Lexie drank the rest of her diet Coke, and belched as she dropped the bottle in the recycle bin. She was full. Not really satisfied, but who knew why? She’d been watching a streaming comedy series on her big screen, and had called out for food delivery. She started with a double cheeseburger with seasoned fries, but wanted more. So she went to the freezer and filled a bowl with her favorite Extreme Moose Tracks chocolate fudge ice cream, with those shortbread and fudge cookies slipped into the bowl on the side. That helped. At the next commercial, she paused the streaming and it was back to the kitchen. A family sized bag of chips with onion dip gave her something to munch on while she watched. After that her stomach was stretched. And her mood sank. She was suspicious her eating marathons were more than cravings. She wished this binge eating disorder would bow out. She’d done it again.
This mountain of food was only going to make her weight worse. Why did she do it? It’s not like she was hungry after the hamburger… she just felt a hollowness in her mood. Why couldn’t she remember each time that she always felt like this afterward?
Shame… Guilt.
Failure.
She should have accepted Hannah’s invitation to go shopping. At least she would have been getting exercise…and not eating so much.
But Lexie didn’t feel like shopping with a friend. She felt anxious at the mall…like people were looking at her…judging her… She felt safer at home, where she could do what she wanted. In privacy.
Still. She stared at her swollen belly… her spreading thighs. She caught her reflection as she passed a mirror, and realized she didn’t even recognize herself anymore.
It all seemed so futile. She’d gone from one diet to another since she was 12. Even when she lost weight, it wasn’t long until she gained it back and then some. Because she felt so deprived on a diet. It took all her willpower to restrict her eating like that for several weeks, until she finally caved in and ate. And ate.
What was wrong with her?
The next day, she took a long lunch to go to her dentist appointment. While she waited to be called, she picked up a magazine she saw on the table by her chair. It was an issue about nutrition, and she read an article about using a ketogenic diet for psychiatric conditions. Who ever heard of that what you eat could treat your mood? Was this real?
She did know that each time she indulged in a ton of snack foods, she always felt bad afterwards. She so wished binge eating disorder would bow out and give her peace. Was that because she knew she couldn’t stop once she started, or was there something else involved?
Time to Learn More
Once she was back home, she got on her laptop and googled binge eating, and ketogenic diet and ketogenic psychiatry.
There were several links to articles and studies. She started by reading articles, which seemed easier to understand.
Hours went by as Lexie devoured one article after another.
So metabolic psychiatry described a whole new field, and ketogenic psychiatry very specifically uses a ketogenic diet—a personalized therapeutic ketogenic diet— as treatment. That was news. Also, they’d discovered that metabolic problems in your body can also include psychiatric symptoms as part of those metabolism problems. That was even newer news.
She kept reading.
She also learned that eating a lot of processed foods that are high in carbohydrates causes hormone changes. And those hormone changes result in more and more deposits of fat in her body. Who knew?? Hormone changes…?
Yes. But not the ones you’re thinking of.
As Lexie thought back over yesterday, she realized all the foods she ate were processed, high carbohydrate foods. No wonder she was steadily gaining weight. This article also said those foods also make hunger worse, and tamp down the desire for exercise.
Really?
The food she was eating was causing her problems!!
So it made her wonder, what foods should I eat??
The next paragraph seemed to answer her question.
The Ketogenic Diet. A Therapeutic Ketogenic Diet.
Ok. So what is that exactly?
Fat as Fuel
She read on and found out that reducing her carbohydrates…drastically it seemed… and increasing the good fats in her diet along with the right amount of protein would transition her body from using glucose or sugar as fuel… to using fat.
Huh.
This process … helping her body transition to use fat as fuel… was called therapeutic nutritional ketosis.
Lexie sat back, and rubbed her neck. She’d been bent over her laptop for hours and hadn’t realized it was making her neck sore. This is a whole new way to look at my weight, my tendency to go on marathons with junk food, and my self contempt, she thought. I wonder if this way of eating could turn this around and make binge eating disorder bow out of my life.
She looked at one of the studies she’d found, and kept reading. This one was conducted in Italy, and was interesting.
Ketogenic Diet Stops the Craving
It pointed out that a ketogenic diet prevents an increase in appetite. Boy I need that…she thought.
It said it can cause you to feel less hungry. Imagine that!!!
And that because your body is using fat for fuel, it consumes your own body fat to stoke that fire. So, of course, you lose weight—you actually lose body fat, not muscle.
The study also pointed out that another study had been done using this ketogenic diet and ketamine treatment for anorexia nervosa. Now that really resonated. It wasn’t the same thing she struggled with, but she had compassion for anyone who struggles with food.
Out of curiosity, Lexie looked at the footnote about that anorexia study, and discovered the the lead author on this study is a psychiatrist who was just an hour away. Then she did a double take. It was the same psychiatrist whose article she read in that magazine yesterday!
This can’t be a coincidence.
Lexie looked up her website, and there she was. This was amazing. She found the link to this doctor’s Touchpoints 180™ program, which she’d seen in the magazine. Now it was all beginning to make sense.
A quick phone call the next morning, and she had an appointment to see her about the Touchpoints 180™ program.
She was able to spend time with the doctor, who diagnosed her binge eating disorder, depression, and social anxiety. She learned that the ketogenic diet they design specifically for her and use with her could actually force the binge eating disorder to bow out once and for all.
Lexie was pumped.
She also spent time with the registered dietitian/nutritionist, who gave her a game plan, her tons of resources, to learn more, and equipment for monitoring ketosis, and all of he apps they use.
She felt hungry on the way home, but resisted the temptation to drive through a hamburger place. Once home, she threw away – in the trash can – all her rice, potatoes, pasta, ice cream, cookies, coffee cake, chips, and bread, and carried it to the dumpster. Good riddance!
Then she stood in front of the pantry…and her heart sank for a moment.
Whew!! That pantry looks empty!! What am I going to eat??
So, she got in the car and drove straight to the grocery store for marbled steak, chicken, salmon, trout, scallops, and a couple cheeses. She then added avocados, kale, baby spinach, bell peppers, heavy cream, onions, shallots, and a couple tomatoes. Time to get the best fats to have at home—and she picked up a couple.
“Ok, this is a start. Now to learn a new way to eat.”
The recipes were very manageable, and delicious, it turned out. For a few days she kind of missed her French fries and pizza. But these meals were so delicious, she was soon looking forward to the adventure of cooking -and eating – the next one.
Within a few days, she didn’t mind missing out on the bread and sweets. By the end of the week, she realized she no longer craved all that empty junk food. Binge eating disorder bowed to ketogenic psychiatry.
That was an amazing feeling. She’d been a slave to cravings for desserts all her life. She thought about her next snack constantly. But now those feelings and thoughts were gone! She could look at a bag of cookies at the grocery store and keep walking.
WHAT???
Just that freedom alone made this diet worth it.
Binge Eating Disorder Bows Out
Lexie definitely felt she was on an adventure. New things to learn, lots of reading, groups that she could drop in on, nature walks with the Touchpoints 180™ group, trips to buy fresh produce, and learning new super-easy recipes almost every day.
Within a few weeks, she realized she was feeling not just better but substantially better. Her mind was clear, she could think better, she was free from the sugar addiction that had always plagued her…and she hadn’t done a food marathon in ages.
She realized that walking was important, for her health, her metabolism, and her outlook. So she decided to go to the shelter and look for a puppy. He would need her to walk him every day, and those walks would be a great help to her.
A New Friend
At the shelter, she locked eyes with a sweet and fluffy boy, and knew she’d found her new bestie. This happy, bouncy little guy was just what the doctor ordered, so to speak.
Within 4 months, Lexie had lost 32 pounds, and her puppy had grown. She’d named him Miles for the miles they walked together that were saving her life. And his.
She bought the most nutritious food she could find for Miles. If nutrition was changing her life and health, he needed the best nutrition he could get, too.
But, an unexpected benefit of all these changes was that her social anxiety seemed to be subsiding. The nature walks had become more and more enjoyable. She was coming out of herself and making friends on those walks.
She even had 2 people she’d met on the walk come to her house for lunch. They had a lively discussion, and enjoyed the delicious ketogenic dishes they made. Not only did binge eating disorder bow to ketogenic therapy, but ketogenic therapy was introducing her to a new social life.
Lexie’s deep feelings of insecurity and inadequacy continued to subside, as she moved forward on this new found ground of self respect and acceptance of others. She could see her life was headed in a new direction as her brain and body thrived.
The Right Foods Can Set Your Mind on Solid Ground
Surprising, isn’t it? Without starting or changing medications at all, your mind can become calm, clear, and even more clever by feeding the mitochondria in your cells the right fuel. Will a jet fly more efficiently on jet fuel or turpentine? Your brain craves the ketones that are produced when your body breaks down fat.
If you can relate to Lexie’s struggles, if you find yourself binge eating, and unable to lose weight, if you struggle with depression and anxiety, and if you want to break free of it, call us.
You, too, can be amazed at the freedom from cravings, and the joy of being at peace with yourself and those around you, while also losing unwanted weight. You can enjoy physical and mental energy, and revel in your life’s rewards.
Come join us in Touchpoints 180™ and find the wings to fly.
To the restoration of your best self,
