Customer Reviews

Fattitudes: Beat Self-Defeat and Win Your War with Weight

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Right into the book one of the authors (Norean) talks about the necessity of getting out of our own way in the battle to lose weight. She had my attention from that moment on. Most of us know how to lose weight, it's our attitudes that need adjusting. This book is easy to read, with helpful information on every page. I read it with a Magic Marker in my hand, marking passages to read again. It was pretty well marked up by the time I finished the book. AND, it's got to be the FIRST weight loss book I've ever read cover to cover. I highly recommend it. It's written with compassion.

Thank you Dr. and Mrs. Wilbert for sharing your expertise and personal experience with Fattitudes! Following the process of self discovery defined by Dr. Wilbert has literally changed my life. I was at the end of my dieting rope when I joined the Fattitudes support group. I tried every fad diet, weight loss group, comercial diet center, starvation and bulemia. I measured my self worth by my body size. I had many temporary successes, but each time I regained the weight, it left me looking for the next quick fix. I felt out of control of my eating and was frustrated by my lack of will power. I grew to hate my body and myself. after a few years of doing nothing at all, I discovered the Fattitudes support group. With the help of Dr. Wilbert and fellow group members, I discovered that the war I was batteling with food actually had very little at all to do with food. I am in the process of discovering and addressing the issues which had for years led me to self defeating behaviors and attitudes. It isn't easy, it isn't fast, and my progress cannot solely be measured on a scale. I am facing my problems head on instead of medicating my heartaches with food.I highly recommend Dr. Wilbert's approach to healthy weight management. I am excited that many people with stories such as mine will find that there is hope beyond the struggle.

The authors of the book are two practicing psychologist. They decided to write a book about what makes people tick when it comes to controlling their food intake and in turn what can you do to manage it. I am an avid reader and I also have had ups and downs with my weight so I have read a lot of health and diet books trying to find the solution that would work for me. There is nothing wrong, misleading or contradictory to any info they impart.

A lot of time is spent giving short, one page or less, case studies of people who fit a particular type of problem they find causes people to turn to food. Later on in the book, they provide short exercises for you to do to help identify your specific issues. I can find nothing wrong with this particular approach to weight management as they are trying to attack the root of the problem not the results. It's another way to go so you won't find any recipes in here. They quote the standard eat right and exercise motto everyone else does.

The short coming of the book is there is not enough problem solving info. I already knew why and when I eat. So parts I and II aren't going to buy me a lot. I suspect other women my age who want to get a handle on their eating are in the same boat as myself. How to effectively deal with the specific problems is not given enough effort.

If you are not sure about the underlying reasons people turn to food and which of those reasons is applicable to you then this book will certainly help you identify them. If you have that already figured out and want detailed solutions on how to overcome these reasons for eating then you may not be so happy with this book.

Have you been struggling to lose weight for a long time? Do you feel like you have it all together when suddenly you begin to sabotage yourself all over again? Do you lose and gain back the same 5 pounds over and over again? If this sounds like you, then Fattitudes may be the one diet book you need to read. Let's face it, there are literally hundreds of diet programs and books out there and most of them are effective IF you follow them. But for so many of us, dieting just doesn't work because we learn to defeat ourselves over and over again. Fattitudes doesn't tell you what to eat and how much. Instead it tells you to think about why we eat and to examine the reasons we overeat and defeat ourselves again and again. There are many exercises to do in the book, and all are thought provoking and beneficial. Before you change your body, you have to change your mind first. So I would recommend that before you buy any new diet book, Atkins, Body for Life, Sugar Busters, the Zone whichever you choose, buy this one first because it will help you to succeed.

Finally, a book that gets to the truth of why we(professional dieters) can't get to our healthy goal weight and stay there. I always said, "I want to be thin but I eat like I want to be fat." I never imagined I could have so many "Fattitudes" that made me want to stay fat! I know this will take some work. I don't mind this time.This is the LAST book I"ll ever need for weight loss and maintenance. That is why I have HOPE in my life now.

Finally, someone writes a comprehensive explanation of the problems compulsive overeaters face. Thanks to this book, I get it now, after reading about it for YEARS! There is a lot of work to do... and Dr. Wilbert makes you understand that the issues you face are real and buried deep within the psyche. The only magic bullet is patience and persistence. The Wilberts guide you through the work... give you direction, but the solutions are up to you to find. Believe me, this takes plenty of work, unearthing all these issues. If you have this problem, buy this book. You do the work, you get the results!

I've read a lot of diet books, but this is the only one that I saw myself on just about every page. It's filled with big and little insights about why we use food the way we do. I've at last come to understand the obstacles I've run into every time I've tried to lose weight in the past. It's a real eye-opener! I recommend it for anyone who has had a long term battle with weight.

Finally a book that is written in every day language that nonprofessional people can understand. After struggling with my weight for about 10 years now, it was refreshing to read a book that MAKES SENSE! While some of the excercises are not easy, just keep with it and you too will begin to understand why you over-eat. I am not saying that I agree with all of the Wilbert's reason, but they made me look deep inside myself. (And you know, it is much easier to pass by those cookies that they have at business meetings because I now believe in me. I can do it, I can overcome.) I have combined the book with a comercial lifesytle and use elements of each to help me loose weight. I am truley grateful for the Wilbert's for writing this book.

This book goes right to the heart of the matter - answering the question so often asked: Why do so many fail at weight loss when they know what to do? The narrative is authentic, ringing true from personal experience and case histories. Developing a new way of thinking is challenging and these authors, while providing encouragement, are realistic about the difficult road one must travel to change thought patterns. I found it very valuable.

I've struggled for years with ups and downs with my weight and never realized how I was sabotaging myself at every step of the way. This book hit me like no other book. If you're an emotional eater like me, this is the book you need to read.