Customer Reviews

The Weight-Loss Diaries

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I couldn't put this book down. The people who left bad reviews apparently have no clue what it is to battle an eating disorder.
The words like "stop blaming your parents and just take responsibility and stop eating" make me realize that:
a) Lots of people have no clue that our behaviors come from our parents.
b) It's easy to say "stop eating".... It's like telling a drug addict to stop doing drugs.
c) Yes, for us ( people with eating disorders, who were taught to always be good and given high, very high standards to follow)food IS a drug of choice. We couldn't show up at home drunk nor stoned for the fear of our parents, but we definitely could show up full of food.
Well, take it as it is. I loved the book. This book made me take a look at myself from the side. Yes, this book made changes in my life and NO, it didn't make me think that i am free to eat or do what i want and don't have take responsibility for my actions.

The first thing that grabbed me was the title. As a three-plus decade veteran of the food wars, I always want to know how it works for other people. Then I saw that Courtney Rubin was the author. Like many other reviewers, I followed Rubin's Shape articles faithfully...now I get to see how the story ended!

Well, not really.

I love Courtney's voice; her wit and down-in-the-trenches honesty make the book a serious page turner. There were so many "Yes! That's exactly what it's like!!" moments while I read. As for her observations about others--isn't that how we all think when we are stressed and struggling? How refreshing to hear someone admit that there are times when it feels like no one on earth can understand how low you really are. When food has become your confidant and medication, a lack of food leaves a big hole. If you haven't felt it, you'll never get it.

The reason I give the book three stars (3-and-a-half, actually) is that the latter third of the book felt like it floundered. The narrative thread that was so strong in the beginning seemed to unravel and lead to a very vague and nebulous ending. I understand that rarely are there neat and tidy ends to real life stories. Courtney is young and her story is still happening. For me, though, the book would have felt more solid with something a bit more conclusive. By "Month 20" I was starting to get frustrated by a sense of redundancy that was capped off by a fast fade..."Okay, enough of this, story over." Maybe this book should have simmered a few more years before coming to press.

I do wish Courtney Rubin all the best and thank her for a glimpse into her struggles and victories.

If you have ever experienced the daily struggle that is dieting, you will find a familiar voice in Courtney Rubin. Honest to a fault, she presents a diet journey unlike any other, and courageously says out loud the things we have all thought at one time or another. It's a relief to know that someone shares our pain. The only problem I had is that I was waiting for her "aha" moment, when she would at least get on the right road, and it never came. If you don't need to find "the answer", this book is definitely worthwhile, because ultimately, isn't it true that we all need to find our own way? And while you're finding it, isn't it nice to know you have a friend like Courtney struggling along with you? It certainly was that way for me.

I disagree with the review that this author is whining. I think she identifies the emotions that make one feel a lack of control and lead to overeating. I never got the impression she blamed anyone for this. She just seemed to identify certain emotional conversations as food triggers. I felt like she needed emotional support (perhaps in the form of counseling) to get more of a backbone and confidence in handling emotional issues, whether they're family, friend, work or general life-related, which then might alleviate some of the overeating. I thought this was clearly lacking in her "diet" regimen and could've probably made a huge difference in her success. She knew enough about calorie counts, exercise, etc. (the basics) and needed to take it to this next level, which perhaps we can read about in the future. I thought this was a very honest and real diary of the life of a compulsive overeater. No one wants to obsess about food, but many of us do. And I felt after reading this that I wasn't alone.

I bought this book because I was one of the people who followed Courtney Rubin's weight-loss diary in Shape magazine. On the one hand, I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look at her weight-loss diary years, but on the other hand, the book contained sections that were lifted almost verbatim from her Shape diary entries, which was somewhat disappointing. I've already read all those entries - I don't need them in book form.

Also, since I imagine a lot of the people who buy this book will do so precisely because they have read the Shape weight-loss diary and are curious about what happened after the assignment was over, I think Rubin could have let the readers in on how she fared diet-and-exercise-wise once she was on her own. Did she continue to exercise regularly? Was she able to overcome her overeating? Has she maintained the weight she was at when she ended her Shape weight-loss diary, or has she regained some of the weight, or gone on to lose even more weight? She could have told us. (Not in minute detail - I respect her need for privacy, but if you're going to write a book called "The Weight-loss Diaries", it seems a bit odd not to let the readers in on whether or not sticking to a diet and exercise routine on your own (without the aid of a team of experts) was in fact doable.

Rubin is a fine writer, and I think she deserved a better book deal than this one. I think a memoir would have been a much better way to showcase her talent, because to me, what really stood out about this book was not her attempts to eat right and exercise, but the description of her family, particularly her mother (who was "there, but not there"). Her account of her family's last Thanksgiving together was very poignant and moving and beautifully written. I hope we will get to see more of Rubin's writing in the future, either through a memoir or through a novel or collection of short stories.

I bought this book when it first came out and have re-read it so many times it finally fell apart!! Although i do agree with some of the other reviewers comments -- Courtney does whine sometimes, and does tend to shift some of the blame for her behavior -- DONT WE ALL?? I am not overweight but i do understand the struggle to lose 20 lbs and keep it off. it's a never ending battle and it DOES consume your thoughts and behaviors. Courtney handled the issues most of us have dealt with using an ascerbic wit, humor and a slightly self-deprecating attitude that the majority of women have. It IS hard to accept compliments when you are still "fat in your mind" and i totally understand how demoralizing it was for her to regain after steadily losing. I think her total honesty and sharing of painful history had to be cathartic to Courtney and extremely helpful to struggling dieters everywhere. I hope she will keep writing books; she's currently living in England which was a lifelong dream for her. As many others have said this is not a "how to" nor does it have a sunny ending. But it IS honest and forthright and a really entertaining read.

I really enjoyed this book, for the most part. I love Rubin's sheer honesty, as well as her style of writing. I could identify with many of her struggles, and it was very enocuraging to know that there are other people out there who think like I do. Some people may think that Rubin is neurotic, or "whiny", but I think that she is just extremely honest and aware of her inner voice. At the end of the book, I still wanted to know more about her.

I would not want to be Courtney Rubin's friend, co-worker, personal trainer, coach, dietician, neighbor,boss or enthusiastic supporter. To do so would mean being pilloried in print as part of a huge conspiracy to Make Courtney Feel Bad. At first I felt for Courtney, dieting in front of millions of readers and being stressed about binging and weight gain. However, she pretty much complains about everyone in her book. Everyone makes her feel terrible. Courtney attends a writing group where someone says that they can hardly wait to read her work - her response? "Great. No pressure there." A reader comes up to her and tells her about how inspiring she is and how she loves reading her column- this is after Courtney regains fifteen pounds. Her response? She attacks the fan in her book as seeming insensitive and stupid because she has approached Courtney in a karoke bar on a Saturday night - apparently this silly fan did not know that There Are Rules To Be Followed when talking to Courtney. Imagine! Courtney receives much support from many people in her struggle to diet. However, Courtney mocks them in her book, writing about 'Peekespeak' - her dietician who tries to help her stop binging. She also mocks another supporter who encourages her to meditate. "What's next? Pounding drums and chanting "I am beautiful" "I am thin"? Well, excuse her for trying to help you. Courtney ends the book by discussing how she has learned that food is not always the problem when dieting. It is emotions, boundaries, acceptance, etc. She could have included that dieting also means growing up and being grateful for support instead of whining about how Everyone Is So Mean.

I ended up buying a few copies because I think anyone who ever wants to really understand me should read this book to know where I'm coming from. I don't think you need to be as fat as I am to relate to this book, particularly since the author isn't, but I swear it was like she reached into my brain and wrote down all the horrible things I try to pretend aren't there.

A book this raw deserves five stars, just for plain guts. But when you add in Rubin's way with words, her self-deprecation, and her humor, it makes me wish I could give her a few more.

Anyone who's ever struggled with their weight, self-image, or food will relate to Rubin's tale of dieting, falling off the wagon, bingeing, and trying again. She speaks for everyone who's eaten too much and hated herself for not being able to zip up that "skinny" pair of jeans. Full of raw emotion, gut-wrenching honesty, and a good dose of humor, Rubin has written a story that the majority of women -- whether they have to lose 5 lbs. or 50 -- can relate to.

I remember Rubin's columns in SHAPE and am so glad that she shared the stories behind the stories with everyone. I do wish she was a little more descriptive in the epilogue, though -- has she made it to a "healthy" weight? Is she happy? Has her obsession with food and weight decreased? I can only hope she'll write a sequel.