Recommended Reading

I'm a voracious reader. Always have been, always will be. So when I realized that my compulsive overeating had a 'head' component (which of course it does, it's not just the food we eat, it's WHY we eat it!) I started looking for resources from experts on things like emotional eating, binge eating, etc.

There definitely are two facets to my food addiction that needed addressing (and will continue to need addressing):

- The PHYSICAL Side -- i.e., WHAT I eat, which foods are triggers, which foods are too high in carbs/sugars/etc....versus which foods help me nutritionally AND don't lead to hunger spikes or cravings.  This is where this program comes into play. The Medifast meals are perfectly formulated to address these issues.  It's an ever-evolving, constant balancing act, however...because after Transition you need to figure out which foods are triggers for you (and it's as individual as you are). And to make matters worse, triggers CHANGE over time...so you have to be aware of what foods are dangerous for you and constantly adjust your eating plan accordingly.
AND- The MENTAL/EMOTIONAL Side -- i.e., WHY I eat, what drives me to want to overeat emotionally. It can often 'feel' like I'm physically hungry, but in actuality I'm NOT....it's a false sense of hunger that has nothing to do with being 'empty' physically but EVERYTHING to do with looking for a release or a relief from stress, anger, anxiety, frustration, depression, you name it!
Dealing with my emotional eating is an ongoing battle as well....but this is where a lot of the books on the following list come into play. They address this side of the equation, the 'whys' and 'where did that come from?' aspect of my overeating and how to overcome them and become more regulated (I won't say 'normal' because what IS normal? LOL) in my eating.
So these are the books I found most helpful. This is a pretty long list, but it represents about 10 years of studying/reading/working on my weight.  It's only been in the last 2-3 years that I've made progress on the outside, because on February 22, 2012 I started this program and finally got the PHYSICAL side, (i.e., the DIET portion) 'right'.
Putting it all together is important;  but that didn't happen until I came here!

I will never be 'done'....I don't think you ever ARE 'done' when it comes to having a food addiction, but I've come a long, long way and hopefully my experience can help you.


The best reason to try some of these books? Is that sometimes, a way someone phrases something...the words they use...their tone...may just 'resonate' with you and speak to you in a way no one else has, and REACH you to where you can experience an 'AHA!' moment about your eating...and then learn to address the problem in a particular way.
We are all individuals, what works for me may not work for you...and 'who' speaks to me may not speak to you....so take this list in the spirit it's meant and see what you think! 

Most, if not all, of these books are available on Amazon. They are in no particular order.  ALL of these are recommended but some were more helpful to me than others, and I'll indicate these.

NOTE: Some of these books advocate their own method of dieting....take  that with a grain of salt. Again, as far as addressing the actual physical side of 'what to eat', I think the TSFL program using MF meals is the best, by far. And that's based on MANY years of experience and trial and error!  So take what 'speaks' to you out of each book, and disregard the rest. Geneen Roth, for example, as much as I ADORE her style of writing and the way she can relate to me as a food addict, advocates things like making a list of 'forbidden' foods and then trying to incorporate them into your diet. I could not disagree more, as I've found this BACKFIRES bigtime for me. Certain foods, for me? Are off limits and will ALWAYS be off limits...because whenever I eat them I simply CANNOT stop.  And I'm not alone...many of us have 'problem' foods or 'trigger' foods....for some people it's things like chips or nuts, for others it's certain sweet foods or foods from their childhood that just seem to pull at them emotionally. The ONLY way to deal with these foods, for me, is to ELIMINATE them. It's harsh, and it's hard, but it's a fact I've learned to live with. I'm much happier and more at 'peace' when I'm not wrestling with them because they always always ALWAYS lead to TOO MUCH. Either too much of themselves, or triggering a total eating binge where I go hog wild thinking "Well I blew it now might as well eat..." (you know how THAT goes) LOL.

BOOKS THAT HELPED ME LOSE WEIGHT
Finally Thin! by Kim Bensen
   Kim lost over 200 lbs on Weight Watchers. I don't advocate Weight Watchers for food addicts because the 'new' WW program allows you to eat basically 'anything', and this was dangerous for me. I couldn't lose weight on this program because it allowed me TOO much lattitude.
   That said, Kim's ATTITUDE and her encouraging words and her inspiring story (a neighbor thought that another woman moved into her house, she was that unrecognizable once she lost the weight), are very uplifting and the book just makes you feel less alone.   Here's a quote:
  "You don't have to do this forever.
  You just have to do this for TODAY. Every day."
TRUER words were never spoken LOL...

Thin for Life by Anne M. Fletcher, MS, RD
  Anne has practical advice on how to overcome eating addictions. For example, here are her "keys to success":
  1. Believe that you can become thin for life
  2. Take the Reins
  3. Do it your way
  4. Accept the Food Facts
  5. Nip it in the Bud: break the relapse cycle
  6. Learn the art of positive self-talk
  7. Move it to lose it
  8. Face Life head on
  9. Get more out of life
 10. Don't go it alone
Good advice, lots of detail...and encouragement.

Change your Brain, Change your Body by Daniel G. Amen, MD
  Dr. Amen gives a lot of background, medical and scientific information about the body and chemicals and this book is particularly helpful in regards to supplements that may help you with your weight loss struggle.  For example, he advocates increasing serontonin levels with 5-HTP, GABA,Glutamine, etc. Great info re: over the counter vitamins and supplements. His contention is, certain brain chemicals are influencing our decisions to overeat. Fascinating..and I agree...and some of his suggestions I've incorporated into my life. BUT... I also think there's a lot of emotional stuff going on, too that can't be explained simply by brain chemistry but has to be addressed based on our personalities and our life histories.

Rational Recovery by Jack Trimpey
  This book CHANGED MY LIFE. I can only say that about two or three books....and this one tops the list as far as binge eating goes. The weird thing is, it was actually written for alcoholics!  But if you substitute 'eating' for 'drinking' it's a GREAT tool that provides insight on 'why' you LIE to yourself, and say 'One won't hurt' (when you KNOW intellectually it will!) and how to SEPARATE OUT the two halves of your brain that are warring all the time...."fat brain" versus your intelligent side.

Brain over Binge by Kathryn Hansen
  This book is a "close second" to Mr. Trimpey's book, as it's based on the same idea (and in fact Ms. Hansen says so) but she is specifically addressing overeaters. I found Mr. Trimpey's book 'spoke' to me better, but you may disagree. In any event, it covers the same issue...the 'two sides' of our brain that are warring in terms of our compulsive eating.
Just getting that concept down helped me SO much! I was able to stop 'listening' to fat brain all the time because I realized that she was just my immature, emotional, 'always did it this way' side....but she was NOT in control of me, -I- was. That, for me, turned the corner and got me to goal.
Getting out of B.E.D. by Megan Bartlett
  Talks about "all or nothing" thinking (which is SO prevalent among binge eaters!)...also advocates journalling to help with binge eating, and using positive self-talk. A very small/slim book and an easy read if you're not big on reading.

Winning the Losing Battle - Why I will never be Fat again by Eda LeShan
  This one's been around awhile but she really NAILS it in terms of eating addictions. Lots of great advice.
The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, sixth edition - by Martha Davis, Ph.D., Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman, MSW, and Matthew McKay, Ph.D.
  LOTS of ideas here on relaxation and stress reduction exercises. There are workbook exercises you can do, lists to fill out, etc., it's a great way to get in touch with your feelings in regards to stress and find ways to handle it!  STRESS is one of the biggest factors in overeating sometimes and how we handle it can make all the difference in the world with our weight loss struggle. Not just getting it off but KEEPING it off, because 'life goes on',
right? STRESS is a fact of life.

The Food & Feelings Workbook - by Karen R. Koenig, LCSW, M.Ed
  Another great 'workbook' type book that delves into your feelings...covers thing like GUILT and SHAME and why we feel these (useless!) emotions and how to deal with them. Also covers things like disappointment, fear of feelings, Helplessless/frustration (A biggie for me!), Anxiety, Confusion and Loneliness. Really helps you get in touch with the "inner you" and begin to unravel some of the REASONS behind overeating.

How to Eat, Move, and Be Healthy! by Paul Chek
  This one explains things like metabolism, basal metabolic rates, exercise, explanations of various foods and which are healthy, which aren't, and even has a 'typing diet questionnaire. The questionnaire is kind of silly, really...but if you read the PROTEIN DIET 'solution' .... it's the TSFL program!  Lots of small meals with a good percentage of protein. And the 'whys' of using that type of diet to lose weight are explained very well.
There's lots of exercises in the book, too...and explanations about exercise and why it's important. Also sections on stress, why drinking water is so important, and SLEEP -- which is an often neglected portion of our diet plans!

Binge no More - by Joyce D. Nash, Ph.D.
  A great book if you suffer from binge eating...getting to the root causes of your binges, analyzing your emotions, taking steps to confront your negative thoughts, etc.

Breaking Free from Emotional Eating - by Geneen Roth
  Ms. Roth has lots of books on emotional eating and binge eating and her writing style is AWESOME, she draws you in and engages you, makes you laugh at yourself and see how ridiculous we can be sometimes. But please, take her 'diet' with a grain of salt because I'm convinced this type of approach won't work for most of us here. We NEED the physical component of the RIGHT diet, the right balance of protein/nutrients at measured intervals
throughout the day, to balance our PHYSICAL hunger. Ms. Roth is more into learning how to eat 'normally' and her exercises, to be honest, for me? Backfired. Trying to learn to how eat a twinkie is NEVER going to work for me. I'm better off banning them altogether. LOL.  That said, when she talks about emotions and food she shines, and a lot of what she says resonates with me.

Why Weight? A guide to Ending Compulsive Eating by Geneen Roth
  See above....but this book has lots of exercises you can do and gets into more practical ideas to address compulsive overeating. The thing I like about her, too, is the fact that she forces you to address the issues of SELF LOVE and really confront the fact that maybe, just maybe, you need to develop more self-confidence and LOVE yourself in order to respect yourself enough to treat your body right.

When you eat at the refrigerator, pull up a chair - by Geneen Roth
  Same idea....funny stories here that you will relate to in regards to some of the krazy things we do with food and trying to manage our weight...but some realistic advice, too.
Again, take her 'diet' ideas with a grain of salt, though.

Crave - why you binge eat and how to stop by Cynthia M. Bulik, Ph.D
  Ms. Bulik advocates things like eating breakfast every day hungry or not...don't drink your meals...beware of 'stealth sugars' in food products (not really a problem if you're on the 5/1 because that's all handled for you with the MF meals), 'retrain your taste buds' (this will happen automatically on this program if you follow it through to completion and through Transition, etc., and the importance of support. She has a great section on connecting with others via the Internet which in a way, led me HERE to this website....and she also advocates...blogging!

Refuse to Regain! by Barbara Berkely, MD
  This is a great book to pick up when you reach goal. She has 12 'tough' rules to follow to avoid regains, including things like eat from a limited menu, have a love affair with exercise,
and maintain with support and support others. The things I do NOT agree with are her recommendations to weigh daily (that can make you a basket case, it sure did me!), stop eating at 8 pm (not necessarily if your evening snack is right before bedtime which
has NEVER been a problem for me and in fact has helped me), and have one acceptable treat per day (ARGH, this business of 'treats'.... a treat day or having one treat a day or whatever...I get the PRINCIPLE, but not the practice. For instance I use either the MF choc mint soft serve OR the MF brownie as my final MF meal every day and that's my 'treat'. I CANNOT start using, say, a Reeses peanut butter cup as my treat, because the sugar would immediately start the hunger monster in me and before long I'd be up in the middle of the night raiding the refrigerator! So I've changed my CONCEPT of what a 'treat' is. I'm perfectly happy...thrilled, even!...with an MF brownie as my treat. I don't NEED it to be full of sugar.

Shrink yourself by Roger Gould, MD
  Lots of great help with emotions here....and self-confidence.  He helps you see through the tough emotions like frustration and self-doubt and deal with them instead of 'feeding' them.

A Course in Weight Loss by Marianne Williamson
  This is a combination spiritual guide AND food addiction self-help 'how to' manual....and there are exercises designed to get you in touch with the inner you and really see your own value as a person and learn to LOVE yourself move and respect yourself. There's a lot of high power and faith related things in here, though, so if that's not your thing, you might not respond to it.
Self Matters by Phillip C. McGraw, Ph.D.
  Oprah's former self-help 'guru' has some fascinating advice on how to deal with the 'problem' people in your life, and on issues like self-love and moving forward with your life doing what YOU want to do versus what others 'tell' you to do. Not a diet book by any means but a good self-help book.

And the granddaddy of self-confidence books (in my opinion):
Pulling your Own Strings - by Wayne Dyer
  If you have a self confidence problem, BUY THIS BOOK and study it thoroughly. I bought this book in my 20s and I'm not sorry I did because it CHANGED MY LIFE. Dr. Dyer will help you to rediscover WHO YOU ARE and stop doing things to please everyone else all the time, and instead be ASSERTIVE (not aggressive, assertive) with others when you need to. As a result you'll be a more confident, calmer, happier and less stressed human being!  And ALL your relationships will improve as people realize that you can't be pushed around....you are your OWN person with your own set of values and you'll stick to them.
Very, very helpful 'life guide' in general.

There you have it....try one, try them all, it's up to you. As I said, sometimes a certain phrasing or way someone writes will SPEAK to you in ways that can help you figure out what's going on in your head.

And once you get the 5/1 going, it's time to work on your head...because that's what will sustain you during the tough times, the lessons you learned along the way. It's also what will carry you through and KEEP you thin after you reach goal!

Keep on keepin' on!