A brutally honest story about being fat in America — and one woman’s experience with radical weight loss after a lifetime of fat shaming Kara Richardson Whitely thought she could do anything. After all, she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro-three times! But now she’s off the mountain and back home again, and there’s one thing she just can’t manage to do: lose weight. In many ways, Kara is living the … ways, Kara is living the life of everywoman, except that she’s not everywoman because she weighs 300 pounds and is tormented by binge eating disorder. Her weight is a constant source of conflict and shame, as the people from every corner of her life, from her coworkers to the neighbors down the street, judge Kara for the size of her body. When it becomes just too much to tolerate, Kara turns to therapy and weight-loss surgery, a choice that transforms her body-and her life.
Kara’s story is one of living as a fat woman in America, where fat prejudice is rampant despite our nation’s pandemic of obesity. In this fresh, raw memoir, Kara reveals this epic contradiction, and offers a revealing comparison of life before and after radical weight loss.h, raw memoir, Kara reveals this epic contradiction, and offers a revealing comparison of life before and after radical weight loss.h, raw memoir, Kara reveals this epic contradiction, and offers a revealing comparison of life before and after radical weight loss.h, raw memoir, Kara reveals this epic contradiction, and offers a revealing comparison of life before and after radical weight loss.
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In The Weight of Being, author Kara Richardson Whitely reveals her struggle with trying to lose weight, having a binge-eating disorder, and the shame she feels about her size. Following along in her journey, readers will learn about the frustration she felt with each failed dieting attempt, the fears she had about passing on bad food habits to her children, and the despair she felt when her weight began to prevent her from participating in family activities she once enjoyed—all of which ultimately led her to making a life-changing decision.
I read most of this book in one sitting, stopping only when my eyes felt too heavy with the need to sleep. I was completely wrapped up in Kara’s story, wanting to know more as each chapter came to an end. I felt a great deal of empathy for her frustrations, particularly when things left her feeling overwhelmed or inadequate in some way—something I think every woman can relate to, whether they struggle with weight or other issues.
Whitely’s conversational writing style was enjoyable to read, and I think it’s one of the main reasons I felt so compelled to keep reading as long as I could. It sort of felt like I was participating in an actual conversation, rather than reading a book… if that makes any sense. I appreciated her candor in telling her story, as well. In an era where many people want to present themselves as close to perfect as possible, it’s refreshing to see someone willing to be real for a change!
Simply put, this memoir is inspirational, and definitely a book worth reading.
I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of Seal Press via Netgalley.
A raw, realistic and absolutely heartbreaking look at what it’s like to be obese in America, and what Binge Eating Disorder is and the havoc it wreaks. I’ve heard and read that the obese are the last group it’s “ok” to openly discriminate against; while I’m not sure they’re the *only* group, they are definitely treated with absolute disdain all over the place. I’m thankful for Whitely’s bravery in telling her stories of humiliating experiences, so that hopefully more people can place themselves in her shoes and think about what their actions and words do to people. I’m also thankful for Whitely’s willingness to open up about her struggles with anxiety and depression, for the same reason: that people can put themselves in her shoes and start to reduce the stigma that’s often attached to mental illness.
While I’m rooting for Kara on her post-surgery journey to lose weight and learn to have a better relationship with food, what I’m most happy about is that she finally reached out to get the help she so desperately needed to make her life and emotional turmoil more manageable: therapy, help with her kids, finally opening up about things that were eating away at her. It seemed that those issues were the real root of the problem, and without starting to address those, everything else is pointless.
The book could use some tightening up – there were a few instances where Whitely went of on tangents that didn’t seem to have much to do with the overall story (the tidbit about the competing Halloween parties, for example) – and there were some loose ends that I wondered about (her borderline-compulsive and secretive spending of money, for one; her husband’s not doing his fair share with the home and the kids, for another). But overall it was a powerful story.
*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, provided by the author and/or the publisher in exchange for an honest review.