Overweight

Judy Wardell wrote one of the very best, and first, non-diet books for achieving desired weight loss - "Thin Within". Then she got married. I can only blame her husband for converting an imaginative, insightful writer into a Bible-beating fundamentalist who quotes scripture in every paragraph.

I absolutely loved this book! Since my purchase two months ago, I have lost 43 pounds! Just reading the book makes you understand so much, but more importantly, it allows you to give up the dieting "thing" and give it to God. He is the only one that has perfection and can give the support you need. This book also helped me understand why I have failed so many other times. I admit that in giving up my "legalism" it has been very hard to throw away the scale, but I have never ate my favorite foods and still lost weight.

In the past I tried Diet Center, deal a meal, shots, starvation, and numerous pills and vitamin programs. I always lost weight, but always felt deprived, and once I would overeat or eat the wrong thing, that was the end. Not so today!

In some ways I'm glad the other ways I tried to lose weight never really worked. Now I can say that my success is all to the glory of the Lord!

I used to participate in Weigh Down Workshop, which had similar guidelines for hunger and fullness, but after multiple problems I encountered with the religious teachings, I dropped the program. Then a friend told me about 'Thin Again' which was actually around BEFORE Weigh Down! What a refreshing alternative, and easy reading! Now I'm back on track with my weight and guilt-free!!

Savannah is back home in California where she is in between jobs and low on funds. She takes on an assignment of being a bodyguard to the Chocolate Queen. On the first day she learns the Queen she may be but of nastiness not chocolate. This woman doesn't't want help and thinks everyone is trying to kill her. As things escalate Savannah learns this is a neurotic family about to implode upon herself. I didn't enjoy this novel as the mystery was poorly done and I didn't care who the killer was nor the motive for it. Bringing in another of her siblings for added drama was a bad idea. And the normal cast of supporting characters were lifeless in this novel and offered no support to the plot.

This novel has a main character with substance. She's has spunk and has a wonderful sense of humor. The book would be enjoyable to read even without the mystery plot! I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series.

This latest edition to the Savannah series will leave you wanting more. Very much an improvement from Peaches and Screams, the old wit and personality is back as well as a well written story line. If you love chocolate, you will love the story's plot of the Queen of Chocolate. Savannah's sleuthing into the lives of the elite family will leave you thanking the Lord for your own. The interaction between Savannah and Cordele is so life like, you will want to wring. Cordele's neck. A most enjoyable read for the mystery lover and the chocolate enthusiast. If you haven't read all the books in the series, this one will make you want to go back and pick them up.

While there is a valid point that overwieght children are often made fun of and people should be more tolerant, the author spends far too much time reminding us of his not-so-hidden agenda. As a story, though, this book doesn't really deliver the goods.

This book is kind of confusing in the start but as you to read it makes more sence. This book is about two kids that have to go to fat camp, because their mom and dad said that you would be miserable if you stayed fat. You will have to read the rest to find out what happens to the kids!

Although some complain that the message is too strong, I think that given the fact that the self esteem of a fat child is constantly abused from every imaginable angle including simple cartoons, they need some heavy duty fire power to combat the other strong messages that tell them to hate themselves. I only wish that the strong message of this book was mirrored by other books. Something wimpy that beat around the bush wouldn't be at all effective, and you can be certain that the author does not beat around the bush! I also like that it does not insult the intelligence of children, which we all too often underestimate. The kids got the jokes, enjoyed the illustrations, and received a defined boost in their self esteem.
I hope that those with fat children, or even those with thin children who are fearful of fat, will purchase this incredible book and teach their children self respect instead of self hatred. I highly recommend it!

I found this book to be full of silly metaphors (as if that's the only way we could relate to Dr. Twerski). It just didn't get me the information I needed. Perhaps others would find it motivational.

I just finished this book and I am not sure why, but it felt like it was missing something. I am reading alot of books about this issue right now and I didn't find anything new in this book that I haven't read in many others. But I will give him credit about the self esteem that he is constantly reminding you is the root of all of this - I just feel he failed to give you any really good advice, except for some affirmations, on how to improve it. I guess you would have to buy his other books.

About two years ago, during my junior year of high school, I was about 40 pounds overweight- not an insignificant amount! I had gained the weight over a relatively short time frame, thus strongly indicating emotional factors requiring my attention. In addition to visiting a nutritionist/counselor on a weekly basis, I bought Rabbi Twerski's work. There are undoubtedly countless books available in losing weight (not to mention Dr. Phil's recently published one!), so why was I particularly inclined to seek out Rabbi Twerski's? Rabbi Twerski is a unique phenomenom: A doctor of the soul, a magnificent Torah scholar, heir to a royal Chassidic dynasty. Incidentally, his late brother and nephew served as beloved rabbis in my community for decades. It was thus only natural I should seek the wisdom of this great sage in his work The Thin You Within You. Rabbi Twerski doesn't address calories and food intake per se. In fact, such charts are brought up only fleetingly toward the end in a "besides the fact" manner. No, he delves to the root of the problem. Utterly convinced that most, if not all one's problems are rooted in a lack of self-esteem, Rabbi Twerski applies the same truth to the condition of being overweight. From this starting point, all else follows: his practical guidance and formulas to effectively lost weight to eventually find that "thin you within you." I also urge you, no, I IMPLORE you to read and absorb Rabbi Twerski's many (30+) books. They will all change your life in a lasting way.

Thin is beautiful, no matter how much fat people try to convince themselves otherwise. A better read would be Nancy Etcoff's "Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty" or "The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating" by David M. Buss. It's Darwinian good sense to be a hot babe, regardless of what this self-esteem tome says.

Not only are there some very good affirmations that a person can use on a daily basis, but there are actions that will help reinforce the positive affirmations. I highly recommend this book to any one who is starting on the path of self acceptance or even those who have traveled the path aways already.

Reviewed by Barbara Altman Bruno, Ph.D. Dr. Cheri Erdman, author of Nothing to Lose: A Guide to Sane Living in a larger Body has written another very good book. While her first book was more narrative, Live Large! is a workbook. It is meant for women seeking a better life in their larger bodies, to interact with the bite-size bits of material on each page. Erdman subdivides the book in two ways: first, in sections for initiation into body-size acceptance, inspiration, determination, and living large. Within each of these sections, each page has a dominant theme which she calls "the big idea." Some of these big ideas include "my body, my business" (a catch-phrase she learned from her work with larger women), "body size is unrelated to the quality of a person's life," and "healthy bodies come in all sizes." Each big idea is "fleshed out" in an explanatory paragraph. Then Erdman offers an affirmation related to that particular big idea. Affirmations are a tool which I also recommend to my clients because they can enable people to change the self-critical voices in their heads into self-affirming ones. While these affirmations - positive sentences stated in the present and repeated to oneself - can seem like science fiction when one first tries them, they can actually establish a new truth in one's mind. Finally, she recommends a "size-wise" action, often accompanied by journal-writing, to reinforce the experience of the big idea. These actions are generally do-able pieces which together form a big picture of someone living a positive life in her own, present body. Erdman's doctoral research led her to the concept of a "spiral of size acceptance." That is, most people do not go directly from hating their bodies to accepting them. Their path tends to look like a spiral, where they advance and yet sometimes feel like they're back at an earlier place. Most of us can relate to feeling better about ourselves, only to have someone's nasty, lipophobic comment send us reeling. Erdman reminds us that such setbacks are only steps along the path. Because each person's path can be different, we can choose a "big idea" which fits where we are at that moment. We do not have to work through the book page after page. We can return to pages which relate to our current situation; we can meditate on a section or take a size-wise action. Her book offers support at every step. What I especially like, in addition to the thoughtful structure of Erdman's book, isits message that to live large is not solely about having a larger body. It is about expanding into our spirit, which is much larger than anything physical. It is about living our purpose. There is much wisdom in this small book, both in its construction and in the messages it imparts. I recommend it.

Well, I must say that I was a bit surprised by the author's tone in the first few chapters. Although the book is about (and is even titled) "the answer for the dangerously overweight", the author seemed a bit harsh against the obese and, although showing this option, also is able to chastize many readers.

Although I am only half done with it right now, I feel it is worthwhile to read, if only because negative views can be just as important to know as the positive views.

This is one of the books I've read as I've considered and studied weight loss surgery. I found this book very informative and especially liked the discussions of the history of this surgery. The text is easy to read (i.e. you don't have to be a doctor to understand it).

I read this book with the hope of answering numerous questions I have had about the various surgical procedures available for treating obesity. I found most of the answers I wanted. I also created a whole new list of questions because the author does a good job of discussing the topic. As he did this I found questions about things I hadn't even thought of. He left me wanting to know more. I am very glad I read the book and would recommend it highly to anyone who is seriously considering surgical options to treat obesity. I was glad to have this resource available with information coming directly from a practicing physician. I plan to, of course, look at the other side of things again too, so I can weigh the benefits and consequences. The book is also written fairly plainly so that everyone can understand. Some of the diagrams and things should have maybe been compared to "normal" people so we could differentiate what needed to change, etc. But, for the most part, the book was excellent!

My review is about the book called Pig and the Shrink. The main character is Tucker Harrison. Tucker needed to win the science fair project to get into the Math and Science Academy School next year. His experiment was on a weight loss program. He used Pig, short for Pighetti a classmate who is the largest kid in school. During the experiment, Tucker and Pig become friends. The experiment didn't work out very well and Pig was gaining weight. Pig wanted to stop but Tucker was obsessed to win. So obsessed, he lost Pig's friendship. Tucker realized that Pig's friendship wasn't worth losing over a science fair project. He also realized that even though Pig was big, he shouldn't have judged him by his appearance. Pig was a great person inside and out. Tucker apologized to Pig at the science fair and decided to drop out. I recommend this book by Pamela Todd. It teaches a good lesson about friendship and not to judge people by their appearance. It was fast paced and funny.

It's a book about accepting yourself as you are, about learning the value of friendship. I know it's a book for young adults, but as someone older than, oh well, let's say 30...I couldn't believe how often I laughed and cried here. It has an oriental mystical flavor too. My favorite line was "It's a come as you are party."

In "Andy" you'll learn about the trials of Ellie's youngest brother as he struggles to be accepted. During the Depression years many drifters stop for a bite to eat at the Maust farm. And with Andy always hearing the exciting tales of the many drifters, he is attracted to the thought of a care-free life. As he grows older he has trouble with his weight, and is teased quite a bit. Then he leaves home. Will the life of an Amish drifter be as adventurous as he thinks? You can find out by reading this book by Mary Christner Borntrager.

David Patneaude has a bead on the push-and-pull of middle-school society. His main character is realistically torn between the flattery of a popular bully and the cameraderie of new friends who are way outside the in crowd. That alone will cause young readers to buy into this story. Patneaude adds suspense, some memorable characters, and drama, along with a satisfying conclusion. Young readers will almost certainly forgive the preachy and over-long finale wherein the bullies get their due. If you like this book, though, don't bypass this author's earlier novels Someone Was Watching and Last Man's Reward.