Customer Reviews

Tales From The Scale

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you've ever been overweight, know and love someone who's overweight or ever looked at an overweight person and judged them to be something less than you, this is a book you must read.

These ladies are brutally honest, funny and poignant about their various experiences. And they are varied! Each of them have a unique perspective on the process of taking better care of your body and fitting in to those smaller jeans. You won't hear the same story twice and they all have something different to teach us. There is no set food plan or exercise routine that got them their success. In fact, they even disagree on things like the importance of the scale and whether or not Weight Watchers is the way to go. What they do agree on is that it's hard and it takes time.

I found myself laughing and crying, sometimes in the same paragraph. I practically sprained my neck nodding in agreement, too. Even if you have never struggled with your weight, you will see a piece of yourself in this book. I bet you've always wondered what was going through the mind of your daughter/wife/that girl you knew in college. How did they get that big? Why isn't it easy to just not overeat? Why does she wear such hideous shirts? The answers are inside and they will probably surprise you.

I feel like I should buy this book for everyone I know because between those covers is *me*. It was an amazing experience reading it and it reminded me I am not alone. I owe them all a debt of gratitude for making me laugh and cry, and most of all, giving me hope.

This book is an interesting, humorous look at the lives of women who have 'found their way out of Big Girl Town'. I identified with these women and I wish there were more books like this one. I found the humor was terrific. More than that though, this book is honest about why these women became overweight. There is also no self-pity in this book. "I find it hard to blame my parent's divorce for why twenty years later I am wolfing down Cheetos like it's my job and I am gunning for a promotion". Great book.

It's all here, folks. Want to know how truly discouraging it is to buy plus-size clothes? Ever wonder how scary and all-consuming (pun) an office birthday party feels? Wonder what goes on in the heart of the big girl that is everyone's friend and no one's romance? There is a lot of genuine stuff between the covers of this book, and it is a very fast read. Heartfelt and heartening.

I bought this book when I started my weight loss journey over a year ago. There were many things I laughed, cried, and agreed with. I am close to my weight goal and I have picked up the book and started reading it again because it is so good.

I have recommended it to many friends as well as recommending it during my Weight Watchers meeting. Anyone who has ever been overweight needs to get this book.

Some of the writers were interesting. Their stories were somewhat realistic and understandable while the others were just lacking. While some of it was inspirational, most made you feel flushed, frustrated and annoyed at times reading their stories. I don't know, maybe because I'm larger than two of the contributors who made the 188 sound like SUCH a morbid ordeal, it kind of annoyed me more than anything. Pick it up at your local library if they carry it, or skim it in the bookstore before you buy it.

I randomly found this book while shopping in Target and started reading it immediately read it up returning home. Never has a book hit as close to home as this one did. While it is nice to read similar stories to mine it is kinda depressing as it reaffirms how I think other people view me. This book is defintely a motivational tool and i thank the author was writting this book -

A MUST READ for anyone who has ever stuggled with their weight!

As a veteran in the trenches of the diet wars, I have plenty of my own tales from the scale, so I can certainly relate to these. Some essays had me laughing out loud, and some had me commiserating with the pain the authors felt over the various humiliations of out-of-control-eating and living in a body that's not a socially acceptable size. They offer bits of insight and wisdom in their stories, and compare the difference between their lives as fat and normal sized. All of the women have lost weight, to a greater or lesser degree, and one has gained it back and is still struggling. There are seven authors. The book is broken down into 8 chapters with different topic headings, and each woman writes to that topic. All are written in the first person, so I found it a little confusing keeping track of the thread of each woman's life experiences as I moved through the stories. The only thing I came away still wondering about was exactly what motivated these women to finally get it together to stick with a diet/eating plan long enough to lose a huge amount of weight. I would have appreciated another chapter titled: Hitting Bottom, or What It Took For Me To Finally Get It Together To Lose The Weight. All in all though, this is a good read, and I recommend it to anyone who has struggled with overeating and trying to diet.

I have never been overweight but i can say that i have struggled with weight loss and body image.This book is very funny and brutually honest everythingfrom clothes to sex. It is a must read if you dont want to read another diet book.

This book was fabulous - all of the writers are witty and their insights into the process of living fat and losing weight was so inspiring. I didn't put it down, but I didn't want it to end! Thanks, Erin, for putting such a great read together!!

I really LOVE this book!!!! It is so neat to read "journal" type entries written by women who have been where I am now, and where I want to be! BUY IT!!!!! You will love it!!!