Overcoming Binge Eating, First Edition

One year ago, I purchased this book out of pure desperation. I got a real scare when my Aunt died suddenly from complications of Binge Eating Disorder.I had the same problem and was going downhill fast. This book saved me from trying and failing at yet another diet. No matter how "healthy" the diets were that I've tried to control my binge-eating and resulting obesity, nothing worked. Not only did they not work, they were making me sicker both physically and emotionally. I'm a lifetime member of Weight Watchers and only way I every got to my "goal" weight was by starving more than bingeing. Diets for me are like putting a bandaid over a gunshot wound. Under the bandaid is a oozing infected emotional wound that no diet or foodplan can ever fix. Dr. Christopher Fairburn not only understands the reasoning behind this, he tells you what you can do to help yourself recovery from this devastating disease. Dr. Fairburn even understands that many Overeaters Anonymous groups have misguided ideas of abstinence that are really no better (and perhaps even worse) than dieting.This book is mostly directed for bulimics and binge-eaters. It could help anorexics but there are probably better books that devote more to anorexics directly.Two things about me that have radically changed since I read this book: #1)My goal weight is now a healthy and realistic weight #2)I've lost a significant amount of weight without bingeing or starving.This book has profoundly changed my life!

As a binge eater since high school, I've tried many diets, starting over 30 yrs ago in college with the Scarsdale Diet. Later tried Atkins, the Zone, Ornish, not to mention the grapefruit, ice cream, and peanut butter diets and many others. I ordered diet pills from TV and spent untold hours in therapy trying to understand the "why" behind my binge eating. Some strategies helped me lose weight temporarily, but the pounds kept coming back--and the binging never really stopped. The older I got, the harder it was to get back to a healthy weight. A couple of years ago, I had significant success with the Weight Watcher program--got to my goal weight relatively quickly, but even while on the program I was binging, though on lower-fat foods. Eventually the binges became more frequent, I went back to old favorites, and my weight began creeping up. I like the WW program but have become convinced that my ability to maintain a healthy and stable weight in the long run depends on reducing my binge eating. Since WW doesn't provide much insight/help with binging per se, I started looking for other sources and found this book. It's been a godsend.The background information is clearly presented and helpful. Fairburn's analysis of the relationship between dieting and binge eating is especially interesting--a must read for anyone who has tried dieting as a means of controlling binge-induced weight gains. The step-by-step process for reducing binge eating and establishing a healthier attitude toward food and body weight is grounded in solid research--and it works. I could understand the rationale behind the approach Fairburn recommends, was making progress in only a few weeks, and achieved a signficant reduction in binge eating soon after. For years I thought the only way to avoid a binge was never to let myself eat the first bite of my favorite binge foods, but now I'm able to eat even those foods in moderation. I know this review is long and sounds like a magazine ad for the latest diet pill. To others out there like me: Fairburn knows what he's talking about. He understands our problem and has developed a reasonable and realistic plan for solving it. This book helped me reduce my binge eating like no other I've ever read. Thank you Dr. Fairburn.

Although I have only gained excessive weight during the past five years, I now recognise that I have suffered from binge eating disorder for many years since early adulthood. This book is easy to follow and clearly shows how you can regain control of your life. I am successfully undergoing treatment for binge eating disorder with a clinical pyschologist who has worked with Dr Fairburn over the past five years. This is the only book that she has recommended to assist me: now I know why. Do yourself a favour, buy it and follow it!

This book presents it all: facts, accounts, tips, treatment options and research. But best of all: it takes away a lot of the fear people might have about overcoming their eating disorder ("Will I gain an enormous amount of weight?" - Fairburn provides an extended graph that shows most people will *not*).This book can be used by yourself, together with a treatment professional, as adjunction to group therapy, however you wish. Fairbun gives clear information about what you are doing if you binge and purge and what you are doing to you body. He doesn't dive too far into the psychology behind eating disorder issues, recognizing that there are many, many paths leading someone to have an eating disorder. Instead, he focuses on the problem at hand and gives step by steps instructions on how to normalize your behavior and get healthy again.

I used Dr. Fairburn's step by step treatment plan to normalize my eating and stop my bulemia. I have gained control of my life and refer to his book often for reinforcement of its principles and to continue assisting me with my recovery. He provides a clear and comprehensive rational behind each step in treatment, making you feel very confident in his techniques and approaches. If you have a sincere desire to become healthy and well, buy this book, it will be the best thing you could do for yourself.