Customer Reviews
Food for thought 
2008-09-30
Fulda lost around 200 pounds and details her weight-loss journey in this book. It's peppered with some facts, along with her slow start (she didn't just get serious and go-go-go) but it took a year to really get losing. She doesn't detail a diet plan but mentions cooking more and making smarter choices and exercising more. This is fine by me because I know how to cook healthier, I know the smarter choices in restaurants and grocery stores and I know I need to exercise. I just need to do these things to succeed. I don't need a plan to follow. She is good at detailing the little day-to-day observations, like buying a top in a size large for the first time in years or huffing and puffing and sweating after walking a few steps or any number of details that plague the life of someone who is too fat or someone who is losing weight. Anyone who has been in either pair of shoes can relate. She's a good writer and it's good food for thought for anybody who wants to lose, who is losing weight or who wants to try and understand a fat person's struggles.
Inspiring Memoir 
2008-09-06
I found out about this memoir by accident, and decided to give it a try. It was a great memoir: a story about the real pain experienced by a morbidly obese person (360++ lbs ) before she began her weight loss journey and lost half her body weight. This book is not a story of her self loathing or self pity. It is a straight forward memoir where Jeanette shares her emotions, her successes and some failures along the way. This book is not an instruction manual as to how she lost the weight, but rather it's a very witty book about a mindset and the stick-to- it attitude required for success. Enjoyable.
Review of book 2008-08-11
This is an excellent book and the writer is so entertaining, it's like you're sitting down talking with her. For anyone that has a significant amount to lose, this book is inspiring.
A Gutsy, Bold, and Honest Ass-Kicking 2008-08-02
Jennette Fulda's Half-Assed is not your average weight loss memoir. Not only did Fulda lose over half her body weight, but she does not offer any apologies. In some ways, the book is as much pro-fat as pro-thin. This book, based on her blog Half of Me, chronicles how she got so fat, and, to some extent, what she did to lose the weight. Some of her struggles, such as finding clothes and getting around, are obvious, while others were more hidden, which she explores with humor and wisdom.
Fulda's is an easy read, one that I'm glad I read in part on the treadmill. There is no whining here, even when Fulda presents evidence about why it may be harder for the severely overweight to lose weight. She covers the highs and lows of her journey, as well as the way, as she lost weight, readers and others turned to her for advice as she blogged every step of the way.
Though it seems hard to believe that someone could just happen to wind up weighing 372 pounds, she shows how her lack of education about nutrition spiraled into a weight gain that she didn't truly recognize as a problem, let alone know how to handle, until it had reached such massive proportions. "The fat lost its shock value. It didn't scare me like it scares a skinny girl who's just put on ten pounds and can't fit into her favorite jeans. Ten pounds was a trivially small percentage of my overage." This is but one of the ways that even conceptualizing losing weight was a challenge for Fulda, one she wound up meeting head-on. Both her writing and her weight loss path show a woman with determination, independence, and the ability to sort out what worked for her and what didn't on her own.
Fulda also doesn't give you a saccharine "and now I'm thin and happy" ending. She makes the reader feel the true pain of her weight gain, as well as the not-always-perfect life she leads now. While losing the weight (and blogging about it) drastically changed her life, it was not a panacea, and Fulda doesn't try to spin it that way. She also admits that, yes, there is a chance she might gain weight again, and boldly asserts that being fat is not the worst thing in the world (a fact you might not realize from, well, living in the United States). About her former fat girl life, Fulda writes, "Given the choice between that life and the life of a skinny starlet in rehab, I'd put the fat suit back on fast enough to jam the zipper."
I also must add that this book is published by Seal Press, a feminist press (one I publish with as well), and I think adds a feminist spin to the topic of weight loss. Fulda is not talking about trying to conform to some mediagenic image of perfection, and in fact sounds like she had a pretty good sense of self-esteem when she was overweight (before she got obese), one which aids her as she starts to lose weight. To even have the vision that she could lose half her body weight in a healthy way is a provocative idea at a time when many people simply opt for plastic surgery. She reveals her own issues without pandering to the sexist ideal of ultra-skinnyness at all costs.
My one quibble is that she did not elaborate on the specific diet she chose to use (she has revealed on her blog and in interviews it was the South Beach diet), which made some parts of the book less informed than they could be. Though she explains that this would be like "asking Yo-Yo Ma what kind of cello he played and then expecting to buy one and become a brilliant cellist," I think it could have informed her memoir, but that's a small quibble. Anyone who's ever struggled with their weight, or just wants to read an inspiring story of one woman who forged her way through the world of weight loss, should check out Half-Assed.
THE MISSING LINK IN WEIGHT LOSS BOOKS! 2008-07-15
This is not just another diet book but a book about what really happened during those years of losing weight. I get frustrated with success stories that don't delve into the mind and emotions of the struggle to succeed. Or often times when they try to explain the journey after-the-fact it just comes out sounding so cliche' and empty. Fulda breaks the mold with this book and brilliantly communicates raw and real emotions of the struggles, victories and failures of her phenomenal weight loss achievement. Her commitment is the key to her attitude progression from 'fat girl syndrome' to 'weight loss mentality' to 'athletic decision making'.
There are no secret recipes, instructions or food rules, no exercise plans, etc, etc and thankfully so. If you don't know what to eat or how to exercise by now then you may not be ready for this book because this is where the rubber meets the road. This isn't about how to eat but about how one person got it done and is keeping it done! Not everyone is ready to hear about the struggle when they are still making 'plans' to lose weight but for those of us who are in the trenches this is a MUST READ! This is about a girl who didn't quit - a REAL American hero.
Though thoroughly entertaining this book is not meant for sensitive people. There are times when the language is quite rough and her merciless thoughts about others are a little tough but that's what this book is - her inner thought life. You may even get offended (like you would if you could read the minds of people around you) but I'd encourage you to get over it quickly and read on. I finished this book in 2 days, I don't even know how I found it because I wasn't looking for anything like this on Amazon but it showed up...to use Jeanette's words, my computer must know I'm fat!
True to life, and very funny. 2008-07-13
After undergoing gall bladder surgery at age twenty-three, Jennette Fulda decided it was time to lose some weight. Actually, more like half her weight. At the time, Jennette weighed 372 pounds.
Jennette was not born fat. But, by fifth grade, her response to a school questionnaire asking “what would you change about your appearance” was “I would be thinner.” Sound familiar?
Half-Assed is the captivating and incredibly honest story of Jennette’s journey to get in shape, lose weight, and change her life. From the beginning—dusting off her never-used treadmill and steering clear of the donut shop—to the end with her goal weight in sight, Jennette wows readers with her determined persistence to shed pounds and the ability to maintain her ever-present sense of self.
Sharing the journey with humor and honesty... 2008-07-12
Being one of the millions of obese people out there, I saw this book at the library and picked it up... Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir By Jennette Fulda. I can't say that I knew about her beforehand from her writing [..] But after reading Half-Assed, I'll be adding her to my blogroll and re-examining my own weight issues.
Contents: A History of Fatness; Living Large; The Snooze Button; No Epiphanies; Diet and Exercise; Stumbling Blocks; The Incredible Shrinking Woman; The Girl in the Mirror; Too Small for My Britches; Two Weddings and a Funeral; Trail Mix; I Should Know Better By Now; My Online Waistline; Acquired Tastes; Decloaking; Half-Assed; The Secret; Killing the Fat Girl; Notes; Acknowledgments; About the Author "Before" and "After"
Fulda doesn't set out to write a book about her weight-loss program or some secret formula she discovered. This is nothing but a raw look at the pain and realities of being fat, and the struggles she had in losing over half her body weight. And in my opinion, that's why this book works so well. The celebrity weight-loss winners all seem to want to "sell" you on their methodology and program. Fulda doesn't go into any great detail about what to eat, how much to eat, exercise programs, and the like. You learn her fears and self-loathing as she climbs to over 360 pounds. You're listening to her live through the fits and starts of finally getting traction on her weight loss goals. And more importantly, you also experience her ups and downs over the many months that it took to get to her current half-Fulda state. I enjoyed watching her mindset change as she went from someone who she felt didn't deserve any attention to someone who knows what it's like to be "normal". She's brutally raw in her writing style, and she doesn't pull any punches about the difficulties involved in making such a radical change to your body. It's also refreshing to see her current attitude towards her body. She's still at a point where the charts would say she's "chubby", but she also is comfortable with that knowing from where she started her journey. It's nice to see a weight loss story that doesn't end with the person becoming supermodel-thin and a fitness magazine covergirl. Fulda is no different than you and me... Flawed, imperfect, but working away on life.
If you're looking for a "do this, this, and this" book, head elsewhere (or go over to her blog). But if you want to understand and experience life through the eyes of someone who's been there and is still working at doing that, read away.
Fabulous! 2008-06-23
This is a fabulous book! It was like reading an autobiography. Only I haven't lost half of me. Jennette is very entertaining and very motivating. I wanted to get out and start running every time I read this book. I've already passed it on to my mom and a co-worker as well. Love it!
SHE TELLS IT LIKE IT IS 2008-06-20
Jennette Fulda tells a remarkable story of determination. It's an incredible journey of dispair, joy and redemption. Fulda tells it like it is with honesty and large doses of humor. Anyone who is seriously overweight can relate to her stories. Only an obese person can truly understand life in a fat-unfriendly society. Her weight-loss journey is not an easy one but Fulda seems to have the inner-strength needed to succeed. She tells her own story without offering specific weight-loss advice. This is NOT a diet book. In fact, she refuses to discuss her exact method of losing weight. The diet she followed remains unnamed. She follows a healthier way of eating and tries to banish bad foods from her life, but there are a few mishaps and setbacks along the way. She knows it has to be a permanent lifestyle change. It's a journey of self-discovery on all levels. Her weight immobilizes her with so many aches and pains until exercise becomes her salvation. She is ashamed and self-conscious of her weight but her will is strong. It is her story and no one else's. She doesn't want to be come a weight-loss guru and doesn't preach for or against any way of thinking. She has her own views on fat acceptance and weight loss. It's up to the reader to find what is the right path and how to begin. Here story of dispair is one that so many seriously overweight people can understand. In Fulda's case, dispair becomes hope and hope becomes cautious joy as she nears her ideal weight. She tells her story with a humor that is often self-depracating. It's no secret that she succeeds in her quest before you start the book. She no longers suffers the stigma and pain of severe obesity. Readers just beginning their journey to weight loss might be put off with some of the humor. Fulda often uses humor to hide her pain, embarrassment and humiliation. Her humor can be a bit disparaging for a person who is still obese and the pain, embarrassment and humiliation is still a daily routine. She describes how she sat in an arm chair her weight spilled over the sides and looked like a muffin top. It's a funny visual unless being a muffin top is your reality. There is great joy in knowing that someone did succeed and ended the misery and pain of obesity. Her experiences show that the obese person is not alone in their suffering. Although obesity is a national epidemic, there are few books that address this issue in such a frank way. This is a gem of a book for anyone who suffers with obesity and seeks hope.
The blog is better.... 
2008-06-06
I am a big fan of Jeanette's blog, I have read her entire blog archives 2-3 times and some of my favorite entry's even more than that. Getting inside the head of someone who was successful loosing weight while they were doing it has definately helped me devolop the right mindset for my own weightloss journy. With that being said, while I'm in love with her blog, the book is basically the movie version of her blog that is not as good as the book.
I absolutely did not mind spending money on Jeanette's book because I am such a fan or her blog. This book is basically trying to turn her blog into a book. I would say 70-80% of the book materieal is taken verbatum from her blog archives....the same exact jokes, puns and all. At times it felt like she was trying to squeeze a clever take on something she covered on her blog, into the book where it just didn't fit, even though she would shorten it and try to make it fit.
I am glad I bought this book and read it because it did fill in some of the blanks of things I was wondering about from reading her blog. It was nice to know her thoughts about her blog and the online community, also a little more information about her past. I wonder how someone not familiar with her blog would fare trying to read her book, becasue with the blog it is easy to know what weight she is at and how long she's been dieting with each entry. It seemed like this book jumped around alot and would be harder to follow for someone that doesn't read her blog.
It was a fast easy read, I enjoyed learning some new things about Jeanette's story. I just think the story reads better on a blog, where jumping all over the place is expected. I would definately refer a friend to her blog before recommending the book. I realize that alot of the things she posted on her blog had to make it into the book, because they are both on the same topic. It's just the same exact jokes about EVERYTHING was a bit much. I was hoping it would be more of a look back at the journey with some new insight rather than her regurgetated blog entries.
