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A review by meghan111
Stranger Here: How Weight-Loss Surgery Transformed My Body and Messed with My Head by Jen Larsen
3.0
EDIT: I read this book in a single day. It reminds me of [b:I'm Not the New Me|131467|I'm Not the New Me|Wendy McClure|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309211085s/131467.jpg|126614] by Wendy McClure.
Jen Larsen has written a memoir about what it was like to have weight loss surgery and lose a great deal of weight. In her early 30s and living in San Francisco, she was aware of the Fat Acceptance and Health at Every Size movement (and the back of the book lists some resources on those topics), but she seems to have felt kind of helpless to incorporate their ideas into her own life - and I can understand the attitude, like, good for them but that would never work for ME because I am awful and could never have confidence or self-esteem, etc. When she starts researching surgery, she kind of knows that she's glossing over the reality of what having major surgery is like, in favor of looking at before and after pictures and fantasizing about how her life will change into perfection after she loses a bunch of weight. She's obsessed, and she goes ahead with the surgery.
And despite not being able to stay with the restricted diet that prevents too much malabsorption of vitamins, despite still smoking and drinking alcohol, she escapes major complications and loses over 100 pounds in a year. So that's the story. And it was interesting to read, but some elements were so frustratingly unfinished in the book:
I don't know if this is a blog-to-book or not, but I suspect it might be. It reads like it is.
Jen Larsen has written a memoir about what it was like to have weight loss surgery and lose a great deal of weight. In her early 30s and living in San Francisco, she was aware of the Fat Acceptance and Health at Every Size movement (and the back of the book lists some resources on those topics), but she seems to have felt kind of helpless to incorporate their ideas into her own life - and I can understand the attitude, like, good for them but that would never work for ME because I am awful and could never have confidence or self-esteem, etc. When she starts researching surgery, she kind of knows that she's glossing over the reality of what having major surgery is like, in favor of looking at before and after pictures and fantasizing about how her life will change into perfection after she loses a bunch of weight. She's obsessed, and she goes ahead with the surgery.
And despite not being able to stay with the restricted diet that prevents too much malabsorption of vitamins, despite still smoking and drinking alcohol, she escapes major complications and loses over 100 pounds in a year. So that's the story. And it was interesting to read, but some elements were so frustratingly unfinished in the book:
Spoiler
really, what was wrong with her boyfriend? I kept waiting for the revelation I felt was coming: he was cheating, or he had lost his job months ago, or just something about what his problem really was. Why did his hands keep shaking?? And did she ever go to any of the support groups or keep up with the weight loss surgery message boards described in the beginning?I don't know if this is a blog-to-book or not, but I suspect it might be. It reads like it is.