They say don't judge a book by it's cover, but I have to admit, it took me over a month to pick up this book because the picture on the cover bothered me. The author looks beautiful, undoubtedly, but she also look likes she's had plastic surgery. I found it hard to get past that and give her the credibility she probably deserves. It's hard to listen to "work hard and lose weight" when it appears the author herself might have taken a shortcut on her appearance.
Humbly, I have to admit that there are many gems of truth within this book and I was very thankful that I got over my judgemental spirit and gave it a shot. The book is well written and held my attention. I found myself encouraged along my own weight loss journey. A few points, especially, stuck out. One- to get down to the nitty gritty of internal issues before you tackle the external. Two- to not treat yourself like your pitiful "before", but take the time to take care of yourself (make up, hair and all) even if you have 100 lbs. still to lose. Value yourself NOW. Three- take it one day at a time. Don't focus on large, overwhelming goals or time limits. Don't focus on yesterday or past failures. Celebrate the good decisions you've made every day.
Four- View food as fuel most of the time and your friend a small amount of the time. Every meal doesn't need to be exciting, it needs to fuel my body, yet also take moments to savor and enjoy food.
There are definitely nuggets of truth in this book that have helped me. I would say, however, as a christian reading this book, I found it a little new agey. She does talk about the importance of faith and gives the gospel in the final chapter, but it is a lot of "believe and you can achieve". While it is true to have success you must have the right mindset, I felt this personal empowerment might have gone a little too far. I did appreciate the easy meal plan and exercise at the end of the book. It isn't revolutionary, but the author herself concedes that the secret to weight loss has never been a secret- it's less calories and more movement. I like that she affirms that their are no short cuts and I like her story of endurance and success.
I'd recommend this book if someone is very interested in the topic of weight loss or just needs that little extra boost of encouragement to change their habits.
*This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
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Wow, good for you for Kim. You're a bigger woman than me. I noticed the author's plastic surgery right off the bat too and felt... I probably wasn't her target audience.
ReplyDeleteAs for weight loss, I'd like to chime in saying that it is really a discipline. Get on a program and wait. Also, quality is key to quicker weight loss. No fake food. I have no science to back this up, just experience. I also found good results with limiting sugar (boo). I have a good 10 lbs to lose and I'm not going for it until my online class is done until end of July.
Low stress is also key to keeping cortisol down so you can shed weight. Sleep is super important too. Not just cals in, and exercise. Good luck! I'll be reading knowing you're now the incredible shrinking woman!