Still Hungry After All These Years: My Story

by Richard Simmons

The popular fitness guru and television personality traces his life, discussing his relationship with his parents and brother, his lifelong struggle with his weight, his success on television, and his efforts to help others lose weight

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Autobiography, Biography Memoir

303 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

Richard Simmons, born Milton Teagle Simmons, was a fitness personality who promoted weight-loss programs, most famously through a line of aerobics videos and television programs. He was known for his humor, flamboyant personality and heightened energy.

Reviews

[Becky Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, lately I've thought that it's amusing to read celebrity memoirs from the 90's. Last year, I read the extremely illuminating Kelsey Grammar memoir (tossed salad and scrambled eggs, indeed!) This year, inspired by recent allegations that he's being mind-controlled by his housekeeper and brother, I decided to read Richard's autobiography. Simmons was an omnipresent celebrity in my youth, I don't think I remember a time when he wasn't famous. I learned a lot of stuff. I didn't know that back when he was still a chunky art student in studying abroad in Italy that he was featured in a Fellini film, or that he rose to international fame with a long story arc on General Hospital, where he played himself trying to help a fat woman lose weight. The book, as he has his entire life, totally dodges the question of his sexuality, but it was interesting from start to finish.

[Cory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than I anticipated- Richard Simons had a very interesting path to fame- his overarching theme was his openness to people and possibilities- he never let himself rest with any one goal or achievement- the takeaway he wants:

Make a commitment to yourself
Reduce your portions
Exercise to your favorite music
Eat healthy
And above all: you must love yourself

A very hardworking and driven man who never stopped. I’ll be interested to see if his story turns into a movie.

This book is out of print and I had to buy it at a marked up price. He is one of the people I wanted to learn more about in 2024!

[BRNTerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY THOUGHTS/SUMMARY: What's not to like about Richard Simmons?! He has such a good nature. The book is pretty well-written and full of his trademark humor. He seems to be a very good-hearted person who has done so much for a lot of people, including many he's never even met. Examples would be him calling strangers who've written him letters and arranging doctor appointments for obese people in crisis. He maintains relationships with some of those people as of the book's publication in 1999.

He didn't have that great of a relationship with his father when he was young. His father seemed annoyed by him and saw him as the source of any discord between he and his wife. They got closer as Richard got older. His father Leonard was fifty years old when Richard was born. He's always had an excellent relationship with this mother, Shirley. His older brother Lenny wasn't mentioned too much in here but Richard seems to get along fine with him. The only relative Richard's ever known is his father's brother, Milton. Milton paid for Richard to go to college. Milton died around 1969.

Richard's been an overeater since he was very young. He was teased for it by boys at school so he naturally bonded with females since they didn't pick on him. He began taking diet pills around sixth grade, pills he'd get from his female friends, who got them from their own mothers. He took laxatives that were in the form of chocolate (Exlax or similar brand) and was also bulimic for awhile. He stopped taking diet pills when his heart rate got very fast and it scared him. In his late teens-early twenties, after receiving an anonymous note on his car's windshield telling him he needed to lose weight (he was well over 200lbs and he's 5'7"), he became anorexic. He once passed out and went to the hospital. He worked at a resturant and when he was twenty-two, a female coworker taught him how to be bulimic, so he gave that a try. During a doctor visit he somehow knew Richard had been purging and he told him how bad it was for his health, so Richard stopped it. He got his act together and started eating healthy and exercising. He got his act together and started eating healthy and exercising. He opened up his own exercise studio in 1974/75, before he was famous.

A sad story is he had a client named Ellen, a petite woman with a young-sounding voice. She had a job making teddy bears. Richard noticed she kept getting thinner and thinner but he never asked her about it. She didn't show up to his class a few times and he didn't know how to get in touch with her. One day he went to a place that sold her handmade bears to inquire about her. He was told she died from anorexia. After that he got the idea to start exercise class thirty minutes early so he and the class could discuss diet, health, and any other issues they wanted to talk about. He even got anonymous letters from the women with topic suggestions.

A funny story would be that when Richard was in seventh grade or so, he's steal the heads off of Barbie dolls and store them in a drawer in his bedroom. His father was snooping and found them one day.

Richard never mentioned dating anyone at all so that part of his personal life was left out completely, which is too bad and it's why I didn't give the book an A+.

Richard's comment about being out of the closet here .

I've uploaded some photos from inside the book here .

Missing Richard Simmons podcast here .

[Annburnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved Richard Simmons. He was truly my first inspiration to weight loss. This is a book about his life from the time he was born until the age of 50 when he wrote the book. It tells a lot about his parents and brother and the many embarrassing and uncomfortable situations that he had throughout his life. He has given so much to so many people he deserves his retirement from public life and to be left alone to enjoy it. Thank you so much Richard Simmons!

[Adam Kovynia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like to read auto biographies of many different types of people. this was an excellent book to read because you can learn about the different career paths of Richard that most people wouldn't know about unless they read the book. His upbringing and some of the unusual things that happened to him and how he was able to become successful financially and help people out might be of interest to you if you are looking for some inspiration in life.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super funny and potently emotional read. Richard's joyous and thoughtful voice is so distinct you can literally hear him on every page. He's such an empathetic person, and he ends up telling other peoples' stories almost as much as he's telling his own. He's interesting in that way, he's more interested in his student's stories than his own, and his determination to help as many people as he can makes him an endearing folk hero.

[Amy Wohlitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite autobiographies that I’ve read so far. Richard had such an interesting life and an entertaining way of telling his story. I so loved reading his daily posts on Twitter that he made up until his death and hope that they are someday compiled into another book. He was a very special person and the world is a bit dimmer without him in it.

The book itself is lovely, with nice thick paper, color printing on every page, and pictures scattered throughout.

[Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. How he suffered growing up being overweight and all the diets he tried, some coming close to death. How he started several businesses and cared about the people he worked with.

[Chrissie Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Richard is so positive and encouraging. It was nice to get the inside look at his life. This book was both heart warming and funny, and kept me thoroughly engaged throughout.

[Amy Gucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

An open raw look at how the man was made… such tortured bullying he went through and he turned it around to really shine his light. Such a great inspiration!

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of Simmons's great strengths as a fitness guru and infomercial demigod is his palpable empathy for others. But the man who feels others' frustration, anger and sadness does very little soul-searching here, beyond noting that "food equals love." Simmons radiates warmth and compassion in the book's later chapters, which cover his work rescuing morbidly obese fans (the focus of his 1993 book, Never Give Up) and establishing exercise programs for the physically challenged, but that depth of feeling is seldom evident when he tells his own story.

Simmons presents himself as a chubby child who was constantly picked on but who was able to deflect all hurts with humor and by obsessing over food. Youthful anecdotes about inviting strangers home to dinner and putting the family home up for sale will make most readers feel for his beleaguered parents rather than for the irresistible scamp Simmons portrays himself to have been.

Growing older, Simmons tackled his weight problem with starvation, vomiting, laxatives, shakes, Weight Watchers and diet pills, landing in the hospital after losing 112 pounds in two and a half months. He finally found the key to be exercise and smaller portions. Opening a salad bar/exercise studio in Beverly Hills brought him an acting stint on General Hospital. From there he built his fitness empire by writing self-help books, producing Sweatin' to the Oldies videos, creating the Deal A Meal food maintenance program and cannily marketing his image to the public.

Simmons breezes past the $64,000 question, stating only that he is too busy working to have a private life--beyond his dogs. This autobiography is as bland as cottage cheese, but steadfast fans will no doubt eat it up.

[Gato Negro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad...not horribly personal, at least not compared to most autobiographies. Prepare thyself for lavish descriptions of food (which, I guess, is to be expected). For me, the best things about this book were the three messages which I took from it (1.) Exercise and portion control and support are the keys to weight control (2.) Dream big, work hard and meet the right people and you can make your dreams happen no matter who is naysaying you (3.) No one's family is perfect but the family is (fortunately or unfortunately) the school for all relationships (which may be why Richard loves his DOGS so very much! ha!)

[Granny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ordered this book through my swap group on a whim and I'm glad I did! I prefer non-fiction to fiction, but often come away from a bio or autobiography liking the person less than I did before reading his/her story. Not this time. I found this book delightful, insightful and most interesting. Turns out that for all his frenetic energy, I wouldn't mind having Richard Simmons as a next-door neighbor, as long as his herd of dalmatians didn't chase my cats! Inspirational, with a light touch. One drawback: the food descriptions from his New Orleans childhood made me ravenous!

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

So yes, most of us probably feel that Simmons is an annoying little sot most of the time. I had no idea how much he went through in his life regarding his weight. I can't stand people who have never had a weight problem tell me that they "want to help me" becasue they have no idea. He does. This book made me cry at times, when I saw myself in his shoes. The fat kid who didn't fit in....I have a new found respect for Richard Simmons now, and I hope that anyone who reads this book will too, if you didn't have it already.

[Doris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspirational, revealing and self-deprecating, it reveals that the warm, bubbly spirit of the "Dance" weight loss is the real man. He gives of himself, and cares so much about others that its hard to believe.

But his story goes back to his childhood where he fought against the weight gain, trying everything to be like all the other boys and failing again and again.

Powerful, and something to look to as a motivation.

The chief thing I got from this is, what works well for others may not work well for you, so keep trying until you win!

Thanks for sharing, Richard.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok...I got this book at our reunion as a gag gift for winning one of the Minute to Win It rounds. On the trip home I found myself w/out a book to read so I pulled out my "gag " gift, Still Hungry.... I really enjoyed this read. It is fluff but kind of fun fluff. He writes about making lemonade out of lemons by taking life as it comes and positively moving forward. When is that not a good message when framed in an easy 'trip' read? Definitely if you ever get this book as a gag gift, read it!

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an autobiography about (Milton) Richard Simmons. He's a creative, energetic man who has loved food all his life. He tells many wonderful stories about his childhood, school, college, studies in art, and his career. He saw opportunities to earn money, and he went after them. He tried different diets, workout programs, etc. but they didn't seem right or him, so he started his own business. The book goes on to recount his TV appearances and tours through the country.

He has many funny experiences, and the book never gets boring with his humor and entrepreneurship.

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simmons isn't going to win any writing awards, but that's not why you'd pick up and read this book. It's filled with the camp and sass you'd expect from our man Richard, but it's also very poignant and sweet. The hardest thing for me to read was Simmons' utter loathing for his fat self and the hell he put himself through just to be thin. A lot of people have been there, and that's part of what makes Simmons so iconic. He's a bit of a punch line now, popping up on late night to antagonize David Letterman, but his philosophy of making fitness fun still resonates.

[Tori]

This wasn't on the top of my reading list, but I had no room on my bookshelf after a reorg. and decided to read a couple pages of this before I got rid of it. I was surprised! What a great autobiography about a guy whose exercise videos I've done so many times! I'm not gonna tell you this is life changing, but it is certainly motivational and worth the read. Feel free to ask me if you want to borrow it.

[Gisele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was curious about this crazy Energizer bunny of a man (self-proclaimed) that I remembered from all the TV appearances in the 80's. A touching and sometimes unbelievable account (such drama!) of his life and battle with his weight. Whatever people may think of him, he's helped millions of people cope with the stigma of being overweight, fat or obese! A pleasant easy read that will make you chuckle AND bring a tear to your eye...

[Steve Bier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed. I cried. It was an extremely moving book. As someone who has battled the bulge for most of his adult life, it was a refreshing look at the life of someone who has been there before, and turned his life around.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I knew of him because my mom had a couple of his tapes. I truly enjoyed learning about him in his book. He seems to have really experienced it all! This book is about so many things besides weight and food.

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autobiography, surprising!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVED it! I plan on reading it again very soon. The chapters about his later life didn't expose as much emotion as the early years, but it's still an awesome story!

[Kjersti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richard Simmons is from New Orleans, who knew?

[Tiffany Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard Simmons is such an amazing, funny, and inspiring man! This book has inspired me to lose weight myself. I definatly reccomend it!

[Sherry Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

So very insightful...it makes you think!

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book four times through. Richard Simmons has a great sense of humor and a truly interesting story. One of my favorite autobiographies EVER.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have actually read this book twice now. His story is truly inspirational and it provides some interesting insight into a person who has truly become an American icon.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very hilarious flashback of Richard's childhood thru adulthood and weight struggles. Very well written and extremely entertaining.