100 ways to Fight the Flab - and still have wine and chocolate

by Jane Wenham-Jones

‘My BMI is 22, my hip-to-waist ratio passes muster with the medical profession, and given the right light, when wearing the right underwear, I have even been referred to as "slim". A small miracle given my alcohol intake, addiction to crisps, and erratic approach to exercise …’
Ever started a new diet and found yourself reaching for the wine and chocolate within a week? Well now you can! Jane Wenham-Jones, best-selling author and columnist, offers 100 tips on slimming down without sacrifice. Quirky but useful, fun but factual, Jane’s approach is a unique mixture of everyday science, the right mental attitude, and common-sense strategies, designed to fit in with your busy life. With advice on “party weeks”, dressing to hide the pounds, and how to lose weight fast when a big date looms, Jane offers tactics that work where most diets fail. From eating a chilli a day to speed up your metabolism, to doing quick bursts of exercise with rapid results, to simply thinking yourself skinnier, these tried-and-tested methods will see you leaner and fitter – while allowing for a daily fix of the foods you love.

Genres: Diets

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Jane Wenham-Jones is the author of six novels – her latest is The Big Five O – and three non-fiction books. Wannabe a Writer? is a humorous look at the trials and tribulations of becoming a scribe and Wannabe a Writer We've Heard Of? is a how-to on PR and self-promotion. 100 Ways to Fight the Flab (and still have wine and chocolate) is full of useful tips to combat Writer's Bottom - an occupational hazard often encountered after reading the first two! Jane has also contributed to several short story anthologies and two cookery books, the latter being a particular achievement since she barely knows where the kitchen is. As a freelance journalist, she has had numerous short stories and articles published in women’s magazines and the national press and is the agony aunt for Writing Magazine. Jane has appeared on a variety of TV shows – from Ready, Steady, Cook to The Politics Show - and dozens of radio programmes. As an interviewer she has "been in conversation with" hundreds of big-name authors and celebrities, has presented the Romantic Novel of the Year awards for the past nine years and is regularly booked as an after-dinner speaker.

Reviews

[Martha Gleeson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful and entertaining! Wenham-Jones has provided exactly what the title says but also adds in enough humour that it's not a dull slog like some other weight loss books. Plus it's not just full of the same old boring diets that no one can stick to, it's full of enough ideas that there's sure to be at least a few that would work for you.

[Karen Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doesn't get you used to overcoming cravings for wine or chocolate, but quite funny in places. More of a 'everything in moderate' diet book.

[Samantha Tonge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sensible guide to how you might lose weight - or at least maintain your present size. Its ethos is that not 'one size fits all' (literally!) when it comes to diet plans, and some of the 100 diet tips are hilarious, like the tic-tac diet and one where you roll a dice to win your favourite treat. Laughs aside, there is some interesting science explained and Wenham-Jones gives her honest opinion/experience about all the latest trends. It's like having a guide lead you, in a sensible but fun fashion, through a minefield of choices.
For me, i'm not sure, by the end, it's given me a concrete method of losing weight, (but then that's probably me in denial about needing to!) However, I do think it is an EXCELLENT guide for not putting on the pounds, yet being still able to enjoy life's little culinary treasures. Huge fun!

[Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not your ordinary weight loss book. How useful it is to you depends on how seriously you take this book. It is a fun read. Most of the tips in the book are things that you've already heard about - the nice thing is that they are all conveniently located in one place. Most of the items (like most diet information)is common sense, but this book doesn't take itself to seriously and therefore, it makes it more honest - if you get what I mean. A drawback for me was that it is a book written by a UK author so many of the references were things I was not familiar with. All I all, it was an enjoyable read and a few of the tips may actually be useful. The author's writing style is very conversational and a pleasure to read (once you get passed the "British" peculiarities). "In compliance with FTC guidelines, I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads."

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading this for awhile because I've been so busy but I finally finished it and I loved it! The book was very informative as well as interesting and the author's funny comments had me laughing out loud occasionally. It even gives recipes in the back so you can try out some new healthy choices. The are a ton of tips in the book which I found helpful and can appeal to almost anyone. The book centers around eating what you want (it still has to be close to healthy) and still lose weight. It doesn't restrict your diet which is what a lot of books do. I've already picked out a few that I want to try. But overall, I liked the structure of the book and it was very easy to read through.

[Helena Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hilarious. It has plenty of different tips for different people/lifestyles but it's also fun to read. So many diet/weight loss books are so dry and boring that you want to eat something bad just to alleviate the boredom. However, Wenham-Jones' wit, coupled with some fun illustrations, actually made this interesting.
Sure, you will find some tips that you have heard before (when giving over a hundred it's hard not to have some unoriginal ones). But there are also plenty that I hadn't seen before and I found some of these to be the funniest and the most promising.

[Rhoda Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book on a whim. Four months of WeightWatchers and too many incidences of cake, that's all I'm saying.

It had me at No.1. Eat chocolate.
40 and 44 were my favourites although 10 and 11 were pretty good too.
21 would work, but it's a bit drastic.

It's a funny, tongue in cheek yet useful book. Well done Jane.
Now, where's that chocolate gone?