Losing Your Pounds of Pain
by Doreen Virtue
List Price:
Our Price: $4.73
You Save: $12.22 (72%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.25 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Doreen VirtueEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-01-01
ISBN: 1561709506
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Hay House
Book Reviews of Losing Your Pounds of Pain
Book Review: Word to the wise--stop reading after Chapter 13!
Summary: 2 Stars
I rarely write reviews but just finished reading this and felt compelled to share my frustration with certain aspects of the book. I got this book because I'm a rape survivor and wanted to learn more about the connection between my weight and the abuse I experienced. And for the first seven chapters, I found the author's experience in working with survivors who also have eating problems to be helpful. Then, I got to chapter eight, which deals with adolescent and adult abuse including rape, and I was no longer all that impressed with Ms. Virtue as a therapist. In talking about rape, she concludes that being raped by a stranger is the "Ultimate Violation." I found it ludicrous to even suggest that a certain type of rape could be more damaging than another. After all, it's a pretty huge violation of one's trust, as well as one's body, to be raped by someone you know. But perhaps this lack of awareness comes from the fact that Ms. Virtue is not, herself, an abuse survivor.
I also found this author has a tendency to oversimplify things, such as her suggestion that an "overactive appetite is actually triggered by one of these emotions: Fear, Anger, Tension, and Shame," what she calls the FATS feelings. I've personally found that sadness/grief, guilt, and sometimes even joy can trigger the desire to eat compulsively.
Then, I got to chapter twelve about therapy and support. I think the first part of the chapter regarding how to choose a therapist is somewhat helpful, although she again makes a claim bordering on oversimplification about how sexual abuse therapists coming in one of only three forms--I'm sorry, but that just seems ridiculous and hasn't been true in my own experience. In the second part of this chapter, she begins to talk about other forms of support such as the 12-step group Overeaters Anonymous and then suggests Weight Watchers as a solution for people who don't have significant therapy issues. The statistical data alone on the failure rate of weight loss programs like Weight Watchers and the like is staggering. Yes, people lose weight but most put it back on--something like 95% of those who lose weight eventually gain it back within three years and the FDA has declared that not one single company in the entire weight loss industry can show a record of long-term success. But I'm fairly sure that Ms. Virtue's mother having been a counselor at Weight Watchers has something to do with that part of the book.
And now we get to the title of my review--stop reading after chapter 13! I say this because Ms. Virtue's ideas about 'healthy nutrition' are rather rigid, fat-fearing, and based on a lot of outdated diet-mentality. For a really good book on healing from food issues, I'd suggest Intuitive Eating by Tribole & Resch, as well as books written by Geneen Roth. As a person with a very long history of dieting, losing/gaining weight, fighting & being afraid of food--the intuitive eating approach is finally bringing me a great deal of peace with food and is slowly helping me to normalize my weight. In the years I spent either dieting/restricting (which leads to bingeing) or even in my experience with OA (a LOT of food fear in that group), I've finally stopped trying to be what I call a "food nun." Perhaps you need a name like Virtue to pull that one off in the long-run ;)
Also, the author goes into a section about how she believes certain foods cravings are connected to specific moods/energies. An example is a chocolate cake craving being equated to "feeling empty, insecure, possibly from a lack of love." I don't know about everyone else out there with food issues, but I for one, am as likely to go after chocolate cake when I'm feeling angry, as when I'm sad, or bored, or scared, etc. I just don't buy her theory, although she claims that "in general, though, I've found that my research finding on food and mood to be incredibly accurate." Sounds highly subjective to me.
Ms. Virtue also believes that you should weigh yourself every morning, "right after you awaken and urinate." OK, I'm sorry but I've never known a person who was at peace with their body and food who did this. I think it's perfectly fine to weigh oneself from time to time, maybe even as often as once a week if you feel the need. The author says that the reason for daily weigh-ins is to give you, "immediate feedback about your weight and eating habits." Sorry, but that's just not true. If I eat some salty food, or start my period, the day before, I'm likely to retain water and end up 'weighing' more. This is not a reflection of any actual weight gain. You can drive yourself batty with the daily weighing and become rather obsessed. I'd venture to guess that this behavior came about in the author's life as a result of having the weight-loss counselor in the home.
Overall, I was rather disappointed in this book and in this author for pushing off some of her own food issues onto her readers. She should stick with discussing the abuse component and leave the food & weight topics to more enlightened authors.
Summary of Losing Your Pounds of Pain
This title helps break the link between abuse, stress, and overeating!Eating Disorders Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Eating Disorders Books
Eating Behaviourby Terry Dovey
Open University Press; Published: 2010-09-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $92.54
Price in other shops:
Craving Earth: Understanding Pica--the Urge to Eat Clay, Starch, Ice, and Chalkby Sera Young
Columbia University Press; Published: 2011-02-14; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.65
Price in other shops:
Art Therapy and Eating Disordersby Mury Rabin
Columbia University Press; Published: 2003-04-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $31.80
Price in other shops:
Eating Disorders: Assessment and Treatmentby David G. Schlundt, William G. Johnson
Allyn & Bacon; Published: 1990-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.95
Price in other shops:
Electronic Processes in Non-Crystalline Materials (Monographs on Physics)by N.F. Mott, Edward Arthur Davis
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 1979-08-30; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $225.00
The Chouans: The Social Origins of Popular Counter-Revolution in Upper Brittany, 1770-1796by Donald Sutherland
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 1982-10-28; Hardcover; Book
Price in other shops:
Your Gut Feelings: A Complete Guide to Living Better with Intestinal Problemsby Henry D. Janowitz
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 1994-09-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
Cystic Fibrosis: The Facts (Oxford medical publications)by Ann Harris, Maurice Super
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 1987-09-03; Hardcover; Book
Price in other shops:
Thinby Grace Bowman
Penguin Global; Published: 2008-09-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.07
Price in other shops:
Life Without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Tooby Jenni Schaefer, Thom Rutledge
McGraw-Hill; Published: 2003-12-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.78
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
How to Hear Your Angelsby Doreen Virtue
Hay House; Published: 2007-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.67
Price in other shops:
Life Purpose Oracle Cardsby Doreen Virtue
Hay House; Published: 2011-08-01; Cards; Book
Best price: $8.74
Price in other shops:
Signs From Above: Your Angels' Messages about Your Life Purpose, Relationships, Health, and Moreby Doreen Virtue, Charles Virtue
Hay House; Published: 2009-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.32
Price in other shops:
Eating In The Light: Making the Switch to Vegetarianism on Your Spiritual Pathby Doreen; Prelitz, Becky Virtue
Hay House Inc; Published: 2001-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.99
Price in other shops:
The Yo-Yo Diet Syndrome: How to Heal and Stabilize Your Appetite and Weightby Doreen Virtue
Hay House; Published: 2010-04-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.50
Price in other shops:
Healing Your Appetite, Healing Your Lifeby Doreen Virtue
Hay House; Published: 2005-10-01; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $5.68
Price in other shops:
Chakra Clearing (Book & CD)by Doreen Virtue
Hay House; Published: 2004-01-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.69
Price in other shops:
Angel Therapy Meditationsby Doreen Virtue
Hay House; Published: 2008-08-01; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $5.45
Price in other shops:
The Lightworker's Way: Awakening Your Spiritual Power to Know and Healby Doreen Virtue
Hay House Inc; Published: 1997-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
Constant Craving: What Your Food Cravings Mean and How to Overcome Themby Doreen Virtue
Hay House; Published: 2011-10-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.87
Price in other shops: