The Hungry Years: Confessions Of A Food Addict

[presidentholmes]

Just wanted to recommend a great book to you all.
Here's the blurb:

William Leith was in Manhattan, waiting to interview Dr Atkins of New Diet Revolution fame, when he realised that this wasn't just another journalistic assignment. He realised that he wanted to understand his pathological relationship with food and why he was fat - he was 18 stone at the time. William found it hard to talk about his weight and he also knew, from his experience as an interviewer, that being fat was something people found more difficult to talk about than just about anything else; this was a hugely controversial and substantial subject.

[ladyinred]

Re: The Hungry Years: Confessions Of A Food Addict

Thanks Mr. Prez. I'll look for it.

[presidentholmes]

Re: The Hungry Years: Confessions Of A Food Addict

It's great.
It shows how being fat affected him in all aspects of his life, from his self-esteem to his job, to his sexual confidence to his outlook on life.
There's a lot in the book that I'm sure everyone on this book will have experienced.

A bit of the candy bar? OK.
Flip! The switch has been flipped and before you know what's happened, you've eaten 6 candy bars one after the other.

Sound familiar to anyone?

[dreamof145]

Re: The Hungry Years: Confessions Of A Food Addict

I'll look for it -- I'm going to bookstore later today!

[MotherOfGizmo]

Re: The Hungry Years: Confessions Of A Food Addict

Here is an interview with the author.
http://www.hungryyears.com/content.asp?sec=2&sec2=2

PresH. have you read the book?

[presidentholmes]

Re: The Hungry Years: Confessions Of A Food Addict

Yeah I read it ages ago and re-read it recently.
It's very good.
A lot of what he says and scenarios he gets into I can relate to.

[presidentholmes]

Re: The Hungry Years: Confessions Of A Food Addict

Thanks for that link, that's a great interview.

The Hungry Years is an unflinchingly honest book. How did it feel to write it — was it cathartic, or terrifying?
It was slightly scary writing a book about being fat, how it felt to be fat, why I was fat, and so on, mostly because these were things I was hiding from. I think every fat person, to a certain extent, hides from the truth. So starting off was difficult. Here was this thing I felt bad about, and it was my fault, and it had happened in the first place because I somehow managed to put it to the back of my mind … this was difficult to face. But once I started, I found myself less and less worried; there was lots to say, stuff that had been bottled up, for years and years. So of course it was cathartic, and I think that the very act of expressing how you feel about issues like this — overeating, drinking, drugs, and so on — helps you deal with them. If you’re fat, one of your problems, I think, is feeling you can’t talk about it.

[Desertthorn]

Re: The Hungry Years: Confessions Of A Food Addict

I am going to check out the library and see if they have it. Thanks for the heads up.

[Laker75]

Re: The Hungry Years: Confessions Of A Food Addict

Can't wait to get my hands on a copy Pres. I'm always on the lookout for a new read, and It's been awhile since I hit the non-fiction shelf. Is it an older publication or a relatively new release? I saw you mentioned you'd read it ages ago, so I was wondering about the likelihood of my closest bookstore having it in stock...

S.

[presidentholmes]

Re: The Hungry Years: Confessions Of A Food Addict

I read it last year when it was issued (with the donut cover) and this week it was re-issued (with the toast cover)

[presidentholmes]

Re: The Hungry Years: Confessions Of A Food Addict

Well, I've finished with my copy.
If anyone wants it, the first person to private message me with their address can have it cos I'm such a nice chap.

[ladyinred]

Re: The Hungry Years: Confessions Of A Food Addict

Hey Mr. Pres! I've missed you! I somehow missed your homecoming too. Well, I'm very happy to see you. Thanks for recommending this book. I loved it!! I ordered it from the library and it came just before I went on vacation last week. I hoovered it. I think I read it in two sittings. I don't know if I have time to read it again, but I'm going to look at buying my own copy. A lot of things (closer to the end of the book) I can't relate to, but the stuff near the beginning was right on. I'd like to read it again. So thanks for the recommendation, Mr. Hottie, er....Mr. President.

[presidentholmes]

Re: The Hungry Years: Confessions Of A Food Addict

You are very welcome cutey pie, glad you liked.
Some good stuff in there