Lying in Weight: The Hidden Epidemic of Eating Disorders in Adult Women [Paperback]

Trisha Gura (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 22, 2008

A girl with an eating disorder grows up. And then what?

In this groundbreaking book, science journalist Trisha Gura explodes the myth that those who suffer from eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, are primarily teenage girls. In truth, twenty-five to thirty million American women twenty-five and older suffer from serious food issues, from obsessions with calorie counting to compulsions to starve then overeat. These diseases often linger from adolescence or emerge anew in the lives of adult women in ways that we are only now starting to recognize.

Drawing on her own experience with anorexia, as well as the most up-to-date research and extensive interviews with clinicians and sufferers, Gura presents a startling, timely, and imperative investigation of eating disorders "all grown up," and offers hope through understanding.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Science writer Gura believes that the best estimates of people with an eating disorder--25 to 30 million, according to the National Eating Disorders Association--may be off by millions. Many more, she says, have what she calls "subthreshold" eating disorders. That is, their symptoms, for one reason or another, fall just outside the standards set by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Which doesn't mean they're not overly obsessed with their bodies, or don't adhere to dangerous dietary and/or exercise practices. It does mean that these women may be ignored because they're usually older than 25, hence commonly believed immune from such illnesses as anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Indeed, Gura notes that when symptoms diagnosed as an eating disorder in an adolescent appear in a mature woman, they're often written off by physicians as something else and go untreated. The result, she fears, threatens the woman's health. Including steps for self-diagnosis and self-healing, Gura proffers helpful counsel to those willing to heed it. Donna Chavez
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Gura proffers helpful counsel to those willing to heed it.” (Booklist )

“Informed with personal passion and scientific insight. . . . Gura’s book is highly recommended.” (Library Journal )

“Well-researched...Gura explores the issue [of eating disorders] with insight and empathy.” (Bust Magazine )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (April 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060761490
• ISBN-13: 978-0060761493
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #519,628 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars concrete, May 3, 2007

By 

H. Rose (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lying in Weight: The Hidden Epidemic of Eating Disorders in Adult Women (Hardcover)

This is one of several new books on eating disorders in adult women (as opposed to children and teenagers). The author speaks with an authentic voice and gives real examples of women who have come face-to-face with eating disorders. She makes no false promises about recovery, but gives suggestion on what someone who has one of these terrible diseases can do to improve their life. Gura also looks at the husbands/partners in an eating disordered woman's life and differentiates them by personality type.

Perhaps the most chilling statistic is the "rule of thirds": one third of women with eating disorders will recover completely, one third will never recover, and one third will achieve partial recovery. That's either two-to-one for improvement, or two-to-one against recovery. Take your pick.

Even so, her writing is eloquent, and she speaks from a place of knowledge. She doesn't sugar coat the facts.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The latent beast of eating disorders, December 12, 2007

By 

Deb (Palo Alto, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lying in Weight: The Hidden Epidemic of Eating Disorders in Adult Women (Hardcover)

Lying in Weight exposes the myth that eating disorders are time-limited ones that resolve themselves when a woman leaves the battleground of adolescence. Although eating disorders tend to have their roots in adolescence, the author convincingly argues how "An eating disorder can fit into any part of development and slowly but powerfully disrupt proper development of the whole."

A main theme of this book is that when the key psychosocial developmental milestones have not been achieved, women are more vulnerable to eating disorders during stressful life transitions. In particular, the adolescent who does not develop a solid identity is at increased risk for an eating disorder when life stresses arise during her young adulthood, pregnancy, parenting, and older adulthood phases of life. This book provides a wealth of information, understanding, and insight as to how the "latent beast" of eating disorders can surface throughout the lifespan. And, equally as important, Lying in Weight provides hope that with therapy, commitment, and resiliency, recovery is possible: for the 16 year-old struggling with anorexia, for the 65 year-old battling bulimia, and for everyone else in between.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally!, December 25, 2007

By 

Karmyn Odowd - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lying in Weight: The Hidden Epidemic of Eating Disorders in Adult Women (Hardcover)

Finally! a beautiful, well written book about eating disorders that effect adult women, the author did not sugar coat a thing. This book is a honest inside look of adult women suffering in silence. I have read several books on the subject of eating disorders, They are always teenagers or younger. The books all say the same in how anorexics/eds are very hard to treat/usually go untreated/and the sucess rate of recovered anorexics is low. All these teenagers they are writting about obviously grow up. I dont understand why there is no mention of Adults who are still dealing with eating disorders. So when i came across this book i took a deep breath and said Finally! a book that calls out the TRUTH! adults suffer with EDS not just young people. I highly recommend this book!