Fat Kindle Edition

The entire message of this book could have been presented clearly, effectively, and with style (if desired) in a page-long blog post. Instead, the writer indulged himself - for his own pleasure and word count, presumably - in a bizarre, barely-readable mix of Hemingway, Faulkner, and just plain bad writing. Endlessly-repeated - word for word! - LONG diatribes of pop biochemistry and pop diet advertisements, as well as artless, fruitless attempts at sounding literate only succeed in making this book an experience in gritting your teeth just to get through in order to extract something useful.90% revoltingly-bad filler, it nevertheless makes a useful point: obesity is a complex problem that cannot be solved by pat pronouncements like "eat less, exercise more"; it has social, biochemical, and psychological aspects that must be addressed for any sort of an actual, non-temporary solution. The solution that worked for Desmond - having a motivating factor, making a commitment, regular visits with a medical professional aligned with his goals, and social support - is a reasonable example of a good approach... but I honestly don't know how many people will have the patience to grind through the author's incompetent attempts to make this simple message into Great Littracha.With less flow-of-consciousness crap and more actual *writing* - y'know, so people ho NEED it could UNDERSTAND the damned thing - this book might have been useful.

As someone who grew up with a weight problem for nearly five decades, I can tell you that teasing, prodding, joking, insults, cleverly hidden messages, poking a stomach and asking when the baby will be born, and fat-shaming, body-shaming sarcasm DOES NOT WORK in convincing overweight people to shed pounds. Many times, overweight people suffer from another malady called low self-esteem. It's a vicious cycle. People don't like themselves, and they retreat to food for comfort, then gain weight, experience more bullying, feel even worse, and retreat to food again. Being overweight is rarely a medical condition. It is almost always a heart problem as in the heart of a man or woman. FAT is a great work of fiction to tell a story of struggle and victory. Many people will find comfort in the sage advice.

This book brings so many real life topics to life. Society and our labels are mean. Flat out mean. Bullies. Even in the school yard teachers labels kids and kids can fight their whole life to unlabel themselves to no avail. Stands to reason two sides to every story and some where in the middle lies the truth. Seems everyone is quick to judge. Even Desmon's Dr calls his fat Morbid and realizes that even he in the medical profession has applied a negative label, so they change that morbid fat label to unwholesome. It is easier just to not eat the calories - it's way harder to work it off. I learned some interesting things, stouter people have higher metabolism's if I understood correctly. Animals give unconditional love they don't judge I think that's why Desmond bonded so well. Well written fiction with such a strong message for life. Labels hurt, sticks and stones and names are really piercing.

A kid called “The ROLL” will grab your heart and torque your comprehension of the word FAT. “The ROLL” became a football star who was “Indestructible. A steamroller.” So is this book by Dr. Ron Ireland. It’s a good thing I have enough FAT to “… suspend the eyeball properly in its orbit” because I was glued to each page of this funny and informative exposé that marches the reader from chapter to chapter with unrelenting pace and cadence. Ireland's provocative writing style is lyrical, instructive and takes us deep into forbidden territory -- those expertly hidden, judgement-laced thoughts that are as damaging as they are just plain wrong. This book will surely become a breakthrough best-seller as it softens hearts, wrangles entrenched mindsets—and saves lives—with well-researched and real-life explanations.

Most overweight people know they should be reaching for the vegetables instead of the ice cream. But, knowing what’s best for you has little to do with the choices people eventually make. Dr. Ron Ireland is a dedicated physician who has taken a different approach with this innovative book. FAT contains plenty of good information to help readers make better, more well informed food choices. But the information isn’t in the typical demanding form of “do this.” Rather, it’s gently embedded within the inspiring story of Desmond, a morbidly obese man who gradually evolves the knowledge base and frame of mind anyone who wants to crack the tough nut of successful weight loss would need to evolve. Dr. Ireland provides insights, recommendations and a contagious optimism that can help readers get on a parallel path with Desmond. He also provides a whole new set of reasons for making a pet your partner in health! Dr. Ireland’s anti-nagging approach in FAT will surely help people learn to make better food and lifestyle choices and feel proud they’re making them for the right reasons.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Ireland's perspective on the subject of obesity. The story in regards to the challenges that one faces personally and socially captured my attention. I found myself drawn to the personal struggle and triumphs of the main character Des. As a Family Therapist I found it informative in how Dr. Ireland encompassed a systemic approach. That it was not just a book about changing one aspect of diet and nutrition. Dr. Ireland adds the social influence of how one encourages change by incorporating how one can utilize what we have available to us. For Des this was finding the strength and motivation to acknowledge the need of experiencing taking action. Action in making efforts to allow himself to connect with others in order to maintain motivation for activation in his life. As a therapist I have found myself making use of the advice Dr. Ireland shares throughout the book to encourage the client's that I work with. I found this book to be thoughtful, informative and overall practical to address the subject of obesity.