It's Not about Food [Hardcover]

Carol Emery Normadi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 18, 1998

In this compassionate and practical book, authors Normandi and Roark not only address the physical, emotional, and spiritual wounds that lie at the core of eating disorders, but they outline the useful and proven techniques they have developed in their Beyond Hunger workshops. It's Not About Food offers readers guidance in:

*distinguishing the differences between physical hunger and emotional hunger;

*developing compassion for themselves;

*discovering a new and loving relationship with their bodies; and

*exploring how to set boundaries, say no, and nurture themselves.

It's Not About Food assists readers in determining the differences between what their bodies crave to eat, what their minds think they should eat, and what their emotions are driving them to eat. In the traditions of Geneen Roth's When Food Is Love and Jane R. Hirschmann and Carol H. Munter's Overcoming Overeating, this nondiet approach explores the psychological and cultural issues underlying compulsive eating. It's Not About Food goes beyond other books by offering step-by-step exercises and meditations that allow readers to achieve freedom from the diet/binge cycle.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-The authors' philosophy is that extra weight is an emotional as well as a physical issue, and that it can be handled, in part, by learning to distinguish between emotional and physical hunger. The book's supportive, empathetic tone is evidenced in such key messages as: "You are not using food because you lack control, and are undisciplined, or are flawed, but because it is the only way you can take care of yourself for now." Techniques to use to listen to the body, learning to respect and express feelings, using visualization to enlarge spiritual understanding, setting limits, and trusting the process to take you to a new and better place are all discussed. This intelligently presented book will find readers in any library and has great merit as an alternative to the usual recipe and diet books.
Catherine Charvat, Kings Park Library, Burke, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“An important part of the growing movement to return women’s bodies to their rightful owners.”
—Naomi Wolf --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult (May 18, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399143300
• ISBN-13: 978-0399143304
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,227,295 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

108 of 109 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "It's not about Food" is all about self love, June 3, 1999

By 

Paula Marie Capocchi ([e-mail]) (Marin county, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It's Not about Food: Change Your Mind; Change Your Life; End Your Obsession with Food and Weight (Mass Market Paperback)

Reading the book "It's not about Food" has deepened my awareness about how mean I can be to myself and use my body and the way I choose to eat as a target for self-abuse. This book gently, yet effectively shines light upon America's cultural obsession with food and weight. It explains the reasons why obsessing, dieting, binging, purging and weighing ourselves constantly are ways learned to take care of ourselves when we know of no other way. Drawing from their own experiences with food and weight obsession, Laurelee Roark and Carol Emery Normandi bring wisdom and understanding to their work. We learn from Carol and Laurelee that this recovery is a journey to know our very soul. They emphasize the process of healing disordered eating and body image through learning to be with yourself, your feelings and whatever is happening in you life and taking care of yourself around it, rather than a goal of weight loss.

We learn that we can listen to and trust our bodies and ourselves by the "radical" act of legalizing all foods and allowing ourselves to eat when we are hungry, eat what feels good to us, and stop when we have had enough. This book is written with sensitivity and solid support for those who suffer with this painful issue. It is a book to read over again when a boost in self love is over due.

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-read for those struggling with food-related addictions, July 18, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: It's Not about Food: Change Your Mind; Change Your Life; End Your Obsession with Food and Weight (Mass Market Paperback)

After years of struggling with food addictions, diets, and bingeing, I am very grateful that I found this book. Along with Overcoming Overeating and When Women Stop Hating Their Bodies(both by Munter and Hirschman), this is the most important book I have read. I highly recommend it to anyone struggling with a food addition or body-thought disorder.

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is powerful, December 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: It's Not about Food (Hardcover)

If you are a woman who has ever suffered or is suffering from an eating disorder, this book will change your life. It honestly touched me during a time when nothing much did. I discovered new depths to myself, and saw how strong and magical we can be