Such a great read. So many good memoirs out right now but this definitely stood out. Both parts of the story were interesting and it really grabbed my attention and pulled me through.

This book was so interesting. Part memoir, part history, Marisa Meltzer chronicles her own tale of body awareness, alongside the history of Weight Watchers, and the biography of the company's founder Jean Nidetch. So relatable for everyone who has felt uncomfortable in their own body, has had a passing interest in the weight loss industry, or even just likes personal narratives. So, so well done.

For anyone who has spent their life dieting, this book will hit home. The book explores the author's journey with dieting throughout her entire life, and the unhappiness that it has caused her. She alternates chapters with the story of Jean Nidetch, the founder of Weight Watchers. The concept of being overweight or fat is explored fully, ( including the psychological aspects that undergird what "fat" is and how society treats overweight people), as is the author's difficulty in accepting body positivity.. I found myself frequently underlining, and profoundly feeling much of what the author had to say about the struggle and futility of dieting.

Although I am seen by others as thin, I have struggled with diet and body image all of my life, and this book really spoke to me. One thing that rang true was that for those of us who grew up in the 60s and 70s, it is hard if not impossible to shed the notion of the need to be thin, and why it is so important to us.

It was interesting to hear about the life of Jean Nidetch, but I preferred the author's account of her life.

In short - this novel was inspiring. Meltzer is real about celebrating her successes and wallowing in her failures. she is the definition of someone who perseveres. I loved finding out that a person is more than she is seen on the outside or the number on the scale. thank you for sharing, Marisa Meltzer.

As an adult, I’ve never had a very healthy relationship with food (and I’m totally aware what a first world problem it is to be concerned about how to lose weight when so many people have so little). But I’ve been there, sitting in the green chairs, and being a Lifetime member of Weight Watchers (or WW, as it is now known), I was curious to read This Is Big: How the Founder of Weight Watchers Changed the World – and Me by Marisa Meltzer. Thanks to Little Brown & Company and NetGalley, I received a copy in exchange for my honest review, so I settled in for some distraction from COVID (stress eating!!!) and what I hoped would be an entertaining read.

The author admits she has “…never had a healthy relationship with food. Given the tender age at which I started dieting, I probably never had the chance to form one.” I loved her honesty, as when she admitted that “Maybe I just need to own the fact that every other relationship is easier than the one I have with food.” She joined Weight Watchers more than once, but was astonished to learn by reading the obituaries that there had actually been a real person who had founded the company. She was fascinated by this and began researching the story of Jean Nidetch, who began it all by meeting with a few friends in her living room in Queens. The result of Ms. Meltzer’s work was this book, which chronicles the author’s year-long journey as a member of WW, told in alternating chapters with the story of Ms. Nidetch and the company she founded (and left).

The chapters about Jean are told with humor and admiration. We learn that Jean was the kind of woman who “…put on a muumuu, a dress she considered a fat woman’s boon because it hung nicely over everything and in the pockets she could squirrel away pistachios.” It’s clear the author admires Jean’s work, and that it helped her in her own journey…BUT. I have to admit that she lost me as far of her analysis of the program early on: relating her childhood experience with Weight Watchers (at age 9), she said “it didn’t work. None of the diets ever did.” Sorry, Marisa, this just isn’t true. Well, maybe it IS true, if you consider that most people who lose weight gain it back. Bit IMHO, the problem is people who change their way of eating in order to lose weight, then go back to their old way of eating once they are done with “the diet.” When they regain the weight, they bemoan the fact that the diet didn’t work…sorry. Rant over.

Ms. Meltzer admits she has spent her life with an unhealthy focus on appearance: “My friends often cite my life as being an inspiration to them, and I have quite rigorously assembled something that looks really good from the outside.” She has a great deal of self-awareness, saying she is “…astounded at how much effort it takes for me to make good choices.” When looking at options for eating “healthier” versions of foods she loves (hello, zucchini pasta?), she says that “...healthy compromises just don’t entirely do it for me; there’s still a pleasure center somewhere within that wants some oblivion.”

I appreciated her analysis of our cultural views on the ideal shape and size for women. After spending a year with WW, she says “…the question of how much you’re willing to change yourself to fit in applies to so many of us and even more so when you don’t fit into the beauty ideal. I have had to accept that I might be able to change my fat body faster than this culture will change how it views, treats, and accommodates fat bodies.”

Of interest to WW members, as well as anyone with more than a passing familiarity with anorexia, orthorexia, bulimia (including exercise bulimia), or any disordered eating behavior. Also a good overall history of the weight loss industry in general and Ms. Nidetch in particular, so can be enjoyed on a variety of levels. Four stars.

Marisa Meltzer's features and interviews are some of my favorite to read. She approaches each topic or interviewee with empathy, intelligence, and with great care. Each article always leaves me wanting more.
This book had all these signature Meltzer hallmarks - plus left me wholly satisfied.
Weight is one of those topics that has, until recently, been viewed by society as a black and white issue, There was no space to delve the topic with different perspectives, let alone challenge the deeply unrealistic standards of beauty that our media and culture have portrayed.
And certainly no space to talk about how HARD it is to try and achieve this ideals.
Meltzer's book - both a biography of Weight Watchers' founder and Meltzer's own journey - is deeply moving and toggles between biography, memoir, and a critique on society effortlessly. This is one of the books that stuck with me long after I finished it, and still does.

THIS IS BIG is an interesting mix of memoir and biography that I have previously seen used well in documentary film; this is the first time I’ve read it in book form. It actually struck me as more of an in-depth piece of journalism, a style for which author Marisa Meltzer is well-known. I found the book engaging and engrossing, for both stories about the author and Jean Nidetch. There were some great anecdotes and details that will stay with me for a long time; for that I am grateful. The book deserves to be read and enjoyed by anyone who wonders about the birth of the modern diet industry. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

[3.75 stars]

Meltzer’s memoir is similar to Julia & Julia in that it mixes the author’s personal journey through a program with the story of the Founder of that program. Meltzer is funny, relatable, and open with her story. Her role as a journalist covering the beauty / health / wellness space brings her into contact with celebrities, which adds a glitzy element to this book and gives her an interesting perspective on the industry given she’s paid to try all kinds of strange diet methods. She’s also a feminist and struggles with the fact that her appearance consumes much of her thinking, which isn’t consistent with feminist viewpoints. Jean Nidetch is also quite the character…a female entrepreneur at a time when women predominantly stayed home and a complicated woman towards the end of her life. And, it went down easy during the coronavirus era!

Thank you to #netgalley and #littlebrownandcompany for the e-ARC! Disclaimer: as a lifelong dieter and a current WW user, I was pretty excited to read a biography of the founder of Weight Watchers, Jean Nidetch. This book blew my expectations out of the water. It was hilarious and relatable. Marisa Meltzer interweaves her own journey with weight and WW and Jean’s story making it a perfect balance of the past and present all while staying upbeat and inspirational. Go and RUN and get this!

Read if you: Want a honest and relatable book about weight loss, combined with a fascinating look at the founder of Weight Watchers.

Marissa Meltzer has struggled with her weight all her life. After reading the obituary for Jean Nidech (founder of WW) Meltzer was inspired to further investigate her life and the company's history, as well as reevaluate her lifelong struggle with her weight and body acceptance. This is a moving, sometimes funny, and inspiring account.

Librarians and booksellers: Many patrons/customers will be able to relate and empathize. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

A unique read a Look at the life of Jean Nieditch the founder of Weight Watches her life her problems with weight and her creating of the iconic weight watchers.The other part of this book us the authors open honest story of her weight issues her search for a diet program her attendance at weight watchers programs.The author is honestbopen at times hilarious,This is a book I really enjoyed.#netgalley#littlebrown