Losing It: False Hopes and Fat Profits in the Diet Industry

by Laura Fraser

Journeys into the past to investigate America's obsession with weight and interviews today's weight-loss profiteers, coming to the conclusion that, far from helping people lose weight, the diet gurus contribute to Americans' weight obsession and obesity

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Fat Studies, Feminism, Fat, Sociology

336 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1998

About the author

I am a long-time journalist and San Franciscan who loves travel and books. I'm the author of the NYT-bestselling memoir An Italian Affair, and its sequel, All Over the Map. I also wrote a book about the diet industry, Losing It. I am the co-founder and editorial director of Shebooks.net, which publishes short, top-shelf ebooks by women. My own Shebook, The Risotto Guru, is all about eating in Italy.
I'm passionate about reading, and have kept a list of all the books I've read since I was about ten, which you can find on my website: http://www.laurafraser.com/booklists/. I teach and coach writing, particularly memoir and personal essay.

Reviews

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book when I read it, particularly for its comprehensive history of the diet industry. It is almost ten years old, so recent obesity research will not be included. However, the overall message and analysis of the industry is more relevant than ever.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I vacillated between four and five stars on this but, after reflecting on how much thought I've given to the text, it deserved a five.

Fraser ties together an incredible amount of research with her own stories of dieting and going undercover as a potential managed diet program participant. It took me a long time to get through this book because, as a lifetime fat girl, a lot of the subject matter was emotionally charged for me.

She covered how our society has changed over the years to one where unrealistically thin women (mostly women, not so much on the men in this one) are the ideal that all should strive for. There was a lot on diet fads, scams and programs and the possibly dangerous side effects associated with them. And, quite a bit on groups that are promoting acceptance of peoples' natural weight and rejecting the you have to be thin to be healthy mentality.

Published in the late 90s, some of the text is dated. For example, she interviewed Richard Simmons and Susan Powter and I think their programs are pretty much over, especially Powter's. Fen/phen was still on the market, too.

The final message is that diets don't work and that just being thin doesn't guarantee good health. What does increase your chance for good health is to eat mostly high fiber grains, fruits and veggies and do consistent exercise.

[Spook Sulek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that if I ever do teach a class on health and nutrition, this will be one of the required reading texts. I enjoyed the historical overview, and the way Fraser writes it wouldn't be difficult for a high schooler to read. Reminds me of Leavy's book, and goes into greater depth on the differences between the Victorian ideals and those of a Flapper (ch. 1, esp. p. 35), discussing current events and popular books, entertainers, and political events that prompted them, which are fascinating. Loved the discussion about how a woman's power emulated male power in both the twenties and seventies (p. 45). The review of diet gurus was wonderful, and the cyclical nature of gurus, like the drug scams, diet doctors and commercial weight-loss centers and other fads, is underscored, so these are timeless lessons. Really enjoyed chs. 5 and 8; the clarity when Fraser writes that while "every diet doesn't lead to an eating disorder, almost every eating disorder begins with a diet" (p. 237). I'd also never heard the truth about Cass Elliott's death (p. 243). Overall, a wonderful read to prompt some excellent discussions on weight in culture.

[Jenny Schmenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not the most revolutionary fat-positive book I've ever read, but really good, with lots of science and cultural critique. I think it tied a lot of things together effectively, and I'd like to own a copy.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

i was going to say that every woman who has ever suffered from an eating disorder or disordered eating should read this but then i realized no. Everyone should read this.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting tour around the weight loss industry in USA. The book was published in the 1990s, but unfortunately little has changed overall. The low fat craze has changed to the madness of keto and paleo and other food trends. The women (and men) are still bombarded all the time by pictures of peoples’ transformations by weight loss, with the stories advocating both for personal trainers, gym memberships and food fads...
And the Americans are still large. 3,5* - a good tour about the topic and the many keto snake oils sold for diets. Not a bad read at all, especially if you’ve ever felt fat

[J. Z. Kelley]

This is an outdated book for rich, thin, white cishet women.

The introduction really claims women of color are less impacted by anti-fat bias than white women. Like????

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I could I would give this book 3.5 stars. Losing It is chock full of information. It starts with a history of how the slim body became associated with a fit body. Then the text shifts from history to an in depth analysis of the Diet Gurus (such as Susan Powter and Gene Simmons) and the rest of the book is a break down of the collusion between the health/medical industry and the diet industry. Another point to note is that Fraser also takes on diet plans and diet doctors and comes to the conclusion that most diet plans are starvation diets that force the body to feed on internal organs to survive. I found this point awesome.

What I really enjoyed about reading the book is the discussion of the chemical make up of sugar-/fat-free and reduced fat food products. Fraser analyzes how companies purposefully create products that mimic foods with sugar and butter but consumers of these products to do not feel feed because the foods lack what the original food has in abundance which means that people eat more of the product. This make the processed food industry very happy.


What I didn't enjoy was the emphasis on dieting being harmful for smaller bodied fat people but not for bigger bodied fat people. Fraser spends three-fourths of the book attempting to convince readers that dieting is bad for everyone's health because it isn't healthy yet still promotes dieting as a solution for obese people. I think this counteracted her argument. If dieting is bad for smaller bodied fat people then it is bad for bigger bodied fat people. The effect would be the same regardless of body size.

I wasn't sure if the argument was intentional or a compromise in order to get the book published. Also I would be curious to see if she feels the same way since this text is older and before the BMI chart was adjusted making millions of people overweight and obese overnight.

All in all, I think the book is a fascinating read and very informative even though it still has a lot of bias against bigger bodied fat people.

[Rob Bentley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I think its subject is a very important one, and overall it was worth reading. However, the author seems to have chosen to write to a female, very feminist audience. I just wish she would have broadened the scope a little. The first half of the book was fascinating and very important information for people to know. The highlight of the book is the chapter on diet fads. Fraser also published that chapter as an article, and you can read it on the CVS Pharmacy website here:
https://www.caremark.com/wps/portal/H...

It addresses fads such as Phenfen (or is it Fenphen?), HCG, Dinitrophenol, etc.

About half way through the book it bogged down for me. It seemed like Fraser was getting too focussed on specifics that might be a little outdated at this point. Anyway, the book finished strong, with advice on how to make some healthy choices and move on with life. Really important stuff, but if you don't have a lot of time you might be better off just reading the article I linked to above.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I stumbled across this book while weeding at my library. The author traces the history of the diet/weight loss industry and makes a lot of interesting points about body image that may help reassure those who have struggled with their weight.

My only caveat is that you're not going to find the most current information on this subject in either edition. If you know that while reading it, then you'll be okay. The 1997 edition was basically out of date the year it was published; it discusses fen-phen and Redux, both which were taken off the market in that same year. I haven't taken a look at the 1998 edition, but I would hope it addressed those issues.

[HeavyReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a little out of date, but there may be a newer edition out.

I learned so much about the diet industry and health from this book. The most notable thing that I learned is that studies show that fat people who are active live longer than thin people who are inactive. This is a must read for anyone interested in fat liberation.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books on the dieting industry in the United States. I actually own two copies of this book; at first on accident, but now on purpose so I can loan the paperback out to friends.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a bit self-serving, but had some great information.

[Frederick Bingham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly critical analysis of the diet industry and the hype, quackery and misinformation that surrounds it. Often funny, often sad.

[Emily Kestrel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dated but apt discussion of the diet industry.