Words to Eat By: Using the Power of Self-talk to Transform Your Relationship with Food and Your Body

by Karen R. Koenig

This book will teach you how to use word power rather than willpower to increase your motivation and overcome your struggles with eating and body care. It explains how self-talk ties thought to action or inaction and how what we say to ourselves is shaped―for better or worse―by our families, culture and personal history. It illustrates how unconscious, unhealthy self-talk leads to poor decision-making around eating, fitness and general self-care and how conscious, healthy self-talk promotes a positive relationship with food, body and mind. Words to Eat By details key elements of constructive, smart self-talk. You’ll learn how to distinguish trash thoughts from treasure thoughts, why external motivators don’t work long-term, and which internal motivators will fast track you to success. It includes hundreds of examples of exactly what to say and not say to yourself in challenging food situations―eating alone, with family, friends, dates and mates, at parties, restaurants and buffets―and how to get and keep your body moving. Reflective questions help you zero in on which self-talk you want to change, while case studies illustrate how other troubled eaters have transformed their self-talk and their lives. Written by a national expert, award-winning, international author and seasoned clinician who is also half-a-lifetime recovered from weight-loss dieting and binge-eating, this book introduces you to the nitty gritty of your eating and self-care problems and teaches you how to speak to yourself with the love, compassion, encouragement and hope needed to jump start or sustain your recovery.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Health, Mental Health, Food

272 pages, Paperback

Published January 26, 2021

About the author

Karen R. Koenig, LCSW, M.Ed., is a therapist, educator, eating coach, national speaker, international author, and expert on the psychology of eating—the how and why, not the what of it—with 30-plus years of experience teaching chronic dieters and overeaters the skills that "normal" eaters use naturally to maintain a comfortable, healthy weight for life without dieting.

Reviews

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I imagine myself returning to as a reference in future years. While it was anchored to self-talk around eating, I feel it can be applied to any kind of negative self-talk a person may want to analyze and amend.

[Maria Schuster · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I was reading and making my way through this book, I tried to change my self-talk and implement the strategies that Karen suggests. I can say that it actually helped on multiple occasions!

Karen makes many helpful points throughout this book. She also provides so many examples and unhealthy phrases that readers have likely been telling themselves over the years and then provides examples and phrases to replace that negative self-talk.

I plan to keep referring to this book again and again as I continue to work to improve my self-talk, self-image, and relationship with food. I believe this book could be life-changing (with some significant work on the readers' part, of course).

[Marissa Savala · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed my entire perspective and outlook on eating and the cognitive processes that go with it. I have had food/ eating/ weight related shame and unhealthy self talk all my life, and for the first time I am starting to identify those negative thought patterns and reframe them with positive ones. I recommend this for anyone struggling with dysregulated eating or limiting beliefs around diet, food, and weight.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is full of mantras and sections of examples of positive self-talk. The idea is to use more positive self-talk and take away any shame related to food to help develop more normal patterns/relationship. Overall it will be a good book to go back and review. Also at the end of each chapter is a brief about a specific person and how these new behaviors have helped them.

[Carolina Campoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Psychological aspect of eating

I saw this book recommended by a nutritionist on Instagram. Some bits are a little too diet culture to my taste but I did learn a lot about self talk and about what I assume is intuitive eating. I will definitely reread some chapters and revisit many of the suggested phrases.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bible for dysregulated eating. All about building emotional resiliency and building the habit of nourishing thoughts to avoid the thought-crave-indulge cycle. Great insight on external vs internal motivations. It’s very short but full of great ideas and I’ll come back to it over again.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The skills she gives about self talk about food can be applied to any area of life. I found this book helpful.

[Denise Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Self talk is so important and this book gives you great tips on how to do better at this. It also makes you stop and look at how you talk to yourself.

[Rachel Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to reframe your thoughts about food. Especially if you were raised in the culture of the early 2000s.

[Abby Hour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly motivational and inspirational. Loved . Will read again.

[Cory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really worthwhile reading- many very specific exercises to address self talk and self-caring. I’m very proud of myself for reading and reflecting on this book!

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not great audio | Maybe better in writing? | Didn’t learn a lot

[Tori Milligan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book to help me with my binge eating. Eating till I felt uncomfortable and sick.

While I understood the concept of self-talk, I hadn't really thought of looking at it from a detached point of view. I also now understand where that self talk began, and that most of those voices aren't me. They were programmed in at some point by other people.

This book has given me the tools to work with my self talk and improve all areas of my life.

The best tool that I got from this book is replacing the words "should/must/ought to/have to/need to/shouldn't" with "want/wish/prefer/desire/would like". It makes me think and I find it easier making a decision or even changing my mind about something.

This book is not just for people who want to change eating habits, it's for anyone who wants to feel better about themselves and want to create change in their lives.