-Anne Persing, PA-C - 1/24/2007

Question
Hi, I successfully lost weight in the past (25 lbs and I kept it for two years. I ate nothing but fruits and vegetables. I know this is what you call a fad diet but now I've developed an eating disorder. I've been binging for the past four months now and gained an excessive amount of weight is a short period of time. I went to the doctor and they told me that there's nothing to do about it. The eating disorder clinic cannot help me cos' I'm not eating for emotional reasons. I want to stop binging because I'm afraid that I'll start purging soon because my weight is going up and up and up. I tried everything to break the cycle but the cravings were so intense. I can't control it. I've tried everything and nothing works. I even get withdrawal symptoms when I don't eat carbs (bread, cookies, pasta, cheese, etc. Help me!

Answer
perhaps you would benefit from seeing and nutritionist or dietician to see if you can come up with a meal plan to follow. We can do it on our own... but we sometimes feel more committed to the said plan if someone has laid it out for us. In addition... try to find some distracting techniques. You need to be able to identify the urge to binge before you participate in it. Once your able to identify that then you can work on distracting yourself form participating in those activities... read, listen to music, go for a walk, exercise, write in your journal, etc.