Angry Fat Girls by Frances Kuffel is the memoir of five women struggling with losing weight and gaining it back again. The author’s life was transformed when she lost 188 pounds. That story was documented in Kuffel’s book, Passing for Thin.

Angry Fat Girls, to be released in January, deals with how Kuffel’s life changed yet again when she gained back more than half of the weight she lost. But the book is about more than the physical and psychological implications of the author’s weight gain. Kuffel’s memoir includes the stories of four other women: “5 Women, 500 Pounds and a Year of Losing It…Again.”

After she re-gained the weight, Kuffel formed new friendships with the other women featured in the book. They were in similar situations and found each other through the internet. The memoir has been described as funny and painfully honest. They’re looking for their best selves amid all the crazy weight loss struggles, while also asking the difficult questions like “Who am I inside all this weight?”

Enter to Win Angry Fat Girls: 5 Women, 500 Pounds and a Year of Losing It…Again

Contest is open to US residents only. Leave a comment on this post before 11 pm CST on Tuesday, December 15. Share why you’d like to win this book.

The randomly chosen winner will have 5 days to respond to my request for a mailing address before another winner is chosen. Please check your spam filter on December 16.

(Image via Berkley)

UPDATE: Congrats to the randomly chosen winner, Amanda!

Post from: Blisstree

Book Giveaway: Angry Fat Girls

I found a great list of diet tips from AOL Health. These tips are tried and true favorites of top US registered dieticians.

Some are no-brainers, like switch out your whole milk for 1% (I use Fat Free myself). Did you know that if you drink one glass of milk a day, then this switch could generate a 5 pound weight loss in one year?

Here are a few more of the tips that were provided to AOL, by Prevention magazine:

“Eating out? Halve it, and bag the rest. A typical restaurant entree has 1,000 to 2,000 calories, not even counting the bread, appetizer, beverage and dessert.” Be sure to put your leftovers into a refrigerator promptly.

“Get calories from foods you chew, not beverages. Have fresh fruit instead of fruit juice.” Fresh fruit has fiber and fills you up. Juice does not.

“Have a V8 or tomato juice instead of a Diet Coke at 3PM.” Excellent! I just purchased some Spicy Hot V8 yesterday. 

“Mix three different cans of beans and some diet Italian dressing. Eat this three-bean salad all week.” I suggest adding finely sliced slivers of red onion to the mixture. Tastes excellent when spooned over a green salad.

“As obvious as it sounds, don’t stand near the food at parties. Make the effort, and you’ll find you eat less.” I saw something on TV that said to turn away from the food, because if you face it, you’re more likely to reach for another serving.

Image credit: Sxc.hu

Post from: Blisstree

5 Easy Ways to Increase Weight Loss

The Measure Up Bowl is a handy dish that measures foods for you, without having to use and dirty separate measuring cups. Simply pour or serve whatever you’re eating and then eat directly from the bowl, whether it’s a snack of mixed nuts or a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs.

They come in two sizes as well, a “classic” size with measurements up to two cups down to 1/2 a cup, perfect for larger meals like soup, salads, fruits and pasta, and a “small” bowl with measurements up to 3/4 cup for light snacks, cereal or ice cream.

There’s a child bowl too that I’m a little leery of, mostly because I don’t think kids need to be worrying about how much they eat, as far as portion control goes (I think a parent can show them how much to put in a regular bowl and maybe supervise). Anyway, I think the two regular bowls are a fantastic idea just the same.

The bowls can be purchased at the Measure Up Store, but in my opinion, they’re not too affordable. One classic bowl will run you $20, and the small bowl is $14, or you can get them both together for $30. I can’t find any pricing information for the children’s bowls, though. The porcelain bowls are all dishwasher and microwave safe.

What do you think? Is this a food “gadget” you’d invest in?

[image used with permission from measure up bowl]

Post from: Blisstree

Easy Portion Control with Measure Up Bowls

I’ve been reading Kim Bensen’s book Finally Thin. It seems like I’m always struggling with staying on a healthy eating plan, and gaining and losing those same pounds over and over again. Finally Thin sounded like an interesting read to me, and I haven’t been disappointed.

The book itself isn’t a diet plan, but it does outline her ten step system you can use with any diet plan. It’s a very inspirational book, and provides motivation to help you through those tough days when you fall off the healthy eating wagon and can’t get back on (which is my problem most of the time).

I really like that the book isn’t plugging a certain way of eating or “diet” it’s simply inspiration and ideas to help you stick to your healthy eating plan. The book also includes over 70 recipes you can use for meal planning.

With all the negativity surrounding dieting, it’s just inspirational to read about someone who’s lost over 200 pounds and kept it off for several years!

Image via Amazon.com

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Finally Thin Book Review

It’s a few weeks in to my eating consciously as suggested by Paul McKenna’s I Can Make You Thin on TLC.

Here’s what I know so far.

If one kept this up for a lifetime they could likely eat whatever they wanted and not gain weight.

Here’s the thing.

I used to think I loved food.

Turns out I loved eating food while watching TV, reading, flipping through a magazine.

Eating Consciously – thinking about the food, tasting the food, looking at the food, chewing the food slowly – well, that’s just boring.

I used to think I made a bad-ass spaghetti. Eh. It’s okay.

Loved, loved, loved chips – even the low fat kind. But, if I have to go to the table to eat it without a distraction - Eh. I think I’ll pass and just watch the TV or go read.

If I can’t eat breakfast while working at my computer – eating breakfast seems like a waste of time.

Same with taking a break to eat lunch. I’m just not that into it.

I miss eating when I was distracted because the actual food just isn’t as exciting as I thought it was. It feels more like brushing my teeth – I do it cause I have to, not cause I get a lot of pleasure from it.

Has anyone else been trying Paul McKenna’s plan to make us thin?

Are you experiencing this or something else?

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Love Food? Eh. Not So Much.

Of course, the side effect is that you crap your pants.

Come on Ladies. Is being a few pounds thinner worth crapping your pants?

If it’s worth that, then why is it not worth walking a mile or two?

Another study reports that women would rather take 10 years off their lives rather than gaining 50 pounds.

Well, if you gain 50 pounds you kind of DO take 10 years off your life, don’t you? And if you are willing to sacrifice 10 years of time, then why not give up 1 hour a day to yourself by exercising?

I’m just saying – hello, there is no magic pill. If there were, I believe Oprah would have found it and told us all about it. If there is one thing in life you can count on, it’s probably that.

Stop crapping your pants, stop taking pills and decide you’re worth the effort of a healthy diet and exercise.

You’ll not only be thinner, you’ll be happier and less depressed. That’s a fact you can count on.

Post from: Blisstree

Crap Your Pants or Be Fat?

That 2 hours before bed seems to be the magic key to weight loss. Well, that’s a little simplistic, because I made all the other changes first over the last year-and-a-half. - drinking water, extreme amounts of exercise, whole grain bread and noodles, baked not fried, and adding breakfast and healthy snacks.

In Bob Greene’sThe Best Life Diet you can’t eat 2 hours before bed. It took me 16 months to lose about 20-25 pounds doing all the other stuff put together.  That’s what? 1.4 pounds a month?

But, in one month, actually 5 weeks, I lost 7 pound by not eating after 8 pm. Plus all the other stuff.

At least I think so. Maybe. I dunno if I believe it.

There are two significant variables:

• Weighing the day before my period in August, but weighing the day AFTER my period in Sept. That could be 5 pounds right there. What’s the menstrual weigh-in rule?
• The scale at the gym was serviced (they adjust the balance periodically) between my two weigh-ins. Maybe the scale was off the first time and it’s saying I lost 7 pounds and I lost 2? How can I know?

With everything going on in my life, new school schedules, coaching soccer, mentoring, working from home, mothering, marriage issues, book club . . . I don’t really feel ready to move to Phase 2. If I’m losing 7 pounds a month, I’m okay with not amping up the dieting right now. I think I’ll just hang out in Phase 1 for at least a month. Seven pounds a month is acceptable, even if it’s not true.

Post from: Blisstree

Weigh-In

I didn’t know it but High Fructose Corn Syrup is my favorite food on the planet. I’m actually unsure if it’s possible not to eat it. Maybe if you have access to a lot of health food stores in a big-city you might be able to do it, but I’m questioning whether in a meat-n-potatoes small town it’s even a viable and affordable option.

Some of the thing I previously believed were healthy enough.

• Peanut Butter
• Salad Dressing
• Whole Wheat Bread
• Granola Bars
• Crackers
• Instant Oatmeal
• Shredded Wheat Cereal

Get rid of Partially Hydrogenated Oil and what is left? Not much. Ever noticed how much less expensive the HFCS and PHO foods are in the grocery store? Between .30 and $2 per item, by my estimation. If it’s even available.

I’m still deciding whether it’s something I am able to give up.

Post from: Blisstree

High Fructose Corn Syrup – YUM!

My reflection is how I identify with my self.

It’s mysterious to me how I could look in the mirror every day, putting on make up, fixing my hair, or brushing my teeth and then be totally shocked when I saw a photo of myself. I was fat and didn’t see it. The power of denial about my weight issue confounded me for quite some time. I would see what I expected to see in the mirror, a memory of me, disregarding the number on my pants telling me there was an ever increasing problem.

Since losing 20-25 pounds I’m shocked at how much of that was on my face and neck.

When I look in the mirror it’s like finding my self again, a part of my inner identity that was hidden under a layer of puffiness.

I really missed me.

Post from: Blisstree

Face Me

Four years later, I have been successful in maintaining a healthy weight and am proud of myself for that. I try to exercise regularly and use the portion control guidelines I was taught when I had the surgery. I’m not saying that in order to be happy, women need to be a certain size, but I am saying that we should all strive to be healthy. I still struggle with trying not to let comments about my body affect me.

The article begs the question, if we love a big black woman, will we still love her if she’s thin?

The article also brings a difference in body image between African American women and caucasian women.

We African American women are taught to be proud of our curves, full breasts and shapely hips. I used to look in the mirror and take pride in my figure, but that was when I was legitimately a full-figured woman.

White women, on the other hand aren’t allowed the luxury of curves. Heck, I thought I was hearing things when my African American mentee said, “I love this dress it makes my butt look so big!” from the dressing room. She meant big as in good. I’ve never heard a white girl say anything like that about her butt.

Post from: Blisstree

Star Jones Tells About Surgery