: How I discovered the program--

: I was teaching a college freshman
: English course in research methods
: at a junior college. We were
: researching topics related to food
: (nutrition, food production,
: factory farming, food safety,
: etc.). At one point I came across
: a documentary (I forget which one
: now) where a nutritionist
: mentioned something about
: "sugar addiction." It
: was the first time I'd heard that
: term used as if it were a real
: thing and not my own exaggerated
: description of myself. My first
: thought was, that can't be real.
: But about half a second later I
: realized that it probably is a
: real thing, and that if it were a
: real thing, then I most definitely
: had that problem. And then I
: wondered, if sugar addiction is a
: true addiction, maybe there's a
: rehab program.

: So--since it was a research methods
: class, after all--I threw myself
: into researching the topic,
: starting with the college
: library's databases. One of the
: first things I came across was
: Potatoes Not Prozac. I hesitated
: to read it at first because it
: didn't sound too scientific from
: the title, lol. But it kept coming
: up in all my searches, and I
: finally read it and became a
: believer. Next, I waded through
: the Princeton studies referred to
: in the book on the mice.

: At that point in my life, I was
: extremely physically active (ok,
: ocd about working out), and I was
: off sugar. So I didn't take the
: advice to heart. I thought I could
: quit sugar and stay off on my own.
: But of course, I came back to the
: sugar. I quit cold turkey several
: more times over the course of the
: next 7 or 8 years before I decided
: I should give the program a try.
: By then, my life had changed
: significantly. I now have back
: injuries that limit my exercise, I
: have two children, and I've gained
: 70 pounds. I also went through a
: pretty awful bout of depression
: after my oldest was born.

: And so here I am. Every day I am more
: convinced that this program is
: exactly what I needed. It is
: changing my life. I'm so glad I
: finally decided to give it a try.
: I often wish I'd just done it back
: when I first read the book instead
: of having to go through all of the
: weight gain and depression before
: doing this. But I'm trying to just
: be glad that I'm here now.

: I'm trying very hard to follow the
: program and do everything right
: and not rush ahead.

: Julie

Oh Julie,

I loved reading this. If you reading Hoebel's work, you will have a blast reading some of the original things I worked with.
Get Blass and Gianoulakis especially. In fact if you go through the cites, you can read the abstracts and really have fun with it. PnP is written in a non scientific way :) but the science it is based on is intriguing. Reading it will give you a whole different appreciation of what the program is about.

You have an incredible attitude. Your willingness is a delight!

Kathleen