Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin

Copyright: 2005
Publisher: Running Press
Genre: non-fiction, diet/health
Pages: 191
Author's Website
My rating: 2.5/5


Taken from the front of the book "A no-nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous!"


I've seen this book at the bookstore and finally decided to get it from the library and see what all the fuss is about.  I'm trying to eat healthier and thought this book might have some tips for me.   At first I thought it was going to be a great book.  The attitude, while it might not work for some, worked for me.  They were pretty forward, do use some curse words, but that didn't bother me.  It definitely was easier reading than other health books I've read.    I thought they made some great points at first too.

Here are some examples:

"Don't talk to me until I've had my mourning coffee." Uhm...pathetic! Coffee is for pussies.  Think about how widely accepted it has become that people need coffee to wake up.  You should not need anything to wake up. If you can't wake up without it, it's because you are either addicted to caffeine, sleep deprived, or a generally unhealthy slob.  page 15

Ok..so that one gives you an idea of how they talk.  I also think it's funny because some days I think Husband and I are the only ones left in the US who DON'T drink coffee (seriously..some books can annoy me because the character's are always buying coffee, drinking coffee, etc.).  For once somebody else is on my side!


Give up the notion that you can be sedentary and still lose weight.  You need to exercise, you lazy shit. Eating Properly will dramatically improve your health, body, and all aspects of your life.  But you've still gotta move your ass.  page 20


Ok..that's just another example of the way they "talk".  I think they cuss less as the book goes on, but it could also be that I was used to it and didn't notice it.  This didn't bother me, because I happen to cuss a lot in real life (I know I know..it's not a good thing but it sure gets the point across. haha!)

Now, what the back of the book fails to mention is that the authors are going to try and persuade you that you need to be vegan.  At first, I just let it slide, but then it seemed like they were just really really forcing it.  They even have a chapter on slaughter houses and have real quotes (or so they say) from people who work in them and let me tell you, it's not for the faint of heart.

They do make some good points about why eating meat isn't that great.  I zero'd in on all the chemicals that ends up in the animals and therefore in the food we eat, or milk we drink.   I even did more research regarding milk online and have since switched from cow milk to soy milk.  Now, they of course will also tell you how fattening milk is, but we all know that anyway.  It wasn't enough to get me to switch to soy, but thinking about all the chemicals that end up in it..yeah..that got me to finally make the switch.  Of course, I also have to admit that I've been kicking the idea around in my head anyway, so it didn't take much to convince me it was the right choice for me.

I think they did a good job of trying to explain why it's best to eat a lot of fruits and veggies, they definitely talk about the healthy aspect of them.  I'm not sure I believe some of what they say, like it's best to eat fruit in the morning before you ingest anything else otherwise you won't get the healthy benefits.

I do find it funny that they try to convince you that eating processed foods is not the way to go, yet recommend some processed foods.  Of course, it's thinks like soy burgers, etc, but still, it's processed foods.

There is also a part on fasting.  I'm very much against fasting, I don't think it's healthy.  I have a really really big problem with the following:

All fasts are challenging, both physically and mentally. Do not expect it to be easy, especially at the beginning when you find yourself salivating over foods you don't normally even care about.  But eventually, you get to a place where you are truly not hungry, and you feel light, clean, pure, and devine.  page 133


That example just screams eating disorder to me.  You will feel light, clean, pure, and devine, if you fast? If you don't eat a healthy meal for several days?  Oh boy....that's not the right thing to say.   Of course, I admit that some of the options are to eat soups that are broth based..so you are still "eating" something.  But I still have an issue with them even recommending fasting.


Overall, the book does make some good points but I'm not sure I believe everything they say and obviously have issues with the fasting recommendation.  I also have issues that the very last page of the book says that they don't care about weight, it's about eating healthy.  This is after 33 pages of sources, recommended reading, etc.  Who is going to see that last page? Barely anybody.  I only saw it because I was trying to figure out if either of these authors actually has a degree from a reputable college in Nutrition and Diet and was looking for the "about the author" page.

I also feel like some of their sources weren't good enough, not from a decent source.  Several of the web pages, I felt, wouldn't be good for a college essay, much less a book talking about eating healthy.

I have to admit that it did make me think more about what I'm eating.  I've been working on getting away from junk food and sweets, but now I'm even more aware of what I'm putting into my body.   So when asked if I recommend it to people, even though I gave it a low rating, I still have to say that I do recommend it but with some warnings.  You are warned about how they "talk" so you know to stay away if that bothers you.  You are warned that they are forcing you to be vegan (and yes..I understand why but I still didn't need it to be shoved at me).  You are warned about the fasting and that I don't think some of their sources are credible and I'm not sure if they have a decent degree.  But...they make some good points and it made me think about what I'm eating.  I've researched several things online based on claims they made.  Most of it can be backed up to a point and that's making me re-evaluate some of the foods that I currently purchase.

 They actually talk about the chemicals that are in sugar. It's not bad enough that we are eating sugar, but there are added chemicals as well.  I keep forgetting to check the ingredients listed on normal sugar at the grocery store, but I was looking at sugar in the organic/healthy section of a local grocery store and found some sugar that claims no chemicals added.  That makes me think that the sugar we find in the baking aisle does have chemicals.  I'm going to be doing more research on this, for now it's just food for thought.

I've also become repulsed by aspartame and will be drinking the rest of the crystal light I have at home..and not buying any more of it unless it doesn't have aspartame.

On a side note..I just want to mention shredded cheese versus buying block cheese. This wasn't in the book but rather something I read on a different blog and then did look at the packages in my local grocery store.  I read that it's best to buy cheese in blocks and shred it yourself because shredded cheese has extra chemicals added. What?  I never looked.  It's cheese, it's already shredded, it easier.    You can bet I won't be making a habit of buying shredded cheese any more.  It has extra chemicals in it, I'm guessing so the cheese doesn't clump and so it lasts longer.

 This book was borrowed from my local library.