Skinnygirl Solutions: Your Straight-Up Guide to Home, Health, Family, Career, Style, and Sex

by Bethenny Frankel, Joy Osmanski (Reader)

BETHENNY FRANKEL, FOUR-TIME NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR, ON-THE-GO WORKING MOM, SELF-MADE BUSINESSWOMAN, AND DAYTIME’S NEWEST TALK SHOW HOST, SHARES HER SKINNYGIRL GUIDE TO LIFE: SIMPLE IDEAS, EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS.

SKINNYGIRL SOLUTIONS is your guide to having it all without getting overwhelmed. Bethenny’s nononsense advice extends beyond the first adult steps and well into real relationships, established careers, and mommyhood, including: • Living Naturally Thin • Making fresh, healthy food for the table and on the go • Organizing your kitchen, your closet, and even your bathroom • Finding great fashion without breaking the bank • Beauty care essentials • Creating a home that’s a haven • Effortless entertaining • Career planning • Entrepreneur advice • And how to create work-life balance

In SKINNYGIRL SOLUTIONS, Bethenny offers hard-won advice on how to maintain a wellbalanced life. In Skinnygirl Wellness, Bethenny updates her advice on how to be Naturally Thin with an all new Quick-Start Plan and tips for getting kids (and the whole family) to eat better without complaints! The Skinnygirl Solutions for Daily Life section reveals Bethenny’s keys to managing a hectic schedule, keeping a beautiful home, and finding time for love, family, and yourself. Lastly, in Skinnygirl on the Job, Bethenny addresses such issues as launching a career that fits with all the other important components of your life, knowing if you’re ready to have your own business, the pros and cons of working from home, the 101 on finance, and what to do when things go wrong. In SKINNYGIRL SOLUTIONS Bethenny gives her always honest take on how to make smart, everyday choices that will lead to a fabulous Skinnygirl life.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Autobiography, Health, Audiobook, Relationships

Audio CD

First published May 1, 2013

About the author

Bethenny Frankel has a knack for making healthy food taste delicious. That knack, which started out as a hobby and was enhanced with formal training, has elevated her to national prominence as a celebrated natural food chef, the creator of the phenomenal new Skinnygirl Margarita, and The New York Times best selling author of Naturally Thin.

Frankel, who calls herself a "health foodie” and attended the National Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts, focuses on sharing with others her knowledge and passion for healthy living. In addition to her monthly column in Health Magazine, she is regularly featured in national publications from The New York Times to the weekly entertainment magazines. She’s also a sought-after guest on national news and entertainment television, where she brings her expertise and irresistibly candid and funny take not only to food segments but to any conversation about living healthy and living well.

Frankel’s wit, wisdom and humor came to national attention when she was named first runner-up on NBC’s “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.” Network executives saw a personality they couldn’t ignore and put her center stage weekly on Bravo’s hit series “The Real Housewives of New York,” now in its third season. Though technically not a “wife,” she has emerged as the star of the series, with a huge network of fans, a job as national spokesperson for Pepperidge Farm's Baked Naturals® and Deli Flats(trademark), and her own spin-off series now in production.

Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinnygirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting debuted this year on The New York Times Best Sellers list and stayed for an astonishing for 18 consecutive weeks. Frankel’s second book, The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life will be released January 5, 2010, just in time to support “new year, new me” resolutions with delicious, practical, effective recipes and lifestyle tweaks. Skinnygirl Dish showcases Frankel’s renowned “fix-ology” . . . her ability to take calorie-rich foods and revamp them to create healthier versions without compromising flavor.

Her skill as a fixologist applies to cocktails too . . . she has just this fall launched The Skinnygirl Margarita, a bottled, pre-mixed beverage made with clear tequila, lime juice and only a splash of citrus liqueur, which drastically reduces the calories of the traditional cocktail. All natural and lightly sweetened with agave nectar, it has only 100 calories in a full 4 oz. serving.

As the go-to blogger for all things reality and lifestyle, Frankel wields her pen like a sword, ensuring that readers will get the unvarnished truth along with common sense, expertise and a healthy – always healthy – dose of humor. She is on a mission to democratize healthy living, making information available to everyone she can reach through her appearances, books, columns and blogs.

Frankel lives in Manhattan with her dog Cookie. She will be marrying her other love, Jason Hoppy, this spring and they will welcome their first child in early summer.

From her website

Reviews

[Patrice Hoffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit I've never been a fan of Bethenny Frankel but am a little intrigued by her. I love everything Housewives and my television might actually but stuck on Bravo right now. Bethenny has always been one of the wives I am impartial to. Neither love or hate. Skinnygirl Solutions is almost like my becoming reacquainted with her and finding out what her appeal is.

Skinnygirl Solutions features Frankel's solutions for most any situation in an effort to live the Skinnygirl lifestyle or wellness. There are references to her other works such as Naturally Thin so the first chapter is primarily a crash course, overview with respect to what that self-help book is written about. The first half of Skinnygirl Solutions is all about food. For someone interested in losing weight and doing it Frankel's way is sure to find her no nonsense, sarcastic, and humorous approach a refreshing look at a genre that has been beaten to death.

Skinnygirl Solutions provides solutions to living a better well-rounded life. Frankel dispels any concern I had with her making a fatty like me feel like crap. No, she simply insists that Skinnygirl is about balance and finding what works for you. She mentions strategies that I may incorporate into my life such as picking my spot when to be a fatty and when not to be. I also like the advice of never eating out of a bag. I have to remember that when I'm sitting in my cubical about to snack on a bag of Cheetos.

Skinnygirl Solutions is organized well and contains very good advice but I couldn't help notice how repetitive the first half seemed. I figure that comes with the territory in books of this nature. Nothing works better at helping self than beating the fundamentals into your head. Once Frankel provides solutions for cleaning house, entertaining guest, and organizing one's life the repetition ceased and I was able to really enjoy it.

One other gripe are the shameless plugs for Skinnygirl bars, or cocktails, or cleanse products. I know you have to market your products but come on. Ironically enough those plugs have me thinking about trying one of those products... but really!?!??! It isn't enough that you're buying the book?

Overall, I would recommend Skinnygirl Solutions to anyone who's a Bethenny Frankel fan and is looking for a self-help book that isn't the norm. Although she reminds us that she isn't an expert, I figure who is?

[Sandra Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was a fun read! A bit dated at times, but light and inspiring. Felt like reading a magazine which was just what I needed. Funny enough, I knew NOTHING about Bethenny Frankel going I to this book other than she was on Housewives (but I’ve never seen it!). Still loved it. Inspired me to get up and clean the house a bit and I feel like I know her by the end of it. A great read which I will probably reference again when I need motivation.

[GONZA · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a strange mixture between the Junior Woodchucks Guidebook, the Barbie manual and one of those self-help books written by the one American guy that tells you that you can have it all, but in the meantime you have to be skinny that the rest comes by itself ....

Questo libro é uno strano miscuglio tra il manuale delle giovani marmotte, quello di Barbie e uno di quei manuali di auto-aiuto scritto dallo statunitense di turno che ti spiega che puoi avere tutto, intanto peró comincia ad essere magro che il resto viene da sé....

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND TOUCHSTONE FOR THE PREVIEW!

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Bethenny Frankel. If you like her fun, witty, sarcastic outlook at life, you will like this book. I particularly liked her business advice, and she has tried lots of business ventures with great success like that Skinnygirl Margarita sale to Jim Beam. Bethenny is very neat and loves her label maker. She hates germs, very clean. I have a long ways to go to meet her standards. Helpful and funny. Light advice

[Katja]

I needed some light reading. This is they type of book where you can just kind of skip around here and there when you want to read at the end of the day but don't have the energy to process other books.

I picked up this one because I had "read" one of her books before on a road trip (good deal on an audio book) and it wasn't too terrible.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it was a great overall book on how to have a well-balanced life. I am just an older audience and was not interested in the young mother sections of the book. Wish there had been more food suggestions and substitutions listed for higher calorie foods, as well as easy and tasty recipes.

[Deanna Zehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Packed with great tips and humor. Enjoyed this book very much!

[Marguarite Markley · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an enjoyable read, but I don't find many of her recommendations for anything very practical for the average Joe (or Jane).

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not impressed...but now days every reality star writes a book. Her naturally thin plan is not for the working mom with real problems...

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is okay, I suppose. It's definitely longer than it needs to be. I'm not sure Frankel is enough of an expert to speak to every topic that she does and with the authority that she does. The updates to Naturally Thin are all really short and at the beginning of the book. I really did not need pages and pages about organizing my home. Also, for someone who wants no labels showing, Frankel does love to name drop, which become a bit tiresome. Some of the common sense diet information is okay, as is some of the financial advise, which really does not come from Frankel, but the rest is basically throw-away pages.

[Merri Su · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a hodgepodge of advice that was really all over the map. I skimmed the sections on what to eat and how to entertain, but there were a few interesting and valuable tidbits in the chapters on home and career. Each chapter seemed like a surface treatment of something that could have been a deep exploration and that many books have been written about (e.g. personal finance). It was an okay collection of mostly-useful advice wrapped up in a reality celebrity's ego and brand marketing.

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of information!

I watched Bethenny in the rhony show and was interested how she was really. So picked up this book and found it quite interesting and useful. I like how she has a no rubbish sense to what she is saying to her readers as well as the viewers

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never seen Bethenny Frankel on TV, but have heard much about her. All of that aside, she strikes me as a very intelligent, driven, hard working mom who has her head on straight and a great sense of humour. I enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the first two parts. It is really useful for your daily life and how to organise it. However, the last part (work and business) didn't really concern me.

[K R I S T Y · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read, great tips.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Bethenny. But, she is extremely opinionated and a bit nutty. Probably why she has so much notoriety. I agree with her a lot, but not always. I can't believe people want so many details of her life. I can't believe I read this. Do your own thing, ladies. If you're really into canned advice and pep talks, this book is also for you. I have to say, her business and money advice is pretty legit though.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to confess that I've never seen Bethenny's reality shows, and I haven't yet had a chance to catch her new daytime talk show on the air. But I have watched Bethenny make several appearances on Ellen's talk show and have tried several of her Skinnygirl products, so I was interested in listening to this audiobook and hearing what she had to say.

Bethenny shared practical tips for improving many different areas of your life and gave examples from her own day-to-day life with plenty of details on how she manages to fit it all in. Each chapter was packed full of useful information. You know when you're browsing Pinterest and you come across a new idea for simplifying your life, and you ask yourself "Why did I never think of that before?!" Well, this book made me ask that question several times. I found several new ideas to try among all the tips on cooking, cleaning, organizing, travelling, entertaining, using a smartphone for time management, and more.

I really enjoyed the section which discussed diet and exercise, and I liked Bethenny's philosophy of eating with common sense--no foods are off limits and no-calorie counting allowed. Think of your diet as a bank account--just keep it in balance and check yourself so you don't go overboard. Then you can enjoy everything in moderation. As someone who can become a bit obsessive with numbers if I start counting calories or weighing myself too often, this is something I needed to hear! I appreciated her honesty about healing her unhealthy relationship with food and exercise, and loved the advice to never use food as a reward or exercise as a punishment. Now I'm interested in reading Naturally Thin for more of her advice on common sense healthy living.

The narrator, Joy Osmanski, had a pleasant voice and let Bethenny's personality shine through. While I was listening, I felt like I was having a conversation with a trusted girlfriend. The introduction was actually read by Bethenny, which added an extra personal touch.

I recommend Skinnygirl Solutions to fans of Bethenny and anyone who wants to get a jump start on their New Year's Resolutions!

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up not knowing anything about the author. What grabbed my attention was the title. I thought this book would deal mostly with food, diet, and healthy lifestyle choices. However, I soon came to realize that this book was not what I was expecting. This book was a guide how to improve everything about your life.

I was expecting more of the book to be about skinny tips and suggestions. I was disappointed in the healthy part of the book. Some of the topics which were brought up, I didn't agree with; particularly the comments about exercising that were made. I also thought it was interesting that drinking water was never mentioned in the health portion of the book. There were things mentioned that I thought were great and have changed my thought on food. However, I felt as if most of the health section was focused on really pushing her brand and talking about liquor.

I loved the section about organizing a house and hosting a party.

I also appreciated the section on money management.

I felt that parts of the book were unorganized.

I felt that she talks about herself too much, particularly in the beginning of the book.

There was a lot of repetition of topics and one liners. Also, two word sentences were used a lot which I thought was annoying.

I thought it was tacky when she called out a particular company for having unhealthy food.

***The one thing that will prohibit me from ever recommending this book is all the profanity that is said; particularly the F word. I was offended by this.***

All that being said, I am intrigued with her line of products. She has inspired me to make better use of my time and organize my house better. I may even turn in for her talk show.

I received this book from the Touchstone, Goodreads First Reads, for my honest review.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good self-help book, or as I like to call them, "lifestyle" books. I like Bethenny a lot. I find her to be relatable and interesting. Her personality is similar to mine and I find her funny. The fact that her success came later in life via a reality TV show and that she's been able to maintain her image and build a brand and following is impressive and inspiring to me. I've read one of her other books, A Place of Yes, and I thought that it was more valuable to me because it focused more on business, which is really her point of view that I am most interested in.

Bethenny covers a plethora of topics in this new book, and I finally had to decide to start skimming and skipping chapters halfway through because some of the chapters were really bogging me down (like Time Management, Homebody, Entertaining & Traveling - I found that I'm already doing most of what she advises or the chapters didn't really apply to me or my lifestyle). Her updated "Naturally Thin" plan was interesting and I definitely took some good concepts away from it, but it's certainly not a plan for people who have serious eating issues or weight to lose. I don't believe that the average woman can do 45 minutes of light yoga two or three days a week and have an enviable figure.

Parts of the book were a little redundant, but not irritatingly so. Her business and financial outlooks are thought-provoking and left me motivated. I don't think anything is this book is more than common sense, but sometimes you just need to hear it from someone you admire or in a different way for it to hit home.

This book was good, but not profound. I'd recommend A Place of Yes for people who are looking for less "solutions" and more motivation/inspiration.

[Jennifer Vido · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the creator of the Skinnygirl brand cocktails, Bethenny Frankel knows a thing or two about how to be successful in the business world. In her latest release, this four-time New York Times bestselling author and self-proclaimed “queen of too much information” dishes up the skinny on how to achieve harmony in all aspects of life. With her slapstick humor and inappropriate candor, she gives the reader some straight-up tips on home, health, family, career, sex, and style. By following her simple solutions for creating a more efficient work-life balance, making smarter decisions for better living has never been easier.

The book is divided into three parts: wellness, daily life, and career advice. To add a personal touch, throughout the narrative are hand-drawn caricatures depicting Bethenny, Cookie, and Bryn living a well-balanced life. In each section, Bethenny provides useful information like checklists, recipes, and shopping guides that coordinate with the appropriate themes. The detailed index is quite helpful when searching for particular topics for a quick reference, and her conversational writing style makes the book inviting to read.

The three sections are comprehensively documented with practical suggestions; however, if you have read Naturally Thin, the wellness part contains much of the same information. Of the three parts, I found the daily life most beneficial. From time management to entertaining, there is something for everyone. Not to mention, her household organizational tips are indispensable! Finally, as for the career advice, being able to get some money management tips and business guidance from someone as savvy as Bethenny is most definitely worth the price of the book.

[IrenesBookReviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

You may think after reading the title that this is just another boring book about how to live your life to the fullest. Let me just tell you, you will so enjoy this book! It is informative yet entertaining. I enjoyed the book and learned from it too!

The solutions given to everyday issues such as weight loss, relationships, and style (to name a few) are helpful and easy to implement. I liked the openness of the author. She is a television personality, which for some may be a turnoff. If you have seen her on television and do not enjoy her personality I still think you can learn from something in this book. I actually found her tips and hints to be honest and non-judgmental. I have even implemented some of them into my daily routine!

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for some helpful advice but who doesn’t want to read a boring how to book. You will be entertained all the while being educated on how to live a better life. I gave this book 5/5 stars and will be keeping it and referring to for many years to come!

I would like to thank the publisher for the copy of this book I enjoyed reading. I gave an honest review based on my opinion of what I read.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I won this book through a GoodReads Giveaway*

I think this is a great self-help book for women who are seeking balance in their lives. Bethenny uses a lot of her own experience in her attempt to assist other women in this process.

The book is written in a clear and well-organized way, which permits the reader to easily linger on sections that she finds interesting and skim over those that may not be pertinent to her. Many of the techniques Bethenny proposes are ones that I've used myself, so I know that they work for me! Hopefully this book will be helpful for encouraging women to think positively and improve their lives in multiple ways.

Bethenny writes in a manner that is very easy to read; the book is easy to pick up and put down as one has time to read it. I'd recommend this book to women who are struggling with body image and self-esteem issues as Bethenny offers solutions in a variety of different contexts. She is not shy about discussing her own struggles, and that helps the reader better relate to her and her message.

[Katarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks Bethenny. With this book you saved me reading 4 or 5 others.

Love her or hate her, (I love her), you have to admire what she has built. She now has an empire around a major brand, offering all kinds of stuff.

In this book she talks about the major topics of diet/nutrition, home life, work life, and self actualization. I enjoy reading the no-nonsense advise. She never sounds preachy, more like your best friend giving you general advise. You can take it or leave it, it's not getting rammed down your throat, but I would bet money that you will find worthwhile tips, good ideas, something to try, or even have an "aha" moment.

Well done Bethenny, all the best for your future endeavors. I can't wait to see what else you come up with, and I wish I had even half of your energy, drive and creativity!

[Lisa Niver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote about this book for Whole Life TImes
http://www.wholelifemagazine.com/blog...

How I Stopped Binge Eating
My wake-up call from a deadbeat boyfriend

By Lisa Ellen Niver

In Skinnygirl Solutions, author Bethenny Frankel’s advice is to seek help if you need it due to emotional eating. She writes, “If you are prone to emotional eating, and especially if you are a secret eater or a closet eater, you might need to talk to a professional… Explore the emotions behind it and think about why this happens.” It was true! I’d gained weight while eating on autopilot. When I was lonely and depressed I ate dessert to feel better. I never considered myself a binge eater, but if I’m being honest, I ate ice cream from the carton while lying in bed on Saturday mornings.

Read the whole article: http://www.wholelifemagazine.com/blog...

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free through the Goodread's First Reads. I was really excited when I found out I was going to be getting this book, I love Bethenny Frankel and have followed her since she was on the Real Housewives. I really enjoyed this book - a lot of it I read and some I skimmed. My favorite part was all the ways to keep your house clean and organized - and how to mix low end brand items with higher end brands.
I am excited to host a party with my friends soon so I can use the recipes that were found in the book. I liked all the different themes and the food/beverages that go along with that theme. Bethenny has done a great job writing this book - as she has with her other ones. I recommend this to anyone!

[False · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a strange bird this woman is. She has a fast mouth on her. I worked with someone like Bethenny once. They had great ideas and could really motor mouth about what they had been doing or were proposing to do, then that thing wouldn't be done at all while the person I knew focused on her own interests. I have to say Bethenny reminds me of her, and if you've ever worked with someone like this, and you ARE a consumed worker intent on what Bethenny suggests: perfected life in every aspect, you have very little time to be on camera talking about it. I view her as an attention junkie and fame whore. I always remember the horror on her face when her new husband innocently talked about kids and weekends with "Mom and Dad." Poor delusional guy.

[Sade · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Copy kindly provided by the author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

I love everything Bethenny Frankel does. She is an inspiration to all woman who want a career and family. This book was great. It easy to follow straight through or jump around to specific topics. I will definitely be recommending this book to all my girls and a few clients who are having some difficulties with managing their professional and personal lives as well as anyone looking for weight lost advice. Can't wait to see what else Frankel does in the future.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook version of Bethenny's book A Place of Yes a month or so ago and enjoyed it, much to my surprise. I like the way she tells stories and she seems surprisingly down-to-earth for a "celebrity". I also like that she is self-made.

This is basically a self-help book, and it actually had a lot of helpful tips. I wrote down quite a few of her suggestions about cleaning and organizing and have already used some of them.

I'm still not a "fan" of Bethenny necessarily, but I do apparently like her books.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Bethenny Frankel. If you don't, there is probably no reason for you to read this. It's her 'do-anything-better' guide. Some of the information, mainly on diet, has been covered previously. Some of it (hopefully) is common-sense, like the fashion tips. But it is nice that she's tailoring some advice to parents. The best part by far is the business advice. It's really interesting to hear how she grew and marketed her businesses. Where money is concerned, she's pretty savvy.

A must if you're a fan.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Bethenny Frankel. It seems as if either love her or hate her. I enjoyed her on Housewives of New York and watching her on her reality show. I like how candid and outspoken she is. When I saw her newest book at the library I picked it up. It was a quick and easy read. She has lots of useful information some of it boring but still useful and humorous. I have not read any of Frankel's other books so I was unfamiliar about her cooking/diet books. I enjoyed her brief overview of her philosophy of eating healthy. Overall I enjoy her book and found it entertaining.