Review by Booklist Review
No doubt, one of Americans' most dreaded four-letter words is diet. And while many businesses and methods boast their eagerness to solve the overeating dilemma, few seem to deliver the desired results consistently. Licensed, practicing psychotherapist Englander provides the kind of mental support and exercises needed to conquer emotional habits. Her five-point plan addresses food, fluids, evening eating, stress (learn from it to lessen it), and exercise (learn to love it). Nothing she advocates is new, but her combination of a well-written narrative and a plethora of patient anecdotes give readers a sense of hope and, more than likely, some different strategies, such as controlling food with the seven S's: sip, survey, sample, select, sit, savor, and stop; substituting next time for if only in your conversations; and deciding that perfectly good is good enough. Readers will appreciate Englander's cogent approach to an often difficult and disliked subject.--Barbara Jacobs Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
For those who use food to self-soothe, Englander's approach to a healthier relationship with food might be a good fit. A psychotherapist and self-confessed compulsive overeater, Englander convincingly and appealingly observes that "it's great to be free from dieting yet still be slim and fit." In fact, throw out the concept of diets, which Englander says are counterproductive. Diets turn off "our awareness of hunger and satiety," so instead, Englander focuses on learning how to savor meals. Englander asks thoughtful and probing questions throughout, while also making liberal use of anecdotes to provide encouraging and empirical examples of healthy behaviors. She puts forward the mnemonic device SELF (stress, exercise, love your food, fluids and healthy foods) as a way to remind oneself to make behavioral changes, such as not always totally clearing one's plate, or learning to enjoy exercise. Quick discussions of how childhood affects lifelong attitudes toward food and how work environments can encourage overeating provide additional food for thought. Englander provides readers with a start on the right path to healthy eating. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Library Journal Review
Englander, a licensed psychotherapist and former emotional overeater, identifies the stressors of emotional eating-using food as a way to distract oneself from painful thoughts and feelings-and demonstrates how to rework negative thoughts into productive actions. The goal is to eat in a more pleasure-oriented, self-regulated manner and to maintain a better balance between joys derived from life and those derived from food. Readers further learn how positive self-talk can help them lower stress, love healthy foods, savor meals, and even enjoy exercise. She also speaks to situations in which overindulging is likely to occur, including late-night eating, parties, and vacations. VERDICT Compassionate wisdom for all who suffer from emotional overeating. © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
