Synopses & Reviews
Campos makes his case against the fat kills dogma with unimpeachable evidence. The Obesity Myth should be required reading for every health professional in America. I believe any open-minded person who reads this book will conclude that weve been duped by a pack of self-serving lies. And we cannot get at the truth without first recognizing those lies. The Obesity Myth is a great place to start. Glenn A. Gaesser, Ph.D., professor and director, Kinesiology Program, University of Virginia Is your weight hazardous to your health? According to public-health authorities, 65 percent of us are overweight. Every day, we are bombarded with dire warnings about Americas obesity epidemic. Close to half of the adult population is dieting, obsessed with achieving an arbitrary ideal weight. Yet studies show that a moderately active larger person is likely to be far healthier (and to live longer) than someone who is thin but sedentary. And contrary to what the fifty-billion-dollar-per-year weight-loss industry would have us believe medical science has not yet come up with a way to make people thin.
After years spent scrutinizing medical studies and interviewing leading doctors, scientists, eating- disorder specialists, and psychiatrists, Professor Paul Campos is here to lead the backlash against weight hysteriaand to show that we can safeguard our health without obsessing about the numbers on the scale. But The Obesity Myth is not just a compelling argument, grounded in the latest scientific research; its also a provocative, wry exposé of the culture that feeds on our self-defeating war on fat. Campos will show:
* How the nations most prestigious and trusted media sources consistently misinform the public about obesity
* What the movie industrys love affair with the fat suit tells us about the relationship between racial- and body-based prejudice in America
* How the skinny elitewith their supersized lifestyles and gas-guzzling SUVsproject their anxieties about overconsumption on the poorer and heavier underclass
* How weight-loss mania fueled the impeachment of Bill Clinton
In this paradigm-busting read, Professor Campos challenges the conventional wisdom regarding the medical, political, and cultural meaning of weight and brings a rational and compelling new voice to Americas increasingly irrational weight debate.
Review
"Illuminating everything from the empty promises of life-threatening obesity 'cures' to restaurant menu items described in lurid, almost pornographic detail, Campos shines a beacon on the deadly irony of America's obsession unjustified, unrealistic, and downright unhealthy with thinness." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"Just as low-carb dieting becomes a national obsession and McDonald's begins downsizing its super-sizing, Campos, a law professor and syndicated columnist, offers a sure-to-be scandalous message: maybe fat isn't all that bad." Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
The Obesity Myth began as a cover story in The New Republic, drawing one of the largest reader responses in that magazine's history. Like Rachel Carson's Silent Spring and Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation, The Obesity Myth is a real paradigm-busting read that challenges the conventional wisdom regarding the medical, political, and cultural meaning of weight.
Synopsis
What began as a cover story in The New Republic has turned into a real paradigm-busting read that challenges the conventional wisdom regarding the medical, political, and cultural meaning of weight.
Synopsis
After years spent scrutinizing medical studies and interviewing leading doctors, scientists, eating-disorder specialists, and psychiatrists, Professor Paul Campos is here to lead the backlash against weight hysteria and to show that we can safeguard our health without obsessing about the numbers on the scale. But The Obesity Myth is not just a compelling argument, grounded in the latest scientific research; it's also a provocative, wry exposé of the culture that feeds on our self-defeating war on fat.
About the Author
A professor of law at the University of Colorado and a nationally recognized expert on Americas war on fat, Paul Campos is the author of a weekly opinion column that appears in more than forty newspapers nationwide. His articles have appeared in The New Republic, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the San Francisco Chronicle, and The Boston Globe.