Book Review
Life Doesn't Begin 5 Pounds from Now
By
Jan 15, 2007, 07:00

Have you already broken your New Year’s resolution to go on a diet? If so, you are not alone!

(HealthNewsDigest.com).. Today, 71 MILLION people are on a diet according to the Calorie Control Council and by tomorrow, nearly 60% of them will have already failed in their attempts to lose weight. That’s because nearly 31% of dieters end up eating for emotional reasons. Jessica Weiner, TV personality and body image expert, believes that most people are dieting for the wrong reasons. “People tend to believe that their lives will begin once they’ve lost weight. Everyone equates their happiness with those elusive five pounds. But the truth is no one is really developing a practical, less restrictive approach towards happiness. Have you ever seen someone HAPPY to be on a diet?”

In LIFE DOESN’T BEGIN 5 POUNDS FROM NOW (Simon Spotlight Entertainment; January 9, 2007; Trade Paperback; $12.95), Weiner offers up her signature approach toward body acceptance in this funny and practical step-by-step guide. Focusing on the five major areas in our lives—health, wealth, family, relationships and career—Weiner helps readers navigate through a secret language which she calls “the language of fat.” Not limited to discussing just weight, this language is really a way that women communicate about their body image to mask deeper feelings of insecurity, fear, longing for love, or acceptance.

Weiner challenges readers to keep track of the number of times a day we use the following phrases:
*If I was thinner, he would love me.
*I’m so gross – I have nothing to wear!
*Do I look fat in this?

For instance, when a woman asks her boyfriend “Do I look fat in this?”, it can be code for Pay Attention to Me! “I am desperate to be loved, need your approval, or want affection.” According to Weiner, it is much easier going through the world as a woman saying “Ooh, I am so ugly” rather than “I am frightened of being unloved or abandoned.”

And it’s easier to speak in this “language of fat” because according to NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association) 40 – 50% of women are trying to lose weight at any time. And this pre-occupation with body image is trickling down to our daughters—approximately 46% of nine to eleven-year-olds are dieting as well. In a culture where our desire to lose weight has spun out of control to the point where pre-teen girls are counting calories and carbs before they can perform basic algebra, Jessica Weiner’s advice is a welcome message for both mothers and teenagers out there struggling to find a better self image.

In LIFE DOESN’T BEGIN 5 POUNDS FROM NOW, Weiner gives readers a step-by-step guide for decoding the this dangerous language while learning to express what they really feel, want, and need in their lives. Through stories, advice, and a series of action steps at the end of each chapter, Weiner helps readers reevaluate not only their attitudes toward weight, but the issues surrounding their families, health, relationships, and careers as well—essentially their entire lives. Weiner gracefully helps readers uncover the tricky beauty myths present in today’s modern media, from super skinny models to ‘anorexic’ Hollywood actresses. From walking readers through a “closet meltdown” to demonstrating ways to diffuse an unhealthy conversation with your co-workers at lunch, LIFE DOESN’T BEGIN 5 POUNDS FROM NOW ultimately teaches us that true happiness is found through counting our blessings, re-building our self worth, and realizing that our lives begin today—not five pounds from now!

LIFE DOESN’T BEGIN 5 POUNDS FROM NOW
>By Jessica Weiner
>Simon Spotlight Entertainment
>Trade Paperback; January 2007
>ISBN-10: 1-4169-3538-X

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