Inspirational Reading

Do you like to read? I used to hate it but now I LOVE it! Since last spring I have read about two dozen weight loss memoirs which I think are fabulous. Some are hilarious (best - Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster), some are sad, some are amazingly honest (best - Confessions of a Carb Queen), some are about fat acceptance, some were written by celebrities (these were pretty sucky because they are not written well), one was written by someone in their 50's, one was written by a girl who has a twin sister who is naturally thin. Everything you can think of.

I just finished one today. It is called Breakin' Free by Rosy Ghannai. She is a Canadian woman who set out to lose 150 pounds in one year. I came across her blog and ordered her book. Even though I spent many weekends in Canada growing up (I lived in the suburbs of the Detroit area - 45 minute drive to Windsor, 19 year old drinking age - you do the math), I have never met this woman. No one asked me to read this book and no one may care about what I thought of it but I will share anyway.

First I must say I think Rosy may be one of the bravest women in the weight loss blogging world. She got an old friend who is a personal trainer to help her on this journey but she took it public from the very beginning. If that isn't brave, I don't know what is. We are talking newspaper and local television.

Now, I wish I had followed the blog all along like I follow other people's blogs. Then I think I would have connected more with the daily struggles. The book has a Richard Simmon's inspirational feel to it at times. But that is also what is kinda great about it. She did this publicly for everyone's benefit. Rosy even took monthly progression photos that you can see on her website. AMAZING. This girl has some serious guns! I am very jealous. The guns alone are enough to inspire me.

I think you might want to check out her blog: rosyweightloss.blogspot.com. Or better yet, you may want to order her book. It can be ordered here: http://www.breakinfree.ca. Who knows, perhaps one day your weight loss memoir will be for sale for me to read as well. And I would definitely buy it! As an added bonus, when you order Rosy's book you also get a supplemental guide from her trainer outlining her eating and exercise routines. Pretty helpful if this is something you are attempting to conquer on your own. They even included computer graphics of the exercises. She lost all her weight naturally - no pills or surgeries. The way I think most of us are trying to.

So thank you Rosy for sharing your story. Your honesty and inspiration is greatly appreciated, even down here in the states.