Podcast: My Story in a Nutshell

I was completely planning on posting a Top 10 today but I got my hands on the interview I did for the Leave Obesity Behind Telesummit and decided to turn it into a podcast. It’s a really good overview of my past, blogging history and philosophy on weight loss and maintenance. I talk about how I feed my family, Tough Mudders, my running history, FitBloggin, and even BlogToLose.

Be prepared, I like to talk.

 

Use the player above or click here to download.

Note: This was recorded early July 2013

Links I mention or you may be interested in:

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My social media love story.

Filled with love.

We’ve chatted about how EXHAUSTING and depleting social media can be.

We text, email, phone-chat, face book discuss and tweet about how it is simply impossible to have it all and how we’re all a weetad WIPED from the attempt.

Today, however, we’re getting all kinds of thankful for Thanksgiving & focusing on the *social* side of social media.

Ive been truly engaged online for only a handful of years.  Maybe seven?  And in that short time Ive fallen in love.

Completely, wholly, utterly and gratefully.

Before I share a few of my love stories, however, allow me one diZclaimer:

the below is symbolic of many relationships Ive found, fostered, nurtured & nudged into existence. one person representing a category of interaction. in no particular order and Ive left out many many many specific individuals. 

My first type of social media love is the ‘takes time to develop’ love.

I met Miss. Kelly Olexa years ago.  I can not recall where or how—but I immediately recognized her balls to the wall work-ethic and unapologetic love of the Mommy Merlot (AKA Diet Coke) as a kindred spirit.  Ahh how we’ve matured from our first vlog together to our latest hotel room workout.

My social media tip here is if you see someone regularly on a social media platform & wanna be her friend—reach out.  Take risks. Sure it wont *always* result in friend-love, but you wont know unless you try.

All growed up & speaking on panels together!

My next type of social media love is one I STILL reflect upon and think: “dang Im so so glad I reached out.  what if I hadnt?”

The fabulous Joyce Cherrier & I worked together back-in-the-day.  Not so much togethertogether but for the same brand. I liked her. I wanted to know her better.  I direct messaged her on twitter & she messaged me back her digits (!).  She’s been an integral part of all facets of my life ever since.

My social media tip here is put yourself out there. All of life is like dating.  I wanted to date Joyce I wanted to get to know Joyce & I put myself out there. Life is too short to wait.

With this one social media was JUST LIKE DATING!

GROUP LOVE is another kind of social media smittenhood as is my LOVE LOVE LOVE AFFAIR with a group whom I call the Original Gangsters (OGs) of fitness blogging.  Workout Mommy, Charlotte, Cranky Fitness, & Roni.  There are no words for my adoration & appreciation for these women.  They are my virtual water cooler peeps.

My social media tip here is to create a network of virtual coworkers.  Ours happened by accident.  There are no accidents.

Crabby McSlacker & me in 2008 (!).

There are no words/classification for the SOCIAL MEDIA & overall LOVE I have for Ryan Sullivan and his family but I shall give you six: Id. Not. Be. Blogging. Without. Him.

My social media tip here is dont be an island. Ask for help.

These two define the words GOOD PEOPLE.

My next classification of social media love began as the AWKWARD, PLEASE BE MY BFF, I ADORE YOU love.  I read her book. I longed for her to be my BFF.  BingBangBoom (I seriously cant recall precisely how–can you, Shauna?) a friendship & a podcast was born.

My social media tip here is sometimes–just occasionally–when you read a book and think DANG WE COULD SO BE FRIENDS! it really is true.

Yep. I made her be my friend!

Which brings us to the social media version/reminder of the fact true love is lasting.  Mrs.Fatass and I became cyber-bffs YEARS ago.  Life, work and crazinessment has butted into our relationship yet we can still pick up where we left off as if no time has passed.

My social media tip here is sometimes social media love can seem ephemeral and fickle.  Look again. It is not.

Blurry love.

And then we have the Seriously, you’re a ROCK STAR. I cant imagine knowing you love.  I give you Bitchcakes. (I love love love I knew the News Radio reference immediately.  Still. I never thought I could call her friend.)

My social media tip here is dont ‘pedestal‘ people.  ’nuff said.

I never thought I’d meet Sheryl!

Ive only fallen in this LOVE once—but it’s still worth a shout out.   The I met you only once yet thanks to social media we shared an experience none of us will ever forget! love.

My social media tip here is to take risks! Feel the fear—do it socialmediaANYWAY.

What an amazing experience!

My final type of social media love is the love which takes you by surprise.  People whove become shockingly important on a day-to-day basis many of whom Ive yet to meet in person.  All represented by the photo at the top of this blog post. 

My social media tip here is to be yourself.  Be authentic. Be vulnerable. Be real. Tone down the sales pitch (be it items or your brand) and connect on a deeper level.

Those are my NINE (!) TYPES of social media smittenhood & all the people/representations of people Im uber grateful for during this month of thankfulness.

And you?

Do you have a different type of social media love so we can make this an even ten?
Who would you like to shout out to & thank for being a love’ing social media force in your life?

 Longing for a more traditional, tips-filled Thanksgiving post? Wanting some help for navigating tomorrow healthfully? I give you A MizFit Thanksgiving…

View the original article here

There’s a Moral to This Story Even if it’s a No Brainer. Doh!

I’m not sure if this story is funny or sad. Not sad boohoo but sad as in WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH ME!

OK, so last night I tweeted out…

As you can see, I was convincing myself that working out in the morning was a good idea.

I mean I KNOW it’s a good idea but that doesn’t mean I need a push now and then.

Pretty much every Tuesday and Thursday for the past 9 months or so I wake up at 5:25 AM, run a mile to the gym, take BodyPump, and run the mile home. I started when I was training for the mudder and never got out of the routine. I’ve been going so long, I finally feel like a regular at the gym. The instructor knows me. The receptionist knows me. It’s nice.

Lately, however, I’ve been unmotivated to go. I skipped Thursday because I stayed up too late FOR NO REASON AT ALL. Why do I do that to myself? It’s kind of like the eating late at night thing. I’m on the couch. I know I should go to bed. I’m tired, that’s for sure, but no, I just sit there procrastinating bed time like a child. Regretting it every morning like an addict.

So I sent out that tweet, laid out my workout clothes, set the alarm and went to bed.

This morning I wake up moments before my alarm was set to go off.

Or so I thought.

I hopped out of bed. Shut off the alarm. Got dressed. Brushed my teeth. And headed downstairs. That’s when I heard the baby stir.

Hmmm. He’s never up before 7, that’s odd.

I shrug my shoulders and keep going. The husbands home and he can get the baby if he wakes up while I’m at the gym. This is the only time I have to go, and I’m going!

I let the cat out and notice it’s raining. I tweet this…

DAMN. I really want to run to the gym. Oh, it’s only a drizzle. I’ll be fine.

So I lace up and head out the door.

About 2 minutes in the sky opens up and literally dumps buckets of water on my head as if to tell me I made a horrible, horrible decision. Now I’m going to be soaked during body pump.

Oh, well. I’m usually a hot sweaty mess. This will probably feel good.

I run through a neighboring community and across the walking path to the main road. It’s so busy I can hardly cross.

There must an accident on the highway and everyone’s getting detoured to the secondaries.There’s never this must traffic at 5:50

I think to myself.

I get to the gym and hand my badge to the receptionist. She says, "You’re late this morning."

"Yeah, I was debating running in the rain." I said.

But then I looked at the clock and I was actually a minute or 2 earlier than I am normally for class.

She must know class has already started or something. That’s strange.

I walk towards the studio and notice an empty room.

wow. Where is everyone? There’s usually at least 10 of us.

I go to open the door and there’s the instructor and another woman walking out. They look at me funny. I glance over at the clock…

it’s 6:59!

NOT 5:59.

I’m an HOUR LATE!

I look back over at the instructor and say, laughing, "You aren’t going to believe this. I’m an hour late. I really thought it was 6 o’clock!"

We all laugh.

"At least you ran." She said.

" *sigh* yeah, I’ll get a good 2.5 miles in, but still… I was really looking forward to class!"

We’re all still laughing.

"Well, now you’ll have a fun story to tell everyone today. You can blog it."

HA! That’s exactly what I’ll do.

Lesson Learned: Don’t only look at the minute hands when scheduling the alarm and checking the time. Especially when busy and overwhlemed. That first number holds some very important information!

View the original article here

The, uh, awkward second part of the boudoir story.

Because really.

It would not be *my* life if there werent some embarrassing, cringe-worthy side story to the whole thing.

Reason #39843948 why the play on words up in herre is MISFIT and not Miss.FIT.

Oh and also? Before I share? I need to let you know I realize there’s no way this will be as funny or horror-inducing to you as it was for me.

I acknowledge that & Im blogging onward.  It’s all about the acknowledging.

Last I left you I was a happy, self-confidence re-found misfit.

I met up with my photographer, went through the pictures with her (so fun) and immediately scampered home and uploaded them on to my laptop.

My old crappy laptop which tends to get a virus every third day no matter what ‘protection’ I use.

A few days later, not to my surprise, said laptop froze and I hauled it to its home away from home: the Computer Geeks.

They know me there. I like to think they like me there.

We chatted as The Geek jotted down my information.  And, as we frequently do, we joked about all the CRAZY excuses he hears (I wasnt surfing porn! I dont know what happened! Someone must have used my computer!) and all the hilarious, uh, stuffs he must find when repairing.

He was very circumspect, but he acknowledged they’ve found some pretty racy home videos saved to peoples hard drives.

I laughed. 

I may have made judgemental comments along the lines of:

Seriously? Why do people not take that OFF before they bring you the computer??

(I really cant recall. Ive repressed the whole thing)

I walked out of the store and only *then* did it hit me Id left him my laptop to repair CHOCK FULL OF REN MAN’S BOUDOIR “PRESENT.”

(see? here’s where I cant help but think this woman would have better set the scene and have you CRINGING along with her.  I flushed so hot I broke out in a sweat.)

Late that night he called and left me a cryptic message (Yes, Carla Ma’am?  I need you to call me.)

The next morning I went to the store (I knew he worked evenings) and could have sworn The Geek snickered as he told me Id have to come back and talk to my Geek (yes. that was the point. I am trying to avoid my Geek.  Cant YOU help me?).

Cringing, awkward phone calls later my laptop (and its self-esteem refinding pics) was fixed and ready for pick up.

I dragged the Tornado along with me in hopes had they planned to say anything that would…foil their plan.

The Tornado & I dashed into the store** and my laptop was bestowed upon me.

I KNOW I saw a glimmer of a smirk on the face of my Geek and the others in the store as he respectfully informed me I was all set and to bring it back if it gave me ANY trouble.

So now you know the whole story.

I did the pics for me. 

I did the shoot for Ren Man. 

And, apparently, I did the boudoir shoot to bring levity to the day of the Computer Geeks down the road.

Im thoughtful that way.

**out of ideas at this point I attempted to pretend I was my own twin.  I dressed super fancy (for me. by comparison.)  & hoped my Geek would be thrown off by this.  he was not.

View the original article here

A story of compulsive overexercise.

Once upon a time there was a Misfit Queen and her lovely Tornado of a Princess.
Each morning, as they’d ride their carriage through town toward the local school house, they’d spy a young woman walking on the side of the road. 

Head tucked, shoulders slumped, arms swinging walking.

The Queen noticed the young lady immediately and took note of how frequently and vigorously she walked.  One morning the Queen turned to her Princess and asked:

“Have you noticed the lovely lass who wanders all day?” 

The Queen had spied the girl walking as they headed out to the school house, and walking when the Queen returned home to the palace and walking when the Queen went out to the Bucks of the Star and walking… (you get the royal idea)

“Oh YES!” The girl immediately responded.  “You mean the Walking Princess? I do notice her.  She’s walking a lot so she can be big and strong!”

And the year passed and the Queen wondered (to herself & to her King) if she should stop and chat with the Walking Princess.

“Oh dear me,” fretted the Queen.  “Im concerned there’s a situation here, but Im unsure how to proceed.  Ive never encountered the Princess except when I’m driving on the boulevard.  Do I pull over and ask about her health and wellness?  Engage her in royal conversation? She’s only about 17 or 18.  I do wonder where her parents are…”

It was during one of these times of Walking Princess sightings and internal frettings the Queen’s thoughts were interrupted by the Tornado.

“Mother, theres the Walking Princess!!” She shouted in delight.  “Why do you think she walks so much Mama?  She walks like almost all day.”

Ever the unprepared Queen, the Tornado’s mother responded with: “I dont know. Why do you think she walks so much?”

Without missing a beat the Tornado Princess replied: “I think she’s walking and looking for her Prince all the every day, but when she finds him she will be too so tired.  Sometimes walking a lot is too much I think maybe.”*

Here’s where I pause to clarify the above is in no way mocking the young woman who compulsively walks in our neighborhood.

Here’s where I pause to clarify all of the above actually transpired.  From the Tornado’s naming of the girl to the final few sentences at the end.

(Here’s where I pause to clarify literary license was taken and this has been an on-going for over a year thing. Those of you playing along at home will realize the Tornado has not been in school for a year.  Oh & to our chagrin we are neither a Queen nor a Princess.)

My questions to you, Oh Wiser Than The Queen Readers:

What would you do? 

It’s evident she’s a compulsive over-exerciser (I do not exaggerate when I say she walks for HOURS a day.  4?) yet Ive never seen her when Im not driving & no one else in the ‘hood seems to know who she is either.

It’s shocking.

It’s heartbreaking.

It all causes me to wonder where her parents are?! (Our neighborhood is all homes and not a place anyone would live NOT with parents) or if she drives here, parks, and walks because she doesnt live here?

It’s all also a reminder (as per the “*” above. lets call this the *-defined) of how much children notice and internalize.

It surprised me the Tornado realized even something I tout as good! for! you! can be “bad” if done too much.

I want to “do” something, but Im not sure exactly what or how.

Id love your tips, thoughts, help and proverbial .02 in the comments below.

View the original article here

EatSmart Scale Giveaway! (plus, my personal story of scale obsession)

(If you’re a Finish What You Started Challenger, this week’s “Finish It Monday” message is hitting your Inbox, so watch for it!)

I love EatSmart. Not only because their Precision Digital Bathroom Scale was part of my journey of healing from scale obsession (yup, it’s a real condition), but it they’re a trusted company run by wonderful people. EatSmart has a full line of bathroom scales, plus kitchen scales and a luggage scale that are all reasonably priced, and include a 2-year warranty.

So before I Get To the Giveaway Part: My Story of (former) Scale Obsession

Obsession with anything is a very unhealthy thing. I could NOT stop weighing myself. At the time I had more than 40 pounds to lose. I was shooting to lose 1-pound per week to get to goal weight. Pretty reasonable, right? But is it normal and reasonable to weigh yourself 3-4 times per day?

I hadn’t yet discovered EatSmart. I was using some other scale at the time. It was heavy and clunky and ugly, but I’d drag that dang thing out, strip completely naked, making sure to have already used the potty (uh-huh) in hopes of the best weight loss reading possible.

If my number was neutral or higher, I’d blame water weight or a sammich that hadn’t fully digested yet. I’d even blame a water-logged head of hair if I was fresh out the shower. If my weight was lower, I’d celebrate, but still find an excuse to hop on the scale many more times that day. At this rate, I was weighing in up to 28 times per week.

I’m almost embarrassed to admit this former obsession. It went on like this for close to 2 years before I acknowledged what I had been in deniable about for so long: I was obsessed with the scale. I knew my behavior was not normal. It took many more months before I had the courage to remove the batteries from my scale and stick it in the attic forever. It was sooo liberating to NOT have the ability to weigh in obsessively. After this, about a year passed by and that clunky old scale was still very much out of reach. I was doing okay and continue to drop weight. I could tell from the way my clothes fit.

In December 2010, EatSmart reached out to offer me my 1st scale giveaway. I also received a complimentary scale of my own. This is when I decided that I would not longer hide from any scale by banishing it to the attic. I would take control over my weigh-ins and maintain a healthy relationship with the scale. Keeping an EatSmart around would be the litmus test to show whether or not my old weigh-in habits had truly changed.

So did I go back to obsessing? Well, yes. I did for awhile. I had some ups and downs. It took effort and continued practice in self control over NOT weigh-in with the scale in plain view. But it got easier and easier over time. And now? I only weigh-in about every 1-2 months. Victory!

A major part of my recovery from scale obsession involved having the courage to keep my EatSmart around – not hiding from it. The other part of my healing involved ditching a goal weight and embracing non-scale victories like losing dress sizes, looking sexier in photographs (yeah baby!), making good food choices and simply having a healthy lifestyle mentality, NOT a “weight loss mentality” which very much obsesses over numbers.

There is more to our weight loss journey than the number on the scale. Do NOT use your scale as the absolute law that tells the entire story of your fitness efforts. A lot of people do that and it’s wrong. Instead, use your scale as a partner and tool in your journey. Use it to attest to your progress over longer periods of time.

I’ve lost over 16-pounds since March 2011. My EatSmart scale told me so. And it didn’t involve weighing in every week. I’ve only weighed-in about 5 times since March.

The Giveaway

Two (2) winners will each receive an EatSmart Precision Digital Bathroom Scale courtesy of EatSmart Products (you lucky peeps) AND a Shakeology Sampler 2-pack, courtesy of yours truly.

Required Entry: Leave a comment and tell us all how aim to maintain a healthy relationship with the scale.

*Bonus Entry: Get your booty on over to Twitter and tweet @EatSmart your fitness goals using the hashtag #HappyScale. They’ll been tickled to hear from you and I’ll also be following that hashtag, so join in!

Your chance to win ends Friday, 10/7/11. Winner announced on or before 10/10/11 on the top right sidebar. United States entries only. Totally null and void where prohibited.

Ready? Set. EatSmart!

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<b>Weight loss</b> success story: Larry Hammack | MNN - Mother Nature Network

The following is one of a series of weight loss success stories featured on Mother Nature Network. Check back for more in coming weeks.Larry Hammack doesn’t drink coffee when he wakes up.“I don’t need it,” said the 54-year-old Atlanta resident. “I have the energy of a 19-year-old.”That wasn’t always the case. In fact, up until a year ago, Hammack was carrying around an extra 65 pounds, and had little energy to do anything. The co-owner of a florist shop, his typical day consisted of four activities: working, feeding the dog, eating and sleeping.   WorldShares lets you earn donations for your favorite nonprofit. Earn up to 20 points now.
Learn More“All I wanted to do was eat,” he said. “I would sneak into the cookie jar and eat oatmeal cookies with my breakfast.”But last April, Hammack got the prodding he needed to lose the extra weight. A visit to the doctor delivered the news he was dreading: he weighed 276 pounds.“I almost fell over when I saw that,” he said.He also learned that in addition to high blood pressure, he had low testosterone, which is associated with obesity, depression and fatigue.And the doctor discovered that Hammack had a hernia, which the extra weight had concealed.Hammack quickly went to work on devising an exercise and diet plan that has trimmed more than 60 pounds off his frame. He took inspiration from several mainstream diets by immediately eliminating white sugar. He now stays away from anything with white flour and he eschews any kind of canned, boxed or processed food. Fresh fruits, grains, raw nuts, grilled chicken and whole wheat pasta are the mainstays of his diet.He’s also attentive to how much he eats.“Make a fist, and anything beyond that size, you don’t need to eat,” said Hammack, echoing a common theme of many popular diet programs.Hammack said it’s easy to overeat at restaurants because you’re paying for the food and don’t want to waste any. But restaurants are notorious for offering super-sized portions, often of food that even in smaller quantities is ill-advised.He estimates he consumed 5,000 to 6,000 calories a day before he went on the diet. Now his calorie-intake is far below the 2,000-calorie threshold.As for exercise, it’s now one of Hammack’s favorite activities.Just as he did nine months ago when his weight loss journey began, Hammack rises at 5:30 every morning to walk before heading to Foxgloves and Ivy, his flower shop.When he began, he could barely walk a block. Now he walks about two miles every day, but he’s considering doubling the distance since he can cover four miles in the same time it once took him to cover two.After work, he hits the gym. Hammack belongs to a small gym where he works closely with the owner, who is a personal trainer. He gets pumped up by synchronizing his treadmill work out to a playlist on his iPod music player. He also goes out dancing several times a week. Since losing the weight, he’s learned how to dance the country two-step.“Find something to do in the evenings,” he said. “Get away from the TV.”Hammack now weighs 210 pounds, down from 276 when he began. He’d like to lose 20 more pounds. His blood pressure a year ago was 190 over 120, which his doctor said was a “walking stroke.” It’s now 120 over 80.Hammack’s advice for others who want to lose weight? Get a complete physical to see if there’s a medical cause for the sudden weight gain. Low testosterone, one known culprit, is at epidemic levels for men, and low vitamin D concentration is also an issue.“It’s never too late to change,” he said. “It’s never too late to do something to change yourself for the better.”With the excess weight gone, Hammack is looking forward to several reunions. A native of Macon, he’ll soon be attending a reunion of his Boy Scout troop.“We keep planning these reunions, and the last time they saw me, I was an old, fat man. Now I really want to show them how I look,” he said.That goes ditto for a reunion with his Air Force buddies. He will soon be seeing fellow vets who were stationed in Germany together two decades ago.“I’m going to show them I’m in better shape now than 25 years ago,” Hammack said.There’s no end to the activities he enjoys. But mainly he’s happy that he doesn’t have to say no to anything because of physical limitations.“If friends say, ‘Let’s go on a biking trip in the mountains,’ I want to say ‘Great, let’s go,’ and just be ready for anything,” he said. $(document).ready( function (){ var so = new SWFObject("/sites/all/themes/mnn/worldshares/WorldSharesAnimation.swf", "worldshares2", "100", "50", "9.0", "#FFFFFF"); so.addParam("wmode", "transparent"); so.write("flashtwitter"); $(".horizontal-social-links td a[href*='worldshares/dopoints/share-twitter'] ").click( function (){ // sendToActionscript("worldshares2","3"); return true; }); });

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Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain

â??I didnâ??t decide to become anorexic. It snuck up on me disguised as a healthy diet, a professional attitude. Being as thin as possible was a way to make the job of being an actress easier . . .â?

Portia de Rossi weighed only 82 pounds when she collapsed on the set of the Hollywood film in which she was playing her first leading role. This should have been the culmination of all her years of hard workâ??first as a child model in Australia, then as a cast member of one of the hottest shows on American television. On the outside she was thin and blond, glamorous and successful. On the inside, she was literally dying.

In this searing, unflinchingly honest book, Portia de Rossi captures the complex emotional truth of what it is like when food, weight, and body image take priority over every other human impulse or action. She recounts the elaborate rituals around eating that came to dominate hours of every day, from keeping her daily calorie intake below 300 to eating precisely measured amounts of food out of specific bowls and only with certain utensils. When this wasnâ??t enough, she resorted to purging and compulsive physical exercise, driving her body and spirit to the breaking point.

Even as she rose to fame as a cast member of the hit television shows Ally McBeal and Arrested Development, Portia alternately starved herself and binged, all the while terrified that the truth of her sexuality would be exposed in the tabloids. She reveals the heartache and fear that accompany a life lived in the closet, a sense of isolation that was only magnified by her unrelenting desire to be ever thinner. With the storytelling skills of a great novelist and the eye for detail of a poet, Portia makes transparent as never before the behaviors and emotions of someone living with an eating disorder.

From her lowest point, Portia began the painful climb back to a life of health and honesty, falling in love with and eventually marrying Ellen DeGeneres, and emerging as an outspoken and articulate advocate for gay rights and womenâ??s health issues.

In this remarkable and beautifully written work, Portia shines a bright light on a dark subject. A crucial book for all those who might sometimes feel at war with themselves or their bodies, Unbearable Lightness is a story that inspires hope and nourishes the spirit.

Price: $25.99

Click here to buy from Amazon

Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain

â??I didnâ??t decide to become anorexic. It snuck up on me disguised as a healthy diet, a professional attitude. Being as thin as possible was a way to make the job of being an actress easier . . .â?

Portia de Rossi weighed only 82 pounds when she collapsed on the set of the Hollywood film in which she was playing her first leading role. This should have been the culmination of all her years of hard workâ??first as a child model in Australia, then as a cast member of one of the hottest shows on American television. On the outside she was thin and blond, glamorous and successful. On the inside, she was literally dying.

In this searing, unflinchingly honest book, Portia de Rossi captures the complex emotional truth of what it is like when food, weight, and body image take priority over every other human impulse or action. She recounts the elaborate rituals around eating that came to dominate hours of every day, from keeping her daily calorie intake below 300 to eating precisely measured amounts of food out of specific bowls and only with certain utensils. When this wasnâ??t enough, she resorted to purging and compulsive physical exercise, driving her body and spirit to the breaking point.

Even as she rose to fame as a cast member of the hit television shows Ally McBeal and Arrested Development, Portia alternately starved herself and binged, all the while terrified that the truth of her sexuality would be exposed in the tabloids. She reveals the heartache and fear that accompany a life lived in the closet, a sense of isolation that was only magnified by her unrelenting desire to be ever thinner. With the storytelling skills of a great novelist and the eye for detail of a poet, Portia makes transparent as never before the behaviors and emotions of someone living with an eating disorder.

From her lowest point, Portia began the painful climb back to a life of health and honesty, falling in love with and eventually marrying Ellen DeGeneres, and emerging as an outspoken and articulate advocate for gay rights and womenâ??s health issues.

In this remarkable and beautifully written work, Portia shines a bright light on a dark subject. A crucial book for all those who might sometimes feel at war with themselves or their bodies, Unbearable Lightness is a story that inspires hope and nourishes the spirit.

Price: $25.99

Click here to buy from Amazon