Just finished "It was Food vs. Me and I won." by Nancy Goodman.
I think the first half of the book is pretty good in terms of realizing that it isnt about food. She delays talking about how she eats now because she doesnt want people to think of this as "another diet and if I copy how she eats I'll be successful". She doesnt have chapter names because of that too.
When she got to the part where she actually talks about what she eats ...well it kind of fell apart for me. I dont find her current eating habits all that healthy and especially her advice to eat 50%-75% of normal calories the day following a binge. While it is an improvement over her old "try not to eat anything at all" its still seems like punishing herself for binging.
The book was also much more coherent when she was talking about the past than the present. I think she isnt done with her self-work and that may be why.
Worth maybe a checkout from the library for the first half, but probably nothing earth shattering that other books dont say as well.
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Hi I'm new to this thread and I also am a traditionalist like Steph(Blessed and Free).I love the "Celebrate Recovery" and "The Purpose Driven Life" books.I have even taken it a step further and 6 weeks ago joined a Celebrate Recovery Program for my overeating and co-dependant behaviors.It is a christian 12-step and 8 Godly principles(based on the beattitudes)group that helps us deal with hurts,habits and hangups.It's for anything in those areas.Which I think relates to most people.It is so supportive and absolutely awesome.Because of this program I'm facing and talking about why I overeat and binge,and what to do to instead.Accountability partners are a must.I get that there and here on this forum.I have met many others like me.I even have gotten an invitation to go walking with a member of my ladies group that lives close by.I'm so excited about the future concerning a total "me makeover"!!!I lost 90 pounds one time ten years ago but it crept back on.When I reach my goal this time,I don't want it back and will do all I can to commit to this journey for life!:
Last edited by Nspired2lose; 04-30-2009 at 05:12 PM.
I don't read a lot of books on the subject, but I focus a lot on success stories. I read a lot on the forums, although I just recently got the nerve to start posting. One of the sites I found really useful and motivational was howtheylostweight.com -- I don't have a lot of money, so the fact it is free made a big difference for me. (I take what I can get... healthy foods are so expensive so I have to cut corners somewhere.)
Thank you for all of this great information. I really need it. I am really gearing up to get a handle on my binge eating. I hope that I can find help here.
Has anyone read "Fat Is a Feminist Issue" by Susie Orbach? Although it's written as a sort of guide for starting a self-help group, she has some excellent insights into the reasons behind binging/emotion overeating that are far beyond the standard ideas. Also, "The Hungry Self: Women, Eating and Identity," by Kim Chernin, helped me to see food issues from an entirely new perspective.
My favorite book is THIN for LIFE by Anne M. Flecher, M.S. R.D. I have read and re read this book. She speaks of "weight control masters". Those who have lost weight and kept it off for 5 years or more, and how they did it. I have used highlighter, and made notes in the margins. I have found this book to be very inspiring!
I'm surprised I haven't seen this on here, but Brain Over Binge by Kathryn Hansen is one of the most important things I've ever read as far as weight loss goes. Perhaps the average dieter is scared away by the fact that the word "bulimia" is on the cover, but it really is a fantastic book. She has some truly original ideas about the nature of bingeing, why people binge, and how to prevent binges.
I'm currently reading Hungry by Allen Zadoff. It's pretty good, he's doesn't shy away from some of the hard stuff, like there's just some things you might have to quit eating to keep from getting out of control and if something happens and you do get off track just get back on the next meal, not eating less because you ate more earlier, he says if you start doing that it kind of gives you permission to eat more if you eat less at a meal than normal and then you're back in that vicious cycle.
He talks alot about reaching out for support, not doing it alone and the emotional, etc. factors, not just diet, anyway, I'm enjoying it, got it free on kindle, he has it as an ebook for something like 2 or 3 bucks.
Although this thread is older, it's great to see some titles to check out. Always looking for something to read!
I find that books such as the ones already mentioned can be very inspiring for me, but only when I'm already "in the mode." When I'm not, they just make me feel guilty (not because of any defect in the books themselves, though!)
I read a book called "Fat Chance" on my Kindle. It was free when I had my Kindle Pro free trial thing. I really liked it to keep my head in the game. It's not a dieting book, and it's not a cook book. It was a fictional book about an overweight couple who go on a kind of weight loss game show. It pretty much details what it's really like to lose a substantial amount of weight. By the end I was very inspired.
I'm surprised I haven't seen this on here, but Brain Over Binge by Kathryn Hansen is one of the most important things I've ever read as far as weight loss goes. Perhaps the average dieter is scared away by the fact that the word "bulimia" is on the cover, but it really is a fantastic book. She has some truly original ideas about the nature of bingeing, why people binge, and how to prevent binges.
I wholeheartedly second the recommendation for Brain over Binge (and Rational Recovery, which she refers to often). Both books have changed my life. "Thin For Life," "Mindless Eating" and "Anticancer, A New Way of Life" were all also very good, and well worth a read!
My therapist suggested that I read Overcoming Binge Eating by Christopher Fairborn. I like it, I read a quarter of it in one sitting. He's been studying EDs for a long time and takes the time to explain their differences, how different behaviors feed into one another, and his opinions on ED definitions and applications. He then goes on to help the reader to control their eating habits, although I must admit I have not yet reached that part but I found his treatment of the EDs themselves fascinating. The way he writes, it's really easy to understand what can easily become confusing.
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(not because of any defect in the books themselves, though!)
