Why Can't I Stop Eating?: Recognizing, Understanding and Overcoming Food Addiction by Debbie Danowski, Ph.D. Debbie, Pedro Lazaro M.D.

Product Details

Synopsis

"Why can't I stop eating?" If, like millions of others, you often ask yourself this question, you may be addicted to food. The food you eat may be precisely what makes you crave more . . . and more. This straight-talking book puts the widespread problem of food addiction into clear perspective and points the way to a life free of the obsession with food. Debbie Danowski, whose food addiction nearly ruined her life, and Peter Lazaro combine forces to give readers a full understanding of this debilitating condition: its sources, patterns, consequences, and physiological underpinnings. Unlike fad diets and drugs with their side effects, hidden costs, and infamous failure rates, the program outlined in this book goes to the root cause of chronic overeating and puts the tools for a lifelong cure into the hands of anyone willing to accept responsibility for a healthy, happy future.

Library Journal

As more and more Americans discover that crash diets and diet pills don't work, they are turning to self-help books that stress taking responsibility for one's weight and eating more healthily. Why Can't I Stop Eating? focuses on understanding how addictive substances, such as carbohydrates, sugar, and caffeine, react in the body. Danowski and Lazaro, a recovering food addict and a medical director of three addictions hospitals, respectively, believe that carbohydrate addiction is the main reason why 50 percent of Americans are overweight. The authors cite research illustrating physiological reasons for food cravings (especially carbohydrates) and downplaying the effectiveness of weight-loss drugs like Fen/Phen. They also provide exercises that clarify which foods trigger overeating and diets that emphasize low carbohydrate intake. Jeffrey and Norean Wilbert, a food therapist and a registered nurse, respectively, suggest that "fattitudes"--self-defeating behavior that causes overeating--are the main obstacles to maintaining ideal weight and present helpful exercises to identify them. This book's philosophy is that even people genetically prone to obesity have emotional (perhaps unconscious) reasons to be overweight. Because both of these titles are clearly written and will appeal to general readers, they are recommended for larger public libraries.--LeAnna DeAngelo, Springfield, MI Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

Biography

A recovering food addict, Debbie Danowski, Ph.D. has maintained a weight loss greater than the amount she now weighs for more than 12 years. As an alumnus of a food addiction treatment center, Dr. Danowski has consistently used the recovery program outlined in her first book, Why Can't I Stop Eating? to enjoy a 166-pound weight loss without the dangerous health risks. Professionally, Dr. Danowski has written more than 100 articles for national and local publications, including First For Women , Woman's Day , and Seventeen Magazine . She has also spoken at countless meetings, seminars, and conferences about food addiction, including Food Addiction 2000, the first national conference held on the disease. Additionally, Dr. Danowski was employed by the food addiction unit of a national treatment center, to educate mental health professionals about food addiction recovery. Currently, Dr. Danowski is an assistant professor of English at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut and a member of the University's Eating Disorders Prevention Team. Dr. Danowski earned her Ph.D. at Capella University in Minneapolis, Minnesota where she studied food representation in film. Dr. Danowski also has a Masters Degree in Public Communications with emphasis in television, radio, and film from Syracuse University.

Pedro Lazaro, M.D., is a former medical director of three addiction hospitals. He currently maintains his private practice in Tampa, Florida.