Defeat Your Cravings(tm): The Back Door to Weight Loss

by Glenn Livingston

"Defeat Your Cravings" is a comprehensive update of Dr. Livingston's experience with 1,000,000+ readers of his many previous books (20,000+ cumulative reviews), and with literally thousands of clients. It's also been updated to include scientific research into cravings formation and extinction, as well as the impact of community and the food industry on overeating behavior (and its extinction!)

Dramatically reduce “impossible to resist” cravings.Reduce frequency of giving in by 85%+.Recover faster from mistakes.Think less about food and more about life!Glenn Livingston, Ph.D. holds a doctorate in clinical psychology and was the long time CEO of a multi-million dollar consulting firm which has serviced several Fortune 500 clients in the food industry. You may have seen his (or his company's) previous work, theories, and research in major periodicals like The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Sun Times, The Indiana Star Ledger, The NY Daily News, American Demographics, or any of the other major media outlets you see on this page. You may also have heard him on ABC, WGN, and/or CBS radio, or UPN TV.

Disillusioned by what traditional psychology had to offer overweight and/or food obsessed individuals, Dr. Livingston spent several decades researching the nature of bingeing and overeating via work with his own patients AND a self-funded research program with more than 40,000 participants. Perhaps more important is his own journey out of food obsession and obesity into a normal, healthy relationship with food.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Nutrition, Health, Psychology

184 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 26, 2023

Reviews

[SW! · Rating 1 out of 5]

I mean good for the author and yes he should’ve happy to accomplished his book and his struggles. But the but is not good at all. It has sooo many things wrong but again, if the books helps you good for you. In my personal opinion the book is too long, go around in circles most of the time, it doesn’t have a point. Anyway…

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had some interesting ideas, but ultimately, it's not going to work for me. One of the main points is that every time you indulge a craving, you make that craving pathway stronger. Then, if you avoid eating that food the pathway becomes dormant but doesn't go away. If you then eat that item (if it's a special occasion say, and you eat cake) then that craving comes back stronger than ever. Thus, you only stop a craving by never eating that food again, and I'm sorry, but I cannot give up cake and chocolate and crisps forever 😭 I just don't see how it's healthy to completely give up everything you love 😭

[Janet Selby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been immeasurably helpful to me in my struggle with overeating and anxiety around food. It has given me a new sense of control over urges and cravings that I have never had before. Foods I thought I would be addicted to forever, or would have to struggle mightily to not consume, are no longer even in my sights or thoughts.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the Lose It app community for recommending this book!

I have so many great take-aways including: the 7:11 breath, understanding that one bite off plan is a tragedy, knowing that one bite is the difference between being my Pig’s boss and being its b****, and recognizing that the present is always now (and that I choose to be healthy now).

I also learned that sticking to at least one food rule helps to build trust and confidence in myself. And that that trust and confidence has the potential to trickle over, transforming other areas of my life as well.

I know this is a book I will revisit often! And recommend it to anyone who has ever struggled with food cravings, food addiction, overeating, binge eating , yo-yo dieting, and/or emotional eating. I believe that if you’re open to it, this method could be a real game-changer.

P.s. you can download this for free on Amazon.

[Helen Mclaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazingly consistent with common sense!

I’m in my 70s and fought addiction my whole life. This let me know I can overcome where I’ve been. I don’t live there anymore!

[Mika Auramo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Glenn Livingstonin kirjoittama itseapuopas Defeat Your Cravings(tm): The Back Door to Weight Loss on luultavasti yksi höperöimmistä tätä aihepiiriä sivuavista teoksista, joita olen koskaan lukenut.

Alku on tosin lupaava, kun kirjoittaja kertoilee, että hän on alkujaan lastenpsykologi ja että hän on niin sanotusti pimeän puolella aikansa. Tämä tarkoittaa sitä, että Livingston oli mainoshommissa ja rakensi erilaisia kampanjoita, joilla koukutetaan sokerin korvikkeiden ja fruktoosisiirappien käyttäjiä ja muiden riippuvuutta aiheuttavien terveydelle haitallisten tuotteiden markkinointia.

Jonkin verran pannaan mukaan tietysti periamerikkalaiseen tyyliin omaa henkilöhistoriaa ja anekdootteja, jotta olisi yhteistä tarttumapintaa opuksen lukijalla ja sen tekijällä. Keskeisessä osassa on oma makeanhimo, tarkemmin sanottuna suklaan mussuttaminen aina, kun haluttiin vähän lohdutusta ja dopamiinibuustia herkuista. Selityskin tulee, ja se saa Livingstonin pohtimaan ruokaan liittyvien epäterveellisten tottumusten kampittamista. Se selitys on seuraava: Kun kirjoittaja oli ihan pikkupoika, masentunut äiti kehotti aina vain, kun pojan mieli teki pistellä poskeensa suklaata jääkaapista. Tämän seurauksena taapero olikin tunteja ”suklaakoomassa” ja äiti oli myöhemmin häpeissään, kun hänelle selvisi, että olikin ollut pitkälti vain jokin ”Bosco babysitteri”.

Siinä vaiheessa, kun perimmäiseksi syyksi löydetään liskoaivot ja sisäinen sika, joka pitää pistää ruotuun, lukuinto lopahti laakista. Jotain motivaatioteoriaa yritellään kehitellä ja sen ”sian” nitistämistä, jotta läskit karisevat ja jotta makeanhimoon liittyviä kiusauksia osataan vähentää, kunnes liskoaivoissa lymyilevä sisäinen sika saadaan nitistettyä kokonaan.

Missään vaiheessa ei hormonitoimintaa saati suolistobiomin ruokavaliolla pilattua kamppailua ja yhteyttä aivojen kylläisyyden ja näläntunteen säätelyyn ei pohdita yhtään syvällisemmin. Todetaan vain ja moneen otteeseen, että aivojen limbisessä järjestelmässä lymyää kelju homonculus (toisin sanoen metaforinen sika), joka täytyy pistää kuriin, jotta se ei pääse määräilemään meitä ja heittämään marketin ostoskärryihin suklaalevyjä, sipsipusseja eikä varsinkin kevytlimonadeja, joilla ruokitaan syvällä aivojen kätköissä lymyilevää inhaa elukkaa…

[Ragne · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting

So I just finished and haven’t tryed everything here yet and I cannot say if it is actually as good as the author says it is.

BUT the book was kind of ‘meh’
I don’t know what I was expecting but while it was refreshing to read that all over eating cannot be magically deleted with therapy and finding out what happened that made you turn to food, this wasn’t it.

The author does have some good ideas and I will be sure to try them out but as far as the book itself goes it was nothing special

[Terry Kiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Game Changer

This book has changed my perspective of food cravings dramatically. I treated it as a course and created refutations to fight the Pig inside me. It's a positive book using scientific information to create guidelines to eliminate cravings and give back control of my eating choices.

[Ioana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually a very helpful book for anyone dealing with food addiction. I really liked the chapter about the extinction curve that tells you about what you have to go through when you want to eliminate bad habits.
I also read “Never Binge Again” and this is a more detailed work on the same concept.

[Cidney · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writer is a psychologist and the first part of the book is about telling us of his achievements. In my country using the word "Pig" to describe someone internally or externally can be seen as an unacceptable derogatory term. But if you live in other countries where it doesn't, and find this book helps you, then that's fine.

[Cheryl Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had some interesting concepts and suggestions but it did become extremely repetitive. I got about halfway but couldn’t muscle through it. I tried to create a shelf for DNF or quit but I couldn’t transfer books to it.

[Patrick Delisle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I needed

Comprehensive system that explains the why and how to control your food behaviours.
Read this one and this is all you'll need.

[Karlene Gould · Rating 5 out of 5]

Defeat your cravings

Interesting book to read and think about. Will try these principles to adapt to habits. Eating disorders are hard to overcome.

[Janet Sutherland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sure it will help some people, but not me. Bless him for trying!

[Deanna Mosier · Rating 5 out of 5]

great ideas to curb cravings!

This book has some really good ideas on things you can do to stop your craving for certain foods or bad habits.

[Jennifer Flath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quick read and had a lot good advice on how to overcome craving in systematically. Evidence based.