It's me again, you poor people! (And you thought I only obsessed about food.) I've been hearing a lot about Geneen Roth and I picked up When Food is Love from the library. She really talks right to you, doesn't she? It's such a good book. Has anybody else read this? What did you think?

I'm also reading Don't Diet, by Dale M. Atrens. I don't think I'll finish it because he's just getting redundant and a little out there at this point (a few chapters in) but he made some really interesting points. Like, fat DOES serve a purpose. We think fat is this horrible thing and that if we were really healthy, we'd have no extra fat. He points out that if we, as human beings, had no extra fat, then we'd be dead within hours. He cites the tree shrew: the tree shrew basically has no fat stores. It can not store much fat at all--its fat percentage is something like 1-3%. The tree shrew has to constantly (literally) be searching for food because if it doesn't eat, it will be dead WITHIN HOURS (literally) of not eating. There is, after all, a reason humans store fat. It isn't *just* in case of "famine". We use fat ALL the time, ANY time we're not eating. I never knew this. I always assumed we had plenty of glucose in our bodies floating around from having eaten 3 times a day (or however much), but according to this guy, we don't. Glucose doesn't last long at all. It converts to glycogen like lightening and the glycogen does its job like lightening but then what? Then it's gone. So we DO use fat throughout the day.

Obviously this doesn't mean we should try to store thousands of pounds of fat but it does make one realize that fat isn't necessarily the enemy. It does serve a purpose and not just a "worse case scenario" purpose, but an everyday one.

I've read all the Geneen Roth books, I think: "When Food is Love," "Feeding the Hungry Heart" and "When You Eat At the Refrigerator, Pull Up a Chair." She really understands what it is to binge and the feelings that fuel it. She has some workbooks too and she gives workshops here and there. She has no real solution, because there is none, but she recognizes that it's a constant struggle to overcome those feelings that drive us to food as a remedy.

Two books by Jean Antonello that have good advice are, "How to Become Naturally Thin by Eating More" and "Breaking Out of Food Jail".

Aleka, those sound like good ones. I'm checking them out next week if the library has them. (I'm constantly at the library.) Thanks for the referrals!

How to Become Naturally Thin by Eating More is and old book. I got it a few years ago at one of those discount book stores at an outlet mall. Breaking Out of Food Jail is more recent, within the last couple of years. You may find her second book more readily. Hope you enjoy the book(s).

Ali

I read When Food is Love in October. It realy kicked my but. I cried for a week. Just when I think I am finally putting my childhood/mother anger behing me, I read something like this book and it jumps up and bites me in the a$$.

I did think she spoke from a place of understanding. I took from the book that in the future I will try to be more open with my mom. (for the last 10-15 years I have plastered a smile on my face and been polite but unfeeling when we are together. Self protection. I don't even think she notices) I will express my feelings as necessary, and try to keep things relative to the current situation. I will try not to let old hurts cause me to overreact. If she becomes angry with me, I will try to remind myself that she has her own issues and I wont take it personally.

Sorry to get so side tracked! Anyway, the book was o.k.

WOW, I'm going to have to read that book!