Eating Disorder Treatment In Houston, TX
Are you struggling with food and eating? Do you want to take control of your life?
Do you severely restrict your caloric intake?
Do you weigh yourself once or twice (or more) a day?
Do you over-exercise?
Do you eat when you are upset, sad, anxious, or happy?
Do you overeat more than twice a week?
Do your thoughts about food and gaining weight feel obsessive?
Have you hidden evidence of the foods you have eaten out of shame?
Do you worry that you have no impulse control when eating?
Have you ever tried to lose weight using self-induced vomiting, laxatives, diuretics, fasting or amphetamines?
Do you feel uncomfortable eating around other people?
Do you obsess about eating super healthy foods and feel anxious if you eat “bad” foods?
you might have an Eating Disorder.
What is an eating disorder?
If you are struggling with an Eating Disorder, then you are not alone.
An estimated 5-10 million Americans are affected by eating disorders. You can read more about the statistics and research on eating disorders on the National Eating Disorders Association website.
We have worked with hundreds of people who are struggling with these same issues. In a comfortable, supportive environment, we can work together to help you gain control of your life, your body, and your self-image. Treatment is tailored to meet your individual needs. We often work in conjunction with licensed dietitians who specialize in working with people who need help with
Anorexia treatment
Bulimia treatment
Food addictions
Binge eating disorder treatment
Orthorexia or obsessively “healthy” eating
Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder treatment
Compulsive exercising
Compulsive overeating
Eating disorders are serious illnesses that can affect both your emotional and physical health. If you are not sure if you have an eating disorder or what can be done to make changes, please read on to find out more. You can also watch this video with the criteria for eating disorders. Counseling can help you gain freedom from your struggle with food, weight, poor body image, and the roller coaster of disordered eating.
CBT for Eating Disorders
One of the techniques we use to help you manage your eating disorder is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for eating disorders. Our actions are often driven by our thinking. Negative or distorted thinking can create emotional distress which can lead to harmful behaviors. For example, an obsession with gaining weight may cause you to panic and therefore restrict your eating. Being able to think in a balanced, positive, and the realistic way can help you take control of the distorted thinking that can be a trigger for disordered eating. We combine CBT for eating disorders with other techniques to give you the greatest chance of success.
Eating Disorders can have an impact on all of your relationships. It can certainly complicate romantic relationships. You can read more about this in Nancy Wilson’s interview with Giddy.com about dating with an eating disorder.
Stress & Emotional Eating
Eating disorders are a maladaptive coping mechanism. In other words, people use eating disorders to cope with difficult things in their life like stress. It is not surprising that we use food to cope with life’s difficulties. Food is so readily available and reliable. If I have had a bad day, I might go for a pint of ice cream or a bag of chips, or a sleeve of cookies. And for a little while, I am in that food coma and I am numb to my stress and pain. Of course, the regret usually comes after that, and along with it shame and regret. It becomes a vicious cycle. We use emotional eating to feel better but in the end, the bad outweighs the good. We have an eating disorder therapist who can help you break this pattern of emotional eating. You can learn to stop eating your emotions and actually start to meet your real needs.
If you are struggling with emotional eating, you may find this video with tips for how to stop emotional eating helpful.
Body Image
Do you feel like you are at war with your body? Do you feel like it has betrayed you? Or like your body doesn’t fit or represent you? You may hate your body or just feel embarrassed and uncomfortable about certain parts of your body. You may even obsess about your body and the issues you have with it. Many people who have eating disorders have a poor or distorted body image. However, you don’t necessarily have to have an eating disorder to have a poor body image. One in five adults has some shame or disgust about their bodies. For teenagers, those numbers are closer to 37%. Body image is closely linked to self-esteem.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
If you feel bad about your body, chances are that has negatively affected your self-esteem. For some people, this poor body image rises to the level of body dysmorphia. Body dysmorphia or Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental health condition where people spend a significant amount of time worrying about what they see as flaws in their bodies. They usually see their bodies in extremely negative ways that don’t relate to reality. Eating disorder & Body image therapy can help you if you are struggling with a poor body image.
Binge Eating Disorder Treatment
Does your eating feel out of control? Does the need to binge seem to come out of nowhere? Do you want to stop binge eating, but don’t know how? You may have a binge eating disorder if you eat large quantities of food and don’t use any behaviors such as purging to stop weight gain. These binge episodes often result in feelings of shame and guilt. You eat even though you are not hungry and you will eat past the point of discomfort. If this describes you, binge eating disorder treatment in Houston, TX can help you learn to stop these destructive eating behaviors and manage all of the negative feelings that come along with it.
Anorexia Nervosa Treatment
Do you find yourself obsessing about gaining weight gain? Your family members or doctor may even be telling you that you should gain some weight, but you feel overweight, want to restrict the amount of food you eat, and feel uncomfortable with eating. You feel certain that you are overweight despite what other people are telling you, so you hide how little you eat, you obsess about eating only healthy foods, and you overexercise - anything to keep from gaining weight. You think about your weight all the time and can’t seem to stop these behaviors. You may have an eating disorder called anorexia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa treatment in Houston, TX can help you. We have trained eating disorder specialists who can help.
You may want to get eating disorder Treatment but still have some concerns.
Why can’t I just change my eating habits on my own?
You may be able to make changes on your own, but if you are here, it is probably because you feel stuck. You have tried everything you can think of but are still struggling with disordered eating. A trained eating disorder counselor in Houston can help you change your bad habits, and disordered eating thoughts, and deal with triggers that cause disordered eating. Part of being healthy is knowing when you need help. Disordered eating therapy can help you finally make the changes you want to.
Is it really possible to get over an eating disorder?
Yes! That is not to say it’s easy. You may have some entrenched habits, compulsions, and addictions that cause you to maintain an eating disorder, but with work and the right treatment, you can kick your eating disorder and learn to have a healthier relationship with food and with your body.
How long does eating disorder treatment take?
There is no way to know exactly how long you will be in counseling. Once we meet and do an assessment, it will be clearer how often and for how long you may need to come in for counseling. Your outcomes depend in large part on how motivated you are to change and use the skills you learn in counseling. The ultimate goal of therapy is to help clients make changes and use skills they can take with them for the rest of their lives. Once they reach their particular goals, therapy can end. The nice thing is that once a relationship is established with your therapist, even if you meet your goals and finish therapy, you always have a place to return to if new issues come up.
I am worried I will gain weight if I don’t have my eating disorder to keep me in check.
In therapy, we will help you learn to have a healthy relationship with food and your body. For some people, that will mean they lose weight, gain weight, or sometimes it means there is no change. When you eat in a healthy way, your body has set points that it will likely reach. Over 90% of diets fail. You may lose weight in the short run, but most people gain it back and often gain more than they lost in the first place. This type of yo-yo dieting can have a negative impact on your metabolism. Eating disorders treatment does not focus on weight, but instead on having a healthy body and mind.
I don’t have a full-blown eating disorder. Do I really need a disordered eating therapist in Houston, TX?
You don’t have to need hospitalization or be dying to get help. You likely use food to numb out or cope with life. I completely understand the desire to use food to give you more control of your life. But I also know that disordered eating can keep you from having the full range of experiences with people that you may want to have. It can become a preoccupation. It can prevent you from having joy when there is so much more to life. Eating disorders treatment can help you replace the unhealthy coping mechanism of the eating disorder with other, more nurturing skills. You don’t have to hate your body and starve it to stay healthy or keep from gaining large amounts of weight.
Recent Blog Posts:
Types & symptoms of eating disorders
Anorexia Nervosa
Inadequate food intake leading to a weight that is clearly too low, Intense fear of weight gain, obsession with weight and persistent behavior to prevent weight gain, Self-esteem overly related to body image, Inability to appreciate the severity of the situation, Binge-eating/purging type involves binge eating and/or purging behaviors within the last three months, Restricting type does not involve binge eating or purging.
Binge Eating Disorder
Frequent episodes of consuming very large amounts of food but without behaviors to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting. A feeling of being out of control during the binge eating episodes. Feelings of strong shame or guilt regarding the binge eating. Indications that the binge eating is out of control, such as eating when not hungry, eating to the point of discomfort, or eating alone because of shame about the behavior.
Bulimia Nervosa
Frequent episodes of consuming very large amount of food followed by behaviors to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting. A feeling of being out of control during the binge-eating episodes. Self-esteem overly related to body image.
Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID )
Appearing to be a “picky eater” or being “phobic” of certain foods. Not eating enough or skipping meals completely. No evidence of being preoccupied with body shape or weight but rather anxiety about food itself. Very sensitive to certain aspects of foods, focusing on texture, smell, temperature or food groups. Disinterested in food or forgetting to eat. Avoiding events where food will be served. Needing to take nutritional supplements. Anxiety and fear around food. Malnutrition.
Pica
Characterized by individuals who persistently eat non-nutritive substances such as chalk, paper or soap for at least a month.
Rumination Disorder
An eating disoder in which an individual, usually a child or infant, brings their food back up, re-chews and re-swallows it, and it is not caused by a medical condition such as a gastrointestinal condition. It differs from bulimia in that the individual does not appear to be bringing the food up intentionally, nor do they appear upset or disgusted by it. This condition can lead to malnutrition.
Compulsive Overeating
Binge eating, or eating uncontrollably even when not physically hungry. Eating much more rapidly than normal. Eating alone due to shame and embarrassment. Feelings of guilt due to overeating. Preoccupation with body weight. Awareness that eating patterns are abnormal. History of weight fluctuations. Withdrawal from activities because of embarrassment about weight. Eating little in public, but maintaining a high body weight. Hiding food in strange places (closets, cabinets, suitcases, under the bed). Holding the belief that food is their only friend. Unlike bulimia nervosa, persons with compulsive overeating disorder do not purge excess calories following a binge episode.
Complications associated with eating disorders
ANOREXIA NERVOSA:
In anorexia nervosa’s cycle of self-starvation, the body is denied the essential nutrients it needs to function normally. Thus, the body is forced to slow down all of its processes to conserve energy, resulting in serious medical consequences:
Abnormally slow heart rate and low blood pressure, which mean that the heart muscle is changing. The risk for heart failure rises as the heart rate and blood pressure levels sink lower and lower. Reduction of bone density (osteoporosis), which results in dry, brittle bones. Muscle loss and weakness. Severe dehydration, which can result in kidney failure. Fainting, fatigue, and overall weakness. Dry hair and skin; hair loss is common. Growth of a downy layer of hair called lanugo all over the body, including the face, in an effort to keep the body warm.
BULIMIA NERVOSA:
The recurrent binge-and-purge cycles of bulimia can affect the entire digestive system and can lead to electrolyte and chemical imbalances in the body that affect the heart and other major organ functions. Some of the health consequences of bulimia nervosa include:
Electrolyte imbalances that can lead to irregular heartbeats and possibly heart failure and death. Electrolyte imbalance is caused by dehydration and loss of potassium, sodium and chloride from the body as a result of purging behaviors. Potential for gastric rupture during periods of bingeing. Inflammation and possible rupture of the esophagus from frequent vomiting. Tooth decay and staining from stomach acids released during frequent vomiting. Chronic irregular bowel movements and constipation as a result of laxative abuse. Peptic ulcers and pancreatitis.
EATING DISORDER:
Binge eating disorder often results in many of the same health risks associated with clinical obesity. Some of the potential health consequences of binge eating disorder include:
High blood pressure. High cholesterol levels. Heart disease as a result of elevated triglyceride levels. Type II diabetes mellitus. Gallbladder disease.
Do you struggle with eating moderately, healthily and mindfully?
Intuitive eating is a way of eating that is based on the idea that you can listen to your hunger and fullness cues to know when it's time to feed your body or time to stop eating.
The 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating:
Reject the diet mentality
Diets historically don't work, at least not for very long. Rid yourself of the idea that you are worth less because you are not at your dream weight. Allow yourself to get off the yoyo diets and start eating more intuitively.
Honor your hunger
You can train your body to know when it is hungry and when it is full. Honor that hunger by feeding your body food that gives you energy and nutrition. Starving yourself or being overly restrictive will often be the reason people binge or over eat.
Make peace with food
You don't have to be at war with food. If you forbid yourself from eating certain foods, your sense of deprivation will kick in and make you want to eat those foods. No foods need to be completely off the table (unless you have allergic reactions to them). You may just need to learn to eat more mindfully.
Challenge the food police
Diets historically don't work, at least not for very long. Rid yourself of the idea that you are worth less because you are not at your dream weight. Allow yourself to get off the yoyo diets and start eating more intuitively.
Honor your hunger
You can train your body to know when it is hungry and when it is full. Honor that hunger by feeding your body food that gives you energy and nutrition. Starving yourself or being overly restrictive will often be the reason people binge or over eat.
Make peace with food
You don't have to be at war with food. If you forbid yourself from eating certain foods, your sense of deprivation will kick in and make you want to eat those foods. No foods need to be completely off the table (unless you have allergic reactions to them). You may just need to learn to eat more mindfully.
Challenge the food police
Discover the satisfaction factor
Allow yourself to enjoy food. If you truly let yourself eat and find pleasure in food, you are less likely to overeat.
Feel your fullness
You can learn the skill of feeling your fullness by slowing down and eating mindfully. You can trust that your body will tell you when it's time to stop eating.
Cope with your emotions with kindness
Life is hard. Sometimes we use food to numb the pain or help us feel more in control, but food is a poor substitute for what we actually need. Through counseling, you can learn to meet your real needs and cope with your emotions with kindness and not just with food.
Respect your body
Despite what the fashion magazines say, lots of different body types are beautiful, functional and endowed with inherent dignity. We each have a differnt genetic blueprint. Learn to love or at least accept your body.
Movement- feel the difference
You don't have to do a 5 a.m. bootcamp 7 days a week to feel good in your body. However, your body does need movement to feel energized and healthy. If you don't have a regular time daily that you have moment, start small and work up. Even a brisk walk can make a difference.
Honor your health with gentle nutrition
Choose foods that honor your taste buds as well as those that are healthy. Eating ice cream one time is not going to change your weight. Focus on being healthy over the long haul. To learn more about Intuitive Eating, we recommend the book Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Triblole and Elyse Resch who pioneered this idea of Intuitive Eating, and who came up with these 10 principles.
Biology of eating disorders and teens
Have you ever wondered why eating disorders are so prevalent in teen girls?
There are many factors that play into this prevalence, but one that a lot of people don't know about is biology. Puberty makes teens girls vulnerable because of changes in their body mass composition.
For females, the percentage of fat increases by 17% to 25% of their body weight during puberty. This increase results in a change in their set point (their preset weight that is hardwired into their DNA). This same increase does not occur in males. Girls at age 19 eat 12% less than at age 10 but gain more fat stores. By comparison, boys at 19 eat 20% more than at age 10 but don't gain fat stores. Biology does not affect boys and girls in the same way when it comes to body mass composition and weight.
These changes in their bodies are all happening at a time when a sense of body image and identity are at the forefront. Adolescence is also a time when both boys and girls are desperately seeking approval from their peers, and a time they are evaluating their body's ability to attract a partner. They also can't escape living in a world that idealizes thin bodies. We all feel that pressure. These factors make adolescent girls particularly vulnerable to eating disorders.
Unfortunately, that does not mean boys are not affected by eating disorders. About one in three people dealing with disordered eating are male. In the United States, eating disorders will affect ten million males at some point during their lives.
Therapy can help adolescents forming their sense of identity to both feel secure and to have a stronger sense of self-esteem. It can also help if they have already started to form a poor self-image or a difficult relationship with food. If they have a full-blown eating disorder, please contact us to get help right away. There can be serious health consequences associated with eating disorders.
What clients are saying about eating disorder treatment:
"For years, I struggled with overeating. I never felt comfortable in my own skin. Nancy helped me understand what I was trying to feed. Now I feel better than I ever have. I can finally say that food no longer controls me."
"I felt really ambivalent about my life until I came to therapy. Now I see the potential to be happy. Coming to see you has changed my life!"
"I spent so much time trying to change my body. So many hours wasted feeling bad about myself and obsessing about what I was eating. Through counseling, I have learned to love my curves. I just wish I had done this sooner."
Looking for some of the best Eating Disorder Treatments in Houston, TX?
You can gain control of your EATING, your body, and your self-image!
Schedule an appointment with one of our eating disorder specialists. Counseling can help you create a healthy, meaningful, empowered life where you feel comfortable with your body and food.
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In addition to Eating disorder treatment, we have other mental health services in our Houston, TX counseling office. Our caring therapists also offer:
Online Counseling, Anxiety Treatment, Family Therapy, School and College Counseling, Child Therapy, Trauma Therapy, PTSD Treatment, EMDR Therapy, Parenting Counseling, Infertility Counseling, Teen Counseling, Career Counseling, LPC Supervision, LGBTQ+ Counseling.
If you’re ready to get started, please contact Wilson Counseling today. Together we can beat your eating disorder.