Reviews of Potatoes Not Prozac
Your book is the best book I have ever read and believe me, I read a lot! I am starting now to integrate the steps into my life. I am only on step one, but I am encouraged to know I am not alone in the way I react to sugar! I am a 35-year-old woman, a college graduate, wife and mother of two, adult child of an alcoholic, 35 pounds overweight, and I was recently told by a psychiatrist that I am a classic ADHD personality. My father is a dry alcoholic; I hope he will read your book. My sister and brother are alcoholics, currently drinking heavily. I hope they will read it as well. Thanks so much for writing this book, it has changed my life!
TP
I think it's a wonderful book! Really sheds some light on some of the things I've been experiencing and feeling.
KS Nepean, ON
I'm tellin' ya, It's A Miracle!!!! Plain and simple and outstanding! It's unbelievable! I mean UNBELIEVABLE!!!! You cannot believe the freedom that comes when youÕre following the program. You just cannot because after years of living in the hell you describe (that most of us have experienced), it seems impossible that there is something that takes that hell away. It just seems impossible. I am having a very hard time understanding why after years of suffering, I'm waking up feeling good, motivated, silly, happy. I'm beginning to be the person I really am. It's crazy but true! I feel like taking the message to the mountaintops! But life is strange; one only stumbles upon such a miracle when one is ready to hear. So many people need to hear this. So many people needlessly suffer. Welcome. I look forward to hearing about your progress, one meal at a time as Kathleen says. And, by the way you're gonna Loooove the tapes!
Anon
I have been battling sugar/white flour sensitivities all my life and started 6 years ago to control them. I went on "Candida" diets that are the same nutritional concept as your book, but they are so strict and require going cold turkey. You feel like you're being punished and socially isolated from "normal" people! I can't tell you how many times I relapsed into bad habits. Now I'm battling depression and just started taking Zoloft, which was a last resort for me. What a joy to discover your book and know someone cares about how I emotionally connect to sugar and alcohol! I had no idea my depression was also related to the way I eat. I look forward to changing my lifestyle once again...and I am so encouraged by the responses to your book that I feel it will be the start of a beautiful forever!
DN, Costa Mesa, CA
While I purchased the book in Burlingame, I came to know of the book and first read it on a loan to my husband from a neurofeedback technician in Geneva, Switzerland. I was so impressed with the message which was so RIGHT for my husband and me, that I went immediately to the Internet site and contacted KD to set up sessions with her during our recent trip to America. We drove from California to Albuquerque to see her and were "blown away" with her radiance, clarity and message! It WORKS! Our lives have begun the process of transformation to radiance. While the book was the catalyst, we are perhaps among the first few to have listened to the tape. It is a MUST for anyone who has been introduced to Potatoes. Not only has the abridgement of the book been handled magnificently, but the reading by Kathleen herself adds a dimension and depth that could not have been captured by a professional reader. She lives the message and once begun, I would defy anyone to not listen all the way through without a break. We listened to it twice from Albuquerque back to California and several times since, and it becomes richer with each hearing. Thank you Kathleen.....you have changed my life forever!
SA, Geneva
Thank you so much for such a wonderful book. I cannot tell you what a joy it is to finally have my intuitive conviction concerning my sugar sensitivity addressed and brought out into the open as the reality that it is. Since starting up my food plan several months ago, and especially since taking 25mg of Vitamin B each day, I have felt a serenity and a centeredness I have never known before. For the first time in memory, I can face the day without a great hole inside me that was so big and wide I felt a gust of wind could blow me off course. Overall this book and its contents and discoveries and my working with it have brought me nothing but joy and improvements.
DH
I just want to thank Dr DesMaisons for breaking me free of my sugar bingeing cycle. For years I ate self-destructively, eating, hating myself for eating, and then eating again because I hated myself and so on. Then my mom told me about the book - she has lost 20 pounds without any trouble! This sugar sensitivity information and simple program has changed my life. I no longer feel the constant gnawing hunger and have been able to take control of my eating and from there my self-esteem. I have lost 12 pounds and am feeling better than ever. Just in time for my wedding, too!! My fiancˇ thanks you also; he has been very supportive, against his will at first, but has lost 5 pounds and is now a believer. He just made me whole-wheat crepes with melted cheese and turkey filling! They were wonderful.
EB, Ithaca New York
For the first time in my life I am not fighting constant hunger. I always knew we had alcoholic relatives, and my mother was hypoglycemic but until I read your book I never correlated the two. It makes perfect sense! In the past 7 months I've lost 20 pounds effortlessly. I enjoy exercising but the weight NEVER came off, not before this program. I've recommended your book to my daughter and my niece and each has lost 12-15 lbs. Thanks for your good work.
A Redwood City, CA
"Thanks for this info, I can't tell you how helpful it is. I just looked at potatoes not Prozac - I CAN READ IT! What she does that saves me is short sentences." Good job!
A Calgary, Alberta Canada
I read PNP in May and have been following the principals ever since. I have lost a total of 28 pounds without feeling deprived. I am no longer on depression medication and feel plenty of energy. I just want to thank you for all your research and personal investment that resulted in this book that has helped so many people. I am so grateful that there indeed is something I can do to help myself.
A Corvallis, OR
I found a reference to your book in Dr. Christian NorthropÕs book, Women's Minds Women's Wisdom. At the time I was looking for an answer. For many years I had been tired all the time for no apparent reason and none of my doctors had an answer for me. I got the usual, take a multivitamin answer or find a hobby. When I read the profile of what a sugar sensitive person is like, physically and emotionally, I knew I had found what I was looking for. I am an adult child of an alcoholic and also after reading your book I realized that a major part of my diet included white flour pasta, crackers, muffins, bagels, and lots of ice cream, my favorite food. I was also substituting sugars for fats. I started your program about 2 months ago and the change is amazing! Instead of grazing through the day, I'm not hungry between meals anymore and protein with each meal is something new for me. Also, my moods are even, no more overreacting to everything! A potato at bedtime really works! I've lost those extra few pounds I've been battling with for years without even trying. Thank you Dr. DesMaisons for writing this book.
A Medford, MA
Saw your book in a magazine-ordered it off the net. Immediately pinpointed myself in numerous areas of your book. Have successfully attended weddings, funerals, and parties without NEEDING any sweets. I laugh now but I am a definite sugar sensitive person as I began thinking about the wedding cake long before the wedding day-and was petrified that there wouldn't be enough to go around and I wouldn't get a piece. My self-esteem is coming back-I have tackled two part-time jobs and have interviewed for a new full-time one. Just two months ago I was curled up in my chair fuming over what a failure in life I was (the first month or so was rough while my body adjusted). I still have a ways to go yet, but being able to wake up in the morning-and the first thoughts NOT being suicidal-is definitely a big boom in my book. Your book and knowledge has done for me in 4 months what my general practitioner and my homeopathic practitioner couldn't do in three years.
SMT
I'm in my 3rd year of recovery and THIS year is the worst rollercoaster of trying to balance my protein/sugar/mood swings. Was at wits end, wondering where could I find a Dr. who knew addiction recovery AND nutrition when my sis sent me a blurb on your book. Wend to bookstore and the words leaped off the cover at me! I KNEW it was more than just blood sugar; I had been doing food combining, protein in the a.m., etc. etc. for years, even before I quit drinking. You have saved my life and more importantly, my peace of mind, by filling in the blank spaces in my diet management. All I want is to feel normal after I eat! Even after I had the blood sugar thing down, I was still experiencing weird feelings, and there they were in the book: a column for beta-endorphin and one for serotonin! Thank you so much for giving me direction!! God bless you! I have been telling everyone about your book, and sent one to my sister and another to one of my brothers who are like me. When I went to visit my brother recently, every time I turned around he kept askingÓ how about a potato?" like Ted Knight did in "Caddyshack": "How 'bout a Fresca?"
MS
I want to thank you for your work; I know that your book will change my life I have been struggling with sugar addiction for more that 20 years. I've worked really hard on change and self-awareness through therapy, group, workshops, trainings, and reading everything published that seemed remotely helpful. Many areas of my life, relationships, career, family, etc. have improved; yet, this sugar obsession has truly gotten worse and worse. Sugar or possible alternatives are on my mind all of the time. I am weak, tired, depressed, and have been taking
Effexor for nine months. ÒRadiant Recovery" feels like a Godsend.
M.
You saved my life! The book filled in the blanks I had tried in vain to do for 20 years of nutritional studying before and especially after I quit drinking! Thank God! Now I have a good orderly direction to take! I'm NOT going crazy or losing my mind. Thank you so much, love the web site.
MS, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl
Hi! Sorry I'm not as perky as everyone else seems to be, but I'm just at the beginning and I tried to do it all at once. That was an error. Now I'm starting over with just the first step until the 10th of September and I'll follow the plan carefully. I hadn't quite realized how much I NEED that damned sugar before this last month. Thanks for the eye-opener and the solution.
MK
Following the steps to recovery has given me my life back. For the first time in my life I am free of cravings and can enjoy simple day-to-day living without having to think about what I eat.
CJ
I never thought a simple potato could mean so much - and make such a difference.
RL, Detroit, MI
I really love the book. I think it explains so much about my moods and those terrible sugar cravings! I think the best thing I have gained from the book is that I can let go of feeling bad about those sugar cravings. I always felt like the fact that I couldn't stop eating sugar when my friends could was because I was fat and lazy. But now I understand that it was harder for me than it was for them, and I can let go of the feelings of self-blame and guilt. Thanks so much for the book. I think it will help me take an important step in my life.
ST, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
I have been using the PNP eating plan for approximately 3 months. My body chemistry seems to be normalizing now. It does seem like I am more sensitive to food than I was before I started the program, but maybe I am just more aware of subtle changes. Usually I am full of energy all day long from 5 a.m. until 11 p.m. Even if I stay up late, I wake up without an alarm at 5 a.m. I have the time, energy and desire to exercise every day. I am never hungry between meals and have no cravings to deal with. I have lost 20 pounds without any direct effort to do so and am still losing. I am no longer depressed at all and have normal and appropriate emotional responses to situations. I am at least twice as physically active as I was before starting this plan. I have never had such a stable experience of well being and feeling good about myself spread out so evenly over time. Things are going great and there is no evidence that that will change as long as I continue with this plan. I have modified it a bit since I am a vegetarian, but it works quite well as long as I get enough protein.
RH, Corvallis, OR
I am a recovering alcoholic (10 years) and I borrowed the book from a friend. After reading the book I decided that I needed to have my own copy. I have kind of known that sugar and caffeine were problematic for me but have been unwilling to look at these issues until now. I like Kathleen's approach and now feel like I can treat myself gently through this process. I especially appreciate the scientific basis for her hypothesis and hope that this can be proven clinically.
GB, Albuquerque, NM
I don't remember how I first heard of the book, "Potatoes, Not Prozac", but was intrigued by the title. I had just finished my first year of OA being sugar/flour free, with a 110 lb weight loss, at the age of 50 and feeling absolutely fantastic. I knew that, for me, the sugar/flour was a trigger to overeating and the high/lows that followed. I, too, am the daughter of an alcoholic but couldn't see the similarities. My drug-of-choice was in the form of baked goods. It was only after I read the book and hearing you speak in Keene that it all seemed to fall in place. I will always owe you a debt of gratitude and have passed the book on to others I am hoping to help. Thank you, Kathleen, for offering me and others suffering with this infliction the help and hope.
HA, Keene, NH
I just want to thank you for all your research, for the book, and for this web site. You have confirmed what I suspected to be the truth about my emotional and physical health for a long time. I too am the child of an alcoholic father who drank himself to death. Although I have never really cared that much about drinking, the one time I had no ready access to chocolate and ice cream, my drugs, I too began to drink because alcohol was available. As soon as I came back to the States and a ready supply of my poison, I gave up drinking. I always suspected there was a link. I am now at the awareness stage, but am struggling with the change stage. I want to do it all NOW, or do nothing. It is absolutely amazing to me to realize that these feelings and the depression (I have been on Prozac) I have struggled with are part of sugar sensitivity. Where do I go from here? Will you tell me more about your phone consultations?
EB, Mechanicsburg, PA
This is the first time I have ever had anyone tell me to track my own body. I find I am really taking a long time to do this, because for so long any advice in this setting of weight loss information told me what to expect. I don't mind taking the time; I really want to get to know what my body is telling me. Wish this had been available years ago but thank heavens it is now.
JS
Your article saved my life. Alcoholism is in our family. I suspect my mother is an alcoholic. She just hid it well. I have been binging on pasta, bread, cereal and cookies all my life. Couldn't understand why every-one else could lose weight and I couldn't. I was depressed and had incredible mood swings, prompting me to seek help with a psychiatrist. I am now on Prozac. I will be showing my doctor your article and book when I obtain it. I will also be talking to my nutritionist about your work. Keep up the incredibly good work.
VW, Toronto
Potatoes not Prozac is incredible! I have tried weight watchers, a dietician, Prozac etc. etc. and this lifestyle is the best thing for me! I am recovering from PTSD and discovering that a healthy mind, body and spirit respond even better to this way of eating. Thank you Kathleen for changing lives, offering hope, and granting readers control of their choices in the future.
J Memphis, TN
I can't thank you enough. This is just what I needed, even though I knew I had a sugar problem, I wasn't willing to admit just how bad it was. Your book made me face the truth of it. Your intro fit me to a tee and I realized that you were talking to me. I have just started the program, writing down everything. For the first time eating breakfast and three regular meals at reasonable hours. I have tried to cut back all my sweets. I am probably doing too much at once, but I really want to get over this sugar craving. I realize it will be a lifetime project, Thanks ever so much!
MJ, Boulder, CO
Thanks Kathleen for your concern and your efforts to produce potatoes not Prozac . I know I'm sugar sensitive and sugar addicted. I1m looking for the courage to let go of sugar and the emotional and physical "rewards" I think (feel) I'm getting from it. Books like yours and this website help the message sink in. I was moved to tears but a letter I read in your review section...this does run in families...it was signed by my beautiful sister hundreds of miles away from me and in the same pain. Thanks again for your great SEVEN STEPS! GOD BLESS US ALL!
PN, Atlanta, GA
I am hypoglycemic. For how long, I don't know--perhaps all my life. It took me a long time to figure this out! As a child growing up I was SO overweight. I just ate all the wrong foods. My Mom was wonderful. She just didn't know. They took me to lots of Dr.'s. THEY didn't know. I'm so happy for your book and for your web page. This is especially important, I feel, for alcoholics and children of alcoholics, who are often in this category. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Please send copies of your book to physicians. They have so much to know about, bless their hearts, but they don't know much about nutrition and food sensitivities.
BG
I was among the few that did not attend your presentation in Keene as I had another commitment. Reactions were sooo positive. I had purchased your book as soon as I heard the title from an OA member. I said YES!!!!, as for the past 3 years I have been educated in the biochemistry of food, first by Kay Shepherd in Food 3Addiction Your Body Knows" and Anne Katherine's book "Anatomy of Food Addiction. Now your wonderful research is another piece to the puzzle. I just turned 60 (and it is wonderful) have been in OA OFF and on for about 15 years, and done the wgt loss groups, always to regain when I started adding "normal" foods. I always knew I felt better without flour and sugar products in my system and didn't even care about them when I wasn't eating them.
JB Keene, NH
I am learning so much about myself and how not to set up my children the way I was programmed to deal with food and life. I have always had a weight problem and I have lead a life of deprivation only to gain more weight! Now, I know why and for the first time in 11 years, I truly am committed to changing the habits that started so long ago....I refused to accept any form of depression in my life because my family would not understand. What nudged me to read PNP was the question about sugar sensitivity. It let me off the depression hook so to speak, and every day, I learn more about the science of sugar dependency. You have really given me a clue as to why my life seems crazy to me one minute and perfect the next. I am still struggling with the feelings, but I am starting to give myself a break and look for the reasons why. I talk about PNP all the time, to whoever will listen to me. Even my husband is curious and supportive of my new seven steps! He has seen me try and fail so many times that he has at times given up on me..... Thank you so much for empowering me to say, " this really isn't all my fault" God bless you!
CB Wilmington, NC
I loved the book. I couldn't put it down. I read the whole book today (7-3) in six hours. I feel like the book was written just for me and it was waiting for me to find it. I feel like I've found what I have been searching for even though I didn't know what that was. I've always known food is a drug to me and that I always feel different and weird all the time. I can't believe this is something that actually exists, sugar sensitivity, and that I can do something about it. I am very excited and am looking very forward to the rest of my life. THANK YOU!
NB Paramount, CA
I'm wondering, could this all possibly be true? I "stumbled" (are there any accidents?) across your book today while browsing the bookstore, and then "stumbled" upon your website. I am 7 years in recovery from alcohol, 5 months in recovery from nicotine addiction, but still struggling with years and years and years of food issues. I knew, just knew, that it was more than willpower or lack of knowledge. I have read nearly every book written on food, dieting, nutrition, compulsive overeating, food and recovery, etc., and tried just as many diets/food plans but this was the first book that made sense to me.
LH
I always new I used food as a drug but never understood it. I am a recovering alcoholic and long before my drinking I had food problems. I was always starving myself and no matter how thin I was I felt crazy. Now 8 years into Recovery I am just starting to understand the entire disease process and how food has always been part of it. I am working the steps in order now and just adding the protein and using a Carb (sweet potato) at night has been so helpful. Thanks
K Antiga, WI
Kathleen, you have my gratitude, respect and admiration! During the first 4 years of my sobriety from drugs and alcohol I gained over 60 pounds, telling myself that "at least it wasn't vodka" when I would microwave a nightly pint of Hagen Das, or have a huge bowl of pasta for breakfast on weekends - now, 6 years and one child later, I have a commitment to both physical and emotional health and vigor - and the strong desire to see Nicholas reach his own adulthood without his mother constantly weeping, being couch-bound, or dead.
T Tucson, AZ
I heard you on the radio "My Country 100.5" in Springfield, MO and I scored REAL high on the sugar sensitivity test. I have been dieting for about 9 months with some success, but I have at least another 15 pounds to go till I reach my goal. The weight was my first concern when I started, now my health is. Not to mention that I just got promoted at work and it is VERY important that I be able to remember details about numerous projects. My concentration varies and my mood swings are usually abundant. I rarely get mad but when I do I see mean and hurtful things to any and every one. I am excited about trying this program. I am going to buy the book and get started ASAP. Thanks!
RC Springfield, MO
Thank you Kathleen DesMaisons!! Your book has been a godsend! I was even praying in the bookstore when I was drawn to it. I was about as low as a person can get and still function. I am a 48-year-old female who has struggled my entire life with this biochemical disorder you researched. My story is quite interesting, having been put on addictive tranquillizers for 20 years. Through the entire book I was nodding my head, with tears streaming down my face, saying this is me, this is me. However, I am reading it through for the second time because all I could think about was getting started and going cold turkey from the start. It didn't work as you said it wouldn't (all or nothing behavior) so I am taking it slower this time and I am confident it will work.
DK
This was just the link I was looking for. I've been following Protein Power for over a year and I've lost 60 lbs. My cholesterol, HDL's, Triglycerides, and LDL"s have improved dramatically and my glucose control is perfect. Yes I am a type II diabetic. I understand the glucagon, insulin, and eiccosinoid action but was a bit puzzled about how the brain chemistry was involved. It makes sense to me now. I have had 3 alcoholic brothers, (one of whom is deceased, age 53, from cirrhosis) and my sister and I have always been obese. |
