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6th out of 28 books
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46 voters
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Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir
by
Jennette Fulda (Goodreads Author)
After undergoing gall bladder surgery at age twenty-three, Jennette Fulda decided it was time to lose some weight. Actually, more like half her weight. At the time, Jennette weighed 372 pounds.
Jennette was not born fat. But, by fifth grade, her response to a school questionnaire asking “what would you change about your appearance” was “I would be thinner.” Sound familiar?
H...more
Jennette was not born fat. But, by fifth grade, her response to a school questionnaire asking “what would you change about your appearance” was “I would be thinner.” Sound familiar?
H...more
Paperback, 300 pages
Published
April 29th 2008
by Seal Press
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Fulda had been a chubby child, an obese teenager and a morbidly obese young adult. At almost 400lbs. by her early twenties, she couldn't stand for more than five minutes, she had outgrown even the plus size clothing stores and she'd never had a boyfriend. When her doctor brought up her weight, offering information about surgery, Fulda decided she had let herself go too far.
Beginning with just the few minutes on the treadmill she was capable of, and learning to cook low-fat food rather than ...more
Beginning with just the few minutes on the treadmill she was capable of, and learning to cook low-fat food rather than ...more
The book and the author's website (www.pastaqueen.com) are a real look at a real person going through a real struggle. Like me, she likes to eat and has learned to cook healthy recipes to reach her goals. She found, to her dismay, that she likes to workout after shedding copious amounts of weight. She is funny and very candid with her quirks. An example is when she ran home to read her blog after discovering that her mother had found it online, scouring it for things that were humiliating and re...more
Dropping in and out of PastaQueen.com, I've always wanted to read the blogger's book. It wasn't until I saw her second book released, that I decided to finally pick Half-Assed up.
I'm glad I finally did. Jennette Fulda tells her story of how life was being close to 400 pounds and how her life changed when she decided to do something about it. There is no "big secret" behind her 200 pound weight loss other than making a lifestyle change. Her stories of experimenting with ...more
I'm glad I finally did. Jennette Fulda tells her story of how life was being close to 400 pounds and how her life changed when she decided to do something about it. There is no "big secret" behind her 200 pound weight loss other than making a lifestyle change. Her stories of experimenting with ...more
I love reading blogs about cooking and technology and the life of my friends. One of my favorite blogs is crockpot365.blogspot.com, filled with wonderful crockpot recipes. That blogger (whose name escapes me at this moment) just published her cookbook and of course I raced straight to Amazon to order it. And while doing my search and reading her blog, she wrote about this book, Half Assed, and how wonderful it is! Jennette Fulda started out as a blogger, pastaqueen.com. So, sight unseen, I order...more
Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir by Jennette Fulda
★ ★ ★ ★
When Jennette Fulda was in her early to mid-20's and started having some major health issues, she had no choice but the face the fact that she was nearly 400 pounds and in need of a lifestyle change. It was no easy thing to do but she faced it and would lose the weight after many attempts, failures, and hard work.
I find anyone who capable of losing such weight (or any weight) in a healthy manor to be a i...more
The ONLY criticism I have of this book is the author's overuse of metaphors and similes. However, she comes up with some great ones, so I forgive her. Despite that tendency, Fulda is a very good writer. I kept wanting to stop and write down excerpts because I loved the way she put things.
Here are some of the things I liked about the book: The author takes on the fat acceptance movement for its own intolerance toward people who don't like being fat and want to lose weight. She refuses ...more
Here are some of the things I liked about the book: The author takes on the fat acceptance movement for its own intolerance toward people who don't like being fat and want to lose weight. She refuses ...more
My habit of picking up and reading whatever's in front of me leads to a lot of distraction from the books I really want to read, but it makes for variety, so I guess it all works out. I started reading this while I was sitting and waiting when upgrading my wife's computer. It was on the desk, so... I was the kid that read every inch of every cereal box during breakfast.
She is pretty darn funny and there's not an ounce of self pity present. It's a quick, easy read, with a very no-...more
She is pretty darn funny and there's not an ounce of self pity present. It's a quick, easy read, with a very no-...more
Blogger PastaQueen.com wrote a book about her journey of weight loss (200 pounds). I am a fan of weight loss websites and often the accompanying books (all successfully weight loss blogger seem to have memoirs lately), but I'm afraid, this one falls a little short. Fulda is not a great writer--at least in memoir/novel form. Her blog is funny and she writes silly, funny things--like twittering for help if the IKEA bookshelf she was building fell on her instead of calling a friend or 911. But in b...more
Funny, witty, honest. A memoir of living in a world that makes unhealthy eating and lack of exercise the norm ... but that worships thinness. The author blogged her way through two years of a weight loss journey, providing the reader with her insights along the way. This book has changed the way I will view the obese and has caused me to examine my own eating and exercise habits.
This is pretty poorly written so I can't give it more than 2 stars, but I did enjoy reading it simply because I love memoirs, especially when aspects of the author's life would be difficult to understand/appreciate without the benefit of a personal account. This woman used to weigh almost 400lbs, barely left her house, would not make eye contact with people, and struggled to play fetch with her cat. She isn't much of a writer, but I still found her story worth reading if for no other reason th...more
The author is clearly funny and has plenty of personal insights. Her writing style is brisk and witty.
There were a few structural problems--often a point would be raised, then the subject would change abruptly, and at times, the timeline was convoluted. The book would have benefited from more "how I did it." Fulda states implicitly that she doesn't want to advocate for any particular eating plan, and to a degree, I can understand that not every plan will work for every perso...more
There were a few structural problems--often a point would be raised, then the subject would change abruptly, and at times, the timeline was convoluted. The book would have benefited from more "how I did it." Fulda states implicitly that she doesn't want to advocate for any particular eating plan, and to a degree, I can understand that not every plan will work for every perso...more
I loved this book. It's a weight loss memoir and chronicles a 20-somethings journey through losing over half her body weight...naturally, without surgery, gimmicks, etc. I found this to be a VERY motivational book. She writes in a humorous way and it would seem that this type of book (when it comes to weight and weight loss) works much better for me than a serious, stodgy type of book.
As I read the book, I actually wrote down a HUGE list of phrases that I wanted to remember and re...more
As I read the book, I actually wrote down a HUGE list of phrases that I wanted to remember and re...more
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I really enjoyed this book because it presented a real experience of someone struggling to lose weight. Although I've read other weight loss memoirs in the past, this book really struck a cord with me because of how honest she was about her successes and failures. Jennette is a 24 when she decides to start a weight loss journey after having gallbladder surgery. Through determination and trial and error, she begins to lose the excess weight and eventually becomes a lighter and healthier person. I...more
I have been reading Jennette's blog since very early in her weight-loss journey. I enjoy her writing style and perspective very much. I found that, as a regular pastaqueen.com reader, that it was nice to get a more in-depth version of topics she talked about on her blog.
A non-pastaqueen.com reader could potentially get a lot out of this, as well. She's very honest and careful about what she says regarding weight-loss and obesity. She doesn't make any universal claims or wild judgme...more
A non-pastaqueen.com reader could potentially get a lot out of this, as well. She's very honest and careful about what she says regarding weight-loss and obesity. She doesn't make any universal claims or wild judgme...more
The story here was pretty good, but the similes certainly begin to grate on the nerves, like mozzerella cheese over a pizza. What?
Some that I liked enough to bookmark so I could share them in this review (yay kindle):
"I hasn't gotten this much unsolicited advice since the last time I'd had the hiccups."
"The blog was a stamp of validation on the parking garage ticket of my life."
"...led miserable lives but didn't realize it, like all th...more
Some that I liked enough to bookmark so I could share them in this review (yay kindle):
"I hasn't gotten this much unsolicited advice since the last time I'd had the hiccups."
"The blog was a stamp of validation on the parking garage ticket of my life."
"...led miserable lives but didn't realize it, like all th...more
I don’t have much to say here: large woman decides to lose weight, loses said weight. We don’t really get a lot of good details here. We don’t learn about her longing for a boyfriend, her horrible family, heck, we don’t even learn what diet she was on. And the book is not written in any order; we hop around in time, which drives this reader crazy.
This book is more of an inspiration to me, not because she lost the weight, but because she sold this book. I mean she must have made some ...more
This book is more of an inspiration to me, not because she lost the weight, but because she sold this book. I mean she must have made some ...more
An interesting read, but the writing was definitely more suited for a blog than a book (which makes sense, since the author is a popular weight-loss blogger). The thing about the narrative that I found most tedious was the lack of scene or even story for most of the book; it's literally all from inside the author's head, with very little interaction or dialogue. There was no sense of chronology either -- she jumped around so much that it was hard to follow any kind of timeline. Still, interestin...more
Mediocre in terms of weight loss memoirs (of which I have read a good number). Lesson: diet, exercise, and moderation are essential to lose half your body mass. This book was funny at times but man is the author really self-confident and narcissistic. ...There were too many "I'm so hot now" and "Man, I look good" and references to people's positive reactions to her and to her stopping to look in every mirror she sees for my taste. I'm not taking away her entitlement to these ...more
Maybe I'm cheesy for being moved by this book, but if I am I don't care. I wasn't looking for information about how to lose weight, I already know how. I was looking for affirmation that it's worth it. That the self-confidence and assurance of self that comes from controlling your physical well being isn't just a temporary feeling. I was looking for confirmation that it is possible to reach a point where fear is replaced by certainty of ability.
This book is full of wise ass cracks abo...more
This book is full of wise ass cracks abo...more
After stumbling across her well-written blog "Pasta Queen," I picked up her book about her personal experience with blogging (sort of digital to analog :P). It isn't sappy. It isn't woe-is-me. It is poignant. Funny. Relatable.
"Using improper capitalization and poor spelling when first commenting on someone's blog is like meeting someone for the first time without putting on pants."
"It's amazing how many [kitchen gadgets:] you can buy that serve ...more
"Using improper capitalization and poor spelling when first commenting on someone's blog is like meeting someone for the first time without putting on pants."
"It's amazing how many [kitchen gadgets:] you can buy that serve ...more
The core tenets of this book are sound: when you are ready - truly ready - to lose weight or get in shape or effect some other major life change, only then will you succeed. If you are not there, mentally, 100 percent, it's not going to happen. Maybe it's because I haven't faced her challenges, but I tired of her story. Yes, what she did was amazing, I felt she developed an attitude of, "well I certainly don't know what is going to work for you, go figure it out for yourself!" yes, she...more
A fascinating memoir for anyone interesting in weight loss, personal development, and the odd (and sometimes oddly banal) reasons people get fat and then decide to get un-fat. For a young woman, Jennette Fulda is entertaining and witty; for a reader who is a little older, her amazement at discovering the wider world comes off as (charmingly) naive. This is not a how-to book (thankfully)....I picked it up because I was exploring the possibility of doing a unit on obesity in my summer teaching cla...more
I read a lot of great reviews of this book, and while I certainly commend Jennette Fulda for all her hard work and success, I must admit, this was not especially well written. Honestly, though, a lot of that falls to the folks who edited her, because it's written very much like her blog, which isn't edited; a good editor could've made a big difference and could've really polished her work. I also didn't like the cheap shots she took at and condescending attitude she sometimes showed toward other...more
Upon reading the summary of this book, I was simply elated. I thought to myself, 'Finally! An amazing story of weight loss from someone who is my size or larger!'
I devoured this book and read it in just a couple of days - in bed when I woke up, during all of my breaks at work, and in bed again before falling asleep. While I admire Fulda's major accomplishment, and her apparent honesty in all steps of her journey, I do have some bones to pick with the author.
First, the wom...more
I devoured this book and read it in just a couple of days - in bed when I woke up, during all of my breaks at work, and in bed again before falling asleep. While I admire Fulda's major accomplishment, and her apparent honesty in all steps of her journey, I do have some bones to pick with the author.
First, the wom...more
The memoir is rather slow moving. She lost 200lbs and it was all with changing her diet and exercise. There is nothing magical or amazing in the story and she tells you that many times.
BUT I was struck by her comments that her weight gain was mostly about small choices made each day. Most of them uninformed food choices. Her weight loss was due to gaining knowledge and making small choices daily. It wasn't about will power or motivation. It was just making those daily healthy choices...more
BUT I was struck by her comments that her weight gain was mostly about small choices made each day. Most of them uninformed food choices. Her weight loss was due to gaining knowledge and making small choices daily. It wasn't about will power or motivation. It was just making those daily healthy choices...more
I am a sucker for for weight-loss books: how-to, memoir, or fiction. This memoir about a young woman who loses 200 pounds was engaging not just for the journey, but because her writing was smart and humorous.
Quotes I want to remember:
"I was an accomplice in a hate crime against myself."
"A stroll through the kitchen section of the housewares store was like visiting a foreign culture. It was amazing how many devices I could buy that served only one ...more
Quotes I want to remember:
"I was an accomplice in a hate crime against myself."
"A stroll through the kitchen section of the housewares store was like visiting a foreign culture. It was amazing how many devices I could buy that served only one ...more
I've been reading her blog for a while now and decided that it was time to check out her book.
It's a good weight loss memoir. It's the kind of book I would loan to my friend or mother. She writes with wit and sarcasm well, and that really is a skill that not all contemporary writers have mastered.
On the other hand, I find myself thinking that she's limited to just writing about herself. I would be surprised if Fulda wrote any other style of book in the future. But I ...more
It's a good weight loss memoir. It's the kind of book I would loan to my friend or mother. She writes with wit and sarcasm well, and that really is a skill that not all contemporary writers have mastered.
On the other hand, I find myself thinking that she's limited to just writing about herself. I would be surprised if Fulda wrote any other style of book in the future. But I ...more
I really liked this book. Jennette is so honest and absolutely NOT condescending to the reader. She never once pretends to have all the answers to weight loss and says that every person is different and losing weight will be a different process and journey for each person. She also never says anything mean or rude about people who are still big and could stand to lose a few pounds..she talks about how cool of a person she was she was fat and does not apologize for it. It's a great read, very fun...more
Cristina
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
those who like success stories; weight-loss stories
I enjoyed this book even though I had a hard time reading through it. After some thought I think this has more to do with my own weight issues and also how quick I am to get distracted. In my status I stated that I was getting bored with it. this I believe had more to do with me than the book. The author writes with humor and wasn't afraid to write about the touchy subjects. She has had an amazing weight loss. Her journey is interesting. I liked that she doesn't give out a specific diet plan. I'...more
This is the authors personal story about being modbidly obese, how people reacted to her, and then what she encountered that was different once she lost the weight - being able to shop in the regular clothes dept., how people treated her differently and such. There was not much discussion about how she lost the weight - basically eating better and exercising.
So, it really comes down to what you are looking for. I think I thought it was going to be funnier, but that is my issue...more
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Jennette was born weighing 8 pounds 5 ounces, but eventually tipped the scales at 372 pounds before losing almost 200 pounds through diet and exercise. In 2008, she got a headache that still hasn't gone away and tried everything from pills, pot, and acupuncture to relieve it. These experiences are chronicled in her books "Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir" and "Chocolate & Vicodin: M...more
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