Customer Reviews

Gut Feelings: From Fear and Despair to Health and Hope

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a counsellor, there are a vast number of people who have come to my office with feelings of rejection, insecurity and low self-esteem. We all feel those emotions from time to time, but when they become chronic or debilitating to the point one has lost their quality of life, it is time to seek help. Our emotions can also play havoc with our physical health, resulting in a variety of illnesses and unexplained aches and pains.

"Gut Feelings" is truly an inspirational story of a woman who has suffered from emotional rejection, eating disorders and obesity. Like many othe emotional compulsive disorders and addictions, there is no quick fix and no overnight cure but there is, indeed, light at the end of the tunnel. The book is not just for those suffering from eating disorders, but for anyone who feels they are not in control of their life for whatever reason. Many individuals feel like a ship drifting aimlessly at sea, precariously floating from port to port beyond their control. If the reader has serious or chronic emotional difficulties qualified, professional therapy is by far the best option; however, the book can provide some helpful suggestions in gaining control one's life. While it is true that what works for one does not necessarily work for everyone, readers will find Carnie Wilson tells a gutsy, inspiring story.

Carnie Wilson.....famous daughter of Brian Wilson, an accomplished musician, songwriter and singer....and now thanks to her courage to undergo a major life change by having gastric bypass surgery, has opened the door of hope and health for the morbidly obese. Thank you Carnie....for your honesty and frankness about your life story and what it took to change your physical body and become a healthy person again. You have inspired me and hundreds of others who are morbidly obese. I will be having surgery in the near future and wish to begin a new journey of health and happiness within. Thanks for educating me about morbid obesity and by your actions making me look at myself in the mirror and face the music. I love your book...in fact when I received it, I read it in a day's time. For anyone who is morbidly obese(100 lbs. over your ideal weight), or has a loved one with this disease, I strongly recommend reading "Gut Feelings: From Fear and Despair to Health and Hope".

I don't usually read autobiographies, but this is one I couldn't put down. Carnie was so open and honest about her life.
Some people may find her language offensive, but if you aren't bothered by a certain 4 letter word, then you should be okay.
This book will open your eyes to what Carnie and millions of other overweight individuals have to deal with every day. Her surgery was certainly not the easy way out. After the surgery it takes hard work and dedication to acheive the goal of weight loss. My only drawback in rating this book is that there is more of Carnie's story to tell. And since I am not interested in the surgery I found the Q&A section to be something I didn't need to read. If Carnie writes a follow up to this book, I will certainly take the time to read it.
Buy this book if you are interested in Carnie, and/or interested in bypass surgery!

Being 102 pounds overweight I found this book VERY interesting. I am considering weight loss surgery (WLS) and bought it hoping to hear more about what her life is like being post-op. Rather, the majority of the book is dedicated to how she got to the point where she felt WLS was her only hope. Her struggle with weight is one that millions of people have. I admire her ability to go public with such a personal struggle.

I would recommend this book to anyone considering WLS or anyone that knows someone who is morbidly obese. The feelings she felt apply to the majority of obese people and it might help frieinds and family understand what it is like to live as an obese person. My husband read part of the book (when I made him) so he could read about how I feel. She was able to say it better than I can because I'm still very emotional about my struggle.

The only thing I didn't like about the book is that I don't like to be surrounded by foul language. She uses VERY expletive language (specifically the "F" word) and it really lends nothing to the story. Frankly, I'm very surprised that the language wasn't edited out.

Especially for someone who has gone through WLS, this book is a wonderful read. Carnie Wilson's writing style is down to earth, never too technical, and always heartfelt. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Even for people who have merely struggled with weight and not had WLS, I highly suggest reading this book!!

I did enjoy reading Carnie's book. She sets down a lot of truth about why people overeat and how it feels to be overweight. If you're an overweight person, you can really relate, even if you don't share her background. It bothers me a little that she became such an advocate for weight loss surgery, though. I am currently on my weight loss journey through a program, not through surgery. As she herself points out, even after gastric bypass surgery, people have to learn to eat in a healthy way and in moderation. It's good that she's a very open person, very truthful, and her use of profanity didn't bother me like it did some other reviewers - she should communicate in a book like she communicates in real life, and she obviously isn't a person who holds back. I'm glad she found such happiness with her husband (she talks a lot about meeting him and being with him), but at times I was wondering why I was reading this book about a famous singer's daughter who mostly became famous through her weight trials (I didn't listen to Wilson Phillips and I didn't watch Carnie's talk show, but I sure saw her all over the media because of her weight). I guess someone had to be the "face" of gastric bypass. It's a good thing someone as open and bold and truthful and full of personality as she was the one - I think.

An "in your face" style memoir by Carnie Wilson of her struggle with obesity and her eventual triumph through gastric-bypass surgery.
Carnie recounts her life as a child, struggling to connect with her troubled father Brian Wilson. She points to several complex theories as to her history of weight problems and eventual addiction to marijuana.
It's not a particularly well written book and the extreme use of expletives might turn some people off. At times I felt it read like an "infomercial" for Spotlight Health, the website that aired Carnie's surgery.
What it is, is a refreshingly honest account of her frustration with not being able to control her life and the impact it made on those around her.
In the end, Gut Feelings is an inspiring story about a young woman who finally overcomes her life threatening obesity and drug addiction with surgery, hard work and the love and support of her family.

The beginning of the book was a little slow, perhaps too much information regarding her personal life, family issues and such. However, after about a third through, things really picked up and then I couldn't put it down until I had finished reading it. She is refreshingly honest. The pictures were great of before and after. Interestingly enough, outside of the cover picture, my favorite picture is of "her future husband" the day they met, and the look in his eyes as he looks towards her. The fact that he is completely oblivious to the camera, is so revealing of his feelings about her, considering she was at her highest weight. It is wonderful that she met someone before her surgery, that came to love her unconditionally. Reading her story was quite informative of the personal aspects of this issue. The profanity was unnecessary.

This book is just utterly and completely amazing. What an extraordinary journey this woman has had with her battle to feel and look beautiful. I think Carnie Wilson did a fantastic job and hopefully she will continue writing uplifting books. She is undoubtably motivational and speaks from the heart. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Reading Carnie Wilson's book was like reading her own personal journal. She gives discriptions of how she felt towards herself as a child, all the way through adulthood.
I could identify with everything she was saying in her story.
I got this book because I am considering having the gastric bypass surgery done. Carnie describes what her diet was like after the surgery and what pain she felt. It was a good tool in helping make a decision about having the surgery done and what to expect before, during & after. The only thing I didn't care for about the book was the large amount of offensive language. I felt that it was unnessasary and tasteless on her part.