Product Description

Don't Battle an Eating Disorder Forever-Recover from It Completely
Jenni Schaefer and Ed (eating disorder) are no longer on speaking terms, not even in her most difficult moments. In her bestseller, Life Without Ed, Jenni learned to treat her eating disorder as a relationship, not a condition-enabling her to break up with Ed once and for all.

In Goodbye Ed, Hello Me Jenni shows you that being fully recovered is not just about breaking free from destructive behaviors with food and having a healthy relationship with your body; it also means finding joy and peace in your life.

"Jenni Schaefer has dedicated her life to helping people overcome their eating disorders and live life to the fullest.She is an inspiration to all!"--Dr. Phil

“Every young woman and man interested in overcoming disordered eating should read this treasure of a book.”
-Leigh Cohn, M.A.T., CEDS, Editor-in-Chief, Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention

“The beauty of Jenni's written journey through her tormented relationship with Ed is that it is honest, passionate, hopeful-but, most important, it ultimately assures the reader that life really can move on.”
-Lynn Grefe, CEO, National Eating Disorders Association

Combining Jenni's signature personal advice and unfailing encouragement along with valuable exercises you can do as you read, Goodbye Ed, Hello Me will give you the prescriptive tools to take the final steps in divorcing your Ed completely.

Foreword by Carolyn Costin, LMFT, M.A., M.Ed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT HONEST BOOK!!
I have never written a review....who has the time?And I have read MANY, MANY books on eating disorders.This book, however, is worth the time to express how well written it is!I loved her honesty and thoroughness.I loved her hope.I loved her simplicity in writing....nothing flowery or overly deep and wordy.In my stage of recovery, this is exactly the book I needed to read.I will be purchasing her first book today.

Don't hesitate to buy....a great, great book.

Jenni Does it Again!
Jenni offers another inside view of recovery from an eating disorder.She touches on the struggles and accomplishments that she experienced while recovering from both Anorexia and Bulimia.She doesn't preach but rather offers an insight into what helped her and what might potentially help someone else.

Inspiring and Candid Discussion of What it Takes to Overcome an Eating DIsorder
Jenni is a leader in the field of eating disorder advocacy and awareness.She continues to inspire recovery, hope and the courage to take the next step in each individuals recovery.Well done!

Eating Disorder Resources
This is a great follow up to Life without ED, her first book. It is easy to read, you can start it and put it down and go back to the places you find especially helpful, this book is a must read for those coping with ED. This is also a good resources for thwe family and friends of the victim( I say victim not patient). ED is a criminal that attacks the mind and needs to be arrested and taken away, not lived with. This book will be helpful for the beginner as well as a veteran of the ED war.

Time for us ALL to start talking about the next stage beyond recovery
An important and wonderfully engaging book for current patients, recent patients, and fully recovered patients and their families. This book is a celebration and exploration of a stage we rarely talk about: beyond recovery to LIFE.

It is time to speak up and talk with optimism and joy and humor - as well as the work - of really living beyond ED. So much of what is written in the ED world is harrowing and heartfelt but not necessarily helpful. Schaefer steps beyond the clichés and into real innovative thought. I am truly an admirer. ... Read more

Product Description
For courses in Abnormal Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Gender and Psychopathology, and Eating Disorders. In addition, Eating Disorders may be a useful supplemental text in courses within the following areas: Nursing, Nutrition, and Sports Medicine. Eating Disorders presents a comprehensive and accessible investigation of eating disorders, including but not limited to anorexia nervosa, and bulimia nervosa. The text spans topics such as historical and cross-cultural trends in prevalence of eating pathology, biological bases of eating disorders, and treatment and prevention. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great Read!
This book reads more like a leisure read than a text book. I might be biased because I have a passion for understanding EDs. There are many misconceptions about these disorders and Keel does a fantastic job of correcting these in an informed manner. This books delves into etiology, symptomatoglogy, treatment, prevention, nature, and of course definitive characteristics of EDs. It also touched briefly on obesity. A definite page turner, which is strange to say about a text book. I loved it and strongly recommend it.

Note the author has written two different books that Amazon lumps together
Expanding on a point made by a previous reviewer, I'd like to clarify something about these great books -- Dr. Keel has two different books available -- but Amazon has lumped them together as one entry.

The earlier text (2004 edition) that is a paperback/soft cover is a more advanced book geared towards a more advanced audience (college students, graduate students, health care professionals). The previous reviewer referred to this as the 'expanded' text.

The later text (2006) that is labeled hardcover/library binding, is actually aimed at a younger audience (junior high/senior high school students).

But both serve an valuable niche in this important field.

The Best Eating Disorder Book Ever
This is the most thorough, well researched eating disorder book I have found.(I did send this edition back to Amazon because I wanted the newer, expanded paperback version.)I highly recommend both books but I was particularly happy with the expanded edition.I am shocked that it has taken such a long time for someone to write an intelligent book on eating disorders that is accessible to both professionals and the general public as well.This is a book that everyone with an interest in Eating Disorders should own.

The best book on eating disorders I've seen so far
One difficulty that I have had as a psychologist is finding good books to recommend to others that actually incorporate recent research and make it available to the reader in a manageable fashion. All too often, eating disorders books seem to be like many generic self-help books - having a greater filling of anecdotes and personal accounts than of actual substance. Up until now, I really couldn't recommend a book on this subject to colleagues or friends.

This book seems to fill an overlooked niche. It is a book that would be appropriate for a college course on the topic, but it also serves as an excellent and up-to-date overview for anyone interested in anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating. A unique aspect of this book is that it discusses the complexity of eating disorders - addressing both the biological and environmental influences in easy to understand language (for college students, counselors, or even Moms and Dads). Plus, the chapter on prevention is a welcome addition that most authors overlook.

Dr. Keel (formerly at Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital) is clearly one of the stars in this field. And she brings her clinical, research, and teaching expertise to bear in creating a book that should be on the bookshelf of every clinician and clinical professor. Moreover, it's a book you can give to friends or relatives who just want to educate themselves about eating disorders. Highly recommended and worth reading. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an authoritative guide to understanding and helping a teenager with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. It is designed for parents of teens who have recently been diagnosed with an eating disorder, or who are at risk of developing one, and for other adults, such as teachers and guidance counselors, who are regularly in contact with at-risk adolescents. The book combines the latest scientific expertise available--including the newest treatments and most up-to-date research findings on eating disorders--with the practical wisdom of parents who have raised teenagers with anorexia or bulimia. In clear and accessible language, Dr. B. Timothy Walsh and V. L. Cameron explain exactly what eating disorders are and describe their characteristics, as well as signs and symptoms. They outline the right way to go about getting a diagnosis if you suspect your child may have an eating disorder, about when and where to get treatment, and about how to navigate the healthcare system. There is also advice on how to handle everyday life--both at home and at school--once your child is diagnosed, and on how to communicate with your teen. Complete with red flags to look out for and warnings on the dangers of doing nothing, this book will help parents and other adults face and deal effectively with adolescent eating disorders before they become life-threatening. ... Read more

Product Description
The physical and mental health consequences of body image problems, eating disorders, and obesity in children and adolescents can be serious and can extend into adulthood. But as the empirical data presented in this second edition of a landmark volume show, these disorders are preventable and treatable. Research in these three areas has exploded since the publication of the first edition of Body Image, Eating Disorders, and Obesity in Youth, and in these new pages leading researchers and practitioners detail recent progress in treatment and discuss areas of persisting challenge.

Risk factors for these conditions appear early in development, and many of these factors are social and familial. Cultural variables play a powerful role, too, and the authors in this book demonstrate how body image and eating problems present and vary across ethnic groups and in boys and girls. No other volume considers all three of these challenging areas together, and no other volume provides the same range of information, from very early experience through treatment. All chapters are empirically based and contain suggestions for future research. This book assimilates up-to-date information into a form that is readily accessible by clinicians, researchers, and students. ... Read more

Product Description
This fully revised, updated, and expanded 30-chapter second edition of the Handbook of Psychotherapy for Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia provides detailed descriptions of all the major treatments for eating disorders, presented by the leading clinicians and researchers in the field. Completely updated to reflect the latest DSM categorizations, this new edition includes coverage of binge-eating disorder and examines pharmacological as well as psychotherapeutic approaches to treating eating disorders. Therapeutic approaches are described in step-by-step detail and illustrated with extensive case material several chapters function as self-contained treatment manuals enabling practitioners to easily learn and implement each model as well as adapt it to suit the needs of individual patients.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Perfect for Fellowship Exams.
I read selected chapters of this book in preparation for my psychiatry fellowship exams.It was a wonderful book and covered the different topics that needed to be covered.

GOOD JOB
The best book I've ever read about eating disorders. Congratulations to Amazon for send me this jewel in brief time. Thank you so much.

Excellent Handbook for Learning about Eating Disorders
The Handbook of Treatment for Eating Disorders is an excellent source for gaining insight into the general and specific aspects of all eating disorders.The impressive compilation of writers cover everything from thehistory of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, to various treatmentapproaches for these and other eating disorders, to special topics that arerarely explored in other eating disorder literature.Such additionaltopics include various eating-related issues with prebubertal individuals,how to address treatment refusal of patients with anorexia nervosa, andtreatment issues of those with eating disorders and personality disorders.Each chapter is well written with technical, yet clear, language leavingthe reader satisfied with the overview and anxious to explore moreliterature on the topic.Overall, the entire handbook is a comprehensiveguide to most issues in this field.I am a Masters of Social Work student,specializing in the treatment of eating disorders, and this book served asthe backbone for much of my research.I highly recommend it for anyone whowants to learn more about these issues! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (6)

Insightful book
Take Charge of Your Child's Eating Disorder is one of the best books available on how to deal with an eating disordered child.In fact, I own two copies: one that is autographed by Pam Carlton, and the other which is underlined and marked throughout.The chapter dealing with insurance companies alone is worth the price of the book, and the tips provided throughout this enlightening book will be invaluable to any parent who is facing the daunting task of helping their child recover from an eating disorder.

Buddy Howard

Physician walks her talk.
Take Charge of Your Child's Eating Disorder is a 5 star book. This book is by far the most complete and concise book I have read for parents who are struggling with this life threatening disorder. I have two copies in our EDRS lending library, and can not keep them in stock! Dr. Carlton begins by helping parents talk about their concerns with their child, and leads them step by step through the process ofthe first doctor's appointment, the necessity of a treatment team,as well as what to expect if their child needs higher levels of care. Dr. Carltons' breadth of knowledge is evident by the information she gives regarding how to create a supportive environment at home, how to deal with siblings, who to tell, and how to deal with questions from family and friends. Clear, compassionate advice is given on how to work with teachers and school administrators when a child has missed school work due to intensive treatment. The feedbacks I have received from the parents in my practice have been, "The chapter and sample letters on dealing with insurance companies alone is worth the price of the whole book!"
Dr. Carlton is a physician who walks her talk. She has been an invaluable member of more than one of my treatment teams.
She gave me the information I needed to help my families deal with insurance denials before the publication of this book. Her assistance in this area was pivotal to my clients' recovery, and quite possibly saved a life.

[...]

Parents, beware
If you're a parent looking for guidance from a physician who supports families as they help their child recover from an eating disorder, stop right here. You won't find such guidance in this book. Despite claims of the author to the contrary, this book does NOT support families but rather offers the same old same old advice from yet another so-called eating disorders expert who seems to understand little about how to help patients and families. I was offended by this book's know-it-all tone and condescension toward parents and families. There are already plenty of titles like this out there, sadly; no need to add one more. There are far better books out there on the subject.

Finally, a practical book for parents, filled with insight from an MD who *specializes* in EDs!
After battling an eating disorder of my own for years, I know what works and what doesn't.I have also seen, firsthand, the tedious journey parents go through when caring for a child with an eating disorder.Even though I am now in recovery, both my parents and I have read this book and were immensely impressed.My parents learned things about my disorder that, until now, they still had trouble grasping.My mother has recommended it to a close friend whose daughter was just diagnosed with Anorexia, saying that "she wishes she had read this book about ten years ago" [when my eating disorder began].Make sure to read the insurance chapter and Appendix G . . . both my parents went through hell and back--with little to no guidance/help--in trying to get insurance companies to extend my coverage for the eating disorder.
Overall, Dr. Carlton's book is filled with informative + practical advice, coupled with evidence-based strategies to help your child overcome an eating disorder!

Take Charge of Your Child's Eating Disorder
This is a fascinating and easy to read book with touching testimonies.
It provides powerful and practical tools for parents. It's like having Dr. Calton hold your hand and walk you through this challenging journey as you face the knowledge that your child has eating disorders. Unavailable elsewhere, the sample letters in this book make strong claims to insurance companies.

Grace Shih, RD, MS
Registered dietitian at
Packard Children's Hospital @ Stanford
Palo Alto, CA
&
Private Counseling Dietitian
for Eating Disorders at
Los Gatos andPleasanton, CA



... Read more

Product Description

Imagine a World in which it is easy to find someone to turn to who understands your struggles, identifies with your wounds, and knows how lonely and scary it feels to live inside your skin.

In this fantastic brave new world, you would face your eating disorder head on, standing tall and firm with supportive friends by your side as you get better—and stay that way! In Beating Ana, Shannon Cutts opens the door to this world as she introduces you to a whole new way of thinking about and recovering from your eating disorder.

Shannon understands firsthand the total isolation, dead-end thinking, and exhausting mind tricks that eating disorders confine you to and has found a way to break free from her own 15-year battle with eating-disordered thinking and living—for good—through the powerful process of mentoring and connecting together.

From the very first page of Beating Ana, you will experience the empowering joy of sharing your recovery process with others as Shannon guides you with the same techniques she developed to achieve her own lasting recovery and has since passed along to her own mentees. You will walk with Shannon through the recovery process as you read private correspondence from five of her longtime mentees and participate right along with them in self-quizzes, short exercises, motivational affirmations, and journaling that is specifically designed to give you the courage, support, and tangible skills to say 'no' to your eating disorder and 'yes' to your life!

Customer Reviews (13)

Wonderful Book!
As someone recovering from an eating disorder, "Beating Ana" was a valuable resource for me.Not only did it provide me with inspiration and motivation to continue on my journey, but it gave lots of great activities to keep me on the right track and in a recovery mindset.I enjoyed the book, but when I finished it did not stop having an effect on me; I became a member of the author's site called MentorCONNECT, which is another wonderful outlet for those who are dealing with this illness to find strength and hope in a community of people who are positive.Worth every penny!

Important Tools for ED Recovery
In Beating Ana, Shannon Cutts shares experiences from her clients and gives readers glimpses into the lives of individuals who suffer with eating disorders. By sharing actual email exchanges with her clients she demonstrates the importance of having support for recovery. Shannon's Mentor Connect program provides the much needed support system by having individuals in recovery mentor others. By mentoring others, individuals further their own path to recovery.

This book includes numerous workshops and processes individuals can use to gain more understanding about their eating disorder and how to overcome it. These processes are based on a 12-step approach.

Beating Anna connects the reader with Shannon's loving, caring approach and offers hope an inspiration for a life beyond. Individuals need support both during and after treatment and Mentor Connect is a great way to get it!

Lori Hanson, Award-Winning Author of It Started With Pop-Tarts... An Alternative Approach to Winning the Battle of Bulimia and It Started With Pop-Tarts 2.0, The Secrets to Surviving & THRIVING in Your Teens (2009)

A top pick for those fighting this disease or know someone who is
Food is not something to be feared. "Beating Ana: How to Outsmart Your Eating Disorder & Take Your Life Back" is a guide to battling what many women and some men face every day due to societal pressures - a crippling fear of food and getting fat due to the eating disorder known as Anorexia Nervosa. Shannon Cutts draws upon her own experience and hopes to inspire other readers to rise up and above and to not fear food. "Beating Ana" is a top pick for those fighting this disease or know someone who is.

You are not alone!
This looks like a simple book but the elements contained within the pages of "Beating Ana" are a support system to aid anyone with an eating disorder to break through to into health.The author says something so profound right on the first page of part one:"Quite possibly, the only experience tougher on a human body, mind, heart, and spirit than falling ill is getting better. It gets unnecessarily tougher, however, when we assume that we will have to heal the same way we got sick--alone. We don't." In this book you will find a companion to healing.

Chapters begin with a letter to the author, Shannon Cutts, and her response. You know she understands because she's been there and healed. Next is a short piece on one of the elements for healing and the "recovery workshop" which is something the reader can really do to grow and process new feelings and thoughts. The workshop can be anything from watching a movie to making a list. Each chapter closes with a "Life Celebration Affirmation."

The author writes with the voice of a very understanding mentor, someone who gets what's going on but who also sees through all the tricks that an eating disorder can bring up so you can get through even the hardest of times. There is a wonderful focus on empowering the reader (or participant!) to experience the beauty within.

The book wraps up with guidelines for forming and being involved in a mentoring relationship. "Beating Ana" would be a great companion in a healing process. It is not about the dark side, it's about getting through the haunting darkness of eating disorders into freedom. I work with young women and this book will remain on my shelf as a wonderful resource.

Mentoring is an ancient and honorable tradition
Mentoring is an ancient and honorable tradition. It brings to mind the relationship with older siblings, trusted community elders, apprentices and master craftspeople, and even traditional spiritual advisors. In Beating Ana, Cutts brings experience and compassion to the 'craft' of mentoring and brings it into a field - eating disorders recovery - rich in opportunities to nurture and support each other.
-Laura Collins, author of Eating With Your Anorexic, Founder of F.E.A.S.T.
... Read more

Product Description
The author's gentle, uplifting daily thoughts help people recovering from eating disorders find strengh and renewal in recovery. She invites readers to live life more fully, and encourages them to continue focusing on personal growth, not food, as they encounter the challenges of ongoing recovery ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great Motivational Devotions for the day
I love reading this page by page each day because somehow, it really does seem to relate to what is going on in my life which is amazing. However, My book looks nothing like the book that is show, and by that I mean it isn't the peach color that my therapist has. Instead it is brown. So,I am not sure why that is and why that isn't matching up but eiter way it is a good daily devotion book for eating disorders and I wasn't going to make a fuss about it!

I think it's working
I have only been reading this book for about a month, so I have not been through all the readings. So far, the book has been helpful to me as I deal with anorexia. Most of the books that I have read that deal with eating disorders seem to deal more with overeating, but this one alsoseems to give a nod to those of us who restrict our eating.

Great daily help to recovery from eating disorders
This book has been helpful to so many friends in recovery from eating disorders.It is geared toward a daily positive outlook while staying true to ourselves and our feelings.I recommend it to anyone struggling with their relationship with food, body and weight.

Inspirational and uplifting
I read this book, day after day, after I was released from an eating disorder unit. I keep it close by. The words of expression and recovery make me believe in myself. ... Read more

Product Description
Eating disorders are known to affect between 1 and 4% of all women, and a smaller proportion of men. This text is designed to provide all health professionals with the practical information they need to treat patients with anorexia nervosa and related eating disorders. A user-friendly structure allows the reader to access information on the basis of physical complaint. The book is divided into five sections, each consisting of a case, discussion of the topic and a summary of key points. For the second edition, sections have been added on Munchausen's syndrome, the medical risk of death, ruminating, Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome, shoplifting, substance use, and patient self-help. The text is supplemented with diagnostic color photographs of important physical manifestations of eating disorders. The text is suitable for all health care professionals involved in eating disorder management, with special information provided for general practitioners, nursing staff, family carers and nutritionists. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Don't look here for insight.
This book is probably the weakest personal account of an eating disorder i have read.Chelsea is juvenile in her idealisms and shallow in her everyday thoughts and concerns.I am not saying she didn't suffer, I just think that this was one journal that didn't need to go to print.I highly recommend WASTED by marya hornbacher< spelling?that is a deep, teeth to the bones story.she dosn't dance around anything. it is served straight up and often leaves those who have been there speachless.

Worth Reading
I think this book is realistic.From her journal, she lets you in on her thoughts and concerns, when in most cases you would never be able to get that kind of insight.Coming from having an eating disorder myself, it helped to know that I wasn't alone in my situation.Also, the added words from her mother gives most of us a point of view we would never truly get an opportunity to hear.As long as you remember to take it as the story of her struggle and her recovery, I think it is worth reading.If you can't relate to it, it still has good insight for a friend or a family member, or anyone interested in the subject of eating disorders.

Not Impressed
Vapid, self-important, and poorly written, this book is also chock full of religious claptrap and the rationalizing of a spoiled brat.I'm happy that Chelsea recovered, but can't believe that anybody decided that this "journal" was worth putting into print.Very few redeeming qualities.

Success!
Finally a book about eating disorders that isn't all sarcasm and would be wit.A book about a girls battles and triumphs, fears and ambitions, but most importantly about herself, her needs and her recovery.

Shallow Diary of an Eating Disorder
Chelsea Smith's diary entries become tediously repetitive in their adolescent appeals to "God"."I'm so glad I have God", she writes.I believe that faith can help those suffering from eating disorders overcome their obstacles to recovery, but Chelsea's book didn't really delve into the emotional roots of her eating disorder.The entire book reads like a pre-teen's diary (even her entries as a young adult), full of empty platitudes.Nothing new here.I recommend instead Cindy Nappa Bitter's book, "Good Enough."It opens up all the emotional agony that provokes an eating disorder, but in such a way that anyone can relate. ... Read more

Product Description
Provides a blueprint for the treatment of eating disorders. The contributors detail the psychodynamic therapy of neurotic compulsive eating, bulimia, anorexia, obesity and the various personality disorders that are masked by eating disorder symptoms. ... Read more

Product Description
The synthesis of forty years of pioneering work by the world's leading authority on the emotional aspects of eating disorders. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Real and Caring Analysis and Potential Solution
This book is excellent.It's probably a classic or "the" classic (I don't know it's not my field).I read it many years ago, probably just after it was published, and I still remember most of its lessons.Anyone interested in "weight studies" should buy and read this book.

Reading a recent article on women's neurology I was astounded that the writers/scientists never once mentioned psychotherapy and the role of emotions and early childhood experiences in their literature analysis.It was as if anorexia and bulimia were genetic diseases, existing outside of culture.I know it's very hard to treat anorexia (bulimia is easier) but it is possible and Bruch outlines how to do it.

unique insight
Studies today revolve around body image and ignore the emotions and thoght processes vital to understanding eating disorders. Bruch brilliantly describes what it is to suffer from these wayward thought processes, andoffers an incredibly insightful and intimate look into the world of ananorexic. Excellent for those who are suffers and for those trying tounderstand. ... Read more

Product Description
Masters & Johnson Institute, St. Louis, MO. Research for psychotherapists on the relationship between sexual abuse and eating disorders. Discusses prevalence and causal relationships. Case studies. 27 contributors, 20 U.S. DNLM: Eating Disorders - etiology. ... Read more

Product Description
Therapists often encounter clients with mild to moderate eating andweight issues, less severe than anorexia, bulimia, or binge-eatingdisorder. They emerge as minor themes that lurk behind major presentingproblems such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, trauma, andmarital discord; and therapists who aren't looking for them may missopportunities.Koenig’s book iswritten for practitioners who lack expertise inthis area, and provides clinical strategies andtherapeutic techniques to explore clients’feelings about food and their bodies to get atthe root of these issues. It includesdescriptions of how food and weight problemssurface in conjunction with psychological andmedical conditions, as well as how they createdifficulties in various life stages andsituations. Packed with insights and practicaltips, this unique book teaches clinicians how to help clients make peace with food and the scaleand balance nutrition and exercise in a healthylifestyle.

Customer Reviews (3)

Treating Eating & Weight Issues
Sandra Z. Zellick, Ph.D.
1091 Covert Road
Venice, Florida 34293
(941) 492 - 5555

January 30,2009

Re: What Every Therapist Needs to Know About Treating Eating & Weight IssuesBy
Ms. Karen R. Koenig, LCSW
Sarasota, Florida

Dear Publisher:

As a psychotherapist who has not personally experienced the difficulties of eating disorders and weight management issues, I am greatly enlightened by this book. Koenig addresses the entire gamut of interactions between food and all aspects of life including family relationships, medical issues, and individual struggles with food and normal eating.The structure of the book with the "thinking points" following each concept is an interesting technique for focusing the clinician on the important factors in each section.This is a most informative resource book for non-specialist clinicians and specialists as well.

Cordially yours,

Sandra Z. Zellick, Ph.D.

Thought provoking, helpful read
As a therapist, I have often believed there were eating issues for my clients that I just wasn't reaching. This book validated what I suspected. It has given me tools in the form of real knowledge and ways of thinking about and questioning clients to help bring eating issues into the open. After reading this book, I feel I have a better working knowledge of not only the eating disturbances, but also the issues often underlying them. Ms. Koenig writes in a very specific and direct way it is easy to read and easy to use this new knowledge.

Great help for therapists
I've been a therapist for over 30 years, and eating problems in women have not gone away--they've just gone more underground.Since these issues are likely to crop up with clients, I think every therapist who works with women should take the time to read this book--even if eating problems are not central to their clients' problems.In each chapter, Ms. Koenig provides clear questions that the therapists can ask and reviews the key issues of self-worth, reward and comfort, the biology and dangers of eating disorders as well as family dynamics and the impact of phase of life-cycle issues.I own this book and have already used it to assess some of the women in my practice and research.Dr. LeslieBeth Wish ... Read more

Product Description

A source of hope and valuable information for parents of children with eating disorders

This poignant and informative narrative relates how one mother rescued her daughter from the "experts" and treated the girl's life-threatening anorexia using a controversial approach. Known as the Maudsley Approach, this home-based, family-centered therapy, developed in Great Britain in the 1980s, has been receiving a lot of press here over the past few years. While it has been widely used in Europe for many years and is rapidly gaining acceptance among parents and within the pediatric and child psychiatric communities in the United States, until now, there were no popular books on the subject. Must-reading for parents of children with eating disorders, Eating with Your Anorexic is:

• The first popular book on an increasingly popular approach to curing eating disorders
• A source of practical information and guidance for parents of children with eating disorders
• An eloquent narrative filled with pathos that inspires, empowers, and informs

Customer Reviews (18)

A must-NOT read
I started this book with doubts. The title uses the term "anorexic", which is in fact frowned upon, as it attaches the disease the the sufferer and makes it part of defining them. It is far better to use the term "person WITH anorexia", as one would say a person WITH a cold, or a person with cancer. However, that was a tiny indiscretion compared to the rest of this book. Let me start by saying that I have personal experience with the maudlsey program, and it is a fantastic thing. However, Collins seemed to go against all that it teaches. Nutritionists agree that calorie counting is a very bad thing, and that it is far better to adhere to a guideline with the number of fruits, grains, fats, etc. Meanwhile, Collins was downloading calorie trackers and seeming gleeful in writing down every thing that Olympia ate.Reading about the way that she hid and lied about what was in her daughters food was also quite offensive. The nutritionists, therapists, and doctors that I have worked with under Maudlsey have agreed that transparency and honesty is much healthier and helpful to your relationship with your child then, for example, hiding butter in milk is. The kicker to all this was the smug tone the author had throughout the entire book. She seemed hugely controlling and self congratulatory, and focused much more on her emotions than her daughters.

A life saver and what got me started in taking charge
Thank you Laura Collins, for sharing your experience, your trials, and finally your approach and its success. Along with this book, which helped me realize that I had to take charge and NOW, I recommend "Help your teenager beat an eating disorder" and "the parent's guide to eating disorders".

Would not recommend this book
I would never recommend this book to parents with a child who has been diagnosed with an eating disorder.Ms. Collin's attitude is very smug and she sounds like she has some serious control issues.I bought this book thinking it would have practical suggestions on how to eat with my daughter.Ms. Collins does not give any practical suggestions at all.Our family has tried the Maudsley approach (with the help of Stanford Hospital and their eating disorder clinic) to re-feeding and it did not work with my child.My daughter was too smart to let me add a lot of calories to her food and refused to eat.I finally realized that Maudsley does not usually work with older adolescents.

In Chapter 24, the author writes "I must tell you how incredulous I am, even now, that most anorexics must be hospitalized before the most simple and effective treatment known to science for eating disorders is administered:three square meals a day." What a arrogant sentence.My daughter was hospitalized several times due to medical instability because of her anorexia.It wasn't that we weren't trying at home to re-feed her.Ms. Collins makes it sound like that all you have to do is place the plate in front of the anorexic and she will eat.There may be some bumps along the way, but eventually she will cave and do what "mom" says. If only it was that simple.

This book is more about the "look at me! look what I've done" attitude of Laura Collins. I would not recommend buying this book if you want suggestions on helping your child through family based treatment.The book to read is "Help your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder" by James Lock.

Not very helpful
This book, while the story is admirable, did not provide any significant help for our family that has a young child with an eating disorder. I was looking for an evidence based and thoughtful guideline to help us, which this is most definitely NOT.Instead, it is a rant against society and the medical community. Instead, I would recommend "How to help your teenager beat an eating disorder" which is written by knowledgable medical experts.

Be willing to think differently about anorexia . . .
I just finished this book last week. Laura clearly has a talent at writing.I found the book to be engaging and real.By the end of the book, I felt like Laura really understood me and all of our experiences as we have treated our son.I also felt like she accurately challenged many of the current problems in treating anorexia with mostly her mother's instinct.I personally think she was right on the mark.I'd like to have her courage and influence in speaking out and changing inaccurate perceptions (see some of the reviews below) of what anorexia is and what it isn't. ... Read more

Product Description
Written for high school and college-aged readers and their loved ones, this self-help guide provides the latest information on eating disorders for anyone confronting these problems for the first time. The author encourages both young men and women to take charge of their lives by understanding and acknowledging their illness, learning more about it, and starting a practical course of action. Questions and answers are at the heart of the book, offering a range of ways for readers to pinpoint problems, identify negative triggers and diffuse them. The conversational text includes insights and inspiring quotes from the author's clients and readers. Included are special sections on athletes, tips for avoiding relapse, basic facts about nutrition, and the role of families in recovery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Covers basic information about anorexia and bulimia
Written by a licensed clinical social worker who has specialized in the field of eating disorders for over 20 years, The Beginner's Guide To Eating Disorders Recovery is a fact-filled guide that covers basic information about anorexia and bulimia, the first steps to recovery, choosing a therapist and working with a nutritionist, basic considerations that romantic partners of people with eating disorders need to know, and much more. A practical, straightforward, easy-to-follow primer and a "must-read" for anyone who is concerned about eating disorders observed in a friend or a loved one. ... Read more

Product Description
"Every day, meal by meal, millions of people suffer from eating disorders. I am one of them."

Nadia Shivack was fourteen years old when she met Ed, her eating disorder. Sometimes like an alien in her body, sometimes like a lover, Ed was unpredictable and exciting, but ultimately always dangerous and destructive.

At an inpatient unit unit of a hospital where she was taken for treatment, Nadia wrote and drew on napkins after meals in order to keep the food in and calm the outrageous voices in her head. These pictures, together with others drawn on notebook paper and a variety of other surfaces, tell an unflinchingly honest story of a woman's lifelong battle with anorexia and bulimia. Raw, brave, and brilliant, Nadia's journey takes readers to the intimate corners of these misunderstood diseases. You will never think about eating disorders in the same way again.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Great book, just understand what you are buying.
As someone who owns over a hundred books on eating disorders, I found this particular book to be a great asset to my ever expanding collection.I found this author's honesty and artistic expression very engaging and enlighting as well as truly moving.This book is not a novel in the "expected" sense.It is a story and an creative expression of a brave woman who captures the decent and hell of a destructive and deadly eating disorder.I for one like the fact that this book is so different and individualistic.

More appropriate as a brochure
This book was not clearly described and more aimed at a middle school health class.It i something I would expect to see at a school nurse's office.

Yuck!Not even really a book.Waste of my money.
Just not happy.Thought it was a REAL book.Not so much.Pictures drawn with a couple of words.

Make sure this book is in your library - it can make a difference!
As a former anorexic/bulimic, I have read a plethora of self-help books on the subject, but none that saw eating disorders from the inside out as this book does.Ironically, it wasn't until I heard back from a young library patron about how this book had comforted her that I realized that it truly is a self-help book and not just a very painful autobiography.The author puts us through at least 60 pages of living hell, and truly, she doesn't overcome her disorder as much as she learns to detatch and distance herself from it - at age 40.What is most refreshing (if anything in this book could be called that) is the humor and the mode of presentation: somewhat like "Amelia gone to Eating Disorder Hell" journals.Her talented and obsessive writing is at times concrete poetry and at other times reminiscent of Dante's Inferno, illuminating the dark corners of this obsession.There are few, if any, books that adequately portray the angst and manage to comfort sufferers: make sure this book is in your library! Includes afterword, helpful websites, acknowledgements, and a list of eating disorder factoids.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
In Nadia Shivack's heartbreaking true story, she tells the world about her life-long problem with eating disorders. Told with a mixture of text and pictures drawn by Ms. Shivack, her preoccupation with food began when her mother told her that not only did she not dress like a girl, but that she was also getting chunky. Her parents had their own problems - her father was overly critical and her mother, a Holocaust survivor, refused to let her three children leave the table until they had cleaned their plates, even though she herself only ate one small meal a day to survive.

When Nadia began swimming competitively in school, her swim coach would praise the girls who were slender and berate those who, in his opinion, needed to lose weight. She began to feel huge and unattractive, and started the cycle of abuse with restricting her diet and then binging on foods that were not allowed. It wasn't long before she met "Ed," her eating disorder - the evil alien being who took over her life.

Nadia's trouble with food was not restricted to her youth. Through high school, through college, through study programs and medication, she struggled with it her entire life. Even knowing the side effects - being unable to sleep, rotting gums from purging, being incapable of having effective relationships - it wasn't until Nadia was about to turn forty that she decided to try another treatment program.

Thankfully, Ms. Shivack did eventually overcome the horror of her eating disorder. Like many other diseases, however, she knows that this will be a lifelong struggle, something that she will always have to work at. By telling her story inside the pages of INSIDE OUT, she hopes that other people struggling with an eating disorder will realize just how serious it is, and that reaching out for help isn't a sign of weakness, but of strength.

Although I've never had an eating disorder, I truly felt empowered by reading INSIDE OUT. Nadia's story could be that of any number of young people in the world today, and I hope that they all are able to come to the same realization that she was - that letting food rule your life is never a good thing.

Reviewed by:Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius" ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
More than simple cases of dieting gone awry, eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are among the most fatal of mental illnesses, responsible for more deaths each year than any other psychiatric disorder. These illnesses afflict millions of young people, especially women, all over the world.
Carrie Arnold developed anorexia as an adolescent and nearly lost her life to the disease. In Next to Nothing, she tells the story of her descent into anorexia, how and why she fell victim to this mysterious illness, and how she was able to seek help and recover after years of therapy and hard work. Now an adult, Arnold uses her own experiences to offer practical advice and guidance to young adults who have recently been diagnosed with an eating disorder, or who are at risk for developing one. Drawing on the expertise of B. Timothy Walsh, M.D., one of America's leading authorities on eating disorders, she reveals in easy-to-understand terms what is known and not known medically about anorexia and bulimia.The book covers such difficult topics as how to make sense of a diagnosis, the various psychotherapies available to those struggling with an eating disorder, psychiatric hospitalization, and how to talk about these illnesses to family and friends. The result is both a compelling memoir and a practical guide that will help to ease the isolation that an eating disorder can impose, showing young people how to manage and maintain their recovery on a daily basis.
Part of the Adolescent Mental Health Initiative series of books written specifically for teens and young adults, Next to Nothing will also be a valuable resource to the friends and family of those with eating disorders. It offers much-needed hope to young people, helping them to overcome these illnesses and lead productive and healthy lives. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Cut and Paste
What seems to be advertised as Ms. Arnold's experience with battling her eating disorder, is actually a to-do list layed out with bullet points, interspersed with pieces of her treatment jaunts, leaving the reader not hanging, but rather scratching their head wondering what the heck was going on. The author tries to channel the writing of another well known, published author who also wrote about her struggles with an eating disorder, yet, this author falls short on the wit and dark humor; instead appearing as if she had forgotten the punchline to a joke.

A really good book
This book is full of useful information that can help those with an eating disorder, their familes and friends and those interested in general information. What she went through is spread all over in the book. I also found lot's of good ideas to use when confronting ED type behaviors.

A firsthand account of one teenager's experience with TREATING an eating disorder
If you are looking for a book that tells a little bit about what an eating disorder is like, giving a pretty accurate depiction in very few pages, and then focuses for the duration on treatment, this is the book for you.Carrie describes her experience with an eating disorder in about 25 pages, and then spends the next 120 pages talking about treatment, the options available, explaining the medical diagnostic side, tips during treatment, etc.If you are someone with an eating disorder that has decided to recover, someone that knows someone with an eating disorder and want to help them recover, or just want to find out about the treatment process, this book is perfect.However, if you want a book that truly describes "a firsthand account of one teenager's experience with an eating disorder" go read Wasted by Marya Hornbacher.

While this book was well written, and didn't have anything technically wrong with it (although I must say I quit reading shortly after she started talking about treatment, so I can't give a fully accurate review), the title is misleading.It isn't a book about her experience with an ED.It is all about treatment.I didn't want a book on treatment.I wanted a book on what it was like to have an eating disorder.

Know what you want to get out of the book, and then you will know if this is the book for you or not.

A must have book for anyone who is affected by an eating disorder
This is a remarkable book of it's type.It is a comprehensive resource for all who is in some way affected by an eating disorder whether it be your child, yourself, your friend... I would even recomend this book to professionals working with someone afflicted with anorexia or bulimia.This book is written by a young woman and is geared toward adolescent eating disorders, but I find it valuable even for those who are older.It is an especially helpful book for loved ones or other people who want to understand eating disorders, how they manifest and take over one's thinking and eventually one's whole life.The book offers insites on finding therapy and dealing with relapse.I have read literally hundreds of books dealing with eating disorders and I don't always find them helpful, infact many inadvertantly (or not :)...) become a part of some anorexic and bulimic individuals' pathology.This book is honest and straight forward and it is not a book that many will use to "trigger" themselves to continue eating-disordered behavior, I find it to be one that promotes recovery and honor's the "self" in the process.

Inspirational
I remember reading this book a little over a year ago, when my eating disorder really started to take its grip.At times, I wanted to keep going down the path that I was creating for myself, while at others, it was inspiring and made me want to stop before it was too late.Though I did not stop and went down the path of anorexia, it would be interesting to read again after the fact, and I may have a different opinion about it.
It is in a very easy to read format, supportive, and informative. ... Read more