Are there any novels about fatness/weight loss?

There’s a few by Jennifer Weiner, whose writing is beautiful - Good in Bed and also Best Friends Forever. I liked Jemima J, But was very young when I first read it.

THE DIETER is funny and true all at the same time. The main character starts at 103 pounds when the book opens and just keeps adding pounds. Her experiences take you through scenes with all the major weight loss programs.

I bumped the thread rather than start a new one as there were some good recommendations on it.
I'm going to get the Making it big as that sounds like some light reading. I think I might have already read it years ago but seem to remember enjoying it.

AyeAye no apology required - I'm looking at all threads for an eight hour round trip train journey. I second those who rubbished Jemima J though.

I would also recommend A Little Stranger, a haunting, and beautifully written, book. The descriptions of food almost evoke Dutch (Golden Age) still lives.

Ack zombie thread, apologies.

Doesn't Jemima J starve herself down to about 7 stone?

Ugh.

Bumping an old thread to see if anyone has any more recommendations?

A Little Stranger by Candia McWilliam . An unsettling and sininster read, one woman eats elephantinely during pregnancy while the nanny becomes smaller and smaller and has plans afoot.

I read Big Brother by Lionel Shriver last week. So good, but doesn't have a very positive outlook on weight issues, and the ending is pretty downbeat.

Well worth a read for Lionel Shriver's superb writing alone.

I think that maybe when Jemima J first came out 15 years ago it was quite ground breaking to have a 13 stone heroine, but if it came out now it would be considered shallow and cliched for the reasons given above.

Just want to put it out there that I threw Jemima J in the bin after reading it, I was so appalled by it. I genuinely didn't want anyone else to get their hands on it and end up reading it. Absolute woman hating trash!!!

Fame and Misfortune by Frank Borne, Astraea Press 2013

Kevin Clayton wanted to be thin, attractive, and wear normal sized clothing. However, after rising to prominence as an accomplished fitness guru following an extraordinary transformation and weight loss of 200 pounds, he finds that happiness remains elusive. His marriage to his childhood sweetheart shattered, his relationship with his daughter destroyed, and unable to trust the countless women who swoon over him because of his new looks, Kevin struggles to find meaning for his remarkable accomplishment and his efforts to teach others how to change their lifestyle and lose weight. Kevin longs for his wife and wants to make amends with his daughter, but his career and staff have other plans for him. Ultimately, he is torn between pursuing his ex-wife, Jennifer, or yielding to the advances of his sexy young assistant, Mika, whose motives are questioned when Kevin discovers that she and a trusted ally, his trainer, may be responsible for altering more than his diet.

Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel. The focus is mainly on the ghosts, but there's an insistent subtext on the protagonist's size. Mantel herself has steroid-induced obesity, and the book's very good on the constant alertness the very large need just to move about safely.

LifeofPo it sounds like The Hungry Years by William Leith. His struggle with addictive behaviour including eating really resonated with me. I did Atkins and lost 3 stone after I read it. He had success with it too. Weight didn't stay off btw.

I've always meant to read Fat by Rob Grant, thanks for mentioning it Burn.

What a great thread, I'm writing all these titles down. I love reading books like this. Thanks to the poster who reminded me of the Paula Danziger books - took me right back!

I second Eating Myself by Candida Crewe. I've read that 2 or 3 times now. It really shows how weight obsession/dieting is such an absolute waste of time.

Moose by Stephanie Klein and Wasted by Marya Hornbacher are also good reads.

In Marian Keyes' Last Chance Saloon one of the three main characters is in a relationship where her partner is focused on her weight causing her to eat in secret.

And I'm another one who loved Jemima J. Good old chick lit but a great ending.

I really enjoyed Dietgirl as well, read it in a single sitting! I also liked a book called Fat by Rob Grant; it's set in the future where morbid obesity is common and so the government set up a program to help. It's quite funny and thought provoking.

Just read "She's Come Undone" after seeing it on this thread - it was brilliant - so thanks to those who recommended it.

Jemima J is a stupid cliched book that I wouldn't recommend to anyone - fat clever girl gets thin and wins the man of her dreams who wasn't interested in her when she was fat.

Jemima J was the first thing I thought of too... I read it years ago. Quite an easy/good read.... Standard "chick lit"

I just remembered ' the soldier son trilogy ' by Robin Hobb. they are fantasy but one of the main themes is extreme weight gain and people's attitudes and prejudices towards the over-weight. It's very unusual and surprising to find fantasy books using weight as a theme and this trilogy is nothing like her others but I firmly recommend them.

What about 'Lady Oracle' by Margaret Atwood.

when I was a teenager I had a book called big girls don't cry. It was about a lady called Marina was a very overweight binge-eater until she was offered to take part in a weight-loss drug trial.
the book was very focused on Marina's relationships with family and colleagues and how they changed during her 'journey.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and remember it to be thought-provoking but like I say, I was a teenager at the time so I could be remembering it wrong!

slightly left of field, but Scruples by Judith Krantz is a classic from the 70s for good reason, it's an absolute belter of a read.
www.amazon.co.uk/Scruples-Judith-Krantz/dp/0751539929
This reviewer puts it very well:

I adore this book. It taught me about glamour, sex, independent women and the magic of self-transformation at an early age and I return to it regularly for inspiration and a fix of old-fashioned eighties razzle dazzle. The story of how fat Honey Winthrop becomes slender, strong Billy during a stay in Paris - whilst learning how to dress perfectly from observing Parisienne couture, no less - and then goes on to found the most glamorous purveyor-of-dreams department store in America is an inspiration. I doubt this book was intending to be a self-help guide for girls in need of a boost but it always cheers me up when I'm down, strengthens me when I'm feeling wimpy and motivates me to stick to my diet! I challenge any woman to not laugh and sigh and recognise something of her dream self reading it.