Shocking title? I know. It is the exact same thing I thought when I went into Borders 5 years ago and purchased the book titled “Skinny Bitch”. Do you thrive on tough love? Do you like being called a Fat Cow? Then this is the book for you!
I don’t know about you, but I tend to keep a healthier diet when I am reading books that promote a healthy lifestyle. I actually first read this book back when I first purchased it in 2007 and I had no idea what I was in for. I will admit that the title totally got me (and the writers fully admit that is the reason why they titled the book the way it is). So when I was looking for good books to read recently, I decided that I would read this book again and brush up on the lifestyle that I was too scared of back then.
The first chapters title is “Give it Up”, and then proceeds to list items in your diet that you should give up, and reasons why you should give them up. Basically everything that was in my diet at the time. Dairy, meat, caffeine, candy, and anything else you can think of that makes your taste buds have a party in your mouth (at the time). I was thinking that the diet they were promoting would be more South Beach, or Mediterranean, since those were the “hot” diets at the time. I thought to myself, “I’ll get this book and just keep reading the same old, same old”, but I found very different information than what I was use to.
This book is written by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, both former models, and Kim holds a Master’s Degree in Holistic Nutrition. I will say that they are straight forward with their tactics on how to get fit and healthy. This works well for me, or at least I take it well, I should say. I remember it was around 6 years ago when I went to an Endocrinologist because I wasn’t getting a period regularly. The blunt Doctor told me I was too fat and that I needed to lose weight. At the moment I was offended and kind of wanted to cry until I told myself “she’s right, and just because she didn’t use the best tactic doesn’t make it any less true, and she wasn’t saying it to be mean”.
Anyway, I like the book’s straightforwardness. It also has an entire chapter dedicated to poop (my favorite subject), and how a plant-based diet helps you to move things along.
It gives you information on government agencies and the role they play with our food, and without getting too controversial, I will just say that the chapter is titled Have No Faith: Governmental Agencies Don’t Give a Shit About Your Health, and I have to admit, the proof is in the Pink Slime (if you have never heard of Pink Slime, click to link to a shocking demonstration of how 70% of America’s meat is containing this HORRIBLE concoction of meat and chemicals) . I like the tagline in this chapter that states “Trust No One”. It empowers you to get to know your food and the ingredients.
The one thing I found hard with this book is that I felt overwhelmed. There were so many things that you feel like you have to cut out of your diet at once it seemed impossible and frustrating before you even started the method. My advice for people who want to do a major overhaul in their diet is to make one small change at a time. A big step for me this year has been the Vegan kick-start that I did in January, and now in April, but I also realize that my hub’s will never be a health guru and that I am going to have to compromise on a few things (like not completely cutting out meat products). So on the weeks that I have not been doing the kick-start we have meat products at dinner every other night. This is a big step considering we are used to eating meat multiple times a day. Eventually I hope to get it down to 2-3 times a week, but like I said, small changes at a time.
Bottom line for this book: It was entertaining, gave good information, and was definitely food for thought. I still think that meat in moderation is okay for you, but I do think that you need to research where you are getting your meat, and purchase the highest quality you can find. An example that I just can’t get out of my head is the fact that my Grandma is 92 years old, in great health, and has eaten meat and dairy her entire life, in moderation.
Do I recommend this book? Absolutely! If for anything it will definitely make you laugh!
