Weight, Sex, and Marriage: A Delicate Balance [Hardcover]

Stuart/Jacobson. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 1994

Reveals the intricate connection between weight problems and marital satisfaction in women, and describes the often hidden rewards of being overweight. Clearly delineating the issues surrounding weight gain, this encouraging book helps readers set attainable weight goals and also offers concrete strategies for success.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The husband-and-wife authors of Second Marriage (he is the former psychological director of Weight Watchers International, she is a doctoral candidate in marriage therapy) examine the interaction between women's weight problems and their marital happiness, sexual satisfaction and self-esteem. So many women have trouble losing and maintaining weight, they explain, because "they put too much emphasis on restricting food intake, and give too little consideration to why they overeat." That women eat to pacify such moods as boredom, loneliness, anger, anxiety or depression is not news. But the work also offers convincing evidence supporting the provocative theory that some women believe their extra weight stabilizes their marriages, and the authors describe various emotional benefits that both husbands and wives derive from a wife's weight problems. This study provides food for thought but doesn't push a specific diet. And the arguments are fleshed out with repetitions and testimonies from patients in an attempt to make a book where a magazine article would have sufficed. Literary Guild selection.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Intelligent and thoughtful....I recommend this vastly informative, engaging book to those concerned about individual weight control, as well as to professionals in the health services." --Avodah K. Offit, M.D.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 189 pages
• Publisher: Guilford Press; 1 edition (December 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898620600
• ISBN-13: 978-0898620603
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,167,222 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Answers, understanding, and freedom..., June 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Weight, Sex, and Marriage: A Delicate Balance (Hardcover)

Wonderful! This book finally explains the 'how' and 'why' of weight gain. Discussing everything from the struggle to failures, success to acceptance, the authors guide us to a better understanding of our options and choices. Explaining why we gain, and why we fail at our weight loss attempts, they take us through a personal self-discovery to lead us to our goals; be they weight loss or acceptance of our physical selves. Well-written with many examples of women from all walks of life. Strangely, the best thing I got out of this book was NOT hope; it was better than hope - self-love.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Do we believe wives should be fat?, November 17, 2006

By 

Jeannette Belliveau "Author, "An Amateur'... (Baltimore, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Weight, Sex, and Marriage: A Delicate Balance (Hardcover)

This book presents case studies of married women who gained weight. It even has a story of a woman who lost weight (yes really) and then faced with marital difficulties, put the weight back on !

With overweight and obese women so prevalent today in the United States, this book is a start at looking at the psychology behind this phenomenon as relates to married women.

I wish the authors had gone further with their premise and looked a tiny bit at history and sociology as well. It would be fun to see if the authors believe that full-figured women are going to actually end up being in vogue, as they are today in Africa and Polynesia, or were during the Renaissance. What is behind the weight epidemic in our country ... high-fructose corn syrup? Laziness? Relying on technology? A new beauty norm? An informal signal of marriage status?

This is an intriguing topic well deserving of a followup from the authors.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very helpful, eye-opening into why I, as a woman, sometimes eat, May 11, 2009

By 

Amy K. Zimmerman (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Weight, Sex, and Marriage: A Delicate Balance (Hardcover)

This book was very helpful in my understanding of why I eat sometimes when I am not legitimately hungry. There are many underlying reasons that the book brought out. Things I never would have thought of, and analyzed on my own. I highly recommend this book to any woman who wants to find out why she can't stick to a diet, or sabotages herself all the time. Weight affects so many aspects of our lives (most importantly our self worth, and our mental and physical health). I do not want to be morbidly overweight in my older years, so I am trying to get a handle on my weight problem and my eating now, before I turn 40. I want to grow old gracefully! This book was a valuable asset.