Book Review - Losing It

Losing It: False Hopes and Fat Profits in the Diet IndustryLosing It: False Hopes and Fat Profits in the Diet Industry by Laura Fraser

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I vacillated between four and five stars on this but, after reflecting on how much thought I've given to the text, it deserved a five.

Fraser ties together an incredible amount of research with her own stories of dieting and going undercover as a potential managed diet program participant. It took me a long time to get through this book because, as a lifetime fat girl, a lot of the subject matter was emotionally charged for me.

She covered how our society has changed over the years to one where unrealistically thin women (mostly women, not so much on the men in this one) are the ideal that all should strive for. There was a lot on diet fads, scams and programs and the possibly dangerous side effects associated with them. And, quite a bit on groups that are promoting acceptance of peoples' natural weight and rejecting the you have to be thin to be healthy mentality.

Published in the late 90s, some of the text is dated. For example, she interviewed Richard Simmons and Susan Powter and I think their programs are pretty much over, especially Powter's. Fen/phen was still on the market, too.

The final message is that diets don't work and that just being thin doesn't guarantee good health. What does increase your chance for good health is to eat mostly high fiber grains, fruits and veggies and do consistent exercise.



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