Life Doesn't Begin 5 Pounds from Now [Paperback]

Jessica Weiner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 9, 2007

Did you know the language you speak is as important as the food you eat?

Whether you're a size 2, 12, or 22, it's considered normal to hate your body. Society practically encourages it. But this discontent is really just a way of masking deeper issues such as insecurity, low self-esteem, or a longing for love and acceptance. By focusing on what others tell you are your shortcomings, you miss countless opportunities to feel connected, sexy, and powerful.

Life Doesn't Begin 5 Pounds from Now brings good news: By changing your thoughts, language, and actions, you can truly begin to love and appreciate your body today. In this book, acclaimed author and motivational speaker Jessica Weiner provides real solutions to real problems and helps women everywhere begin to decode the Language of Fat while discovering how to feel good in the here and now. With quizzes, tips, and tools, Life Doesn't Begin 5 Pounds from Now offers a step-by-step guide for creating a more fulfilling and positive life. You'll feel better about your relationships, your job, your family, your friends, and yes, even your body!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Motivational speaker Weiner (A Very Hungry Girl) recovered from an eating disorder and has coined the term "Actionist" to describe what she does—motivating and inspiring people to take action in their everyday lives. This volume reads like a manual, helping young women to decode what Weiner calls "the Language of Fat." She writes perceptively about how girls and women bond over expressions of self-loathing for their bodies ("I noticed just how hard it was to stay intimate with my girlfriends if I wasn't body-loathing beside them") and argues that the simple words "I feel fat!" mask an internal world of insecurity and pain. While the book is full of advice, tools for change and action steps toward healthy self-acceptance, it's also clumsily written, studded with clichéd subheadings and random upbeat quotes. However, Weiner's style could work well for young women ages 15 to 25, who have barely begun to question the negative messages being hurled at them by their families, boyfriends, the media and other women—and who believe, as some have said to Weiner, that their lives won't begin until they are thin. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"funny and insightful! this book will change the way you feel about your body!"

-- Susan Schultz, editor in chief, CosmoGIRL! magazine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Gallery Books (January 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141693538X
• ISBN-13: 978-1416935384
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #823,899 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jess Weiner inspires audiences worldwide with her authentic take on living a confident life. She is the founder and Chief Creative Officer of Talk to Jess, LLC, a multi-platform media company creating programs aimed at showcasing empowering stories and is the founder of the Actionist® Network - a global online community that recognizes and connects individuals and organizations who are making a difference in the lives of others. Jess is also the author of two best-selling books, "A Very Hungry Girl" and "Life Doesn't Begin Five Pounds From Now".

As a leader within the confidence community for over 15 years, Jess is best known for bringing public attention to the negative effects media images have on the self-esteem of women and girls. She currently serves as the Global Ambassador for the Dove Self-Esteem Fund and travels the world speaking and hosting workshops on self-confidence for a multitude of corporate and educational audiences. She has worked as a consultant and brand strategist with Fortune 500 companies, notable non-profits, and educational institutions such as Wal-Mart, Time Warner Cable, Centers for Disease Control, Yale and Harvard.

Jess's work has been featured by countless media outlets including Oprah, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. She currently edits and writes columns for MSN.com and Seventeen Magazine and is a frequent contributor to The Today Show and CNN Showbiz Tonight.

Follow Jess on:
Twitter @jessweiner.com
http://www.facebook.com/jessweiner
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jessweiner
Become a member of the Actionist® Network: http://www.jessweiner.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, the answer I was looking for!, January 2, 2006

By 

Benny "Benny Ben" (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Do I Look Fat in This?: Life Doesn't Begin Five Pounds from Now (Hardcover)

I am not your typical guy and I hate when books pander to men as though we are idiots who don't understand emotional compassion or intimacy. I have been looking for a book to better help me communicat with my wife and teenage daugthers. They most definitely speak in the Language of Fat - constantly asking if they look good in their clothing, always talking about food, and most times obsessing about losing weight. Many men (and women) can shake that off as just something women are supposed to talk about. But that is not OK for my girls or for my wife. Yet I wasn't sure how to answer it beyond "No" or "You look beautiful".

A co worker recommended this book as she had read Jessica's prior work and I found "Do I Look Fat In This" to be a super read. It was quick, funny, and full of insight for me as a husband and father. I must admit that the book cover was daunting to carry around but once I got to reading the tips and tools of what Weiner wrote I knew I had found the answer I was looking for.

I highly recommend this book to men out there who have women in their lives who ask this question. It is time as Weiner writes "to take action". It also has me questioning my own relationship to my body and watching carefully the language I speak.

Well done!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is not a new book, March 13, 2007

By 

L. Goff "Linda the Librarian" (Astatula, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life Doesn't Begin 5 Pounds from Now (Paperback)

I loved Jessica Weiner's books A Very Hungry Girl and Do I Look Fat In This. Therefore, when I saw she had a "new" book out, I immediately ordered it from Amazon without paying attention to details. Please be aware that if you already own Do I Look Fat In This, you do not need to order Life Doesn't Begin 5 Pounds From Now; this is the same book with a different title and a new forward. So now I own two copies of this book with different covers, but I don't mind so much because it is filled with wonderful information for not-slim women like me. Guess I must have needed to re-read it, huh?

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Her book is a gift !, January 15, 2006

By 

Marjorie Raskin (Manhattan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Do I Look Fat in This?: Life Doesn't Begin Five Pounds from Now (Hardcover)

Women are burdened by learning early and well that unless they are slim and beautiful, they simply don't matter. Activist Jessica Weiner has been fighting this awful myth for years. In her new book she helps women see through the myth building that goes on all around them and gives them tools to be themselves. This is a great gift to women and those that love them.
Jessica, we're lucky to have you.