What do you think?
Rate this book
Never Binge Again: Reprogram Yourself to Think Like a Permanently Thin Person
If you struggle with binge eating, emotional eating, stress eating, or if you repeatedly manage to lose weight only to gain it all back, you may be approaching things with the wrong mindset.
Most contemporary thought on overeating and bingeing focuses on healing and self-love. But people who've overcome food addiction and weight issues often report it was more like capturing and caging a rabid dog than learning to love their inner child...
Open the cage even an inch—or show that dog an ounce of fear—and it'll quickly burst out to shred your healthy eating plans, undoing all your progress in a heartbeat.
From his perspective as a formerly food-obsessed psychologist—and previous consultant to major food manufacturers—Dr. Livingston shares specific techniques for isolating and permanently dis-empowering your “fat thinking self.” He reveals much of his own personal journey in the process.
If despite your best intentions you find yourself in one or more of the following situations then this book is for you...
You've tried diet after diet with no permanent success... You constantly think about food and/or your weight... You feel driven to eat when you're not hungry (emotional overeating)... You sometimes feel you can't stop eating even though you're full... You sometimes feel guilty or ashamed of what you've eaten... You behave differently with food in private than you do when you're with other people... You feel the need to fast and/or severely restrict your food to “make up” for serious bouts of overeating... Never Binge Again can help you: Dramatically improve your ability to stick to ANY healthy food plan so you can achieve your weight loss and/or fitness goals... Quickly recover from mistakes without self judgement or unnecessary guilt... Free yourself from the prison of food obsession so you can enjoy a satisfying, delicious, and healthy diet for the rest of your life!"What the Hades is this? It can't be this simple. But I'm closer to my goal weight than I've been in decades!" - Peter Borromeo
"A powerful, thought provoking, and very un-ladylike approach to the problem of bingeing!" – Stephanie King
"A unique and brilliant way to leverage will power; passionate, convincing, defiant and inspiring - all at the same time" – Richard Guy
"Never Binge Again squelched that awful voice in the back of my mind which says ‘you'll backslide eventually, no matter what.' Thanks to this book failure is no longer an option!" – Warren Start
"I'm still reeling with the revelation I have the ability to Never Binge Again, just like my ability to never rob a bank, never push and old lady into traffic, or never jump off of a perfectly good cliff! [...] This book is THE TOOL I need to conquer ever attempting to satisfy emotional feelings with carbo-laden calories again!" – Traci Rickards
162 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 10, 2015
13595 people are currently reading
6534 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 475 reviews
December 19, 2018
Usually, if I don't have a good review for a book, or if I just don't like a book or it doesn't resonate personally with me, I just sort of leave it alone. I wouldn't go out of my way to bash anything, because liking any literature is subjective and being a writer myself, I know the kind of effort that goes in writing anything, even a bad book. But when someone is basically selling advertisement and a potentially dangerous thought which might influence several people disguised as a book, well then that is a different issue altogether and I do have a LOT to say about this goddamn 160-page shady-af advertisement pamphlet.
First off, I swear it's taking me all the self-restraint that possibly exists within me not to add this book in my 'unreliable narrator' shelf (which is obviously one of my favourite fiction genres but NOT the kind that should even exist in non-fiction self-improvement literature) for the kind of sheer tone-deaf and potentially damaging advice this author spews in this book.
The reason I purchased (did not actually purchase since it was free on Kindle) this book was because the blurb sounded pretty promising and I have had a horrible and toxic relationship with food for as long as I can remember due to body dysmorphia. Little did I know, this book not only contributed zilch in even remotely improving my relationship with food but instead was a huge trigger in fuelling more toxicity in my existing shitty relationship with my own body and food in general. My first red flag should have been the title itself - any book that promises to "reprogram" by brain into thinking like a "permanently thin person" is a recipe for disaster. MY BAD.
The writer clearly himself has some unresolved issues with his own body and a screwed up relationship with food and this book is basically as bad as two teenage girls in a high school washroom throwing up their lunch in adjacent cubicles while discussing what "diet" (a.k.a eating disorder) works best for them.
He liberally sprinkles his fat-shaming throughout the whole damn book starting with its very premise where he asks you to call your "fat-thinking self" as a "pig." WAY to promote even more body dysmorphia! Throughout the book, he asks you to "cage the Pig" by talking down to it, asking it to shut up and basically screaming at it and insulting it, and what you're basically doing is basically hating and talking down a very real part of YOURSELF that has these cravings. Am I the only one who thinks this is absolutely nuts, most likely only a temporary solution, and not to mention possibly very dangerous and damaging to your sense of self?!
"Identifying and caging your fat-thinking alter-ego is how YOU finally come to dominate all your food decisions and permanently reprogram yourself to think like a thin person."
What IS this? An annorexia bootcamp?
As someone who struggles with serious body issues and self-image issues, as someone who used to punish her self and her body by resorting to everything from avoiding food to purging food, and as someone who routinely talks down to herself ANYWAY and has sought therapy to recognise and correct these patterns, this book was highly triggering for me. In a day and age when "fitness" and "healthy" should be promoted, the author instead categorises your mind into the "fat-thinking self" who is a slop and wants to do nothing but eat junk and "thin-thinking self" as the rational part of you who wants to remain fit and healthy.
BUT. The problem with this is who is to decide WHAT constitutes fat and what constitutes thin? Inside the head of someone with severe body dysmorphia, there IS NO SUCH filter that lets them consider themselves to be "thin" no matter how thin they are in reality! THIN and FAT are a state of mind. "Obese" would rather be the right medical term. Secondly, has the author taken those people into account who binge and then punish themselves by - starving, purging, or exercising heavily? Their body may not be "FAT" as such, but they still have unhealthy coping mechanisms.
AND for goddamn's sake, insulting yourself and talking down to yourself is EQUALLY as bad as the coping mechanisms I have listed above. Doing that will never let you have a peaceful and healthy relationship with yourself, your body, your mind or even food.
Also, here's another gem from the book:
"Interrupting and disempowering the thoughts which sustain your bingeing and overeating is not a game of mercy, it’s a game of unbreakable control and domination."
This guy clearly also has some repression issues.
I would have still appreciated this book if it used the words 'unhealthy' instead of fat or 'fit/healthy' instead of thin. No psychologist in his right mind should be reinforcing, let alone actively using words that will trigger unhealthy body standards in people. No psychologist should be actively encouraging people to repress urges and then talk down to yourself by personifying the thoughts/urges and picturing them as a "pig." Binge-eating for most people with body dysmorphia or self-harm issues is a way of punishing oneself - punishing the body. Binge-eating also sometimes stems from severe starvation and repression of urges. Calling these urges as a pig and asking it to shut up is neither a healthy nor a sustainable way of dealing with these urges. I expected a lot from this book because the author is also psychologist, and everything that I have learnt about my body dysmorphia is from my therapist. But I was so severely let down, it troubles me to my core the very idea that someone might be pushed into or revert back to unhealthy coping mechanisms after reading this book.
Coming to the book itself - not only is the philosophy bullshit, the actual book is just as shitty. There is zero formatting - First off, the randomly changing font and font size is disorienting. As a lot of other reviewers have mentioned (which I sadly read AFTER the book) there's a lot of random YELLING in the book which is highly annoying. It is basically a guy screaming at you in a late night infomercial about something you need to BUY RIGHT NOW that's going to CHANGE YOUR LIFE! But in book form. He tags his website after every second sentence and adds a ™ symbol every goddamn time he says "Never Binge Again" to make it even more painfully obvious that this book is just a 160 page pamphlet for his business.
If you're someone who struggles with body dysmorphia or other issues and eating disorders, or if you're just someone who cannot stand a badly written and badly formatted book, just stay the hell away from this book.
First off, I swear it's taking me all the self-restraint that possibly exists within me not to add this book in my 'unreliable narrator' shelf (which is obviously one of my favourite fiction genres but NOT the kind that should even exist in non-fiction self-improvement literature) for the kind of sheer tone-deaf and potentially damaging advice this author spews in this book.
The reason I purchased (did not actually purchase since it was free on Kindle) this book was because the blurb sounded pretty promising and I have had a horrible and toxic relationship with food for as long as I can remember due to body dysmorphia. Little did I know, this book not only contributed zilch in even remotely improving my relationship with food but instead was a huge trigger in fuelling more toxicity in my existing shitty relationship with my own body and food in general. My first red flag should have been the title itself - any book that promises to "reprogram" by brain into thinking like a "permanently thin person" is a recipe for disaster. MY BAD.
The writer clearly himself has some unresolved issues with his own body and a screwed up relationship with food and this book is basically as bad as two teenage girls in a high school washroom throwing up their lunch in adjacent cubicles while discussing what "diet" (a.k.a eating disorder) works best for them.
He liberally sprinkles his fat-shaming throughout the whole damn book starting with its very premise where he asks you to call your "fat-thinking self" as a "pig." WAY to promote even more body dysmorphia! Throughout the book, he asks you to "cage the Pig" by talking down to it, asking it to shut up and basically screaming at it and insulting it, and what you're basically doing is basically hating and talking down a very real part of YOURSELF that has these cravings. Am I the only one who thinks this is absolutely nuts, most likely only a temporary solution, and not to mention possibly very dangerous and damaging to your sense of self?!
"Identifying and caging your fat-thinking alter-ego is how YOU finally come to dominate all your food decisions and permanently reprogram yourself to think like a thin person."
What IS this? An annorexia bootcamp?
As someone who struggles with serious body issues and self-image issues, as someone who used to punish her self and her body by resorting to everything from avoiding food to purging food, and as someone who routinely talks down to herself ANYWAY and has sought therapy to recognise and correct these patterns, this book was highly triggering for me. In a day and age when "fitness" and "healthy" should be promoted, the author instead categorises your mind into the "fat-thinking self" who is a slop and wants to do nothing but eat junk and "thin-thinking self" as the rational part of you who wants to remain fit and healthy.
BUT. The problem with this is who is to decide WHAT constitutes fat and what constitutes thin? Inside the head of someone with severe body dysmorphia, there IS NO SUCH filter that lets them consider themselves to be "thin" no matter how thin they are in reality! THIN and FAT are a state of mind. "Obese" would rather be the right medical term. Secondly, has the author taken those people into account who binge and then punish themselves by - starving, purging, or exercising heavily? Their body may not be "FAT" as such, but they still have unhealthy coping mechanisms.
AND for goddamn's sake, insulting yourself and talking down to yourself is EQUALLY as bad as the coping mechanisms I have listed above. Doing that will never let you have a peaceful and healthy relationship with yourself, your body, your mind or even food.
Also, here's another gem from the book:
"Interrupting and disempowering the thoughts which sustain your bingeing and overeating is not a game of mercy, it’s a game of unbreakable control and domination."
This guy clearly also has some repression issues.
I would have still appreciated this book if it used the words 'unhealthy' instead of fat or 'fit/healthy' instead of thin. No psychologist in his right mind should be reinforcing, let alone actively using words that will trigger unhealthy body standards in people. No psychologist should be actively encouraging people to repress urges and then talk down to yourself by personifying the thoughts/urges and picturing them as a "pig." Binge-eating for most people with body dysmorphia or self-harm issues is a way of punishing oneself - punishing the body. Binge-eating also sometimes stems from severe starvation and repression of urges. Calling these urges as a pig and asking it to shut up is neither a healthy nor a sustainable way of dealing with these urges. I expected a lot from this book because the author is also psychologist, and everything that I have learnt about my body dysmorphia is from my therapist. But I was so severely let down, it troubles me to my core the very idea that someone might be pushed into or revert back to unhealthy coping mechanisms after reading this book.
Coming to the book itself - not only is the philosophy bullshit, the actual book is just as shitty. There is zero formatting - First off, the randomly changing font and font size is disorienting. As a lot of other reviewers have mentioned (which I sadly read AFTER the book) there's a lot of random YELLING in the book which is highly annoying. It is basically a guy screaming at you in a late night infomercial about something you need to BUY RIGHT NOW that's going to CHANGE YOUR LIFE! But in book form. He tags his website after every second sentence and adds a ™ symbol every goddamn time he says "Never Binge Again" to make it even more painfully obvious that this book is just a 160 page pamphlet for his business.
If you're someone who struggles with body dysmorphia or other issues and eating disorders, or if you're just someone who cannot stand a badly written and badly formatted book, just stay the hell away from this book.
July 2, 2020
Never Binge Again was just OK for me. It wasn't super helpful and will definitely not cure everyone's eating habits. I feel food choices are most important in gaining control of "the pig" and unless you conquer that, the binge behavior may return. Somehow you have to develop a healthy relationship with food, which is really hard in Western culture if you ask me. I can update now in 2020 that the best thing that ever happened to me was Anthony William’s thyroid protocol, which removes wheat, eggs, pork, and dairy. All extra weight dropped over the course of two years, and now I’m in a perfect place.
This book is still worth reading and makes excellent points.
3***
This book is still worth reading and makes excellent points.
3***
November 9, 2017
The only reason this book gets 4 stars is because I gained some truly valuable insights from reading it. The concept of "pig" and "pig slop" and the importance of a food plan has helped change the way I think about food. I eat much better and feel like I am much more disciplined after applying the principles taught in this book.
That said this book is repetitive and not all that well written. If you struggle with over eating then this is worth reading.
Please note that he repetitively suggest you visit his website and the book ends with him suggesting you join his one on one coaching or mentoring program.
That said this book is repetitive and not all that well written. If you struggle with over eating then this is worth reading.
Please note that he repetitively suggest you visit his website and the book ends with him suggesting you join his one on one coaching or mentoring program.
March 11, 2016
I will not recommend this book
I do not agree that our speech is all that separates us from monkeys. So to me your book is pig slop.
I do not agree that our speech is all that separates us from monkeys. So to me your book is pig slop.
November 22, 2016
In my opinion this book is the only book that offers a solution to binge behaviors that is 100% effective, and that in and of itself makes it worth the read. While I can see people having issues with the philosophy around the book that would make people who suffer from mental illnesses involving binge addictions very upset, for someone who doesn't have a substantial diagnosis but needs to get their eating habits in order, this book is the answer! How do you never binge again? You decide to never binge again! So simple, yet such an important skill to learn in life. I think there are so many people who feel like they have no control over food and binge addictions, and this book is helps you identify what is ultimately going on and provides a solution to get control back in your life. I have in fact put the skills to use that are taught in this book and have found them to be life changing! The only complaint I have is the quotes from the "Pig" which I found to be excessive and silly at times. Other than that, definitely worth the read and the kindle edition is free!
September 23, 2017
I typically don't bother writing reviews for books I didn't like. Heck, if I'm being honest, I typically don't finish a book I don't like. This is one of those instances. I picked up this book of because of the promise embedded in its title, "Never Binge Again." As someone who has always struggled with maintaining a healthy diet, this book appealed to me. In this book, Livingston spends a great many pages explaining that we need to change the way we look at our inner binge eater. Rather than love the inner glutton that lives inside us, we need to develop an animosity toward it. He recommends that we call this inner self 'the pig.' In a sense, he is recommending that we personify our inner binge eater in a way that allows us to see it for what it really is - an enemy. The author offers this solution as an alternative to a self-love approach to healing.
Livingston's approach may work for some people but, if I'm being honest, I thought it was all a little goofy. Livingston continued to lose me when he began attributing our inner binge eater to evolution and our "lizard brain" which is only concerned with self-satisfaction.
I'm glad this book was free for my kindle because I didn't feel too bad when I quit reading it.
Livingston's approach may work for some people but, if I'm being honest, I thought it was all a little goofy. Livingston continued to lose me when he began attributing our inner binge eater to evolution and our "lizard brain" which is only concerned with self-satisfaction.
I'm glad this book was free for my kindle because I didn't feel too bad when I quit reading it.
February 6, 2018
Terrible formatting. Bad grammar. If an infomercial was written down with ALL THE RANDOM YELLING! AND FORCED POSITIVITY! AND THE OVER SIMPLIFIED FALSE PROMISES! you would get this book.
Maybe he was able to make it free because he didn't fork out for an editor.
I could never recommend a book that uses negative self talk as a tool to treat something that can be part of an eating disorder! But I guess it could be effective for some people who are into that.
Maybe he was able to make it free because he didn't fork out for an editor.
I could never recommend a book that uses negative self talk as a tool to treat something that can be part of an eating disorder! But I guess it could be effective for some people who are into that.
October 20, 2021
I wanted to edit my review, because people kept liking the review and probably buying the book based off of it. Long-term, this book did not work for me. It didn’t really offer long term solutions, just short term tricks. Want something long term? "Just Eat It" by Laura Thomas.
April 24, 2019
I'm sure glad this was a freebie, because if I'd have paid even .99, I'd feel ripped off. Written by a psychologist, it reads like a bad 2:00 am infomercial with !!lots!! of emphasis by !!CAPITAL!! letters and !!UNNECESSARY!! exclamation points!!! and links to his website (where, of course, you can sign up for !!!MORE!!!). *ugh*
At one point, the author says, "You don't have to do what I say, it's ultimately up to YOU to change."
Duh. I think I'll take that advice, over any other in this waste of time, space, and words.
At one point, the author says, "You don't have to do what I say, it's ultimately up to YOU to change."
Duh. I think I'll take that advice, over any other in this waste of time, space, and words.
January 4, 2020
I can see why some readers rated this on the lower end of the scale, but I also believe those readers either a) don't truly have an eating disorder, or b) won't acknowledge the truth of their eating disorder.
As someone who has struggled most of their adult life with binge eating/depression/anxiety, I got this on a personal level. I've heard it said that half the battle is changing your mindset, and this book helped me to begin that process. By taking the gratification feeling out of binge eating and replacing it with other, more valid feelings, you may be able to begin moving in the right direction for controlling your eating habits. Do I need to eat 10 cookies when I'm sad? No. No one does. But the "pig" inside you, the one that feeds your feelings of depression and low self esteem tells you that it will make you feel better. By replacing the "hell yeah!" mindset of eating 10 cookies with "eating 10 cookies is pigslop", you can retrain your brain to look at food in a different way. That doesn't mean never eat cookies again. It means eat one cookie, or maybe two, then stop. Or instead of a cookie, pick up a tangerine or a banana. Or drink a glass of water. But if you do backslide an eat two cookies, it's ok. You just IMMEDIATELY start again to STOP BINGE EATING.
I probably rated this higher than others, but it was meaningful to me, so there you are. 4 stars
As someone who has struggled most of their adult life with binge eating/depression/anxiety, I got this on a personal level. I've heard it said that half the battle is changing your mindset, and this book helped me to begin that process. By taking the gratification feeling out of binge eating and replacing it with other, more valid feelings, you may be able to begin moving in the right direction for controlling your eating habits. Do I need to eat 10 cookies when I'm sad? No. No one does. But the "pig" inside you, the one that feeds your feelings of depression and low self esteem tells you that it will make you feel better. By replacing the "hell yeah!" mindset of eating 10 cookies with "eating 10 cookies is pigslop", you can retrain your brain to look at food in a different way. That doesn't mean never eat cookies again. It means eat one cookie, or maybe two, then stop. Or instead of a cookie, pick up a tangerine or a banana. Or drink a glass of water. But if you do backslide an eat two cookies, it's ok. You just IMMEDIATELY start again to STOP BINGE EATING.
I probably rated this higher than others, but it was meaningful to me, so there you are. 4 stars
December 3, 2015
John Owen repackaged, but I needed this. I'll follow up in a few months to let you know how much it helped.
Notes
Promises to teach you to trick yourself into not overeating.
Putting the possibility of failure out of your mind. Even if you do fail
Naming your appetite "the pig". Its squeals are not your thoughts
Aggressively separate yourself from this alter-ego
Write down your diet plan
Anything outside your plan is pig squealing
Keep your food plan private
Food in categories: Always, never, sometimes, conditional
Perfectionism when setting your goals, not when you fail.
If you do binge, analyze what went wrong, then recommit
If you can't control a particular food, move it to the "never" category
Don't count time (connotes insecurity)
The better tasting and more convenient a food is, the worse it probably is for you
The pig is powerless, and you are its master
Willpower is only expended when there is a decision. You don't have to strain and struggle to do something you've sworn not to do.
Make a journal of your pig squeals. It helps to recognize them as they come up.
Notes
Promises to teach you to trick yourself into not overeating.
Putting the possibility of failure out of your mind. Even if you do fail
Naming your appetite "the pig". Its squeals are not your thoughts
Aggressively separate yourself from this alter-ego
Write down your diet plan
Anything outside your plan is pig squealing
Keep your food plan private
Food in categories: Always, never, sometimes, conditional
Perfectionism when setting your goals, not when you fail.
If you do binge, analyze what went wrong, then recommit
If you can't control a particular food, move it to the "never" category
Don't count time (connotes insecurity)
The better tasting and more convenient a food is, the worse it probably is for you
The pig is powerless, and you are its master
Willpower is only expended when there is a decision. You don't have to strain and struggle to do something you've sworn not to do.
Make a journal of your pig squeals. It helps to recognize them as they come up.
October 12, 2019
Okay, first and foremost I wanna say, this book
Isn’t for everyone. But, it was PERFECT for me. In today’s society we’re supposed to talk nice to ourselves, accept everything and every body image out there. I, am different. My family can attest to this. When I’m on a strict food/exercise plan I literally tell my kids and husband to get rude with me if I deviate off my goals. This book was speaking my language. Calling my cravings and binges my “inner pig” is exactly how I would talk.
I highlighted so many amazing analogies in this book. I will definitely use them in my daily choices.
I’d love to share them all! If you are tough and can handle calling your inner self for what it is, aka, a pig....then I highly recommend this book!
One of the very last chapters the author mentioned he was a firm agnostic. That’s the only thing that made me cringe. I loved this book, but wish he would’ve kept his views on no “God” out of it. I will re-read this book.....over and over!
As far as seeing the other reviews, the author said in the beginning.....stop reading if this isn’t for you. He warned ya.
Isn’t for everyone. But, it was PERFECT for me. In today’s society we’re supposed to talk nice to ourselves, accept everything and every body image out there. I, am different. My family can attest to this. When I’m on a strict food/exercise plan I literally tell my kids and husband to get rude with me if I deviate off my goals. This book was speaking my language. Calling my cravings and binges my “inner pig” is exactly how I would talk.
I highlighted so many amazing analogies in this book. I will definitely use them in my daily choices.
I’d love to share them all! If you are tough and can handle calling your inner self for what it is, aka, a pig....then I highly recommend this book!
One of the very last chapters the author mentioned he was a firm agnostic. That’s the only thing that made me cringe. I loved this book, but wish he would’ve kept his views on no “God” out of it. I will re-read this book.....over and over!
As far as seeing the other reviews, the author said in the beginning.....stop reading if this isn’t for you. He warned ya.
March 24, 2019
My first reaction was "Wait, this book tries to convince you that it's not you who's responsible for your eating behavior, it's The Pig inside you. Like it's not your fault that you're stuffing your face with cookies."
But what it says is that actually you don't need to identify with those destructive thoughts, because they don't represent who you are and your life goals. You can see them as what they are (read: Pig Squeal) and let go, instead of getting caught up in them.
This book had me say "I'll never eat Pig Slop again", which I'm grateful for.
But what it says is that actually you don't need to identify with those destructive thoughts, because they don't represent who you are and your life goals. You can see them as what they are (read: Pig Squeal) and let go, instead of getting caught up in them.
This book had me say "I'll never eat Pig Slop again", which I'm grateful for.
June 16, 2020
One star is over generous.
If you have ever struggled with disordered eating or an eating disorder, especially Bulimia nervosa it binge eating disorder, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!! This book is a quick way to go deeper into disordered eating and mindset. I highly encourage the book “intuitive eating” and also the use of a HAES dietician, but this book should be avoided at all costs if you are seeking help in eating disorder recovery or just want to stop yo yo dieting!
If you have ever struggled with disordered eating or an eating disorder, especially Bulimia nervosa it binge eating disorder, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!! This book is a quick way to go deeper into disordered eating and mindset. I highly encourage the book “intuitive eating” and also the use of a HAES dietician, but this book should be avoided at all costs if you are seeking help in eating disorder recovery or just want to stop yo yo dieting!
May 4, 2017
Finally the answer to stop the binge diet cycle.
I have struggled for 20 years with Yo-Yo Dieting, losing and gaining back the same 10 pounds. This book kills the destructive self talk and rationalizations that kept me repeating this fruitless pattern. I read the book in 2 days with the help of the audio format. Immediately I am seeing positive results and feeling joyful.
I have struggled for 20 years with Yo-Yo Dieting, losing and gaining back the same 10 pounds. This book kills the destructive self talk and rationalizations that kept me repeating this fruitless pattern. I read the book in 2 days with the help of the audio format. Immediately I am seeing positive results and feeling joyful.
February 22, 2022
i really enjoyed this book and am a huge fan of the author's philosophy. i'm actually even shocked by the amount of negative reviews this has, and believe that most misinterpret the author's intent in terms of the concept of the 'pig.' it's a great way to make clear the point that binge urges are tolerable and not truly in our best interests, and are just certain parts of our brain seeking out the hyper-palatability of processed/junk foods.
i also liked how the author doesn't promote a specific diet or set of rules, while still acknowledging the unhealthiness of foods such as saturated fats and refined sugar. the food plan he proposes is to be constructed by the reader, and i especially took to his emphasis that it should be explicit and fully abided to (just one bite, am i right...).
this is a great read for those who struggle with incessant cravings, and while it doesn't provide any quick fixes or Secrets (permanently thin person... help..) it is a great tool for recognizing actions which lead to binging and instilling behaviors which deter them.
i also liked how the author doesn't promote a specific diet or set of rules, while still acknowledging the unhealthiness of foods such as saturated fats and refined sugar. the food plan he proposes is to be constructed by the reader, and i especially took to his emphasis that it should be explicit and fully abided to (just one bite, am i right...).
this is a great read for those who struggle with incessant cravings, and while it doesn't provide any quick fixes or Secrets (permanently thin person... help..) it is a great tool for recognizing actions which lead to binging and instilling behaviors which deter them.
May 26, 2018
Fun, emphatic writing that gets incredibly repetitive. Admittedly, the author has a refreshing message about food consumption, and makes references to brushing teeth or obeying the law to convince the reader that rule making and following is definitely doable. I started skimming though after a third of the book because I was tired of reading chapters that could be condensed to 1/4 of their actual length. There were also way too many links to online resources distracting from much of the content.
October 27, 2016
The male version of Brain over binge , it was refreshing reading a book about eating disorder that's actually written by a man who has the same problems as you, the Pig concept is pretty good and I took it to the extreme and it did FUCKING work,
August 6, 2018
No. No I will not call my craving mind the Pig, and then tell the Pig to stop squealing to shut off the craving. Repetitious, badly edited, and lots of 'screaming' - this book is to be avoided. Read at your own risk...
February 15, 2016
this is a book about taking your animalistic impulse to overheat or binge and calling it the pig. It sounds kind of silly, but I think it works rather it works rather well.
March 15, 2021
I definitely think this book helped me understand binge eating a little more. I don't know that it "cured" me, but I definitely have noticed small changes. It was a good, easy read.
November 10, 2023
You have to be ready
After reading this book, and comparing my experience to many of the negative reviews, I’m convinced of one thing. You have to be ready. And by ready, I mean open minded to a different way of dealing with over eating. This isn’t a diet book; I’ll call it a realignment book. I was looking to find a trigger to change my overall view of eating and, although it’s only about a month in, I feel like, for the first time, I’m not going back. I’ve said it a lot, but I’ve never felt like my binging was really fixed. Now, I’m convinced it is. Note: even though it’s said clearly, The Pig, in the book, is only a construct. If the author’s description seems too silly or doesn’t align with your personality, create a different one. I kept the pig metaphor, but don’t see it as malignant, just misaligned. As soon as I told it that it wasn’t helping me (it was really just my misinformed subconscious), the pig got out of the way and stopped yelling at me that I was going to starve if I didn’t eat a bunch of garbage.
After reading this book, and comparing my experience to many of the negative reviews, I’m convinced of one thing. You have to be ready. And by ready, I mean open minded to a different way of dealing with over eating. This isn’t a diet book; I’ll call it a realignment book. I was looking to find a trigger to change my overall view of eating and, although it’s only about a month in, I feel like, for the first time, I’m not going back. I’ve said it a lot, but I’ve never felt like my binging was really fixed. Now, I’m convinced it is. Note: even though it’s said clearly, The Pig, in the book, is only a construct. If the author’s description seems too silly or doesn’t align with your personality, create a different one. I kept the pig metaphor, but don’t see it as malignant, just misaligned. As soon as I told it that it wasn’t helping me (it was really just my misinformed subconscious), the pig got out of the way and stopped yelling at me that I was going to starve if I didn’t eat a bunch of garbage.
August 28, 2017
Funny and easy to understand this book had everything I need it to know about how to stop the habit of binge eating (or pretty much any other bad habit).
I am very thankful to the writer not only he made it available and free for everyone, but he also provides all the worksheet and audio you need to take the control over your bad habit, also completely free.
A really cool book that if you take seriously it can help you overcome bingle eating.
In case you wonder I do not agree with the whole metaphorical idea of the pig, but if I had to choose an eating monster that makes me eat whenever I am not supposed to, it will be a little evil Homer Simpson.
I am very thankful to the writer not only he made it available and free for everyone, but he also provides all the worksheet and audio you need to take the control over your bad habit, also completely free.
A really cool book that if you take seriously it can help you overcome bingle eating.
In case you wonder I do not agree with the whole metaphorical idea of the pig, but if I had to choose an eating monster that makes me eat whenever I am not supposed to, it will be a little evil Homer Simpson.
April 28, 2018
Best Book I've Read on the Subject
Just finished and I can say this is the best book I've read on the subject. I was initially put off by using the "Pig" but quickly realized this is the best analogy for the bingeing animal that lives inside those of us that binge. If you can get past this, realizing that it serves a purpose to recognize that the Pig really is an accurate representation rather than a personal label, then you can appreciate the book for all that it has to offer. This puts the power back into the hands of the reader and binger rather than leaving you feeling helpless and at mercy to your own negative thoughts. Truly empowering! Cannot recommend enough!
Just finished and I can say this is the best book I've read on the subject. I was initially put off by using the "Pig" but quickly realized this is the best analogy for the bingeing animal that lives inside those of us that binge. If you can get past this, realizing that it serves a purpose to recognize that the Pig really is an accurate representation rather than a personal label, then you can appreciate the book for all that it has to offer. This puts the power back into the hands of the reader and binger rather than leaving you feeling helpless and at mercy to your own negative thoughts. Truly empowering! Cannot recommend enough!
April 4, 2016
I recently found a website called Book Bub that sends you daily emails with e-books that are free that day on Amazon based on your genre preferences. This is one of the books sent to me a while back.
The concept of this book is great. The execution of it was not the best. The voice was annoying to say the least.
Just never binge again. That's it. Got it? Get it? Good.
"In fact, you don't even really need this book. To stop, just draw 100% clear lines and stop."
"We all must make a decision in this life to either get well or get even."
The concept of this book is great. The execution of it was not the best. The voice was annoying to say the least.
Just never binge again. That's it. Got it? Get it? Good.
"In fact, you don't even really need this book. To stop, just draw 100% clear lines and stop."
"We all must make a decision in this life to either get well or get even."
May 23, 2020
The book is built around one technique that could easily be summarized into like a couple pages instead of filling the pages with ads of his website and tools.
Did I learn anything from this book?
Well some tips and tricks proved useful and hopefully will remain so in the long run, I also had a few laughs during this read, but his writing style is really off putting to me at times because it treats one as a child. A lot. And many of his methods are just unreliable and you can easily ignore them.
Did I learn anything from this book?
Well some tips and tricks proved useful and hopefully will remain so in the long run, I also had a few laughs during this read, but his writing style is really off putting to me at times because it treats one as a child. A lot. And many of his methods are just unreliable and you can easily ignore them.
August 31, 2016
i read this book to fulfill the goal "read a non fiction book" I laughed, I cried. i can truly say it changed my life. I am not a Pig (a criminal monster who will do anything to get her next bite of food--not a cute barnyard animal) i do not eat pig slop. i will never binge again...(120 pg) by the way this book is free on Amazon, and it comes with a bunch of bonuses.
November 22, 2016
I was going to put the book down because of the whole mildly annoying 'cage the pig!' visualization technique but I'm glad I didn't. The last few chapters are gold! Really good teachings throughout the book - can be put to use with any addiction.
April 3, 2021
I changed my mind. This book promotes toxic diet culture and restrictive dieting. This book is purely about (unsustainable) weight loss rather than creating a healthier relationship to food. Do not recommend.
December 16, 2024
I initially gave this 3 stars on the first read.
If this actually worked, I wouldn't have had to reread it a year later, while I still struggle with binges AND now also have too many restrictive rules.
If this actually worked, I wouldn't have had to reread it a year later, while I still struggle with binges AND now also have too many restrictive rules.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 475 reviews