It's Not About the Weight: Attacking Eating Disorders from the Inside Out

by Susan J. Mendelsohn

Dr. Susan J. Mendelsohn is all too familiar with eating she has personally wrestled with them for more than fifteen years. It's Not about the Attacking Eating Disorders from the Inside Out is part self-help guide and part memoir that tackles growing up with-and growing through-the challenge of body image distortions.Whether you're just beginning your battle with an eating disorder (ED) or have struggled for years, this guide addresses the common themes of weight and body image preoccupations, the psychological place in which you may find yourself and, most importantly, how you can manage these obsessions through practical steps of self-healing-from the inside out.Weaving real-life cases of Dr. Mendelsohn's clinical practice with her own personal struggles, this compelling success story shows you the appropriate steps in how to overcome the obstacles of weight and body image, how to triumphantly manage weight during recovery, how to maintain an overall satisfying existence, and how to finally live your life no matter what shape, size, or weight you are at any given time. Take this unique opportunity to let It's Not about the Weight guide you to a successful recovery and an overall healthy and balanced lifestyle!

204 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Laurel]

My problem isn't with the content of the book; I didn't really learn anything new about EDs, but it's more about self-help and self-talk than the illness itself. It's the writing style I found difficult; the tone is cutesy and almost condescending. There are so many exclamation marks I lost count of them. And in the chapter about communication styles and assertion, Mendelsohn talks about the need to be specific when asserting yourself. Then she proceeds to use weight loss as an example. Very poor taste, I thought.

She's right; it's not about the weight. And for some people her book will strike just the right note and that's ultimately all we can hope for.

[Meredith]

I love Dr. Susie and this book taught me a lot about eating disorders and how it really isn't about the weight. She shares a lot of her own story and talks about operant and classical conditioning in relation to EDs. At first, I didn't like the book, but once I started seeing Dr. Susie, I referred to her book over and over again. Now it's one of my favorites. She is no-nonsense when it comes to EDs and is very proactive in patients' treatment.