Basically the title, I’m struggling with binge eating which has worsened a lot since I got here, I’d like to see a doctor to see if there’s anything I can do. I’ve tried a lot of strategies to try to improve on my own but nothings really helped so I’d love to hear if anyone else has been able to get help for this issue here.
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Someone posted on here a few weeks ago about a new pharmaceutical that reduces appetite which everyone was raving about that’s newly available in Japan – wegovy maybe?
Hmm, well if Binge Eating is caused by psychological problem, maybe you could see a therapist instead of doctor?
Not sure if this will help but the food here is pretty low in protein on average. For example, in the US, we eat steak all the time, chicken salads with good serving sizes are plentiful, even hamburgers, while not “healthy” are pretty easy to get and beef patties contain an ok amount of protein.
I workout a lot, train weights hard and I really struggle to get enough protein here, low protein meals with high carbohydrate content (rice) will likely leave you feeling hungry and that’s what a lot of people here eat, especially in Kombini’s. Onigiri is a classic example, or those 7/11 sandwiches, they’re just carbs.
There are some higher protein snacks around now, like the “protein yoghurt”, Kind Protein Bars, and the “Protein Shakes”. Weirdly, yo can buy boiled eggs at Kombinis, these are a pretty good high protein snack and they’re cheap. Also the chicken skewers at Kombinis are good, they have those which aren’t deep fried, also pretty healthy and have a lot of protein.
Lastly, serving sizes, in the US, I can buy 4 liters of yogurt, a good high protein snack and desert, I can get these at pretty much every grocer in the US, but here getting more that 750ml of Yoghurt isn’t easy, you have to buy a lot of cartoons to get enough, which means you have a lot of rubbish to get rid of, which gets annoying, so we’ve reverted to just making our own in 6 liter batches. Just realize that even when you do order a meal, it’s probably going to be smaller than you’re used to.
One last hint is, if you can afford it, try going to yakiniku sometimes, or Kollabo, the korean bbq chain if you’re in Tokyo, you can get pretty good sized meals there for a reasonable, not cheap price.
Not sure if this helps, sorry I know it’s not medical advice but might be worth trying to just be conscious of this fact as it’s probably not obvious to the average person who doesn’t train a lot or his in the military where diet is an important part of daily life.
I hope you sort it out, I agree with others it can be psychological, but honestly, I struggled with it quite a bit when I arrived here, it’s not an easy place to eat a lot of healthy, nutritious food unless you’re eating at home or paying a bit of money for healthier options at restaurants.
Also if you’re a vegetarian, I’m sorry, it’s not easy being vegetarian in Japan and feeling satiated , I’ve tried!
I can’t recommend a doctor, but I attend online eating disorders anonymous meetings. Highly recommend at least checking out their website.