26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reid More, February 29, 2008
This is a read-cover-to-cover-in-one-sitting book. While it is nominally about weight-loss, it's really a story about getting your priorities right and how to live life well. Indeed this presents as one of the keys to weight loss. It is therefore invaluable in that it implicitly exposes the futile, depressing and exploitative nature of fad diets while simultaneously showing you something far more positive. This book lingers with you long after reading, nudging you into asking yourself some powerful questions about the decisions you make everyday. The amazing thing is this is all done very subtly, and therefore generously. Unusual within weight-loss genres, Shauna is far from didactic, nor does she condescend to offer advice. In fact she is very humble, and you get the impression that she's got a lot going on. While the narrative travels smoothly and lightly, it should not fool readers into thinking that Shauna's journey was quick or easy. In reality readers will relate to some deep core issues about self-worth, body image, family, love, the self and other, change, self-knowledge and self-development. This is a moving story which causes you to reflect on your own values and has the potential to help you develop an enriched understanding of your place in the world. It affords a sense of clarity and determination that is addictive. Thankfully Shauna's blog of the same name means the narrative progresses online, where you can continue to follow the story of this remarkable woman.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant book! As much about finding courage as losing weight, January 6, 2009
This review is from: The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl (Paperback)
I started following the Dietgirl blog a few months ago, and I've read through a number of the archives. "Dang!" I thought to myself. "This girl is *funny*!" I preordered the US book awhile back, happily received it on New Year's Eve, and spent the evening (and a few days after...only because of family/job demands, otherwise it would have been devoured in one sitting) reading this book. Totally missed tuning in for the 9 p.m. (PST) dropping of the ball in Times Square, which usually marks the high point of our personal festivities. (We're such the party animals.)
This book is brilliant! (And not, I'm not just gushing about it because I was desperate for a read at all, let alone a good one.)
Remarkably insightful observations of things I loved about the book:
- Numerous laugh-out-loud funny parts
- Parts that made me feel sympathetic, that I could relate to, and that made me ponder my own quest for fitness
- It's *true*!
- The themes: Fitness is not *only* about the scale or a pant size. Don't wait until you're at the "ideal" weight to do the things you really want to do. Don't let fear stop you. It's a message that a lot of people need to hear. (Like Oprah, for example. Girlfriend, pull your head out of Hollywood and plunk it into this book!)
The drawbacks?
- Being irritated at what or whom ever pulled me away during reading
- Potential financial ruin from buying copies for family (especially the nieces) and friends
- Having to *wait* until Shauna Reid (hope! hope! hope!) publishes another book! (Don't wait as long as that OTHER Edinburgh author, please!)
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The untold story is now told-- and it's HILARIOUS!, February 26, 2008
You might think that if someone wrote the truth about living through the process of weight-loss, the book would be so much of a downer that you couldn't bear to both live that life AND read about it at the same time. Think again! Shauna Reid has been "lard-busting" for years and years with amazing success: not only has she lost half of her starting weight, but she's kept her sanity and her raucous sense of humor throughout. It's rare to find someone who is up-front and honest about the godawful process of weightloss AND who can still laugh about it.
This is a book that covers Shauna's "transition years" between the day she reached her breaking point and started lard-busting in earnest, and the day that she found herself happy and comfortable in her own skin. We get to see huge life-changing events-- large amounts of weight lost!moving across the world! touring Europe! re-learning romance! hashing out last-minute ways to stay in her new home!-- complete with all the embarrassing details that make it both human and hilarious, as Shauna grins and shakes her head wryly at the whole ridiculous process of life.
Read it. You won't be disappointed.
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