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Navel Gazing: One Woman's Quest for a Size Normal
Almost every woman worries about her weight. For Anne H Putnam, it became unavoidable - by the age of seventeen she weighed over twenty stone and had tried everything, from dieting to fat camp to wearing big t-shirts. When she decided to have weight-loss surgery, she thought everything would change. But now, nine years later and ten sizes smaller, she has discovered that changing your body doesn't automatically change how you feel about it.Navel Gazing is a funny, passionate and no-holds-barred memoir of one woman's quest to accept her own body image - to feel normal. It will make you laugh, cry, cringe - and wonder why it's so hard for women to feel happy with the way they look.
- GenresNonfictionMemoirHealth
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2012
2 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Anne H. Putnam
5 books19 followersAnne H. Putnam is an American writer and editor with an unending interest in the stories that shape our humanity.
Anne wrote her first book, Navel Gazing: One Woman’s Quest for a Size Normal, while living in London, after which she moved back to her hometown of San Francisco, where she made it a year before itching to move away again. After stints in Italy and Oakland, she moved to Northwest Washington.
She lives there still, with her husband and kids—yes, it rains a good amount, but (a) not as much as you think, and (b) she loves it.
Anne wrote her first book, Navel Gazing: One Woman’s Quest for a Size Normal, while living in London, after which she moved back to her hometown of San Francisco, where she made it a year before itching to move away again. After stints in Italy and Oakland, she moved to Northwest Washington.
She lives there still, with her husband and kids—yes, it rains a good amount, but (a) not as much as you think, and (b) she loves it.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 5, 2013
A brutally honest and very well written story of what it feels like to confront and learn to live with your body when you don't conform to what is viewed as 'normal', succeeding in being both humorous and moving without going overboard in either direction. Recommended for anyone who has ever looked in a mirror and worried about what they see, and even more so for those that haven't.
December 22, 2020
This book gives an honest and raw look into the mind of a woman with body image issues. The feelings, thoughts, obsessions, and doubts, were all spot on. It gives great insight to the pluses and minuses of GB and its aftermath. And the emotional turmoil the author went through sang off the pages.
July 11, 2017
Interesting read for anyone who's had to deal with weight and body issues. Good too for someone who hasn't. Perhaps it can give them some perspective and empathy for those who do.
Anne describes with poignancy, the inner pain of someone who's grown up with weight problems. There are so many shares in this I couldn't believe she was so bold to write, but things I've felt myself, so I'm glad she did. There's some intense stuff in this book and she's not afraid to tell it. My only wish is that the book be available in paperback because I prefer holding a book in my hands to reading off a screen.
Anne describes with poignancy, the inner pain of someone who's grown up with weight problems. There are so many shares in this I couldn't believe she was so bold to write, but things I've felt myself, so I'm glad she did. There's some intense stuff in this book and she's not afraid to tell it. My only wish is that the book be available in paperback because I prefer holding a book in my hands to reading off a screen.
September 20, 2013
This is an important book, with the potential to help people better understand the complexities of weight management, perhaps most particularly for those working in the medical and fitness industry… I think it’d give them a really interesting, gritty and realistic insight into the mind of a girl struggling within and against her body. This, I would think, could only be helpful.
Read the full review here... http://blog.thatbookyoulike.com.au/on...
Read the full review here... http://blog.thatbookyoulike.com.au/on...
February 13, 2021
I absolutely loved all of this book for its truths, its fresh and entertaining writing and its insight into "fat mind". Anne is every woman, to some extent. Anne is me, and lots of my friends, and probably millions of us out there. We do compare and hate ourselves, and her description of the overweight teenage life is so true it nearly made me cry.
April 20, 2016
A brutally honest account of one woman's efforts to feel comfortable in her own body, whilst reading this book it feels like the reader is inside the authors head listening to her thoughts as they occur.
Whilst the author may have gone down the route of surgery to deal with her body issues, this book will resonate with anyone who has ever felt uncomfortable in their own skin.
Whilst the author may have gone down the route of surgery to deal with her body issues, this book will resonate with anyone who has ever felt uncomfortable in their own skin.
February 11, 2014
It's one of those easy to read, honest, humble books you read. This is someone that went through surgery many consider a quick fix today. who explains the effect both living with the surgery and the effect it has had on her life.
May 12, 2013
One Woman's Quest for a Size Normal. OK. Where to begin?
At points in Navel Gazing, I empathised with Anne. I think just about every woman has had a changing room breakdown at some point in their life, and Putnam's description of the ignominy of trying on clothes that don't fit and having an 'accessories only' policy when shopping with skinny friends were really sad. Her experience, however, is clearly an extreme one. She describes doubts of self-pity and self-hatred so extreme that she rants and raves, can't see friends, can't leave the house, abuses her long-suffering boyfriend and is actually physically repulsed by her body to the point where she wants to hack bits off it. In 'The Aftermath' she explains she's got these incidents down to a couple of occasions a year, but she still struggles, despite her post-surgery body and healthy lifestyle.
It's an interesting enough read, I suppose, rather than a beautifully-written one. She expresses her situation adequately rather than in a way that made me revel in the newness and hit-the-nail-on-the-head-ness of it all. I think if you had a weight issues and were considering surgery it would be a useful book to read - it definitely dispels any myths about it being a quick and easy solution.
By the end, however, I was a bit puzzled, really. Firstly, by the honestly (and, if I'm honest, crassness) of some of the sexual revelations in the book. She's still with her boyfriend to this day, it would seem, but to admit to a global audience the precise base they reached on the first night they met? The fact that when they were reunited after being apart they had sex twenty three times in one day? Obviously, I'm a prudish Brit...
And also, I was a bit confused by the reason behind her weight issue - I couldn't work out if she's healthy or not. She talks about having a weakness for sweets and treats as a child and overeating. Post-surgery, however, her diet and lifestyle has changed but she still hasn't lost 'enough' weight and she still isn't happy. She's frustrated with the doctors for telling her she needs to drop kgs to be healthy, complaining that the NHS is a numbers-obsessed system. But she still is - and she admits this - quite heavy. Is it her genes? Her body type? The fact that she works out excessively and has a lot of muscle weight? Or does she genuinely believe she lives a healthy life and, well, doesn't really? I don't know. That kind of comment seems unfair, but I suppose if you're going to write a Faber-published book about your gastric bypass surgery you're putting your situation out there for people to discuss. Would be interested to hear what others thought.
Finally, I found it a bit exhausting. There's one point where she declares herself fed up - sick of all the effort and energy she pours into hating her body. I felt like crying, 'Me too!' But then the book continues for another hundred or so pages.
At points in Navel Gazing, I empathised with Anne. I think just about every woman has had a changing room breakdown at some point in their life, and Putnam's description of the ignominy of trying on clothes that don't fit and having an 'accessories only' policy when shopping with skinny friends were really sad. Her experience, however, is clearly an extreme one. She describes doubts of self-pity and self-hatred so extreme that she rants and raves, can't see friends, can't leave the house, abuses her long-suffering boyfriend and is actually physically repulsed by her body to the point where she wants to hack bits off it. In 'The Aftermath' she explains she's got these incidents down to a couple of occasions a year, but she still struggles, despite her post-surgery body and healthy lifestyle.
It's an interesting enough read, I suppose, rather than a beautifully-written one. She expresses her situation adequately rather than in a way that made me revel in the newness and hit-the-nail-on-the-head-ness of it all. I think if you had a weight issues and were considering surgery it would be a useful book to read - it definitely dispels any myths about it being a quick and easy solution.
By the end, however, I was a bit puzzled, really. Firstly, by the honestly (and, if I'm honest, crassness) of some of the sexual revelations in the book. She's still with her boyfriend to this day, it would seem, but to admit to a global audience the precise base they reached on the first night they met? The fact that when they were reunited after being apart they had sex twenty three times in one day? Obviously, I'm a prudish Brit...
And also, I was a bit confused by the reason behind her weight issue - I couldn't work out if she's healthy or not. She talks about having a weakness for sweets and treats as a child and overeating. Post-surgery, however, her diet and lifestyle has changed but she still hasn't lost 'enough' weight and she still isn't happy. She's frustrated with the doctors for telling her she needs to drop kgs to be healthy, complaining that the NHS is a numbers-obsessed system. But she still is - and she admits this - quite heavy. Is it her genes? Her body type? The fact that she works out excessively and has a lot of muscle weight? Or does she genuinely believe she lives a healthy life and, well, doesn't really? I don't know. That kind of comment seems unfair, but I suppose if you're going to write a Faber-published book about your gastric bypass surgery you're putting your situation out there for people to discuss. Would be interested to hear what others thought.
Finally, I found it a bit exhausting. There's one point where she declares herself fed up - sick of all the effort and energy she pours into hating her body. I felt like crying, 'Me too!' But then the book continues for another hundred or so pages.
February 11, 2017
Mixed feelings on this one. On the one hand, it really helped me appreciate the kind of struggle some people have with food and their weight. People considering gastric bypass surgery would do well to read this book... It gives a really good account of the sacrifice it involves, in terms of quality of life. It is definitely not a quick path to a fairytale ending...
What did I dislike in the book? Anne is often not very nice to other people. It's like she lacks empathy for others, even as she desperately seeks it for herself. I found that combination of traits really off-putting. I think she is not really very nice to her husband in the book. Some of the things she writes about him are really embarrassing and personal, and she treats him pretty badly, without seeming remotely remorseful for it. I might be wrong about this, but I don't think she even included him in her acknowledgements at the end, which seems pretty horrible.
So although the book itself was readable and interesting, I found myself disliking Anne and resenting her plea for compassion that she didn't offer to others.
What did I dislike in the book? Anne is often not very nice to other people. It's like she lacks empathy for others, even as she desperately seeks it for herself. I found that combination of traits really off-putting. I think she is not really very nice to her husband in the book. Some of the things she writes about him are really embarrassing and personal, and she treats him pretty badly, without seeming remotely remorseful for it. I might be wrong about this, but I don't think she even included him in her acknowledgements at the end, which seems pretty horrible.
So although the book itself was readable and interesting, I found myself disliking Anne and resenting her plea for compassion that she didn't offer to others.
October 29, 2014
I picked this book just before a vacation and so managed to finish it in 2 days. Not because I liked it but am obsessive about finishing books I start else they haunt me.
The beginning is good where she gets surgery to lose weight in the beginning but by then I was not even in the middle of the book. So, it made me wonder what next. Well... next was a whole lot of insecurity, crying in dressing rooms, doubt, self loathing, hatred etc. Worse, the end is not an optimistic one but one where she takes days off work to wallow in self pity and is still fat/obese. I don't get it. What was the purpose of the book again? Throughout she is obsessed with becoming skinny and even at the end she has not accepted her body the way it is or changed her body to make her like it. Her insecurities are not very different from what women generally face, why does she think she is especially tortured?
It was sheer torture. Please avoid this book.
The beginning is good where she gets surgery to lose weight in the beginning but by then I was not even in the middle of the book. So, it made me wonder what next. Well... next was a whole lot of insecurity, crying in dressing rooms, doubt, self loathing, hatred etc. Worse, the end is not an optimistic one but one where she takes days off work to wallow in self pity and is still fat/obese. I don't get it. What was the purpose of the book again? Throughout she is obsessed with becoming skinny and even at the end she has not accepted her body the way it is or changed her body to make her like it. Her insecurities are not very different from what women generally face, why does she think she is especially tortured?
It was sheer torture. Please avoid this book.
April 26, 2021
What a fabulous book! The author is so candid about her lifelong struggles with her weight and her GB surgery. She uses humor and anecdotes to convey the very real, sometimes crippling emotions she experienced when she realized the GB surgery wasn’t the be all-end all solution to the internal conflict she felt regarding her relationship with food and body image. I highly recommend to everyone of all sizes because I think we all, at times, struggle with self-confidence and our self-esteem, which, let’s be real, usually is tied to the number on the scale or how tight our jeans are. Well done.
November 10, 2013
Raw and honest I could tell that Anne was trying, but nothing in the book dug deeper than a superficial surface level. Also, there was a lot of repetitive information and a lack of story structure which made it difficult for me to stay interested past the mid-point. In general there is a lack of self-awareness, and a topic of this nature requires much more vulnerability and insight from the author.
February 13, 2014
Didn't get past chapter 5 of this book as it just tended to repeat itself quite alot and the author was a little annoying. There was nothing in this book that I hadn't heard from other so called 'fat' biographies and it wasn't nearly amusing as some I've read. When I got to the chapter on the Gastric Bypass I just got a little annoyed with her being so blase about the amount of money her father was spending - a little bit of a cop-out on both their parts I felt so I stopped reading.
February 11, 2015
I could relate to a lot of the feelings that Anne was going through and am pleased that I (like her) have found peace with my body. I did find that in the middle of the book I was considering whether I could read any more due to the hopelessness that she felt.
February 16, 2013
This book speaks to anyone who knows what it is like to hate your body and shows that just because surgery can take the fat off the girl, doesn't mean the girl can shed her feelings with it.
May 14, 2013
occasionally I need to read body image books :) don't we all ...
April 13, 2023
This book has it all from gut-wrenching honesty to humor. A realistic look into the mind of someone suffering from body image issues. Anne's fantastic writing takes you on an emotional rollercoaster of self-discovery relatable to all women. A good read for those who wonder where they fit in a world that is obsessed with beauty and the perfect size.
April 6, 2023
I picked this one up in audiobook and I was immediately drawn in! This is such an honest, real, raw book, and I found myself instantly feeling empathy and a lot of emotion for the author. Definitely was rooting for her throughout and captivated by her storytelling. A great read!
August 1, 2016
It's always interesting to find out what another person's life is like. I would have loved to have grown up in California with rich parents, but it does not guarantee happiness, as this book proves.
It's good in that you get an honest account of the self-absorption and the feelings, but that is also bad because that is tedious. The title expresses it well. I quite often skipped two pages that you could boil down into a few words. I hate being fat, it sucks being me or I wish I had a boyfriend, or whatever.
What I did notice was that there were no hard facts - e.g. I ate X calories and put on Y weight. Only protestations that Z diet had been tried. That makes me suspect that her body probably didn't flout natural law. It's also fascinating that the surgery wasn't the answer. I think overeating is a mental problem and needs tackling via the mind. When so many people are overweight, it's surprising there is not a lot of support. It clearly makes life miserable.
I was also interested in her account of a visit to an 'unsympathetic' doctor. He told her she was obese and that this was threatening her health, and he told her that she had to take a high dosage pill because of her high body mass, so that the hormones would work. This produced a long, furious rant. OK, so she got no sympathy from this guy (and as a doctor he should have sympathy for mental problems) but, what is, is. She may have suffered though surgery, but if you are still medically obese, what else can a doctor say? I also think he had a duty of care to her medical well being. Which would you rather have, a tactful doctor and an unplanned pregnancy, or the correct does of birth control? The furious reaction suggests that the overeating is an emotional problem.
It seems wrong that there are plenty of people making money out of diets, but there doesn't seem to be an effective medical approach to an issue which is ruining lives.
It's good in that you get an honest account of the self-absorption and the feelings, but that is also bad because that is tedious. The title expresses it well. I quite often skipped two pages that you could boil down into a few words. I hate being fat, it sucks being me or I wish I had a boyfriend, or whatever.
What I did notice was that there were no hard facts - e.g. I ate X calories and put on Y weight. Only protestations that Z diet had been tried. That makes me suspect that her body probably didn't flout natural law. It's also fascinating that the surgery wasn't the answer. I think overeating is a mental problem and needs tackling via the mind. When so many people are overweight, it's surprising there is not a lot of support. It clearly makes life miserable.
I was also interested in her account of a visit to an 'unsympathetic' doctor. He told her she was obese and that this was threatening her health, and he told her that she had to take a high dosage pill because of her high body mass, so that the hormones would work. This produced a long, furious rant. OK, so she got no sympathy from this guy (and as a doctor he should have sympathy for mental problems) but, what is, is. She may have suffered though surgery, but if you are still medically obese, what else can a doctor say? I also think he had a duty of care to her medical well being. Which would you rather have, a tactful doctor and an unplanned pregnancy, or the correct does of birth control? The furious reaction suggests that the overeating is an emotional problem.
It seems wrong that there are plenty of people making money out of diets, but there doesn't seem to be an effective medical approach to an issue which is ruining lives.
May 31, 2013
This is quite a difficult book to review as the first half was dull. Most of it sounded like a girl/woman moaning about her weight and seeming to do nothing about it. To me it has always been basic science, your input must equal your output. However the second half I started to relate to. The way we are judged, the way we feel about ourselves and the way we think we look against other women - usually completely distorted. It was good to hear that others have the same worries as myself and I'm pleased if Anne has finally become comfortable with herself. I liked the sexual references for both encounters as I agree that sharing yourself with someone else often puts things into a bit of perspective. I am looking forward to hearing Anne speak next month.
July 23, 2023
This book felt like reading the diaries of every millennial girl who grew up pre body positivity movement and instead with the impossible beauty standards of the 90s and early 2000s. When magazines were our bible and every cover was a “how I lost x amount of weight” blah blah blah.
Putnam offers a raw depiction of her experience with gastric bypass surgery, showing readers it was not the fix she hoped it would be.
What I walked away with after reading this entertaining, raw, juicy, beautifully written memoir was that a “healthy”body starts with a healthy mindset and that seems harder to come by then winning the genetic lottery.
I can’t wait to read more of Putnam’s work.
Putnam offers a raw depiction of her experience with gastric bypass surgery, showing readers it was not the fix she hoped it would be.
What I walked away with after reading this entertaining, raw, juicy, beautifully written memoir was that a “healthy”body starts with a healthy mindset and that seems harder to come by then winning the genetic lottery.
I can’t wait to read more of Putnam’s work.
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June 22, 2016Mace
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