ABSTRACT
Self-monitoring (detailed written records patients keep of eating, binge eating, purging, and exercise behaviors) facilitates establishment of new food and exercise behaviors, as well as reductions in bingeing and purging. Self-monitoring is a standard intervention in nutrition treatment of bulimia and binge eating and is a requisite in CBT treatment for eating disorders (American Dietetic Association, 1994; Fairburn et al., 1993). (See Appendix F for a sample self-monitoring form.) The well documented efficacy of CBT as a treatment for bulimia and binge eating infers that requiring patients to self-monitor food-related behaviors is productive. Any professional who prescribes self-monitoring records should, however, appreciate the effort and the emotional toll most patients experience when they consistently and thoroughly engage in self-monitoring.
