Wellness

[bonnielu]

My medical plan covers a limited appointments to hospital weight loss evaluations. It is not much but it is a start. I am ten pounds down. I do have an advantage because hubby can wear his wedding suit and has always exercised and eaten well. I do well mealwise but the dessert has gotten me every time. So with the news of my sister "healthy" always exercising sister having a heart attack I figured I BETTER DO SOMETHING ABOUT MY DIET DISCRETIONS. (SHE LOVED THE DESSERT ALSO - family tradition I guess).

Under the care of this hospital dietician I am on a 1000 calorie diet (I am five feet tall and 30 pounds overweight) I have cut out all deserts, sugars, most carbs and I watch the portion size. I am on a roll... downward... slowly but surely.

I dance every evening and try to get in 30 minutes of exercise (extra) each day. Sometimes it takes a warning or to be scared into something like this, as in sister having a problem.

As for will power, it is my firm belief that sugar and carbs are an addiction... not a choice, and the only way to beat it is to take it away almost totally.

[151949]

On 9/22/2014 Gioiella said:

I had great success in working with a therapist to handle my weight and food issues. Fortunately, insurance paid for the treatment, since it was classified as eating disorder treatment rather than weight loss treatment. If you are unable to control your eating for mental health reasons, that can qualify as an eating disorder, even if you don't have a typical eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia (I didn't).

I had no problem knowing the correct way to eat in order to lose weight; I had done it many times. I had lost large amounts of weight (once I lost 100 pounds) using a variety of approaches, including Weight Watchers (I lost 60 pounds), but I always gained it back and more. The bottom line was that I was suffering from anxiety, and using food as a treatment. I needed to learn better techniques for dealing with anxiety, so that I no longer needed to use food. Therapy helped me to resolve my issues so that I was able to lose the weight, and I have been at an average size for the past 6 years.

Check out the mental health services provided by your insurance, and approach it from an eating disorder perspective rather than an "I need a new diet" or "I need to lose weight" perspective.

Thank you - this was exactly the type of response I was hoping for - not someones opinion but someones actual experience with therapy.

[151949]

I just got my Medicare and you book for 2015 - they will pay for 30 therapy sessions if deemed necessary by your PCP. I am confident he will approve it so I am planning to ask him when I see him next time. Whatever medicare pays for my Advantage Plan is also required to pay for so I am good for that. I imagine I will have to pay the specialists fee which is $50/visit.