Be happy and healthy at your natural weight with a title which promotes loving oneself at any weight. Johnson struggled with failed diet plans since childhood: she’s discovered weight is not a measure of self-worth

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Product Description

No more diets! Be happy and healthy at your natural weight!

In this completely revised and updated edition of her popular book, Carol Johnson reaffirms her passionate message: you can love yourself and enjoy life no matter what your size! A self-proclaimed "ambassador-at-large," she is positive and encouraging for anyone who is tired of weighing their self-esteem on a scale. Put on your "live-for-today" watch and "stand-on-your-own-two-feet" shoes and enjoy this book!

Find out:
o The real reasons diets don’t work
o Why weight prejudice hurts everyone, fat or thin
o How to feel attractive and sexy at your natural weight
o How to create your own definition of beauty – in a big way
o How to change the goal from thin to healthy

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #676982 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

From Library Journal
According to Johnson, it's okay to think big. The buxom therapist and founder of Largely Positive, a support group for overweight women and men, offers inspiration to anyone whose dieting has failed yet again. Need we add that the publicist expects this book to be big?
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"Carol Johnson is a character and she shines in this upbeat book on loving yourself. Carol is my heroine!" -- Lindsey Hall, author of Full Lives

"If anyone can convine you of the power of positive thinking about your size, it is Carol Johnson!" -- William J. Fabrey, Director, Council on Size & Weight Discrimination

"Self-esteem does comin in all sizes! Let Carol Johnson help yo apprciate and cultivate your 'naturally bestowed' assets!" -- Emme, supermodel

"This book radiates Johnson’s warmth, vitality and confidence. She makes people feel good about themselves." -- Healthy Weight Journal

From the Publisher
How To Love Yourself And Enjoy Your Life -- Right Now -- Even If You Are Overweight. An Inspirational Guide For Millions Of Americans.

Carol Johnson once thought of herself as "unattractive, undisciplined, undesirable, unmotivated, undeserving, uninvited" -- but no more! Having struggled since childhood with diets, low self-esteem, and the prejudices of others, she has come to believe that being overweight does not make someone bad, lazy, or less deserving of happiness. And it has become her mission to make other people understand that their weight is not a measure of their self-worth.

Thsi book is written from Ms. Johnson's hard-won and firm conviction that, like flowers, people "come in all colors, shapes, and sizes -- but they're all beautiful." It is an inspirational guide for all those women (and men) who have been putting their happiness on hold, convinced that if only they were thin, everything else in their lives would be better. Carol Johnson's answer to this self-defeating attitude is that "You can feel good now, look good now, be the most you can be -- right now!"

By separating physiological fact from popular fiction, she helps people to understand they they are not to blame for their size; by focusing on health rather than weight loss, she explains how to set achievable goals. And through the sheer force of her dynamic message and personality, she inculcates the belief that anyone can get compliments and command respect in an ample body.

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Customer Reviews

Self-acceptance and self-love are finally achievable!
This book is a lifesaver - literally. It explains in great detail how to live your life in the moment, and not waste any more time waiting "until I'm thin."

There are chapters on why some people are born to be big genetically due to family heritage, on how culture shapes us to believe that only thin people are attractive and deserving, and on how discrimination against larger-sized people is the last acceptable form of discrimination in the United States. These chapters set the stage for what you can do to change your life and the way that you live it. Next come chapters about how to create your own ideals about body image, how to improve your self-esteem from within, and how to create your own personal style (in clothing, jewelry, etc.) There is a chapter on how to deal with people (friends, family and strangers) who seem to think that you don't know you are large, and feel the need to comment on your size to you or behind your back. (I found this chapter particularly helpful, as it gave good advice on how to confront people about their behavior without being cruel and with an eye on educating.) The book finishes up with chapters on finding ways to move that please you and your body, and describing the "size acceptance movement" that is sweeping the country. At the end is a resource for finding plus-sized clothing, health information and psychological support.

I got this book from the library and intend to buy several copies for myself and friends. I have read many many books on this and similar topics, and I feel that this one is the best of the bunch. Just reading it made me feel strong, confident, and better about myself. I know I'm going to need to keep reading it for some time to come before I gain a better self-esteem for good, but I'm looking forward to it! I recommend this book highly to anyone who is dealing with esteem issues because of their size.

Practical Helps For Overweight People
This amazing book not only deals with the subject of weight; but actually gives much needed advice for the problems of everyday living with weight. Carol Johnson has categorized many problems that only the overweight and extremely obese must deal with on a daily basis, and offered solutions to these problems by addressing it in a practical, no-nonsense manner. The lists of services directed toward the obese person are invaluable, and I found so many sensible and understanding helps in this book. It is truly a guideline for living that has heretofore been available to only the average person. Ms. Johnson has given a wonderful blueprint for living a normal life no matter how abnormal one may feel. Her writing shows her compassion and desire to help in a positive manner. A remarkable look into her generous heart.

Fat People Deserve to Live Fully
The main message I took away from this book was that being fat is nothing to be ashamed of, and no reason to put off enjoying life and doing what you want to do.

Given that millions of women of all sizes are miserable about their weight, hide themselves away because of shame about their weight, and think "I have to be thin before I can participate in public life or enjoy myself," I think Johnson's book sends a very important countermessage.

Given the daily media bombardments reinforcing the notion that fat people don't deserve to be part of public life, I think her message needs wide distribution.

The tips on creating your own support group are invaluable.