Dietgirl Book Review

I recently finished a great book by a weight-loss blogger who calls herself Dietgirl.

I must admit, when I was first handed The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl (from my pal, M., one of the DC Ducks who currently lives in Berlin), I wasn’t sure I’d find anything to really relate to inside. After all, Shauna had a lot more weight to lose to reach her goals, and mine—though still a challenge at 40 lbs—did not put me in the same league of potential losers, if you will.

But then, a chapter or so in, I found her talking about "falling off" the diet wagon and chiding herself to get back on. It sounded very familiar to me, having been off-and-on with my healthful habits over the years myself. She continued to strike a chord in talking about her self-perception of a fat girl in a thin world, and how difficult it can be to see yourself in another light despite changes in your outward appearance.

And then there were gems like this:

“…there is no such thing as a Perfectly Empty week…I’ve been holding on to a misguided hope that there would come a day when I’d finally triumph and achieve perfection. But unless I revert to my old hermit life there will always be something getting in the way…”

And, in reference to favorite foods like ice cream or chocolate:

“…it’s always going to be there, so I’m not going to be deprived of some wild pleasure if I leave it alone for a while.”

Even her description of how she realized her new relationship was the right one reminded me of finding and falling for my darling Computerguy:

“Meeting him was like taking the final step towards being the confident, joyful person I always hoped…but our relationship is something I’ve always known was right. Even if it’s taken me a while to believe it really could be that simple.”

Overall, this was a very quick read, and very enjoyable. I found myself laughing and crying along with Shauna on her “lard-busting” quest. No piece of chick-lit could be more true to the reality of how challenging it can be to turn your mind around while you try to lose weight.

Thank you, Dietgirl! The book's moved on to the next DC Duck!