And how this Book Won’t Help you on Your Next One.
What a title, huh? It made me laugh aloud when I read it. So did the back cover with quotes like…
"It’s like a blog, but on REAL paper"
-Some Guy on the Internet"Three thumbs up"
-Combined praise from eight of the authors relatives.
Being someone who doesn’t mind a little self analyzing and laughing at themselves, I appreciated the author’s humor and this book was right up my alley. Charlie Hills seemed like someone I can relate to.
Then I started reading.
"Relate to" is a complete understatement!
I have never met a MAN who shared almost my EXACT diet history. I mean from his experiences on the holidays, to taco nights, his take on diets and the low carb craze I never nodded and chuckled more while reading a book in my life. I mean he even tried bodyFlex! I thought I was the only one that fell prey that craziness! It was as if we lived parallel lives (even though I am a bit younger then him-sorry, had to get THAT dig in ;~P)
And I only emphasize MAN, because I met quite a few women I can really relate to (or that can relate to me), having similar body image issues, and yo yo dieting cycles, but a MAN? I don’t mean to be sexist here, but I never think of men as having similar food issues (go ahead male readers, all three of you, comment away). I guess it’s because I married Mr. HighMetabolism and had a father was so obsessed with the weight of his daughter he’d never let himself put on a few pounds. No, it was the women in my family that seemed to struggle, and let’s be honest here, we are the ones that have more to live up to on the images media tends to put out.
But Charlie had me reconsidering my stance on men and diets. I guess men ARE people too. ;~P They can fall prey to all the food cycles women do.
Leafing through the book as I write this, I must have dog eared about 100 pages that I wanted to remember and share with you. Right now I’m mad at myself for not just taking a highlighter to the darn thing! Here’s a few quotes and insights that just struck me…
Two hundred and nineteen point five! I suddenly found myself pining for the days when I thought 205 was a big number. How much worse could this get? I’m a reasonable intelligent person. I understand the mechanics of caloric theory. But why did I seemingly no control over it.
…
Needless to say, this triggered yet another Day One.
…
On the occasions I am lucky enough to keep [jeans] for longer then a week, I then have to wrestle with the prospect of washing them. I try to put this off for as long as humanly possible, ignoring mustard and grease stains for far longer then is socially acceptable. Laura will sneak into the closet while I’m, asleep, throw them in the washer, and replace them before I’m ever aware of what happened. The next day, in an attempt to put them on, I find I can only get them half way up my tree trunks. "Arrrrgh!" Never mess with a fat guy’s jeans…
I could go on and on. Honestly, this is a great read. It’s funny, it’s insightful and if you have struggled with your weight at all you will relate to Charlie. Plus in the 80′s, he was a big Incredible Hulk fan. That just sealed the deal for me, we are definitely long lost siblings. ;~P
If you are interested in purchasing Why Your Last Diet Failed You and How This Book Won’t Help You on Your Next One click here.
13 Responses to Why Your Last Diet Failed You
Leave a Reply
I Published a Cook Book!
BlogToLose
What's Cooking in my kitchen?
-
If I was a good blogger this idea would have been published BEFORE the Super Bowl not during it. I made these today to have a little fun. Surprisingly, The Husband liked them even though he didn't eat more than one. Why? Because he's strange like [...] -
If you read my weight loss blog you know I'm battling a bit of back and neck pain right now. I'm starting to feel a little better but those first few days where rough. Being the head chef of the household, this meant we ordered in a couple of times. I'm [...] -
I'm LOVING Pinterest! I can just scroll all day long looking at food photo after food photo. I wish I had more time to peruse! (I'm RoniNoone there by the way?) The other day I pinned a Portabello Mushroom pizza and was immediately inspired. It's such a simple idea and so light. [...] -
The other day I found myself craving an Orange Julius. Are they as popular as I think they are? Growing up we had an Orange Julius at our local mall. It was always a treat for us at the end of a family shopping trip. Once I was old enough to be [...] -
So I'm a little breakfast nutty at the moment. Little Bean LOVES eggs and I find myself cooking them more and more. This morning I decided to go super light (after last nights chocolate overload) and it was totally satisfying for just over 100 calories! The trick to making [...] -
A few weeks ago I saw Chef Michael Simon make a raw kale salad on The Chew. He sliced beets up real thin and cut the kale into ribbons. Then made a vinaigrette out of red wine vinegar and olive oil. I was immediately intrigued. So far I've only [...] -
I've had this idea for a quick creamy chicken dish for a few days now. It was time to give it a shot. The whole family LOVED it. I'm not joking. The only complaint came from Little Guy who declared his hate of mushrooms yet again BUT he ate everything around them. Fine [...] -
I made this on a total whim yesterday as I had leftover avocado after feeding the baby and leftover Spaghetti squash cooked from the weekend. I roasted the squash to serve with my Chicken tips instead of potatoes and it was AMAZING! Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked. So I'm sitting there staring [...] -
It's post holiday season. You know what that means? Leftover Crescent rolls to experiment with! Every year for Thanksgiving I buy a few canisters. It's the only time I do as I can't be trusted around them. Let's just say I'd beat you in the How-Many-Crescent-Rolls-Can-You-Eat-In-One-Sitting game and leave [...] -
Last week the kids and I tried parsnips for the first time and I've made them 3 times since. I wanted to figure out the best way to roast them. Yeah, that's it, the best way to roast them. You'll buy that right? Right? The truth is, I'm obsessed. I found myself [...] -
Yesterday just felt like a good day to stuff an acorn squash. I had one sitting on my counter for quite some time and it was just begging to be cooked. Since both husband and child don't like it I made a solo meal just for me and, well, it was DELICIOUS! [...] -
I bought a fennel bulb on a whim for the holidays not knowing quite what I would do with it. Of course I forgot about until yesterday when I was rummaging through the fridge trying to figure out what I wanted to make for breakfast. I pulled it out and stared [...] -
I probably should have warned you I was taking a holiday hiatus. I've been soaking up every moment of family time imaginable these last few days, leaving no time for anything else. Not even blogging! Shocking I know. ;) So I return not with a new recipe, per se, but to [...] -
Here's a quick idea for when you find yourself with a spaghetti squash but don't quite know what to do with it. Come on. Admit it. That's happened to you too. It's sure happened to me! I roasted this squash on Sunday... [...] -
I'm not sure if this will be a crowd pleaser, but I liked it and thought I'd share in hopes it inspires you to have some fun with kale. I loved the combination of sweet pear, earthy kale, salty bacon bits and creamy hummus. The only issue with the wrap was [...] -
I'm going on day 2 of counting Weight Watcher Points and I'm already inspired to come up with light, healthy meals for myself. It's like I needed the constraint of points to motivate me. Isn't that weird? Anyway, all morning I was brainstorming what to make for lunch. I wanted something flavorful [...] -
I have a friend who patiently cleaned, peeled and cubed a fresh pumpkin and then selflessly gave me some. Scratch that, a TON! I would have never even thought of doing something like that! But now that I have it in my fridge the ideas are flowing. First, I roasted some [...] -
CHRISTMAS COOKIES! YAY! Sorry. I'm so excited! Little Guy and I had tons of fun making and decorating cookies today. It may just be my favorite part of the holiday season. I loved it when I was a kid and now I get to do it with my own kids. [...] -
This may be my simplest idea yet, but it was so tasty and satisfying I had to share. Plus you guys know I'm a Laughing Cow Community Leader so I'm all about sharing fun ways to use their products. You guys may also know how I feel about pausing and making [...] -
I made this on Thursday. THURSDAY! I hate when I can't post something I've eaten within 24 hours. It just bugs me. Not sure why, it really doesn't matter when I post it, does it? Anyway, I did whip this up to cure a pizza craving and I couldn't be happier. [...] -
It's been awhile since I jazzed up a tilapia fillet. I've breaded them before, coated them in oats, flavored them like one of my favorite drinks and topped them with a fun salsa. It was time to bring nuts into the party. You are going to think I'm crazy but I've [...] -
Fun leftover turkey idea #2! Click here for leftover turkey idea #1. I had a little Gouda leftover from this years Harvest Salad and decided to put all the same flavors from the salad into a quesadilla. I just can't get enough of the smokey gouda/sweet craisin combo. It goes [...] -
It's the day after Thanksgiving and my refrigerator ROCKS! I have leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, roasted Brussels Sprouts, a bunch of veggies and tons of miscellaneous fun stuff. I've already made stock from the bones (like this) and my first batch of soup, Classic Turkey Noodle. I hope to share [...] -
I'm so sorry I've been slacking in the Thanksgiving recipe department. I feel like a bad food blogger. Everyone else is posting festive ideas and here I've gone missing for a few days. Maybe it's because I'm not doing anything special for Turkey day. I finally got my holiday cooking [...] -
I just made a quick, tasty one pot meal the whole family ate without complaint! And when I say "whole" I mean WHOLE! The Baby, The Little Guy, AND The Picky Eater Husband! Here's the story…I was in NO mood to spend a lot of time on dinner. The thought [...]
About Roni
Roni started this blog in '05 to journal her weight loss. 70lbs later, she's committed to living a conscious, healthy life and hopes to inspire others along the way. Read more on the about page.
OMG at that Body Flex video…I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard in 2 minutes EVER!!!! This book actually sounds great…I’m going to check it out!
this book sounds great, and now i have a new blog to subscribe too. thanks for the review, roni, i’ll have to pick it up!
Check out Laura Brandons last blog post..I’m One Of Those Whiny Blogs
Sounds like a great book…..I will have to pick up a copy!
Check out KK (Running Through Life)s last blog post..A Belated 7 Month Recap
sounds very cool!!!! I need something funny in my life at the moment besides 2 yr olds putting toys in their ears :)
Check out Annettes last blog post..6 Months~~~~~A Practical Benefit of Weight Loss
yep…i bought body flex back in the early 90′s too…(((PAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!)) Ok, those of you who bought it, know what that was- LOL! And I know other people in real life who did too….I wonder where that Blake (wasnt that her name?) is now….:)
I checked out Charlie’s site. Thanks for the link. It’s great. I love a little humor with my diet!
Check out Christies last blog post..Eating Together as Husband and Wife . . .
Went to his blog and loved it!
Check out Jens last blog post..Turkey Tostadas
It’s great to read some excerpts about the weight-gain/weight-loss roller coaster coming from a male perspective. Thanks for this book review!
Check out Lizs last blog post..Winds of Change
This book is way too funny to have been written by a man… I think Charlie is a nickname for Charlene! ;)
Great review!
Check out MaryBs last blog post..Charlie Hills
cool charlie wrote a book! he definitely has the talent to! =P
Check out Madison (FollowMyWeigh)s last blog post..shabu shabu
Love it! I recently heard, somewhere, that boys are facing the same problem as girls with body image. The men on our movie screens that are so buff! When will it end?
Check out Natalia Burlesons last blog post..The day ended well. :)
Charlie’s blog is great!! I had no idea he wrote a book- good for him!
Great post Roni! Charlie is my brother, and even if he weren’t my brother, this book is really funny!