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30th out of 30 books
—
53 voters
Confessions of a Carb Queen: A Memoir
by
Susan Blech,
Caroline Bock (Goodreads Author)
When her doctor told her she could suffer a stroke just by walking across the street, Susan Blech knew drastic action was called for. She was only 38 years old, and the scale registered a life-threatening 468 pounds. Rejecting the idea of gastric bypass surgery, Susan relocated to Durham, North Carolina, giving up all that was familiar and $70,000 of her life savings to de...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
December 26th 2007
by Rodale Books
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May 23, 2008
Kristen
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who has ever been on a diet, or felt self conscious about themselves
Recommended to Kristen by:
Mom
Shelves:
womens-lit
Susan's honesty about herself, and her comedic wit make it hard not to enjoy this book from front to back. Even the book cover and design are fun, and make you want to pick up and read.
But I wouldn't put this on my favorites, or rate it a 5 star, because for many parts of the book, I was actually annoyed by the main character. Susan, I am sure, describes herself in a brutally honest manner, which is very commendable, but there are instances where she fits into the harsh stereotype of the "loud...more
But I wouldn't put this on my favorites, or rate it a 5 star, because for many parts of the book, I was actually annoyed by the main character. Susan, I am sure, describes herself in a brutally honest manner, which is very commendable, but there are instances where she fits into the harsh stereotype of the "loud...more
PAGE TURNER BUT LEFT A BAD TASTE IN MY MOUTH
I agree it is a page turner to those of us who struggle with compulsive overeating but it is also repetitive ad nauseum about the fast food binges. I think what is most disturbing is the anger and how I felt she was as abusive as she was abused in her life. Her feuds with her brother, her saying she was so scared at the break in but ending up being violent back to the attacker. I have been attacked but never wanted to go down to their level, and her di...more
I agree it is a page turner to those of us who struggle with compulsive overeating but it is also repetitive ad nauseum about the fast food binges. I think what is most disturbing is the anger and how I felt she was as abusive as she was abused in her life. Her feuds with her brother, her saying she was so scared at the break in but ending up being violent back to the attacker. I have been attacked but never wanted to go down to their level, and her di...more
This book is one of the most disturbing books I have read about someone's weight loss and life journey. I don't mean that in an insulting way. But Ms. Blech just shared so much raw emotion and so much about, what seems to me, a very self-loathing sex life, I feel like she must be a very courageous person not to have killed herself during her lowest moments.
I enjoyed reading her book, even tough it made me uncomfortable - mostly I think because I know I have an emotional relationship to food. I'v...more
I enjoyed reading her book, even tough it made me uncomfortable - mostly I think because I know I have an emotional relationship to food. I'v...more
Nov 01, 2010
Suzanne
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone struggling to lose a significant amount of weight
Recommended to Suzanne by:
A goodreads review
Whew, this book is not for the faint of heart! I can't decide if Susan Blech is incredibly courageous or embarrassingly foolhardy in telling the reader about her food addiction, family dysfunction, sex life, and weight loss journey. I have to confess I'm slightly disappointed that the weight loss is done through a clinic and took over 2 years at the clinic, but that's my hang up as I got excited when I read that Susan had lost over 250 lbs. without having surgery. Kind of puts the experience in...more
This wasn't the best book I've read by a formerly fat person, but I did like it. The author is brutally honest about her life, even down to detailed descriptions of her binges. All I can say about them is: no wonder she was 468 lbs.! One theme that consistently pops up in these weight loss books is that of self-acceptance. It always seems that self-acceptance comes not necessarily from the weight loss, but from breaking the cycle of self-destructive behavior.
This author manages to capture what...more
This author manages to capture what...more
As someone who has struggled with weight and/or body image issues in the past, this book held a sort of self-indulgent appeal to me. I was almost embarrassed to read it as such. But whether your relationship with food has been reminiscent of Susan's, or you and food have been on good terms your entire life, it can be an inspiration for anyone. It is at some times downright appalling, and at others very poignant, but brutally honest indeed. It's pretty much a book about a very personal road to se...more
The story of a morbidly obese woman's struggle with food obsession/addiction. Her story really explains the lies she tells herself. It makes you think about all the excuses we use to justify yielding to temptations of all kinds. Her sense of shame that leads to more eating that leads to more shame, etc. is moving. She's right, we do look askance at people with obvious physical differences. We shouldn't be so hard on each other. My daughter recommended it to me and I agree with her that you won't...more
Despite the overly cutesy title and pink cover, this is a hard-edged, raw addiction and recovery memoir, compelling enough that I read it in a single day. She's not kidding when she says "food is my heroin." Her eating rampages have the same desparate frenzy as a drug addict jonesing for a hit. Brutely honest, this book puts other addiction memoirs like Million Little Pieces to shame, especially since it's true -- and she has the pictures to prove it http://www.susanblech.com/worldbigger....
Whil...more
Whil...more
This was one of the most brutally honest books I've ever read. It was downright graphic and disturbing in parts, but gave such an intense, moving portrait of what it feels like to survive obesity. Susan Blech's perceptions of herself and deep-felt pain and shame made me understand the constant struggle of morbid obesity in a new way. Her horrific, ongoing self-dialog was devasting to hear. I think she is incredibly brave to tell her entire story in such detail. I hope her journey has continued a...more
It was good and I enjoyed it.
Susan's account was very honest ... too honest probably at times for some.
Susan moved to Durham to join the Rice Diet Clinic. She was there for more than two years. The program sounds extreme to me but you gotta do what you gotta do ... and you stick with what works.
I just read some reviews on Amazon and some readers condemned her for apparently gaining some weight back. That's life, folks. I've found that it's easier to lose weight than it is to keep it off.
Susan's account was very honest ... too honest probably at times for some.
Susan moved to Durham to join the Rice Diet Clinic. She was there for more than two years. The program sounds extreme to me but you gotta do what you gotta do ... and you stick with what works.
I just read some reviews on Amazon and some readers condemned her for apparently gaining some weight back. That's life, folks. I've found that it's easier to lose weight than it is to keep it off.
Being the carb queen I am, this cover caught my attention. It is definitely a book worth reading if you are addicted to carbs or if you have just been battling weight all of your life. Susan's story is sad, yet inspiring. It was painful, yet eye opening for me to read, because I saw A LOT of myself in Susan. There are some pretty good healthy recipes in the book also.
Confessions of a Carb Queen takes you on Susan's riveting emotional journey from being a body builder to weighing 468 pounds, then...more
Confessions of a Carb Queen takes you on Susan's riveting emotional journey from being a body builder to weighing 468 pounds, then...more
I would have given this a 1.5 if it was available. I didn't have many expectations of this book other than "looks good...should be a fun read". I'm not expecting Biggest Loser transformations here. Still I come away feeling cheated. This book was more about sex than food. I don't want to see your sex life on paper. I want to know genuine feelings. Don't give me funny quips if you're doing a book on struggling. major let down.
i loved this book. she understands food addiction and described it better than any author i've read so far. she understands that some foods are triggers and so you must give them up for good if you are going to continue to live a physically and emotionally healthy life. i knew this but this is not a popular view. thank you , susan.
I'm tempted to read this again just because I'm so surprised by all the positive reviews on here. Maybe I read a different edition? The book I read was whiny, repetitive, and it seemed like every other chapter ended with the author giving a guy she met online a hand job. Only finished it because I was hoping it would get better!
While Susan frustrated me to no end (relationship-wise), I really enjoyed this book. Its different from the other weightloss-memoirs I've read because it focuses on emotional-eating, not just how they lost weight. So you have an idea just imagine a foodie's nightmare on steroids. I'm so happy for Susan and I wish her the best on her lifelong journey. :)
What makes this book unique - better than others - is that it's truly a confession told in a raw, unflinching way. Blech's truthfulness is astounding and I would recommend this book to anyone who has an eating disorder and is willing to REALLY talk about it. Not for the faint of heart.
this book is unbelievable. though i don't have a binge eating problem, i have other addictions that i need to stop. susan's depictions of her eating habits were so disgusting. i definitely see the similarity between her eating addiction and my smoking addiction.
The book chronicles the tragedy of self-inflected damage a person can do to themselves, both mentally and physically. With a laundry list of issues, Susan Blech becomes an addict. In her case, her drug of choice becomes fast food. She eventually pulls out of her tailspin, but the whole thing was just too cringe worthy – like rubber necking at the sight of a car crash.
I enjoyed seeing her weight loss journey and her habits of overeating, but I am still at a loss as to how to achieve permanent weight loss other than attending a weight loss clinic for thousands of dollars. It is nice to see other people struggling with their eating habits
This was a really good insight to how a woman had a hell of a lot of determination and shed 250 lbs. What an inspiration. Susan Blech kicked her butt back into shape slowly and she looks and feels amazing. My kids loved the cover of this book with the donut on the front!
I love books that tell it like it is. Susan Blech tells of her struggle with morbid obesity and ongoing battle with her addiction to food. It was a well-written book. Sad in some parts and inspiring in others. I'm glad I read it!
I'm all about reading success stories, but so far this is a tough one. This 400 lb woman is in a bad place. I hope we get past the crappy childhood and self destructive behavior soon - it is really hard to read!
OK, the book ended positively, but there was a lot of destructive behaviour to wade through first. What really got to me was the way this woman so desperately wanted to have a relationship. Being single was not an option for her. It makes me thankful for the peace I have in being single a...more
OK, the book ended positively, but there was a lot of destructive behaviour to wade through first. What really got to me was the way this woman so desperately wanted to have a relationship. Being single was not an option for her. It makes me thankful for the peace I have in being single a...more
What an amazing story! This book was not at all what I expected and I think that made it even better. When I got the book I was thinking it was going to be a story of how Susan overcame eating too many carbs and lost weight. I don't want to spoint the book for anyone but it reads more like a novel. It describes how Susan came to overeating, what she did to gain so much weight, and what she had to do to overcome it and the things she learned about herself and other people along the way. It is a v...more
I am biased -- I am the co-author and sister and Susan Blech. She has told an amazingly moving story (and I wrote it in a pretty good way:). Find more about Susan at her Facebook page.
The title is something of a misnomer - the author is a food addict rather than a carb queen. The book is as much about her dating and family relationships as it is about weight loss.
The author either needed a better editor or needed to listen to her editor about what to edit in the book. I think this one put me off memoirs for awhile - it was that bad.
This book was a brutally honest account of a woman's weight loss journey. I learned more about myself than I wanted to and started a new regimen to get healthy immediately.
Wow....An honest account of what it is like to me an overweight woman in a world surrounded by fast food restaurants. I truly felt for this character and even identified a lot with her. It was very refreshing to hear an overweight person speak so openly about her struggles.
thought this would inspire me to keep on my diet......really raw and sad at times.....will continue to the end.
Heartwrenching, in your face, down and dirty confessions balanced wonderfully funny moments
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Jan 18, 2009 10:34am