The Hungry Years by William Leith Buy book: $15.75
An interview with controversial diet guru Dr. Robert Atkins launched the author's intensely personal and illuminating journey into the mysteries of hunger and addiction.
This book lost me on page 1. A man who is over six-feet tall and weighs 236 pounds is not, by any stretch of the imagination, morbidly obese enough to write a book that relates to the truly overweight. Mohammed Ali weighed more than that at his primo fighting weight. Today in America, the new line of demarcation is 300 pounds. This guy is just trying to capitalize on the fat explosion. Sorry, I'm not buying it.
That's kind of what I thought too, especially when I read the 36" waist. That and his weight sounded normal to me. However, his compulsive eating is pretty hardcore. Maybe he gets fatter as the book goes on. If not, he must be pretty active to counteract all the eating!
He sounds like he's trying to make a quick buck. Have you noticed how many of these books have being published lately? (Most of them have been pretty good. We fat-impaired people are pretty interesting! And we definitely have unique viewpoints on the world.)
As someone who has been there and done that, I kind of sense that he is faking it. But the 4 pieces of toast and 3 servings of mashed potatoes and gravy does seem extreme. So maybe he has something interesting to say. We'll see...
I thought he could be pretty overweight but not obese at the weight he claims but that his overeating is really compulsive and I think he could be addicted to food. It sounds like he only sees himself as fat and not anything else which is sad. On a gender note I dont think a woman who is that overweight and only interested in herself would have a live in boyfriend.
He sounded sort of desperate in his description of this addiction. I was quite confused in the beginning on how he setup the monologue, he seemed lost, buy then when I read that he was a size 36 waist I became more confused on what he was trying to prove. I'm not buying this as well.
He does sound like an addictive personality type. But I was picturing 'Baloon Man' and his stats just don't add up. I'm still interested to see what the interview with Dr. Atkins reveals.
As I was reading the first two offerings, I thought that William was not fat also. But then I thought what is fat? I consider myself fat, but others in my life are much more so. Do I annoy them when I opine about what I eat or don't eat?
I know that once I got down to my wedding weight (60 pounds less than my current weight, and that's all I will tell you), and I still thought I was fat. It is a mind thing. Being a writer, perhaps William decided to write about what the rest of us find so mystical. Sort of something to do with his hands when he was trying not to eat.
I do feel uncomfortable reading about someone elses eating. And it does create a yearning for food in me. And I resent him for doing what I could do but wont because I don't want to even talk about it if it will calm my binges.
You make an interesting point about one's self perceptions as to whether they are fat. I have a good friend who tells me, when I bring up how I have hit a plateau and am not loosing weight right now like I need to for my heath, that I need to be quiet because, "If you are fat, what does that make me?" Apparently, he feels that if someone brings up the issue about themselves needing to loose weight, they are calling him fat. Out of respect for his feelings, I don't bring this up anymore, but his reaction has got me wondering at the choice some make to live in denial when you are overweight (as I used to do). I lost 42 lbs and was proud, but I don't want to stall forever and "give up" when I still need to loose 40 more to be where my doctor says my height and body build say I should be. I admit, I have to agree that as a person who is overweight, I don't feel like this author is talking to me as an equal, because I don't get the idea he knows what it is like to have to loose such a large amount of weight. It's like I'm thinking as I read, "Come on, how much of a problem do you really have!" I just can't help myself. I don't think I'll be reading this on either.
This is my first posting here. I found this to be an interesting topic and wanted to chime in with a slightly different perspective.
I googled the author's name, William Leith, and found he wrote an blindingly honest and introspective column for the The Observer (UK) about his every day trials and tribulations. It didn't take much reading to find Mr. Leigh has lived a life with many addictions - with food binging being the most difficult to overcome. This line from the an article posted on the Guardian Unlimited website illustrates the author's struggle with food:
"Having being addicted to almost everything, Leith found his food problem the most stubborn, because it was the most impacted, locked away in secret childhood face-stuffings of pie and cake."
This, to me, speaks of one who may have something to say about overcoming a food addition.
My feeling is that waist size doesn't always determine a person's health; and one's level of fatness, perceived or real, hinges on many variables. Whatever degree fat the author is, or perceives himself to be, it seems certain he is a binge eater.
I'm no fan of the Atkins diet, but I am very intrigued by the journey of a man who could overcome a cocaine addition yet still struggle with binge eating. I am eagerly looking forward to the next installment.
Cocaine addiction explains a lot. Congratulations to anyone who can overcome cocaine. I hear it is the most seductive of all drugs--which makes me eternally thankful that I never tried it.
This makes a lot of sense. I have known people to take cocaine to stay skinny (or crystal meth). I have noticed that when they stop they have great difficulty not ballooning up in size. Now what he sees as a food addiction or being "fat" can be understood in terms of the body and mind trick to lead back to cocaine. "If I make you miserable enough," says the body, "you will give me what I really crave, a cocaine high, and keep your weight down." I hope he goes to NA meetings.
I am not subscribed to this club but have been reading your replies and after reading of one of you going to google - I did the same and found the above website - from the excerpts which I think they call extracts found lots of info - for one thing he lost about 40 lbs. I think and considered himself slim at 191 with waist of 32 but regained, etc. - really do like his writing style - and may get his book when it comes out - in the meantime have the websites - thank goodness -
This author has brought out the reality of people who are sill in the zone of knowing what they are doing, doing it anyway, and desperately wanting not to be doing it. I AM a "fan" of the Atkins' diet regime because nothing else has EVER worked. I could lead any dirt class from any perspective or theory or notion because I HAVE done them all....and only one gave me any lasting results...even if it was only a year. Atkins' ! However, at 60 yrs and weighing more than I ever have, still sruggling to lose just that "40-30- 20" #'s I see he knows what he's talk(writing) about. His observations of "fat people" behaviours is right on target. I engage in this type of vouyerism; seeing what other fat people look like while doing certain things like walking, panic attacks trying to open candy bars or food packages. I can't wait to read more. As of this moment I do not think the aujthoe is a charlatan.
Whoa, I may have been reading another book . I "bought" his fatness right from the start. I too saw the numbers that didn't "seem" obese but it's funny...I work with numbers and charts all the time before I lay eyes on the patients we are taking care of and one thing I've learned is the numbers are one tiny piece of the person, NOT the whole person and they are often misleading. What is grabbing me in this book is his addictive personality. Weight issues do seem to be completely a mind/body thing......just talk to any anorexic. I think the author is bringing up some excellent points about yo-yo dieting too and why diets don't work. I was eating a bowl of popcorn (with butter and salt of course) when I was reading the last installment last night and I admit, I suddenly felt GUILT. but I got over it, lol. And, yes, I am going to read the whole book. I like his writing.
I was shocked at the number of comments on this site that came from people who haven't read the book -- before sounding off about how bad it is (which it's not), shouldn't you at least read it?
