Modus Operandi

Oooh I've nearly finished my 2008 goals list so am feeling excited and purposeful. About bloody time.

The Mothership reports that Dietgirl got a great mention in Ray Chesterton's column in the Aussie Daily Telegraph today:

"With the issue of obesity in the news in Australia, a new book is a timely release. 'The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl' by Shauna Reid details in an intimate and often hilarious style her personal battle of the bulge to cut her weight in half from 159.5 kg to 79.8 kg from 2001-07. There are no recipes: weight was shed via a controlled diet using food from a commercial weight-loss company."

It could have been quite a different book had I actually spent six whole years on a Jenny Craig-esque regime:

Day 1: Chicken cacciatore. Yum!

Day 7: Chicken cacciatore. Joy!

Day 976: Chicken caccaitore. KILL ME!

Then the whole moving-to-Scotland-finds-love sub-plot would never have happened by virtue of being too darn bankrupt to go travelling.

For the record, it will be seven years next week since it all kicked off and it's comprised: one year of Weight Watchers, four months of Sure Slim... and 5 years 8 months of my own hard work and bumbling trial and error :)

Comments

[1 · Posted by Marshmallow · January 12, 2008 at 10:06 AM]

Ack, what the hell? Great mention, but yet again, slandered by the media, bloody hell!

And wow, 7 years since it all kicked off. That's a whole 8 years ago. I think I need a coffee.

[2 · Posted by airlie · January 12, 2008 at 10:07 AM]

loser! probably read the first three pages! still made it sound kind of enticing though.

[3 · Posted by Alison · January 12, 2008 at 10:56 AM]

Ooh, I'd be so cross if someone was so wrong about my book. Not that I have a book or ever will. But you know what I mean! And it's SUCH a great book. I even bought a proper copy despite a) having read a proof and b) being a skinflint and I'm reading it again. Yay!

[4 · Posted by kathryn · January 12, 2008 at 11:22 AM]

What a fool. Seven years on JC and you'd be gaga!

[5 · Posted by linda · January 12, 2008 at 12:35 PM]

What a fool. Maybe we need to bombard Ray's inbox with 'Did u read the book?' emails.

[6 · Posted by Kek · January 12, 2008 at 12:47 PM]

Whaaaa? Commercial weight-loss company?????

What book did he read?

[7 · Posted by dg · January 12, 2008 at 05:34 PM]

It's hilarious yet a weeeeee bit frustrating... coz if I was a punter reading that review I'd think, why would i want to a read a book about someone who did Jenny Craig FOR SIX YEARS?!?!

And Alison - thank you :) :) :)

[8 · Posted by Ash · January 12, 2008 at 06:46 PM]

Wow, they have no idea do they? It's a frikking long journey and lots of hell in between.

To be summed up (inaccurately) as having used meal replacements would irk me intensely.

[9 · Posted by Ali · January 12, 2008 at 06:56 PM]

Another great insight into media accuracy... did he actually read the book? Did they accidentally splice together two reviews?

Anyway, congratulations on seven years!! Go you! :-)

[10 · Posted by BikiniMe · January 13, 2008 at 02:08 AM]

Thanks for the word of encouragement at my blog! Having you, Dietgirl, THE Dietgirl, the MOST FAMOUS DIET BLOGGER IN MY WORLD, visit and read and then LEAVE A COMMENT (!!!) -- Oh.My.God. If I were at your concert, this is what I'd be doing: AAAAaaaaaaaEEEEEEEEeeeeee!!! (picture hysterical-little-girl-screaming-at-the-sight-of-The-Beatles).
You. Rock.

[11 · Posted by Sara · January 13, 2008 at 03:04 AM]

Nah, he didn't read the book! He's a columnist on a deadline, no time to actually READ those pesky books that he's supposed to be reviewing.

[12 · Posted by b · January 13, 2008 at 04:42 AM]

Hi there!
I used to be a journalist myself - so I have to berate my fellow colleague for such a blatantly lazy-ass review. It is people like him who give all us journalists a bad name! Glad you set the record straight!
I, myself, tried JC back in the day - I might as well have been on a NASA spaceship cause all I ate was little tins of freeze-dried food.
Can't wait to get a copy of your book!

[13 · Posted by Zanitta · January 13, 2008 at 05:15 AM]

I can only imagine your frustration. As a consumer I woul find tha tthat review would put me off a little, as generally I want to read books about people I can relate to. The review implying that you spent 7 years with a 'commercial weight loss company' would leave me thinking 'well, good for her but I don't have the money for that, I'm just struggling on my own here'.

[14 · Posted by Lucy Diamond · January 13, 2008 at 08:57 AM]

Hi Shauna,

I finished reading your book last night - WOW. It is soooo well-written - funny, very moving and honest. I was cheering you on the whole way and so pleased for you that you made such a happy ending for yourself. Really inspiring - you deserve all this glory and praise! Well done xxx

[15 · Posted by crankybee · January 13, 2008 at 10:02 AM]

Welll............maybe - . Nope. Was going to offer a suggestion or remedy but I got nothing, girl - I got nothing. Fools!

[16 · Posted by Sandra · January 13, 2008 at 01:30 PM]

Got the book the other day and it's good! I particularly like the colour before and after pics on the inside covers AND the little dg pics on the bottom corner pages that you can see shrinking if you flick the pages. Brill!

[17 · Posted by Sandra · January 13, 2008 at 01:31 PM]

oh BTW - maybe this answers your 'what next?' question - a book of recipes from DG!

[18 · Posted by Comrade GoGo · January 13, 2008 at 03:51 PM]

Can't wait to see your 2008 Goals List. I just know it will be thrilling! (So far mine reads: Hang on to sanity by thread... but I'm working on it ;).

[19 · Posted by PastaQueen · January 13, 2008 at 04:54 PM]

When I read stuff like that it makes me truly frightened of how much of the news is completely false and misreported.

[20 · Posted by Beakus · January 13, 2008 at 10:34 PM]

Okay, first time comment, but I just thought you'd like to know that your book made it into not one, but two issues of Bookseller magazine! :)

In one issue it was amongst the Christmas/New Year selection, while in the other it was in the bio section :)

And they only pick a handful in each category, out of the gazillions that are soon to be on sale! :)

[21 · Posted by Nessajane · January 13, 2008 at 11:26 PM]

Shauna I have just searched the house for Saturday's Telegraph and found the article from good ole Ray. I read it before finishing your post and couldn't understand what on earth he was talking about. Then I read your post and understood...he didn't read it. Why didn't he give it somebody else to read if he didn't have time? Oh well at least he mentioned you.

[22 · Posted by Cacey · January 14, 2008 at 02:50 PM]

WHAT the...?! How bizarre... where'd he get that from??? You'd think he would actually do some research before publishing it in the paper?!

[23 · Posted by weightlossguru · January 14, 2008 at 04:56 PM]

Oh, sorry for you... *sigh* they NEVER read the book - bastards! ;-)

[24 · Posted by Calla · January 14, 2008 at 08:39 PM]

Typical journalists. I should know, being one and all. :P But I'd never be THAT lazy (and for that matter - daft). I'm ordering your book right now! You're such an inspiration, and a brilliant writer as well. Take care!

Calla, Sweden

[25 · Posted by M.R. · January 16, 2008 at 01:51 AM]

Amazing how quickly the book arrived in the mail all the way from the UK to Cincinnati, Ohio. I'm such a romantic at heart that I skipped ahead to when you met your lovely boy, the Scottish Companion. But I have a quibble -- I could swear I remember that you told him "You Rawk!" -- not "You Rock!" :-)

Really enjoying it and looking forward to giving my second copy away to a friend (who hasn't ever even had to lose weight, but she's still gonna love you.)

Love the pics, too. Especially love the little flip diet-girl at the bottom.