Three books
The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl, Shauna Reid
Half-Assed, Jennette Fulda
Passing for Thin, Frances Kuffel
I have to surround myself with items and people that will help me do this. These three books, in different ways, are just the ticket.
What they all have in common is good to pretty good writing. Funny anecdotes. Lots of “me, too” moments.
Also, I feel there’s lots of anger. Perhaps a bit more in Jennette’s memoir, than the others. Anger at themselves, anger at not being noticed or taken seriously.
None of these women had weight-loss surgery. Shauna changed her diet with the help of a couple of national programs, and then figured out what she needed to do for herself. Jennette pointedly refuses to discuss her method of changing her food habits because she views it as a personal decision. Frances joined a self-help group and consumed vast quantities of vegetables.
Each one incorporated a great deal of exercise into their lives. Each expressed joy at discovering they liked the exercise. I’m rolling that thought around a bit: joy in exercise. I hope I find that joy.
Both Shauna and Jennette’s websites are terrific resources for help on weight-loss.
Each woman lost a lot of weight – half their weight. Each also had bumps in the road. That is, they didn’t start their weight loss and then continue losing steadily until the point at which they started writing their book. Each had some periods where they regained weight, grabbed hold, and then started losing again. I think this is the part I found most heartening. It made their stories real for me, not a fairy tale.
Three things I learned:
- eat healthy
- move more
- “it” is in your head
I’ve have not yet managed to work on healthy eating and moving more for longer than six months. In order for me to make a successful change, I’ll need to get my head working for me so that it’ll be a forever-commitment.
As a good friend says: “Focus!”
I’m gonna.
Tags: diet
