Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir (2008)

My habit of picking up and reading whatever's in front of me leads to a lot of distraction from the books I really want to read, but it makes for variety, so I guess it all works out. I started reading this while I was sitting and waiting when upgrading my wife's computer. It was on the desk, so... I was the kid that read every inch of every cereal box during breakfast.

She is pretty darn funny and there's not an ounce of self pity present. It's a quick, easy read, with a very no-nonsense style and some good information and helpful messages for people who are interested. She writes lovingly and longingly about food, which is something I just can't relate to, but I understand the general idea.

Some people seemed to be put off that she didn't give specifics about her eating plan, but that seems to be the point, and she says as much. Specifics are not what's important, doing something and making a serious commitment without excuses is. ( )

One womans story of her self discovery while losing about 200 pounds. ( )

I have been following Jennette’s blog for years, which makes it even more ridiculous that this book sat on my shelf for at least two years before I picked it up and read it. I think I started reading her blog (it was pastaqueen.com back then) when she was roughly 3/4 of the way through her journey. I was immediately drawn to her dry wit and sarcasm, a welcome attribute in the world of weight-loss bloggers, which is overwhelmed by nauseatingly positive people.

As someone who has struggled with her weight since puberty, I can’t tell you how many times I nodded my head and dog-eared a page while reading this book. She is often blunt and to the point, and it just makes you say “Yes! It is just like that.”

“And even if I had been the laziest, weakest-willed person on the planet, being fat did not make me a bad person. Fat wasn’t good or bad. It wasn’t a scarlet F of shame written on my elbow. It was just fat. I deserved as much respect as any thin person and I shouldn’t have to live under a cloud of shame.”

But don’t pick up this book and expect a blue-print for success. Jennette isn’t very specific about what she eats (even on her blog), but if you read between the lines you can tell it was South Beach or something quite similar. I think she doesn’t specifically promote it because she’s smart enough to realize that just because that particular plan worked for her, it doesn’t mean it will work for everyone. She does talk about her exercise, and one thing she did a lot of is running. I am envious, because running is the easiest thing to do, but I hate it with the fire of a thousand suns.

I find Jennette’s story to be inspiring, even if it doesn’t have the fairytale happy ending. She doesn’t lose all her weight and then magically fall in love with Prince Charming and move into a house with a white picket fence and have babies. But I believe that reaching this one (giant) goal has given her the confidence to reach other goals in her life, specifically moving out of state and starting her own freelance business. I continue to follow Jennette at her new website, http://www.jennettefulda.com. She has written a second book, which is (unfortunately) about her search for relief from a persistent headache. It’s already on my Kindle and waiting for me. ( )

I really enjoyed Fulda's no non-sense and humouristic approach to weight and consequent weight-loss. She's not moralistic, judgemental nor proselytizing. She's sincere and authentic about her motivations, her hurdles and her ambitions. She's also realistic about her future. She is smart about not giving away her secret and in recognizing that everyone needs to find her own secret: it may seem a cop-out but such a transformation must come from within. Her real key to success was her blog that kept her forging on. For others, it will be another key.
I wouldn't say that this book is inspiring, but it is definitely refreshing. ( )

Fulda had been a chubby child, an obese teenager and a morbidly obese young adult. At almost 400lbs. by her early twenties, she couldn't stand for more than five minutes, she had outgrown even the plus size clothing stores and she'd never had a boyfriend. When her doctor brought up her weight, offering information about surgery, Fulda decided she had let herself go too far.
Beginning with just the few minutes on the treadmill she was capable of, and learning to cook low-fat food rather than eating fast food, Fulda made changes that resulted in an over 200lb. weight loss and a popular blog for others to see her transformation.
Fulda's determination is amazing, even if you have no interest at all in weight loss. She's honest about how she was treated as a morbidly obese woman. I have to say that I didn't need to have the non-stop attempts at humor, as it usually came off as lame to me, but this is an interesting book for those who like an against-the-odds story. ( )