Eating Disorders Counselling
in Red Deer
Secure online sessions are available in Alberta
Do you have an issue with Eating Disorders? Do you struggle to maintain a healthy weight? Do you binge on food to feel better? Do you control your life with issues around anorexia? Do you purge to feel better? Do you binge and then purge? Is eating disorders a daily struggle? Perhaps you use exercise addictively to control your weight?
The parts of eating disorders
Eating disorders consist of anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and/or excessive exercise. Each of these may be an issue by itself. Or there may be a combination of these issues. Some people binge and then purge afterwards.
Binge eating/Emotional Eating
This is when you eat an excessive amount of calories in a short period of time. Many times binge eating or emotional eating happens when you have emotional issues that bother you. By eating it helps you feel better. Afterwards, you may feel frustrated or angry with yourself. You may even feel sad.
Bulimia
Bulimia is where you purge after you have eaten. When you purge, it helps you feel better. Some people even plan to binge eat and then purge. They may even eat foods that they consider unhealthy and then purge these foods.
Anorexia
Anorexia is when you eat very little and you lose weight. You may or may not be at a normal weight. You may be at a very low weight or even a very healthy weight. It can get so bad that it affects your health. You may even need to be hospitalized to gain weight. Along with this, there are many health issues and health risks.
How eating disorders have affected you.
One way to tell how eating disorders are affecting you is to figure out your Body Mass Index (BMI) is. You can do this by using one of the many BMI calculators that are online. Here is one that you can use for normal adults.
Exercise
Some people use excessive exercise to control weight. It can be an issue where exercise becomes additive and it is the most important thing in your life above your family, relatives, or work. This can be very difficult.
What will treatment help me with?
Dealing with disordered eating is not always easy. It takes time and effort. It means being intentional about what you do when it comes to eating.
Part of dealing with disorder eating is dealing with your emotions. This may be strong emotions that you need to deal with or it may be numbing emotions that you need to deal with.
How can treatment help me?
Treatment will help you figure out what your issues are. It will help you identify what is causing the issues. Help you make healthy changes to your lifestyle. And help you find personal peace from these issues.
Do you need help with these issues? Would you like to see a counsellor who is also a dietitian? Somebody who understands eating disorders from both sides of the issue?
Short term therapy can help relieve many symptoms and get you back on your feet. For people who choose to engage in long-term therapy, the results are deeper and often very profound. You can choose the best path for your life, short or long-term therapy or a combination of both options.
Audrey Tait has specialized training in Eating Disorders. As a psychotherapist/counsellor and dietitian she is able to deal with the food issues and the emotional reasons for eating. She is here to help you. Make an appointment. Find out more about her training.