Shrink Yourself: Break Free from Emotional Eating Forever

this is the first time I have ever written a review for a book before. I have read tons of diet books, been on just about every diet there is, have reached my highest weight yet, and was just about to give up! I bought this book with some skepticism. I knew I ate for emotional reasons, but just was so tired of failing time after time. I cannot tell you this book has changed my life, but I have some real hope that it will. It is not a diet - in that it doesn't tell you WHAT to eat. But it will help you identify WHY you eat. I was so tired of white knuckle diets that I could never maintain for a lifetime. In church one day, the homily was about spiritual growth. What does this have to do with losing weight? Well, it was compared to a diet, in that so many of us start a diet, and then end up at some point going off of it, returning to our old "habits" and end up regaining most all of the weight back, and then some. For lasting change, it requires CONVERSION, a change of heart, a change in lifestyle! This book is not easy. But it is about transformatiom, creating a new life. One where food returns to its correct place in our lives - for fuel, not for tranquilizing. For once, I have hope that I can do the work necessary, and change my life for the better. What about the weight? Well, I trust that it will slowly come off as I do the work to change the reasons I eat in the first place. I feel like a tightly closed bud of a flower, and as I do the work to change and grow emotionally, it will open up and become a beautiful flower. Need another analogy? I am a caterpillar, locked into a cocoon that food has placed me in. As I learn new habits and release old fears, I will break open the cocoon and finally be FREE!

It's really wonderful to see a book that offers an intelligent approach to permanent weightloss, that explains why diets don't work and offers solutions. We eat, in many cases, to stop the pain. We learned this most basic food instinct in infancy, and we've refined the concept of pain to include physical and emotional pain. It is really helpful to understand that when you are nervous, you grab something to eat, in part, because one of your oldest memories is of feeling better after your bottle. And when you understand that years of eating has programmed us to know that food equals relief and comfort, then it's easy to understand why we return to that behavior in times of stress. Fortunately, in this book, you will learn how to change those behaviors by identifying the specific stressor-prompts that cause you to over-eat, and how to disempower them. This is a powerful must-read book for anyone who wants to lose weight.

I stumbled upon Dr. Gould's book after listening to a radio interview he gave promoting his book. I am glad I wrote his name down because I could not remember the title. (A little gimmicky) I was skeptical that a psychiatrist could really help you lose weight through therapeutic techniques. I mean, just start exercising and eating less, right? I read the Beck Diet Solution and found it rather dull. Anyway, I could not put his book down, I finished it in 2 days...which for me is huge. And I have been on my best eating behavior. I am now consciously controlling my appetite...no binge eating and no late night snacking. I think Dr. Gould gave me great advice on how to understand the signals that lead to fill yourself with food. I think it would work for other applications as well, but I guess that is for another book. BTW, There are practical lessons in chapter 3 that I keep re-reading. Now I bought it for some co-workers who I thought would benefit.

I've known Dr. Gould for several years, having helped him with his website. He taught me a great deal about my own eating issues, and I've seen firsthand how his methods have helped many people overcome their eating challenges. He is brilliant, kind, and deeply cares about helping people - he's spent a lifetime devoted to this area. This book is thoughtful and well-written. It provides an intelligent framework for reflection and increased awareness of self and eating challenges. With awareness comes the possibility for change. With this book, you will not only learn how to overcome your eating challenges, you will learn to know yourself better and grow in fruitful ways. The fact that I have only written two reviews in 8 years speaks to how strongly I feel about this book.