has anyone tried seeing a shrink about weight issues? I know that the 150 excess pounds I have on me CAN'T just be about poor choices in food LOL there's something else going on....happy childhood....good self-esteem.... not sure what it is but maybe a shrink could help???
any thoughts? i mean, alcoholics and drug addicts get help all the time, and this is obviously my drug of choice...yay i picked a tasty one! lol
I haven't... but when I went to NW Hospital in Chicago, and was going to join their hospital weight loss program they wanted me to see the therpist specifically trained in food-related issues. You might see if there is a program like that near you and if so ask for recommendations if your interested in getting that kind of help.
The only reason I didn't do it is the cost for the inital visit ended up being like 350 bucks which insurance refused to pay for, and I couldn't afford to go back. It being Downtown and a Hospital program it was something like 250 an hour for the therapy session! Eeep!
We joked in graduate school (psychology) that many of us were drawn to the field in order to figure ourselves out, and maybe save some money on therapy bills. I've been through counseling as a part of my training, and at certain transitional periods in my life, and I found it helpful. I never found it all that helpful regarding weight, though because I think it can be just about food. Liking the flavor, texture, smell, preparation.... I think it truly can be just about that.
I had a great childhood, with only moderately disfunctional parents. I was adopted, but unlike my brother who was embarassed about it, I thought it was cool and was really proud of it. At four or five, my mother said I went through a phase where I would tell everyone I met - grocery store clerks, neighbors, the mailman.... I didn't like any domestic chore except cooking, and if I begged, my mom would even let me make dinner sometimes. I was maybe around 8.
I certainly don't discourage anyone from therapy. I think it never hurts to understand yourself better, but I think it certainly can be just a matter of liking food or the wrong foods too much.
I haven't been in therapy specifically for weight issues, but when I was a teenager, I was in therapy for depression. I wasn't comfortable talking about weight at the time, so when it came up, I would sort of shut down. I wish I would have talked about it more and got some help with it. I get the feeling that, while the therapists thought growing up with an alcoholic father was the main reason for my depression, they also believed weight was part of it. They were probably right.
I'm with Colleen on this one. I tried cognitive therapy, Jungian psychoanalysis, kinesthetic therapy, and Overeaters Anonymous (which isn't directed therapy but has a sort of group-therapy feel to it sometimes). They were all very interesting and helpful in the sense that I could recognize some of my issues. But the only thing that has helped me lose weight is eating less and moving more.
That said, Geneen Roth has written a number of books in which she suggests you take the time to truly experience food, become sensitive to physical hunger cues (as opposed to an attack of the yummies), and learn to eat only when hungry and stop when full. She also addresses psychological/emotional reasons for overeating.
If the cost or availability of therapists specifically trained in weight loss issues is not an issue for you, I think you'd find the process enlightening, but perhaps not as much lightening as you'd like.
I think therapy could be a good thing. Then maybe you could get to the root of the problem, and maybe you would be less likely to relapse into your old habits. I think it might be a good thing for all of us who have over eating issues.
I've also said that food was my drug of choice. It still is.
I spent years trying to figure out why I overeat. I thought that I couldn't lose the weight if I didn't have it all figured out. Nonsense. I wasted sooo much time. Sometimes you just have to take the plunge and do it anyway. You don't need all the answers to make a change. If I had waited to find the answer to my question, I'd still be morbidly obese. I may never know.
I agree, if I used my past as an excuse for being obese, I would never lose weight ~ I would just eat myself to death. You have to decide what you want, and then follow that path. Period.
(My past includes being an abused child, living in a children's home, foster homes, having my first child at 15, surviving the death of 2 sons....so yeah, dwelling on that sure won't make a healthy state of mind)
I definitely didn't mean to discourage anyone from therapy, because I believe in it's value (maybe my career choices make that obvious), but I'm very leary of therapy that says there are hidden or repressed reasons why you're not as mentally healthy as you think you are, and then goes about trying to find those reasons.
I think if you have unresolved issues, you generally know it. If you eat in response to emotions, or to repress unpleasant feelings, I think you know it (or with just a little self-examination can learn this about yourself, and change it without intense therapy).
But I think that while addictive and compulsive behaviors can be used to escape unpleasant reality, they are also SELF-sustaining. They stimulate pleasure centers in the brain, and you don't have to be a basket-case to enjoy pleasurable sensations, and even get yourself in a self-sustaining cycle of use/abuse. Breaking the cycle, may truly be all it takes (often easier said then done, but this doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you).
If you think talking to someone about your problems might help, go for it! But, if you think you're crazy only because you're fat, I would disagree.
Wow! This is such a great thread. Therapy is really aiding me in the weight loss process. Before I started losing weight, I met with a holistic health counselor. In our first session together we talked about the idea of primary foods (i.e. relationships, career, spirituality, etc..) and secondary foods (the food itself). One of the first things she said was I needed to figure out which primary foods I was lacking? But while doing this I was being educated on how to eat, what to eat, best exercise, reading books on holistic and whole foods living.
The health counselor really set me on the right path, but what helps me to keep going is working my my therapist. I'm on my 4th therapist now, due to moving around and she is the best I have worked with. I had a very positive experience with my first therapist and the next two weren't that great. I had/have a lot of baggage to work through and therapy helps me to connect all the dots. If nothing else, therapy helps you flesh out what your issues are. The therapist is there for you to talk and to interrupt the broken record that constantly plays in your head. Sometimes when you have all of these issues to deal with and the only thing you ever do about them is think and turn them over and over in your mind, it helps to get them out of your mind and into the open.
Good Luck
I have seen a variety of therapists/psychologists/psychiatrist over the years & have found every one has helped me in some way get to where I am today - even if it wasn't directly weightloss related.
I personally think a little therapy is a good thing - go for it!
I sought out a therapist specifically for a weight-loss related issue, and it has been SO good for me. Unlike many people, I, however, could pinpoint my exact problem. I gave birth to a stillborn about eight years ago, and I have been harboring guilt feelings about it ever since. Without going into too much detail, whenever I started a weight loss program, I would start focusing on that trauma. I can remember so many times when I was walking or on the elliptical and I broke down into tears because it brought all of those feelings back up. It sounds so cliche, but I avoided dealing with it for those eight years, and I found it an essential step to deal with it before I could progress. So, for me at least, therapy has been an essential part of my journey. It has also had the wonderful side effect of helping me in many, many other aspects of my life. I started in May, and only go once or twice a month now, so I think the fact that I had my problem pinpointed before I went made my experience much quicker than is typical. I still feel like a wimp for needing it, especially when I read stories like Mrs. Quadcrew's, but it did help me and I will never regret seeking the help that I needed.
Lauriedawn - I hope you do not feel like a wimp because of what I posted. Loosing a child (IMO) is the most devastating thing that can happen to a woman. Anyone who survives that - no matter HOW they choose to get through it - is a very strong soul. I belonged to a support group for several years after the deaths of my sons. Those without a doubt were the 2 worst years of my life. I am one you will never hear the saying "it can always get worse" - because it sure can.
I made the statement decide what you want, then follow that path....and that is how I will always feel. For some, that may be therapy, for others maybe some other coping mechanism. We are all responsible for our own happiness however or where ever we find it.
therapy?
I hope you do not feel like a wimp because of what I posted. 
Loosing a child (IMO) is the most devastating thing that can happen to a woman. Anyone who survives that - no matter HOW they choose to get through it - is a very strong soul. I belonged to a support group for several years after the deaths of my sons. Those without a doubt were the 2 worst years of my life. I am one you will never hear the saying "it can always get worse" - because it sure can. 