ainmen

Help Yourself

Meet five gurus of self-help who'll offer anecdotes and advice at Book Fair.

SUZANNE CHESSLER

Special to the Jewish News

awing problems with weight, stress, per-
sonal idiosyncrasies, midlife crisis or
coming to terms with sexual preference?
If so, this year's Jewish Book Fair has
speakers — and, of course, books — for you.
The authors of five self-help texts are on
the agenda, and one is even giving out prizes
for participation. All the approaches are
straightforward as they offer new insights,
serious and funny, into behavior.

il

children, shopping tips, restaurant advice and per-
sonal awareness worksheets.
"Nothing is forbidden on this diet," says Shapiro,
who has appeared on the Today Show, The View and
Oprah. "I want people to incorporate a variety of
foods into their menus and explore new foods."

Dr. Howard Shapiro speaks at Book Fair's
"Healthy Luncheon" noon Friday, Nov. 15, at
the Jewish Community Center in West
Bloomfield. Cost is $18; reservations required;
(248) 432-5577.

Stress

Diet

A timeline for facing tragedy — with descriptions of
the evolution of emotions and positive coping strate-
gies — fills the pages of Stress Relief for Disasters

Dr. Howard M. Shapiro, a New York nutrition spe-
cialist for 25 years, suggests new ways to take off
Great and Small: What to Expect and What to Do
pounds without feeling restricted. In Dr. Shapiro's
From
Day One to Year One and Beyond (Newmarket
Picture Perfect Weight Loss 30-Day Plan (Rodale;
Press;
$12.95).
$ 29.95), he shows lots of food photos to emphasize
choices and asserts that there are plenty of
mit=agassiannaii
GEORGIA WITK1 Ph, a:
likeable dishes that will allow people to
L Na PERFE
keep body size in control.
"When I give my talk, I'm going to out-
JiGirr Loss
line the principles presented in my book,
MI PLAN
and I'm going to walk people through the
plan," says Shapiro, whose two previous
diet books are Dr. Shapiros Picture Perfect
VVI>at .toixpect
Weight Loss and Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect

v.1:1 VThat to•Do •

mission to laugh.
"Though there may be a blueprint for post-disas-
ter reactions, they are not invariable," says Witkin,
who also addresses childhood behavior in dealing
with stress and lists agencies that can offer help.
"We all move at different rates during recovery
and can experience more than one symptom, even
experience more than one stage at the same time.
What we bring to the disaster — a cool head,
resilience, vulnerability, an intact support system,
experience, specialized knowledge, training —
makes some degree of difference."

Georgia Witkin speaks 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov.
14, at the Jewish Community Center in West
Bloomfield.

Idiosyncracies

Judy Reiser was a graphic artist in New York when
she confessed a personal quirk to a friend, who made
a similar confession. After laughing about their
respective habits, Reiser started noticing the habits of
others and decided hers weren't all that outrageous.
Her observations of others — and conversations
about idiosyncrasies they have shown — led to the
quick-read book And I Thought I Was Crazy! Quirks,
Idiosyncrasies and Meshugaas (Katalin Media;
$12.95), revised from an earlier edition. It also led

Weight Loss Shopper's Guide.
"I've used lots of pictures because they
make the ideas easy to remember, and I've
arranged the ideas so that readers don't have
Female empowerment Personal revelations
Confess your quirk
Short-circuiting stress
to go from the beginning to the end of the
User-friendly
book," he says. "The only way to lose weight
and keep it off is to change a person's rela-
to the use of her art talents for a collection of items,
Author Georgia Witkin, Ph.D., director of the
tionship with food, and readers of my book can turn to
such
as coffee mugs and toilet paper, with the book
Stress Program at the Mount Sinai Medical Center
any page and learn something about that relationship."
title
or
quotes from the text.
in New York City, brings considerable experience to
The pictures in Dr. Shapiro's book point out
When
Reiser talks at Book Fair, she will give out
the book and discussion of the topic. An assistant
many taste-tempters of equivalent calories and show
some of her designs to quirk confessors in the audi-
clinical
professor
of
psychiatry
and
assistant
profes-
that at times the more interesting choices are not the
ence.
most fattening. For example, the calories in a serving sor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sci-
"I talked to family, friends and even people I
on
Fox
News
Beyond
the
News
ences,
she
is
host
of
of plain white rice are equivalent to the combined
passed
on the street, and I guaranteed anonymity,"
Channel and the weekly lifestyle contributor to its
calories in eight boiled new potatoes, a baked sweet
says
Reiser,
who identifies individuals only by their
Fox and Friends morning program.
potato and an ear of corn. Similarly, the calories in a
professions,
sex and age. "I kept a tape recorder with
"Although this book is about disasters great and
black-and-white frosted cookie equal the calories in
me
at
all
times."
small, it's now clear that there are no small disasters
eight fat-free frozen yogurt cones.
Reiser's book is made up of short comments she
if the loss is personal," says Witkin, the author of
"Although I don't specifically talk about kosher
found funny after speaking with some 2,000 people.
eight
books
about
stress.
"But
we
have
the
capacity
foods, many of the foods I mention are kosher," says
Her categories range from clothes to sports, and she
to find stress relief day by day if we know the way ...
Shapiro, who had some of his medical training at
wants
individuals to understand that they're not all
from day one of trauma to year one and beyond."
Detroit Osteopathic Hospital. "This book is very
that
strange
when compared to others.
As Witkin unfolds her timeline, she brings out some
user friendly."
"I
read
the
newspaper from the back page to the
specific physical techniques for short-circuiting stress,
Shapiro's plan moves people into new eating
front,"
says
a
male private investor, 61. "I think it's
such as a progressive relaxation strategy that involves
habits by increments — breakfast in the first week,
because
the
better
stuff is on the front page, and I
loosening up muscles from toe to head. She also teach-
lunch in the second, dinner in the third and special
like to gradually build up to it."
es
breathing
exercises
as
another
physical
approach.
occasions in the fourth. While explaining that
"I love to watch Spanish television and movies for
More psychological are.her suggestions for volun-
desired weight will not be achieved in a month, he
hours
at a time, and I don't understand a word of
teering, talking out feelings and giving oneself per-
references successful dieters in his practice, plans for

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11/1

2002

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