Life Is Hard, Food Is Easy: The 5-Step Plan to Overcome Emotional Eating and Lose Weight on Any Diet

Rating:
Summary: The key to permanent weight loss
Review: After undergoing a job layoff, I "comforted" myself by eating, and eating and eating. Soon I had added close to 50 lbs. of "comfort" to my 5'2" frame.I tried everything - Atkins, etc. to no avail. Finally one day, saw an article about the book in the local paper and decided to check it out. Coincidentally, the author happened to be in the bookstore at the same time! So if that wasn't a message...nothing was. Anyway, going through the exercises in book helped me to discover why turned to food during emotionally trying events in my life. Life is Hard/Food is Easy has been a godsend. Have lost 35 pounds and well on the way to losing the rest...now that I know why I'm over-eating.

Rating:
Summary: Why didn't someone tell me about this book 13 years ago?
Review: By accident, I happened to find this book as I was using Google to search for information that might help me overcome emotional eating. I have tried many, many diets in the past, but none of them worked, because I would always start bingeing, and then I would gain more weight than I ever had before. Right now, I am about 110 pounds over my ideal weight.

I bought the Dr. Phil book earlier -- hoping that it would help me to figure out why I am so out-of-control on my eating. It was good in terms of presenting general information, but it didn't really give me any concrete and specific tools for helping me break my vicious cycle of emotional eating. I found the Dr. Phil book useless in terms of giving practical steps about how to get out of the very deep, dark hole that I am in right now.

I bought this book about 1 week ago. It is by far, the hardest book that I have ever read, because the exercises (and stories of others who had traveled down the same path) in the book forced me to face loneliness, grief, depression, fear of rejection, hopelessness about my future, past pain from abuse, etc. It was hard to face that which I had run away from -- and consistently avoided facing by stuffing myself with food.

Over this weekend, I put down the chocolate, and I faced the emotions associated with my depression head-on. I felt really, really bad for about two days as I cried about my life, but TODAY, the black cloud that has hung over me for most of my adult life has finally lifted.

The most amazing thing is that my food cravings are gone. I am no longer downing 6 chocolate turtles, one pint of Blue Bell Rocky Road, 1 pound of rice pudding, and 1 Red Baron Cheese pizza in ONE SINGLE MEAL. I was totally shocked to find that I did not have a SINGLE problem with ANY food cravings today, and I haven't felt deprived in any way. The compulsion to self-medicate with food is totally gone.

But best of all, I have been paralyzed by depression during the last 8 years. There are things that have needed to be done, boxes of cluttered files that I have needed to throw out, and changes that I have needed to make in my life -- other than losing weight.

Everything seemed so overwhelming that I never could seem to do these things. It was much easier to hide under the covers and sleep, watch TV, and eat the Blue Bell ice cream, than it was to face these impossible mountains of change. Or to come to terms with profound grief over something that happened 13 years ago.

Well, I am happy to report, that I finally started to tackle one of my biggest mountains this morning. I threw out boxes of files that were no longer needed, but that I couldn't seem to throw out, because they were my only connection to a much happier past. I also began to start thinking that perhaps I could change my life after all. It does not have to be like this; I do have the power to change my thinking -- and my life. I do have the ability to take baby steps to do what God is directing me to do -- in order to become the person that He created me to be -- not the half-dead shell of a person that I was only a few days ago.

In conclusion, this book is well-written, and well-worth the money spent. Besides the practical reflective exercises, Linda Spangle writes about her life, includes personal stories from some of her former clients, and she includes time-tested tools that have been shown to get many people over the emotional blocks that keep them from losing weight. It is written in such a way that the reader feels that Linda Spangle is talking to you over a cup of tea. It is well-worth the money spent, and I only wish that this book had been written 13 years ago!

Rating:
Summary: Why didn't someone tell me about this book 13 years ago?
Review: By accident, I happened to find this book as I was using Google to search for information that might help me overcome emotional eating. I have tried many, many diets in the past, but none of them worked, because I would always start bingeing, and then I would gain more weight than I ever had before. Right now, I am about 110 pounds over my ideal weight.

I bought the Dr. Phil book earlier -- hoping that it would help me to figure out why I am so out-of-control on my eating. It was good in terms of presenting general information, but it didn't really give me any concrete and specific tools for helping me break my vicious cycle of emotional eating. I found the Dr. Phil book useless in terms of giving practical steps about how to get out of the very deep, dark hole that I am in right now.

I bought this book about 1 week ago. It is by far, the hardest book that I have ever read, because the exercises (and stories of others who had traveled down the same path) in the book forced me to face loneliness, grief, depression, fear of rejection, hopelessness about my future, past pain from abuse, etc. It was hard to face that which I had run away from -- and consistently avoided facing by stuffing myself with food.

Over this weekend, I put down the chocolate, and I faced the emotions associated with my depression head-on. I felt really, really bad for about two days as I cried about my life, but TODAY, the black cloud that has hung over me for most of my adult life has finally lifted.

The most amazing thing is that my food cravings are gone. I am no longer downing 6 chocolate turtles, one pint of Blue Bell Rocky Road, 1 pound of rice pudding, and 1 Red Baron Cheese pizza in ONE SINGLE MEAL. I was totally shocked to find that I did not have a SINGLE problem with ANY food cravings today, and I haven't felt deprived in any way. The compulsion to self-medicate with food is totally gone.

But best of all, I have been paralyzed by depression during the last 8 years. There are things that have needed to be done, boxes of cluttered files that I have needed to throw out, and changes that I have needed to make in my life -- other than losing weight.

Everything seemed so overwhelming that I never could seem to do these things. It was much easier to hide under the covers and sleep, watch TV, and eat the Blue Bell ice cream, than it was to face these impossible mountains of change. Or to come to terms with profound grief over something that happened 13 years ago.

Well, I am happy to report, that I finally started to tackle one of my biggest mountains this morning. I threw out boxes of files that were no longer needed, but that I couldn't seem to throw out, because they were my only connection to a much happier past. I also began to start thinking that perhaps I could change my life after all. It does not have to be like this; I do have the power to change my thinking -- and my life. I do have the ability to take baby steps to do what God is directing me to do -- in order to become the person that He created me to be -- not the half-dead shell of a person that I was only a few days ago.

In conclusion, this book is well-written, and well-worth the money spent. Besides the practical reflective exercises, Linda Spangle writes about her life, includes personal stories from some of her former clients, and she includes time-tested tools that have been shown to get many people over the emotional blocks that keep them from losing weight. It is written in such a way that the reader feels that Linda Spangle is talking to you over a cup of tea. It is well-worth the money spent, and I only wish that this book had been written 13 years ago!

Rating:
Summary: Great Book for Binge Eaters!
Review: I am a Binge Eater and this book really helped me a lot to find out why I binge and excersies I can do to make my binges smaller and smaller so now I can stop them right away or even stop before I start This book is truly a gift to share with others. Just like my new beverage of choice that replaced my morning brew. Its called s oyfee and taste so wonderful with no caffeine or acids. Organic and made from soya! Bye bye acid stomach and hello healthy tummy! Google it under "acid free coffee"



Rating:
Summary: Ready to Make the Commitment?
Review: If you are ready to make the commitment to start your journey to a healthier lifestyle, this book is the perfect guide!
Linda's supportive approach to understanding my own eating habits and finding positive alternatives made me feel like I wasn't the only person in the world who struggled with unhealthy, and often unnecessary, eating.
Armed with Linda's books, "Life is Hard, Food is Easy" and "Success In a Shaker Jar", I began my journey with the Winners Program (Linda's progam) on January 6,2003 and went from a plus size 22/24 to a size 12- a 60 lbs. loss!
After 10 years of trying almost every diet imaginable, I feel that diets were the wrong approach. Linda's guidance and sensible advice opened my awareness to the underlying reasons I had always reached for food when I was either bored or upset. I don't consider her program a diet. I consider the program a life altering experience!
Thank you Linda for your phenomenal books and program that allowed me to finally reach my goal!

Rating:
Summary: Good Tips for Any Dieter's Success
Review: Life is Hard, Food is Easy by Linda Spangle, RN,MA, is a new and highly successful approach to dieting..., or rather learning to eat in a new way for optimal health. Linda is the founder and director of the highly successful WINNERS For Life: Wellness and Weight Loss Clinic. She observed how difficult it is for people to keep off the weight they work so hard to lose. She identifies the emotional factors, different from hunger, that make people eat and helps us establish new patterns to monitor our feeding habits. Her five points explained in the book include: What's going on? What do I feel? What do I need? What's in my way? and What will I do? In learning to seek these answers readers will discover a new way to keep weight at the desired level, create new habits, and feel good about their bodies. A very good companion to any diet!

Rating:
Summary: The key to permanent weight loss
Review: Linda is right on the money! The key to permanent weight loss is to overcome emotional eating and change your lifestyle.
This book is filled with excellent exercises that will help you re-program your mind to eat when you are hungry and to eat food that is good for your health and weight, rather then food that hits your pleasure centers. I also loved "The Power of Positive Habits" which shows you how to re-program your mind by acquiring new positive habits for automatic weight loss and improved health....excellent!!

Rating:
Summary: The beginning to the end of "diets"
Review: Lindas book Life is Hard, Food is Easy is the best book I have read on emotional eating. Her book has inspired me to stop shoveling food in my mouth unless I am actually hungry.
I got this book for my friend also knowing that we still need support, this is a book I know that I will read and reread until it really does sink in. And it is true, it isn't easy to give up eating, if it was then we wouldn't live in such a overweight society. All I can say is Linda has a gem of a book and I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Getting down to the "why".
Review: This book focuses on the "why" behind eating and will make you think. You get suggestions for breaking through the emotional stuff and taking care of yourself- without food. Another book on the same subject, "Conquer Emotional Eating" by Laura Hall, is great too.

Rating:
Summary: So you think you know everything about yourself?
Review: You don't. Let's face it, you wouldn't even get past this book's title if some extra pounds weren't affecting your life. We all know what we're supposed to do: eat less, exercise more. The question is, why aren't we already doing just that? Everybody needs something and for a lot of us it's been food that's cures what ails us. I'm among the many stunned readers who didn't recognize that until I turned the pages. Omigosh. I do that! With Linda's tips, 'eat only what you like --and why', the two-bite phenomenon, and the reality about "wasted" food, you have a whole new toolkit to steer yourself away from food as a cure-all, and toward the non-fattening and more comforting alternates. And yes, happily, there are alternatives! Thank you Linda!