Lessons from the Fat-O-Sphere: Quit Dieting and Declare a Truce with Your Body

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gaelic81, November 3, 2009 (view all comments by gaelic81)
I find it truly unfortunate, like some other reviewers, that a lot of commenters truly miss the point of the message of this book. In my opinion, Fat Acceptance is not about ignoring your health or living in denial about your appearance but learning to have a degree of self-worth and pride in yourself, no matter the outward appearance. As a recovering disordered eater, I heartily agree that DIETS don't work. Healthy eating does and learning to maintain a balance in your life. I applaud the authors, in however controversial a manner to some, for at least putting the idea out there that life's problems can't be solved by being thinner or being "good" on a diet.

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MLM, November 2, 2009 (view all comments by MLM)
Why on earth would anyone want to spend any of their hard-earned money on this book? It's just a rehash of the information available for free on the authors' blogs. If they want to dispel the idea that fat people are lazy, they're going about it the wrong way!

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BunnyATL, November 1, 2009 (view all comments by BunnyATL)
I'm glad people are finally starting to see through the so-called fat acceptance movement. Sure you can be 'fat and healthy', but there's no way you can be well over 200 pounds like Kate Harding, or 300 pounds like Marianne Kirby (and I notice Marianne has never given her real weight) and healthy. These authors are peddling a lie.

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Gina1986, November 1, 2009 (view all comments by Gina1986)
Another commenter said that the Fat Acceptance movement is a triumph of delusion, and they are right. It is based on the premise, expounded on at great length in Chapter 1 of this book, that 95% of diets don't work. This is false logic: if you go on a diet and lose weight, guess what? The diet "worked"! If you can't stick with the eating and exercise program needed to maintain your weight loss, it is YOU who failed, not the diet.

Rather than saying that "95% of diets don't work", it would be more accurate to say that if you lose weight, there is a 95% probability you won't be able to sustain the lifestyle needed to keep it off. But that shifts all the blame back onto the dieter and that wouldn't sell as many books, would it?

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Laura_Bella, September 22, 2009 (view all comments by Laura_Bella)
I'm sorry but since I learned that the primary author, Kate Harding, is not only a smoker but also has a diabetic mother, I have found it very difficult to take the premise of this book seriously.

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