Customer Reviews

From the First Bite: A Complete Guide to Recovery from Food Addiction

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Recovery is not an easy journey. Ms. Sheppard's clear and warm writing style has, for many people, lit the way to the path of recovery.

You will find yourself in these pages. You will rejoice that someone understands what you are going through. You will rebel/bargain/take issue with the food plan, and then (hopefully) you will take the chance and follow it, and your life will be changed forever. With a lot of hard work and soul searching, you can recover.

Note to beginners - you may find Kay's earlier work "Food Addiction - the Body Knows" to be more helpful and descriptive of the disease. I would recommend "Food Addiction II - From the First Bite" to those already familiar with this program of recovery.

I am a food addict. I have been for most of my 50 years. I have weighted close to 400 lbs. This book is THE BEST book I have ever seen that addresses food addiction. It is very similar to the OA (Overeater's Anonymous) position that compulsive overeating is a three-fold disease: physical, emotional & spiritual. For me, the physical side is the starting point. Just like the alcoholic, who can drink some things, i.e. water, milk and juice, but nothing containing alcohol; a food addict such as myself can eat some foods but not things containing sugar, wheat or flour. By following this food plan, I have NO CRAVINGS! A true miracle for someone whose life used to revolve around food. Yes, it takes some time to get started, learning to weight and measure, but I have developed a routine now. The food is good, and the food plan is very flexible, based on all the food groups, with no special gimmicks. It is based on healthy basic foods which are better for all of us anyway. I feel better than I ever have, and most important, I am saving my life. I have a disease that is fatal, progressive and incurable. However, by following this food plan, and following the other suggestions in the book (and the OA program) I have the opportunity to live a wonderful life that is happy, joyous and free. I recommend this book to anyone who feels they might have a problem with their eating behaviors. It just could change your life!!

I have suffered from compulsive overeating for 48 years. I have tried Weight Watchers, OA, Jenny Craig, liquid dieting, rice, beans, water...You name it I have tried it. When I started to read this book (mind you grudgingly) I was absolutely enthralled. Language was every day and simple to understand and concepts which would be absolutely ridiculous to a "normal" eater made absolute sense to me. I am actually enjoying learning about myself. The more I learn, the more I understand. I realize that I can finally learn to "eat to live" rather than "live to eat." If you are a warm fuzzy, and are tired of reading the medical jargon and fancy words, please do yourself a big favor and buy this book. If you are seriously looking for help with your compulsive overeating, this program coupled with OA is a miracle. Don't waste anymore time reading about this.
GO AND DO IT!!!!!

Kay Sheppard's newest book on food addiction is an easy-to-read yet informative guide to recovery for food addicts. It not only helps us better understand food addiction, but more importantly, how to recover from it. The impact that Kay Sheppard's books have had on my life is unsurpassed. I can't recommend them enough.

My name is Jeanie Smith - Food Addict. I'm 64 years old and have been bulimic most of my life. Nothing has ever worked to help, not even 3 different treatment centers. After the last treatment center a little over 3 years ago, I found Kay Sheppard's books. I found myself in her books. I finally had an answer if I choose to do what the book said and I did, I desperately wanted to live. Like most people when they read it, I thought it was too restricting, but in reality, being in my active disease was what was restricting. This book and food plan set me free. I thank God everyday for Kay Sheppard's research. There is a Internet support group too. Just go to Kay's web site. In conclusion, Kay's books are the best description of food addiction and recovery as far as this addict is concerned. If you're tired of all the diets and think you might be addicted to food, read her books. This is not a diet, it's a recovery.
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Fast forward 3 more years. I'm still following Kay's food plan. It's was 6 years in August. I can't say enough about it. It saved my life and gave me a life. Following the food plan is just routine now. My life as a bulimic is in the past. If you are reading this, please go get Kay's book and give it a try. Watch a miracle happen - yours.

This is the only book I will ever need! As a recovering food addict, this book has it all: Kay's excellent food plan, tips on getting abstinent and staying abstinent, how to deal with the food plan in various life situations (travel, family, etc.) and a wealth of experience strength, and hope from someone who really knows. If you have had a problem with food and can't seem to deal with it, do youself a favor and buy this book. Can't hurt -- what's ten bucks compared to all the money you spend in a day on food? It might just save your life. It saved mine.

This book is the way to freedom from compulsive, binge eating and food addiction. Ms. Sheppard shows clearly how this is a three fold disease just like alcoholism and has to be treated in the same way as Alcoholics Anonymous, by abstinence and a new way of life, working the 12 steps of Alcohlics Anonymous. For 25 years I struggled with this disease, as drunk from food on the road as any alcoholic was with booze until I found Ms. Sheppards books, "Food Addiction" and "From the First Bite". She makes it so clear how our thinking can cause us to feel that our comfort foods can make us feel better...Therefore , "we eat to feel better, that which makes us feel worse", unless we change our thoughts as she shows us in the circles. Thank you Ms. Sheppard, for giving me a way to live life and also a way back to God. I am finally free of the food idol that kept me seperate from him.

I disagree with kristimetz who said this book would make people more obsessed with food. A true food addict must abstain from all foods and behaviors that trigger addictive behavior or cravings in order to be free of the obsession with food. For me that means weighing and measuring my food, because I was a volume addict, as well as abstaining from foods that are addictive, ie flour, sugar and wheat. This food plan has freed me from food obsession (along with working a 12 step program with a sponsor). Yes, I weigh and measure three meals a day. Do I mind. No, because I only think about food at mealtime and while preparing it whereas I used to think about food all day long. I'm a much happier and saner person now.

I have been a binge eater for years, I have read this book from beginning to end, I have science/medical coursework as part of my education, and I have used this as my plan of eating. Given all that, I believe that this is a valuable book for anyone who is desperate to find a better way than living with food addiction/compulsive overeating/binge eating.

To be fair, it's really better that you do read Kay's other "The Body Knows" book to fully know what kinds of food issues she is directly addressing with this book - this book is the "what to do", the other book is more the "why". If you don't know why you're doing something, you're not going to be motivated; unless, of course, nothing else has worked and you're willing to try anything. In any event, it is a plan based on sound nutrition that is formulated to fix your mind while you fix your physical/chemical issues with food.

Not everyone who has food issues has to cut out everything that Kay suggests. That said, if you work this plan AS WRITTEN, you'll more than likely remove all of your trigger foods, remove the mental dance around volume eating and gorging, and actually eat healthy. More than that, you'll change your lifestyle, which is what most health experts say you need to do anyway.

So if something else works well for you, I'm very happy for you - congratulations! But if you've suffered from food addiction and issues surrounding compulsive eating and/or binge eating, then try this program for 90 days. If you're not completely satisfied, your misery will be fully refunded.

Just for the record this is not the Food plan of OA. OA has a list of recommended food plans which can be obtained at a meeting. However OA states clearly that there is no "formal plan and as such encourages its memebers to seek professional advice.
Sheppards books are groundbreaking in that they take food as seriously as any other form of drug or medication. Yes we must eat but food is chemistry and that chemistry can indeed influence everything from cravings to the disasterous effects of diabestes.
In point of fact this food plan is excellent for diabetics and has worked miracles in many peoples lives.
It is strict but the effects can be remarkable. However it is not for everyone.
For myself I never felt better physcially than when following this plan.
As for OA you need to go to a least 6 meetings before you really can get the gist of it and as mentioned earlier it does not sanction any one food plan.