These books deal specifically with emotional eating, binge eating, and food addiction.
These are very REAL problems and are not always addressed properly. People will tell you to 'just cut back' or 'eat in moderation' or 'just eat healthy' or even 'just move more'.
It doesn't work.
But you're not a 'glutton', you're not 'lazy', you're not 'stupid' and you're not 'weak'.
It's not that you don't have enough willpower.
Food addiction is a very complicated addiction. I believe it has components that are physical -- in our brain chemistry, in our hormonal makeup, in our fat cells, etc. -- as well as emotional issues and and mental issues and even spiritual issues. ALL of these combine to make it very, very tough for you to stop overeating. But it's NOT a character flaw!
And unlike drug addiction or alcoholism, you can't just 'stop' eating! So you must learn to address the 'whys' of your eating....and find ways to handle it that DON'T involve stuffing yourself.
The vicious cycle of binge/gain/diet/binge/regain/diet happened to me over and over again...until I finally realized that it wasn't the diet's fault, the fault was WHAT WAS GOING ON IN MY OWN HEAD.
I needed to PERMANENTLY change my eating habits.
Take Shape for Life helps you to accomplish this by removing FOOD from your decision-making process! Eating just 5 MF meals a day plus your lean and green simplifies everything. You stop obsessing about food because you're getting the right nutrition...but more importantly you're getting the TIME to really ANALYZE what's going on in your head; why you overeat in the first place, why you get cravings, and how to STOP.
The Medifast Community Website is big help in this area...it gives you the support you need as you work through this process.
But the 'right' book(s) can help, too. They can 'speak to you'; resonate with you and help you to decipher the 'code' of what your overeating is all about. They can give you ideas on things to try. Exercises that help you figure out what's going on emotionally. Ways to handle that 'I just wanna BINGE' feeling.
Everyone is different....so I present here for you a list of the books I read that I feel helped me, but each in varying ways. I urge you to check them out and to start figuring out what makes YOU tick.
PS - These are NOT 'diet' books. They do NOT endorse a specific diet. And those that say things like 'eat what you want' (I've noted which of these does that, by the way)...well, take them with a (BIG) grain of salt. Because I tried this, and it didn't work for me. If you're still eating 'whatever you want'....is it working for YOU? I rest my case...!
I found the best way to lose the weight AND decode what was going on in my head was by adhering to the TSFL program, AND reading these books. But I THREW OUT all my old 'diet' books. You know the ones...the Atkins Diet, the Stillman Diet, the South Beach Diet, the 40/30/30 diet, the 2-week diet, the 40-day diet, the juicing plan, the 'detox' diet, the Beverly Hills diet, the carb backloading diet? Etc. ad infinitum!
(I recently heard of one called the 8 hour diet! Gimme a break! LOL)
RECOMMENDED READING
5 Evolutions For Sustainable Weight Loss: Evolve Your Mind to Transform Your Body
- by Dr. Tommy Voris. An EXCELLENT study on how our minds work...and how to get YOUR mind, even your subconscious mind, to work FOR you to lose weight.
Rational Recovery: The New Cure for Substance Addiction - by Jack Trimpey
For more information on this book (including what I thought of it), click here.
Taming the Feast Beast – by Jack and Lois TrimpeyAgain, need more info? Click here.
You Are Not Your Brain: The 4-Step Solution for Changing Bad Habits, Ending Unhealthy Thinking, and Taking Control of Your Life - by Jeffrey Schwartz and Rebecca Gladding
Want more info on this book? Click here.
Food: The Good Girl's Drug: How to Stop Using Food to Control Your Feelings - by Sunny Sea Gold
Want more info? Click here.
The Food Is a Lie: The Truth Is Within, A Spiritual Solution to Weight Loss and Balanced Health
- By Bronwyn Marmo
More info - click here.
Finally Thin! by Kim Bensen
- By Bronwyn MarmoMore info - click here.
Finally Thin! by Kim Bensen
Change your Brain, Change your Body by Daniel G. Amen, MD
More info? Click here.
Brain over Binge: Why I Was Bulimic, Why Conventional Therapy Didn't Work, and How I Recovered for Good
- by Kathryn Hansen
Want to know what I thought? Click here.More info? Click here.
Brain over Binge: Why I Was Bulimic, Why Conventional Therapy Didn't Work, and How I Recovered for Good
- by Kathryn HansenOthers worth a look:
Getting Out of B.E.D.: Overcoming Binge-Eating Disorder One Day at a Time
More info click here.
Winning the Losing Battle
The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook (New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook)
The Food and Feelings Workbook: A Full Course Meal on Emotional Health
How to Eat, Move, and Be Healthy! by Paul Chek
Binge no More - by Joyce D. Nash, Ph.D.
Breaking Free from Emotional Eating - by Geneen Roth
More info on Ms. Roth's books, click here.
Crave - why you binge eat and how to stop by Cynthia M. Bulik, Ph.D
Want more info? Click here.
Refuse to Regain! - by Barbara Berkely, MD
For more info click here.
Shrink yourself - by Roger Gould, MD
A Course in Weight Loss - by Marianne Williamson
For more info click here.
Shrink yourself - by Roger Gould, MD
A Course in Weight Loss - by Marianne Williamson
Before you Eat - A moment in the Zone - by Alen Standish
Self Matters by Phillip C. McGraw, Ph.D.
....And...drumroll, please... the granddaddy of self-confidence books (in my opinion):
Pullling 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.
Click here for my Listmania LIST of great books to help you CONQUER your weight loss struggle!
Want to search for all binge eating books? Click here:
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