The Food Factor
Hello Food Lovers,
Can you remember a time when you have a perfect day, but then one thing
ruins it all. The three words: “I feel fat”. Well, this happens everyday to
300 pounds, fourteen-year-old; Taylor LeBaron in Cutting
Myself in Half: 150 Pounds Lost, One Byte at a Time. But Taylor did not allow his
negative body image to get the best of him. He was determined to lose
weight. Read the book to see how he challenged himself and lost half of his body weight after a year and a half. And while you’re at it, check out these fiction titles
that also dealt with teen obesity and body image.
Cutting Myself… Fat Boy Hunger The Earth, My Butt... Skinny
Do you think overeating makes you overweight? What are your tips for dealing
with overweight?
9 thoughts on “The Food Factor”
I say that you shouldn’t let it get to you. People will judge but use that to your advantage
There is nothing wrong with being fat, it’s all just stirred up by media. As if photoshop models that starve themselves and impossibly thin and tall plastic barbie dolls are what defines beauty and perfection.
I am not skinny…to me it’s about being healthy. I agree that there are models starving themselves and people who judge you for what they see and not the actual person. I think this book will be interesting from a male perspective.
Why are people obssessed with others’ body mass?
Your right. Most of the time in novels, the character of the body image burden is usually female.
I think it’s because of the media influencing us about “What’s Hot” and “What’s Not”. Everyone just wants to be accepted so they go which the flow, which is lead by the media.
I have the book by Carolyn Mackler; It’s quite good. I would recommend starting with this book if you want to read on this issue.
I say just don’t care about others. Even if you think other people find you unattractive, just remind yourself that what others say or thing shouldn’t affect you.
Now obesity really is a problem, so eat well, stay away from TOO MUCH sugar or fats (but you don’t need to cut it out altogether), eat lots of fruits and veggies, and exercise a minimum of 1 hour a day! Get lots of rest, stay hydrated, and if you’re super serious about health go to a gym and find a personal trainer. Never go on crash diets or Herbal Magic or anything.
I’ve never been obese, but I know others who were, and a lifestyle like this is the ticket to weight loss. But this is all in proportion, too much is too bad! Use your discretion
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much when I first picked up Skinny. The description sounded just like all other books about teenagers who overcome their obesity – depressing at first, happy in the end, and with some sort of epiphany in the middle. However, the story pleasantly surprised me. Skinny had all of those expected elements, but proved to have much more depth than I expected. I was quickly drawn in despite the overdone sarcastic teenage narration. Similar to the fairy tale Cinderella, this is a story of overcoming the odds to find love and happiness. However, Skinny is also a tale of finding that special something people crave but don’t know that it’s right under their nose. I think there are different interpretations of what that was for Ever. Self-esteem, confidence, friends, and a better attitude are all possibilities, but I think all she wanted was acceptance.
On that note, I felt that the main issue in this body wasn’t necessarily weight – the majority of the book is about Ever’s life after weight-loss surgery – but identity. Ever found that becoming Skinny didn’t solve all of her problems. For instance, the voice of Skinny remained with her, and she wasn’t sure who her real friends were. I found this to be a nice twist that kept the book from getting too predictable.
The fact that all the characters had depth to them also prevented Skinny from becoming boring. Even the minor characters were made interesting. Whitney, for example, was Ever’s sort-of friend after surgery. At first she seemed like another mean girl who just liked Ever for her new body. Yet, as the story progressed, I realized that she genuinely cared about Ever despite her flawed way of expressing herself. Ever’s step-mother and father were also characterized smoothly, despite their small roles in the book.
Skinny had a satisfactory, if somewhat drawn-out, beginning and a satisfying ending, but quite a muddled middle. There were several climaxes that sent me on an emotional rollercoaster. Although they were all realistic and part of the plotline, they took the suspense away severely. Furthermore, all the romance in this book was very predictable to the point of being unrealistic. I won’t say anything for fear of spoilers, but you will know what I’m talking about not far into the book. I saw the end coming from miles away.
In addition, I felt that Ever had too much of a perspective bias. She begins her story with the idea that everyone is against her. At first, I believed her because a lot of people teased her about her obesity. However, I realized LONG before her that she was acting like a spoiled brat to certain characters who weren’t pure evil in her automatic defensiveness. In all honesty, I quickly tired of Ever’s fabricated drama. I couldn’t relate to her at all. Even though I felt the book was the perfect length, I would have preferred it to be longer and have the narrations of other characters.
After I finished Skinny, I concluded that I would never undergo the surgery she went through no matter how fat I may become in future years. Ever had her stomach pouch pinched to become smaller. As a result, she would only need to eat a few tablespoons a day to feel full. She also couldn’t eat candy. I like eating, especially eating junk food, way too much to ever give it up. Thus, I grudgingly admire Ever for actually going through with it. I also found myself sympathetic to her realisations that she wasn’t happy with being an insider or an outsider at her school. I understood how, to her, happiness can be really complicated. I would recommend Skinny to anyone who has ever been limited by their self-consciousness, felt uncomfortable in a drama room, or felt unsure of how to be happy.