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When you see 194 lbs - what do you think? Fit person? Fat person? Doesn’t matter. 194 lbs is an entire person.
Imagine losing that extra person in weight after years of being obese. It’s been part of your identity and has defined a good portion of life as you know it. And now, that extra person is gone.
People would want to know, how did you do it? How did you rid yourself of that much weight and - hear this - details please!
Well, my dear reader, I’ve got a goody to share.
The good blogging gods have smiled upon me and as fate would have it, I won a pre-released copy of Jennette Fulda’s book *Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir
Onto the book review.
From the first page (and chuckle) Jennette is candid about her moments in fat history. You can’t help but relate (and chuckle some more) at the thoughts she would have and the decisions she would make. For instance, she mentions the ‘fat-shaming’ that overweight people have to go through. There is also a great snapshot of what many people who are overweight do - have a scary moment, a shaming, a something-not-so-nice happen and resolve to get rid of that weight once and for all! Tomorrow!
During better times, you get to experience the positive changes (backhanded compliments and all) that come with dropping poundage.
When Jennette decided she was actually ready for a change, she hopped on the bandwagon and rode the learning curve. You read her momentary shennanigans and realize that being perfect every waking moment of your dieting isn’t necessary to make some major changes. (See? You DON’T have to wait ’til Monday!)
In a sobering reflection of thought, she writes
“Being overweight was like being in debt. Instead of owing money, I owed calories…
… It takes approximately 3500 calories to burn a pound of fat. Multiply that by 212 pounds to lose and I was 742,000 calories overdrawn. My body was charging interest via my disintegrating health.”
– Jennette Fulda
And also- for the bloggers amongst those reading this review, you’ll be fascinated by the (welcome) gains the rising popularity of Half of Me (the PastaQueen blog) has granted her. Jennette dishes her moments of irrationality with us and asks where’s the sense in not being able to tell your family and friends your highest weight yet share it with millions of readers, weekly, on your blog? Judging from her success, who cares where that sense is?
So really- how DID she do it?
Dieting and exercising speckled with many small moments of triumph and having to weather moments of set backs that’s how. Impressive as that is (I know you were waiting for the Kitchsy Ketchup and Black Pepper Diet), the rich appeal of this book is how Jennette takes the basics and marries it with real life. Witnessing her history of obesity to a 1 woman at the end of this book - Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir
All in all, I’m pleasantly surprised that someone has managed to write a weight loss memoir in such a way that I didn’t want to put it down, laughed a good lot of the way, and felt inspired by til the very end. It’s the true story of a fat girl gone thin. Losing nearly 200 lbs when you once weighed 372 lbs is no small feat. It’s a big deal worth pointing out.
If you have never-ending issues with losing weight, do something awesome for yourself and pick up a copy of Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir
And just to seal the deal by pointing out another cool factor; if you go to PastaQueen.com, you can rotate 3D versions of Jennette throughout stages of her weightloss instead of the standard progress pics.
What’s not to like?
Enjoy!
* This link has an InMyHeels affiliate ID # however this was not a paid review. I just get excited about things that I love and had to share the goods. 
well i don’t have that much weight to lose, but i will check out her book because i’m struggling with losing my 15-20lbs. maybe this book will give me some additional encouragement.
thanks for passing this along.
Natural’s last blog post..Mindboggling
hey girl! I’m using your new post as an excuse to say hello! I hope all is well; haven’t talked to you in forever it seems! Take care. :]
apricot.’s last blog post..no title.
Jemi
I’ve never heard of this blog so thanks for the heads up. Jennette has accomplished somthing so phenomenal I’m sure this would be an inspiring read. I can’t imagine what it must be like to live obese rather than just fat and lumpy. Your true self would forever be pushed behind your dress size and I bet so many people would never take the time to really get to know you. Even then, you’d probably still be put into some kid of category as the “fat one”.
I’ll be checking this out for sure. And good on you for promoting a fellow blogger!
Kelly
Kelly@SHE-POWER’s last blog post..How I Lost 9kg and Still Ate Chocolate Cake (3)
Hi JEMi,
What a pleasant surprise. I came to visit expecting another of you heart warming posts, but instead I see you have expanded your writings to include book reviews.
This sounds like an amazing book from an extraordinary woman. She gets kudos from me for sharing her weight loss publicly. Undoubtedly she will be an inspiration for many.
Thank you JEMi for a great book review. Something tells me this is just the beginning of other great things we’ll see on your site.
Very interesting, but I get discouraged by huge weight loss stories. I generally believe that the lifestyle one must have to get that heavy is usually so severe that small changes will make a big difference right away. For sure, the last 10-20 pounds is the hardest, which is where I’m at.
Great-written review though! I read every word, and I rarely do more than scan reviews.
@ Natural: I’m sure you’ll enjoy it - it was a pleasant surprise of a weightloss book
I’m glad you’re thinking of looking into it!
@ Apricot: Oh dear, I must agree - well thanks for stopping by. It’s this whole ..college thing getting in my way again
But you’ll see my around
@ Kelly: I agree with you and ah, it’s a pleasure to spread the good news a blogger is experiencing with others! I’m one of those so never hesitate to share something new and exciting with me!
@ Barbara: Your hunch is very correct.. behind the scenes I’m developing my master plan (ok developing ideas are daring to go out on those limbs) for InMyHeels.. Since InMyHeels is dedicated to the betterment of self .. JEMi style of course
you will be seeing a few changes seep onto these pages. Thanks for noticing - it’s so nice to get kudos from a fellow blogger 
@ J: Thanks for the comment J- I see what you mean however IMO, those small changes are still a big deal if it goes against well developed habits! That being said, the last 10-20 lbs are def. the very hardest lose darn it! Its such a fact lol
Oh and thanks for reading despite it being a review
Hello Jemi!
Once again you post something that never gets to a point where it is boring, I honestly read every word!! Anyhow you done quite a good review and I am sure Jenette Fulda would be pleased.
I have never struggled with weight, but my husband has. Being Greek you weren’t healthy unless you were quite a chubby baby. So as a child he was obese weighing in at 118 kgs until his early teens. Through healthy eating and exercise he managed to drop all the weight off. But with having been obese it is a struggle throughout his life because you never get rid of those extra fat cells. They shrink but don’t decrease in number and everytime you fluctuate they multiply making it each time that much more difficult. So if he eats late at night he literally gains weight and is bloated the next morning!
I am not a fan of the ever growing and popular lap ban surgery. I believe it has a lot of health risks and the weght comes off to quickly, although it is ones choice. So when I read Jennette’s story I was so proud of her, I kept spinning her 3D pictures around. I am glad to see she is trying to inspire others, wishing her all the success with her blog and book!
Hayleyjade.
Wow, good on her. She looks so different. Top work on the review too mate!
You see, it’s these type of stories we need to hear more often. I mean, weight issues transcend gender and age. There are 14 year old girls who feel so ashamed about their weight and 24 year old guys who do the same, but they don’t focus on the fact that they need to care for their health, not just because they don’t want a paunch when they wear a bikini.
This woman did it the right way and for the right reasons. Good on her.
Oh, and nice book review. I ordered it from Amazon after reading your post. Good work.