Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover If Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, or Why Pie Is Not the Answer [Paperback]

Jen Lancaster (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 6, 2008

A NOTE FROM JEN LANCASTER:

"To whom the fat rolls…I'm tired of books where a self-loathing heroine is teased to the point where she starves herself skinny in hopes of a fabulous new life. And I hate the message that women can't possibly be happy until we all fit into our skinny jeans. I don't find these stories uplifting; they make me want to hug these women and take them out for fizzy champagne drinks and cheesecake and explain to them that until they figure out their insides, their outsides don't matter. Unfortunately, being overweight isn't simply a societal issue that can be fixed with a dose healthy of positive self-esteem. It’s a health matter, and here on the eve of my fortieth year, I've learned I have to make changes so I don't, you know, die. Because what good is finally being able to afford a pedicure if I lose a foot to adult onset diabetes?"

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jen Lancaster is the author of Bitter is the New Black. She has lived in Chicago for ten years with her husband and pets, and has yet to get the hang of the subway or returning library books in a timely manner. Visit www.jennsylvania.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: NAL Trade (May 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780451223890
• ISBN-13: 978-0451223890
• ASIN: 0451223896
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (190 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #174,979 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jen Lancaster is a former vice president at an investor relations firm and a New York Times bestselling author.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

97 of 104 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Screw Jenny Craig...spend your hard-earned money on Jen Lancaster books! May 19, 2008

By Melissa Niksic VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Jen Lancaster just may be the funniest writer ever! I've read all three of her books, and each of them made me laugh so hard that I nearly wet myself. (I guess you really didn't need to know that, did you? Too late.)

In Jen's most recent memoir, "Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest To Discover if Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, Or Why Pie is Not The Answer" (love those ridiculously long titles!), Jen tackles her biggest challenge yet: her weight. Screw unemployment and psychotic Chicago neighbors: Nothing is scarier for a woman then stepping on the bathroom scale. In Jen's case, she wasn't happy with the numbers she saw on that scale, so she decided to do something about it. Well, actually, she sold a book proposal about trying to lose weight, so she kind of HAD to do something about it. But that's not the point. Jen never used to be the type of woman who would go to the gym every day (or at all). However, she decided to face her fears and give her physical well-being the same kind of attention she devoted to other important aspects of her life: her husband, her pets, her drinking, her shoe fetish, etc.

"Such a Pretty Fat" is a very honest look at what it took for Jen to get herself in shape. Nobody said it was going to be easy. She stumbled plenty of times along the way and gave nearly every diet plan a try, from Atkins to crash dieting to Jenny Craig to Weight Watchers. In the end, Jen finally realized that most diets are B.S. The key to losing weight and being healthy is to make responsible choices and (duh!) exercise. And that's exactly what Jen did.

I think "Such a Pretty Fat" is Jen's best book to date. (My only complaint is that certain chapters gave me monstrous cravings for things like ribs, Twinkies, and Olive Garden bread sticks...damn you, Jen!) Not only is the book chock full of Jen's snarky humor (and the footnotes...I LOVE the footnotes!), but it's also an inspiring true story about a plus-size woman's determination to lose weight. I really admire Jen for her honesty, her dedication, and her results. In addition to losing a lot of weight, she became a fitter person and felt much better about herself, which is really what being healthy is all about.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Laughed my fat @$$ off November 28, 2008

By Rachel

Format:Paperback

... well not really. Fat @$$ is still there, but I swear my abs are a little tighter now.

Before choosing a book without a personal recommendation, I always look at the negative reviews. Sometimes, they actually make me want to buy the book, but in this case, they (along with the titles of her other books) were almost enough to make me say no. If I weren't nearly desperate for reading material, I'd never have bought the book. I learned that it disparages Weight Watchers (which more-or-less saved my life), and that the author is too self-centered to even be funny.

Well, all I can say to those who wrote negative reviews is "Get a sense of humor!" This book is one of the funniest things I've ever read. Yes, Jen is self centered -- about as self centered as most of us -- but more honest about it (and a lot funnier.)

Jen loves shoe-shopping, fashion, and (if I get the context right) overpriced purses. I'm a fashion retard, and hate shopping, especially for shoes (and almost as much for purses.) In the first chapter, she disparages the town I live in, which I actually like (for the most part.) She reviles the soccer moms with minivans, and I do own a minivan (although I try very hard never to actually drive the monstrosity), and my son does play soccer.

So why, when I'm reading this book, do I feel like it's me talking? My husband picked it up and read a few paragraphs from the middle. He says, "Tell me the truth. You're secretly writing books now under the pen name Jen Lancaster, aren't you?"

Jen speaks her mind (saying what plenty of women wish they had the guts to say), and she's freakin' funny. I'm not so sure about the title, though. Sometimes, I'm pretty sure pie IS the answer...

39 of 44 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly entertaining May 12, 2008

By K. Huff VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Such a Pretty Fat is Jen Lancaster's third memoir. In it, Lancaster takes on weight loss--through eating right and exercising. At first, it seems like your typical weight loss memoir, except for the fact that its Jen Lancaster writing it, with her trademark good humor and see-the-forest-through-the-trees approach to her subject matter. Jen's not an expert, but she definitely knows how to entertain, which is why I keep coming back to her work time and time again.

What I love about Lancaster's work is that she knows when to laugh at herself, and at others' foolishness, without going over the top. For example, there's brilliant scene in Such a Pretty Fat where she goes to Jenny Craig and then Weight Watchers, where the meeting participants discuss of the evils of food in the work place. Birthday cake is always, always mentioned, and Jen harps on that theme mercilessly.

In all, I thought the authors' message was a positive one for people struggling with their weight (though I'm not one of them). The message that some weight loss programs endorse is that food is evil; but Lancaster challenges that theory outright, saying that food is not, in fact, the enemy; food is in fact good for you if you eat right. Jen's weight loss resulted as a result of wanting to feel and look good, not because of outside pressures, which I also thought was an important message.