Strategies To Overcome Binge Eating Disorder

This new Binge Eating Disorder Support Group has been a very powerful source of encouragement for those who’ve attended recently. Many group members have found relief just knowing there are other people who really get  their struggle with binge eating. It’s been a safe place for members to come and share their weekly successes and challenges, and receive support from the rest of the group to keep on walking forward on their journey towards recovery.

This week, the challenges that arose concerned the "mind battle," which all group members could relate to as very frustrating. For example, when we’re not truly hungry, but we are internally struggling in our mind because we want to eat anyways. In relation to this, members also discussed the need to ask the “right” questions about eating behavior, like “what is really going on when I have the urge to binge?” and identifying the emotions underneath the behavior. Especially if we’ve struggled with binge eating for a long time, it can be difficult to replace the “quick fix” (coping with food) with something that is more helpful and nurturing for ourselves. But members seem to be doing that by reaching out to others for help, journaling,  being completely honest with themselves and others, and setting plans in place to make it easier to make choices that will propel them forward on their path towards recovery. 

Some of the successes included more mindful eating, picking ourselves up after we’ve had a slip up, not allowing shameful/guilty feelings overtake us, and discovering alternative ways to reward ourselves that are non-food related. Next week, a member plans on bringing the topic: “so how do we stop in the middle of, or once we’ve already started bingeing?” when the tendency is to think “well you’ve already blown it and might as well go all the way!” The group will discuss ideas about how to stop and be present, challenge that black and white thinking, and turn away from the behavior in the moment.

I’m very impressed with the courage this group has shown in seeking support from others who understand this struggle, and working towards their own recovery. I hope you can join us in Denver at a meeting, Wednesdays from 7-8:30pm, or get support by reading this blog!  If you'd like more information about this group, please call me at 864.430.6369 or email me at kathryn4825@aol.com

Written by Kathryn Hamrick, Counseling Intern at Positive Pathways