Skinny B*tch

The complete title is: Skinny Bitch : A No-Nonsense, Tough-Love Guide for Savvy Girls Who Want to Stop Eating Crap and Start Looking Fabulous. And today I walked into my local Barnes and Noble and plunked down $13.95 to purchase my very own copy.

(Note: Everyone who knows me personally knows that I am patently against use of the 'B' word and curse words in general. I make it a point not to use expletives in my every day speech - not even when I'm really angry. And that's part of the reason I avoided reading the book until now. It is literally dripping with foul language...part of the no-nonsense and tough love, I suppose.

Before you rush out and buy it, take that under advisement. There is hardly a page and nary a chapter where the authors don't assault you with some form of crude language about the junk we put in our bodies and the terrible havoc it wreaks on our health.

If you are easily offended or have religious convictions about cursing, I recommend you skip this book altogether...)

Now...having run my disclaimer...it is exactly what I needed.

A friend told me about this book six months ago.

I know. I know. It isn't a new book. It debuted in late 2005.

The authors were all over the talk shows and all over the Internet, but it was barely a blip on my radar. Another one of those pop culture crazes like 'He's Just Not That Into You', which also held no interest for me because I was in a committed long-term relationship.

In 2005, I weighed 105 lbs and really didn't think things would ever change. After all, I was 28 and fairly healthy and happy. Why would they? I thought if I had any tendencies toward obesity they would have presented themselves already and since they had not, I thought I was 'safe'.

Back to the book: Contrary to what the title suggests, the book isn't really about being skinny or bitchy, but mainly about trying to make healthy food choices. The authors say this, "A Skinny Bitch is someone who enjoys food, eats well, and loves her body as a result. It has nothing to do with how much you weigh or what size you are! Skinny Bitches come in all beautiful shapes and sizes!"

Now, I know it makes good marketing and pr sense to make generic, feel-good statements that are sweet and all-inclusive that way. However, if you do happen to read the book you can tell that healthy eating and clean living is the main goal and getting skinny is the by-product and side-effect, as it were.

I am hesitant to give a hearty endorsement to the book on account of the language and the fact that the authors make some pretty controversial statements about a lot of mainstream products and practices. Nonetheless, it contains a lot of facts I needed to be reminded of.

Laura Kelly, co-author of 'The Skinny' said exactly what I was thinking in an interview with 'SB' author Rory Freedman. She writes, "I see your book as a cautionary tale akin to Fast Food Nation and Super-Size Me. Something to pull out and re-read whenever the urge strikes for a bacon double cheeseburger and fries."

Let's all be honest. There is no way not to know that fast food is bad for you and will make you fat as will the habitual consumption of processed foods, pre-packaged convenience/snacks/junk food, as will constantly eating out, as will lack of exercise.

But it's like those V-8 commercials. Sometimes you need someone to give you a pop upside the head.

Sometimes you need to be confronted with the ugly truth of why 'sugar is the devil' and 'soda is liquid satan'.

It's funny how having those trite irreverent phrases in your consciousness makes it just a little easier not to reach for the candy bar or the coke while waiting in line at the grocery store.

And behind the cheeky little catch phrases there are facts about why certain foods are bad for you, but alas, there is where the book becomes most controversial. (Aside from the fact that these two women who look so cultured and refined in the jacket photo swear like sailors...) They attack meat and dairy unmercifully. And sugar. And diet sodas. And artificial sweeteners. And white bread. And white rice. And just about everything we eat in America.

They quote from other health food books and studies done by naturopathic and homeopathic doctors. And many people dismiss such findings and conclusions as pseudo-scientific quack-talk. I don't buy into every single thing they say, but there is a lot of truth in it.

I love how the book begins, "Are you sick and tired of being fat? Good. If you can't take one more day of self-loathing, you're ready to get skinny....You just need to smarten up and use your head, so that you can make intelligent and educated decisions for yourself...This knowledge will empower you.

This is not a diet. This is a way of life. A way to enjoy food. A way to feel healthy, clean, energized and pure. It's time to reclaim your mind and body..."

Amen, sisters!...Preach.

If you're on the fence about the book, at the very least check out Rory's interview with Laura Kelly on 'The Skinny'.