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I Got This: How I Changed My Ways And Lost What Weighed Me Down (2012)

by Jennifer K. Hudson(Favorite Author)

3.06 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0525952772 (ISBN13: 9780525952770)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Dutton Adult

review 1: I have mixed feelings about this book - I'd give it 2.5 stars. Jennifer seems like a sweet and talented woman, which definitely was not my first impression. She's definitely had some hard knocks and its cool to see someone pull themselves up like she has. On the other hand, the book was very vague and ill defined. It seemed like a memoir and then switched into Weight Watchers pitch and then ended ubruptly.
review 2: Words cannot describe how bad this book is. But, that's the point of a review, so I'll give it a go.As most other reviwers have noted, the second half of this book is written like a Weight Watchers commercial. The actual ads for Weight Watchers at the back, and the Weight Watchers recipes don't exactly do much to detract from the feeling that t... morehis is one long paid promotion in the form of a book.The first half of this book is what interested me, and the material it contains makes me even sadder about the way that the second half turned out.Jennifer Hudson begins by telling the story of her life - with a lot edited out. Her main focus is her career and her body and the way that the two have interacted over the years. There are some recollections about her early years, such as the way she was forced to fit into the same clothes as the other girls in one of her early girl groups, that I could really identify with. Feeling out-of-place because of your body is something that a lot of teenagers (and teenage girls) have been through, so it's a great way to draw your readers in and get them to identify with you.She also talks about getting passed over for jobs because of her body size - and how she was constantly asked in Hollywood 'what's it like to be the fat girl?'. She talks about being comfortable with her body at any size, and the diet and exercise regime she used (before WW) as being a way to change her body so that it was more acceptable in the industry.Move to the second half of the book and this attitude completely changes. Gone is the 'love your body at every size' message. Jennifer Hudson also totally changes her motivations behind dieting - it's suddenly about getting healthy, not just looking a certain way. I can understand that being healthier could be a motivation for signing up for Weight Watchers - no harm in that. However, it's the contrast with the focus of her weight loss motivations in the first half of the book that really surprises me. It's no longer about fitting her image to what the industry wants, but about 'health' and 'making a change for life'.This is the point where you realise that Jennifer Hudson has been completely sucked in by the commercial diet world. Her explanation of Weight Watchers is almost taken word-for-word from the material that they produce themselves, and her evangelism seems to leave no-one untouched. She even brags about trying to push Barbara Streisand down the Weight Watchers path.As a book that is probably likely to be picked up by people who have struggled with their weight, and who want to read about someone else's struggles in the hopes of finding success, this should probably come with a warning. Jennifer Hudson does not care if you are happy being overweight. She will quote obesity statistics with absolutely no context at you. She will write about how she disapproves of anyone considering stomach stapling or other bariatric surgery to help with weight loss.Unless you're on the magical and righteous path of Weight Watchers, Jennifer Hudson thinks you are to blame for your problems. If you wanted something uplifting to talk about beng happy with your body - don't read this book. If you want someone to tell you that it's all your fault and you are unhealthy and probably lazy too, why not just rent a Gillian Michaels DVD? less

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