Hi everyone. I havent been here for awhile but i really need your help. After much thought and realization i have come to the conclusion that i am definitely a stress eater. Always have been, always will be. I need help. i am gaining weight, i have gained about 10lbs over the last month. i start out good in the morning then by late afternoon im hitting the ice cream and anything else i can find. i know what im supposed to be eating, but theres like a mental block in my head and i just cant get past it. im pretty stressed right now, with health reasons, family issues and such. i just dont know what i need to do to move past this. i've thought about seeing a shrink but i know if i do that my family will freak out. im just the keep it to yourself type of person and now its just building up and this is what has happened, me gaining and eating.

Therapy is probably a really good idea, actually. Therapy can help you see into your motivations about different things BUT it can also help you devise better coping strategies than the ones you're using at the present that aren't really working for you. Don't tell your family if you're that concerned about their reaction. But, I'm thinking that if you mean your "whole" family. It's kind of hard to keep things from a spouse or significant other, but only you can decide about that. Children (regardless of their age) have never had a need to know EVERYTHING about a parent. That doesn't change. So if it's a child, it's really none of that person's business if you don't want it to be.

The reality is that alot of people are sort of creeped out by the idea of therapy but they usually don't really know what it entails. I can tell you that you will do a whole lot more talking than the therapist, who will ask you a lot of questions, and help you work through the answers for yourself.

Many employers have an EAP (Employee Assistance Plan) that will provide you with up to six (usually) visits with a therapist at no charge to you and if the therapist feels you need more help than 6 visits can provide, they can continue to see you, with regular charges applied.

I utilized this very thing after I had to exercise the durable power of attorney for health care for a loved one who had had a catastrophic stroke .... and I had to authorize the doctor to turn off her life support. Those six visits were more help than I could ever tell you and I didn't tell anybody in my family that I'd done it either.

So here's hoping you get the assistance you need to work through this!

thanks cathy. i think maybe i will call the bariatric center that i went thru, they do have a psychologist there and see what all that entails. otherwise, i will call my insurance and have them refer someone. thanks for your help.

I've been seeing my therapist since I started this process back in January 2006. She's been more help for me to get a hold of this process than you can imagine.

And if you frame your thinking like you're dealing with an eating disorder you might find going a bit easier. If you were anorexic would you not go get your head looked at eventually? Same coin, different side.