Fat Dad, Fat Kid: One Father and Son's Journey to Take Power Away from the "F-Word"

by Shay Butler, Gavin Butler

In today’s world where fast-food restaurants, soda, and processed foods reign supreme, does “fat dad” have to mean “fat kid”? Digital entrepreneur and beloved vlogger Shay Butler and his preteen son, Gavin, decided to find out the answer for themselves.
Before Shay became famous for vlogging about life with his boisterous brood of five, known on YouTube as the Shaytards, he was like many other American dads: He worked 9 to 5 to pay the bills, ate double bacon cheeseburgers during his lunch breaks, sipped soda throughout the day, and watched Netflix with handfuls of candy.

These small behaviors added up, and before he turned thirty, Shay was nearly 300 pounds. Motivated by the fear that he could have a heart attack before thirty-five, Shay decided to make incremental changes to his eating habits and exercise regimen. Adopting the attitude that every action, no matter how small, was better than what he was doing before, Shay lost more than 100 pounds and ran four marathons, becoming a source of inspiration for everyone who followed his journey on his ShayLoss channel on YouTube.

Now, at the age of thirty-five, Shay has discovered that “maintaining” is the hard part. He has also seen how some of his hard-to-break habits are affecting his children, particularly his eldest son, Gavin, who grew up during the years when his dad had “a little extra Shay on him.” Determined to get back into shape and inspire his son along the way, Shay asked Gavin to embark on a thirty-day challenge with him to eat clean and do thirty minutes of exercise a day. Full of Shay’s signature blend of humor, honesty, and unbridled enthusiasm, Fat Dad, Fat Kid chronicles the ups and downs of Shay and Gavin’s thirty days together, reflects on Shay’s lifelong struggle with health and fitness, and proves that it’s never too late for parents or children to embrace a healthier lifestyle—even when it doesn’t come easy.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Audiobook, Memoir

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 2015

Reviews

[Tan Markovic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reviews can be found on: www.booknerdtan.wordpress.com

Super quick read, listened to on Scribd.

This was okay, I had to only rate it 2 stars because it was incredibly repetitive. I mainly wanted to hear Gavin's journey, but his story was about 10% of the book which annoyed me.

I used to watch the Shaytards every day before Shay's embarrassing sexting with a web cam girl was exposed. Since then, I just don't have time for him. I still love Colette and the kids, but listening to Shay preach about love, happiness and positivity, attempting to portray this wholesome family image to his audience when behind closed doors he's cheating on his wife and relies on alcohol is just infuriating.

His fat loss story is hard to take seriously when he is the biggest yo-yo dieter around. Having said this, it was nice to see that him and Gavin did the 'no sugar' diet for a whole year together and successfully.

[mandi. · Rating 4 out of 5]

**I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I don't know how to start this other than to say that I really loved the majority of this book. I've been a fan of Shay's for awhile now so I'm sure that helped, but his motivational thoughts are truly amazing and inspiring. Honestly, that's probably the number one thing I loved about this book. Some of the concepts and ideas Shay and Gavin talked about really were motivating and made me want to better myself as well. This might be an unpopular opinion but I am so glad that they titled this book what they did. The word FAT has too much power in my opinion, it's time for us to take some of that power away and put it elsewhere. Fat is just a word. Being healthy is what is important. THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE. I love that Shay and Gavin talked about how the number on the scale is just that...a number. Losing weight is just one component to living a healthy lifestyle. Being healthy and feeling your best is what is most important.

I had gastric bypass around 3 years ago at the suggestion of my doctors for medical reasons. At that point in my life I weighed around 275 pounds and believe me, I felt every pound of it. Before I was approved for the surgery I had to do a lifestyle change and prove that I was ready to take my health seriously. At the time I was frustrated with the process but now I am so happy that I had to go through that. It taught me so much about food and myself and really gave me the chance to be successful long term. I was the healthiest I have ever been and yet I still weighed 270 pounds after a YEAR. I was doing everything right, but the numbers just wouldn't go down. I could tell the difference in myself but the numbers weren't reflecting that. Hence the surgery and 3 years later and I'm still around the 160 pound mark, which is pretty amazing right? It wasn't all the surgery though, it was taking all the things I had learned and applying them. The answer was and continues to be living a healthy lifestyle. However, after reading this book I truly realized how much I have taken for granted and how far I have fallen off the wagon. Just because I see a certain number on the scale it doesn't mean I'm healthy. I drink far too many sodas and eat far too much sugar. 3 years ago I broke these bad habits and yet slowly but surely they have come back. This book is exactly what I needed to read right now, it has really motivated me to get back on track and start feeling 100% again.

Thanks Shay and Gavin for inspiring people not only to lose weight, but to live healthier lifestyles. That's what is most important. I wish you guys the best of luck on your journeys and thanks you again for inspiring me to get back on mine.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

first of all, I wish I didn't have to rate this book. I love shay and his family with all my heart. but this isn't the book he should have been writing. the book is extremely repetitive, almost to the point of annoyance. we get it, no junk food, drink water. I didn't pick up this book for weight loss thoug, so I shouldn't complain. quick read, if you're a shay fan, stick to watching his videos.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book written by my favorite YouTube family. This book has inspired me to do my own 30 day work out challenge and after only 6 days I'm already down 4 pounds and feel stronger and healthier. I've even started drinking water again. I had forgotten how delicious and thirst quenching a simple glass of water could be. Great book for anyone looking to get healthier and even better to share with your children. I listened to the audiobook version of this as I did my work outs and it continually inspired me to be bigger than the voice in my head telling me to quit. The chapters were alternately narrated by Shay and his son Gavin. It was funny, heartwarming and kept me motivated throughout.

[Vilte]

I'm looks like a good book but I just can't start to read it. I don't know how to start can someone please help

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just sat down in my library and read this in an hour! I loved it, it had just the right amount of honesty, humor and inspiration.

[Krystal · Rating 1 out of 5]

**Originally posted here.

My Review:

It wasn't until recently that I was introduced to Shay Butler and the Shaytards. I'm not a huge YouTube watcher. I'll watch (and by watch I mean listen to) music videos. They will be playing in the background while I'm busy on the computer. My daughter loves watching YouTube, and she's always watching Vlogs and internetainers. Rhett and Link have become my favourites and I do find myself watching them. I'm familiar with iBallisticSquid and StampyLongNose and their Minecraft counterparts. I've been around when Bratayley is being watched. It was from here that a few Shaytard videos popped up. My sister also enjoys watching The Shaytards and she's mentioned some things she's seen in their vlogs. So when I was asked if I wanted to read and review this book, I thought Hey, I know these guys! I'll do it!
I don't want to sound like I'm being super negative in the review but unfortunately when I started reading the book, I was thoroughly disappointed. I found that it was a mess. It was all over the place, and not properly formed as a book should be. For me, Fat Dad, Fat Kid did not read smoothly. We would be reading about one thing and then in the next sentence it was something completely different and unrelated. Not only that, but a lot of the same thing was mentioned over and over, sometimes even in the same chapter. Almost like it was forgotten the first time around.
I wish that the chapters were thought out more strategically. What I mean by this is that each chapter was written as a day in his 30 day challenge with his son Gavin, Chapter 1 = Day 1. Shay and Gavin would talk a bit about that day for them, though not a lot of time was spent on how they were feeling, and coping with each day. Shay would talk about a lot of other things in these chapters. Things like his Coca-Cola addiction, and his love for watermelon. His family and cheating on diets. I feel like he had enough material on his love of Coke to fill a whole chapter, and fill a chapter on how he loves watermelon, and so on and so forth instead of reminding us every few paragraphs.
Don't get me wrong here, Shay has a wonderful family by the looks of things we see on YouTube. A beautiful family with 5 happy kids and 1 happy wife. But did we really need to be told a million times how "hot" Colette is? I mean, this is a book that was not just written by Shay but his son as well. It just wasn't completely necessary.
I know that this is a pretty negative review so far, and I'm trying hard not to sound mean or be too critical, I'm just stating my opinion. So let me tell you what I did like about Fat Dad, Fat Kid. Chapter/Day 23 - No Excuses. It was the best chapter because it was so true and hit it straight on. Reading through the examples that Shay provided about people who do much more than a lot of us when it comes to hard work made me think, if they can do it, what's stopping me?
Overall, I didn't find this book to be motivating, or that interesting to read. I'm glad that Shay and his son have taken on the task of becoming more fit, healthy and aware of what they are putting into their bodies, but I feel like we could have done without the book, maybe just a vlog posted on YouTube about this would have been enough for me.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to preface this review by saying I'm not a Shaytards fan. Not really. My girlfriend is the fan. She's the one that bought this book. I've been exposed to my fair share of Shaytards through association, though. I've watched plenty of vlogs from start to finish with her over the years. I know all the kid's names. I'm very familiar with these people, but I'm not a fan. My feelings towards Shay and his vlogs are mostly apathetic in nature.

This book is basically Shay's personality in microcosm. There's nothing of outstanding intelligence here, but nothing you could call dumb, either. Shay is, from what I've seen, a man of average intelligence. There's lots of factual inaccuracies about what's good and bad in regards to food. Shay is often wrong about things. There's lots of repetition of ideas. Shay often repeats himself.

But the good parts of Shay shine through as well. Shay is endlessly optimistic, driven, and great at motivating people. Turns out, those are great qualities to have when writing a weight loss book. Shay is by no means an expert on health, and he admits as much throughout the book. I think that really helps set it apart. The overriding message is that you don't have to be an expert. You don't even have to consult an expert. You don't have to be perfect, either. You just have to make an effort. You just have to do the hard work, even if some of that work is misplaced, and even if you fall off the wagon sometimes.

It ultimately doesn't matter that Shay is still holding onto bad 1980s science that says (unprocessed) red meat is bad for you, when it's actually one of the best things you can eat. It's that mindset that also led to him giving up pop, which is bad for you. With so much information about food and health out there, much of it more conflicting and vague than the status of red meat, the idea that you can be wrong about some parts of the equation and still succeed is a powerful one that ultimately transcends weight loss and becomes a message about life. Don't worry about doing something wrong, just do it. We all need to hear that from time to time, I think.

Beyond that, there are (to my surprise) many practical tips in here. Just little things you wouldn't think of, but that make doing the hard things easier. For instance, Shay says you should drink a lot of water at night before bed (he also says you should force yourself to drink a gallon a day, which is silly, but Shay is often wrong). He says even if you have to get up to pee in the middle of the night, you'll feel way better when you wake up. I tried this, because what the hell (I also tried the gallon thing while he was actually doing it, before the book came out). I have found this to be entirely accurate. It may as well be a fact. Put it in the fact books. The difference is night and day, and it's advice that goes against the common sense of not drinking before bed.

So, in summation (that's what smart people say right?), this book is better than a non-fan like me expected it to be, and almost certainly worth reading for an actual fan.

[Danica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sad to give this book the rating I did, but it's the best I could honestly do. I LOVE this family - I've been watching them on youtube since the very beginning of Shay's career there, and I'm grateful they have the influence they do. The book itself, though, was disappointing. The writing is okay at best, it felt disorganized and often repetitive, and I just think the direction was awfully unclear. It certainly isn't a book of solid nutrition advice, but it's not marketed that way - it's marketed as their journey to a healthier life - and there just seemed to be inconsistencies in what the goal of the book was. I think their intentions were/are great, I just think the book could've been written much better than it was.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this in a giveaway!!! It was pretty good but pretty repetitive. I would have liked to read more about Shay's life and his perspective of life. We did get a lot of that but it was a little repetitive. I was surprised that he wanted to write a weight loss book instead of a memoir or something. I admire Shay so much and he means a lot to me so I was very excited to read this book. It's very optimistic and reading it put me in a better mood.

[Erin Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way this book was written. It's witty and just full of love.

[Sabbrin Whitethorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Shay's vlogs since the beginning, back when he danced in a unitard and made silly videos with his family in their first little house.

Throughout the years Shay has motivated and inspired me in many ways, from embracing the fun in life to choosing happiness; when he started his weight loss journey and lost over one hundred pounds, it motivated me even more. I am late in reading his book, but I'm really glad I did.

Fat Dad, Fat Kid is a thirty-day health challenge between father and son during which they tackle the word "fat," discuss what motivates and challenges them, and what they will do together to feel healthier. For Shay fans, there's also a lot of back-story on how the vlogs got started, and family history about how he met Colette and started their family.

For me, having watched their vlogs, there was really nothing "new" in this book that I haven't already heard Shay talk about, but I still very much enjoyed the read. It was quite repetitive and at times felt "all over the place," but for me that was fine (if you're a fan, then you know that Shay himself can speak repetitively and all over the place, so you can really hear his voice when you read the book... it actually felt more true to Shay than if it had been perfectly written); however, I do understand where this would be a negative for some.

Overall, it's definitely worth the read - I've always loved Shay's outlook, from controlling what you put in that "two in hole in your face," to remembering that anything you do better today than yesterday is progress.

Thanks for the book, Shay and Gavin, and for letting us be part of your life for so long.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fat Dad, Fat Kid was written by the father-son duo Shay and Gavin Butler, better known as two members of the Shaytards, Youtube's "Royal Family".

I've been a follower of the Shaytards for years and have seen Gavin grow from a young boy in the earliest blogs to a teenager. So I was excited when Shay announced that he would be writing a book. A little less so when the news broke it would be co-written with Gavin ... no offence Sontard, but an adult and child co-writing is not my preferred book style. Still I eagerly picked up the book via audible and settled in to listen.

To my knowledge, this is the first father-son weight loss book that has been published. Weight loss is usually in the female realm, and there are plenty of mother-daughter or sister-sister tales out there, so Fat Dad Fat Kid was an interesting new spin on told-to-death subject.

I can't say that I loved their book, unfortunately. Most of what was in it was already familiar to me as a regular viewer of the vlogs...

Full book review is on my blog: https://mackenziesmountain.com/2016/1...

[Taylin Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I Did not read this book looking for inspiration, I read it cuz i was a big fan of the Shaytards in middle school, but I never got a copy of it cuz I was 12 lol. I Finally putting my curiosity to rest of what was in this book by giving it an ago. Yes, Shay talks about weight loss and tips and things that worked for him to lose 100lbs. But he’s kind of just telling life stories without specific weight loss details, timelines, and any useful information if you’re looking to lose weight. Definitely would not recommend if someone was wanting real weight loss help. The whole book was him telling the same stories and tips just in different ways, which was to drink water, eat fruits, and vegetables and exercise lol!

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this quite a bit. I have watched Shay and his family on and off for the last couple of years and this book was just a fun as one of their videos.

It spreads a great message about getting yourself healthy and that change can come when you start small. I enjoyed his comparisons to how your body is processing your food and how food that is good for you is easier to process.

I recommend this partly because it was funny and a quick read and partly because I feel like I actually got something out of reading it.

[Lizzy Seitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 out of 5 stars

Tho book came off really repetitive and preachy. Plus there was a ton of mention of his love for his “hot” wife who he has now cheated on, the lack of drinking because of being LDS coming from an alcoholic, and putting this family first attitude which doesn’t seem to be true for Shay. Seeing how far he’s fallen over the past couple years makes me miss the Shay from the beginning of his career because he seemed happier before he got famous. By the end of the book I was more motivated by the idea of finishing the book than I was by the actual book. Good job Gavin though!

[Nancy Currie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was kind of inspiring to listen to this book. It was a bit sappy and there wasn't much more information in this than any other book or website I've read on the topic. The title is misleading, too. Obviously it was designed to get the reader's attention. Butler does address the "fat" word at the beginning with some good insight on the subject.

[Jamey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

[Jessica Muniz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been watching this family for more than a decade on YouTube and when Shay said they wrote a book I was so excited to read it. Loved it 😊

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

As sad as I am to say this, I couldn't finish the book. In light of recent events in his life, I feel like I'm reading the words of a total fraud and hypocrite. The first several times reading of how godly of a man he is, how morally upright he is, how upstanding he is...was hard to digest. When every other page had statements like that, it got to the point where I could no longer tolerate it anymore. I wasn't really interested in the topic of the book, was only reading it to support the Shaytards because I was a huge fan, where I stand now is unclear. I also started noticing a pattern of redundancy throughout. I detest the thought of not finishing a book that I've already invested time in, so it's with a heavy heart that I'm returning this book to the library unfinished.

[Francis Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read…i like how it flowed. The honesty or both Shay and Gavin.

[Lanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book for Shay Butler and his son Gavin. They are a part of the Shaytard which is a popular YouTube channel with millions of subscribers. Shay and his family are daily vloggers where they post a videos every day to their channel. The videos chronicle their daily lives including the birth of their children, Shay’s challenges to lose weight and to live a healthy lifestyle. Shay lost 100 pounds during the course of the videos.
This book journals the struggles of trying to keep the weight off and being a role model for his children. Shay went from close to 300 pounds to running marathons. He is truly inspirational. He admits he is no expert but just sharing his thoughts about the ongoing struggles. “We just want to show you how we, as regular people, are talking action in our own lives—and talking responsibility for our health and wellness.” (Butler, pg. 6)
The book is mostly written by Shay with notes from his twelve-year-old son Gavin and shared conversations they have together. The first question Shay asks is “Does ‘Fat Dad’ have to mean ‘fat Kid’?” It is an interesting question that I think every parent will ask themselves. Am I making the right choices for myself and does that reflect on to my children?
The book describes that Shay and Gavin decide to start a 30-day challenge of eating healthy and exercising. It is a daily account of what they will be doing and the challenges that come along with the plan like resisting the urge to not eat junk food like their beloved asphalt pie or sugary drinks like Coca-Cola.
If a reader is looking for a quick diet fix or a step-by-step how-to book, this is not it. This book isn’t so much as a “self-help” book; more of a motivational experience of father and son. A moment in their lives to share together and the reader.
There is a lot of back-story on Shay’s life before he gained weight included in the book and how he lost weight to begin with. “My view is that your weight is just a number on a scale, and a number on a little device that sits on the bathroom floor doesn’t matter nearly as much as how you feel and whether you can do things like dirt bike and Frisbee golf. But it is on way to measure progress and changes in your body.” (Butler, pg. 9) This story is not about the numbers on the scale but living a healthier lifestyle and spending time with his children.
I think this book was an interesting read even if you have no idea who Shay and Gavin were before you started reading. Shay has an exciting personality and it carries over into his writing as well. I think this book is enjoyable for the reader that wants to lose weight and live healthier no matter where they are in in their journey.

[Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

***I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of our review.***

What I really liked about this book was the inclusion of his oldest child, Gavin. Gavin was always a heavier set kid, even in his young years. Most weight loss books are about adults losing the weight, so it was nice to get a kid's perspective on losing weight and getting healthy. It's a really tough thing to do. I commend Gavin on sticking with it and noticing improvements in his every day life. However, I do wish there was more of Gavin in the book. The book was probably 20% Gavin and 80% Shay. I would have liked it to be 40% Gavins and 60% Shay. Many young kids follow the Shaytards, so I think that was a slight missed opportunity to really get more of Gavin's thoughts and feelings in there.

I had two MAJOR issues with this book. I was given an eARC of this book, so this may not be in the final copy, but I still need to mention this. At one point Shay says in the book that "if you want to be fat, do what fat people do, and if you want to be skinny, do what skinny people do. It's as simple as that." And then towards the end of the book he says to "pick any diet plan. Just internet search and just do it." HUGE RED FLAGS! How some people get skinny, is not always a very healthy way. This can start eating disorders. I understood what he was trying to get at. I think he meant healthy and not necessarily skinny. He should have replaced "skinny" with "healthy" a few times throughout the book. Then to tell people to just search the internet for diet plans....no. There are SO many unhealthy and scam diets out there. I researched for a month to figure out what the best plan of action was for me to lose weight. With so many young people going to read this, I think those were the two most dangerous things said in the book. My eyes bugged out when I read that.

HOWEVER, the overall message of the book was a positive one. If you have the will power, focus, self-awareness, and decision making skills down, you can be successful, not just at weight loss, but in life.

Full review found here: http://girlplusbook.com/review/fat-da...

[lyazzat alpyspanov · Rating 4 out of 5]

The inspirational non-fiction book, "Fat Dad, Fat Kid" was written by Shay Butler and his son Gavin. On YouTube, with over 4 million subscribers and roughly 600,000 views per video, Shay films his life along with his five children, wife, and Great Dane. They are one of the most popular YouTube families. The book is mostly about the struggles the father/son pair have gone through. At the time of the book Shay is in his early 30’s and Gavin is 11 years old. Gavin opens up about the bullying that took place in his school and how damaging words can be. Shay talks about what diets he has tried; how he stopped paying attention to the number on the scale; and his emotions throughout his weight gain and loss. He created his own weight loss program, dubbed “ShayLoss”, and even got his mother, father, brother and grandmother involved.
I would rate this book as a 4 ½. I really liked this book. I have been a big fan of Shay for many years but these topics in particular caught my attention. My favorite part of the book is when Gavin is talking about his feelings and what he has gone through because of his weight and how he plans to be much more active than before. The most interesting parts, in my opinion, are when Shay is talking about his ups and downs emotionally and physically and when Gavin is talking about standing up for a boy who was getting bullied at his school. Some things are not quite as interesting as other parts. For instance I didn't really care about Shay describing the characteristics needed to stick to a diet. The only thing I didn’t like about the book was not knowing what happened after they reached their goal weight.
I would recommend this book to a reader who is not too happy about their self image; has dealt with or has a friend that has been bullied; or is interested in the topic of weight and children.

[Amy Cross · Rating 5 out of 5]

So just like all of the other Youtube books I've read I bought this because I love the Shaytards. I also thought this was an interesting and new idea in terms of Youtuber books, especially since it is about a father and son. I knew Shay is philosophical and he has crazy thoughts that inspire me and make me want to be a better person and follow my dreams, so I knew this book would be full of that motivation talk.

The chapters were a very good length for me, I prefer short chapters. We should all know this by now.

I really enjoyed reading this book because it was very motivational, entertaining and educational. It taught me a lot and made me reflect on my own habits and eating patterns. (Which are not good at all) I will take some of his advice on board, like drinking more water because I want better skin and to feel better in my body. Over time I will probably end up preferring it to fizzy drinks, its just about breaking the habit I have now. A theme that Shay repeats throughout the book, it did not get annoying as it was inspiring and made a lot of sense. It really does feel like he is the reader because he gets it. He doesn't sugar coat it or make it seem easy and great. He's honest and to be honest that made me feel better and more motivated to do something to make my body work more efficiently.

The only thing I would say is that Gavin did not feature much in this book. I thought it would be half and half but I guess it makes sense for Shay to write most of the book because he is much older than Gavin and has more experiences and knowledge to share. I did appreciate a younger viewpoint on the subject though. Gavin is wise beyond his years! I was certainly not that intuitive or intelligent when I was his age.

[Anita Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Totally love the book so far. It's honest, motivating, and touching. Although I wish Gavin wrote more, I still look forward to reading his blurbs before or after every chapter. Can't wait to finish!! :)"

That was my review when I was 67 pages in, and I still stick to what I said.
After finishing the book, I realized this is the perfect book for someone who is trying to lose weight to read. Nowadays, there are so many people who claim to know the "secrets" to doing things to help you get to your desired weight, but Shay flat out says the truth: just do the hard work and don't be lazy.
I tried not to get the love I have for this family in the way of how I felt about the book, so everything I felt about the book was truly how I felt while reading it.
I do not believe Gavin wrote enough to have his name on the cover, and I believe he deserved at least one full chapter to himself. It's obvious that he is a good writer, so one chapter that goes into detail about what his experience has been like throughout the 30 days could've been a breeze for him.
I truly enjoyed the motivation and optimism Shay had, it made me want to go to my kitchen, whip up the most healthiest lunch I could think of, then go train for a marathon.
This book does have really good tips for being healthy in general, as well as working out, so I would recommend it to anyone.
I hope Shay decides to write another book about life and success; he seems to have a good idea on both :)

[Rebecca]

This book follows the story of father Shay Butler and his eldest son Gavin on a month long journey to health. Shay has always struggled with eating right and his weight but is determined to try harder and set a good example not only for Gavin, but for his other four children. This book is the perfect balance between a partial autobiography and health and fitness guide. Shay brings his own fun personality to the story and Gavin’s short excerpts give the perfect perspective from a young student trying to change his life for the better.
This book doesn’t have any information in the copyright labeling it as a nonfiction book specifically and because this book is an autobiography there aren’t many charts, graphs, or other info graphic things within it. One really nice feature of the book is because Gavin is a co-writer you get small excerpts written by him and conversations between him and Shay that break down the content into something more comprehensible. This book is great for anyone looking for something to do with body positivity and health tips. Shay never puts being overweight in a negative light and has a very positive attitude on life. It's also great to read a health book with tips that someone has tried and knows works. Would recommend to anyone looking for a fun read and looking for a push to make their own life healthier.

[Debbie Colon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how honest and straight to the point Shay was about his journey with weight loss. I've been a fan of the Shaytards for like 5 years now and I have seen how much they have grown as a family. I admire how close they are and how much they love one another. I also love how he speaks of his children about what it means to really be a part of their upbringing. I agree with that wholeheartedly. I hope that I can implement some of his suggestions which are obvious when wanting to loss weight and live a healthier lifestyle. I want to make my own 30 day challenge with my 10 year old Daughter Jaylinn. Although she doesn't need to lose weight like I do she needs to eat healthier. So we can be each other's strengths well she can be my motivation because I really need to lose a lot of weight and want to have better eating habits. I turn to junk food because that's what is available to me at all times in the neighborhood I live in. We don't have a Whole Foods or Trader Joes nearby. So it makes it a little more difficult. So I best to get planning on this challenge thanks Shay And Gavin for this book and sharing your experiences with us.

[Tamara Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great audiobook about the journey to a healthier life as experienced by a father and a son. I'll admit that I didn't know who Shay Butler was before listening to this audiobook but as I listened to the book, he comes across as a man who loves his family and wants to be around for them for a long time. The main purpose of this audiobook is for Shay to become healthier for the sake of his family and also for his oldest son Gavin to become healthier as well by exercising more and cutting out sugar from their diets.

The book starts with Shay talking about his his life and eventually moves on to him starting a YouTube channel and become famous through vloging about his family and through Maker studios. I liked that the audiobook alternates between Shay and Gavin so you get an honest kid perspective on how hard or easy it is to become healthy especially when faced with temptation.

What I liked most is that Shay and Gavin are honest about their journey and they admit that although it is hard to follow healthy habits sometimes, if you keep at it, you will see results and your body will be so much better for it.

[Kat Ice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to get this book because the Shaytards are like my life role models!! I can only wish my family can turn out to be anything like them. I would have to say I wish this book was a little more of a autobiography about them and their life then about losing weight. But of course I did love the book anyway.
The only thing that I would say was 'bad' about it was that a lot of the things were repeated. It felt like as I was ending the book most of what I was reading was already said within the other chapters.
I feel like this is a great book and challenge that anyone can read and do themselves.
If you love the shaytards even just a little bit and know what there about you would like this book. It's a super quick read and goes by really quickly esp since there is about 10 pages of pictures.
Great read! I will love it on my shelf!