Diary of an Exercise Addict by Peach Friedman

Synopsis

In 2000, Peach Friedman, a college senior freshly broken up from her boyfriend, set out to beat the blues by beating herself into shape. Running ten miles a day and taking in as little as 800 calories, she fell from 146 pounds to 100 in three months and was at serious risk of cardiac arrest. What Friedman suffered from was exercise bulimia—a newly diagnosed and rapidly spreading eating disorder that affects some 400,000 American women, and which gyms and colleges across America are beginning to take seriously.

In Diary of an Exercise Addict Friedman recounts her descent into a life-threatening illness, her remarkable recovery, and the setbacks along the way. With refreshing candor she lays bare her relationships with family, friends, and lovers and the repressed desire that finally surfaced as she found her own way back to health.

Library Journal

Personal trainer Friedman courageously takes on the life-threatening illness of eating disorders and exercise addiction. After a traumatic breakup with her longtime boyfriend, she went into a tailspin, finding control by restricting her caloric intake and exercising compulsively. Assisted by a supportive family and years of therapy, Friedman prevails. This book would be ideal for teenage and young adult women aiming to beat exercise bulimia.-Lynne Maxwell

Biography

Peach Friedman, a spokesperson for the National Eating Disorders Association, is a personal fitness trainer who works with people recovering from eating disorders. She has been featured in People Magazine, has interviewed with Barbara Walters on ABC’s The View, and has appeared on 20/20 and E! True Hollywood Story. She lives in Sacramento, California.