Posts filed under 'Books'
Commentary: Trust
“Adopt a regimen of health, practice moderate exercise, and take just enough food and drink to restore our strength, not overburden it.”
–Cicero, 44 BC
I just love this quote that my friend Sara once shared. It subscribes to the school of thought that as humans, we need to trust ourselves and our bodies to take just enough, do just enough — but to do nothing to excess. (HA — as Americans, isn’t EVERYTHING we do to excess?!)
Ironically, one of the tenets of the diet/weight loss industry is that we are incapable, as humans, to trust ourselves to just eat enough and exercise just enough.
We fall victim to our cravings, and then we “need” diet plans, diet books, guides, calorie counters, iPhone apps, journals, food scales, regular scales to help normalize ourselves. (more…)
12 comments May 6, 2009
BMI? “Whatever ….”
One of my fave bloggers, MamaVision shared a link on her blog that I loved re: BMI. Click here, to check out Kate Harding’s a slideshow, the BMI Project, that proves just how ridiculous BMI standards really are.
As MamaV puts it, “BMI is a bunch of B.S.” (And I happen to agree).
Kate is a leading blogger in the “fat acceptance” movement and she has a new book out called Lessons from the Fat-O-Sphere, Quit Dieting and Declare a Truce with Your Body.
It sounds really interesting. I admit I don’t know much about the movement, but I can easily see the point in not hating yourself just because of the size of your thighs or hips. Definitely want to see if I can get my hands on a copy …
8 comments May 1, 2009
Blog Tour: Author Shannon Cutts Stops By
As she is busy promoting her book, Shannon Cutts, author of Beating Ana: How to Outsmart Your Eating Disorder and Take Your Life Back took the time to stop by Tales of a (Recovering) Disordered Eater.
Now that I’ve read and reviewed her book, it was time to ask Shannon some questions.
Below are my questions and Shannon’s answers, verbatim. I hope you will find her words as powerful as I did.
But before I share our interview, I’d like to extend a special thank you to, Shannon, for taking the time to so Honestly, Openly and Willingly (H.O.W.) answer my questions. I appreciate it so very much, and I know my readers will, too. Best of luck to you on your book tour/blog tour. You’re an inspiration to us all.
Recovery IS possible; she’s living proof. (more…)
2 comments April 6, 2009
Beating Ana: The Long-Awaited Review
A while ago, I was asked to review the new book, Beating Ana, by Shannon Cutts. This weekend, I finally had a chance to read her work.
Though I personally have never experienced anorexia or bulimia — both of which she successfully recovered from — I really liked the easy flow of her writing, and the positive tone she carries throughout the book.
(Disclaimer: I’ve never read a recovery book, so I honestly didn’t know what to expect).
But even as someone who never dealt with the severe mental illnesses she did, I can still relate on my own level. I’d recommend this book to anyone ready to take that step.
I liked how she makes the connection that, in recovery, relationships replace eating disorders. (more…)
6 comments April 6, 2009
Book Giveaway: Beating Ana by Shannon Cutts
In honor of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, I was recently contacted about the upcoming release of the new book, Beating Ana: How to Outsmart Your Eating Disorder and Take Your Life Back by author Shannon Cutts.
As part of her blogosphere book tour to promote her new book. I will be receiving a copy to review shortly, and I wanted to offer one of my readers an opportunity to win a free copy of her book.
In a couple weeks, I will be interviewing Shannon here on my blog, after I have read/review the book myself.
According to materials I received, “In Beating Ana, Shannon reveals her own struggle with ED, introduces readers of six amazing women who have fought the same battle, and focuses on the need for those who suffer from eating disorders to look to mentors and sponsors to enable them to win.” (more…)
20 comments February 21, 2009
Soar With Your Strengths
… Which I’ll be honest, I thought sounded totally cheesy and ridiculous at first glance.
But after a brief perusal of the little pocket-sized book, I realized just how on to something the author was.
The book spoke reality: all too often in school or at work, we’re encouraged to fix the things that are “wrong” with us. To get better at this or improve that. Well, this book’s premise is the exact opposite.
If a student isn’t good at math, the book argues, don’t try to make her love it. Rather, let her flourish in her passion for British lit or pyschology.
If an employee is really good at Excel and administrative tasks, don’t put him on the phone making cold calls to new business prospects.
Sure, every corporate executive can benefit from media training. But that doesn’t mean that shy executive X should necessarily be the face of your company in a live interview on CNN to the world … especially not if he’s better at the written word or telephone interrogations.
If we strengthen the things we’re good at, the book proposes, instead of spending energy and money trying to fix what’s “wrong” with us, won’t we be better students and more productive employees? Better friends, better lovers, better partners? YES! (more…)
11 comments January 5, 2009
Book Update
My inter-library loan was taking too darn long, so I hit up B&N Friday night after we’d gone out to dinner with friends and picked up Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters.
I literally had trouble putting it down, and found myself reading til about 2 a.m.! I’m about a third of the way through now, and could see myself finishing it by mid-week.
Courtney Martin’s style is so easy, and for someone who is only 25, she writes like a pro about the preoccupation young women today feel towards their bodies.
Instead of being “good girls” like our moms were maybe taught to be, our generation somehow got the notion we need to be “perfect girls,” a third wave of “feminism” where body-loathing is the norm, a now-essential part of being female. (more…)
20 comments November 17, 2008
Book Recommendation: Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters
I haven’t read this book yet, but, given my interest in (and experience with) disordered eating issues, MamaV recommended it to me this past weekend, and it’s the next book I’ll be picking up.
Courtney Martin’s acclaimed book is called Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters, and you can read the Amazon reviews here.
Straight from the Amazon review, “This eye-opening look at twenty-first century culture and its impact on women reveals how food and weight obsession, driven in no small part by images of celebrities openly wasting away, threatens a new generation of girls as the feminist exhortation that “you can do anything” is twisted into “you must do everything.” It also inspires readers to consider what wonderful things might happen if the madness stopped once and for all.”
MamaV’s book club is reading it and discussing a chapter a week — an awesome idea! Since I haven’t read it yet, I don’t have much to add … but you can bet my thoughts about it are going to find their way to this blog.
How about you? Have you read this book? Would you like to join me?
15 comments November 11, 2008
