Chocolate...is My Kryptonite: Feeding Your Feelings/How to Survive the Forces of Food [Paperback]

Matthew S. Keene (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1998

Each year American consumers spend thirty-three billion hard earned dollars to control their appetites and lose weight. Thousands of promises, gimmicks, and miracle cures try to offer Americans what they want most __ a quick fix. Unfortunately a quick fix is never the answer to a lifelong problem. Compulsive overeaters know this because they have tried every diet and potion on the planet. After all is said and done, they are often faced with a single oversimplified solution, "Eat less and exercise more." Just one problem though - it doesn't work! Why? Because food addiction isn't some fleeting personality quirk that's easily reversed with motivational catch-phrases. It's a distinct medical illness and it can be treated. In his book, Chocolate Is My Kryptonite, Matthew S. Keene, MD, a nationally known psychiatrist, eating disorder specialist, consultant, and speaker, tells you how to successfully treat this biologically-based disease. He focuses specifically on the plight of compulsive overeaters and proves that their struggles with food are real; not the result of a lack of willpower. With the recent recall of fen/phen and the dangerous side effects this combination created, compulsive overeaters are now, more than ever, looking for answers to this debilitating disease.

Why you should read this book:

For the 18 million Americans who suffer from food addiction, relief is finally available. Chocolate Is My Kryptonite could not be more timely. It answers questions you need to know. How can I tell if I am a compulsive overeater? Is food a drug? Why do I binge? Are there any medications that can help me? How can I successfully change my eating habits and feel alive again? This book is unique because it provides the latest information on managing both the biology and psychology of compulsive overeating (binge eating disorder/bulimia). Best of all, it does so without a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo. Dr. Keene provides easy self-tests, understandable explanations, and sound medical evidence and theory. He shares personal case histories and solutions that will change your life forever.

Chocolate Is My Kryptonite provides the information you need. It explains why compulsive overeaters feed their feelings and shows you how to break this learned behavior. It addresses the biological cause of why you are compelled to binge, and explains why your disease causes you to be more susceptible to depression and irritability. Dr. Keene helps you understand why diets fail and gives you a scientific formula to overcome your compulsive overeating once and for all.

Through research and clinical experience, Dr. Keene has successfully treated hundreds of patients with his unprecedented treatment program: a combination of feelings management, a revolutionary food plan, and a "no pain, all gain" exercise plan. This unique combination stabilizes body chemistry, eliminates cravings, and promotes permanent weight loss. No tricks, miracle cures, or special food to purchase; only sound medical advice is provided.

Some people, no matter how hard they try, still can not lose weight. Why? Dr. Keene has the answer. In these particular cases underlying causes, such as depression or relentless bingeing, continue to reek havoc on their systems. That's why Dr. Keene addresses a safe fen/phen alternative __ Prozac. Keene provides an extensive Q&A section on this controversial medication and also discusses the dangers of various prescription and nonprescription medications.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

I have a confession to make. Like the majority of my colleagues, I once believed that weight control was simply a matter of willpower. I thought, "Eat less. Exercise more. Blah blah blah. It's that simple." Well, I was wrong!

My belief changed in September of 1992 when I began working with a dynamic social worker named Robin. The hospital brought her on board to organize a new eating disorder treatment program. Her expertise came from the heart; because not only was Robin an eating disorder specialist, she was also a recovering food addict. Yes, a food addict.

At first, the very notion of food addiction seemed ridiculous to me. I wondered, "How could such a vibrant young woman like Robin ever have a problem with food? How could she possibly become addicted to processed carbohydrates, sugar, and excess fat?" In short, I was a skeptic.

However, I soon learned that Robin was not alone. Dozens of fellow compulsive overeaters shared her concept of physical addiction to binge food. But unlike Robin, they weren't in recovery. Their lives continued to be controlled by food, and they desperately wanted help__my help! Not because I championed their cause. Heck, I didn't even understand it. But simply because they trusted Robin, and she trusted me to provide them with sound medical treatment.

Soon thirty compulsive overeaters were under my care. In order to help them, I began reading every text, journal, and article I could find on the subject. What I discovered astonished me.

In brief, compulsive overeaters suffer from a deficiency in serotonin: the body's calming chemical. When serotonin levels are low, people feel sad, tense, or irritable. Surprisingly, binge food provides a way to temporarily increase the body's supply of serotonin. Thus, without even realizing it, compulsive overeaters binge in order to literally feed their feelings and "medicate" their sickly serotonin system. It's the only way their bodies know how to emotionally survive.

Unfortunately, persistent overeating is mired with complications including obesity, bulimia, and major depression. In fact, over the long run, compulsive overeating serves to decrease serotonin even further.

Relax, you aren't expected to understand, or for that matter, to have even heard of serotonin. Chocolate is My Kryptonite will explain all of it (and without a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo). For now, the most important thing to realize is that compulsive overeating is a disease that can be treated!

Through a combination of feelings management, a revolutionary food plan, and occasionally medication, compulsive overeating can be stopped in it's tracks. I've seen it happen hundreds of times. Lives are completely restored as recovery rejuvenates the soul. It's nothing short of a miracle, and I thank my clients for allowing me to share in their experiences.

Chocolate is My Kryptonite provides the latest information on managing both the biology and psychology of compulsive overeating. Best of all, it does so without a lot of technical mumbo jumbo. This book is for the 18 million compulsive overeaters who want a guide to recovery that is complete yet fun to read. It is for the family, friends, and physicians of those who suffer from this deadly disease; because if you don't understand the problem, you can't help find the solution. This book is really for anyone who struggles with the most prevalent drug known to man__FOOD!

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Saguaro Publishing (March 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965984729
• ISBN-13: 978-0965984720
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,388,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Food is a Drug, March 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Chocolate...is My Kryptonite: Feeding Your Feelings/How to Survive the Forces of Food (Paperback)

My parents were alcoholics. Fortunately, they found and sustained recovery. Friends recognized that alcoholism was a genuine disease, and supported both them and their recovery.

I never even tried alcohol (my parents taught me well in that regard). But I drowned my sorrows with food, day after day. There was no support and no understanding. My parents had a disease...but I was weak-willed.

Chocolate is My Kryptonite helped me realize that Food Addiction is a disease. In fact, it is quite similar to alcoholism. For as Dr. Keene points out, "what's alcohol, but the ultimate processed carbohydrate."

I'm using this book, and the Menu For Life to find recovery for the first time in my life. It's only been 4 months so far, but it is the best I have felt in ages.

I know that a prior poster had concerns with the concept of "abstinance," but having lived the life of a food addict, and the daughter of alcoholic parents...I find abstinence not to be a problem...but rather, to be the solution!

Chocolate is My Kryptonite is Freedom From Food Addiction.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chocolate is My Kryptonite saved my career, August 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Chocolate...is My Kryptonite: Feeding Your Feelings/How to Survive the Forces of Food (Paperback)

English 101 taught me to open with a "headline grabber," so I figure saying "saved my career" is a pretty good start. But it's not too far from the truth. I am a Senior Airman with the United States Air Force and have struggled with emotional overeating and weight gain since the birth of my first child and separation from my husband.

The military is one of the few places where you can be fired if you are overweight. I had already failed two weigh-ins when I read an article in the Air Force Times about Dr. Keene's belief that compulsive overeating is a chemically-based disease and not just a matter of will-power. I bought the book based on the article and have made great strides. I'm off the weight management program and have returned to my pre-pregnancy "fighting" weight. But more importantly, I've learned how to "feel" my feelings and not "feed" them. This is a wonderful book!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book to add to your collection, January 13, 2000

By 

Amy (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chocolate...is My Kryptonite: Feeding Your Feelings/How to Survive the Forces of Food (Paperback)

I found the book, "Chocolate is My Kryptonite" to be very informative and easy to read. Keene discusses the all-too-often left out emotional aspect of compulsive overeating. I am in a 12-step program, and this literature is a welcome addition. The book is a fast read, containing a lot of information to digest (no pun intended!). I would encourage all who are thinking of buying this book to do so. A note of caution: if you are or think you might be a compulsive overeater, please look for a variety of materials. Keene's discussion of this disease seems somewhat brief. Think of this as supplemental reading. Good luck!