Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat for Binge Eating: Mindful Eating Program for Healing Your Relationship with Food & Your Body

by Michelle May, Kari Anderson

Do you have a secret? Are you distressed about your eating? Do you sometimes eat more food than most other people would eat under similar circumstances? Do you sometimes feel like you can’t stop eating, or can’t control how much, or what you’re eating? Do you eat large amounts of food even when you’re not hungry? Do you sometimes eat more rapidly than normal? Do you eat until you feel uncomfortably full? Do you eat alone because you’re embarrassed by how much you eat? Do you ever feel disgusted with yourself, depressed, or really guilty after you eat?
These are symptoms of binge eating. Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat for Binge Eating was written for you.
Some people call their problem with binge eating emotional eating, food addiction, or compulsive overeating. When binge eating occurs at least once a week on average for three months (without compensatory behaviors such as vomiting), it is called Binge Eating Disorder, or BED. If you think you may have BED, please consult with an eating disorder therapist for an assessment.
If you struggle with binge eating or BED, you are not alone. BED is by far the most prevalent eating disorder. Three and a half percent of women and two percent of men suffer from Binge Eating Disorder during their lifetime. In comparison, anorexia and bulimia each affect 0.6% of the population. Despite its prevalence, BED remains cloaked in secrecy and shame. Less than half of its sufferers seek therapy for their eating disorder. However, 30% of those seeking weight loss treatments have BED.
Weight cycling is also common because of alternating binge eating and restrictive dieting. Cultural weight stigma and internalized body dissatisfaction perpetuate the problem. However, it is important to note that not everyone who is overweight binges and not everyone who binges is overweight.
Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat for Binge Eating offers a step-by-step process for self-discovery and healing your relationship with food and your body. You’ll learn new ways to manage the physical, emotional, and environmental stresses you encounter each day without bingeing. You’ll finally understand the reasons you binge and how to better address your needs. Instead of trying follow rigid rules created by experts, you’ll become the expert on you. You’ll relearn how to listen to your body to determine when, what, and how much you need to eat. Eating will become pleasurable again, free of bingeing or guilt. You’ll discover that you can enjoy food and nourish your body at the same time. More important, you will learn how to use your energy to care for yourself fully and live the vibrant life you crave.
What is mindful eating—and how can it help? Mindful eating is an ancient mindfulness practice with profound modern applications. Mindfulness is simply awareness of the present moment without judgment. When you become aware of your physical state, your thoughts, your feelings, and your actions as they are in the here and now, you increase your ability to care for yourself instead of turning to food.
People with binge eating have a tendency to engage in “dichotomous” thought patterns—all or nothing, black or white, good or bad—that become destructive when they make impulsive, automatic decisions about eating, relationships, and life management. Throughout Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat for Binge Eating, we introduce specific skills, strategies, and techniques to help you find the middle path or “the grey areas” in-between the extremes.
Mindfulness is also effective for noticing the judgmental, critical thoughts that keep you stuck in painful patterns. A key aspect of this program is learning to cultivate a self-care voice to replace your ineffective thoughts and gently guide you toward decisions that create a bigger, more vibrant life.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Food

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 15, 2014

About the author

Michelle May empowers audiences to take charge of their lives and their well-being. Her authenticity and passion for mindful eating and vibrant living stem from her own personal struggle with food and body image. After years of ineffective yo-yo dieting, she developed a mindful, non-diet approach to food, movement, and self-care.
With personal experience and professional expertise, Michelle inspires new thinking and leaves your audience with a clear path for implementing vibrant well-being in their personal and professional lives.
Michelle founded Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Programs and Training in 1999 to share this compassionate, constructive, and life-changing approach through health and wellness professionals, corporate wellness programs, and community-based programs.
Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Programs are available through hundreds of licensed Am I Hungry? facilitators, coaches, therapists, and instructors worldwide.
Dr. Michelle May is the award-winning author of the book series, Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat, that teaches mindful eating for yo-yo dieting, diabetes, binge eating disorder, bariatric surgery, and students.
Dr. May is an Associate Professor at Arizona State University where she teaches Mindful Eating. She is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), the highest earned designation from the National Speakers Association.

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. So much of my life was reflected in these chapters, I really had diluted myself in thinking my relationship with food wasn’t dysfunctional. Yet deep down I knew it’s always been dysfunctional...really loved this book for the tools provided to work through these issues.

[Asma · Rating 5 out of 5]

During the past two years, I have been moving between binge eating and restrictive eating. Unfortunately, the last couple of months was not of high emotional stability; this has led to more binging episodes, which has led to more emotional break-down.
Thank God I found this wonderful book while I was searching for the psychology of binging and how to get over it.
It took me two weeks to finish it, not because it was too long, but because I was trying to follow the steps gently and softly, and eventually, I can say that it definitely helped me.
Of course, I am not over binging yet, but I confidently can say that I am like 60-70% over it.

[Kelly (kellyreadingbooks)]

DNF 20%, advice/approaches not for me personally.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful- articulated my problems and gave straightforward solutions and advice to work through my disorder.

[Aru · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost cried when I was reading some chapters of this book! Because it reflected some parts of my life perfectly. I started incorporating some tips and exercises that were suggested here and let me tell you, it is not easy at all! BUT it is worth it. I really hope that if you decide to read this book, it will help you!:)

[Robert Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like a text book but I really like the idea. Going to give it a shot for 2018.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are suffering from ED and wanted to have a good relationship with food. This book is a good way to start.

[Josie Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing new to me, but I still found it to be useful and helpful.

[Janet Stiglicz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mildly interesting.

[Ace · Rating 5 out of 5]

It works.

[Freya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not an instant fix for overeating but great for learning about mindfulness techniques when it comes to food and if put into practice can yield good results.After reading I recall some of the advice and it’s changed some of my thoughts to an extent. I think of someone were to be struggling this book would be great to reread multiple times.

[Valerie Zink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative book that hits me where I live. I have even tried appetite suppressants and still eat even when I am not hungry.

I do NOT want a diet. I have tried that and failed countless times....gained it all back. This book makes sense. Simply put and easy to follow. Mindful eating is the key. Address why we eat!

Simple, simple...