Potatoes Not Prozac: A Natural Seven-Step Plan To: Control Your Cravings and Lose Weight Recognize How Foods Affect the Way You Feel Stabil

by Kathleen DesMaisons

Book Overview

Can't say no to fattening foods, alcohol or compulsive behaviors?You're not lazy, self-indulgent or undisciplined; you may be one of the millions of people who are sugar sensitive. Many people who suffer from sugar sensitivity don't even know it; they continue to consume large quantities of sweets, breads pasta or alcohol. These foods can trigger feelings of exhaustion and low self-esteem, yet their biochemical impact makes sugar-sensitive people...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684850141
• ISBN13: 9780684850146
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A true way to heal from depression and addiction

Many years ago my doctor suggested I read Potatoes No Prozac when I went to see him to ask about yet another prescription for anti-depressants. I bless him to this day for putting me on the path to healing and sanity. This is a great book and will change your life as it has changed so many others. Buy this book. You won't regret it.

A true way to heal from addictions, depression and much more

When I first found Dr. DesMaisons work I was actually looking for a diet book. I was deep in eating disorders and the last thing I needed was to lose more weight. So when I picked up this book seeing "weight loss" on the cover I had no idea how my life would change. I have discovered that my problems with eating had nothing to do with will power, but with a biochemistry that set me up to have no impulse control, erradict blood sugar levels, low self-esteem, depression, even my eating disorder was strongly tied in (I've vacillated between bulimia and anorexia since I was 14, and I'm 31 now). This book gives the science and the stories behind those who share this biochemistry. It lays out a food based, that's right a *food based* and natural program to heal your biochemistry. The revision is amazing because it incorporates years of practice with thosands of people all over the world into the steps, making them even better. Not to mention you'll see quotes and stories from those who have experienced recovery all throughout the book. I don't know about you, but I find such power in knowing that others have shared the same path! It has now been seven years since I first read Dr. DesMaisons work, I have a stable relationship, a fantastic job that I never would've thought I was "worthy" of in the past, a joy for life that I thought was only possible when under the influence--and relief from my eating disorders. It is so ironic that what I thought was the problem (food), is actually the solution. Who knew? Well, obviously, Dr. DesMaisons did, and for that I am eternally grateful.

This Book Has Helped Change 34 Years Of Disorded Eating!

I have always battled with eating sweets. I struggled with eating sweets between meals and right after eating a meal - even though I was full. I used to eat cake and cookies for breakfast and lunch. My favorite part of a meal was dessert! For the first time in my life, I actually am not craving sugary sweets after most of my meals. I am only on step 2 of this book, but I am already experiencing some wonderful and freeing changes! This book pointed out that I don't have to snack between meals - because it will encourage me to "graze" throughout the day and it's true. I have been able to actually not snack (most of the time) between meals and experience true hunger when it's time to eat (as long as it doesn't exceed 5 hours). Not grazing has helped me a lot.Though I am only on step 2 (read the book and you'll see why), I am already cutting down the white stuff - bread, pasta, rice and replacing it with brown. I had some strawberries for a dessert the other day and actually enjoyed them without sugar. That's the first time I ever did that. I used to coat them in sugar. I usually do not like water, but am learning to sip on it between meals and it is helping me not snack as it gives me a little feeling of something in my belly. I am also tasting food better and fuller now.The only time I struggle with binging on sweets is when I'm lonely or anxious! That's when it's tough and sometimes I give in. The good news is, it is easier for me to get back on track after I've "messed up." I still crave the sweets because I have "primed the pump" by having sugar. However, because I was in a daily habit of lowering my sugar intake, it was easier to get back on track. This is a very gradual book. She doesn't push you into anything and encourages you to take your time even if you are at a step for several months (like me). But I can testify that even though I have been at step 2 for 2 months now, I am making progress.Sugar was my friend and I couldn't go through this process until I was ready to refine my relationship with it. But when I was ready, this was the book to see me through. Give it a shot, you may experience a transformed way of life and eating that you've never known.

Clear, Simple, Brilliant and Powerful

"Potatoes not Prozac" is a cutesy name for a truly wonderful book that will help millions of people heal their bodies and their lives. Her concept of "sugar sensitivity" and her 7-step treatment plan will enable readers to understand and recover from addiction to foods, drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. People who have failed repeatedly at sobriety or weight loss can succeed with this plan, as thousands have already. Kathleen des Maisons learned about the importance of sugar through her work as a drug and alcohol treatment counselor. She was having the usual low success rate in helping people stay off alcohol. Then she discovered how certain foods lead to addiction to alcohol and drugs, as well as being addictive themselves.She found that nearly all alcoholics lived largely on pasta, white breads and sweet things. She knew what they were suffering. Her own father drank himself to death at age 51, and she herself weighed 240 pounds and had had problems with drinking. When she discovered the benefits of a diet high in protein and vegetables for herself, she started using it with her clients. Her success rates soared, even with the hardest cases. She realized that addictive behavior has a lot to do with food, and that sugar was the primary culprit. She believes that some people are born "sugar-sensitive," which means they don't have enough serotonin or beta-endorphin in their brains. Serotonin and beta-endorphin make us feel secure, stable, confident, cheerful. If you have low levels of these chemicals, you are likely to feel badly.Sugar and alcohol raise your serotonin and beta-endorphin levels. So they make you feel better and more energetic, especially if your levels were low to start with. Unfortunately, eating concentrated sugars or refined carbohydrates causes a rebound effect. Your sugars levels drop quickly, you feel worse than before, and you need more sugar, caffeine or alcohol to pick back up. Pretty soon you're addicted. You feel alternately great and miserable. The sugar swings stress your adrenal glands. You blame yourself for being out of control and unfocused, for putting on weight or drinking, but actually it's the sugar. It's a physical problem, although emotions do play a part.Getting off sugar is difficult. Our food supply is awash in sugars and simple carbs. They can't be avoided. Des Maisons gives us a practical strategy based on 12-step recovery programs. Her seven steps are1. Keep a food journal every day2. Eat three meals a day at regular intervals3. Take Vitamin C, B complex, and zinc4. Eat enough protein at each meal5. Move from simple to complex carbohydrates, or from "white foods" to "brown" and "green" foods. "Brown" refers to things like whole grains and beans. "Green" means vegetables, of whatever color.6. Reduce or eliminate sugars (including alcohol)7. Create a plan for maintenance.She doesn't spell out a diet or recommend a lot of supplements or medications. She says that, using her steps, eac

Peace of Mind

For those of us who have unsuccessfully tried to lose weight for years and get rid of depression, this book (if you are sugar sensitive) provides relief and peace of mind in knowing that the inability to lose weight (and have weird behavorial patterns) is not your fault! I highly recommend reading the book cover to cover to understand fully the scientific research done to date on sugar sensitive bodies. It should be a crime for the food companies to continue to add sugar the way they do. I would say the great majority of the population has some "sugar sensitivity"...the amount of sugar used in every day products is obscene. And the world wonders why Americans are so fat! If you have ever excercised 2-4 days a week, did Jenny Craig/Weight Watchers and only watched yourself continue to gain another 20 pounds, this book might be the answers to your prayers. But don't expect a miracle. It takes an understanding of your body to make the changes in your diet. The hard work is more than worth the effort. Finally, I have the motivation (through knowledge)to beat the 80 pounds that have crawled onto me since my marriage. I am regaining my life and my body. That is priceless.