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 Learning to Be Me: My Twenty-Three-Year Battle with Bulimia.

1. I read this memoir and realized very quickly, that Memoir was an accurate category for this book. It certainly does not belong in self help/recovery.
   Jocelyn's narrative keeps repeating descriptions of her terrible life in a way that makes this tragic disease seem petty. I have endured this dis-ease for 23 plus years and I found Aimee Lu's book "Life after an Eating Disorder" so full of hope and rcovery and revelation about this disease.
   I found this book to be full of triggers and narcissistic thoughts. It is a "Go Ask Alice" for eating disorders.
   ""Sensing the Self" is also fantastic, but a little more clinical. If you are looking for recovery, read about recovery. If you are looking for a description of how tragic and destructive and miserable an addiction can be, read a memoir.



2. I had been looking for a book that would help me understand the thought process behind a bulimic's behavior, in an effort to help a family member. I wanted to get inside the head of a bulimic, I wanted to FEEL what a bulimic does, no other book did this for me - Jocelyn Golden's "Learning to be me" did! I've read many bulimia books in my quest to educate myself, but none gave me the insight I gained by reading Ms. Golden's book. I highly recommend "Learning To Be Me" to any sister, mother or other relative trying to help a loved one. It gave me the courage to confront my relative, one more time, and present her with support and treatment options even though I know it may sever our relationship - I love her that much. I thank Ms. Golden for the difference her talented writing has made in my life and for portraying the facts clearly and with emotion.
   
   I would love to see another book by this author.



3. Learning to Be Me: My Twenty-Three-Year Battle with Bulimia
   Jocelyn Golden did a great job writing this book. It really was one of the best I've read on bulimia. The main character is trapped in a house with people who are supposed to love and comfort her but are incredibly and selfishly indifferent to her yet intolerably critical. Overcoming such odds really is remarkable and stands as an example for others. I highly recommend this book.



4. I was influenced by the overwhelming positive reviews of the book so I decided to see what this book was about myself. After reading the book I disagree with the majority of the reviewers (who may have been swayed by the fact they felt a personal connection to the reader). It must be noted that I personally do not suffer from an eating disorder but I read the book in hopes of helping me to understand what it is like to suffer from one. While the author does her fair share recounting her experience with bulimia it is poorly written (it almost reads like a first-person narrative by a teenager with simple sentences and limited vocabulary) and cumbersome to get through at times. A previous reviewer mentioned that s/he felt like s/he was reading an unedited copy of the book and I echo this sentiment. Golden's story while appropriately deserving of empathy lacks depth and insight and somewhat rambles on in a disorganized fashion. In any event, the book starts to get better at about the middle when she starts to go into detail about her binges and purges and the reality of her behavior sets in. As many others have mentioned she does not go into much detail about the recovery process because the book was written during the time she was recovering. Also, while this is somewhat minor, the titles of her chapters have little relevance to the content of the chapters and come across as being kitschy (e.g., "My Blanket of Shadows", "Home Sweet Hurt", and "From a Whisper to a Silent Scream").



5. Unlike other self-help eating disorder books, this book is an incredibly honest insight, sparing no details on the reality of bulimia. It provides an intimate understanding behind the emotional mental and physical causes of this powerful mind disease. A must read for any young woman, mother or sister!

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 Why Can't I Stop Eating?: Recognizing, Understanding, and Overcoming Food Addiction.

1. What a disappointment! The authors answer to binge-eating is simply eliminating all sugar, flour, fat, caffeine, or whatever your trigger foods are from your diet. Not only that, but they insist you must weigh and measure your food all the time for the rest of your life. Thats hardly what I consider freeing yourself from obsessing about food. They actually recommend keeping an emergency food kit in your car to be sure you always have measuring cups, a food scale, and several cans of safe food available to you at all times. Perhaps this is wise advice for people who are morbidly obese, but for those of us who are at a normal weight, or only slightly over, and are looking for some insight and realistic advice on dealing with compulsive/binge eating, this book is NOT the answer!



2. After I read the book and was very disappointed, I went on-line to write this review. I find myself agreeing completely with the reviews that gave this book a low rating. It is yet another attempt to espouse the virtues of the 12 step Overeaters Anonymous program. While I think there are good aspects of the 12 step program and that it may help some, there are many that the program simply wouldn't work for, including myself. Mainly, I think, because it mandates that you cut flour, sugar, and other foods completely from your diet. I feel that this sets a person up to fail because one ends up feeling deprived, which leads to binging. In fact there is a whole chapter in the book that talks about case studies and nearly every person mentioned has relapsed and is valiantly trying to get back to abstinence and lose the weight yet again. I would suggest that instead of working a program that obviously isn't working, they should perhaps seek another solution, maybe in the form of professional counseling. I would recommend "The Solution" by Laurel Mellin, which is a comprehensive support solution with groups and pyschologists around the country practicing the methods given in the book. I have found this method much more helpful than Overeaters Anonymous ever was. If OA is working for you, then I think that is great, but if you are like me and do not find that it fits you, I encourage you to look elsewhere. The Solution is a great place to start, and if you want to check out the website go to WWW.Sweetestfruit.com.



3. I was really disappointed when I read this book. If you've read the 12 steps of compulsive overeating, then you've pretty much read this book. It tells you the same thing. It takes forever to get you to the place where you can create your own meal plan...and what a joke! There's no way I can stick to something like that. I would starve too death!
   
   In conclusion, I do NOT recommend buying this book. It did not help me at all.



4. Informative on theory of food addiction. Explains physical and emotional aspects of food addiction. Easy to read with information based on scholarly research.



5. I found this book at the perfect time in my life, and I am forever thankful for it. For whatever reasons, I experience a physiological response to certain foods that make me crave more and more. This book helped me to see that if I avoid putting certain foods in my body, I won't experience those cravings that drive me into shame, compulsion, and eventually weight gain. It's not a temporary weight loss trick, it's a life long change to stop eating certain foods in order to keep my sanity. I had already been exposed to Overeaters Anonymous a couple years ago, which definately helped me see that I wasn't alone, that I do have an addiction, and that letting God into that area of my life is absolutely necessary in order to overcome it. This book helped me make changes to be free from the cravings.
   
   In regards to the strict food plans the book presents, I don't take the portions too seriously, but I can see they could be helpful for someone who is just starting the recovery process. I think the general principals are more important for me - cutting out the foods that cause you problems, period. Why would you recommend that an alcoholic only drink a little bit? The point is, for whatever reason, they are unable to so they need to avoid ever putting it in their body.
   
   I definately recommend this book to anyone who is ready to make a lifelong change.

5 comments about Appetites: Why Women Want.

1. I got so much out of Knapp's book on alcoholism, I foolishly assumed this would be enlightening as well. She seems determined to prove that every woman in America has issues. If you diet, for whatever reason, you have issues. If you eat what you like, you have issues. If you're vegetarian. If you eat junk food. If you work out. If you hate how you look in a bikini. If you LIKE how you look in a bikini. For god's sake, food is just one part of life. And there are actually women who do not have body issues!
   
   I'm currently trying to get in shape (note my phrasing there), and I'd thought this would motivate me. What was I thinking. I can just see Knapp, were she alive, questioning me about my diet and exercise, and then her comments afterwards. "She eats a quarter cup of M&M's a day...Yes, she told me that she read the nutritional info on the packate, but SEE? We're all slaves to the FDA and the LIES they cram down our throat! She's AFRAID to go for it and just take a handful of M&Ms and be FREEEEEEE!" Except that eating like that is how I got out of shape, and then it would be, "Oh, she doesn't like her body, because Vogue tells her she has to disappear when she turns sideways!"



2. Alice Walker once wrote, "Art unfailingly reflects its creator's heart. Art . . . comes from a heart open to all the possible paths there might be to a healthier tomorrow." Caroline Knapp's artistry was in writing and publishing her internal dialogues. This book appears to reveal her heart, a heart that was open to considering new and different possible paths to a healthier tomorrow. She may not have had all the solutions to the issues she raised in her excellent book, but I admire her tremendous courage to express her frustrations clearly and to think aloud to try and understand the motivations and causes for her behaviors. She expressed her best estimates of how she might improve her circumstances. This book is an excellent look at one [...] woman's cognitive thought processes about why she thought she was the way she was, and how she thought she might overcome her perceived problems. Whether you agree with her or not as to the causes of her issues and their possible solutions, if you read this book, you will learn something very valuable about the strong, and sometimes controlling, reasoning processes that likely flow through many women.
   
   Throughout this book (and her books 'Pack of Two' and 'The Merry Recluse') she discusses her difficulties with communicating with her mother, her father, her significant others, professors and people in general. She discusses how she did not believe that her parents communicated well with each other in key areas. She watched her mother silently accept roles that she was not certain her mother should accept. She saw her mother accept treatment from her father that she thought her mother should have responded to differently.
   
   When a woman chooses to attach her soul to another person's soul, and also agrees to "be silent to" or condone parts of the other person's philosophies or actions she believes to be in error - that prolonged, and potentially neverending, acquiescence can negatively effect her psyche. That degree of unceasing internal mental contradiction in major areas may manifest itself in either serious mental dysfunctions or physical ailments.
   
   It is more healthy for a woman to express her objections, even if those objections are not addressed and remain outstanding, than to be silent. Women must overcome any discouragement they receive from their family, friends, and significant others, discouraging them from expressing the ideas they think may lead to possible solutions. They should not always defer to the people closest to them because women often have the best access to the most accurate information about themselves. And even when their suggested solutions may not be better than the current course, when they raise their objections, it gives their community notice of issues that likely deserve alternate responses and further reconsideration.
   
   Thank you Ms. Knapp, not because you had all the right answers, but because you set a great example of a woman fighting resiliently to help herself and others, even when that self-examination was revealing and sometimes humbling. Even when she could not find sufficient motivations for herself, she worked toward and wanted other women to pursue their fulfilments and desires, and to become satiated. She wanted to stop the cycle of mothers unknowingly passing on negative patterns to their daughters. Caroline's voice was heard and I will always remember it.



3. Overall a great book if you don't want a completely factual account of women and dieting. It can be self-indulgent, ego-centric, and sprawling but the author's personality is likable and sympathetic so I enjoyed learning about the more personal side to this. There are other more factual books I would reccomend, though, like Women and Dieting Culture: Inside a Commercial Weight Loss Group or Hunger: An Unnatural History.
   But good book overall and I'd reccomend it.



4. I read this book as part of a feminist psychology class and I LOVED it. It is so enlightening and revealing.
   
   It is about anorexia, but as a reader you often forget this because it-- unlike most books on eating disorders-- focuses on the psychology of women and how society impacts women's desires and sense of entitlement.
   
   I DEFINATELY recommend reading this book... there is no doubt that it will change the way you think about your wants and needs and make you question what society has been telling and teaching you all your life.



5. Although Caroline Knapp is no longer with us, her contributions to the understanding of women's appetites live on in this book. Her amazing insight, powerful language, and personal experiences shed light on the unexplored domains of female hunger and desire. The book explores women's tragic quest of attempting to satisfy deeply internal desires by reaching for external and unattainable "fragments of hope that always promise transcendence over pain and longing and always disappoint." Feeling fundamentally incomplete, many women become trapped in an eternal loop of hunger, and repeatedly attempt to fill the voids in ways that only increase the appetite and longing. As Caroline beautifully expressed, the hunger that truly needs to be attended to is the "most central hunger, which is the desire to be recognized, to be known and loved because of, and in spite of, who you are."

5 comments about The I-Can't-Chew Cookbook: Delicious Soft Diet Recipes for People with Chewing, Swallowing, and Dry Mouth Disorders.

1. I-Can't-Chew Cookbook: Delicious Soft-Diet Recipes For People With Chewing, Swallowing And Dry-Mouth Disorder by J. Randy Wilson is a unique, one-of-a-kind cookbook that is an invaluable addition to the kitchen cookbook collection of any family chef who must prepare meals for anyone suffering from problems arising from a chewing disorder such as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems, stroke, ALS, Alzheimer's, AIDS, lupus, recovering from head or neck surgery, or mouth/throat cancer surgery. Randy Wilson drew upon his love of cooking and his array of culinary skills when his wife was diagnosed with TMJ and needed surgery. Her doctor indicated that she would have to subsist on soft foods for six months. Randy took on the challenge of developing soft, nutritious, and appealing recipes for his wife and their family. The result is his I-Can't-Chew Cookbook which is neither a liquid diet book nor a blender cookbook, but instead showcases 200 soft and tasty recipes for casseroles, soups, entrees, side dishes, beverages, and deserts. Of special interest are the opening chapters on nutrition and tips for getting the most out of meals, including enhancing the dining experience and adapting foods for a soft-food diet when dealing with problems of wallowing and/or chewing. Enhanced with an informative Foreword by oral surgeon Mark A. Piper, I-Can't-Chew Cookbook should be considered as a "must" for anyone wanting nutritious, delicious, consumable dishes for the chewing and/or swallowing impaired.



2. Both of my parents have Alzheimer's disease. Dad can't chew meat or normally cooked vegetables and Mom can't swallow very well. I already do more than this book suggests in preparing their daily meals. Grinding and cutting food into small pieces just does not cut it. I have to puree meat and some other items, otherwise I just cook things to death to soften them enough for Dad. My wife rejected this book on her first reading. She said "The recipes are not for elderly folks who eat regular food. It's like someone on a cooking show made up these recipes." My parents were raised on farms and gardened all of their life so I cook food that they know and will eat. They will not touch most of the stuff from this book.
   
   I appreciate the author's effort to provide nutritional food and list the analysis on each recipe. Elderly people need energy and solid food to make their day. I think he missed the boat on this book. I can say that I did not get one good idea from this book and wasted my money.



3. The recipes work! They have flavor and variety. Not one has been a loser, only winners, and the whole family can enjoy each recipe. Wish there were more entree recipes.



4. I did not know the book was more about nutrition for people with chewing disorders than recipes. I don't recall that in the description. Great recipes.



5. ....then this is the book for you. If not, you'll be just as disappointed as I was. I really can't imagine who the audience is for this book--perhaps people who normally don't cook at all, have never owned a cookbook, and are averse to eating fresh, real, whole food.
   
   The soup chapter has some good options but nothing that you wouldn't find in any recent cookbook (acorn squash soup, leek and potato, curried pumpkin, etc.). And some of the desserts and beverages look passable (though if I wanted to make desserts with instant pudding mix, I wouldn't need a cookbook to do it).
   
   But really, those of us with TMJ or other jaw problems are probably mostly looking for entree ideas and here the book really is uninspired. Fully 23 of the entree recipes call for canned, condensed soup (usually the "cream of" variety--as in chicken, celery, mushroom, etc.) and then there are just some truly strange combinations. A "baked chicken salad" with a crumbled potato chip "crust" and topping? No thanks. Seafood casserole with canned (!) shrimp and salmon, 1 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise, topped with stuffing mix? Ugh. A casserole with cooked shrimp and cream of mushroom soup? Think I'll pass.
   
   [I forgot to mention that at least seven of the vegetable recipes also call for canned soup. Poor little vegetables!]
   
   I appreciate what the author is trying to do here, and perhaps someone who finds himself suddenly needing to cook for an elderly relative used to eating 50s-style dinners heavy on the dairy (sour cream, cream cheese, and evaporated milk are favorites), canned, and frozen food would find this useful. But even if you like this style of cuisine, it's easy enough to go to your trusty old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and look up the recipe for tuna noodle casserole.
   
   I'm returning this one, along with the Weihofen "Easy to Swallow" book which was disappointing for similar reasons. Save your money and look through traditional cookbooks (or online) for soups, casseroles and other soft food recipes.

5 comments about When Women Stop Hating Their Bodies: Freeing Yourself from Food and Weight Obsession.

1. This book is BRILLIANTLY conceived. It isn't about losing the weight first; it's about learning to love yourself first and unconditionally. What comes after that is your whole LIFE. The diet industry has convinced us that when you lose the weight, then you can/will love yourself.
   
   So how come diets - 99 out of 100 times - lead to bingeing!! With odds such as that, do you honestly feel it's your own fault????
   
   This book is about losing low self-esteem and self-criticism, assumptions, and judgements about yourself and others. How much do you believe those things weigh you down??? It's incalculable. Then you learn how to become your own caretaker who loves you unconditionally, is creative and so much stronger than you think. That's the stuff that lightens up you and your life. This takes time and effort to develop but don't be swayed by others who haven't gotten the concept and who even sound as though they haven't carefully read the book. You CAN TRUST yourself; you will NOT eat yourself into oblivion. You do deserve the time and self-exploration involved. This book is about living your life to the MAX which you will do once you get over obsessing about food. I LOVE the book; it's my BIBLE. Thank you to the authors from the bottom of my heart.



2. This book encourages victimhood. We are overweight because we live in a man's world. So carry around a feed-bag and soothe your anger.
   
   I agree that dieting as a result of self-hatred is a poor motivation that will never work. But I am overweight because of choices I made yesterday that are a reality today. It's not my husband's or my father's or anyone's fault.
   
   A better book is "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," which I am currently reading. This book teaches that we are only victims when we choose to be. Once we get that, we can go from their and dump all that anger-based, victimhood "momentum."



3. This book is 12 years old. I think the authors' stand on the position of women in our society reflect what was happening in the 90's. Nevertheless, I think their premise that dieting makes us fatter and that we use food to cope is right on. Their cure of legalizing food, sitting with our feelings, and learning to stop loathing our bodies is easier said than done. Laurel Mellin takes the idea of sitting with our feelings further in her book "The Solutions." I seriously doubt anyone who has any issues with food won't find a passage in this book that will make them say "Aha."



4. It's quite simple really. These days, when I look in the mirror I love the girl I see. Some of the credit has to go to this book. Thank you Jane.
   
   If you are ready to look past your weight and focus on your well-being, then this book will be a great companion. It is well written, with real-life examples from women who have discovered the secret to a lifestyle free from body image worries; a lifestyle that is light and loving in itself.
   
   I am happy that I found this book at the perfect time for me. It has helped me transform myself into the person I am today. These days I can focus on my friends, and I can be relaxed enough to let go of my insecurities and have a great time. It has been a year-long process and although I still have to remind myself every once-in-a-while, it has gotten much easier to snap out of it.



5. This book truly changed my life by asking the simple question, "Who says?" Who says that one kind of body shape is better than another? Who are these dictators to whom we give all power over our bodies, self-image and self-esteem? The editors at People Magazine? Our parents? That guy in high school? It becomes a ridiculous quest. Certainly, history has shown that the "right" body is constantly changing--should WE? Then the book gives straight forward steps to help dismantle our self-binding beliefs and to overcome the idea that food itself has power over us. I left this book knowing that food is nothing more than sustenance and a treat at times.

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 The Body Image Workbook: An 8-Step Program for Learning to Like Your Looks (New Harbinger Workbooks).

1. I never thought workbooks really work. I am on Step 6 in this book, and I am really beginning to notice a difference. I still have a negative body image, but I'm beginning to realize how much of my problem is related to my thoughts as opposed to my actual body. This book speaks to me on a very personal level, and has helped me realize that several people struggle with the same problem I do. I don't think I'll be totally cured by the time I finish the book, but I do think I'll improve my body image each day by practicing the steps in the book. It's a long process, but I truly believe this book will help me learn to love my looks!



2. I found this book to be one of the most helpful books I've read on overcoming body image issues. Everyone has body image issues to some extent. Others, like me, could have received many advanced degrees and done great things in the world had they successfully channeled bad body thoughts into something productive; like accepting oneself and learning to honor the body (and genetics) given to you. This book walks readers through a number of exercises designed to help first return to the core reasons (and identify humiliating public experiences) leading to a negative body image. The book then goes on to help the reader come to grips with their own expectations and realities surrounding their body image. My nutritionist is now "prescribing" this book to all of her patients. I highly recommend this book to anyone who struggles with never feeling fully comfortable in the skin you're in.



3. I have found this workbook to be very thorough in professionally addressing the issues of body image for a variety of people. It provides a positive reference tool to those who seek greater self-confidence, self-awareness, and self-esteem.



4. I never thought that I would try using something like this workbook, but I'm glad that I purchased it. It's an easy book to read and understand and the exercises have been very helpful so far. It isn't for JUST people with weight issues, but people who are dissatisfied with their facial features, thinning hair, height, etc. Highly recommended for anyone with problems with any physical features.



5. This is really a great book. If you don't like the way you look,have self-esteem issues, fears, or depression (all these may be caused by a poor body image), read this book.
   
   Thomas Cash teaches you step by step how to overcome this crippling illusion and discover the beautiful person you are meant to be.
   
   I would highly recommend this book.

5 comments about Losing Your Pounds of Pain.

1. I really appreciate this book. I loved the caring tone and the way the author seemed to reach out and give the reader a hug! I think that so many of the stories and descriptions spoke to my heart about myself and friends that I found myself calling friends or emailing parts of the books so we could talk ideas! This is a gem! Thank you for writing it, Doreen.



2. I had high expectations for this book, thinking that I'd find some interesting facts and research on overall emotional overeating, not just related to sexual abuse. Sadly, this book is heavily laden with disturbing and very graphic accounts of sexual molestation, incest and rape. I had a hard time reading through the disgusting experiences related in the book.
   I feel nothing but sorrow to think that a human being could be subjected to such horrible acts and hope that those can be healed and live lives full of love and joy.
   While it provides some useful ideas, such as excercise,affirmations and visualization to release the negative emotions, the book also lacked a comprehensive plan to help victims of sexual abuse deal effectively with their pain. Directly from her book:
   "To uncover the unresolved pain, you usually need to recall some painful experiences from childhood and/or adolesce and determine who the perpetrator was. If you blamed yourself for any abuse that you suffered, then you need to remind yourself that, as a young person, you weren't responsible for the abusive or neglectful actions of others -even if you somehow felt responsible at the time."
   Ms. Virtue advises people to seek professional help and get involved in psycotherapy. She also suggests a low fat diet, which is a pretty archaic advise and proven not very effective.
   Unless you have had a similar experience as those related in this book, I don't think it would beneficial to you.



3. Doreen speaks truth and honesty on compulsive and binge eating.
   
   Anyone who has suffered from lose of control with eating will appreciate the depth and courage Doreen shares in this book.



4. Doreen virtue shows us in her lovely book "Losing Your Pounds of Pain", that there is a connection between emotional pain and overeating.
   This book has been a gem in supporting me in overcoming my emotional issues that have kept me locked in a place where I never thought I could overcome my problems with food and weight.
   There are lengthy chapters about sexual abuse, that do get a little detailed, but she also talks about the pain of this moment and other childhood issues that may cause you to over eat.
   I really enjoyed the last several chapters that are solution oriented, and have helped me tremendously on my journey. I would highly recommend this book.



5. This isn't the first time a book by Doreen Virtue has helped me. She does manage to get close to problems and to help the readers get close to them too. She creates a safe, understanding path for getting to the heart of issues; readers are lead gently to the core of the problems of obesity.
   
   Virtue acknowledges that many therapists connect sexual abuse with being overweight, but she doesn't stop there. She delves into other reasons which many times do revolve around sexuality, but aren't limited to it. No matter what the reason for overeating, the result is the same - a person ends up weighing more than they want to be.
   
   She explores different cases histories from her experiences as a therapist. Readers can relate to the pain and gain cycle no matter what their issues might be and can use the information to move forward in breaking the cycle.
   
   It helps to have a friend read the book with you. You need support to face some issues and hopefully you can support each other. Find someone at the gym or in your weight loss group. She has a great section on the psychology of "plateau." Hint: there's no such thing as "set point" except in your head.
   
   I'll admit, I spent a week fighting the book after I started it. I put it aside and went back to my old habits. That's why having a partner helped, we talked through the tough parts and I could pick up the book and begin anew. It's a great book to work through weight issues with a life coach or therapist too. It's not a diet book. You have to change the way you think in order to change the way you eat and move.
   
   This reviewer is disappearing slowly but surely.
   Doreen Virtue's book is being held as an accomplice in this case.