Many years ago (probably in the 1980s??) some friends and I undertook Rosemary Conley's "Hip and Thigh Diet", and were delighted that it worked for us!

Fast forward a few decades and I again find myself wanting to shed a few pounds. By coincidence, just after I'd snagged a physical copy of another of Rosemary's titles, I came across this autobiography, and had to read it!

Rosemary comes across as a very nice lady, determined, knowledgeable, and with a "can do" attitude. Her life has not been a bed of roses, but she has prevailed.

I found this a very uplifting read, and admire the lady's attitude. It's a book you can dip into and read a couple of chapters of without losing track.

Recommended if you enjoy autobiographies of "real" people who've succeeded by their own efforts.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

The doctor’s voice is sad but firm: ‘I’m very sorry, but I have to tell you that your little girl is unlikely to reach her tenth birthday.’ Years later, having defied the odds and become a teenager, the same girl discovers a medical report that tells her, to her horror, she is overweight.

That was the moment the young Rosemary Conley decided to change her life.

After leaving school at 15, training as a secretary and working as a Tupperware dealer, Rosemary started her own slimming classes in 1972 with an investment of just £8. Ten years later, she sold the classes to IPC Magazines for £52,000.

In 1983, she published the first of 36 books that were to sell in their millions around the world, alongside millions more of her fitness videos, while also starring in her own TV shows on BBC and ITV. She became, in short, one of the most popular and successful diet and fitness experts the world has seen.

But Rosemary’s life was not to be one of unbounded achievement and success. Like all of us, she’s lived through good times and bad times, and in Through Thick and Thin she tells of the sorrows and setbacks that were to come – as well as the joy she found, and still finds, in helping people to live longer, healthier and happier lives.
Informative and interesting.

I remember Rosemary from my childhood. She would be on the tv in a leotard exercising and on chat shows cooking her low fat recipes. Her no nonsense approach to changing your dietary habits was a massive hit, and her advice continues to be a savior to many seeking a healthy way to lose weight. Reading more about her and her back story only enhances what this amazing lady has achieved.

I've followed Rosemary Conley on tv and through an ancient audio exercise tape our family used to use! I knew she ran a very successful diet and exercise company but hadn't appreciated just how huge it was and how it was run.
A very interesting life. The book felt a bit overly long but I guess there was a lot to cover. She came across as a very nice person with a good family and work family behind her.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of Rosemary Conley. I have read her previous books. I enjoyed this one. Now to put it all into practice.

Rosemary Conley, British author and fitness guru, has written a plethora of fitness and diet books, keeping people trim and slim, if they follow her low-fat diets and exercise regimes, that is. Many people, especially the women of the United Kingdom are, I assume, very familiar with this dazzling lady and woman of Christian faith. However, I was pleased to "meet" her in this Through Thick and Thin autobiography of her life.

Like all of us, Rosemary has had her ups and downs in life but I was inspired by her perseverence to push through some very tough spots. She graciously credits God and her husband Mike for seeing her through a good deal of it.

Generally, the book was upbeat but I did find it draggy in places as perhaps there was an excess of detail betimes. Nevertheless, she has gotten me to get up and get cracking to make my 'thick' a little more 'thin'.

In the addenda are lists of all Rosemary's books, DVD's, and videos, among others. Over the life time of her fitness business, she and her husband have donated mega bucks to charity. Indeed, she has written that the royalities for this book will be given to support an organization where children with motor disorders and the like, are enabled to be the best they can be. This is something I am wholeheartedly happy to learn.

~ Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger ~

August 2022

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.

I received an ARC of, Through Thick and Thin, by Rosemary Conley. I have never heard of Rosemary Conley, before I read this book. She is a very interesting woman. Through Thick and Thin, is Rosemary's autobiography about her weight loss journey, and her successful weight loss companys.