Couch 167 1/2; Tennis Anyone?

I recently brought up diagnoses with my therapist. I've discussed on here before about wondering whether I meet the criteria for PTSD. Doing the intake appointment at the DBT place brought it up again for me, so we talked about it. He talked about how he doesn't really like labels and told me what puts down for the insurance. He ran through the PTSD criteria and listed off the symptoms that I have for each one. He basically said, yes, I have PTSD. It's kind of a relief in a way.

Your smoothie sounds delicious!

I have read that eating healthy fats in the morning actually helps you feel more full longer. For what that's worth, as I am not a nutritionist. But I tend to eat this way for breakfast anyway, avocado or eggs or whole milk yogurt (in a morning smoothie because otherwise yogurt or bananas in the morning...I just can't, the smooth texture, bleah), so my info might be a bit biased.

And, yet he's trying to get you to do the DBT program?

Sorry, NP -- I am sure your therapist means well but this is just soooo frickin' bone-headed.

I think I mentioned this before but Blondie used to run a DBT group for many years and is also trained specifically in trauma stuff -- she's specifically said that DBT with its rigid structure and rules and homework etc often actually re-traumatizes people.

(And, she's had enough and more reason to try to get me to do DBT given that I've lost it on her quite a few times over many months.)

ETA: In your place, I would challenge him to list out specifically how DBT is supposed to not only help but also not-harm and in doing so, ask him to give his qualifications (in detail) in terms of both what he knows about DBT and how he believes it'll tie in (with specifics) into the kind of treatment he's providing.

I know you are attached to him but this would be a total deal-breaker for me (and was in fact).

Lunatic Dog sounds like a good name for a band.

Thanks. The problem is-that I was always thin. Over the past 3 years, I’ve gained 75lbs. The problem is that breakfast is my biggest meal of the day, so the smoothie-while healthy didn’t help me stay full. I’m used to eating a very big breakfast. During the week at work-I don’t/cant each lunch. So my breakfast needs to be protein and nutrient packed. I work from 8am to 6pm. So I eat breakfast at 7am before I leave the house and my next meal does not occur until dinner at 6:30pm. I know in my head the smoothie was enough but my body didn’t know that. I was starving a 1/2 hour after the smoothie.

That's a long interval -- even if you didn't feel immediately hungry, I seriously doubt the smoothie alone would get you through the day.

I don't think cutting down breakfast would help with the weight loss -- if anything, I'd think it would exacerbate the issue. The time interval of going without food is probably what's messing you up.

Take it with the caveat that I have little or no nutrition background and well, I'm a stranger on the internet.

Thank you, I don’t expect to be able to lose all 75lbs I gained to get my body back. Before I started putting on the weight 3 years ago my life was different. I had a more active job and such. Plus going from my mid-30’s to late 30’s played a part and then also these pills have to take every day to stop my girl cycle from coming on monthly played a part as well. I’m just very uncomfortable with all this extra weight and I need to do something soon because it’s only getting worse.

Can you snack at work, even if you can’t have a full meal? AY is right about length of time between food messing up the metabolism.

Some of the weight gain is likely to be water retention—drinking more water will help combat that.

I was wondering the same about snacking. Even if it was just something like a Powerbar, that would help.

Amo, amas,
I love a lass.
Amat, amamus,
She loves Seamus.
Amatis, amant,
I gotta be nonchalant.

(The Latin words are the declension of the verb “I love.”)

Too bad there’s no Nobel Prize for Literature this year, and maybe not next either.

I think i might be able to pack a power bar but I do have to be very mindful of calories and carbs if I do that because I have to eat a rather big breakfast. Now, dont get me wrong- by big breakfast-I’m not talking about 10 pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage. Like it might be a piece of toast with peanut butter on it, a greek yogurt and say a banana. Sometimes lean turkey sausage and multi grain waffle. I have to figure out how to get as much nurtients and protien as possible in that one meal because it is my main meal. Dinner is usually light. I honestly dont remember what I used to do to stay thin years ago. Like i said-I think age, health issues and life change played a part in all of this. Anyway..thanks for listening.

I think I've posted this before but if not, here's my absolute favorite site on all things fitness and nutrition.

Thank you AY. I will go look at that site now.

That's really interesting. This place has a program specifically for trauma where you have two individual sessions and one group session and at some point do exposure therapy. I hadn't heard of DBT being re-traumatizing, but I do think that I'm going to have personal issues with the rules and homework part of this just because of my personality. The whole thing has rubbed me the wrong way, but I'm trying not to think about it too much because I go to a really negative place. I start wondering how damaged I am that I need to be sent away to be dealt with and I start hating myself. And then I start thinking that this is a big ploy to get rid of me, but I believe him when he tells me it's not.

I just started a couple of months ago. Up to season 3 now.

Hi all. I just got back from Orlando and now have to catch up on laundry and groceries before going back to work tomorrow. Today is a holiday.

For what it's worth, I don't think it's a ploy to rid of you and nor is it an indication of how 'damaged' you are.

I just think this sort of stuff -- recommending treatment that was developed for very specific situations -- is something that therapists tend to do mindlessly and without real incisive thought put into it, and in such cases, my instinct would be to vet both their knowledge and skill before taking them up on it.

And, sure, the DBT place may have a separate trauma program but I'd also be inclined to check that out thoroughly, including the credentials, experience and track record of the folks who specifically run that program -- else, I fear it's a bit fashionable these days to slap on a 'trauma' tag to every type of treatment / therapy.

Sorry, I'm incredibly cynical and it gets my goat when therapists especially tend to get hyper-specific and focused on recommending particular types of treatment and that too when they themselves haven't been trained in it.

It boggles my mind.

ETA: I just noticed that you mentioned exposure therapy as what this place's trauma program does -- that's treatment for a whole separate type of trauma, not the sort you're dealing with.

Cus otherwise that would win it for you, fer sure

Reading this, I wonder if part of the problem is you aren't eating enough? The body does put itself into starvation mode when it gets too few calories/too much exercise and it doesn't want to let go of its stores.

I think its wrapped up in my food choices. On work days I eat a heavy breakfast, no lunch and a light dinner but on days I am not working and on weekends I eat a big dinner and 1/2 the times those bigger dinners are not healthy choices. I think I need to change that. I’ll probably join weight watchers. Seems easy enough. Just dont go over the points per day. Seems like it might be better to do that instead of calculating calories and carbs and stuff. Right now they are running a special to join online. My sister is having sucess getting rid of post pregnancy weight. Shes also only 30. The almost 10 years between us makes a difference. I was nice and thin up until age 35-36. Thats when the gain started. Also 3 years ago was when I had my last girl cycle because of these pills i have to take.

Im on weight watchers online right now. Its weird - for me, its about finding what works, not fooling myself, not hurting myself, providing for myself - there is a lot of self-positivity going on. Whaaaaa??!

Thats good Una. Self positivity is good.

"Starvation mode" does not happen to the average person, that's a myth. The Starvation Myth If you eat more calories than your body burns you gain and if you eat fewer calories you lose, for the vast majority of people it really is that simple. That doesn't mean easy, there are more calories in things/proper serving sizes are much smaller than people realize and before you know it you've eaten more than you intended but that's when things like calorie counting or something like Weight Watchers can help.

Its hard for me, is what i was saying. A lot of people on ww right now are complaining because the program gives them too much leeway and not enough structure (which i dont agree with - its not letting me eat all the cake i want so wtf), so they arent automatically losing weight like they used to. I could never fit into the structure before, it was too tight, but now i AM losing without suffering. And still eating chocolate, which i hope will prevent later regain.

That’s the appeal of the program for me. Some structure is good but leeway is important. Plus I need to see in a tracker exactly how much of certain foods I am eating and what I need to change.