If you’ve thought about attending therapy to help with weight loss, I want to share what I learned. Therapy played a central role in my 100-pound weight loss. In many ways, it was the reason I finally succeeded.
Below I describe my experience, what therapy felt like at different stages, and practical suggestions if you’re considering therapy for eating issues.
- What It’s Like to Attend Therapy for Weight Loss
- What the First Therapy Session Was Like
- Long-Term Therapy
- When Therapy Feels Like It Isn’t Working
- When You Go to Therapy But Still Don’t Lose Weight
- Wake Up for Weight Loss
- Life Is Delicious
- How to Find a Therapist for Eating Issues
- Online Therapy for Weight Loss
Note – This is my personal experience and not medical advice.
What It’s Like to Attend Therapy for Weight Loss
My first therapy appointment left me breathless and nervous. I’d come to address compulsive overeating and bingeing. The office was on the second floor with no elevator; by the time I reached the top of the stairs I was rethinking my decision. After a few moments to calm myself, I stepped inside and decided to get started.
What the First Therapy Session Was Like
The therapist was polite, bookish, and direct. Much of the first visit went to paperwork and reviewing my medical and therapy history, but toward the end he asked questions that felt different from any others I’d heard before.
He didn’t focus on being only comforting; he was willing to probe. He asked specifics: what a binge looked like, what I ate, how many calories I thought I consumed, how often it happened, and what preceded it. I’d never talked about these details aloud—not with friends, family, or prior therapists. It felt exposing and shameful.
I found myself minimizing and giving half-truths because the full reality was too painful to say. He also pointed out patterns in my relationships and behavior and said we would explore those in later sessions. I hated parts of the session, but I also left with a small seed of hope—like pulling out a splinter, painful but necessary.
Long-Term Therapy
Weekly Monday morning sessions became my routine. That appointment turned into a multi-year commitment that varied widely from week to week:
- Some sessions focused on eating and food-related behavior; others didn’t mention food at all.
- Some meetings were easy and conversational; others were deeply painful and forced me to confront difficult memories.
- We explored childhood issues and present-day behaviors, sometimes with laughter, sometimes with tears.
Over time those sessions gradually changed how I related to food, myself, and others.
When Therapy for Weight Loss Feels Like It Isn’t Working
There were weeks I left sessions furious. One day I drove home pounding the steering wheel, asking God why I had to struggle with eating when others did not. I was angry that the process felt slow and that I was still overeating despite digging up painful memories.
Therapy sometimes made me feel worse before it made me better. I experienced more intense moods, oscillating between crying, rage, and withdrawal. It was tempting to quit. Still, I held onto a small hope and kept going even when outward progress seemed absent.
When You Go to Therapy But Still Don’t Lose Weight
In the beginning I didn’t try to lose weight at all. Simply attending therapy and making it to appointments was enough effort. I didn’t diet or exercise; I continued to binge at times. Sometimes surviving the day and showing up for therapy is the most you can manage—and that is okay.
Wake Up for Weight Loss
“When we are done with this therapy one of the biggest changes is that eating isn’t going to be fun anymore. You might not like me very much.”
– My therapist
At first I resented that idea. I wanted a quick fix. What he meant was that I needed to become conscious of my eating—not use food to numb feelings. I often overate to escape emotions I didn’t know how to face. Therapy asked me to wake up to those patterns.
Becoming aware meant I couldn’t hide behind food anymore. It was hard because overeating had become a crude form of pain relief. But awareness also meant I could learn to feel all emotions—both painful and joyful—without defaulting to food. Over time I discovered inner strength I didn’t know I had.
Life Is Delicious
As I learned to experience feelings without numbing, life became clearer and richer. Food is still part of life, but it stopped being the central comfort it had once been. I began to notice so much more:
- Joy came from more than the last bite in an empty ice cream carton.
- Life is my children laughing at the top of a hiking trail.
- Life is the rush of a mountain view as I ride my bike.
- Life is my husband’s face when I wear something new.
- Life is the confidence I feel when speaking in front of others.
- Life is savoring the flavors of a meal rather than mindlessly consuming it.
- Life is crossing a finish line after hard work and feeling proud.
- Life is hearing someone say, “You inspire me.”
- Life is—truly—delicious.
How to Find a Therapist for Eating Issues
I contacted my insurance company and asked for referrals to therapists experienced with eating disorders. Even though I described my problem as overeating, I wanted someone who would look beyond diet advice and understand the emotional drivers behind my behavior. If you suspect an eating disorder, seeking a clinician experienced in that area is important.
Online Therapy for Weight Loss
I met with a therapist in person and my insurance covered it. If in-person therapy isn’t an option, online therapy can be a reasonable alternative. Real therapists offer video, text, and chat options at different price points and schedules, which can make therapy more accessible for many people.
What have you woken up to in your life? How has faith or inner strength helped you face something that once felt impossible? If you’re considering therapy for weight loss, know that it can change how you relate to food and to life itself.
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