5 comments about The Type II Diabetes Diet Book: The Insulin Control Diet : Your Fat Can Make You Thin.

1. I per chance picked up this book as I thought I was heading for Diabetes Type 2. I am in the Medical Profession this book is sound and well researched. I started on the diet 3 weeks ago lost 6 kilo's and don't feel hungry. I don't use all the menus and adapted my own. The book is incredibly informative and once you have this knowledge you realise how other diets and pills and potions cannot work.
   I just have a problem with the email address I cannot contact either author on the email printed in the book.
   Well done for this valuable information



2. OK, this is less about the book than it is about the diet. It works. I have tried everything including Atkins and Weight Watchers. I had 15 pounds to lose. When my doctor said elevated blood sugar was the only thing he could find to explain why I wasn't losing the weight, I bought this book. Now, it is NOT an 'eat all you want of certain foods' diet. And sometimes I've been hungry. But it is easy to follow, not the least complicated and there's no measuring (aside from knowing what 3-4 ounces of meat/chicken/fish looks like, and 1/2 cup of fruit/vegetable.) I'm down 14 1/2 pounds. One caviat: since I didn't have a lot of weight to lose (I'm guessing this is the reason) it's taken me awhile. But it's the only thing that has worked. Right now I'm slowly re-introducing grains (bread, brown rice) and the loss continues (this was a problem with Atkins - the minute I ate a dinner roll, the weight came back). It really works.



3. I was initially very excited to read this book, based upon most of the reviews as well as the preliminary information I read. However, after carefully reading the information, I'm afraid I cannot recommend this book to anyone else in good conscience, due to the issues I point out in the following note, which was e-mailed to the author at the address given in the book (and subsequently returned as "undeliverable," as the e-mail listed in the book is apparently incorrect or no longer working).
   
   Not only didn't the figures from the book's Daily Meal Plans add up (which as you can see from my note below, were WELL beyond their stated limit of 40g of carbohydrates per day, even for a partial list of items from their very own recipes), but the e-mail itself was returned as undeliverable at the address listed on page 149 of the book (ezrin-ctrs@aol.com).
   
   If the daily menus contained in the book don't even conform to the author's very own stated requirements and even the author's e-mail address is incorrectly listed, why in the world would a reader ever entrust their own health and well being to this dietary program?
   
   I assure you I am in no way connected to any other dietary program of any kind, nor do I have any ax to grind against either the authors or their Insulin Control Diet program. I'm just a guy very recently diagnosed with a condition of "Type II Diabetes" whose doctor recommended weight loss as a solution and who turned first to this book in order to try to find it.
   
   I even gave the authors the benefit of the doubt by trying to contact them based upon the information they gave in the book to obtain clarification on the apparent inconsistencies in the text, in case my observations were incorrect. But as I mentioned, I was unable to receive a response, due to the apparently inaccurate listing of the e-mail address for the author.
   
   I am extremely disappointed in the book, not only due to its incomplete or inconsistent information, but also due to its extremely haphazard presentation.
   
   My note to the author (returned as undeliverable) is included below.
   
   R. McGowan
   Los Angeles, CA
   
   -----Original Message-----
   Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2005 11:44 AM
   To: 'ezrin-ctrs@aol.com'
   Subject: Figures for the Figure don't Figure
   Importance: High
   
   Dr. Ezrin,
   
   I am a 46-year-old male recently diagnosed with Type-II Diabetes and was excited to discover your "Type 2 Diabetes Diet Book," since it was written from the perspective of an endocrinologist. While the program does seem to make sense overall, what is most perplexing to me is how you arrive at a daily carbohydrate intake limit of 40g for your meal plans (which you say the daily meal plans maintain).
   
   You mention several times throughout the book that a standard serving of fruit consists of 15g of carbohydrate (also referenced in the Appendix on pp. 303- 304). Since each of the meal plans consist of 2 standard servings of fruit (or even 2 ½, such as in the example I give below), this means that fruit alone counts for a full 75% - 94% (30g - 37.5g) of the daily carbohydrate intake amount, leaving only 10g carbohydrate for all the rest of the foods combined throughout the day.
   
   As an example, following is the carbohydrate breakdown for Day Two of the Insulin Diet Meal Plan (from p. 135), based entirely upon the carbohydrate figures referenced in the Appendix:
   
   Breakfast
   
   Decaffeinated coffee- (not in Appendix)- 0g?
   1 soft-cooked egg- 0.6g
   1 cup chicken bouillon (not in Appendix, but listed separately on p. 243)- 1g
   1 peach- 15g
   
   
   Lunch
   
   Iced coffee (not in Appendix)- 0g?
   Salmon Salad Sandwich- 5oz (1tbs chopped onion- 0.6g; mayonnaise- 1g; lettuce- 1g)
   Salad (not defined) with Low-Cal Vinaigrette (iceberg lettuce- 2.9g; Vinaigrette dressing- 6.6g)
   Gelatin (why not specifically state "sugar-free" here??? I'm assuming it is...) with D-Zerta topping- 0g?
   
   
   Snack (afternoon or evening)
   
   1 ¼ cup watermelon cubes- 15g
   
   
   Dinner
   
   Decaffeinated coffee- 0?
   Chinese Fish Steaks- (1/2 cup chicken bouillon- .5g; mushrooms- NOT EVEN LISTED ON THE VEGETABLES LIST IN THE APPENDIX!- 0.5G?; soy sauce- NOT LISTED IN THE APPENDIX- 0.5G?)
   Beans with Basil (It doesn't specify the KIND of beans. However, based upon the Appendix under "Vegetables," `1/2 cup of cooked beans shows 15g carbohydrate)
   Salad (not defined) with Low-Cal Vinaigrette (iceberg lettuce- 2.9g; Vinaigrette dressing- 6.6g)
   1 cup beef bouillon- 1g
   Gelatin & Fruit (again, it doesn't specify "sugar-free," but I'm assuming so. However, even ¼ cup of fruit is still 7.5g carbohydrate, no matter how you slice it)
   
   
   You separately caution to allocate fruit portions sparingly, and yet even in this ONE DAY of the meal plan, the fruit portions alone that you specify already account for a full 37.5g of carbohydrates of the 40g maximum daily intake of carbohydrate that you recommend (in fact, you even state a recommended limit of between only 20 - 35 grams of carbohydrate in any 24-hour period elsewhere in the book).
   
   The total amount of carbohydrate of all the other ingredients combined for this one-day's meal plan alone (the carb amounts for which are all pulled from the book's Appendix) which even then only constitute a partial list, based upon what the recipes call for, comes to 46.7g (already over your 24-hour maximum limit). When added to the amount of fruit indicated, this makes a carbohydrate consumption of 84.2g for this one-day's meal plan alone- well over TWICE the daily carbohydrate intake you recommend throughout the book (FOUR-TIMES the amount, if you go by your lower recommendation of 20g carbs per day).
   
   Examples from the text, for reference:
   
   p. 109, paragraph 2: "For the duration of your weight loss period, we ask that you limit your total carbohydrate intake to 20 to 35 grams." (while it doesn't specify "per day" here, elsewhere you do indicate no more than 40 grams during any 24-hour period).
   
   p. 109, paragraph 3: "In other words, more than 40 grams of carbohydrate in any form will trigger your overproduction of insulin and return you to the weight gain cycle you know so well." (again, based upon other references, this indicates "per-day").
   
   p.111, paragraph 3: "Be advised, however, that regardless of total calories consumed, carbohydrate intake for the day should never exceed 40 grams."
   
   Which begs the following question: "How can any reader reasonably trust the advice given, when the numbers for your own daily meal plans don't even come close to remaining within your stated limitations for daily carbohydrate intake?
   
   Secondly, it took me over an hour-and-a-half to determine the actual carbohydrate amounts listed for this one day's meal plan listed above alone, since it required me to constantly flip back-and-forth between the meal plan listing (which DOESN'T indicate any carbohydrate/protein/fat information), the recipes (which are also difficult to track down and which also don't list any carbohydrate/protein/fat information for any of the ingredients) and the Appendix (which doesn't include information on all the items in the recipes and, even if it does, does not give information equivalent to the amounts the recipes call for).
   
   It would be a FAR more usable resource if the information was:
   
   a. more comprehensive, including carb/protein/fat amounts listed right along-side meal plan and recipe ingredients;
   
   b. more logically presented, so that a reader doesn't have to shift back-and-forth between the meal plans, the recipes (which are also hard to locate), and random information sprinkled throughout the text itself (such as the information on boullion, which is not in the index, but only in a separate section I was able to locate) and
   
   c. constructed to stay within it's own set of stated parameter guidelines.
   
   For example, the appendix lists "1 celery stalk" as having 2g carbohydrates, but the recipe for "Salmon Salad Sandwich" calls for "1 tbsp of chopped celery." How are you supposed to make the conversion between "1 celery stalk" and "1 tbsp of chopped celery?," in order to evaluate that "all-important" carb-per-day total? And while "1 tbsp of "chopped chives" is listed in the Appendix, "1 tbsp of onion" called for in the recipe is not and "green pepper," which is also called for in the recipe, is not even on the Appendix under vegetables at all! (nor, by the way, are mushrooms, which are called for in a separate recipe).
   
   The fundamental question is this: If "more than 40 grams of carbohydrate in any form will trigger your overproduction of insulin and return you to the weight gain cycle you know so well," as you state on page 109 and your own meal plan doesn't even maintain those guidelines, then how on Earth can the Insulin Diet program that you recommend possibly accomplish the weight loss goals that you claim? The figures simply don't add up. Either your statements regarding a daily limit of 40g carbohydrate are incorrect, or else your meal plans simply do not work, according to the parameters you yourself have indicated.
   
   I'd love to receive clarification on this issue at your earliest convenience, since I do want to get a handle on the effects of added weight on the symptoms for Type II Diabetes. However, I can only do that if I have complete confidence in the logic of the information that's being presented. As it is, my confidence in the program is shaky, since the figures on how to improve my figure just don't figure.
   
   I look forward to your reply.
   
   Best,
   R. McGowan



4. When I first looked at this book, I thought there's no way - how can I go without bread, rice, pasta, etc. After thinking about it for a couple of weeks I decided to give it a try. I loved it. I truly never missed the processed foods and surprisingly was never hungry. I feel like my diet is much more nutritionally sound than what I had been eating, and after the first couple of weeks I had pretty much trained myself what and how much to eat. I've lost 18 pounds so far and a lot of it has been the "stubborn belly fat". Couldn't be happier and feel great. I think that as much as following the diet you need to include the exercise, which is talked about in the book. This diet may not be for everyone, but as someone who has been unsuccessful with weight loss, even with exercise, it's been a Godsend.



5. This book is changing my life. After watching my weight creep up, up, up for the past 8 years and dealing with the usual results...high blood pressure, high cholesterol, clothes not fitting, depression, and most recently, mild type-2 diabetes, I got my hands on this book and I now have a clear understanding of what I've been doing to my body and what foods I need to really watch. By following the book's guidelines I've been able to lose 14 pounds in about 5 weeks. I still have a ways to go but I'm confident that I'll be able to accomplish my goal. And, without hunger. Even if you're not (yet) diabetic but need to lose some unwanted pounds, I guarantee you'll be able to quickly do it with these guidelines. After my fantastic results so far, my doctor is ordering a copy and will be recommending it to other patients. One of the biggest things I learned..."Sugar is the #1 poison!"...which it states throughout.

5 comments about Chocolate Is My Kryptonite: Feeding Your Feelings How to Survive the Forces of Food.

1. Well, I read Dr Keene's book within a day and must say I was very disappointed with the overall message. Firstly he claims that overeating is a genetic dysfunction caused by a lack of serotonin for which the overeater tries to compensate by eating various types of junk food. Then he goes on to say that prozac is often a good treatment in more severe cases. Admittedly he does clearly identify some of the emotions felt by overeaters and explains in not too technical terms why food is used as a comfort. However his solution is for those afflicted to "abstain" from "trigger foods" for life. He sets out a "menu for a lifetime" which should be followed and stresses that the overeater has to stick to this and always measure out their portions of food. For me, this meant that the obession with food would reign! There is no teaching of how to deal with the problem, instead it is treated as a handicap with which all those affected must live. My goal is to be able to eat normally, to be able to have an ice-cream now and again or a bar of chocolate and not feel guilty and not feel like I have to go on and finish the tub or eat 6 more bars. I do not want to have to spend my life thinking about food and measuring out each meal whilst following a "menu for a lifetime"! Certainly there is an issue of healthy eating which is what the menu is aiming to promote, yet to brand some foods as "forbidden" is ridiculous. How on earth can people with jobs, relationships and leading real lives possibly be expected to abide by this menu day in and day out! Obviously certain sorts of food are bad for us and should not be eaten on a regular basis, but coffee is also not the healthiest of drinks, yet 2 cups a day are allowed on the "menu"! For me this book sees the problem of overeating as a permanent disability with which we are born and thus makes it a central point of the victim's life. Every day has to be tailored to deal with this "defect" and it is made into something which distinguishes the sufferer from the rest of society, as opposed to helping the sufferer be reintegrated into society and live a normal life. It is a well-known fact that eating disorders are anti-social and this book, by introducing the "menu" does nothing to help the sufferer deal with this prevalent aspect of the problem. This book is an interesting perspective for those doing a comparative study on different approaches to the problem but absolutely useless for those looking for genuine support and guidance in dealing with with something which we want to change, not be burdened with for a lifetime.



2. My parents were alcoholics. Fortunately, they found and sustained recovery. Friends recognized that alcoholism was a genuine disease, and supported both them and their recovery.

   I never even tried alcohol (my parents taught me well in that regard). But I drowned my sorrows with food, day after day. There was no support and no understanding. My parents had a disease...but I was weak-willed.

   Chocolate is My Kryptonite helped me realize that Food Addiction is a disease. In fact, it is quite similar to alcoholism. For as Dr. Keene points out, "what's alcohol, but the ultimate processed carbohydrate."

   I'm using this book, and the Menu For Life to find recovery for the first time in my life. It's only been 4 months so far, but it is the best I have felt in ages.

   I know that a prior poster had concerns with the concept of "abstinance," but having lived the life of a food addict, and the daughter of alcoholic parents...I find abstinence not to be a problem...but rather, to be the solution!

   Chocolate is My Kryptonite is Freedom From Food Addiction.




3. I liked the title of this book, and so started it predisposed to liking it. I thought perhaps it would have some humorous insight into the serious subject of obsessive eating. Instead, what I found was that I was talked down to and insulted on almost every page. Rather than explaining the chemistry he refers to, this author uses analogies he must think are cute but which struck me as insultingly simplified, for the most part. As the book goes on, the author gets increasingly obsessive about the plan of abstinence he proposes. At the end of the book, he includes a height/bone structure chart that purports to tell readers their "ideal" weight. Both this chart and the suggested lists of foods he provides strike me as sexist. He hasn't updated his chart to show what nutritionists now recommend as a range of healthy weights, and he thinks that men can weigh 20 pounds more at the same height. His food lists specify things like "half a cup of cereal for women, one cup for men." Anyone obsessed with food will be setting themselves up for disaster if they take this book seriously. It will promote dieting and then regaining in most cases. Try Anne Katherine's much more respectful book on obsessive eating instead.



4. First, I bought the book because I believe that some foods are addictive. Dr. Keene explains the biology better than other authors. The Menu for Life is realistic given the biology. There are several books on food addiction, but I found this one to be authoritative since it was written by a physician and based on his work with an eating disorders specialist who has a "problem" with food. The tone of the book is flawed; Dr. Keene tries to speak plainly and personally to the reader but comes off a bit too "cute." Nevertheless, his eagerness to help the reader shines through. His editor deserves some of the criticism.



5. This book was informative. I learned alot about depression and eating habits and hormones! He wrote the book as if he was sitting across from you and actually talking to you. He covers alot of scientific material in a way that doesn't bog you down. Great job!

1 comments about Loved on a Grander Scale: Affirmation, Acceptance, and Hope for Women Who Struggle With Their Weight.

1. As a nutritionist and eating disorders specialist, I think this book is long overdue. It does an excellent job of helping people to realize that the standards of the world are not the standards of God and that genetics has a great deal to deal with weight.(Stunkard et al. An adoption study of human obesity. New England Journal of Medicine: 1986: 314:193-197). It also discusses how to deal with medical professionals and others who try to force you into an unnatural mold. The negative effects of dieting are discussed (i.e. dieting leads to other eating disorders, obsession with food,and/or often more weight gain). I highly recommend this book as people try to normalize their eating and get on with their lives with the recognition that we are not all supposed to be the same. We have too precious little time on earth to spend 90% of it worrying about what we weigh. (Polivy, J. The Psychological Consequences of Food Restriction. J Am Dietetic Association 1996:96:589-92)

2 comments about Overweight Kids: Spiritual, Behavioral and Preventative Solutions.

1. I was thinking about sending my daughter to one of those weight camps and now I am not going to do it. Instead, we are trying to do the things Dr. Linda suggests. So far, it's working. My son doesn't like the limit on video games but I now realize, I'm in charge and doing what's best for him. This book got me thinking about lifestyle changes, not just weight.
   The wholistic approach makes more sense than faddish diets.



2. A double cheeseburger, large fries, and a chocolate shake adorn the cover of Dr. Linda Mintle's new book. Leading some more impulsive readers to make poor food choices before opening to the first page, on what was a perfect day for Frisbee golf, I took the book, a value meal, and sat down at my desk to read about obese kids.
   
   The first chapter, titled, "Is my Child Overweight?" sets a precedent for solid content that is maintained throughout the text. Using vignettes, bulleted points, question-answer, letters from concerned parents, chapter quizzes, and sections of well-written prose, Mintle writes coherently and creatively about important, though potentially complex, measures--such as calculating the Body Mass Index (BMI)--and simplifies ideas for the casual reader, without ruining the material's integrity.
   
   The Problem
   
   When introducing the issues, Mintle encourages parents who struggle with weight themselves, "Leave shame, guilt, and rejection behind--they won't move us forward."1 And she elaborates, "If you are struggling with your own weight and feel it is hypocritical to feed your child differently in the hopes of helping him grow into his weight, it's not. Now would be a good time to get help to overcome your weight issues while working on establishing a healthy eating environment for your child and family."2
   
   Dispelling harmful myth, Mintle debunks sleazy talk shows that blame parents for their severely-obese children, as well as bias headlines such as "Three-Year-Old Dies from Obesity", which have appeared in mainline news.3 Accordingly, with many of these extreme situations there are extenuating medical conditions, and still--dying from childhood obesity is unlikely.
   
   However, childhood obesity is a problem, according to Mintle. Currently, 30% of our nations kids are overweight or at risk of being so.4 Moreover, 60% of children between the ages of 5 and 10 are already at risk for heart disease. Other risk factors of childhood obesity include asthma, diabetes, hypertension, orthopedic complications, sleep apnea, hyperlipidaemia, constipation, and polycystic ovary syndrome (in females).
   Mintle identifies a myriad of factors that can lead to weight problems and presents them with cohesion. They are (1) too many calorie empty foods, (2) too little movement, (3) genetics, (4) emotional eating, (5) lifestyle and community changes, (6) family patterns, (7) the school scene, (8) advertisements and media, (9) a quick-fix mentality, and (10) poor spiritual equipping.
   
   The Solution
   
   Moving from problems to solutions, Mintle suggests a set of rules to ensure body weight is not a lifelong battle for kids. The first one: no diets (in the conventional sense of the term)! Other guidelines include never becoming the "food police", making good food choices and healthy living a family affair (i.e., don't treat differently one family member who struggles with weight), and setting a personal example of moderation and balance.
   
   The book is uncommonly content rich, each chapter providing useful guidance to the reader. The text addresses more issues that can be listed (a look at the table of contents doesn't do the book justice), but a few areas of note are:
   
   -How to talk to kids about health without scarring them for life
   -Setting new eating and lifestyle habits that will improve well-being
   -What and when to feed infants and toddlers of different ages
   -Information on fat, trans-fat, carbohydrates, and protein nutrition
   -Helping kids of varying ages keep healthy (diet and activity)
   -Instilling good self-esteem and a healthy identity in kids.
   -Setting up good motivations (e.g., rewards, contracts, etc.)
   -Dealing with sedentary kids
   -Satisfying food cravings
   -Getting away from emotional eating
   -Emotional growth and emotional self-regulation
   -Coping with childhood peer-teasing
   -Countering body image stereotypes from the media
   -Spiritual health and growth
   -Knowing when to seek professional assistance
   
   Is there support for the claims states in the book? Though not all Mintle's statements reference a research study, the citations are ample-about 150 throughout the 232 pages of content.
   
   Summary
   
   Dr. Linda Mintle's book does what books like this should. It dispels common myth, and makes complex content both comprehendible and applicable to the reader. And it does this without compromising the integrity of the message. Moreover, in setting out to address physical health, Mintle takes a genuine "whole-person approach" for spiritual, relational and emotional health are present areas of concern throughout the book.
   
   Additionally, this book outplays its recent competition on nearly every level. Linda Mintle sets out to address the issue of health among children. And she succeeds.
   
   Final note: Telephone and Online Counseling might be a good way to help struggling parents. Learn to provide telephone and online counseling with this exceptional book: The Therapist's Clinical Guide to Online Counseling and Telephone Counseling: The Definitive Training Guide for Clinical Practice

1 comments about Overcoming Eating Disorders: Recovery from Anorexia, Bulimia, and Compulsive Overeating.

1. Wonderful exfoliation of this grievous problem. This book is a gem, worth its weight in recovery, a grand recipe for a happy life. In a world full of quack hack experts, Doctors Zraly and Swift have set standards of excellence. I lost 125 pounds soon after reading this, and that was without getting a divorce.

5 comments about Overcoming Overeating.

1. This is a must read for anybody with a compulsive overeating problem. I can't say enough good things about this book. I found out how to stop the binge/diet cycle and live like a normal person, finally. The program is so simple and logical that I knew from the start that my life was going to change forever. I would urge binge eaters/compulsive overeaters to give this method a try. It just might be the ticket for you as it was for me.



2. I have read this book in 2001 and have not dieted ever since. The desire to diet has never returned, but I used to be pretty enthralled with it. After reading the book, and doing what I learned, I did indeed find my natural body size, which is 8. This book has taught me to accept myself and care for myself in a way that has not only improved my body image but also my overall self-confidence and self-esteem. I learned to address the real issue of why I was overeating (which is taught in the book). I have found that the key to success is to internalize the instructions given and to WHOLE-HEARTEDLY apply them in my life.



3. I had bought this book years ago but didn't remember reading it so I read it. I've been a dieter for about 25 years and always end up in the same place...heavier than before and more unahappy with myself. After reading just the first couple of chapters, I felt like a heavy weight (no pun intended!) was lifted from me. I've been "demand eating" for about a week now and I can't believe what a difference this has made in my life. One of the biggest changes I've noticed is just in my overall attitude about life. I've been nicer to people and more positive in general because I don't have this constant negative self-talk going on in my head anymore. The next biggest thing I noticed was that food and the scale have lost all power over me. I don't feel anxious anymore when I eat because I have learned to eat when I am truly hungry. If you are truly ready to change your life, read this book!



4. I was given this book a couple of years ago by the therapist seeing my prior to having gastric bypass surgery. I was shocked and so pleased to finally see what I had known all along. That diets succeed only in making us fatter. That I was not a failure because I could not loose a hundred some pounds on this diet or that. Here was the tool I needed. Along with this book and some therapy I learned the emotional pain behind why I ate. I had never tapped into that before. Two years later I have not had the surgery. I did get married. I learned to love and accept myself. That's more important than a flat stomach. Please, if you've struggled with a real weight problems, read this book and find a compassionate therapist.



5. I had already been using some of the principles of the Weigh Down Workshop but found it a bit judgmental. This book helped me learn to care for myself properly and not be so critical. As a result, I lost 60 pounds and took it back off after a pregnancy. I'm pregnant again and not worried about shedding the baby weight. I really appreciate a wholistic approach to this issue!

No comments about A Recipe For Success: What YOU can Learn About Coping in a Food-Bombarded World From People With Prader-Willi Syndrome, an Extreme Eating Disorder (PB).

5 comments about Body Sense: Balancing Your Weight and Emotions.

1. For anyone struggeling with a weight problem, this is a good choice in books to read.



2. I highly recommend this book, not only for losing weight, but for personal insight and transformation. The author finally shows us a way to connect with our bodies through our feelings and insight. We can lose weight by getting rid of the personal emotional burdens that we carry around as baggage. The author says that losing weight is not about will power, and she's right. It's about understanding how we think and feel contributes to our moods, eating, and weight gain. She shows us practical, common sense ways to make some lasting life changes.



3. Ms. Crawford-Clark has gathered the wisdom of the counseling field, combined with the knowledge of human nature, female mystic and male dynamics, with chemical dependency knowledge, eating "disorders" and presents a valued, insightful and very helpful book on this complicated subject.

   Her reflections and specific exercises offer the reader a practical, logical and manageable approach to a long-standing problem facing most Americans and American families.

   It is with great support I take the time to write this brief review. I recommend this book to all my friends (both personal and professional), as well as to the general reading public.




4. Most books about weighing more than you want, or having eating disorders, treat the issue like a chemistry problem. Change what you put in your mouth, and the weight will reach more appropriate levels. While that's certainly true to a point, many people are using food as a source of badly needed emotional solace. If they ignore their emotional needs, inappropriate uses of food may well continue. That's the situation that this book approaches.

   Body Sense is unusually good at helping you locate sources of explicit and repressed emotions that can be influencing your eating. I was astonished at how many childhood memories the questions dredged up that I had not thought about in 40 or more years. The book also wisely focuses you on identifying which foods trigger binges and other inappropriate behavior, allergic reactions, blood sugar highs and lows, and other individual-specific reactions. There's also some basic information about how body chemicals affect mood and physiology, and ways that choice of foods can help.

   Body Sense overcomes my main complaint about books offering new diets in that they usually offer one solution for everyone, and each person has to follow the advice pretty rigidly. As more research is conducted, it is becoming clear that individual reactions to foods vary quite a lot. For example, Live Right 4 Your Type shows that blood type is one important differentiating factor. In the future, we will probably learn more. For example, other research has shown that some people just have slower metabolisms than others, and will weigh more than people who eat more. Until better methods of finding out about our bodies is available, carefully understanding our reactions to food in an emotional and physiological sense is a logical and constructive step to take.

   I had three negative reactions to the book that concerned me, as much as I liked what I described above.

   First, we all have had bad experiences in our lives. If we are 5 pounds overweight, do we need to drag through all of that? 10 pounds overweight? 20 pounds overweight? 30 pounds overweight? I'm not sure that this degree of psychological self-examination is required unless the degree of eating disorder is pretty great. If more examination is needed, shouldn't we have some professional help?

   Second, the book doesn't say much about exercise except to warn against overdoing it. Most people would benefit from more fitness from exercise more than they would from losing a few pounds. I can imagine that people have very big hang-ups about exercise from their psychological backgrounds that need to be addressed as well. I was surprised that a book called Body Sense didn't include this topic.

   Third, the process described here would take many months to do for most people. How many people will have the persistence and patience to work through this many issues on their own? In my experience, very few. The process here needs either some streamlining, or some way to make a person want to keep pursuing it.

   Ultimately, who's to say that your weight is the biggest symptom you should be challenging? After all, it's mostly social norms that cause people to even think about their weight. I would argue that the harm we do to others and ourselves outside of how we eat is often worse. Perhaps the psychological approach here should be more like in Life Strategies, in trying to identify where change is needed first . . . before launching off into dealing with that area.

   What can you do today that will be positive, gratifying, and something you would be proud to share with the world?




5. If you got nothing else from Body Sense, the model of the Cycle of Pain is a visual aid that you can use in all situations to stop being a food abuser. There are real tools that challenge one to think about what leads to looking for food , when food has no magic to comfort the pain. The Cycle of Pain is like having a watch that now tells me where I am in my feelings, why, and what is most likely about to happen next.

   The second most valuable part of the book is the way it clearly and logically goes deeper into the emotions connected with eating disorders. I wish every physician new about Body Sense and could recommend this book to their patients as a healing tool.

   Lastly, almost any addiction I can think of would benefit from the use of the tools in Body Sense. Thank you .

No comments about Become You.

No comments about Feeding the Soul: Daily Meditations for Recovering from Eating Disorders.