A Must Have Book for All “Dieters”
Seldom does a book I am sent to review truly speak to me and my experiences. I posted the press release for Lavinia Rodriguez’s Mind Over Fat Matters over a week ago because I knew from the first page this book was pivotal and important. I have taken the time to truly read and digest every page of this life altering book. Am I exaggerating? Only to those who don’t know what it is like to deal with an eating disorder, or constant dieting.
For those whose life stories have pages similar to mine, when you read this book you will see what I mean. The best part? Unlike all of these celebrity “get fit” coaches and specialists who happen to luck their way into the right gym or job at the right time, Dr. Rodriguez actually has training and credentials – she worked as a therapist helping clients with eating disorders for 15 years as a clinical psychologist, and is a weight management expert. Ask and look around for the credentials of many of these “doctors” and “celebrity trainers” – few have the knowledge and more often than not they just have the “look” – Hollywood can be all show and no substance- keep that in mind when you watch some of these smoke and mirror weight loss shows.
It’s not your failing that you aren’t losing weight and it isn’t your fault. More stressing, rules and numbing exercise won’t help. Why are we as a nation so obsessed with losing weight, weighing in and getting fit, yet we constantly are told we are the “fattest nation”? Could our obsessive nature be self sabotaging? Dr. Rodriguez postulates that this is exactly the cause. Think about it – outside of the context of this book we already know that stress raises cortisol levels and that raised cortisol levels keep you from burning fat and losing weight.
Dr. Rodriguez takes a step by step approach to explaining how our brains function and how we set ourselves up to fail on the never ending wheel of dieting and restricting. But how effective is her program?
Highly. If you don’t know me personally or have never read about me I struggle with my eating disorder. It rarely rears its head in as violent a way as it did in my younger years but obsessing about food, exercise and dieting does rob me daily of happiness even if it isn’t outwardly apparent. As I read through the chapters of Mind Over Fat Matters it was if the book were written specifically using my life experiences. Fretting over Thanksgiving Dinner, setting rules about what can be eaten,forbidden foods, eating without pleasure and more.
I had my husband read the book because I was worried that I was being led down a path that would make me fat – something that Dr. Rodriguez points out the mind will believe because of years of deprivation. My husband concluded what I have later realized, that this book makes absolute sense. But he knows me. He does his best to understand my dysfunctional relationship with food and suggested I start slowly letting go of the rules. He helps me greatly with what Dr. Rodriguez calls positive self talk and talks me down from my ledges – especially when I “can’t” eat.
On our way to and from the gym tonight I felt extremely happy to have been exercising. I slowly am letting go of some of my crazy notions and rules about food – and let me say it tastes great. I think that this book could help so many people who believe that a lack of will power, a lack of trying or anything else is the reason they are unhappy, unhealthy or over weight. The basic message of this book reaches outside of the realm of dieting and weight loss, it has to do with truly living and loving ourselves to the fullest. As Dr. Rodriguez continually emphasizes it isn’t about being perfect, its about being better. Visit her site to learn more and order a copy of this book, it will be the best $15 you ever spend: http://www.fatmatters.com
