Solutions Program for Eating Disorders

Solutions Programs for Eating Disorders is a fantastic resource, providing unique and incredibly effective treatments to hundreds of emotional eaters. Solutions Program for Eating Disorders was developed by Dr. Virginia Porcello in 1983 as a safe hav...

Solutions Programs for Eating Disorders is a fantastic resource, providing unique and incredibly effective treatments to hundreds of emotional eaters. Solutions Program for Eating Disorders was developed by Dr. Virginia Porcello in 1983 as a safe haven where people from all walks of life can be heard, understood and supported through their efforts to change their relationship with food and live a happy, full life. Solutions is an extremely effective program, but why? It has to do with Dr. Porcello's story: "Mine is a journey that taught me that fat is not about lack of self-discipline. Fat is about issues of anger, self-esteem, family dynamics and the messages we internalize about our bodies. Being overweight is about the loneliness and emptiness that we try to fill with food. I was born premature and underweight. Reared in a family that associated food with love, I was fed without limits and grew into an “appropriately robust” child. It was this misguided upbringing that set the stage for many years of emotional and physical conflict. An endless cycle of diet pills and plans followed by inevitable, unmanageable weight gain plagued my childhood and adolescence. As I approached my 18th birthday, I weighed well over 400 pounds. Depression, anxiety, recurring panic attacks and the inability to work led me to seek treatment with a psychologist. It was this connection with a therapist who had worked through her own eating disorder that helped me begin the process of unraveling my underlying issues. She unmasked the problems that my eating disorder hid. The insights I developed became the turning point for understanding that achieving a healthy weight was not about dieting, but rather about connecting with the reasons I turned to food for fulfillment. That experience ultimately led to my loss of more than 200 pounds: a true physical, psychological and emotional metamorphosis. My ongoing search for continued support and information on emotional eating came up woefully lacking in resources and treatment programs. The more research I did, the more I realized that there was a need for a structured, compassionate program for people struggling to lose weight. It was this realization that prompted me to return to college, obtain a Ph.D in psychology with a specialization in eating disorders, and dedicate my career to helping others discover and love their true selves." Today, Solutions is a fantastic resource in the eating disorder community, providing unique, but extremely effective, treatments to hundreds of emotional eaters.