Skinny Bitch: A No-Nonsense, Tough-Love Guide for Savvy Girls Who Want to Stop Eating Crap and Start Looking Fabulous

by Rory Freedman, Kim Barnouin

book data

4,807 ratings, 3.29 average rating, 1,842 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		19%
4		26%
3		28%
2		16%
1		10%

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published

December 26th 2005 by Running Press Book Publishers

binding

Paperback, 224 pages

url

http://www.skinnybitch.net/

isbn

0762424931 (isbn13: 9780762424931)

description

Not your typical boring diet book, this is a tart-tongued, no-holds-barred wakeup call to all women who want to be thin. With such blunt advice as, "...more

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01/27/08

Michelle Cardel rated it:

Read in November, 2007

recommends it for: NO ONE!

I only read this book(or tried to read this book) because my best friend said it was AMAZING! I can't even begin to tell you how wrong she was. This book represents all that is wrong in the world of food. These two authors aren't teaching you how to eat right, they are teaching you to be anorexic (If you look at the sample menus they equate to aprroximately 700 calories/day-that is ridiculous!). The only reason this book got so much press was because Posh was photographed carrying it. The s...more

Like this review? yes (23 people liked it)

7 comments

12/27/07

Kristin added it

bookshelves: theworst

Read in December, 2007

recommends it for: no one

my lovely, trim, glamorous little sister received this book as a Christmas gift this year. its suspicious cover and title got the better of me, and i tore through the text in no more than two hours and needing a paper bag to breathe into. it was almost exactly what i expected. the emotionally and mentally abusive text - replete with cussing and pejoratives at least 4x per page - is nothing more than an obvious promotion of veganism. while i haven't anything against choosing to eat however one wo...more

Like this review? yes (15 people liked it)

1 comment

01/06/08

Shanti rated it:

Read in December, 2007

recommends it for: Everyone, after all we should all love our bodies

I have a weakness for bookstores. I like to judge a book by the cover and the first two pages. Had I judged one of my favorite books, Of Human Bondage, by the first 100 pages, I’d never have gotten through. It was the raving review of the friend who loaned it to me that helped me persevere.

In SFO airport, I stopped by the bookstore before heading to security check. I had an itch to spend $15 I suppose. I picked up this book Skinny Bitch and thought it had to be the most extreme att...more I have a weakness for bookstores. I like to judge a book by the cover and the first two pages. Had I judged one of my favorite books, Of Human Bondage, by the first 100 pages, I’d never have gotten through. It was the raving review of the friend who loaned it to me that helped me persevere.

In SFO airport, I stopped by the bookstore before heading to security check. I had an itch to spend $15 I suppose. I picked up this book Skinny Bitch and thought it had to be the most extreme attitude of weight loss I’d encountered and while I’m on my workout kick I was curious to read what they had to say. I read the first three pages easily while chuckling to myself. The co-authors are like drill sargents, potty mouthed and serving their message with no frills attached. I looked at the back and there was a photo of two typically attractive Los Angeles girls; one a nutritionist and the other a former Ford modeling scout interested in everything.

I thought, well this book should be entertaining and justified the potentially pedestrian reading material with the guilty pleasure my girlfriends indulge in when they buy People Magazine for flights and road trips. I quickly pulled a copy of The Economist from the magazine rack to help disguise my shame and paid my $15 while laughing (defense mechanism) to myself.

As I read the book, I was surprised the content was actually very informative. The authors were surfacing issues relating to animal cruelty, hormones and toxins present in non-organic food, and how government institutions are in cahoots with big brand food and drug industries. I flipped to the back cover of the book again; these ladies give a dime about environment and politics? I was impressed. I had judged the book and the authors by their covers and ironically was very pleased with my purchase. Save the drill Sargent vernacular, the book was excellent and I finished it during my 13 hour flight back to Beijing.

{I’m a slow reader, so 200 pages in 13 hours to me deserves a gold star.}

At the end of the book, the authors reveal how titling the book was part of their marketing strategy and people should focus on the beauty from inside out. Brilliant marketing, especially because I believe the book’s content is truly food for the mind. A lot of people who focus primarily on their physique could use a few gems Skinny Bitch has to offer.

I’d go vegan if I didn’t just love a rack of lamb encrusted with herbs, salts and pepper! I will say that the book has helped me to read labels even more than before and to ignore the calories. I love vegetables, but now I’m eating more fruit. I’ll save the meat for when I dine out, but love cooking vegetables and tofu at home especially since cooking Chinese style makes it so easy! I love that the authors tell you to eat whatever you like just as long as you remember that you are what you eat, so inform yourself by learning more about what you put in your body. The ethics of eating meat are simply a judgment call we all have to make on our own.(less)

Like this review? yes (13 people liked it)

2 comments

01/03/08

Jamie rated it:

Read in January, 2008

I think I liked French Women Don't Get Fat, better, simply because I'm not sure I would like either of these girls. Granted, I'm already not a meat-eater, and they do bring about some interesting points, etc. I would LOVE to stop wearing leather and drinking milk, eating butter and cheese, I even tried, inspired by this book (not to stop wearing leather, baby steps...)but to be vegan. Here's what I found: I'd rather not eat. Ie: I'd rather starve myself. I never felt full, and, unless I had...more I think I liked French Women Don't Get Fat, better, simply because I'm not sure I would like either of these girls. Granted, I'm already not a meat-eater, and they do bring about some interesting points, etc. I would LOVE to stop wearing leather and drinking milk, eating butter and cheese, I even tried, inspired by this book (not to stop wearing leather, baby steps...)but to be vegan. Here's what I found: I'd rather not eat. Ie: I'd rather starve myself. I never felt full, and, unless I had an hour to devote to preparing pasta, sauteed veggies and bred with olive oil, I didn't eat. Try to be vegan and make a quick thirty minute snack...vegan cheese sucks and it is not alvacado season and the night I decided to throw in the towel I had macaroni and cheese, green beans with butter and corn bread. Know why? Because that's what I like.
My decision to read this book was largely based on watching No Country for Old Men. I saw the guy get shot in the head with a cow stunner and just really lost it. Yes, that's awful. That's why I don't eat meat, and yes, I believe these two ladies when they say there's puss in milk. I'd believe almost anything about mistreatmetn of animals because it's pretty gastly in those slaughter houses.
But, I do not believe restriction and deprication is a plausible means for weight loss. That's called annorexia and I think it's going to give millions of girls a little bit of brain muscle behind their anxieties so they can further mask their relunctance to put a calorie in their face.
Knowledge is always good, but this book is a real how to for food avoidance, which most thirteen year-old girls are pretty good out without help...so are some twenty-something year-old girls. Raise your hand if you don't like "carbs" or you're not a beer drinker? Or maybe you don't like chocolate, sweets? See people, that's the funny thing about food--it's diverse. Don't like chocolate? Fine, but what are the chances you don't like pie or creme brulee, either? Sweets are treats for a reason and no, I don't believe it when you tell me you don't like it.
Instead, I think the French approch is best: eat thoughtfully, use your head, but extremes are never good, nor are they likely to work long-term. If you really become a master of deprivation then you're always going to be that weird-o that eats of your friends plates, snagging fries and dipping them in in and out shakes when nobody is looking. Don't want to hurt animals? Me either. And, if you're really not wearing leather and in it to win it and that's your life, I wish you the best and actually respect that, but this is a very slippery slope. Ultimately I felt like these girls were playing the ends against the middle: "eating too much of anything is unhealthy," but then they're telling us to pig out on nuts, alvacado and the like...that's still eating "an abundance" of something...the best is to be a concious eater, not hungry, pissed off and, let's face it, poorly dressed. This should not be a diet, it should be a very thought-out, careful decision, not a new reason not to eat or heavily restrict what you do eat.(less)

Like this review? yes (9 people liked it)

2 comments

11/25/07

Kim rated it:

Read in November, 2007

Brilliant marketing. I don't exactly know what compelled me to buy this book, since I don't diet and I don't read chick lit. (Some reviewers surmise from the book's cover and sassy tone that Skinny Bitch is targeted to a chick lit market.) I kept seeing the book on forays to Borders, where I seek periodic respite from my high-decibel children and ideas for coping more gracefully when I'm back in the fray. When I picked it up one evening and opened it to a section on aspartame (a vice I have sinc...more

Like this review? yes (8 people liked it)

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11/26/08

Sam rated it:

bookshelves: bookgroup, living, non-fiction

Read in December, 2008

I began reading this for a bookgroup and stopped half-way through. It's complete crap. I've been vegetarian for years and know a lot about where my food comes from. These women's assertations are not only wrong in many instances but they are inconsistent and absurd. They are strongly against the eating of meat or processed foods. However, they strongly advocate the "fake meat" products available which ARE a highly processed food. This book is pop culture at its worst and has nothing to...more

Like this review? yes (8 people liked it)

2 comments

12/02/07

Kelly Walker rated it:

This book provides an excellent representation of the problems with American culture convincing women to declare war on their bodies. Chapter 1: "Healthy =skinny. Unhealthy = fat." No, I don't think that obesity is acceptable, but at 5' 10" women should weigh more than 120 lbs if they want to be considered healthy. And one of these authors has a degree in Holistic Nutrition? Oh wait, they're both models.
There are a few valuable facts, but you have to dig them out from ...more

Like this review? yes (7 people liked it)

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03/11/08

Books Ring My Bell added it (review of isbn 1400105625)

bookshelves: poop, womens-interest

back away from the ice cream! Drop your hands and move away from the "moose knuckle bear fudge" !! I repeat, BACK THE HELL OFF!

HEY! Put down that second bag of chips! You don't need it! Hell, you didn't need the first bag, either. Let's go for a nice brisk walk, eh?

Do NOT stop at the drive thru! All Ronald McDonald wants to give you is a huge crapper and maybe a nice "Cardiac Surprise"! Step on the gas, bitch! Be gone!

I imagine this book to...more

Like this review? yes (7 people liked it)

20 comments

10/21/08

Sarah rated it:

(review of isbn 1400135621)

One of my best friends went vegan after reading this book, so I wanted to give it a look. (As you'll see, I don't like this book, but her successful lifestyle change is a real inspiration nonetheless.) While there are a lot of good arguments for going vegan, and while many of those arguments appear in this book, I couldn't connect with this narrative for several reasons. First, the loose, general use of the word "farmer" as part of the corporate machine keeping poison in our food was o...more

Like this review? yes (5 people liked it)

1 comment

05/24/08

Alexandra rated it:

bookshelves: amazing-books, random-books

This book changed my life. I was a vegetarian before I read it, and it made me understand my body and the vitamins and nutrients that I need to function. It is loaded with motivation and information. Anyone who wants to sit around bitching about the "language" ..is a complete moron. I mean, really? Why would you pick up a book titled "skinny bitch"...and then complain about the language?...

Like this review? yes (5 people liked it)

1 comment

07/02/08

Elyssa rated it:

bookshelves: food, wellness

Read in July, 2008

I want to give this book 2.5 stars because I had an equal love/hate relationship with it. Let me start by saying that I was VERY resistant to reading this book. For one thing, I found (and still find) the title to be really offensive. Since I am interested in health and wellness and so many people in my family and workplace recommended it, I gave it a try.

I'll start with what I liked about it:

1) It's a really quick read and the info is easy to grasp.

2) The au...more I want to give this book 2.5 stars because I had an equal love/hate relationship with it. Let me start by saying that I was VERY resistant to reading this book. For one thing, I found (and still find) the title to be really offensive. Since I am interested in health and wellness and so many people in my family and workplace recommended it, I gave it a try.

I'll start with what I liked about it:

1) It's a really quick read and the info is easy to grasp.

2) The authors explain the evils of the USDA, slaughterhouses, and the typical American diet. I had learned this through other books like Fast Food Nation, What to Eat, The Omnivore's Dilemma, etc. Those books are a thousand times better than this one, but Skinny Bitch will attract many more readers and I am grateful that this info is reaching a wider audience.

3) The book includes a list of recommended healthy foods, many of which I have tried in the past and actually taste good. Therefore, aspects of their eating plan are more viable than I expected.

4) They also provide a glossary of ingredients to avoid and ones that sound scary, but really aren't. This is helpful when reading labels.

Here's what I hated about this book:

1) The title!! The authors admit that they chose the title to market the book, but feeding into sexism by using the word "bitch", emphasizing skinniness over health, and putting women's appearances in the forefront is tiresome. I think if they had worked a little harder, they could have come up with a better marketing plan. Instead, they chose the lazy and non-thinking path which is detrimental for women.

2) The subtitle says that this is a "tough-love" book, but these women are just plain mean. They talk directly to the reader, calling her a "lazy shit" and a "fat pig". I know some people need a major wake-up call about their eating habits, but this went too far to the point of alienating me at times.

3) This book is all about veganism. You would never know this from the title, but after reading it, you would think that PETA gave these writers an advance. I actually don't mind incorporating some vegan meals into my diet, but I don't like the false advertising.

4) I think the vegan eating plan they aggressively mandate would be hard to fully adopt. In addition to eliminating all animal products (this includes dairy), they also discourage drinking coffee and wine, which would be impossible for me to give up. I don't respond well to any dietary recommendations that involve eliminating whole food groups and occasional "vices". I also think it's important to incorporate some joy into eating and that doesn't seem possible if one followed the SB diet to the letter.

5) Like my critique of In Defense of Food, I think everyone would love to eat all organic food and even some of the vegan foods recommended in Skinny Bitch, but this costs a lot of money. The authors in Skinny Bitch tell the reader to get over it and spend the money, but there are a lot of people living in poverty or are part of the working poor who can't afford to follow this diet. At the very least, this should be acknowledged and if the SB authors really believe in promoting this diet, they should walk their talk and start using the profits from this book to help everyone adopt a healthy diet. (less)

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

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09/14/07

Lillymonster rated it:

Read in September, 2007

recommends it for: people who like funny.

"Perhaps you have a lumpy ass because you are preserving your fat cells with diet soda."

"So coffee equals fat cells. P.S. It also makes your breath smell like ass."

"If you'd drag your cankles to a health food store..."

"You want to be a Skinny Bitch, not a scrawny bitch."

What not to love?????

The book sounds brainless (and, let's admit, that's part of what got me to pick it up). On the final pag...more

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

3 comments

04/16/08

Kristin rated it:

bookshelves: just-read

Read in April, 2008

I cannot recommend this book enough. It's not a diet book and will help you make informed, healthy eating choices. Just as "The easy way to stop smoking" by Aaron Carr is like hypnosis for people who want to quit smoking, this is hypnosis for people who want to stop eating crap. One of the authors is a nutritionist and simply gives you the facts. Good stuff.

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12/27/08

Sarah rated it:

bookshelves: love-it----

Read in January, 2009

These girls are potty mouths. I'm only barely through Chapter 3 and so far I am very intrigued. These girls know their stuff--it does definitely make you think about what you're eating.

And I LOVE cursing. Here are a few of the sentences I picked up within the first couple of chapters that really caught my attention:

1. Coffee is for pussies.
2. Say goodbye to soda and hello to a sweet ass.
3. In Chapter 11, we provide an "acceptable junk food" l...more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

2 comments

12/09/08

Laurie rated it:

This book wasn't written to piss anyone off but boy has it ever. Some people that cling to their beloved meat have written some pretty rotten things about these ladies view. #1 the book doesn't advocate being anorexic or anything of the sort so come on...each days calories are far sufficient! Remember it is a book about health, the calories are going to be less than 3k b/c there are very few woman who need that kind of calorie intake. This diet doesn't condone BK food ok so get with the prog...more

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

5 comments

11/10/08

Rachel rated it:

Read in November, 2008

recommended to Rachel by: Physicans Committee for Responsible Medicine
recommends it for: People (esp. women) who are not afraid of cuss words and want to be healthy and slim!

Well! I bought this book based on the reviews at amazon.com about a year ago. I wanted to preview it and possibly pass it along to my non-vegan friends if it turned out to be any good. Well, I flipped through it when it got here and was unimpressed and never read it.

Then I saw an article in the PCRM (Physician's Commmittee for Responsible Medicine) magazine, saying that one of the Skinny Bitches was giving talks to White House staffers in Washington, and it really put a favorable sp...more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

2 comments

10/03/08

Annalisa rated it:

(review of isbn 1400135621)

bookshelves: book-club, non-fiction, resource

Read in October, 2008

recommended to Annalisa by: book club
recommends it for: anyone struggling with eating healthy

If I were to write a nutrition book, I would be encouraging without offending. But we all know with diet if you get an inch, you take the excuse and run. We want people to tell us it's ok to be unhealthy. These girls don't excuse anything. They are tough and mean, like drill sergeants ripping away all unhealthy vices, getting you to conform to their health code with fear. And like all good sergeants, they do it with offensive language. They even admit they picked the catchy title to sell books. ...more

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

2 comments

07/01/08

Dawn rated it:

Read in June, 2008

I read this book while sitting at Barnes and Noble (I refuse to buy it because I secretly hate it.) But I went ahead and read it because I had heard a bit about it and I was curious. Then I thought, huh, that's not worth writing a review about. But then I read a bunch of OTHER people's reviews about it, and now I feel like I kind of get it. All these other reviews were like (read in a high-pitched whiny voice): "Wahh, these authors are sneaky because they didn't tellll me it was a book abo...more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

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04/27/08

Janet rated it:

Read in April, 2008

recommended to Janet by: the evil fat pockets on my thighs
recommends it for: absolutely no one!

If there was a negative 100 star, I'd give it.

Normally I would never consider even looking at this book much less bringing it home but in a very brief moment of fat induced self loathing (and lack of room on our library shelves) I said, "What the hey?" Miss-Take!!! I knew it would be a bunch of annoying B-S and I think I was mainly interested to see what these two stick figure twits had to say. What a freakin' joke.

If you are a real woman and live in a real...more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

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10/13/07

Erika Batey rated it:

bookshelves: healthandcooking

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in January, 2006

Shut-up!

Okay there are some interesting and helpful facts, and the tone is sometimes witty, and quite humurous, but their soapboxes are in a height competition with their horses.
And the brash comments... UHHH, a little brashness can be clever and quite amusing, but these skinny bitches are drowning in it.

When I finshed the book I was basically determined never to eat again, and convinced that everything I was doing was ridiculous. (and I am a healthy, thin, consc...more