Our Lady of Weight Loss: Miraculous and Motivational Musings from the Patron Saint of Permanent Fat Removal (Paperback)

by Janice Taylor (Author) "Before we begin, I would like to be completely up front about the fact that I'm not here to tell you how to lose weight..." (more)
Key Phrases: permanent fat removal, cement glue, daily values, Dietary Fiber, Total Carbohydrate, Total Fat (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Taylor has maintained a weight loss of 50 pounds for more than five years. Her secret? Her work as a "weight-loss artist." Taylor says her turning point came during a meeting at a weight-loss center, when she decided to stop obsessively tracking the food she ate. Instead, she would create food-centric art whenever she had the urge to eat. She quit her job and combined her artistic leanings with a childhood fascination with nuns (she lived near a convent as a kid; the kindly nuns never commented on her chubbiness) in a creative homage to Our Lady of Weight Loss, an inner voice that provides inspiration and support to Taylor. The book offers a refreshing take on weight. Sure, there are recipes, and discussions of nutrition and self-image and exercise, but Taylor gets that most overweight folk already know they need to eat less and exercise more. In chatty, supportive prose, Taylor highlights her book with "weighty confessions" that offer absolution and cute "fat-oids" ("It takes twenty-two muscles to smile and sixty-two to frown"). And there are clear, witty instructions for art projects, including sewing, collage and lamp makeovers—most projects call for glitter glue, and lots of it. (Aug.)
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Review
Can you lose weight from sheer wackiness? After leafing through Taylor's...dieting revelations you won't want to rule it out. -- NY Times

Finally! A bit of wacky originality, humor and creativity in the world of weight loss. -- Simon Doonan, author of Nasty: My Family and Other Glamorous Varmints

The best makeovers begin from the inside out. Our Lady of Weight Loss makes the phrase "lighten up" quite literal. -- Julia Cameron, author, The Artist's Way

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Studio; 1st printing/original Cover Art edition (August 17, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142005088
• ISBN-13: 978-0142005088
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 7.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #204,630 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bowing to Our Lady of Weight Loss!, August 17, 2006

By	K. Newton "Maui Mom" (Hawaii) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Janice Taylor has written a book that *every* women needs--because although it's about weight and healthy eating, it's also about self-care, self-love and positive living (and don't all women need this?). It's about putting healthy, loving morsels into your mouth, not about beating yourself up when you don't. Her artwork, her humor, her message "of course you can do it!" and when you can't "confess and move on" ...are highly original and make you smile. I showed my office of 7 women this book, and everyone, all generations, laughed out loud and instantly loved the artwork, information, and attitude. She has fabulous rituals, recipes, motivational musings, art projects and assignments (make art about food instead of eating it!), and lots more. It has the nuts and bolts of dieting and healthy eating, but it has much more: her unrelenting belief that we all can change our life; her personal, inspiring story; and a humorous, creative approach in a normally droll topic. It's on my nightstand.

(And her "Ten Commandments of Permanent Fat Removal" you just might to put on your kitchen wall!)

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 'Our Lady of Weight Loss' Is Speaking To You , September 18, 2006

By	Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Man "Jimmy Moore" (Spartanburg, SC) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Wouldn't it be great if there existed in this world a singular person or entity who had all the answers to your questions regarding health, nutrition, and weight loss? This person would know exactly what to say about your specific circumstance and present the information to you in such a way that you felt good about yourself and honestly believed you could make the necessary changes in your life with little pain. For the millions of overweight and obese, that would be a miracle.

Well, I hope you believe in miracles because such a person DOES exist. Her name is Our Lady of Weight Loss and she spoke to a woman named Janice Taylor at a weight loss clinic of all places in 2001. From that day forward, Janice saw a change in her life like she had never experienced on any diet she had ever been on and completely turned her life around.

Does all this pseudo-religious talk sound a little spooky to you? LOL! Yeah, it did me, too. That is, until I kept reading and found out how these principles are what helped Janice Taylor shed 50 pounds and keep them off.

For the past five years, she has been helping others hear the voice of Our Lady of Weight Loss through her life coaching, motivational speakin, creative artwork, and Kick in the Tush Club (visit www.ourladyofweightloss.com for more information). And because of her growing success, she decided to write a book about her experiences to help even more people discover what she and her faithful flock have found. The book is entitled "Our Lady of Weight Loss: Miraculous and Motivational Musings from the Patron Saint of Permanent Fat Removal."

The Our Lady principles entail the following:
- Seeking the weight loss help of those who have gone before you
- Becoming a weight loss artist to divert attention away from food
- Instead of obsessing with food, try doing something artistic
- Join a support group to share ideas and stay accountable
- Feeling the urge to move and shake your body
- Offer an all-inclusive, spiritual journey towards health

Still a little freaked out by this? Nah, you shouldn't be. Janice Taylor is a real person who did something about her weight and now stand ready to pour every ounce of creative energy into helping others lose weight, too.

This is arguably the most unique weight loss book I think I have ever put my hands on. It's unconventional and Janice seems to like it that way because it fits her personality, too. You get the feeling she's definitely tried all the drab and dry diets that have ever been created and decided that enough was enough. She wanted to jack up the creative mojo to make this book like none other on the market today. Did she ever!

Our Lady of Weight Loss is loaded not only with helpful weight loss advice in the most peculiar way, but also many delicious-looking recipes. However, I must warn those of you who are livin' la vida low-carb--the recipes are not very low-carb, but rather low-fat and low-calorie. I don't bemoan Janice for putting these in her book, but I thought my fellow low-carb friends should be forewarned.

Nevertheless, I like the genuinely fresh approach that Janice Taylor brings to the weight loss world which will forever change what you think about weight loss books. My impression of this woman is that she is having fun while doing something meaningful in the lives of so many. If that is the formula for success that works for people to help them lose weight and get healthy, then keep on beckoning the call of Our Lady of Weight Loss.

As someone who has lost 180 pounds myself, I am all in favor of people finding SOMETHING that will work for them. Our Lady of Weight Loss may be just the thing that helps you attain the Holy Grail of the obese: lasting and permanent weight loss. Haaaaaaallelujah!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Just for Dieters, August 28, 2006

By	Marcela Landres "Latinidad" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have been an avid reader of Janice Taylor's Kick in the Tush Club e-newsletter for ages, and I'm thrilled her book is finally available! Her advice is warm, wise, and witty; her recipes are a snap to make even for the culinarily-challenged; and her art projects are so simple they can fit any busy person's day. My favorite? The Weighty Bookmark. Our Lady of Weight Loss transforms eating healthfully from a chore into an artistic statement.