Even though your new book, The Overeater’s Journal, is directed at a general audience, you mention the concept of food addiction quite often. What is food addiction and how does someone know if he or she is a food addict? Yes, The Overeater’s Journal is designed to be used by those with a serious addiction as well as those with only a few pounds to lose. In most cases, the behavior patterns are similar. A food addict, however, is someone who is physically, emotionally, and spiritually addicted to certain food substances, including sugar, flour, caffeine, fats, and oftentimes wheat. What is the difference between an overeater and a food addict? In general, an overeater can be someone who eats too much when anxious or stressed. He or she may occasionally or even sometimes regularly, eat as a reaction to feelings. A food addict, however, takes this a step further. He or she is physically driven to overeat. His or her cravings are overwhelming and cannot be ignored. In other words, even though an overeater may experience physical cravings sometimes, a food addict is driven to eat on a regular basis. How can writing help overeaters and/or food addicts to gain control of their lives? Many studies have proven that writing helps people to think clearer and look at their lives in a deeper way than just thinking about it does. This deep awareness is necessary for those trying to gain control of their lives. Since denial is such a big part of both overeating and addiction, self-knowledge is a necessary step in the recovery process. Writing helps with this and also with goal setting. Writing down your goals helps to make them concrete and thus more achievable. What made you write this book? What made me write this book is the same thing that made me write my other two books ­ a deep desire to help others who are suffering as I once did. When I weighed over 300 pounds, I was completely and totally miserable, even suicidal. I had tried every diet program possible and nothing worked. I was out of hope and didn’t know what to do. I am very grateful for the fact that despite how little information there was out there about food addiction at the time I still found what I needed to get help. It is my mission in life to make others aware of the fact that it is possible to recover from food addiction, lose weight and live a happy life. I never imaged this was possible when I was suffering so. And I feel it’s my job to let others know that miracles do happen. It is possible to lose weight and change your life. How does your experience as an Assistant Professor of English and Media Studies at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut relate to this book? One of my academic areas of research is journal writing. I have spent a great deal of time reading studies and examining books about the effects journal writing has both academically and personally. I have used this information both to teach journal writing classes at Sacred Heart and to create the exercises in The Overeater’s Journal. I think my research experience enriches both my teaching and my writing. Your two previous books, Why Can’t I Stop Eating? (Hazelden 2000) and Locked Up For Eating Too Much (Hazelden 2002) involve food addiction. Can you talk about your experience as someone who is physically and emotionally addicted to food? Since I am a food addict and have experienced the pain and humiliation of weighing 328 pounds, I am very well suited to help others who are suffering. Before recovery, I didn’t know I could exist for even two minutes without thinking about or eating food. I hated myself and I wanted to die. As a food addict in recovery, my life today is amazing. I no longer physically crave food. I can think clearly and I am truly grateful to have a normal sized body. How long have you been in recovery and what do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment? I have been in recovery for 15 years and I consider my biggest accomplishment to be making a decision each day to continue on in my recovery rather than overeat. Even when things get tough emotionally, as they do in life, I know that overeating won’t make it better. Knowing this is truly my most profound gift. Getting back to your current book, what experiences have you had during your recovery where writing has helped you not to overeat? Wow! There are so many. Throughout my recovery I have used writing to vent my feelings. If I am angry, sad, overwhelmed, or anxious, I reach for the pen rather than the food. For me, writing has taken the place of overeating. It has also helped me to get clear on what I am feeling and what I want out of life. How do the exercises in this book differ for those who are food addicts and those who simply overeat on occasion? Generally, there isn’t much difference though those who simply overeat on occasion may not relate to the few exercises in the book that deal with physical cravings. For the most part, food addicts and overeaters have similar behavioral patterns and experiences and most of the exercises in The Overeater’s Journal are designed to reflect the needs of both. If you had to name one thing that is important in the battle with weight loss that Americans face, what would it be? Actually, I think there are two things. The first, and perhaps most important, is writing. I know I’ve already gone over the reasons for this so I won’t repeat myself. I’ll move on to the second which is being able to separate emotions from food. This is perhaps the most overlooked aspect of weight loss yet a very necessary one. As a society, we regularly eat for so many reasons other than hunger. We eat for fun, relaxation, celebration, comfort, even joy. And usually when we do this, we ignore the physical needs of our bodies which causes us to eat much more than we need. Do you believe that societal attitudes contribute to a climate of obesity? How? Absolutely! There is no question in my mind that as a society we have set up dangerous eating patterns. We live in a bigger-is-better, supersized world that encourages overeating. Not only is this dangerous but it creates a climate of denial that causes us to forget exactly how harmful overeating is. Think about the simple act of offering a lollipop to a child after a visit to the doctor. When we do this, we are teaching the child that if he or she experiences something unpleasant then sweet, sugary food will make it better. Food is intended to nourish our bodies. Nothing more and nothing less yet we consistently use it for so much more. How do these attitudes relate to the rising childhood obesity rate? As I’ve pointed out, children are taught to associate emotions with food rather than to identify physical hunger. American children are taken to play in fast food restaurants where they are fed high calorie food. We are telling our children that food is fun and creating life-long customers for these restaurants. Children who associate food with comfort, celebration, or happiness will eat more and eventually be unable to determine when they are truly hungry. This is reflected in the fact that 15% of children 6 to 19 years old or nearly 9 million are seriously overweight, a number that has tripled since 1980. Can you talk a little bit about your own personal struggle to remain in recovery in a society that encourages overeating? Sometimes it is challenging to remain in recovery the way our society is set up. Just about every event business or personal involves eating a meal. Luncheon business meetings and celebration dinners are all too common. For me, it’s taken some time but I have been able to deal with these challenges. I’ve learned that if it’s an event where there will be too much food and I’m not feeling strong, then I need to take steps to take care of myself. At holidays, for instance, there have been many times when I have taken a walk to distance myself from the food. Not only is this healthy but it also helps to re-connect me with my program. What role does writing play in your recovery today? I can honestly say that writing has saved my life and my recovery. There is not doubt in my mind that I would have returned to overeating if I hadn’t been journaling. I write constantly. Having recently gone through a painful divorce, I used writing to help comfort myself and to help me to grow emotionally and spiritually. I find writing to be relaxing and very much enjoy the process. I absolutely love going to the beach and writing in my journal. For me, it is a very spiritual experience to see the water and connect with a higher being. Can you talk about what we can expect from you in the future? What do you plan to write? Right now, I am actually working on four books. One is called Why Can’t My Child Stop Eating? A guide to helping your child overcome emotional overeating. This one provides parents with easy-to-use exercises to help them take the emotion out of food for their children. The second book ­The Overeater’s Cookbook ­ provides readers with recipes based on the food plan outlined in Why Can’t I Stop Eating? And next, I am writing a book titled Why Don’t They Eat? Eating Disorders and the American Media which is an examination of the ways the media promotes disordered eating behaviors. And finally, I have just started a book about divorce. As you can see, I’m quite busy. Right now, I’m looking for an agent to help me sell all of these projects since I’m so busy writing. So, if there are any agents out there… Return to Top