Scan barcode
bookslut007's review against another edition
2.0
Some good info in here, also some average. For general population probably not a bad book to grasp basic concepts, but definitely some flaws.. but considering was published a decade ago.. it reflects the thinking of the time.
ny_sunflower's review against another edition
5.0
I really really enjoyed this book. It is written comic book...different than most books I read! It was funny, yet it gave lots of great tips on how to make the lifestyle change and lose weight. Definately a must read if you want to lose 5-100 lbs
sarahdenn27's review against another edition
1.0
This was NOT about changing “fattitude.” This was not body positive like I expected at all. I expected something about accepting her body the way it was but no, it was all “I’m skinny and thus living happily ever after”
k5tog's review against another edition
3.0
A graphic-novel style "diet" book? Why not? There is some really good information in here - and some so-so information. The gist of the whole thing is eat fewer calories, exercise more and you'll lose weight. That's nothing new... But it is a unique way of conveying the information.
crabbygirl's review against another edition
3.0
looking for more carol lay, i stumbled upon this weightloss guide/memoir. i really irked me - turning weight issues (and control of them) into something like a religion. it bothered me so much, i put it aside, but somehow it creeped into my thoughts daily. there were truths in there that i didn't want to admit - that's why it made me so angry. and so this book became my own personal turning point, my own ah-ha moment. 6 weeks later, i'm ten pounds lighter, and half-way to my goal weight. only time will time if these changes are lasting.
showlola's review against another edition
1.0
Oh I had such an emotional response to this book.
Maybe the author feels happier with her life now that she is a "size 2 or 4" and is just gleeful at sharing that with the world, but everything here came off as so self righteous and condescending. As seems to be the case with most diet books, the material here is very repetitive (mentioning her dreadful pre-skinny thigh chafing episode in two nearly identical panels twice in the first 30 pages).
It was easy to figure out her height and BMI based on her specific numbers (almost 8 pounds underweight at 117.5 puts her at 5'9") and the fact that she referred to herself as zaftig at 137 pounds (or a BMI of 20.9 - a healthy BMI is 18.5 to 24.9) was completely infuriating. Even at her "fat" weight of 160 (BMI 23.6), she was never clinically overweight, let alone obese. This book has been sold as being the weight loss journey of a woman who was 30 pounds overweight and if the numbers she uses in her book are right on that was never, ever the case.
What really put me over the edge was the suggestion that her parents might have lived longer, healthier lives if they had only walked the dogs a little longer each day or taken a water aerobics class. Never mind that her Mother died of cancer at the age of 69. As a daughter who's thin father was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 42, I nearly exploded at the implications here.
Carol Lay controls her weight by writing down every calorie that she consumes, exercising everyday, and weighing herself each morning. She mentions that she gets pleasure from the 'control' she now maintains, which is something commonly associated with eating disorders. I know I'm being harsh here, but this is a woman who needs to maintain a daily obsession with her weight in order to maintain it. Ms. Lay may be perfectly healthy about her weight loss, but encouraging this kind of behavior as part of a weight loss regimen can be very dangerous.
I would applaud the book for pointing out that there are no easy answers when it comes to weight loss. Sustained weight loss requires a dedication that is admirable and difficult to maintain, but this book is not the answer to relaying that message. The art was pretty meh and the attitude here (not to mention the lack of real insight or motivation - for me at least) was frustrating at best.
Maybe the author feels happier with her life now that she is a "size 2 or 4" and is just gleeful at sharing that with the world, but everything here came off as so self righteous and condescending. As seems to be the case with most diet books, the material here is very repetitive (mentioning her dreadful pre-skinny thigh chafing episode in two nearly identical panels twice in the first 30 pages).
It was easy to figure out her height and BMI based on her specific numbers (almost 8 pounds underweight at 117.5 puts her at 5'9") and the fact that she referred to herself as zaftig at 137 pounds (or a BMI of 20.9 - a healthy BMI is 18.5 to 24.9) was completely infuriating. Even at her "fat" weight of 160 (BMI 23.6), she was never clinically overweight, let alone obese. This book has been sold as being the weight loss journey of a woman who was 30 pounds overweight and if the numbers she uses in her book are right on that was never, ever the case.
What really put me over the edge was the suggestion that her parents might have lived longer, healthier lives if they had only walked the dogs a little longer each day or taken a water aerobics class. Never mind that her Mother died of cancer at the age of 69. As a daughter who's thin father was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 42, I nearly exploded at the implications here.
Carol Lay controls her weight by writing down every calorie that she consumes, exercising everyday, and weighing herself each morning. She mentions that she gets pleasure from the 'control' she now maintains, which is something commonly associated with eating disorders. I know I'm being harsh here, but this is a woman who needs to maintain a daily obsession with her weight in order to maintain it. Ms. Lay may be perfectly healthy about her weight loss, but encouraging this kind of behavior as part of a weight loss regimen can be very dangerous.
I would applaud the book for pointing out that there are no easy answers when it comes to weight loss. Sustained weight loss requires a dedication that is admirable and difficult to maintain, but this book is not the answer to relaying that message. The art was pretty meh and the attitude here (not to mention the lack of real insight or motivation - for me at least) was frustrating at best.
baklavopita's review against another edition
3.0
This comic book memoir/non-fiction about weight loss was amusing and didn't take a lot of attention while I was waiting in front of schools for my kids. Some of the anecdotes about how other people sabotage our best intentions rang true.
usuallyjustatshirt's review against another edition
3.0
This is the first diet/fitness book that I've ever read and I wouldn't have even picked it up if wasn't a graphic novel. It was surprisingly really good: funny, motivating, and educational. It doesn't offer a diet but motivation for a lifestyle change. It's a bit extreme/unrealistic in parts, but in comparison to most health nuts, Carol Lay comes out on top.
library_brandy's review against another edition
2.0
I like Carol Lay's Story Minute comic, and I've picked up a couple of her collections and enjoyed those as well. So when I heard this was coming out, I figured I'd read it even though the subject matter (weight loss) didn't sound all that interesting.
It wasn't. At times smug and self-righteous, Lay talks about what worked for her (scrupulous calorie-counting and exercise) and the kinds of meals she eats regularly. This is every bit as repetitive as you'd expect, and she'll sometimes repeat information from previous chapters as well. She claims that the rigorous calorie-counting makes her not think about food much, but the kind of attention-to-detail required to eat a bite of anything seems more obsessive than freeing to me.
It's possible this isn't the kind of plan that would work for me, but really, the whole book didn't work for me. Congratulations to Lay, who managed to lose a bunch of weight and keep it off, but this book is far less interesting and insightful than I'd have expected of her. It's nice to look at, though.
It wasn't. At times smug and self-righteous, Lay talks about what worked for her (scrupulous calorie-counting and exercise) and the kinds of meals she eats regularly. This is every bit as repetitive as you'd expect, and she'll sometimes repeat information from previous chapters as well. She claims that the rigorous calorie-counting makes her not think about food much, but the kind of attention-to-detail required to eat a bite of anything seems more obsessive than freeing to me.
It's possible this isn't the kind of plan that would work for me, but really, the whole book didn't work for me. Congratulations to Lay, who managed to lose a bunch of weight and keep it off, but this book is far less interesting and insightful than I'd have expected of her. It's nice to look at, though.