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Till We Eat Again: Confession of a Diet Dropout
Can a woman who will follow you anywhere if you promise her a hunk of chocolate pecan pie ever change her evil ways and find happiness as a gym rat? Can this same sugar-addicted female find glory doing bicep curls and chomping down collard greens, with only the occasional breakdown over a crumb ring donut?
Till We Eat Again: Confessions of a Diet Dropout follows Judy Gruen's true adventures as she tries to lose fifteen measly pounds in time for a 20-year college reunion. And she pulls no punches, except during boxing class: Judy belly dances to the "camel," runs laps while an Army major blows his whistle at a fitness boot camp, and gets tangled in yoga positions so bizarre the paramedics need the "Jaws of Life" to get her out. She'll also try to figure out who's got the straight skinny on nutritional news, as medical researchers conclude that even drinking too much water can kill you. After months of these and other indignities, she'll earn a bookmark made of real paper for losing five pounds on Weight Watchers.
Will she meet her weight loss goal? (Hint: This book is non-fiction!) Turn each laugh-filled page and find out!
189 pages, Paperback
First published December 13, 2002
2 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Judy Gruen
10 books50 followersGrowing up, I was drawn to written words–both reading them voraciously and writing them continuously.
I began my writing career in the health care field, and sold my first freelance humor pieces by age 22 to the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, the scrappy underdog newspaper to the Los Angeles Times.
Since then, I’ve written 5 books, including my memoirs Bylines and Blessings and The Skeptic and the Rabbi, both works of my heart. I’m an award-winning columnist for the Jewish Journal, where my work earned First Place in Commentary from the American Jewish Press Association’s Simon Rockower Awards, and Second Place for Book Reviews from the L.A. Press Club’s Southern California Journalism Awards, both in 2024.
My work has also been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Boston Globe, New York Daily News, Los Angeles Times, Aish.com, Jewish Action, Chabad.org, and many other outlets.
I also love working with writers as a book coach, guiding them as they realize their visions of a professionally written and edited book. I’ve worked with writers on memoirs, as well as on Jewish philosophy, business communications, alternative health journeys, and more.
To me, writing is almost as essential as breathing. It is a privilege and joy for me to be able to share my writing with a receptive audience.
I began my writing career in the health care field, and sold my first freelance humor pieces by age 22 to the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, the scrappy underdog newspaper to the Los Angeles Times.
Since then, I’ve written 5 books, including my memoirs Bylines and Blessings and The Skeptic and the Rabbi, both works of my heart. I’m an award-winning columnist for the Jewish Journal, where my work earned First Place in Commentary from the American Jewish Press Association’s Simon Rockower Awards, and Second Place for Book Reviews from the L.A. Press Club’s Southern California Journalism Awards, both in 2024.
My work has also been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Boston Globe, New York Daily News, Los Angeles Times, Aish.com, Jewish Action, Chabad.org, and many other outlets.
I also love working with writers as a book coach, guiding them as they realize their visions of a professionally written and edited book. I’ve worked with writers on memoirs, as well as on Jewish philosophy, business communications, alternative health journeys, and more.
To me, writing is almost as essential as breathing. It is a privilege and joy for me to be able to share my writing with a receptive audience.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 25, 2012
Judy Gruen's new book, Till We Eat Again: A Second Helping, is a humorous journey of her efforts to lose 15 pounds in time for the reunion of her college housemates. From the benign to the bizarre, Gruen tries one diet and exercise program after another in her quest to find the plan that works best for her---and allows chocolate. Boot camp, belly dancing, Bikram yoga, Pilates, spinning, and a vast array of in-home exercise equipment, Judy tries them all and more! The self-proclaimed experts who give conflicting advice, result in some of the diet plans that cause her family to regard meals with suspicion, and lead to an outright rebellion by Judy in one hilarious instance. Even a trip to the shoe store is a far from simple task as she is offered a dizzying array of choices.
If you are looking for a light-hearted read that is both entertaining and informative, this is a great book. I had never heard of some of the diet or exercise programs she attempted...and I know to avoid a few of them now. You will certainly cheer Judy on as she struggles to rid herself of that extra weight, and may get motivated to start taking better care of yourself, too. A good sense of humor can go a long way in the effort to weigh less, and Judy helps you to see the funny side while you are on your own sojourn.
I received an ARC courtesy of the publisher & NetGalley. I was not required to give a good review, and all opinions are my own.
If you are looking for a light-hearted read that is both entertaining and informative, this is a great book. I had never heard of some of the diet or exercise programs she attempted...and I know to avoid a few of them now. You will certainly cheer Judy on as she struggles to rid herself of that extra weight, and may get motivated to start taking better care of yourself, too. A good sense of humor can go a long way in the effort to weigh less, and Judy helps you to see the funny side while you are on your own sojourn.
I received an ARC courtesy of the publisher & NetGalley. I was not required to give a good review, and all opinions are my own.
October 21, 2012
I happen to know Judy Gruen, and she's as funny in print as she is in person, which is saying a lot. Her articles on Aish.com and in print are not only funny, but touch the experiences of women everywhere, which is one of the reasons her writing is so effective. Reader's can't help but identify with Judy.
Judy's Till We Eat Again is a rollicking trip through Judy's attempt to shed 15 lbs prior to a reunion. We follow her struggle with conflicting and often wacky weigh-loss advice, the apathy of her spouse, and her children's hatred of health food. Her self-deprecating humor allows us to laugh at our own propensity to cheat when confronted with chocolate or be jealous of the effortlessly and relentlessly thin among our friends. Fortunately, Judy survives her fight slightly thinner, but with her humor completely intact.
Note: this book is not even remotely an attempt to give accurate weight-loss advice. It's more like a stand-up act. Fellow warriors in the battle of the bulge will, however, appreciate the humor and may even loose a couple ounces laughing (I almost fell off my bed at one part).
Judy's Till We Eat Again is a rollicking trip through Judy's attempt to shed 15 lbs prior to a reunion. We follow her struggle with conflicting and often wacky weigh-loss advice, the apathy of her spouse, and her children's hatred of health food. Her self-deprecating humor allows us to laugh at our own propensity to cheat when confronted with chocolate or be jealous of the effortlessly and relentlessly thin among our friends. Fortunately, Judy survives her fight slightly thinner, but with her humor completely intact.
Note: this book is not even remotely an attempt to give accurate weight-loss advice. It's more like a stand-up act. Fellow warriors in the battle of the bulge will, however, appreciate the humor and may even loose a couple ounces laughing (I almost fell off my bed at one part).
February 5, 2010
I read this book some time ago and just re-read it. I liked it, it's motivating when it comes to wanting to get yourself off the couch and get moving, and I definitely enjoyed the author. I am in a totally different stage of my life now, than I was when I first read, and I think it had more impact on me then, but was definitely time to re-read!
July 23, 2012
Although I finished reading Till We Eat Again over a month ago, I figured I should save the review until Ramadan, which, traditionally being the Muslim month of losing weight, seemed like the ideal time to adopt the Judy Gruen way of losing weight.
Well, basically Ramadan is a month of austerity, but many female progressive Muslims are known to focus on the weight-loss benefits of this month. This is the one month when Muslims can legitimise dieting and can restrict themselves to unappetising fruits and fruit juices in an act of devotion, but unfortunately, Ramadan has become the month when people act like it is the bridal reception of their youngest aunt and forget to go easy on the shawarma and the fizzy drinks.
Six months ago, when my BMI shot up to borderline overweight from a healthy 21 and I inflated like a water-bed, I decided the right time to start dieting would be Ramadan. It’s been three days since Ramadan started. My mother has already lost four pounds and her BMI is significantly less than mine, but when I lumber up the long flight of stairs to my office in the morning, my cheeks juggle. A year ago, I was known for my high cheekbones; now my cheekbones seem to have flattened into a mound of buttered mashed potato.
Although I am all geared up to do things the Judy Gruen way, my only problem is I don’t understand the Judy Gruen way.
From what I understand, Gruen gives up eating altogether. She didn’t want to, especially after noticing how neurotic her organic food-eating friend seemed, but she does to lose 15 pounds before the next college co-op reunion. She gives up processed food, eats fruits, takes all kinds of contradictory advice on proteins and carbs from different weight-loss specialists and nutritionists, and buys food from Weight Watchers. Food from Weight Watchers consists of Skinny Cow low-fat ice cream, low-calorie nutrition/chocolate bar, and goodness knows what else, and the saddest thing is that she has to give up her favourite chocolate desserts aware that dark chocolate is actually more healthy than unhealthy. In simple words, she stops eating all but low-calorie, organic, seemingly yucky food, and this obviously makes her children flip because it means even they can’t have regular food.
Gruen points out the most baffling contradictions in the nutrition world. Different experts have different opinions, and reading them felt like trying out contradictory homeopathy in India and China. She mentions reading a book that says dairy products can actually cause osteoporosis, and exaggeratedly accuses the book of claiming that anyone who has ever consumed any dairy product has died! Back in my grandmother’s days, specialists recommended having at least an egg a day, and then they reduced the portion size to an egg a week, and now they say women shouldn’t eat eggs at all once they hit their twenties. If they must, then they should eat only the white, and I am not sure what is to be done with the yolk. Maybe bake a high-calorie cake? A Dr Li advises Gruen against cheese and dairy products, but ladies, ladies! Let’s get this straight: aren’t we supposed to take plenty of dairy products so that in our fifties our bones don’t crumble to powder from osteoporosis? Or is osteoporosis a milk-powder advertising scheme?
While starving herself, Gruen doesn’t hit “the gym”, like characters in books and films seem to; she hangs out in a couple of gyms and weight-loss institutions, and this is the part that drives me bull crazy because it makes me wonder if she has time for anything else, like journaling her weight-loss attempts, paying bills, shopping for organic and fat-free food, making shopping lists, showering, going to work, watching the news, reading a book on weight loss, or disciplining her children. Her children do appear wildly out of control in the book, so my wildest guess is that during this extreme period she does not have enough time for anything else other than trying to lose weight. She enlists for boot camp, which from her descriptions sounds madding; attends Weight Watchers meetings, which sounds a lot like AA; goes to Rabbi’s Roundtable, or something like that; does pilates, which to me means an exercise to help cure constipation; does weights; tries out belly dancing; and more, of which I failed to keep track. Excuse the lack of enthusiasm, but as a college student who always has papers due and feels morally obliged to pleasure read a minimum of 100 pages every day, I barely have time to comb my hair and make sure my eyebrows are not falling out again.
Despite her rabid exercise regime, it seems to be such a task for Gruen to try and lose at least 5 pounds, and eventually, before the reunion, she only manages to lose eight of the intended fifteen pounds. Excuse me, but after sacrificing life and food, I would like to lose more than the weight I require to lose. I would like to look like the ideal skinny bitch. After counting points in her food (this is Weight Watchers jargon for goodness knows what), trying to relish Skinny Cow ice cream, and sweating it out in various weight-loss institutions, Judy Gruen does eventually feel good enough about herself to make a career-changing decision, which really is the final jolt in the book. I salute Judy Gruen for trying so hard, but I am not sure I think losing weight is worth such effort, unless of course your arteries are clogged like a case of bad plumbing.
While Till We Eat Again mostly made me laugh, it also made me think about what circus clowns nutritionists and weight-loss specialists have become, unsure of even what works. Losing weight is such a task as it is. Add to it the poor jokes of these professionals and viola: you have sacrificed your body to the weight-obsessed world. Gruen also made me think of how difficult losing even a pound is, and how many of us try to take the easy way out by blaming genetics and slow metabolism while scarfing down full-fat ice cream after a tiring day. Reading this book also almost made me cry because I picked it up smack in the middle of my weight gain news, and all I could muster between sobs was, “Mummy, do I have to?” Well, yes, I have to lose weight, but Judy Gruen has just told me that since the whole process of losing weight is such a time-consuming joke mostly ending in failure, I might have to be ready to sacrifice much more than just my laid-back lifestyle, especially because my ancestors were reckless enough to not pass me any of those fat-burning genes.
I am sorry losing weight is so difficult. I am not sure I want to lose weight anymore. I eat one-third of what I used to eat six months ago and I walk to places. I have lost a bit of weight. But since the onset of Ramadan—despite the fact that the only unhealthy, fattening food I have been consuming are latte and Hello Panda—I feel my cheeks juggle as I try to shed off extra pounds by climbing the stairs instead of taking the lift to my office. Oh, and I don’t take the lift because my office has been moved for the summer and I don’t know where the lift is. I also bought an attractive belly dancing book recently, and it turns out I am as clumsy as Gruen describes herself.
Well, basically Ramadan is a month of austerity, but many female progressive Muslims are known to focus on the weight-loss benefits of this month. This is the one month when Muslims can legitimise dieting and can restrict themselves to unappetising fruits and fruit juices in an act of devotion, but unfortunately, Ramadan has become the month when people act like it is the bridal reception of their youngest aunt and forget to go easy on the shawarma and the fizzy drinks.
Six months ago, when my BMI shot up to borderline overweight from a healthy 21 and I inflated like a water-bed, I decided the right time to start dieting would be Ramadan. It’s been three days since Ramadan started. My mother has already lost four pounds and her BMI is significantly less than mine, but when I lumber up the long flight of stairs to my office in the morning, my cheeks juggle. A year ago, I was known for my high cheekbones; now my cheekbones seem to have flattened into a mound of buttered mashed potato.
Although I am all geared up to do things the Judy Gruen way, my only problem is I don’t understand the Judy Gruen way.
From what I understand, Gruen gives up eating altogether. She didn’t want to, especially after noticing how neurotic her organic food-eating friend seemed, but she does to lose 15 pounds before the next college co-op reunion. She gives up processed food, eats fruits, takes all kinds of contradictory advice on proteins and carbs from different weight-loss specialists and nutritionists, and buys food from Weight Watchers. Food from Weight Watchers consists of Skinny Cow low-fat ice cream, low-calorie nutrition/chocolate bar, and goodness knows what else, and the saddest thing is that she has to give up her favourite chocolate desserts aware that dark chocolate is actually more healthy than unhealthy. In simple words, she stops eating all but low-calorie, organic, seemingly yucky food, and this obviously makes her children flip because it means even they can’t have regular food.
Gruen points out the most baffling contradictions in the nutrition world. Different experts have different opinions, and reading them felt like trying out contradictory homeopathy in India and China. She mentions reading a book that says dairy products can actually cause osteoporosis, and exaggeratedly accuses the book of claiming that anyone who has ever consumed any dairy product has died! Back in my grandmother’s days, specialists recommended having at least an egg a day, and then they reduced the portion size to an egg a week, and now they say women shouldn’t eat eggs at all once they hit their twenties. If they must, then they should eat only the white, and I am not sure what is to be done with the yolk. Maybe bake a high-calorie cake? A Dr Li advises Gruen against cheese and dairy products, but ladies, ladies! Let’s get this straight: aren’t we supposed to take plenty of dairy products so that in our fifties our bones don’t crumble to powder from osteoporosis? Or is osteoporosis a milk-powder advertising scheme?
While starving herself, Gruen doesn’t hit “the gym”, like characters in books and films seem to; she hangs out in a couple of gyms and weight-loss institutions, and this is the part that drives me bull crazy because it makes me wonder if she has time for anything else, like journaling her weight-loss attempts, paying bills, shopping for organic and fat-free food, making shopping lists, showering, going to work, watching the news, reading a book on weight loss, or disciplining her children. Her children do appear wildly out of control in the book, so my wildest guess is that during this extreme period she does not have enough time for anything else other than trying to lose weight. She enlists for boot camp, which from her descriptions sounds madding; attends Weight Watchers meetings, which sounds a lot like AA; goes to Rabbi’s Roundtable, or something like that; does pilates, which to me means an exercise to help cure constipation; does weights; tries out belly dancing; and more, of which I failed to keep track. Excuse the lack of enthusiasm, but as a college student who always has papers due and feels morally obliged to pleasure read a minimum of 100 pages every day, I barely have time to comb my hair and make sure my eyebrows are not falling out again.
Despite her rabid exercise regime, it seems to be such a task for Gruen to try and lose at least 5 pounds, and eventually, before the reunion, she only manages to lose eight of the intended fifteen pounds. Excuse me, but after sacrificing life and food, I would like to lose more than the weight I require to lose. I would like to look like the ideal skinny bitch. After counting points in her food (this is Weight Watchers jargon for goodness knows what), trying to relish Skinny Cow ice cream, and sweating it out in various weight-loss institutions, Judy Gruen does eventually feel good enough about herself to make a career-changing decision, which really is the final jolt in the book. I salute Judy Gruen for trying so hard, but I am not sure I think losing weight is worth such effort, unless of course your arteries are clogged like a case of bad plumbing.
While Till We Eat Again mostly made me laugh, it also made me think about what circus clowns nutritionists and weight-loss specialists have become, unsure of even what works. Losing weight is such a task as it is. Add to it the poor jokes of these professionals and viola: you have sacrificed your body to the weight-obsessed world. Gruen also made me think of how difficult losing even a pound is, and how many of us try to take the easy way out by blaming genetics and slow metabolism while scarfing down full-fat ice cream after a tiring day. Reading this book also almost made me cry because I picked it up smack in the middle of my weight gain news, and all I could muster between sobs was, “Mummy, do I have to?” Well, yes, I have to lose weight, but Judy Gruen has just told me that since the whole process of losing weight is such a time-consuming joke mostly ending in failure, I might have to be ready to sacrifice much more than just my laid-back lifestyle, especially because my ancestors were reckless enough to not pass me any of those fat-burning genes.
I am sorry losing weight is so difficult. I am not sure I want to lose weight anymore. I eat one-third of what I used to eat six months ago and I walk to places. I have lost a bit of weight. But since the onset of Ramadan—despite the fact that the only unhealthy, fattening food I have been consuming are latte and Hello Panda—I feel my cheeks juggle as I try to shed off extra pounds by climbing the stairs instead of taking the lift to my office. Oh, and I don’t take the lift because my office has been moved for the summer and I don’t know where the lift is. I also bought an attractive belly dancing book recently, and it turns out I am as clumsy as Gruen describes herself.
September 4, 2021
Just not for me... I did laugh a few times. There were some experiences that those of us who have dieted can certainly relate to
September 1, 2023
Some quotes from this book: I had my fat tested today. It tested positive.
The next time we go to a party whose theme is desserts, I’m wearing a blindfold.
The next time we go to a party whose theme is desserts, I’m wearing a blindfold.
May 28, 2012
There seems to be more diets than political opinions and often even diets that look broadly similar will disagree on something or another. Other than "watch what you eat" opinions can and do vary.
Here, in an updated edition of "Till We Eat Again: Confessions of a Diet Dropout" the author refreshes her one woman attempt to make sense of the difference of opinions in the diet world and lose some weight at the same time by trying a number of different programmes and routines.
Written in a diary style, it is clear that this is not a scientific study or comparison but neither does it claim to be. The author hopes that, if nothing else, the reader will burn at least 250 calories off through laughter, or possibly more (but hopefully not less).
The writing style is fairly light and not burdensome to read. You would need to read this book cover-to-cover or a fairly large chunk of it in order to realise any sufficient benefit from the text as it is not overly modular in nature. Maybe a series of mini humorous essays would have been a better approach. With that said, however, it is not an onerous task to do so. You will discover pretty quickly if you gel with the writing style of the author and that will probably be the factor that determines whether you continue with the book. If only diets were that simple and clear to follow...
It is acknowledged that humour can be a very personal thing. For the reviewer this book neither rose to the occasion nor fell flat on its face. There were some highlights but nothing to raise it above the parapet of success. Yet, if you are tied of dieting and the endless search for success, maybe this book will at least cheer you up, let you laugh at yourself and past mistakes and give you some energy to go on. For that alone, it might be worth it. Take a look and see.
Till We Eat Again, written by Judy Gruen and published by CreateSpace. ISBN 9781470118112, 202 pages. Typical price: USD15. YYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
Here, in an updated edition of "Till We Eat Again: Confessions of a Diet Dropout" the author refreshes her one woman attempt to make sense of the difference of opinions in the diet world and lose some weight at the same time by trying a number of different programmes and routines.
Written in a diary style, it is clear that this is not a scientific study or comparison but neither does it claim to be. The author hopes that, if nothing else, the reader will burn at least 250 calories off through laughter, or possibly more (but hopefully not less).
The writing style is fairly light and not burdensome to read. You would need to read this book cover-to-cover or a fairly large chunk of it in order to realise any sufficient benefit from the text as it is not overly modular in nature. Maybe a series of mini humorous essays would have been a better approach. With that said, however, it is not an onerous task to do so. You will discover pretty quickly if you gel with the writing style of the author and that will probably be the factor that determines whether you continue with the book. If only diets were that simple and clear to follow...
It is acknowledged that humour can be a very personal thing. For the reviewer this book neither rose to the occasion nor fell flat on its face. There were some highlights but nothing to raise it above the parapet of success. Yet, if you are tied of dieting and the endless search for success, maybe this book will at least cheer you up, let you laugh at yourself and past mistakes and give you some energy to go on. For that alone, it might be worth it. Take a look and see.
Till We Eat Again, written by Judy Gruen and published by CreateSpace. ISBN 9781470118112, 202 pages. Typical price: USD15. YYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
June 11, 2012
I got the opportunity to read this book when I won it in a First-Reads contest, so I would just like to thank the Author and Goodreads! Now on to the review!
When I started reading this book my first thought was Bridget Jones. And indeed, there are obvious similarities. Both are women over who are unsatisfied with their body/weight, and write about it in a humorous manner. I think what makes this book so appealing is that Judy writes about things we're all thinking and wondering about, like how stupid a diet is but we may as well try it just in case it works. But Judy is just about dieting (which may have caused some annoyance) but also about getting active and going to the gym. Judy and Bridget are both examples of the "everywoman". We all know what it feels like to dread the scale, or want to lose weight for an important occasion, or have the "last XX" pounds not to come off, or to impress people, and ESPECIALLY the every-constant war between our want for a better body and our love of all food not exactly good for us. Whether Judy or Bridget actually make their weight goals isn't important, what's important is the lesson to try and better our diet and up our exercise BECAUSE we love our body, not SO we can love our body. And through all this, we also learn that with all the emphasis society (and us... and our family... and our friends) place on our body and how we look, maybe, just maybe, our personality and being loved because of it is more important than everything else.
So while this may not have been the most educational book and it's definitely not a self-help book or something designed to help you lose weight, it will leave you feeling better about yourself and your body. A book I would pick up when I need some humor, truth, and understanding from an author I never met to brighten my day.
When I started reading this book my first thought was Bridget Jones. And indeed, there are obvious similarities. Both are women over who are unsatisfied with their body/weight, and write about it in a humorous manner. I think what makes this book so appealing is that Judy writes about things we're all thinking and wondering about, like how stupid a diet is but we may as well try it just in case it works. But Judy is just about dieting (which may have caused some annoyance) but also about getting active and going to the gym. Judy and Bridget are both examples of the "everywoman". We all know what it feels like to dread the scale, or want to lose weight for an important occasion, or have the "last XX" pounds not to come off, or to impress people, and ESPECIALLY the every-constant war between our want for a better body and our love of all food not exactly good for us. Whether Judy or Bridget actually make their weight goals isn't important, what's important is the lesson to try and better our diet and up our exercise BECAUSE we love our body, not SO we can love our body. And through all this, we also learn that with all the emphasis society (and us... and our family... and our friends) place on our body and how we look, maybe, just maybe, our personality and being loved because of it is more important than everything else.
So while this may not have been the most educational book and it's definitely not a self-help book or something designed to help you lose weight, it will leave you feeling better about yourself and your body. A book I would pick up when I need some humor, truth, and understanding from an author I never met to brighten my day.
July 24, 2012
Judy Gruen was facing her 20-year college reunion with an extra fifteen pounds on her body. She set out to lose that weight by any means possible. She chronicles her journey as she navigates her way through the minefield of fad diets and extreme exercise programs. The reader is taken along on the wild adventure of the weight-loss industry.
For every one who has ever dieted, tried to diet, or just looked in the mirror and considered dieting, this book is almost as good as chocolate. It is laugh-out-loud funny, and I mean that in the truest sense. Not that LOL thing we all do at the end of an email, but I actually laughed out loud more than once. This is a road I have traveled for many years, and whether or not I ever achieve perfection, I enjoyed a good laugh. Ms. Gruen strikes just the right tone with this book. Those who have won the battle can enjoy her accomplishments, and those of us who are still fighting the battle can enjoy the humorous side of dieting. On a personal note, the best part of the book was the fact that I was reading it while getting ready to go to my 30-year high school reunion, so I related to the urge to completely revamp myself for one night. Just for the record, it didn't happen. But I still loved the book.
This is a 5 star book.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
For every one who has ever dieted, tried to diet, or just looked in the mirror and considered dieting, this book is almost as good as chocolate. It is laugh-out-loud funny, and I mean that in the truest sense. Not that LOL thing we all do at the end of an email, but I actually laughed out loud more than once. This is a road I have traveled for many years, and whether or not I ever achieve perfection, I enjoyed a good laugh. Ms. Gruen strikes just the right tone with this book. Those who have won the battle can enjoy her accomplishments, and those of us who are still fighting the battle can enjoy the humorous side of dieting. On a personal note, the best part of the book was the fact that I was reading it while getting ready to go to my 30-year high school reunion, so I related to the urge to completely revamp myself for one night. Just for the record, it didn't happen. But I still loved the book.
This is a 5 star book.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
May 19, 2012
I was intrigued by the blurb of this book, which spoke to the contradictions I often feel as a person who has to pay a lot of attention to my diet and weight for health reasons, yet finds much of what goes on in our culture around weight offensive or utterly ridiculous. An episodic journal of Gruen's attempts to lost 15 pounds before a reunion, it shows her trying everything from boot camp to high-colonics, with results that are often comic and sometimes potentially dangerous. Along the way she discovers healthy food she likes, exercise she loves, and a new contentment with her much fitter yet still imperfect body.
Although Gruen writes mainly for laughs, there are plenty of legitimate points in here. I related a lot to her efforts "to become fit and fabulous after forty, which has become darned near a full-time job." (One that her family often fails to appreciate.) I also related to her efforts to not become too obsessive, taking a day off (after her husband remarks that her diet talk is becoming boring) to look at beautiful larger women in European art. Eventually she comes to several conclusions about fitness, starting with:
"1. Being overweight is a bad thing. Being overweighed may be worse.
2. Publishers should run criminal background checks on anyone proposing to write a diet book. These authors seem a shady lot."
The overall style of the book is heavy on comic exaggeration, so I found it best read in small doses. But though it did make me laugh, I think I most liked it for the underlying message that lifestyle changes really are possible and can actually enhance a person's life.
Although Gruen writes mainly for laughs, there are plenty of legitimate points in here. I related a lot to her efforts "to become fit and fabulous after forty, which has become darned near a full-time job." (One that her family often fails to appreciate.) I also related to her efforts to not become too obsessive, taking a day off (after her husband remarks that her diet talk is becoming boring) to look at beautiful larger women in European art. Eventually she comes to several conclusions about fitness, starting with:
"1. Being overweight is a bad thing. Being overweighed may be worse.
2. Publishers should run criminal background checks on anyone proposing to write a diet book. These authors seem a shady lot."
The overall style of the book is heavy on comic exaggeration, so I found it best read in small doses. But though it did make me laugh, I think I most liked it for the underlying message that lifestyle changes really are possible and can actually enhance a person's life.
June 9, 2012
I went into this book expecting a light, funny read about the typical female's struggles with weight-loss and body acceptance. I really felt that "Til We Eat Again" would turn out to be a relatable journey that would end with a positive message. At the halfway point, I felt camaraderie with the author and applauded her for joining Weight Watchers, a highly-successful program that has helped me lose 100 pounds. Then...it all went downhill from there. I felt that she was losing weight for the wrong reason (school reunion) and the self-serving, pat-me-on-the-back tone towards the end of the book wore on my nerves. It just seemed like a laundry list of fitness/wellness classes she attended and pitiful gimmicks (exercise belts and colon cleanses). I also get what she did to her "friend" in the end, and it was completely harmless but to use it as some sort of "I now have lots of contacts due to my catty behavior" was tasteless.
That said, I really enjoyed the author's writing style, the way it was presented in diary form and her being honest about her food cravings and struggles. But, to end it in an almost "I'm cured and an expert" fashion left a lot to be desired.
That said, I really enjoyed the author's writing style, the way it was presented in diary form and her being honest about her food cravings and struggles. But, to end it in an almost "I'm cured and an expert" fashion left a lot to be desired.
June 8, 2012
Judy Gruen's new book "Till We Eat Again: A Second Helping" is a laugh-out-loud, fun read.
Judy wanted to lose fifteen pounds for a college reunion. In an effort to do so She tries yoga, Zumba and belly dancing. She visits cardio-kickboxing class (which she loves!), personal trainers (which she doesn't love!), and she goes to weight watchers meetings. Luckily she takes us along for the hilarious ride with her easy to enjoy, diary style novel.
Her trials and tribulations are genuine and easy for anyone who has ever tried to shed a few pounds to relate to. As a former weight watchers points fanatic myself I especially like her stories about the disappearance of the 2-point Chocolate Mint bars. So accurate!
I enjoyed the fact that while she tried all the diet "craziness" she maintained a reasonable and healthy attitude and level of self esteem.
I think this book would make a perfect beach read, and with summer right around the corner I'll definitely be recommending it to my girlfriends!
Judy wanted to lose fifteen pounds for a college reunion. In an effort to do so She tries yoga, Zumba and belly dancing. She visits cardio-kickboxing class (which she loves!), personal trainers (which she doesn't love!), and she goes to weight watchers meetings. Luckily she takes us along for the hilarious ride with her easy to enjoy, diary style novel.
Her trials and tribulations are genuine and easy for anyone who has ever tried to shed a few pounds to relate to. As a former weight watchers points fanatic myself I especially like her stories about the disappearance of the 2-point Chocolate Mint bars. So accurate!
I enjoyed the fact that while she tried all the diet "craziness" she maintained a reasonable and healthy attitude and level of self esteem.
I think this book would make a perfect beach read, and with summer right around the corner I'll definitely be recommending it to my girlfriends!
May 15, 2012
Well, shucks. If I don't give my own book 5 stars, who will? But honestly, I do love this little book. It's a revised and updated version of my earlier title, Till We Eat Again: Confessions of a Diet Dropout. This version is (IMO) funnier and better edited, and of course, much more current in terms of cultural references and trends in dieting and exercise.
It's my real-life chronicle of trying to lose weight and get in shape, while slipping too much zuchini into the family dinner, which incites rebellion among my kids who begin chanting, "No pasta, no peace!"
It's meant to inspire anyone struggling with more of a spare tire than six-pack abs, and since laughter burns calories, I heartily recommend it!
It's my real-life chronicle of trying to lose weight and get in shape, while slipping too much zuchini into the family dinner, which incites rebellion among my kids who begin chanting, "No pasta, no peace!"
It's meant to inspire anyone struggling with more of a spare tire than six-pack abs, and since laughter burns calories, I heartily recommend it!
June 26, 2012
I won this book as a Goodreads Firstreads giveaway.
I love love love this book! We'll get the easiest reason out of the way first, it was a fast read. As a person who has spent my entire adult life dieting in some form or fashion, I felt connected to Judy and her struggles. The diet/health industry is full of such contradictory information it really is humorous. There were many times I laughed at Judy's situation because I've been there and done that. I think this is a really good read for anyone who has weight to lose (whether it is 5 lbs or 500 lbs).
I love love love this book! We'll get the easiest reason out of the way first, it was a fast read. As a person who has spent my entire adult life dieting in some form or fashion, I felt connected to Judy and her struggles. The diet/health industry is full of such contradictory information it really is humorous. There were many times I laughed at Judy's situation because I've been there and done that. I think this is a really good read for anyone who has weight to lose (whether it is 5 lbs or 500 lbs).
August 25, 2012
For those who fight the battle of the bulge, Judy Gruen has written Till We Eat Again. Readers identify with the frustrations Judy encounters as she embarks on a series of failed diets and exercise regimes. Yes, you feel her pain but you also laugh with her because you feel she is telling your story.
The book is written in a journal format over the period of a year. If you dream of buttercream iced donuts and have nightmares of barbells and sweat soaked workout wear, you really should read Till We Eat Again.
The book is written in a journal format over the period of a year. If you dream of buttercream iced donuts and have nightmares of barbells and sweat soaked workout wear, you really should read Till We Eat Again.
February 5, 2009
This is a good-natured lampooning of the diet and exercise world. I laughed at her depiction of Weight Watchers (accurate but funny) and was inspired to return to this organization myself after 3 months away. I was prepared to see a gain on the scale but weighed exactly the same, to the ounce, that I had 3 months before. How weird is that? The nice thing about this book is that Judy does get in shape so in the end it was more than jokes, it was inspiring.
June 11, 2012
I won this book in the First Reads program! :)
I'll admit, I don't usually read books about diets and/or health and exercise. Because I feel just like the author did, there's too much bogus information and bs out there. This book was hilarious and so relatable. There were so many times I was thinking "Thats me!" and just laughing out loud. I loved that it was easy to breeze through and written like a diary.
I'll admit, I don't usually read books about diets and/or health and exercise. Because I feel just like the author did, there's too much bogus information and bs out there. This book was hilarious and so relatable. There were so many times I was thinking "Thats me!" and just laughing out loud. I loved that it was easy to breeze through and written like a diary.
November 12, 2012
Judy has an accurate grasp of the struggles of us weight watchers and diet freaks. Every paragraph is filled with humor. As I read the book, I wondered, "hey how does she know I do that?" Her description of certain behaviors in herself or others made me laugh at myself. Her style is very similar to Erma Bombeck's and other humorists like her. I highly recommend this book to keep on your night-table and read before going to bed - very very funny and light. Puts you in a great mood!
June 14, 2012
A real woman's search for weight loss through diet and exercise. A humerous read for women who are dieting or thinking about dieting. A poitive look at the many different diets and exercises that are available today. And it can be done! Thin women do not need to read this book because they won't understand.
October 17, 2011
Nothing to deep here, but just a fun read that I enjoyed.
May 28, 2012
A fun account that at times felt like reading my own story of battles with exercise and food although Judy Gruen has far more will power than I ever will!
October 11, 2012
I really enjoyed it. I laughed and laughed annoying my whole family around me :D
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