Making the Case for Yourself (A Diet Book for Smart Women) [Hardcover]

Susan Estrich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 29, 1997

Why is it that professional women can be so totally competent when it comes to taking care of business and so totally inept when it comes to taking care of themselves? Working women tend to put the needs of everyone around them, from their families and friends to their bosses and coworkers, ahead of their own health and well-being-placing themselves at risk by putting themselves last. Susan Estrich exposes these dangerous ways of thinking and other life-threatening habits as she makes a clear, compelling case for recognizing your body as your primary resource. Estrich brings her experience as both a lifelong dieter and a professor of law to the table, teaching you to think like a lawyer when it comes to defending your diet. She has anticipated every objection-from "I just don't have the time" to "I ate the donut because it was there"-and has the appropriate rebuttals at the ready. Estrich helps you to construct an argument that will keep you focused and committed until the results are their own reward. Beginning with a three-week commitment (you will actually be asked to sign a contract), she shows you how to play by your own rules, how to make a diet work for you, and how to identify your weaknesses and overcome them-just as you do in the rest of your life. Most of all, Estrich makes the case for investing wisely in yourself. Frank, funny, savvy, and empowering, Making the Case for Yourself is a diet book that engages your mind in the fight for your body.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 195 pages
• Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover (December 29, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573220833
• ISBN-13: 978-1573220835
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,753,526 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Did this woman actually do any research before writing?, August 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Making the Case for Yourself (A Diet Book for Smart Women) (Hardcover)

Based on Estrich's credentials, I expected more from this book than it delivers. She tosses a lot of rhetorical questions at the reader (without answers, and sometimes without rationality), struts her stuff as the queen of the overachievers, and then leaves us with a couple of cabbage soup recipes and a behavioral contract. She dresses up some rah-rah and rambles on about how successful the reader is in other aspects of life (since she's so successful, isn't everyone?) and leaves us about where we started. Well, I take that back -- she leaves us feeling a bit WORSE than when we started, because we can't possibly achieve all she has achieved in her young life. My only sense of connection to this woman came when she mentioned shopping at Marshall's and Ross Dress for Less -- that was real. Now, if she'd just used her enormous brainpower to give us some actual content and medical facts or some decent psychological insights, I wouldn't feel ripped off. If she'd done some homework instead of rattling this thing off the top of her head, that might've been a book worth buying.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I really wanted to like this book..., June 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Making the Case for Yourself (Paperback)

because I consider myself to be a smart woman! The problem is that Estrich frequently forgot how smart I am. Time and time again, she lapsed into this preachy voice and nagged me about my eating habits the same way my mother did when I was growing up.

The other thing I didn't like about the book was the fact that Estrich considered herself to be huge when she was wearing a size 14--a size that the majority of women on diets would be ecstatic to reach! It's hard to relate to the struggle of someone who went from a size 14 to a size 4 when you're trying to go from a size 24 to a size 14.

The book is clever in parts, but it just wasn't "smart" enough for me.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you're ready to lose it, this is the right book., February 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Making the Case for Yourself (Paperback)

If you're ready to take off the pounds but you just need to find a starting point, Susan Estrich will give you a shove in the right direction that is anything but subtle. She is someone any woman can identify with, whether career woman or stay-at-home mother. Her diet really works. And, yes, the cabbage soup is delicious, as is the coleslaw. I stumbled over her style in places, but overall this is a well-written, well-organized book. She presents all the best arguments for losing weight in a way that cannot be ignored. I'm down 18 pounds and counting. She makes a great case!