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Anonymous
Posted August 2, 2008
Jennette Fulda's Half-Assed is not your average weight loss memoir. Not only did Fulda lose over half her body weight, but she does not offer any apologies. In some ways, the book is as much pro-fat as pro-thin. This book, based on her blog Half of Me, chronicles how she got so fat, and, to some extent, what she did to lose the weight. Some of her struggles, such as finding clothes and getting around, are obvious, while others were more hidden, which she explores with humor and wisdom. Fulda's is an easy read, one that I'm glad I read in part on the treadmill. There is no whining here, even when Fulda presents evidence about why it may be harder for the severely overweight to lose weight. She covers the highs and lows of her journey, as well as the way, as she lost weight, readers and others turned to her for advice as she blogged every step of the way. Though it seems hard to believe that someone could just happen to wind up weighing 372 pounds, she shows how her lack of education about nutrition spiraled into a weight gain that she didn¿t truly recognize as a problem, let alone know how to handle, until it had reached such massive proportions. ¿The fat lost its shock value. It didn¿t scare me like it scares a skinny girl who¿s just put on ten pounds and can¿t fit into her favorite jeans. Ten pounds was a trivially small percentage of my overage.¿ This is but one of the ways that even conceptualizing losing weight was a challenge for Fulda, one she wound up meeting head-on. Both her writing and her weight loss path show a woman with determination, independence, and the ability to sort out what worked for her and what didn¿t on her own. Fulda also doesn¿t give you a saccharine ¿and now I¿m thin and happy¿ ending. She makes the reader feel the true pain of her weight gain, as well as the not-always-perfect life she leads now. While losing the weight (and blogging about it) drastically changed her life, it was not a panacea, and Fulda doesn¿t try to spin it that way. She also admits that, yes, there is a chance she might gain weight again, and boldly asserts that being fat is not the worst thing in the world (a fact you might not realize from, well, living in the United States). About herf ormer fat girl life, Fulda writes, ¿Given the choice between that life and the life of a skinny starlet in rehab, I¿d put the fat suit back on fast enough to jam the zipper.¿ My one quibble is that she did not elaborate on the specific diet she chose to use (she has revealed on her blog and in interviews it was the South Beach diet), which made some parts of the book less informed than they could be. Though she explains that this would be like ¿asking Yo-Yo Ma what kind of cello he played and then expecting to buy one and become a brilliant cellist,¿ I think it could have informed her memoir, but that¿s a small quibble. Anyone who¿s ever struggled with their weight, or just wants to read an inspiring story of one woman who forged her way through the world of weight loss, should check out Half-Assed.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 22, 2009
It is interesting to read someone else's story about their weight loss experience that did not use the weight loss surgery or go on a television show. Not that those are any less valid, but it is a good reminder that regular people can lose the weight on their own and there is not a "secret" to weight loss other than hard work and determination.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 2, 2009
This book is well-written and very funny.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.blake58
Posted June 8, 2011
great book kept me motivated on my own weight loss journey
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 23, 2011
It was refreshing to read a book that does not promise to have "the secret". Honest and refreshing to read about the author overcoming so much.
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Posted June 10, 2009
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Posted April 9, 2011
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Posted April 19, 2011
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Posted June 8, 2011
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Posted July 4, 2011
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Posted April 9, 2011
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Posted May 24, 2011
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Posted August 11, 2011
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Posted April 23, 2010
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Posted July 15, 2011
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Overview
After undergoing gall bladder surgery at age twenty-three, Jennette Fulda decided it was time to lose some weight. Actually, more like half her weight. At the time, Jennette weighed 372 pounds.Jennette was not born fat. But, by fifth grade, her response to a school questionnaire asking “what would you change about your appearance” was “I would be thinner.” Sound familiar?
Half-Assed is the captivating and incredibly honest story of Jennette’s journey to get in shape, lose weight, and change her life. From the beginning—dusting off her never-used treadmill and steering clear of the ...