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Gut Feelings: From Fear And Despair To Health And Hope
The successful singer describes her lifelong struggle with obesity and the feelings of shame and self-hatred that accompanied it, her decision to have weight-loss surgery, and the changes in her life following the operation.
301 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 18, 2011
I'm very glad I read this book recommended by a co worker. Carnie had gastric bypass surgery and lost 150 pounds! A life long binge eater I'm glad she wrote this and was so honest. It gave me many answers I wanted such as many people having this surgery lose only 50% of their excess weight. Carnie still snacks and can't control it. At 150# she's maintaining and can't lose that last 20#. If she starts snacking on bad food she'll gain!
The lemon sized stomach eventually holds 2 cups. So people still need to watch what they eat. And no sugar! It goes into the small intestine so quickly that your blood sugar level rises causing the body to dump in a lot of insulin. This drastically lowers the blood sugar level causing nausea, vomiting, cramping, abdominal pain, flushing of skin, sweating and a sense of fear and ill being. A sense of impending doom. Ugh! Also severe constipation is a problem. You must drinks LOTS of fluids.
The doctors, psychologist, and nutritionist at the end of the book angered me. they talk of cognitive behavior therapy to change how the patient thinks and behaves. Okay - fine. But they just don't get it!!! Where's OA? I lived clean for a year, then fell off the wagon. if people could use 12 step to combat binging they wouldn't need this radical, wretched surgery.
The lemon sized stomach eventually holds 2 cups. So people still need to watch what they eat. And no sugar! It goes into the small intestine so quickly that your blood sugar level rises causing the body to dump in a lot of insulin. This drastically lowers the blood sugar level causing nausea, vomiting, cramping, abdominal pain, flushing of skin, sweating and a sense of fear and ill being. A sense of impending doom. Ugh! Also severe constipation is a problem. You must drinks LOTS of fluids.
The doctors, psychologist, and nutritionist at the end of the book angered me. they talk of cognitive behavior therapy to change how the patient thinks and behaves. Okay - fine. But they just don't get it!!! Where's OA? I lived clean for a year, then fell off the wagon. if people could use 12 step to combat binging they wouldn't need this radical, wretched surgery.
December 19, 2018
A steamy sensual memoir! Carnie talks about her drug habits at young age, naughty details of her teen years, and how she was addicted to food. Mostly talks about the drug addiction at beginning of book. It’s a little raunchy but at the end of the book it talks about weight loss. I honestly bought this book for the naughty bits haha. I enjoyed it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2010
Many people will read Gut Feelings hoping to gain some insight into weight loss surgery and they will receive exactly that, but they should be aware this is an autobiography more than an informative tome on gastric bypass. This is the story of Carnie Wilson’s journey: from fat acceptance advocate to the poster child for weight loss surgery; from daughter of a famous person to becoming famous for her own talents; from an insecure, troubled childhood to a more well-adjusted but still insecure adulthood.
As a woman who has been at the same weight as Carnie at her heaviest, I can certainly relate to a lot of what she has to say. But her life experience is as different as can be from my own. I cannot imagine being in the spotlight and having my weight on public display. It’s bad enough being discriminated against for your weight and I can’t imagine the added burden of constant public ridicule and I admire Carnie’s strength in getting through it. Where she stood up to people like Howard Stern, I would have broken down in tears. I hear Carnie’s bitterness, though, seeping through the pages. She seems to be a kind, loving soul but the repetitive language and constant complaining speaks volumes. Not that I blame her, mind you, but it’s obvious she carries a lot of pain.
Reading about Carnie’s life was fascinating and I like her honest and informal way of writing. I learned a lot about weight loss surgery and Carnie did lose a lot of weight (although, years after the book was written, she did gain a potion of it back) and looks so happy in all the pictures. I’m not convinced, however, that weight loss surgery is the way to go. In the end, you still have to maintain your weight like everyone else, through diet and exercise.
As a woman who has been at the same weight as Carnie at her heaviest, I can certainly relate to a lot of what she has to say. But her life experience is as different as can be from my own. I cannot imagine being in the spotlight and having my weight on public display. It’s bad enough being discriminated against for your weight and I can’t imagine the added burden of constant public ridicule and I admire Carnie’s strength in getting through it. Where she stood up to people like Howard Stern, I would have broken down in tears. I hear Carnie’s bitterness, though, seeping through the pages. She seems to be a kind, loving soul but the repetitive language and constant complaining speaks volumes. Not that I blame her, mind you, but it’s obvious she carries a lot of pain.
Reading about Carnie’s life was fascinating and I like her honest and informal way of writing. I learned a lot about weight loss surgery and Carnie did lose a lot of weight (although, years after the book was written, she did gain a potion of it back) and looks so happy in all the pictures. I’m not convinced, however, that weight loss surgery is the way to go. In the end, you still have to maintain your weight like everyone else, through diet and exercise.
October 25, 2009
An "in your face" style memoir by Carnie Wilson of her struggle with obesity and her eventual triumph through gastric-bypass surgery.
Carnie recounts her life as a child, struggling to connect with her troubled father Brian Wilson. She points to several complex theories as to her history of weight problems and eventual addiction to marijuana.
It's not a particularly well written book and the extreme use of expletives might turn some people off. At times I felt it read like an "infomercial" for Spotlight Health, the website that aired Carnie's surgery.
What it is, is a refreshingly honest account of her frustration with not being able to control her life and the impact it made on those around her.
In the end, Gut Feelings is an inspiring story about a young woman who finally overcomes her life threatening obesity and drug addiction with surgery, hard work and the love and support of her family.
Carnie recounts her life as a child, struggling to connect with her troubled father Brian Wilson. She points to several complex theories as to her history of weight problems and eventual addiction to marijuana.
It's not a particularly well written book and the extreme use of expletives might turn some people off. At times I felt it read like an "infomercial" for Spotlight Health, the website that aired Carnie's surgery.
What it is, is a refreshingly honest account of her frustration with not being able to control her life and the impact it made on those around her.
In the end, Gut Feelings is an inspiring story about a young woman who finally overcomes her life threatening obesity and drug addiction with surgery, hard work and the love and support of her family.
September 7, 2007
Although I LOVED Wilson Phillips, and find Carnie a good spokesperson for WLS, I did not love this book. I found the book slow, dull, and repetitive, with no quality information. It is a good read as far as seeing someone else's struggle with morbid obesity, but not for trying to learn anything about the surgery itself. It tells of her struggles and reasoning for being MO, how she compares herself to others, all things that someone with MO is aware of. It was frustrating to read the same feelings and stories over and over; and, what I was most annoyed with was the tasteless and vulgar language throughout the book. Even if it was devoid of the crude language, I would have not been impressed. Okay read if you REALLY like Carnie, and just want a “story” more than information.
April 29, 2015
A memoir about her gastric bypass surgery. I found her very cheerful, loving and fun to read. However, I do believe she is putting a halo on weight-loss surgery that it doesn't deserve. Also, the people who are interviewed at the end of the book don't know what the hell they are talking about. I can't believe they even earned their licenses in the first place.
January 6, 2016
This was a great book. While it is an auto-biography, much of it is related to Carnie's bariatric surgery. She gives a very clear description of the surgery, recovery, and long-term results. There is an appendix with a lot of information. It is also very hopeful. She weighedover 300 pounds at one time. She was then able to have 2 children at ages 36 and 41.
September 4, 2011
Bought this before I had gastric bypass, and I was thankful I did. This book was a great read, and very informational. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has had, or is going to have gastric bypass surgery :)
August 20, 2012
Carnie should have worked with an editor. However, it was interesting to see the process of her weight-loss surgery results.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews