Customer Reviews

Fat & Furious: Mothers and Daughters and Food Obsessions

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I have been in the 'fat' business for over 30 years and have read most of the self-help books over the years! I have even worked for major weight loss companies. I have a history of trying to find the root issues of this thing called obesity. I resisted reading this book because of its title. Yet, FAT and FURIOUS is THE book every woman should indeed read. It is clear, concise and thought provoking and honest. I have never written as much as I wrote during the exercises suggested in this book. I thank Judi Hollis for presenting this gift to the world. It took guts to prepare this book and allow the rest of the world to see the fantastic work that she is and has done to help so many, many of 'us' out there. I highly recommend this book to you only if you are READY to commit yourself to knowing, truly and honestly knowing what's going on in that beautiful body of yours. Buy it. Read it. Inhale it. You'll be the winner. I know I am. Thank you, Judi Hollis, indeed, thank you.

Though I was initially encouraged by the author's trenchant observations on the sometimes vexed relationship between eating and feeling, it gradually dawned on me--somewhat to my horror--that the author is coming from a traditional "come on, get skinny" approach to the topic of body size and eating/exercise lifestyle. Throughout the book, we are told to stay "just a little bit empty," so that our Inner Voice might come to the surface. Alas for the author's thesis, an attachment to "empty" is what got a lot of us where we're at. Also, it's assumed that the reader will choose to "get thin" via this "undereating" approach to consciousness raising, as opposed to learn how to create a life where relationships, life, food, and fitness eventually work pretty well, regardless of body size (some of us are just genetically programmed to be soft and wonderful, after all). What is more, the author discounts the mental, emotional, and physical benefits of exercise (the ONLY proven way to control weight over time), ignoring recent research. Some of the ideas and writing are very interesting, but I hope readers take this book with a grain of salt--and keep moving forward on their courageous paths of self-acceptance.

I read this book 7 times, and have maintained 1 journal, for each time that I read this book. My life has enhanced in so many ways from reading this book. It is not just about eating. It's more about how we identify ourselves as women, and taking back the power that we deserve to own. Reading this book has led to my trusting myself more than I have ever thought was possible. This led to my seeing where my interlocutor ends and I begin. Which empowers me to let the music from my voice to echo through, regardless of what my interlocutor thinks. It took all of these readings for me to answer the question for myself as to rather or not I use food for punishment or a reward. I am eternally grateful for this book, especially the for her style, and for the questions that I came up with, and wrote down, as a result of Judi Hollis's messages. There are only 2 things that I disagree with in this book, and that is writing food plans, and having others discuss with you how you ate. But, beyond that I consider this book to be a book that every girl and woman should read, to change the world, and to enhance who they are.

I was first drawn to this book, by it's title. Then, I read this 7 times, each time writing a very detailed journal. I learned so much about myself, as a woman, through this book. And, I am grateful to Judi Hollis for all that I was able to accomplish and continue to accomplish because of her writing style, and the many messages that she has to say in this book. I believe that for many women, this book can be hard to read, because so many women are afraid to give up habits that have not gotten them to where they say they want to be. Before reading this book, I resisted reading on this topic. I now advise women, everywhere that I go, to read this book, then follow up with 2 other books ("Overcoming Overeating," and "Fat is a Feminist Issue"). This book is about redefining who you are, from the inside out, and doing your best to harmonize your interlocutor self with your introspective self. Some of my favorite phrases from this book are, "First time a victim, second time a volunteer"; "Sweep your own side of the street"; "How did I teach this person to push just the right button?"; and, "Crotch watch." If you think that this is just about eating or issues with your mother, it's not. I learned a lot, about corporate politics, and about how I had, up to reading this book, expected women to be who I thought they should be. I also learned how I used to ask myself, "maybe I should do this differently, then this woman and I might get along." This book can help women to see one another as separate, autonomous people who deserve to be visible, authentic and nurtured. When created a list that I call my Invisible Counselors, I listed Judi Hollis, who I have never met, because she taught me to accept both my reality and other people's reality, in a way that frees me to find people who encourage me to be in my mission.

While the messege and concepts presented in this book are valuable, the author spends far too much time in some narcissistic attempt to tell her life story--over and over and over again! It takes nearly 40 pages to get to the meat of the book. I nearly gave up. Frankly, this book could have (indeed, should have!) been cut in editing by 1/2 to 2/3. I did learn alot from the author's research. It is quite unfortunate that she wasted space and the reader's time with noninformative verbosity.

My twelve step program sponsor and I read this book and were so impressed we started a Book Study Group to share it with a bunch of women who have issues with food. It has transformed our lives. I'm 62 and have read hundreds of self help books as well as diet books. This is the real deal.

If you're fighting a battle of obesity, this is the book for you. There are no easy ways to lose weight, but this book has many thought-provoking questions to answer about your own life. It's definitely worth the money

Fat and Furious is nothing but a bunch of pscho babble nonesense. Hollis contributes binge eating to a dysfunctional relationship with your mother. Overeating and compulsive eating are complex issues and should not be attributed to any one conclusion. What about those that are fat that never even had a relationship with their mother? It seems to me that the author thought the theory sounded realistic and continued to elaborate on it without any real proof to support it. The book did not help me one bit. I'm sorry I wasted my money.