Customer Reviews

Life Is Hard, Food Is Easy: The 5-Step Plan to Overcome Emotional Eating and Lose Weight on Any Diet

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By accident, I happened to find this book as I was using Google to search for information that might help me overcome emotional eating. I have tried many, many diets in the past, but none of them worked, because I would always start bingeing, and then I would gain more weight than I ever had before. Right now, I am about 110 pounds over my ideal weight.

I bought the Dr. Phil book earlier -- hoping that it would help me to figure out why I am so out-of-control on my eating. It was good in terms of presenting general information, but it didn't really give me any concrete and specific tools for helping me break my vicious cycle of emotional eating. I found the Dr. Phil book useless in terms of giving practical steps about how to get out of the very deep, dark hole that I am in right now.

I bought this book about 1 week ago. It is by far, the hardest book that I have ever read, because the exercises (and stories of others who had traveled down the same path) in the book forced me to face loneliness, grief, depression, fear of rejection, hopelessness about my future, past pain from abuse, etc. It was hard to face that which I had run away from -- and consistently avoided facing by stuffing myself with food.

Over this weekend, I put down the chocolate, and I faced the emotions associated with my depression head-on. I felt really, really bad for about two days as I cried about my life, but TODAY, the black cloud that has hung over me for most of my adult life has finally lifted.

The most amazing thing is that my food cravings are gone. I am no longer downing 6 chocolate turtles, one pint of Blue Bell Rocky Road, 1 pound of rice pudding, and 1 Red Baron Cheese pizza in ONE SINGLE MEAL. I was totally shocked to find that I did not have a SINGLE problem with ANY food cravings today, and I haven't felt deprived in any way. The compulsion to self-medicate with food is totally gone.

But best of all, I have been paralyzed by depression during the last 8 years. There are things that have needed to be done, boxes of cluttered files that I have needed to throw out, and changes that I have needed to make in my life -- other than losing weight.

Everything seemed so overwhelming that I never could seem to do these things. It was much easier to hide under the covers and sleep, watch TV, and eat the Blue Bell ice cream, than it was to face these impossible mountains of change. Or to come to terms with profound grief over something that happened 13 years ago.

Well, I am happy to report, that I finally started to tackle one of my biggest mountains this morning. I threw out boxes of files that were no longer needed, but that I couldn't seem to throw out, because they were my only connection to a much happier past. I also began to start thinking that perhaps I could change my life after all. It does not have to be like this; I do have the power to change my thinking -- and my life. I do have the ability to take baby steps to do what God is directing me to do -- in order to become the person that He created me to be -- not the half-dead shell of a person that I was only a few days ago.

In conclusion, this book is well-written, and well-worth the money spent. Besides the practical reflective exercises, Linda Spangle writes about her life, includes personal stories from some of her former clients, and she includes time-tested tools that have been shown to get many people over the emotional blocks that keep them from losing weight. It is written in such a way that the reader feels that Linda Spangle is talking to you over a cup of tea. It is well-worth the money spent, and I only wish that this book had been written 13 years ago!

I have gained more insight and USEFUL help from this book than from any other information I've read on emotional eating in 20 years. Spangle does a superb job of presenting the issue in a very cut & dry manner. I found more concise, helpful info in this book than in others (Geneen Roth, Dilia de la Altagracia, Jane Hirschmann, Christopher Fairburn, even Dr. Phil) combined. No frilly "feel-good language" here. The few, simple exercises of journaling have helped me so very much, and the five steps are something I use every time I go wandering into the kitchen pantry, fridge, buffet line at a party, etc. This book has helped me to achieve a weight loss I haven't been able to reach otherwise (30 lbs) in the last 10 years. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in exploring why he/she eats when not hungry, and for anyone interested in losing weight. I think anyone with weight issues has some component of emotional eating, and this book will help you identify what those issues are, quickly, and how to deal with them.

Life is Hard, Food is Easy by Linda Spangle, RN,MA, is a new and highly successful approach to dieting..., or rather learning to eat in a new way for optimal health. Linda is the founder and director of the highly successful WINNERS For Life: Wellness and Weight Loss Clinic. She observed how difficult it is for people to keep off the weight they work so hard to lose. She identifies the emotional factors, different from hunger, that make people eat and helps us establish new patterns to monitor our feeding habits. Her five points explained in the book include: What's going on? What do I feel? What do I need? What's in my way? and What will I do? In learning to seek these answers readers will discover a new way to keep weight at the desired level, create new habits, and feel good about their bodies. A very good companion to any diet!

I bought this book because I heard it mentioned on-line in the Weight Watcher's community forum. I've been working hard to lose weight for almost a year now, but have been stymied by late night eatings. I'd be good all day, but then - after the kids had gone to bed I'd lose all my willpower. I had heard that this was emotional eating. I looked for help and while there are many books and other resources (such as OA) on the subject - this particular book gets mentioned again and again. It is the first (and, as I found, best) book on the subject that actually has a real plan of action. This book describes and delineates emotional eating and then goes further. It categorizes the different kinds of emotional eating, then suggests specific plans of action. There are exercises - then contingencies are discussed and there are exercises for those contingencies. I have been, frankly, astonished by the comprehensiveness and skill brought to bear on this particular issue. Linda Spangle has, clearly, been attacking this issue clinically for many years with many different patients in different life situations. She attacks the problem from every side.

Long before I finished the book I found that I was becoming aware of my own emotional eating and that this self awareness was translating into control over my problem. When I could consciously see myself doing it - I was empowered to stop it. This was before I even started working the exercises. Once I started doing that I felt a real improvement in my self esteem. I found that I was able to apply Spangle's insights and methods to other areas of compulsive behavior in my life - such as procrastination and other various compulsions. This helped spark a positive feedback loop where I began to feel more in control of life and better about myself as a person.

I ordered this book as part of a group of diet books. I've gone on to read many more. There are plenty of good books out there (and plenty of stinkers) - but this one really shines. This book is special. The roots of emotional eating that Spangle describes are the root of the problem for millions. Spangle's insightful inspiring analysis and well thought out plans of action has transformed many lives - including my own. I feel grateful every day that I found this book.

My current quest to change myself from being an over-eater to a normal eater has included several books on the subject of Eating Disorders and Emotional Eating. This book was by far the best. The book is written in a gentle encompasing style that connects with the reader. Most books on these topics cite case studies of the problems, but this book goes a step farther and illustrates the solutions. This book made complete sense to me. I felt like this book was written especially for me. I sense that any one who suspects that they eat in concert with their emotions will recognize themselves on most of the pages. I took notes as I read the entire book. (I didn't finish all the other books.) Now I am re-reading the book and doing each of the exercises and following the 5 step plan. I know it is working for me. I believe that if I will consistently follow the plan that I will succeed at ending my lifetime battle with food and obesity. It is the first time I realized that food isn't the problem. "Life IS Hard, Food IS Easy" now I am getting into a healthier happier perspective.

If you are ready to make the commitment to start your journey to a healthier lifestyle, this book is the perfect guide!
Linda's supportive approach to understanding my own eating habits and finding positive alternatives made me feel like I wasn't the only person in the world who struggled with unhealthy, and often unnecessary, eating.
Armed with Linda's books, "Life is Hard, Food is Easy" and "Success In a Shaker Jar", I began my journey with the Winners Program (Linda's progam) on January 6,2003 and went from a plus size 22/24 to a size 12- a 60 lbs. loss!
After 10 years of trying almost every diet imaginable, I feel that diets were the wrong approach. Linda's guidance and sensible advice opened my awareness to the underlying reasons I had always reached for food when I was either bored or upset. I don't consider her program a diet. I consider the program a life altering experience!
Thank you Linda for your phenomenal books and program that allowed me to finally reach my goal!

It's been a long road to get to today. Same as all of us with these disorders. Tried everything, always failed. Always got to that point on a diet where an overwhelming "need" to eat just one more little bit lead to a full-blown, raging, ravenous inhalation of everything edible in sight, a trip to the store for more, and a promise to start again tomorrow, Monday, or on the 1st, or after the holidays are over, or after my birthday, etc. ad nauseum.

I've read all the books and been in therapy for 20 years. Tried all the weight loss "support" groups. But none of them were able to share with me the true insights found in this book. This author knows personal tragedy on a GIANT scale (as do I, and I suspect you do too). She has been overweight because of compulsive overeating, and she has overcome it. She is direct, and makes herself quite vulnerable in this book. And if she needed to pound on a pillow then I say get off her back because she is a success.

I'm grateful to Ms. Spangle for this book. I've experienced the mental shift necessary to face my feelings head on without food directly as a result of reading her book. It sat on my shelf for many, many months before I really cracked it open. I hope you'll find the comfort and power I did in it too.

You don't. Let's face it, you wouldn't even get past this book's title if some extra pounds weren't affecting your life. We all know what we're supposed to do: eat less, exercise more. The question is, why aren't we already doing just that? Everybody needs something and for a lot of us it's been food that's cures what ails us. I'm among the many stunned readers who didn't recognize that until I turned the pages. Omigosh. I do that! With Linda's tips, 'eat only what you like --and why', the two-bite phenomenon, and the reality about "wasted" food, you have a whole new toolkit to steer yourself away from food as a cure-all, and toward the non-fattening and more comforting alternates. And yes, happily, there are alternatives! Thank you Linda!

Linda is right on the money! The key to permanent weight loss is to overcome emotional eating and change your lifestyle.
This book is filled with excellent exercises that will help you re-program your mind to eat when you are hungry and to eat food that is good for your health and weight, rather then food that hits your pleasure centers. I also loved "The Power of Positive Habits" which shows you how to re-program your mind by acquiring new positive habits for automatic weight loss and improved health....excellent!!

After undergoing a job layoff, I "comforted" myself by eating, and eating and eating. Soon I had added close to 50 lbs. of "comfort" to my 5'2" frame.I tried everything - Atkins, etc. to no avail. Finally one day, saw an article about the book in the local paper and decided to check it out. Coincidentally, the author happened to be in the bookstore at the same time! So if that wasn't a message...nothing was. Anyway, going through the exercises in book helped me to discover why turned to food during emotionally trying events in my life. Life is Hard/Food is Easy has been a godsend. Have lost 35 pounds and well on the way to losing the rest...now that I know why I'm over-eating.