My sister read this book and now has not become the Skinny Bitch. She is literally this book impersonated, insisting that cheese is a drug, sugar is evil etc and generally makes life hell for the rest of us in the house who eat normally. Worse still, I’m fairly sure she has an eating disorder, and I honestly put a lot of it down to this book. She won’t touch anything containing sugar or anything non-vegan (of course) and even gluten she know sees as another food enemy. It’s insane and incredibly expensive for my family and frankly I’m disgusted anyone ever published a book that would encourage such a dangerous book to encourage such behavior.

You were spot on with the authors’ opinion of anyone who is not a bean-pole. I’m very small but have a tiny few pounds on my belly (that, yes, if I starved myself of everything I enjoy, I probably could lose, but frankly I’m not bothered) but am in no way fat, and my sister even has the nerve to call me flabby and even critisise my exercise regime, just like this book has done to her.

The authors of this book should be ashamed! They’re turning insecure girls into their own clones by attacking them on their own existing insecurities and it really makes me rage. The whole thing is shallow and disgusting. Promoting vanity, competition and general hatred of yourself and others is a disgusting way to make money. I want to say “I hope they are ashamed” but I don’t see the point, since they clearly aren’t too bothered about other people.

Anyway, rant over but your post really summed up all my own issues with this book and all its little spin-offs (whatever you call them!).

I love Hungry Girl too, she has an excellent sense of humor and it alone has caused me to subscribe to her newsletter. But I have to say; her recipes don’t look too delicious, although they taste pretty good. A lot of them are filled with junk, like Splenda. Mmm, cancer. I think her recipes could use some tweaking. You know, like mix real sugar and some stevia in the stead of Splenda. It’s still lower sugar, and it’s not “fake”.

it kinda annoys me too that a lot of her baked good recipes call for cake mixes. Sure, they’re convenient, but I feel better when my stuff is from scratch. Hungry Girl has the right idea, but I think her recipes should only be used like 30% of the time; the rest should be whole or low processed foods.

The SBs have it somewhat right by advocating for whole foods and clean eating. However, they use processed vegan substitutes and excessive amounts of soy in their diet. Their mentality is disgusting and I ended up with disordered eating when I followed their plan. The “sources” they have cited in the back of the book are not even reliable sources; they use mostly tertiary sources. An educated individual who is writing about nutrition and well-being really should be using scientific literature directly from reputable journals to support their claims. This is the exact opposite of what the SBs do…. they’re highly misinformed and uneducated about the human body to be making such claims. However…. their chapter on dairy is invaluable. What they claim is indeed true…. I did my MS thesis on the effects of the milk protein (casein) in the human body.

I say take a hybrid approach. Don’t hate yourself and think positive. Eat whole foods, and if you’re going to consume animal products, do your best to use naturally raised meat and avoid the highly processed meats. Develop a sense of intuitive eating. For example, I break out and feel like garbage when I consume dairy (with exception of yogurt) and wheat. So I avoid it most of the time and trace amounts are fine. If eating lots of avocados and fish helps you feeling good, keep at it. Every body is different and has different needs; you have to experiment and find out what keeps you feeling and looking good. Just be sensible…. portion control is important, and try to get your carbohydrates from vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. Limit your grain intake…. carbohydrate is just a fancy word for sugar. Grains are carb-heavy, so keep that in mind. Some bodies need more carbs, others need more protein, etc. Figure out what works for YOU.

I can’t even eat anything but raw fruits and vegetables without feeling ‘dirty’ and ‘unhealthy’. Of course I have been prone to this thinking since before I picked up this book, but this book is what did me in. To think a friend recommended it to me.

No counseling yet has been able to stop my obsessing over food and rules and ‘clean’ food and ‘dirty’ food. SKinny Bitch is stupid. Coffee is not really going to grow fat around your stomach. Eating only fruit for breakfast will make your bloodsugar crash faster than a trainwreck. There are so many terrible, terrible ideas in that book.

DO NOT take Skinny Bitch seriously!!! It will ruin your ability to live like anormal person and enjoy life!!!