Eating disorders
Do you constantly think about food? Are you afraid to lose control over your food intake? Are you counting calories? Are you not satisfied with your body at all? These may be signs that you have an eating disorder.
Anorexic disorder is characterized by a compulsive anxiety to gain weight, despite having a BMI well below average. Food is systematically checked for caloric content, a lot of physical activity is performed in order to burn more calories.
Bulimia on the other hand is characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, where huge amounts of food is absorbed in a short time, with a sense of lack of control, guilt and shame –subsequently plagued by compensatory behavior such as vomiting, intensive sports or the use of laxatives in order to prevent gain weight. The mind will constantly revolve around body shape and weight.
What can I do?
Guided and instructed by a therapist you learn how your eating disorder works, which situations trigger and sustain it. An important phase will rely on watching your eating habits closely (what and when did you eat, what did you think about then and how did you feel at that moment?). After that you will try to gradually introduce changes in your behaviour, aided by a therapist. The psychological counseling can be supplemented by a nutritional consultation.
Please note: None of our therapists is specialised in the subject of eating disorders. It is highly recommended though, to have a longer-term accompaniment than our counseling centre can offer. We would therefore be pleased to refer you to the following service in Freiburg.