Suddenly Skinny: A Weight Loss Survival Guide (Complete Book)

While I think her weight loss memoir, written as a blog post a year before, was more insightful and entertaining for the person dealing with the struggles of weight management, this book contains the practical and emotional applications behind changing one's lifestyle, from a Medifast® program user who used the system very effectively to lose the hundred pounds plus she needed to lose.We are giving this book away to our clients, because it has motivated each and every one of them about the importance of not "dieting", and what it is going to take to succeed. Diets don't work, as my wife and I will attest to. A complete lifestyle overhaul is required; one that is not revolved around food; especially food that is not only unhealthy, but addictive. Freya adresses this very well.I call it abrasive, because many who have read it without understanding where Freya is coming from, get defensive and negatively emotional over her words. Like she would say, "Get over it". Sometimes the best way of confronting one's emotional issues is a full frontal, direct assault on them. So, for some, the "heads up" is needed.I'm in full agreement with everything she writes in this book. And she is not alone, as my wife has lost 90 pounds, I have lost 50, and we have other clients who have lost up to 140 pounds in one year with Medifast®. It's the easiest program out there, and the healthiest. But books like Suddenly Skinny are critical to your success, regardless of which program you choose.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, and was pleasantly surprised. Suddenly Skinny is not another boring diet book filled with restrictive eating plans and mindless pseudo-spiritual pep-talks. Suddenly Skinny addresses the emotional hurdles that come with losing weight -and becoming skinny. The author is real, down-to-earth, frank, and downright hilarious as she cuts to the chase and tells you like it is.Here is a table of contents:I. Who Am I To Talk?II. Before You StartIII. Where Do I Start?IV. Losing -The Physical ProcessV. Losing -The Mental GameVI. Losing -The Emotional QuagmireVII. Support For The JourneyVIII. Befriending Your New BodyIX. Dressing Your New BodyX. Lifestyle ChangesXI. Social "Adjustments"XII. Reentry And Maintaining For LifeFor me, when I want to learn if a book is right for me, it's helpful to have a few snippets from the book, to help me see if I like the author's style of writing. So, here are some quotes that I loved:"The crap we put in our bodies now is an invention of the last sixty years. Healthy food was a fad for a lot longer than that. You can never go wrong with a classic.""I can either eat what I want, or wear what I want, but I can't do both.""Eating 'normally' means being fat. Pleas take a minute and absorb that. Eating like our dominant culture eats means being fat like most of the people you see on a daily basis. One more time: Eating 'normally' means being fat forever.""Why is one bite so important I'm wiling to risk my health and my future hotness? What does this bite of food represent? What feelings am I trying to feed?""Remember colors? I know you've been wearing a lot of black and other dark colors, hoping it's 'slimming.' Well, sure, black may have bee more slimming than a floral muumuu. But even more slimming than wearing black is being slim."One of the things I loved most about Suddenly Skinny is that she doesn't make reaching your goal weight seem like an end to a fairy tale -"And you lived happily ever after." No, Freya is frank about the many obstacles you will have once you lose weight, such as dealing with hidden emotional issues, losing friends, receiving unwanted sexual attention, etc. And rather than dump a truck load of garbage on your future, she gives helpful advice on how to deal with those hurdles and enjoy the life you were meant to live.I love this book, and it is now a new classic in my weightloss library. Right now I am starting Body For Life, and I am confident that adding Suddenly Skinny to my reading will help me overcome all obstacles in the way of my new, slimmer body.Oh, one more thing. Freya mentions that she lost her weight through Medifast. She does a great job of explaining here and there about how lost her weight, without sounding like an infomercial. Moreover, she doesn't encourage everyone to try Medifast -she just encourages you to find a medically-researched diet and stick to it diligently.

I enjoyed reading this book. I thought it was a bit raw at times but certainly honest with no punches pulled. As a man, it was interesting to hear things from a woman's perspective and gain a better understanding of what goes on inside the female mind! I've starting my own weight loss journey and I hope to lose 140 lbs on a similar program that she did. I think much of what she wrote in the book will be helpful to me although men obviously have different experiences than women, I could still relate to much of what she said. It was funny at times, sad at times but always entertaining and informative.I highly recommend this book, especially if you are a woman who wants to be healthier but are struggling with losing weight. This book can encourage you and give you hope that you too can be suddenly skinny! If you are a man who needs to lose weight I think it is worth reading as well. If for nothing else but to gain a better understanding of how the other sex thinks so we can relate to them better!

This book didn't focus on the calorie/carb counting or whatever other "secret" diet formula than an author might have. Instead, it was an extremely honest first hand account of how to lose weight from a practical perspective, using whichever approach best suits the reader.The author is humorous and the book feels like really good advice you'd get from a girlfriend. However, don't read it if you're looking for fluffy feel-good material; the author tells it frankly in a style that's what I would call the opposite of Geneen Roth's "trust your body no matter what" approach.I will be re-reading this as needed and highly recommend.

I totally love this book. I've lost 40lbs and am going to lose 15 more. I found this book very informative, on the emotional state and situations that I've faced already and will keep reading the parts that are still ahead of me. I love her humor and directness. She tells things how they are. No better, no worst and in real life language. It's an easy read, and down to the point.Great book to support your journey. It's not a book that will give you the technical info, but it is is an emotional survival guide that lists all the situations you'll encounter such as restaurants, social gatherings, support system, maintenance after you reached your goal, the tricks your brain will play on you and much more. Thank you Freya for a real life testimony from someone who did it.