I read this book some months back with a reading group that I was in. I hadn't heard of the book prior to this. On the whole, I'd say I found this book to be a good read, one that I'd recommend. There are some good sections relating to self-esteem, exercise, quirks in the weight loss industry, and other important issues. The main reason I rate this book at only 3 stars is mainly the ranting and railing the author makes towards the concept of losing weight. She does make an excellent point that those of us who are heavy (and yes, I am one of 'them') need to learn how to love and respect ourselves for who we are today, but at the same time seems to dismiss the motivation to lose weight. She spends a lot of time railing against organized weight loss programs- and some of it IS warranted- but fails to realize that what she herself does is essentially the maitenance component of a major nation-wide weight loss program.

I took this book out from my local library several times and decided that it was worth adding to my permanent collection. I love this book! It discusses so well how so many women beat themselves up throughout life to be thin and fit into a certain "standard" of beauty. I highly recommend this book to ALL women. It's reads as though you were talking to a close girlfriend with a very witty sense of humor.

Wendy Shanker has a great message in this book: What else could you be doing with the time and money you are spending obsessing about your weight? This book is funny and insightful but mostly practical! You are practically ticking the moments of your life away worrying about your thighs or butt or ____ . I would recommend this book for anyone that wants to get off the diet rollercoaster and learn to love your unique body and what it can accomplish.

I'm certainly not skinny, I've had times where I've certainly been in much better shape, but I have always had the body image problem that is spoken of in "The Fat Girls' Guide to Live" by the very funny writer, Wendy Shanker.
She tells it like it is, and she knows she is fat, and she isn't going to let anyone get her down. She lives life in the fat lane but that doesn't mean she is going to slow down. NOt wanting to conform, she stands up for herself, and tells the readers about her experiences with diets, diet book camp, shopping, dealing with comments from pretty much everyone, and you know what? I related, laughed, and loved this book.
It was a sudden suggestion for my book club and i read it in just a few days. I will probably read it again and again. It made me feel better about myself and not want to lose weight to please someone else.
It's one thing to be fat and not happy with it, but if someone is comfortable in their own skin and body overall, good for them!
I recommend this book to girls of all ages who has ever felt looked down upon cuz of a mere 15 pounds over her high end of the weight watchers range. I recommend this to anyone who has a bad body image. The way media has worked us all over the past few years, I can imagine there are many of us out there with a less than good image of ourselves and our bodies alike.

I think every woman over the age of 13 should read this. first for Wendy's down to earth take on the diet industry and what "healthy" is and second for the homerun she hits in reminding us that there are different defintions of beauty and we are ALL beautiful in our own way. She makes so many great points about what it means to be overweight in the world today and offers a fresh take on loving who you are.