Review- Half Assed: A Weight Loss Memoir

I'm kind of biased when it comes to reviewing this book. Before I even cracked the spine, I knew I'd love it. Jennette Fulda, aka PastaQueen, writes the witty, funny, and frequently-updating blog Half of Me. At a point when my own weight loss was stalling like my old 94 Ford Escort, I stumbled across her site. I'm so glad it happened that way.

I was one of those dorks who read through every single archived post. Sadly, most weight loss bloggers don't stick around long, so most blogs' archives are short-lived. Not Jennette's. It took me several days to read through all the old posts- and I'm a fast reader when I'm engaged in a subject.

But, this is a review of the book, and not the blog. My only concern before starting the book was that it would essentially be the blog in regurgitated form. I shouldn't have worried. True, there were several passages that were also mentioned in the blog, but it wasn't a cut-and-paste scenario. She took the time to approach the content with a fresh viewpoint, and added a ton of new stuff that I didn't remember from the blog at all.

If you're looking for a book of weight loss tips, tools, and tricks, this really isn't the book for you. Fulda doesn't go into detail about how many calories she consumes on a daily basis, nor does she try to push the program that got her started. Heck, she doesn't even tell you what that program is, although she drops a hint or two. Because she left these things out, it made room for so much more stuff that actually mattered. What is so refreshing about this book is the evolution of Jennette's confidence as she drops over 200 lbs. Additionally, her lack of negative self-talk was a welcome change from other weight loss memoirs I've started reading- and not finished.

Something I'm struggling with right now is the feeling that no matter how much weight I lose, it will never be enough. I'll always look at that flabby, loose skin, or see someone who is more fit than me, and feel fat. After a year of eating healthily and exercising, I now weigh 160 lbs and wear a size 12. I'm not fat, and objectively, I know that. I still have the fat girl mentality, though.

The quote that sticks with me from Fulda's book is this:

"You are almost never as fat as you think you are."

This is the lesson that so many of us haven't learned yet.

So, just like I knew I would, I loved the book. Not only was it insightful and intelligent, but it was freaking hilarious. There's this part with canned cat food...well, nevermind. You can read about it yourself.