Skinny is Overrated:
The Real Woman’s Gude to Health and Happiness at Any Size

Danielle Milano

Review by Molly

Danielle Milano’s Skinny is Overrated: The Real Woman’s Gude to Health and Happiness at Any Size is dedicated to the memory of the author’s mother,’ an amazing cook, who was committed to keeping her family healthy through nutritious food. She was ahead of her time.

The Table of Contents sets the tone for the book. Chapter One: If You Put a Bulldog on a Diet, You Don’t End Up With a Greyhound lets the reader know immediately here is a writer who has some good sense and handle on reality.

Writer Milano, MD notes that obesity and diabetes are decimating many of her patients, and from all reports much of the citizenry of our nation. Dr Milano notes that during a short walk we see people young and old who have poor teeth, young adults using canes, middle aged folks in wheel chairs, and many who are not just big, they are very big.

Milano discusses the fact some folks are naturally thin, many don’t gain even when they want to while others have a hard time slimming down and remaining slim. Thin people according to Dr Milano eat to the level of their hunger.

Other chapters include importance of identifying with our heritage, genetics do play a part in all aspects of our size whether weight, height or whatever. Getting motivated is important, per Dr Milano, included in chapter 3 is a chart to help readers decide whether they are at normal weight, overweight, obese, or very obese. One problem with such a chart  is pointed out by Dr Milano and is the fact that for the thin person eating to hunger ideal is easy to accomplish, for the overweight it is not.

Dr Milano has noted that among her patients who are obese there are many who fit into typical categories including the slave who feels they must cook one meal, a healthy one, for themselves and another for their family, because the family may not want the healthy food. Reality is if mom and perhaps dad are overweight it is likely kids are overweight too and all would benefit from the healthy diet.

Self Medicators are those who eat to ease upsets, depression, nervousness; 12 step programs use HALT, are you drinking because you are hungry, angry, lonely or thirsty. Dr Milano takes HALT further and has expanded it to HHAALTT, is the overeating because the eater is hurt, hungry, angry, anxious, lonely, tired or thirsty.

The ‘I’ll Start My Diet Tomorrow’ Procrastinator is self explanatory as is . The Food Addict, The Doormat, The Caretaker and The Self Defeatist who does not believe in herself or the power she holds over her own life.

The Sensitive Soul is the one who eats what every one around her is eating so they won’t realize she is on a diet.  The Accountant in Dr Milano’s view thinks healthy diets are too expensive while The Housewife devotes much time to housework and not take time for themselves.

Setting goals are important when going into a healthy diet and life style, prior to beginning to set the goals it is good to know where you are and then along with the goals it is time to put your body on a schedule to teach the body to expect normal sized meals at normal times.

Dr Milano does not ignore that active people are less likely to be obese than are those who need to Get Moving! The Road To Obesity Starts at Your TV.  The right frontal cortex of the brain is less active in obese persons than it is in the eat to hunger folks.  Scientists are beginning to believe that this part of the brain  may be responsible for motivating both the person wants to sit and do little as well as the gung ho out for a run type.

I found Dr Milano’s twenty four chapter, 243 page work to be highly readable, very informative and motivational. On the other hand I am one of the eat to hunger and stop types, and can see that folks who are the eat to full group may not be so willing  to read, nod in affirmation and be willing to accept that Dr Milano is on to something of greater worth.

Dr Milano does not espouse starve to thinness, she does encourage health whatever the weight, and she encourages those who are obese to begin changing life style so that obesity, diabetes and stroke do not be the way of life for more of her patients. 

This is not a diet book per se, Dr Milano does offer some food related information as well as several tasty recipes for the reader to consider.  She offers suggestions for organizing the kitchen, lists some essentials needed for cooking, and encourages a healthy life style rather than a body weight BMI number or fads to make us thin.

All in all I found Dr Milano’s Skinny is Overrated: The Real Woman’s Gude to Health and Happiness at Any Size to be informative, well written and well worth the reading.  Filled with chapter notes, chapter work, recipes, discussion of food components, what they are, how they behave, why they are important is important.  A handy index rounds out the work.

NOTE: I do not keep all the books I receive for review, Dr Milano’s Skinny is Overrated is one work that I will add to my book shelf.  I won’t keep it because  I fear obesisty for myself, but each of us eat to hunger or eat to full do need to know more about what we are eating, and perhaps why and I learned something about specific foods that I had not before considered, garlic on broccoli for one and will continue to refer to Dr Milano’s book so that I remain eat to hunger and not eat to full.

For review I received an ARC of this book from a publicist.