5 comments about The Best Little Girl in the World.

1. 
   I'm a nineth grader in a small town and am being told to read this book for my English class. My teacher spent valuable budget money on a class set of this junk and I'm severely appalled.
   
   First thing first, this book is hardly appropriate for a guy to read and is not school suitable, either. It also contains a good deal of profain language.
   
   It appears to have the capability of reverse physcology and is definately dangerous. If you're shallow enough to just take it with a grain of salt and only read enough to write the report....it's great, but if you read into it......it's just strange. It almost encourages anorexia nervosa. Definately plenty of stereotyping as well.
   
   Good punctuation, though....kudos to the editor.
   
   
   Verdict: Not Suitable for Teenage Girls, Guys of any Age, High School Students, and of-their-rocker English teachers.
   
   Anabelle W., Age 15



2. Both my teenage daughter and I read this book. It gave us both a great insight into how one small comment can change a persons perception of their self. The book was a eye-opener for me because I was not aware of the impact comments about a persons body shape can have on them. A persons mind can have a very strong hold over their body and this book goes into detail of this effect. It also shows that these girls are not the only one's to be in this situation and that there is help available, albeit via hospitalisation and counselling. I am amazed that this book was first published so many years ago, when anoxeria nervosa seems to be a relatively recent 'disease'.



3. Its good. I dont really care for the way it was written in a little girl's point of view. That, I can't relate to. I think it was a nice story though...



4. I don't know if reading this book as a teen (in the early 90's) helped me understand myself and the fact that I had/have an eating disorder, or if it possibly reinforced my ED. I still struggle today, as a 30's-something mother and wife, with food in every aspect. Sometimes I think back to reading this book and wonder if I should love it (for letting me know I wasn't alone) or hate it (for letting me know I wasn't alone).
   
   I give this book a 5-star rating because I feel that the issue of ED and young girls is something important to understand and discuss. With the following considerations:
   
   I would suggest not allowing your child to read it without supervision. However, DO read it with your child and give them the opportunity to talk to you openly about their feelings.
   
   This is a good read for parents who have or might suspect they have a child with an ED - it will help you understand what it really does feel like to be 'that kid'.
   
   One more bit of advice: EDs aren't truly about food/body image, they are about the level of CONTROL one can gain over a certain aspect of one's life... especially if they are feeling powerless or inadequate in other aspects.



5. I ordered a book from Amazon which I was unable to get at the bookstore. It was inexpensive and arrived in perfect condition a few days later. I am always pleased by Amazon!

5 comments about From the First Bite: A Complete Guide to Recovery from Food Addiction.

1. I have been a food addict for years now, and I was looking for a step-by-step recovery plan to help me. This book is terrible and the suggestions are completely ridiculous. For example, Kay Sheppard says not to use iodized salt because it contains sugar. This is blatantly untrue--check the label of any salt container yourself. Furthermore, her "abstinent" meal plan recipes include potato salad and blueberry muffins--total binge foods for just about anyone!



2. It's obvious that all these glowing reviews are by a small band of loyal groupies from the Kay Sheppard Yahoo group.
   
   It's about time to start asking some questions here. Like, if Kay Sheppard is an "expert", then where did she get her training? What university? Where is her research? Where was it conducted? What exactly do these so-called credentials she uses mean? Where is ANY science to back up or give credence to anything she states? If you can't eat white rice, but you can eat white potatoes, where in the science of biochemistry does that seeming contradiction support itself?
   
   The book and the entire premise that it's based on is entirely made up out of folk lore, oral tradition, junk science and food quackery, and it capitalizes on the sad and lonely search for something, anything, to help dysfunctional eaters stop eating destructively.
   
   For all the book's claims, there is zero evidence that the 'food plan' works, or that any statistically relevant number of people ever achieve "abstinence" beyond short and sporadic episodes. Since Sheppard has no peer-reviewed research or any documentated legitimacy to the claims promoted by the book, it has to go to the same junk pile that every other diet book goes.



3. I have been a binge eater for years, I have read this book from beginning to end, I have science/medical coursework as part of my education, and I have used this as my plan of eating. Given all that, I believe that this is a valuable book for anyone who is desperate to find a better way than living with food addiction/compulsive overeating/binge eating.
   
   To be fair, it's really better that you do read Kay's other "The Body Knows" book to fully know what kinds of food issues she is directly addressing with this book - this book is the "what to do", the other book is more the "why". If you don't know why you're doing something, you're not going to be motivated; unless, of course, nothing else has worked and you're willing to try anything. In any event, it is a plan based on sound nutrition that is formulated to fix your mind while you fix your physical/chemical issues with food.
   
   Not everyone who has food issues has to cut out everything that Kay suggests. That said, if you work this plan AS WRITTEN, you'll more than likely remove all of your trigger foods, remove the mental dance around volume eating and gorging, and actually eat healthy. More than that, you'll change your lifestyle, which is what most health experts say you need to do anyway.
   
   So if something else works well for you, I'm very happy for you - congratulations! But if you've suffered from food addiction and issues surrounding compulsive eating and/or binge eating, then try this program for 90 days. If you're not completely satisfied, your misery will be fully refunded.



4. Oh my God! What can I say about this book. Kay's first book is a good introduction to the Food Addiction subject but From the First Bite is much more than a complement. Is a must have if you related to Food Addiction. Everytime I read it, and I read it all the time like a survival of life kind of book, I feel renewed and strong enough to continue with my new way of eating and of life. Everyday I feel recovered from a disease that had devastated me. I am so thankful that a book like this one came to my attention. I am even thankful with Amazon for making it easy for me to have it!!! Thanks Kay Sheppard reading your words is getting hugs, love and approval on a regular basis.



5. This book opened my eyes to realize I had a Disease and that I was not crazy. I realize that it wasn't because I didn't posess the willpower to conquer a diet program and win, it explains so well how the disease progresses eventually to death. No one wants to be called an "Addict" that sounds so harsh. But in reality, it is a matter of LIFE or DEATH. Very in depth to the truth of food addiction with a plan of recovery and hope for the "hopeless"

5 comments about Anatomy of a Food Addiction: The Brain Chemistry of Overeating: An Effective Program to Overcome Compulsive Eating (3rd Edition).

1. If you want to understand why your eating habits are out of control, this is the book which explains it! This book has really helped me to understand why I am so addicted to sugar and flour, and explains how one needs to abstain from these foods. I still have to rely on O.A. in order to keep the motivation to eat properly, but I come back to this book on a regular basis to keep my mind focused on why I keep returning to bad eating habits and how I am not to blame. GREAT BOOK.



2. I find this book very useful in understanding binge eating disorder. I think its very user - reader friendly and use is very often in therapy.



3. Garbage. 98% of this book is pure, unadulterated, contradictory bull----. First, the author claims in Chapter 2 that food addiction is biological. Although she's got the basic science right, that chapter is SO badly-written that the author, apparently realizing that, felt the need to use another several pages to re-explain the whole thing all over again "in a simpler way" at the end of the same chapter. Slogging through Chapter 2 was akin to reading a third-grader's essay in which the student piece-mealed the information from various encyclopediae and other sources in bits and pieces, but didn't quite "get" it herself enough to write clearly or coherently.
   
   In what seems to be an escape from scientific concepts she doesn't understand, the author then abandons the whole biological aspect for most of the rest of the book, and drifts off into useless psychobabble for chapter after unending chapter of self-indulgent pity-party-promotion.
   
   Most of the other 15 chapters in this book are devoted to statements that the real cause of food addiction is an awful, deprived childhood filled with abusive and mean, neglectful, absent parents. According to Ms. Katherine, all food addicts got that way by being emotional basket cases and pathetic abused wrecks: "Sit back in a comfortable chair with a teddy bear or pillow. Wrap your arms around yourself and the bear or pillow. Close your eyes. Send yourself warm, loving thoughts. Give yourself some sympathy for how hard it's been to handle this difficult problem all by yourself." Or this: "When a child isn't held enough, she experiences a deficit. It's horrible then if the child is ridiculed, ignored, or hit for asking to be held. ... She then learns her need leads to pain and punishment and will likely aim her wrong interpretation against herself..."
   
   It only gets much, much worse from there.
   
   Inconsistent with her own early chapter about the bio factors in food addiction (which frankly she doesn't seem to quite understand herself), the author advocates STAGED abstinence - abstain from sugar for a full year, THEN begin abstinence from refined carbohydrates. Meanwhile, it's ok to eat more of other things as long as you're not eating the sugars. Oh, puhleeze!! This is like telling an alcoholic: "Ok, first you have to abstain from hard liquor for a year, but you can keep drinking beer and wine, even more of them if you need to. Meanwhile we'll discuss all the ways you were abused as a child. THEN you can stop drinking for real." Yeah, right.
   
   Addiction is addiction, period. You are simply not going to deal with the biochemical processes involved in food addiction unless you eliminate the chemical triggers completely - ALL sugars, refined carbs, wheat, and high-fat foods.
   
   This author's "plan" is tortuous and unrealistic. She discusses a conversation you are to have with family members, in which you are to state that you will not be capable of making decisions for at least 3 weeks after starting your sugar withdrawal. Hello? Stop real life, just like that, while you walk a cravings-crazy chemical tightrope of half-abstinent hell.
   
   Don't waste your money on this book. Instead, get real information and real solutions from a true expert, someone like Kay Sheppard in Food Addiction: The Body Knows: Revised & Expanded Edition, and From the First Bite: A Complete Guide to Recovery from Food Addiction, in which the genetic tie-ins and biochemistry of food addiction are simply explained, and immediate total abstinence is recommended, along with providing a detailed, real, workable plan which really does work to eliminate cravings fast and promote clear thinking and recovery.



4. I am a male in my early 40's and despite that the book was geared towards females, I thought the book was excellent. I could relate to just about everything she wrote about and agree with it. I was extremely pleased to discover this book, it help me understand the problem with food addiction. I got a lot out of the book, it was worth the small price, even if you got just a one or two little thoughts out of it.



5. Excellent book, very informative, easy to understand.
   Explains the body chemistry of addiction to sugar
   and refined carbohydrates.
   Promotes gradual abstinence for recovery, first from sugar,
   then from refined carbohydrates, which is ESSENTIAL for many
   many addicted individuals, including me personally.

5 comments about Food for Thought: Daily Meditations For Overeaters.

1. This book has been a great support for me. I often go back to passages over and over. It is supportive and written in a positive manner. It addresses motivation, making mistakes, forgivness, you name it. I know people that use this book for mediations even if they aren't over eaters. I highly, highly recommend this book!



2. I purchased the book, FOOD FOR THOUGHT, a few years ago. Elizabeth L. knows what she is talking about. I read a daily meditation each morning and always find something in the writing that pretains to me. If you suffer from compulsive overeating, buy FOOD FOR THOUGHT. It's very inspirational.



3. The entries are very helpful for a beginner in OA. I have found that the entries stick with me throughout the day and help me to understand concepts that I am struggling with. For example, I had difficulty envisioning abstinence as anything but impossible. After reading a few of the entries on abstinence, I was able to define it in a way that I am comfortable with - abstinence is freedom.
   
   It is a good little book. I cannot speak for long time members of OA, but as a beginner, this book is helpful in finding my own worth away from food.



4. Core ideas here. Recipes and visual preparations add, plus care with portions. For this I recommend Overeaters Anonymous Very Low Carbohydrate Food Plan: Greysheet Recipes. This is a beautiful book. I bought it because I'm on the very low carb food plan. It has great recipes. I really like the protein and vegetable recipes. I can never think of enough things to do with vegetables. Now I know what other people are cooking. I'm glad to learn more about phone and in person meetings. I never knew where the term "greysheet" came from. I have wanted to learn more about it for a long time.



5. I am very pleased with this book. It truly is "Food for Thought". I have found it to be very helpful. I highly recommend it to anyone who is dealing with eating issues.

5 comments about Exodus from Obesity: The Guide to Long-Term Success After Weight Loss Surgery.

1. I have been trying to gain as much information and insite to the Gastric Bypass I am going to have and how I got here. This book is very good. It has assignments at the end of chapters to do things like "write a "Dear Me" letter" pre-surgery to read later and see how far you have come.
   It does deal with a lot of pre-op. Not a whole lot post op. But maybe since I'm pre-op I am not picking up on the post op so much.
   She's very candid and this being the 3rd book I've read on the topic has things to say that I have no read before and I'm glad I did.



2. Applause to Paula Peck for a valuable guide that completes the journey toward whole person wellness. Her Guide completes the intangible spectrum of our relationship to food and feelings that many of the profit-making, medical systems leave out. Paula addresses the big-hit surprises and potentially destructive manifestations of body image change, sexuality, and resentments toward fat prejudice, just to name a few. She emphasizes what's possible and how to handle the range of "surprises" on going with humour, wisdom, and empathic understanding. I'm a person, who has recovered from obesity, but not the attraction to food-as-love and comfort. Thank you, Paula, for emphasizing the lifetime hold this challenge has; and the lifetime dedication it takes to succeed post-op. I've been facilitating groups and doing individual consultation for almost 15 years with clients/patients, who have found the promise of life renewed with gastic bypass and other weight-loss surgical procedures. Then, the fantasy fog (I'm a San Franciscan) lifts. The pounds creep back, along with severe self-blame, self-humiliation, and shame. Powerlessness to control the "slide", isolation, and ultimately depression. Why? The "rennovation" takes place on the outside; but the heart, soul, and emotions are never addressed...until now. I've recommend this book to my clients; and even keep one in the waiting room of our professional group. It's ongoing support strategic, compassionate support in print.



3. I decided to buy this book Exodus from Obesity, as I had heard about it from a friend. Once I started reading I found I was unable to put it down. It was very clearly written and helpful in so many ways. It gives you very specific actions to follow both before and after weight loss surgery.
   
   After reading Exodus from Obesity I felt a whole lot better about my own decision to have this surgery. This book is a must read for those people who are considering gastric bypass surgery, have had the surgery, or for those who know someone who has.
   
   Once you read this book you will have gained pracital, useable tools which will ultimatley make you feel so much better. If you decide to buy this book, it will give you piece of mind, and help you through this process no matter what stage of it you are in.
   
   If you have any unanswered questions or are unsure of what questions to ask, then definitely buy this book.



4. Excellent recipes, not expensive, and something for everyone's taste. Also an excellent base to build your own versions of the author's presentation.



5. I've already read a lot on this subject, since I had my surgery two years ago. It would be an excellent resource for someone who recently had the surgery, but I found nothing new.

5 comments about Eating Mindfully: How to End Mindless Eating and Enjoy a Balanced Relationship with Food.

1. What a wonderful, compassionate and helpful guide! I've run across this book in several places but I finally broke down and bought it when I saw it in Oprah Magazine. I'm glad I did. It was different than the other diet books I've bought. It was insightful, easy to read and positive. It helped me to understand why I mindlessly eat and gave a lot of helpful hints for eating in a more mindful, relaxed way. If you want a sample of what is inside this book before you buy it, check out Dr. Albers' website. It was a helpful resource for me and would be for anyone with eating issues.



2. This book is a collection of 46 brief observations on mindless eating. The observations are short, one or two pages, and include suggestions on how to turn mindless eating into mindfull eating. The observations themselves are diverse so every reader will most likely find several that relate to their specific problems with eating.
   
   However, very little of the book is devoted to the fundamentals of "mindfullness". The book causally quotes the Buddhist origins of "mindfullness" but does not expand on the topic. This causes the observations to feel a little empty since they're constantly referring to a "mindfullness" concept that hasn't been meaningfully explained.
   
   If you want a fundamental understanding of Buudhist "mindfulness" before you apply it to eating problems then I would read "The Zen of Eating" by Kabatznick. If you prefer a more 'thought for the day' type of format then this book is more appropriate.



3. The information in this book is vague, hazy and totally non-motivating. Please, before you spend $$$ on Eating Mindfully purchase The Seven Secrets of Slim People. It is focussed, dense with wisdom and EXCELLENT exercises that develop your sane sense of how, why and when you eat so that you can lose that obsessive relationship you now have with food. Eating Mindfully will leave you treading water with no shore in sight.
   The Seven Secrets of Slim People



4. This book was very helpful and actually changed my life in a way that no other book has! I recommend it to anyone who is an emotional eater!



5. I found the book well written, easy to read and understand the content. It provided helpful information concerning why/how we make choices about food and how we approach eating in general.

5 comments about Love Is a Choice Workbook.

1. who threw a tantrum because this book included Christian principles and therefore gave it only one star. It's very easy to read and makes VERY CLEAR points. You can not read this book and fail to understand codependency (which most of us suffer to some small degree) and the solutions. If you don't agree with a few small points, don't whine and just skip them. Excellent, excellent book.



2. No matter where you are in your walk in life, no matter what your relationships with others is like, you will derive value in reading this book. A few pages may be challenging, but don't stop reading. The book is a good foundation for starting, repairing or building relationships at home, at work or wherever you interact with people. It is introspective, uplifing and perfect for a quiet weekend alone.



3. This workbook can help you work through issues and bring you closer to the person you want to be.



4. Awesome workbook! Hard work and difficult things to look at in your past and in your life, but very helpful in dealing with codependency and boundary issues. I highly recommend this for those wanting to work on codependency issues.....probably best to work through with a counselor or fellow struggler.



5. Want to transcend your own culture? A path to removing all the roadblocks to becoming what you were intended to be.

5 comments about Overcoming Binge Eating.

1. I purchased Dr. Fairburn's book about 5 years ago. By faithfully writing my food down daily and following his program, i stopped binge eating for over a year!
   
   Since that time, I have fallen off of the 'program' and am out of control with my eating again. I have tried WW, but my weight loss was only temporary and i began to binge and gained everything back. I've attempted to get back 'on the Fairburn program' several times, but I'll start keeping track and monitor my food by writing...and then, i'll start to slip and stop writing. The rest of the story goes downhill.
   
   I know success is possible as I proved to myself by not binging for a year that i could gain control over my binging.
   
   I want to re-dedicate myself to this program and I'm looking to gain the support of others who have this book, are just buying it or have been using it with success.
   
   Please contact me at LaSoprana@verizon.net!



2. This book had some really helpful things to help get over bingeing, I really like all the useful information, great book.



3. The book has definate guidelines for overcoming this horrid vile eating disorder. The first time I used the book I had fantastic results but as the author points out, the possiblity for relapse is great. And believe me Mr. Fairburn knows what he is talking about. Recently I have gone backto the book and its concept but with no success, however, as the author points out No program will work if the person is not truly sincere about wanting to bring about a change. All in all: it is a good book, definately worth owning and despite the fact that THIS time I have not had the success I was looking for, I will continue to think of Christoper Fairburn as the second coming of Christ.



4. I picked up this book over two years ago, and since then I have lost 55 pounds. This book was the first and most important step to beginning the process. I began binge eating - having learned it from my mother - in my early teens. It's all about the comfort & "zoning out", self-medicating if you will. I have HATED my body (and ergo myself) since the age 22, the point at which my metabolism slowed and I stopped being as active as I had been up until I got married, and the binge eating caught up with me.
   
   This book provided the insight I needed to UNDERSTAND the disorder. I truly believe the key to overcoming any inner battle is education. I could not lose weight ("eat less, move more") on sheer willpower or for that fit-into-a-bikini mentality. Now I'm all about longevity, mental health, energy, and etc. Those are the true reasons to eat well and keep moving.
   
   I gave this book to a friend, and now I looking for another copy to keep in my library forever, both for reference when I struggle, and to share with any of my other friends and acquaintances who comment on my new shape and want to know "How did you do it?"



5. This was the first book I ever read to try and combat my binge eating behavior that has been present for about seven years. I saw myself in all of the symptoms, but when I tried the program it almost made me more obsessed with food. Plus, I couldn't keep up with the "schedule" with my lifestyle. I understand that schedules are crucial for anorexics but for me it was not the answer. I have since read Intuitive Eating and I highly recommend that for anyone who has tried to stop binge eating and eating emotionally.

5 comments about Help Your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder.

1. This book gave my husband and I a much needed understanding of this complicated disease. Nothing else was as clear and helpful.



2. I found this book extremely helpful. It is very easy to understand and provides key information to helping teenagers recover from eating disorders using a new approach that includes parents and other family members supporting strategies to recovery,



3. Of the books I've read about eating disorders, this is probably the most informative one regarding explanations of what eating disorders are. This is an excellent resource for anyone with a young child or teenager with an eating disorder. I did find their advice about leaving your job to stay home with your child or going to their school to eat with them to be a bit impractical, but overall think the book is a valuable resource.



4. This book is such a relief!! Unlike other books that go on and on about what eating disorders are and their causes and types and so on, this book actually tells you how to act. It tells you exactly how to deal with your teenager and how to behave around them.



5. This book is an excellent resource for both parents and clinicians. I am a marriage and family therapist and often work with adolescents and their families. This book provides practical advice for parents and can be a helpful adjunct to family therapy with the eating disordered individual.

5 comments about Overcoming Bulimia: Your Comprehensive, Step-By-Step Guide to Recovery (New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook).

1. This workbook is good for many reasons. It is written in a way that is easy to read, and very interesting. It does not seem at all like a dry textbook. It covers everything from defining eating disorders, to the root of the problem, to steps to take to begin recovering. I would highly recommend it for all ages.



2. This is the best resource for eating disorder self-help I have seen. Widely applicable for those who binge and purge by a number of definitions, including overexercising and subjective binging. Addresses a comprehensive range of related issues such as anxiety, obsessiveness, and perfectionism. Practical with real step-by-step things you can actually DO, ways to measure your progress, and encouragement about expected setbacks. Very strongly recommended.



3. This book contains nuggets of truth as well as helpful, practical suggestions for coping with symptoms of bulimia. This book is a great companion to: "Hope, Help and Healing" By Dr. Greg Jantz. Based on the absolute truth of the Bible, you will be given insight regarding your childhood and discover how you were set up to fall into the lifestyle you desperately struggle against. You will discover freedom, day-by-day, as you trust Jesus and are filled with the Holy Spirit. YOU CAN BE FREE!
   Hope, Help, and Healing for Eating Disorders: A New Approach to Treating Anorexia, Bulimia, and Overeating



4. This workbook was for my daughter in rehab and she said this was an excellent book that gave her new insight into overcoming bulimia. Well worth the money



5. i've been suffering from bulimia for over 14 years. and i was at a loss what to do. i even had suicidal thoughts. but, i got this book and after i understood what was going on in my mind, i felt real better and also the exercises on this book were real helpful and most importantly, i got over bulimia at last.
   the best thing for me in this book is "normalized eating". this book tells you what is normal eating: no more dieting, no more food restrictions, no more urges to overeat.
   now i eat normally and i'm not on a diet anymore. i don't even think about my weight and shape. and i feel real good about it. this is the happiness and freedom this book gave me, and i really want to say thank you guys and this book is highly recommended for anyone who's suffering from bulimia and wants to get out of the nightmare. this book will help you.