Review: I’m with Fatty: Loosing 50 Pounds in 50 Miserable Weeks by Ed Ugel

I just finished the book I’m with Fatty by Ed Ugel. I have to say, it is an entertaining read, but there were times when I was uncomfortable. Call me old fashioned (which no doubt I am) but there are some things you just don’t talk about, let alone share with the world in a book. But that is just me.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not an uptight, purse-lipped, no-time-for-fun, all work, no play kind of gal. There were many times when Ugel’s wit and sense of dealing with his situation had me laughing out loud. There is no denying he is funny. I like the way his mind works. He starts off with one innocent thought and that thought quickly evolves into a whole mess of ideas. It’s entertaining. But, I will say that hearing the details of how he ever-so-sweetly tried to rest his testicles on his sleeping friend’s head (who turned out to be a total stranger, mind you) was just a bit too much. But who I am to judge.

After finding out that he suffers from Sleep Apnea – a condition in which you stop breathing while sleeping – and being doomed to wearing a CPAP mask (much to his own disgust and his wife’s as well) for the rest of his life, Ugel decides to change some things about himself. Ugel, who is both self-proclaimed and medically proclaimed to be a food addict and compulsive eater, embarked on a journey to lose “50 pounds in 50 miserable weeks” (as the cover of the book cleverly states). While he didn’t quite reach his goal, he came pretty darn close. Ugel lost 46 pounds in 50 weeks.

For anyone who is struggling with weight loss or finds comfort in food, Ugel’s book offers some great insight and advice for overcoming these issues. And for Ugel, it’s not just about giving up foods he loves and rearranging his life to fit in visits with trainers and nutritionists, it’s about finding out why he finds comfort in food and why he is a compulsive eater.

As he begins to tackle the issues and see why he is the way he is, he also discovers he has a love for playing racquetball, and enjoys being at the gym. It’s a definite positive step in the right direction, and he even begins to lose some serious weight.

About three quarters of the way through the book, just when you think he has beaten the odds, Ugel’s wife and two daughters go on vacation to Maine, and Ugel goes on a week-long binge of fatty, processed foods and pints (yes, I said pints with an s) of ice cream. I was so mad at him. He had been doing so well. He’d even gone as far as to do a cleanse (nothing but juices for a week) and get a colonic. Yikes. Talk about dedication. As I sat there reading about the $40 worth of Chinese take-out, Filets-O-Fish and walnut Danish rings, I wanted to grab him by his shoulders and shake him.

With the binge behind him, and his family back home, Ugel gets back on track and focuses on meeting his goal. Although he falls short in the end, he pulled of an amazing feat and truly changed his life. Those 46 pounds – and the unsightly CPAP machine – are a thing of the past.

I definitely think I’m with Fatty is worth reading, but keep in mind that it isn’t for the faint of heart, and I most certainly would not give the book to a kid or even young teen to read. But, if you’re looking for something to keep you laughing and even make you a bit uncomfortable, grab a copy and check it out. At the very least, you’ll get an up close and personal look at what it’s like to get your colon cleansed.