Beyond a Shadow of a Diet: The Comprehensive Guide to Treating Binge Eating Disorder, Compulsive Eating, and Emotional Overeating by Judith Matz


Beyond a Shadow of a Diet: The Comprehensive Guide to Treating Binge Eating Disorder, Compulsive Eating, and Emotional Overeating
Title : Beyond a Shadow of a Diet: The Comprehensive Guide to Treating Binge Eating Disorder, Compulsive Eating, and Emotional Overeating
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 0415639743
ISBN-10 : 9780415639743
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 354
Publication : Published May 21, 2014

Beyond a Shadow of a Diet is the most comprehensive book available for professionals working with clients who struggle with Binge Eating Disorder, Compulsive Eating or Emotional Overeating. The authors present research revealing that food restrictions in the pursuit of weight loss actually trigger and sustain overeating. Next, they offer step-by-step guidelines to help clients end the diet mentality and learn an internally-based approach known as attuned eating. Divided into three sections-The Problem, The Treatment and The Solution-this engaging book contains chapters filled with compelling case examples, visualizations and other exercises so that therapists can deepen their knowledge and skills as they help clients gain freedom from preoccupation with food and weight.

In addition to addressing the symptoms, dynamics and treatment of eating problems, Beyond a Shadow of a Diet presents a holistic framework that goes well beyond the clinical setting. This invaluable resource includes topics such as the clinician's own attitudes toward dieting and weight; cultural, ethical and social justice issues; the neuroscience of mindfulness; weight stigma; and promoting wellness for children of all sizes. Drawing from the Health At Every Size paradigm-and the wealth of research examining the relationship between dieting, weight and health-Beyond a Shadow of a Diet offers both therapists and their clients a positive, evidence-based model to making peace with food, their bodies and themselves.

Beyond a Shadow of a Diet: The Comprehensive Guide to Treating Binge Eating Disorder, Compulsive Eating, and Emotional Overeating Reviews

  • Amy Elaine

    Beyond a Shadow of A Diet is an incredibly well written book by two clinical social workers that helps therapists understand the connection between eating disorders, disordered eating, and diet culture.

    The writers do an excellent job of educating therapists that dieting is not a solution to binge and compulsive eating, but rather the cause. It is the treatment team’s job to help patients return to attuned (aka intuitive) eating in order to help patients heal their relationship with food.

    The book contains a lot of excellent evidence as to why diets don’t work and are actually harmful.

    It also encourages therapists to examine their own biases about food and bodies and how that might affect the service they provide to folks with eating disorders.

    They sum up their approach nicely by explaining “this approach is based on research validating the fact that diets do not work, that people naturally come in different shapes and sizes, and that the Health at Every Size paradigm, along with the attuned eating model, gives clients a means to attain optional health and develop a healthy relationship with food”.

    Of note, in their chapter on social justice, they mention that Michigan is the only state with legislation making it illegal to discriminate on the basis of height and weight, and there are only 6 cities in the US where this discrimination is also illegal: San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Washington DC. Madison Wisconsin, Urban, IL and Binghamptom, NY. I was both dismayed that the numbers are so low and overjoyed that Madison is included as that is where I live!

  • Rachel

    This book took me forever to finish through no fault of its own. Terrific, comprehensive resource for the Health at Every Size approach to treating BED. Highly recommend for fellow practitioners and anyone interested in learning more.