Book Review: Ed Ugel's "I'm With Fatty"

Posted on Aug 23rd 2010 11:00AM by Bev Sklar

Filed Under: Diet & Weight Loss, Reviews & Products

Melanie Dunea

Who doesn't obsess about favorite foods? Pizza, egg rolls, a creamy milk shake with whipped cream on top. But Edward Ugel's comical confessional, "I'm With Fatty," reveals food addicts suffer from food obsessions far deeper. Over time the weight packs on, the sleep apnea starts and suddenly you're strapping on a continuous positive airway pressure sleeping mask or facing a shorter life.

In his new book, Ugel bluntly chronicles the ups and downs of his "Fatty Project" quest to lose 50 pounds in a year in order to ditch the CPAP and save his life. He lost major weight with the help of a trainer and an empowering nutritionist who helped him realize he is a food addict. For all the guys who shamefully lust for food like a secret lover and the confused women by their sides, this book is for you.

That's Fit recently spoke to Ugel about the distinction between food addiction and simply loving food and how he's keeping the weight off now that the book is published and the unromantic sleeping mask is history.

That's Fit: How does a person know he's crossed the line into an eating disorder, such as compulsive overeating or binge eating versus just being a foodie?

Edward Ugel: Food addiction is something we can all relate to. For me, it was being asked questions by someone other than myself [his nutritionist, Janet] that maybe I knew the answer to but never asked myself. Do you eat late at night? Do you eat when you're angry? The same questions they ask other addicts. You start to realize this isn't just about me loving food, this is about me having some really unhealthy relationships with food at the same time.

Where is the line? Have you asked yourself the tough questions? Have you gotten on the scale and looked at your food history? Having a food journal was a real eye-opener to see if I was addicted to food or compulsively eating. I didn't go into Janet's thinking I was a food addict. Maybe that was incredibly naive, but I walked out of there completely comfortable with saying I'm a food addict.

TF: Are you still off the CPAP? Was it a trigger to the book?

EU: I am. It was a hell of a trigger; it sent a shock wave through my life. There's no way to look cool in it. There's no way to woo your wife in bed. There's no way to not feel like a complete schmuck wearing it. You have to wear this contraption because you have let your weight get out of control.

TF: At the beginning of the book you ask, "Can someone love food, love eating and still be able to change his body?" Now that you're nearly 50 pounds down, do you obsess about food the same way you did at 263 pounds?

EU: I am still passionate about food. Am I obsessed with it? No, not on a good day. But food is such a big part of my life. I grew up in a family of restauranteurs and am drawn to the art and passion that cooks share. I don't blame food for my weight; I blame me. The goal of the book was not to get rid of this food addiction but to recreate this relationship in a healthier way. I still look at the deli case, but I won't order anything, or it will just be be a slice or two, not a pound and a half.

TF: You lost more than 10 percent of your goal after colonics followed by a juice cleanse. Is this a winning combination for lasting weight loss?

EU: No, absolutely not. It's an unintended result of removing the toxins. But it was a hell of an experience and gave me great material for the book. It was an unbelievable week, doing things to or for my body that I'd never dreamed of. It was a real kick-start.

TF: Why the word "fatty" in the title?

EU: I purposely chose to use the word "fatty" because it's not only polarizing, but my weight and body issues have been a problem for me since before puberty. "Fatty" is a punch in the nose, I think it's going to draw people's attention. But for me it was really about trying to swallow this word so it no longer had such an impact on my personal life. I've always been so ashamed of my weight that it has precluded me from doing a lot of things in my life that I've wanted to do.

TF: If you can afford just one -- trainer or nutritionist?

EU: Absolutely, unequivocally, trainer. But if Weight Watchers was an option, I'd choose Weight Watchers. The last line of my book is, "I'm supposed to be here [at Weight Watchers]." I thought I was better than Weight Watchers, but it took about five minutes to realize that was a bunch of hooey. That place is for all-comers, and as long as you're willing to be honest with yourself, they can help. After the book was written, I went up a little bit, and I've used Weight Watchers to go back down. For someone in my skin, this is going to be a lifelong battle. I'm going to win some rounds and lose some rounds.

It's refreshing to see a new weight loss book with humorous stories a guy can appreciate -- like Ugel wolfing down box after box of Chinese while his wife was out of town. Now men may lose weight easier than women, but are they as equally insecure about being overweight?

29 Comment

Tags: compulsive eating, Ed Ugel, Edward Ugel, food addiction, Im With Fatty, weight loss, Weight Watchers

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

fymayawf 8-23-2010 @ 8:20PM

This article suggests that weight gain is the cause of sleep apnea. This is not true, although weight gain can aggravate or make sleep apnea worse. In fact, at least one study indicates the opposite, that sleep apnea can lead to weight gain which in turn makes the sleep apnea worse. It becomes a vicious circle and lack of sleep can be fatal. It's also more difficult to exercise when one is fatigued from lack of restorative and recuperative sleep.

Millie 8-23-2010 @ 8:30PM

I only had sleep apnea when over weight. As soon as I lost 20 pounds, the sleep apnea disintegrated. So I think for his personal case it's a similar scenario to me.

KaRo 8-23-2010 @ 10:03PM

My husband and I did a diet that cut out all carbs and yeast as his doctor said that he had a yeast overgrowth causing his digestive issues. We found books on anti-Candida, and his heavy snoring and occaisional apnea disappeared and is still gone a year later. Fungal overgrowth can occur anywhere in the body, and the sinuses are warm and moist and oerfect for their growth. Fungus feeds on sugars and yeasts. If you have snoring or apnea issues, you need to check out an anti-yeast diet. It'll wean you of all sugars, and the result is that EVERYthing taste great, including all veggies, as you won't need all the sugars and munchies anymore.

Rory 8-23-2010 @ 8:29PM

Weight Watchers has a sound food plan to follow, but compulsive overeaters and food addicts benefit most from working a 12 Step Program, such as Overeaters Anonymous or Food Addicts Anonymous.

Michael Hoboken 8-23-2010 @ 11:22PM

Sounds right to me. I just lost 165# in a year in the FA program. Look us up at foodaddicts.org and come to a meeting. No cost.

Millie 8-26-2010 @ 1:18AM

This is crazy to see because I was just* having a convo the other day about how you can still love food & loose weight. Have fun loosing weight, experiment with healthy recipes - therefore you'll know them for life & can continue to eat healthy after losing. When I lost 15 pounds I went out to eat (one of my fav things to do) because I LOVE food (I even had dessert). They say don't reward yourself with food but I did and so then the next day just kept on going eating healthy & so on. You can treat yourself but don't let that one single day turn into 2 days or a week etc or else you get kicked off track.

Loosing weight IS really easy in my opinion as long as you have the control, patience & willingness.

This guy knows what's up. He has the right attitude. :)

jen 8-27-2010 @ 11:43AM

You are right, eating healthy to lose weight is easy. What is hard is to have the patience to make it through the length of time it takes to lose a significant amount. It has taken me 18 months to lose 80lbs and I still have another 80 to go. Its not so bad as long as I remember that the longer it takes the more permanent the weight loss is gonna be...but still I wish it didn't have to take so long

Esmerelda 8-23-2010 @ 8:34PM

Sorry, but I don't buy that food constitutes an addiction. A deeply ingrained habit, sure. A lifestyle that has become the norm, sure. A flawed attempt to cope with feelings you don't want to feel, sure. I'll even go so far as to say that compulsive overeating is a belief system. But, an addiction, no.

Paul McKenna's life changing book I Can Make You Thin takes all the nonsense out of losing weight. He calls out the diet/fitness industry for the sham that it is. Losing weight isn't about beating an addiction. It is, quite simply, about eating when you're hungry and stopping when you're full. He also teaches some great NLP techniques for beating cravings, but, frankly, once I committed to eating consciously when I was hungry and not eating when I wasn't, all the cravings disappeared. We are only haunted by foods when we tell ourselves we can't have them. Once you can eat anything you want whenever you're hungry and once you begin to pay conscious attention to the food that you are eating, the seduction -- and the insanity -- ends.

No diet has the success rate that this program does. That's because no diet addresses the real problems underlying the fat -- and the real problem isn't the food.

Debbie 8-24-2010 @ 7:29AM

Why can't food be an addiction ? Some people are able to have alcohol in moderate amounts and don't feel the need to drink to alcoholic proportions, so why not believe people can be that way about food ? Some people have addictive tendencies, how it manifests can be in food, alcohol, drugs, or over-exercising.
You over simplify how losing weight is about "eating when you are hungry and stopping when you aren't". Some people can't do that, just as others can't have just one or two drinks.

L 8-24-2010 @ 12:55AM

So, this is nothing more than "COMMON SENSE," right?
Eat when you're hungry, stop (don't) when you're full.
If it were THAT simple, there would be NO FAT PEOPLE.
(Including me)

Scott 8-24-2010 @ 10:08AM

I beg to differ with those who do not think that food can be an addiction. All you need is an addictive personality and you can be addicted to ANYTHING. I used to be a psych nurse and we treated people with water addiction, which can kill you fast because it depletes the minerals in our bodies and when there is enough of an imbalance, the heart stops. Muscles get weak; they have hallucinations, kidney failure and so on... When one is addicted to food, they eat and get fat and can't stop without professional help.

L. 8-23-2010 @ 8:36PM

Juice Cleanse................?????
What is in it?

I'mAFattyToo 8-23-2010 @ 8:39PM

This guy is so funny! This is a great summer read - or anytime read. I found it at the info desk at the book store and have already sent my mom and my sisters each a copy. We just...have the same problem that so many others in the States do. We are fat. And the thing is, we all moan about how easy it is for men to lose weight. But what's great is that this book highlights how ...I guess it is equally discouraging and equally tough to be "the fat one." There were so many places I was able to identify with his plight. This was a great read!

Christine Robinson 8-23-2010 @ 9:38PM

I already know that I am a food addict. I go through withdraw after three or four days of trying to eat right. I obsess over food anytime I am not busy doing something else (like working). As soon as I get home and relax the food cravings start. What I don't know is how to make the cravings stop. I can't keep busy all the time because I am exhusted. The only thing that works a little is to not bring it into the house because if its not in the house I am too tired to go get it. That doesn't help when I have to go shopping.

annon 8-23-2010 @ 9:37PM

www.foodaddicts.org

Christine 8-23-2010 @ 9:45PM

Esmerelda, your sanctimonious comment only shows that you are not addicted. You don't get to be 130 pounds overwieght by over-indulging a bad habit. Your back hurts, your feet hurt, you can't sleep. What is one of the definitions of an addiction? Your continue the behavior despite the negative consequenses. And there are many more negative consequenses, including heart desease and diabetes.

bigkahuna 8-23-2010 @ 10:32PM

I think it is wonderful that the author is providing a fresh look at an old issue but here is the key to his success (besides a boat load of money to accomplish it) "He lost major weight with the help of a trainer and an empowering nutritionist who helped him realize he is a food addict."

Could he have done this on his own? Possibly but doubtful. It takes a really strong willed person to "kick the food addiction" completely on their own.

Without knowing all the details I will give him credit for not lying in his book about how it was accomplished.

Cindy 8-23-2010 @ 11:15PM

I do agree with Ed Ugel that using a C-Pap machine is detrimental to any romance in the bedroom. My husband,said "You look like something out of Star Wars" and I had to laugh, because it was sad but true!

I no longer use a C-Pap machine. I don't wish to shorten my life by eating out of loneliness, boredom and emotions. I will read this book!