Skinny is Overrated ~ Book Review

I promise I'm not going to turn into a blog that only does reviews. It's just that when a book interests me I can't say no - and this one TOTALLY did interest me. Free books = Mama Saves Money = More stuff to read = Happy Mama!

When I was contacted by the publisher, I assumed it was because of my outlook in this post. And when I saw the title of this book, Skinny is Overrated, I was so psyched. I read the summary I received, as shown below.

Summary:
In her new book, “Skinny is Overrated,” physician and author Dr. Danielle Milano encourages women to get healthy and learn to love the size they are, and to disregard society’s pressures to fit into a certain mold. Humorously and conversationally written for the everyday woman, “Skinny is Overrated” offers simple and effective tips and recipes for women looking to live healthier lives. Providing 10 easy changes such as eliminating sodas and finding an enjoyable physical activity, Dr. Milano pushes women to embrace a lifestyle that will help them be healthier, have more energy and maybe even lose some weight in the process.

Sounds amazing, doesn't it? Yeah, that's what I thought.

Except it sucked. I hated it. The summary was totally misleading. It was like a diet book, but it wasn't a "true" diet. I read through page after page of information on what I should be eating to be living a healthy life. Ten easy changes are wonderful, and that is what I thought I was getting. I probably should have gone to the author's website, read an excerpt, and checked out her blog, or whatever. But that's on me, I didn't.

Instead I leaped at the title and was thrilled by the concept. Had I been in the bookstore I would have picked it up with excitement, and then skimmed through it. You know how you know when you're looking at the pages of a book if you're going to like it? If it's YOUR kind of read? Yeah, well, this one wasn't.

I'm not looking for a new way of life. Yes, I'd love to lose way more than a few pounds, but I'm not going to try just yet to cut out unrefined (or is it refined? It's the white ones, I know that much!) carbs from my intake. Nor am I going to give up, well, much of anything, to be honest. Yes, she did have some great tips. But I already knew that HFCS (high-fructose-corn-syrup) is bad for you. And yes, I knew it probably is in nearly every item of processed food I purchase for my family. Like Ketchup. Yes, ketchup. And I'm already trying to be healthier in that regard. And make life better for my daughter by doing so. And I fail frequently. And I could stand to lose like 100 lbs.

And I appreciate that she shares how she supported a patient and told them they didn't HAVE to get to the measly 120-ish lbs that the US weight and height chart suggests for her. I like to hear that. Because my height says I should weigh like 123, and honey, that's a LAUGH.

Anyway, I'm sad to say that the summary didn't represent the book to me at all. The first line just doesn't jive. The next part ("Humorously and conversationally written for the everyday woman,") is completely not true, not for me, anyway. My favorite chapter was the one written for MEN! And my favorite piece of information was that it was GOOD for me to be eating an avocado nearly every day. That's awesome.

But I don't eat fish, and I don't plan to start. I don't plan to start a *Mediterranean Diet* and if I had checked out her website I would have clearly seen: "The diet I support is a Mediterranean Diet ..." Well, that's great, but it's not going to work for me. Not today, anyway. See, I'm not dieting these days. And I know the word diet can represent your lifestyle and eating habits. And that's fine. I'm cool with that. But to use it in the fashion where it means don't eat some things and do eat others, that's a DIET. That's the D-word. And that word has been out of my vocabulary for some time.

So, if that's what you're looking for, then go for it. Pick up a copy. Heck, you can have mine. But if you're looking for someone to support you and talk to you like a friend, like I am right now, it's not the right choice for you. But if you want to see for yourself, here is the website so you can find out more. SkinnyIsOverrated.com.

**This review was written based on a free copy of this book that I received from the publisher. I (obviously!) was not compensated for this review in any way, shape or form!**

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