[KittyKatFan]

Originally Posted by lutherangal

Wow! What an awesome accomplishment!

How did you do it? Please share!

I started with counting calories and exercise. Nothing spectacular but being religious about counting calories works.

Towards the end, I stopped calorie counting and worked on portion control instead. I was very restrictive for most of the time, minimizing (but not entirely eliminating) processed carbs and I primarily ate lean proteins, veggies and some fruits.

My diet is more varied now. I have realized that carbs won't kill me so I eat a lot more of them now. Didn't affect my weight loss at all.

[KittyKatFan]

Originally Posted by JohnP

Congrats!!!

I think your goal is a great one. Very smart to make a goal that is realistic and obtainable.

If you don't mind sharing ... What help did you get for the binge eating and how long did t take to "fix" the problem.

I actually found a local eating disorder treatment center that offers a program for binge eating disorder. I interviewed with a therapist and was approved for the program. Insurance actually picked up quite a bit of the initial cost.

It is a 12-hour/week program. It offers a mixture of sessions on body image, nutrition, and behavioral therapy. Mainly group sessions but you also have an individual therapist. I still attend but do fewer hours per week since I'm doing better.

The focus is on breaking the binge behavior, not losing weight. I ended up losing, much to the treatment team's concern. I was fully committed to maintaining as part of the program but lost anyway, probably due to exercise because I have followed their meal plan recommendations.

I have been going there for seven months. The program has changed my life. I still have some binge thoughts and I went through a rough patch in April and May but am back on track. As a result of this program, I truly believe I can recover fully from binge eating and maintain the weight loss.

[KittyKatFan]

Originally Posted by schxoxo

That is amazing and very inspirational!! Did you have high BP and cholesterol before you lost the weight?

My cholesterol was ok but my HDL was very low. That has gone from a 37 to 49. My BP was borderline, in the 125/85 range. Now I am typically below a 100/60. Pulse rate in the low 50's.