advertising firm. He had a real talent for fresh ideas and innovative concepts as far as print media ads were concerned. Over the next few years his career flourished even though his personal life was lacking. Although he had two close friends, he spent most of his time alone. He rarely dated and always felt self-conscious about his weight. He continued to feel secretly embarrassed about his binge eating. His decision to seek help for his binge eating and weight problem was precipitated by two

Pittsburgh School of Medicine have all been at the forefront of developing a successful treatment protocol for binge-eating disorder. This treatment, known as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, has been very effective in helping binge eaters improve markedly. These improvements in binge eating are well maintained over time. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy focuses on changing negative thought patterns related to self-esteem, all-or-nothing (perfectionistic) attitudes about dieting, and body image. It

form of a recreational activity or hobby that is physically demanding. Exercise actually releases some of the same brain chemicals that food does, resulting in the production of natural tranquilizers to calm you. Some emotions need quieting as well as releasing. If you are very tense and nervous, you may need physical relaxation in order to quiet the symptoms of stress in your body. When we are stressed, heart rate increases, breathing becomes shallow and erratic, blood pressure goes up, and

mindfulness. She began to practice confrontational mindfulness daily. I suggested that she establish a regular 20-minute period each day for this activity. She worked on developing a mindful attitude of nonjudgmental awareness during these times. Focusing on the present moment and blocking out the past and future, Kate concentrated on her feelings of anger and resentment. She found this difficult at first. When she thought about her anger, it seemed to intensify. She felt more anger. The trouble

resisting food when they were emotionally upset. In other studies we have also found that women experience much more guilt and frustration after a binge than do men. Compared to men, women’s binge eating seems to be much more tied into emotions in general and self-esteem and body image in particular. Society’s standards allow men more latitude regarding their weight and eating behavior than women. A moderately overweight man who is eating a great deal might be considered to have a “hearty