Customer Reviews

The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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!)

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.

The plot of Shauna Reid's book sounds almost like a chick lit book...girl goes on weight loss plan looking for self-worth and conveniently finds a tender and caring Scottish man to sweep her off her feet who loves her just as she is. There are definitely aspects of Dietgirl that are Bridget Jones-esque, but knowing that it is a true story makes the book so much more meaningful. The book is laid out like a diary, with most entries including the date of the author's weight loss journey and her current weight that week. But what starts out as a book about weight loss becomes much more a story of how our past influences who we are, and ultimately, how we have to break free of the scars we bear from our childhood and take responsibility for our own happiness. A great thing about this book is that it is an honest account of weight loss...the author doesn't just start losing weight and keep going until she's a supermodel. She suffers setbacks along the way and is at times crippled by depression and self-doubt. But like the super heroine alter-ego that she assumes to write her popular blog, the author takes her kryptonite (in this case, chocolate) in stride and fights back, saving herself in the process.

Shauna Reid is smart, witty and not afraid to say it like it is. Brutally honest. Really makes one think about the importance of food and surprisingly, attitudes toward overweight people. I find myself thinking of this book throughout the day. Fun to read, really look forward to sitting down and stealing time to read a chapter or two. Wish she had included sample recipes or other tricks to fight urges to eat, like quick, easy snack ideas. Also, it is just a bit of extra motivation for me to stay on track with weight control. This is by no means a self-help book, just inspirational on other levels.

"Did this woman ever get hungry," I wonder?

Three days into a diet I develop a persistent desire for a resplendent restaurant meal. In my mind's eye I salivate over steak, potato, and veggies smothered in piquant sauce paired with the perfect wine. Just short of culinary repletion the meal is capped with coffee and something comforting and rich, say dark chocolate bread pudding with sweet cream sauce.

If only my fantasy life ended there. Quixotic as it is may be, I might, with some difficulty, be distracted from such a dream. I could drink water. Eat a rice cake. Gnaw on my arm.

If it weren't for the exercise. Weight loss requires a formal exercise plan which when enacted incites in me such a lethargy that my tired body spins into my brain fanciful images of my limbs resting supine upon the couch, a book in one hand, and the other hand scooping spoonfuls of chocolate chip cookie dough into my mouth. Pathetically attempting some form of mental restraint I push aside that image only to have it replaced by one of me putting back a bit of vino with some savory tidbits on the side. You know just a little something to fill in the empty spots.

My fat cells are champions at changing my mind from all attempts at reform. Able to overcome any obstacle, even their owner's hopes of raiding the glut of single-digit size offerings on the cheapo clearance rack in the misses clothing department, these resolute guardians of plumpness, true to an inner calling, lead the purpose-driven life and demand nothing less than an abundant bacchanalia of gustatory diversity. Hey, it's not me who is fat, but that my fat cells are self-actualized. Maybe I should just step out of their way. But then I would just keep getting fatter.

Unable to sate my appetite for sumptuous savories and sweets, while dieting I sublimate my desire for unrestrained consumption by going to the library and checking out a gazillion books. Serendipitously on one such excursion I ran across "Dietgirl" a book about one woman's weight loss journey.

Shauna Reid went from 350 to 175 pounds in a few years time. In the past most magazine articles ran weight loss stories only on women who reached a final weight of 130 pounds or less. Today I am increasingly seeing stories of women who have lost a lot of weight, but still remain in the 150-200 pound range. These stories are so much more inspirational because most overweight women can read and imagine that they can succeed in attaining an achievable weight loss rather than a super-skinny ideal.

Seeing Reid's astonishing success with weight loss does she provide me some guidance for my persistent and prosaic dieting dilemmas? Bless her heart, but no, she doesn't.

Throughout I kept hoping for Reid to talk more about her diet specifically, such as what program she used, how she dealt with hunger pangs and aching muscles from exercise. Reid did not answer these questions, instead focusing on her emotional life. My dieting angst continues unalleviated. However I found so much to enjoy and consider in this book.

The descriptions of her family life are disturbing and explain her early adulthood malaise and depression. Reid looks back and wonders how she always felt like a chubby girl, even though her childhood pictures refute that label. I too felt chubby as a child, often given the label by a tubby adult. Now I look at my kid photos and see a normal size person. When did normal become chubby? As Reid explains, these kinds of misattributions last for years and leave our daughters creating a self-concept based upon false data.

So much of this book is about overcoming shame - a topic that reverberates with any woman who has struggled with her body image. The romantic storyline intrigued me as much or more than her weight loss. Most Gen-Xers can ruefully identify with her job woes. Like Reid who does not complete her weight loss in the initial time frame set, we must learn to forgive ourselves as the ups and downs of life sometimes hinder the progress of any long-term project. Instead of staying stuck in her childhood ways of relating to her mothers, Reid leads by example and inspires her mother to strive for a healthier lifestyle thereby showing that improvement in one area of life sometimes leads to growth in others.

For Reid it wasn't just a diet. So much else changed. As a diary it is not the quickest read but so much will resonate with any woman who has wrestled with body shame and weight loss. The snarky, tell-it-like-it-is tone keeps the text moving and the other facets of her life provide their own minor storylines keeping the readers interest. A satisfying light read with some inspiration on the side.

I purchased this book on a whim in the train station before a 7-hour train trip, intrigued by the concept of a book based on blog entries. Because of the title, I thought this book would basically be a "how I lost a lot of weight" story, but in the end, it was so much more. The author's blogs tie together her life's journey from an overweight and unhappy woman living in Australia, to a vibrant adventurer living in Europe and travelling throughout the world. The tranformation journey is craftily described by the author, who is thoughtful and witty. For those hoping to lose weight, this book is inspirational. Shauna lost half her body weight over the course of several years, using various methods described in the book. Ultimately, however, what I took away from the book is that to become the people we want to be, we must be willing to take risks, work hard, and accept ourselves - regardless of our size. 5 stars - a wonderful read.

This woman is amazing and her book is truly inspirational. She gives a first hand account of what it is to be morbidly obese. She gives an emotional and realistic account of the challenges of weight loss. She shows how she changes as a person beyond the weight loss. The book makes you root for her like she is a best friend. She really is amazing!

I read this book a year ago. I had enjoyed Shauna's blog for a while and was interested to find out more of her story. As soon as this book arrived, I started reading and then couldn't put it down until the end. She has a good story to tell and she tells it very well. I really like how she demonstrates that we can make changes if we just stick at them. She had set backs but was able to over come them. There really are no quick fixes. She also talks about hidden fears and actions that many of us have but she does so in such a personable way that is actually inspiring. She doesn't give any advice in the book - she talks about how she made changes. Her warmth and sense of humor shine through. Through her book and her blog, Shauna inspired me to rethink some of the ways that I thought about food and exercise. I have lost thirty pounds since then. I did it the very healthy way and was surprised at how easy it was once I actually stopped thinking that I couldn't do it and then my brain to work on figuring out ways to make the necessary changes for the long term. Do yourself a favor ... read this book. If you are wondering if you could just read her blog instead, I suggest that you read the book as there is more about the deeply personal story of weight loss in the book.

Shauna Reid's "The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl" is a heartfelt account of her battle to say goodbye forever to her Bonds Cottontails Full Briefs, size 24. At her largest, Reid weighed over three hundred and fifty pounds; her self-esteem was zero. This candid and witty book is written in diary form and is based on a blog that Reid posted on the Internet over a number of years. Shauna recounts her unhappy childhood growing up in a dysfunctional family on a farm in New South Wales, Australia. Her Mum was a Weight Watchers leader who made food an issue and helped set the stage for Shauna's binges that, unfortunately, grew in frequency and intensity. Her compulsive overeating led to shame, self-loathing, and bouts of severe depression.

Reid, who is a pretty and talented redhead, had to struggle not only to shed over one hundred and seventy pounds, but also to entertain the hope that she could someday feel fulfilled and proud of herself. Luckily, she is blessed with a loyal and loving sister, Rhiannon, who has been a source of unconditional love and support in good times and bad. Without her sister's constant cheerleading, it is unlikely that Shauna would have had the strength to overcome her demons.

"The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl" is not a weight-loss primer filled with healthful recipes and exercises, although Reid does describe the eating and exercise regimens that helped her shed weight gradually. This is a delightfully fast-paced and breezy memoir in which the author traces her journey to emotional and financial independence. We share her excitement when she finally achieves her goals of traveling around Europe, making new friends, and even finding romance. Readers will applaud Reid's honesty, laugh at her self-deprecating humor, and admire her determination to become physically and mentally fit in spite of setbacks that would have discouraged a less resilient individual. Finally, after three hundred and thirty-three weeks of ups and downs, Shauna is able to look at herself in the mirror and approve of what she sees: "The true reward is finding peace and acceptance and embracing my own skin, with all its quirks and charms."