Karen Nimmo - My Bum Looks Brilliant In This

Im having a glass of wine with friends one evening when someone starts talking about weight. Okay, theres nothing too unusual in that. We are women. Obsessing about our weight is what we do. Its what we do even when we are out having fun. So my friend is telling us about this woman whos an acquaintance of someone she met at a work party.

She put on 10kg after breaking up with this guy, says my friend. He cheated with her best friend.

Bastard, whispers someone else.

And some best friend, says another.

We all lean forward to hear the full story: possibly the one thing more interesting to us than our own weight troubles is the story of anothers gain, especially when a man is involved. I know, I know, its not an admirable trait but women will understand what Im saying. Men shouldnt be reading this book.

So were talking animatedly about this woman we dont know. Everyone has an opinion on her weight gain, as well as the guy (and skinny bitch) who caused it, what she should do to lose weight and what she shouldnt do. We cover which foods contain the most calories, whether carbs add weight faster than fats, whether swimming burns more kilojoules than walking, the merits of various fad diets. And so on. You know how it is. Dont tell me you havent heard at least one of these conversations if not, you really have to get out more. The reality is that modern women can tell you an awful lot about weight, diets, fat burning, exercise, kilojoules and all that goes with it. Not all of this information is correct, and virtually none of it has a scientific base, but that has never stopped us saying it out loud. Especially over a few drinks. But what strikes me, as I sit there, is that Im not at all shocked by this conversation. You see, in an utterly weight-obsessed society, Ive grown used to it. We all have. So have our daughters, and their friends. And its absolutely crazy.

Ive followed women and weight loss ever since society, the media, and a whole lot of smart people known as diet and exercise gurus, started turning it into a mini-revolution. And Ive been intrigued ever since I went on my first diet aged 18 only to discover that the more you focus on eating less food, the more you actually eat of it. Go figure. That set me off on a mission to find the ultimate answer to lasting weight loss, to find out why so few women successfully lose weight, why most of the others remain the same or seesaw up and down and even gain weight. And after all those hours of research, interviews and experimenting with programmes, you know what I found? ONE thing. Women who lose weight and maintain their new shape over time have just one thing in common. Its a secret that not only guarantees you will drop kilos permanently but also that you will lead a fuller, more meaningful life. And all you need to do to discover it is stay with me for the rest of the book.

Its for women. Period. Many weight-loss programmes are developed by men. Thats why theyre based on problems and solutions: men like to fix whats in front of them. That is, they take the problem (your excess weight) and come up with a solution (diet and exercise). Theyre less likely to consider why you are carrying the excess weight in the first place nor whats going on in your mind and life that might be keeping it there. Dont get me wrong, many of these weight-loss programmes contain useful advice and sometimes they work. But ultimately they wont last for most women. If you are to get the most out of a weight-loss plan, you have to have one designed for a woman, and designed specifically for YOU. You have to have one that gets you: who you are, your history and your current circumstances. You have to have one developed to suit who you are and your life not your weight problem.

This book has some new ideas. You dont have to buy any of them. Thats okay with me; Im not easily hurt by rejection. But I suspect if you are reading this book that other peoples theories havent worked for you so far not for any length of time, anyway. So, on that basis, maybe its worth a try? In summary, this is what this programme does better than others:

Treats women as women not as people or, more scarily, as men.

Considers a womans weight in the context of who she is and her life rather than as an isolated problem.

Targets the reasons a woman gains, carries and regains excess weight instead of going after the weight itself.

Lets you in on the one thing that has worked consistently for women who have lost weight and kept it off.

New research indicates that using psychology in weight loss leads to more long-term success. Among the psychological approaches now being used are adaptations of psychiatrist Aaron Becks Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which is used internationally in clinical psychology. Its based on changing the way you think and behave, to change the way you feel, in order to improve your life. This book uses a new combination of techniques taken from my research and experience in psychology, physical education and nutrition. While it draws selectively from CBT and other psychological models, Ive developed many of the ideas and exercises specifically for weight loss and/or management after seeing what works for women and what doesnt.

I want to say up front that using psychology in weight loss is not enough, you have to use practical physical strategies too because my goal is to have you look better, as well as feel better. Anything else would be a mean trick.

Be warned. This is not a diet book. It is not an exercise regime. You wont have to starve, sweat buckets in a gym or wear anything made of lycra (unless that is your fashion fetish and if so you may need another kind of help). This book is about none of those boring things. Its about bigger, more important stuff. Its about figuring out who you are, why you carry excess weight, why your weight seems to be out of whack with what you eat and why, even when you drop a few kilos, they chase you mercilessly until you take them back. Most of all, this book is about change. If the word change freaks you out, you should drop this book in the rubbish bin and head for the pantry. But if you believe change is possible, if you know you deserve to be fulfilled and you are prepared to do what it takes to achieve that, then it might be worth a read. So are you up for it? I thought so, or you wouldnt have gotten this far. Come on then. Make yourself comfy on my couch and lets have a little chat

This is what I love about men. Well, there are other things too, but this is a biggie. Men, in general, dont care about their size. Okay, I lie. Men do worry about the size of one of their body parts and they want it to be really, really big. In fact, if they could guarantee that food would bulk up that particular anatomical feature they would never stop eating. Truly, most men dont obsess about their weight. Only when they get to the point where they cant get past their stomach to find the TV remote control on the floor will a man note that he has a weight problem. Even then the panic will last about as long as it takes him to rip the tab off the next can of beer.