I'm Still Hungry [Hardcover]

Carnie Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2003

Three years ago, Carnie Wilson was 300 pounds, unemployed, depressed, and sitting in a doctor’s office being told that she probably wouldn’t live much longer. At night, she had terrible dreams of her mother getting a phone call from the police saying, "We’re very sorry, but someone found your daughter in bed, and she’s gone." Knowing she had to do something to save herself, Carnie opted to have gastric bypass surgery. She woke up the next day in the hospital determined that she wouldn’t just work on having a new body, but also a new life.

That’s the story we’ve already heard. In I’m Still Hungry, Wilson picks up where she left off in her 2001 book Gut Feelings. She takes readers step by step on her weight loss journey, which wasn’t just a road to reaching 125 pounds. It was a mental trip where she had to conquer all of her fears and insecurities, including issues with her father, Beach Boy Brian Wilson—which made her gain the weight in the first place.

This book offers a unique way of showing the progression of weight loss, with one section serving as a diary of sorts. It details Carnie’s weight at specific times so that readers can use this part of the book to find their own weight and see how Carnie’s life lessons got her head in the right place so the pounds could keep falling off.

Wilson also offers a humorous look at her own weight loss, asking: What’s better—sex or chocolate? (Answer: "Sex followed by chocolate.") She also discusses re-establishing her career as an actress and singer in Hollywood. It wasn’t easy when the National Enquirer was practically staking out her house to catch her on "a fat day," or when fans e-mailed her to chastise her for flashing "some arm flab" on Entertainment Tonight.

And, of course, the book includes Carnie’s minute-by-minute description of posing for the June 2003 issue of Playboy magazine, with the inevitable questions: Can I eat breakfast before posing nude? Why do I have my period this week of all weeks? and Do I look fat? Carnie also gives readers a glimpse of what spurred on the much awaited 2004 regrouping of the Wilson Phillips band and how she is in perfect harmony again with her partners, sister, Wendy Wilson; and bandmate, Chynna Phillips.

Finally, the last part of the book reveals the specific weight-loss plan that Carnie still uses to keep slim—and anyone can follow this plan to lose weight whether they’ve had weight-loss surgery or not. Carnie even includes a few of her favorite desserts.

Wilson is still hungry for knowledge, love, acceptance, and yes, a chocolate chip cookie or two.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born the daughter of Marilyn Wilson and Beach Boy legend Brian Wilson, Carnie Wilson has overcome a lifelong struggle with obesity to achieve personal satisfaction, professional success, and new dimensions of physical and emotional health. Now dedicated to helping others, Carnie is a spokesperson for Spotlight Health, a group of dedicated celebrities, medical experts, and media and marketing specialists whose goal is to dramatically enhance consumer and physician awareness of vital health issues. Author of Gut Feelings, hardcover ISBN: 1-56170-907 and tradepaper ISBN: 1-4019-0040-2.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Hay House; First Edition edition (June 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401902278
• ISBN-13: 978-1401902278
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,359,711 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed Views, March 27, 2004

By 

[e-mail] (Staten Island, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I'm Still Hungry (Hardcover)

As a nutritionist for a bariatric surgical program, I empathize with Carnie Wilson. She nicely depicts the personal struggle for self-identity in people who lose a great deal of weight through bariatric surgery. The style of writing is enjoyable and funny. She has a sense of humor that makes for lighter, enjoyable reading.

However, from a nutritional standpoint some of her diet information is completely inaccurate, and I'm wondering how false nutritional information is permitted to be printed. For example, on page 172, she describes diet sodas as having "tons on sodium." Diet sodas have approximately 25-50 mg of sodium per serving, amounts that fall under the category "very low sodium" as defined by the Food and Drug Administration. Also, fruit, as she described as being "loaded with sugar", has approximately 15 gms of carbohydrate per serving, and can easily fit into a meal plan designed for a patient who has had WLS.

Carnie does a great job of describing how she confronted the battle of weight loss; however, she should leave the nutritional recommendations up to a professional.

91 of 106 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Is This Empowerment?, December 4, 2003

By 

Kelli S. Dunham (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I'm Still Hungry (Hardcover)

I was interested to read Ms. Wilson's story and I certainly appreciate her sharing at such a deep level. However, I think the whole substance of this book can be summed up in this quote from page 118 of the current edition: "...Maybe posing [for Playboy] was just what I needed to finally free and completedly liberated. Some women run marathons, some climb mountains, or kayak across the deep blue sea, some jump out of planes and live to tell the story...I was going to jump out of my fears and pose nude for Playboy..."

Um, there's a difference between the things Carnie listed and posing for Playboy...one is about your pushing yourself to achieve a physical feat, the other is about changing yourself to what the dominant culture wants. Based on what she says in this book, Carnie is happy because she is attractive in a Playboy kind of way. But no matter how much plastic surgery you have, you can't maintain this kind of body forever. If this is where Carnie is getting her happiness, no wonder she is STILL HUNGRY.

I also have had WLS and have lost over 150#...and I know it's a struggle to not be defined by externals. But I would NOT recommend this book to anyone considering WLS because it is much more about fitting yourself into a mold and much less about reestablishing physical and mental health .

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars so so, February 1, 2006

By 

B. M. Clark "3 girls mom" (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: I'm Still Hungry (Paperback)

I really enjoyed reading about Carnie's experience because I have also had WLS. She offers great ideas, although I caution you that one should always talk to his/her own Dr. and not just taking her advice. Anyway, my complaint with her book is that she is sooooo inlove and sooooo happy all the time. It seems as if this was a panacea. Yes, I am happy and I have had great results from WLS, but it isn't all peaches and cream. In fact, there are many days that I don't even want to face the world. She seems to glamorize the surgery too much and she talks about her wonderful, fantastic, amazing husband too much! Enough already- we get it you're happy!