The Diet Trap is a well written, instructive book that intends to get to the root of the emotional problem behind overeating. While I felt the concepts and especially focus were sound, it ended up not being a book I could follow. As such, I would rate it a 5-star book for others but unfortunately, I have to balance that against the 1 star I would have to give for it not working for me, personally. So I will rate it 4 stars in the end because I do believe many would benefit from this and stop the yo-yo diets that just don’t work for them (because those diets address the physical needs only and not the psychological). I think it is high time those who are overweight address the emotional/psychological reasons for the condition.
The book is a lot like sitting in therapy sessions, with writing exercises replacing talking to a psychiatrist. To really confront the problem emotional areas, the book requires you to keep a journal and write in it frequently, using specific probing questions and your own thoughts to analyze and then free yourself from emotional constraints that keep you from succeeding (at overeating or other subjects). Despite what sounds like a clinical approach, the book is very friendly and definitely not intrusive. It’s like having your own personal, non-judgmental, understanding cheerleader.
The foundation of the book is a program used to treat other emotional issue: ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). At its heart, the book/therapy is learning to stop beating oneself up and accept yourself as unique, with imperfections. That stops you from needing food as an emotional crutch to make yourself feel better after you constantly put yourself down. The commitment portion sets up the ground work to be successful at completing projects you have in mind.
For me, I think I probably was lost at the point where I was to thank my organs for working all these years for me (thank your heart, thank your kidneys, etc.). It’s all a part of acceptance – learning to love oneself. But I just have too high a threshold of tolerance to that approach, unfortunately. As with meditation, yoga, etc., I just don’t find them beneficial (perhaps I am avoiding acceptance, who knows?). But I hope others don’t use my example as a reason not to use the book. There is a LOT of really good things to be found in here that are applicable well beyond overeating.
Received as an ARC from the publisher.
The Online Eccentric Librarian 