Book summary: The hardest part of dieting isn't the dieting; it's the despair. The first time you sign up for Weight Watchers, the program seems brand new, fun, a game. The tenth time, it seems ... dispiriting.


But if inspiration is the problem, then Janice Taylor is the answer. The author is a weight-loss coach and "weight-loss artist," meaning that she makes art about food instead of eating it.


Yes, it seems extreme. But at this point, you'll try anything.


Five years ago, Taylor lost 50 pounds by making a piece of art each time she wanted to eat a piece of pastry. This woman understands the struggle - my favorite part is when she writes about Supergluing the lid on a 16-oz. jar of super chunk peanut butter that somehow survived her pantry purging.


Been there (and ate the peanut butter).


Taylor tells her story leisurely, doling out healthy advice along with self-deprecating anecdotes. Taylor is excellent company on the long road to Svelteville.

Follow up:

And art is, perhaps, the highest form of playing with your food. It's Taylor's way to "stare down the enemy and learn how to befriend it."


Conclusion: Taylor's approach may be a tad bit whimsical. It's doubtful, for instance, that you will actually sit down and follow her instructions on how to create a macaroni altar for Our Lady of Weight Loss. But Taylor manages to be both reverent and irreverent. The book is more satisfying than a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos.


Excerpt:

"Weighty confession: I fear that I have sunk down to a new all-time weigh-in low. I was going to my group meeting -- wherein we weigh in -- and to ensure the lowest possible numbers, I painstakingly assembled the appropriate weigh-in outfit. I rolled up all my shorts, tops, bras, and panties, and one by one weighed them on my food scale. Just so you know, thong underwear weighs an entire 1 ounce less than full bikinis."

Bonus: Much of the book is broken down into bite-size portions. There are quotes from Chinese philosophers, healthy recipes and "faToids," such as

"There is no clear botanical distinction between vegetables and fruits. Most vegetables consist largely of water, making them lower in calories than fruit."

Source: The Chicago Sun-Times


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