Overcoming Overeating is an informative self-help book written by Jane Hirschmann and Carol Munter in 1988. Subtitled "conquer your obsession with food", this book aims to break down the issues surrounding problematic eating and looks at how you can help free yourself from them. These women are both psychotherapists in New York who have been working with people on their compulsive eating for over 25 years so they have a lot of experience and are very knowledgeable on the subject.
~»º Structure º«~
The book is 232 pages long and divided into easy to read chucks:
Foreward & Introduction (Afterword and supplement reading at the end)
1.Curing Compulsive Eating 2.The Diet Binge Cycle 3.Signing Up For A New Life 4.Rethinking The Problem
The Plan : Phase 1 - Freeing Yourself 5.I Am What I am 6.Living In The Present 7.Dumping The Diet 8.Living Free In A World Of Food
The Plan : Phase 2 - Feeding Yourself 9.Food On Demand 10.When To Eat 11.What To Eat 12.How Much To Eat 13.Everyday Life As A Demand Feeder
The Plan : Phase 3 - Finding
Yourself 14.The Compulsive Reach For Food 15.The Obsession 16.When You Try To Break The Circuit 17.Fat, Skinny And In-Between
~»º The Audience º«~
This book isn't designed for a particular reader, just someone who has an interest. Maybe you suffer from an eating disorder, constantly diet, you want a deeper insight into food problems, you're a compulsive eater, you know someone with food/weight issues, you want to help yourself overcome your issues, maybe you want to challenge your thoughts on todays crazed food and weight epidemic or maybe you want to lose the obsessions over food and weight. It's also taken for granted that men don't tend to deal with such issues as much as women do, but there's a lot of men out there who struggle also. Although many of the references are directed towards women, this book still explores issues which are not gender specific and would be of a great benefit to men & women alike.
Although it's entitled Overcoming Overeating, that's not to say you must be an overeater to find this book useful. Hirschmann and Munter explore several issues with food and weight which are applicable to modern views on body size, what/when/how much to eat, dieting etc. It doesn't just skim the surface, it's delves deep into the reasons behind behaviours and thoughts and challenges the reader to do the same. For anyone that struggles with their food and weight these are often just the exterior covering of more complex issues, and by the end of the book you realise why dieting is never the answer because it wasn't the problem to begin with.
~»º Just Another 'Diet'? º«~
No! I was quite scepticle when I bought this book because it does say on the back "woud you like to lose weight naturally", amongst other things, and thought they may just be suggesting another diet. But they don't. What they actually propose is a total reform. We have rules and guidelines around what, when and how much to eat so it's not surprising we feel constrained. Hirschmann and Munter suggest breaking out of the rules and actually start listening to your body again. You do need motivation and a strong sense of wanting to be happier with your body and eating to make this work, but I have found the writing in itself to be an extremely powerful motivator. Their style of writing encourages you to be gentle with yourself but not in a self-pitying way, so you do feel that they care and that you're not alone in your struggles. As with any book tackling such a sensitive issue I think the approach and fashion of writing is very important, and with this text these women have got it spot on! I found that when reading this a lot of factors they discussed resonated with me and I was really able to relate to it. New perspectives are presented, along with methods of helping yourself and new coping strategies. Q & As are also included so you really do feel that each area is touched upon in depth and questions are answered which you may have had but thought were 'silly' to ask.
~»º Availability º«~
When I first bought this book I found it slightly difficult to come across one in stock and so purchased it off Ebay. I just did a search for it now however and have found it can be bought in WHSmith for £6.59 and at Play.com £7.49 (free p&p), amongst other retailers.
~»º My Opinion...? º«~
I LOVE this book. After reading it, I wasn't embarassed or ashamed for admitting I have problems with my food and weight, I was proud to want to start fighting back against the lonely modern-day pressures and obsessions. Hirschmann and Munter made me feel cared for and I was comforted not to feel alone. No one should have to miss out on living in the moment and enjoying life because of their preoccupations with dieting, weight, how they 'should' look, how they think others will perceive them, or what they feel they should be doing.
I'm very grateful to have come across this book, and having read it several times, can not recommend it enough. It may seem a little overwhelming to dive right into a book which suggests such a radical break from such thoughts and behaviours, but it is compassionate and not forceful. The chapters are divided well and within each chapter are subsections so it's easy to just read a small section, stop and think over what you've read, and return to it when you want to.
It may sound cheesy, but this book seriously challenged me and changed my life. I think this is a truly inspiring read - you definitely wont regret or forget it! An absolutely fantastic book that I cannot recommend enough.
[Also written by me, Cazkins, on DooYoo]
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