You know the saying, if the shoe fits wear it? Well if your slogan defines you, use it.
The other day I got a copy of “Skinny Bastard” in the mail with a note that said: “Do your thing. These bitches suck.” I will not disclose my source, but I will say that they are apart of a very important company in the book industry and I was surprised at their level of anger on the subject, and of that fact that they knew who I was.
Could I be the next greatest diet critic?
This is literally the worst dieting book I have ever read. I can state that with 100% confidence. If you could possibly imagine two of the dumbest and uneducated women trying to put together pieces of scientific research to make shock value sales, and propaganda reign, you got it right here. Rory Freedman and Kin Barnouin, you have proved that two heads can be as dumb as one.
This is without a doubt the downfall of the healthy industry. It didn’t hit me until I read this book that the direction we are going is way scarier than where have been.
The new appeal of stupid people with studies
Be warned that stupid people with studies are your true enemy. They will change the shape of the world you live in. They are the decision makers, they are the advisers, and they are who is going to be responsible for major parts of the lives you lead in the future.
If the Skinny Bitches have their way, then everything is bad. In fact, I had a hard time figuring out what it was you could even eat.
Demolition Man Comes True
I feel like fucking Denis Leary after reading this book. I am going to have to lead the underground. Reading an extremist book like this evokes in me an extremist reaction.
Fine, maybe the green jello and porn is a bit much for my taste. Demolition Man is a movie of glorious meaning. Sandra Bullock and Sly have mind sex for Christ’s sake, it doesn’t get any better than that. In the movie everything is bad. Sex is bad, meat is bad, chocolate is bad, and thinking is bad.
Giving these skinny bitches too much credit? I don’t think so.
Diana and Larry
9 o’clock on a Saturday night Diana puts down her “Skinny Bitch” book running to her husband outraged about the shocking details she has just read about her food and diet. She then goes and buys Larry the “Skinny Bastard,” being that he has a gut your could serve burgers on, and a paranoid couple is born.
Next thing you know Larry and Diana are complaining to any and everyone. They are “opening their eyes” about the scary facts that exist in the food world. The trickle effect leads to Larry’s golf buddy Frank who happens to head up a branch in the government. Next thing you know money and industry evils can no longer outweigh fear and paranoia. Thus the change begins.
All from a book that is utilizing the latest craze in the nation. Shock Nutrition.
*Stay tuned for a special report on this in the future*
It is pissing me off on so many levels because even if I believe in sections of the cause, I believe in arriving there with honesty and without causing a panic.
Worst off, these chicks think they are way cooler than they are. Perhaps because most people in the world are also paranoid fakes and bores it makes sense that it can appeal to some. Not me, not sold.
Here are a few tips:
#1-Being uptight and paranoid, does not make one kewl.
#2-Cussing for shock value or being safely offensive, does not make one kewl.
#3-Outdated pop culture references make me hide my face.
It is like the classic parent embarrassment situation where it is obvious they are getting the latest updates from 14 month old issues of Bop and Tiger Beat. They then relay this “hip” info to a teen who is more into SXSW and Camera Obscura than they ever will be into Miley Cyrus.
When these Skinny bitches try to make a funny reference that bombs, I want to run away from the book as if it will bite me and I will die.
“Cigarettes are for Losers. They are totally 1989 and totally uncool. ” -Skinny Bastard
Here are a few more delicious quotes from the book that I couldn’t help but share.
Quote #1: “Heroin, cocaine, alcohol, and nicotine all trigger the brains pleasure circuitry. Cheese affects that same part of the brain. Cheese will rule our lives and fatten our asses if we don’t kick the addiction.”
Quote #2: “For the next thirty days , eat a pure, healthy, meat free/dairy diet like we describe in the book. At the end of the month, Whack and sniff. Your love nectar scent will be so much better, you’ll likely be tempted to taste it.”
Quote #3: ‘Casein causes cancer.”
I think my favorite part of the book was a lovely bit of hypocrisy that shined through brighter than their roots.
On page 122 in the section titled “The Myths and Lies about Protein” the ladies dive in on the validity of a study. Claiming “Do eight or nine people (some experiencing on fatigue and constipation) prove that soy has a negative effect on Thyroid function?”
This came after a discussion of a study that tested intake of soybeans in small amount for 3 months on thyroid.
The study itself and its validity isn’t really the issue. I will say of studies it was better than most. It tried to show an actual “cause and effect” stance. Unlike most of the studies in the entire book that the ladies used that were mostly made up of news/website links or epidemiology reports.
They mocked at the thought that this one study showing a negative effect meant anything. Yet their entire book is filled with the same or worse to prove their points. Bravo ladies. In the entire book you happen to make one statement that was actually valid. To bad it can be used on your entire book, and in a instant renders it the useless pile of paranoid lies it is.
I would like to note the final hypocrisy and close out my review.
After reading how much you care about the animals and the earth, and how diligent you are about ridding the world of waste and pesticides, I think you should know your book was not printed on recycled paper and was rejected by my local recycling center.
HAHA tell me you really tried to recycle the book.
Please post everyday. I need your blog in my life.
LOL….. that is hilarious that you tried to recycle the book?
You are the Jam!!!! leigh Peele!!! And i will even go as far as saying you are “strawberry Jam”!!!
Shari
“Whack and sniff” – Reading that about killed me.
Here’s hoping more publishers send you crappy diet books to review
I never read Skinny Bitch–looks like time well saved–but I have to say I wonder what feminine bodily fluid it was recommended I sniff after going dairy- and meat-free.
And seriously. Cheese is going to be the downfall of the health of humankind? Cheese?
Keep ‘em coming, Leigh. This makes my workday so much more enjoyable.
Great review Leigh. I am always shocked by the hypocrisy in books like these. -This study about soy is crap…but all these other ones are great because they prove out point- Doesn’t work that way ladies.
That’s funny! I never had a desire to read those books. I can see why now. I can just imagine the look on my husbands face if I were to buy it and give it to him!
Hahaha, I wish I knew you Leigh. I was getting a little tired of hearing vegans support the Skinny Bitch books as a good primer/supporter of veganism. Please.
The cheese quote made me laugh — food in general triggers the “brain’s pleasure circuitry”! A product of evolution/biological necessity……
Reminds me of a book that referred to a study done on cocaine a looong time ago: rats, when given the choice between food and cocaine, would die of starvation because they always chose cocaine — it delivered the pleasure stimulus faster and stronger than food.
I didn’t realize they had another book out – help us all!
Skinny Bitch is the only book I have ever tossed in the trash rather than passing it on to a friend or donating it to a library. Of any book I’ve ever read, it was the most hateful & crass not to mention the biggest piece of crap I have ever read.
You need to bring this to amazon under the Write a Review section.
This had me in hysterics…
Thank you for that. Brilliant. These women are so unbelievably annoying to read.
Thanks to you Leigh I am now forever going to call my stuff “love nectar.”
A quick add before I get to the comments: I want to note that this is not a good reasoning for being vegan/vegitarian. They give it a bad wrap. Just wanted to make that clear real quick.
I got the Skinny Bitch book as a gift from a friend…I honestly don’t think she knew what it was about and would have probably have never given it to me if she knew. Maybe not.
Regardless, it is collecting dust near the spiders in my basement. I almost feel bad for vegans if this is where the mainstream are learning about it from. (And I have seen this happen on other forums) Kind of like when people think all of North Dakota is still without electricity and the residents drive horse drawn carriages instead of cars. Its not really like that!
Keep ‘em coming, Leigh!
I just don’t get how it is they have brainwashed so many………
Just to say–I am one of many vegans horrified by these books. The whole premise of the one for women is based on body hatred; they aren’t using “bitch” ironically. Too bad they can’t make an honest argument, but they are NOT representative of vegans. Just representative of loud annoying ones (which exist in every subset of the population).
“Love Nectar”?! EWWWW!
THanks for a great review, Leigh.
Great review. I’m laughing my ass off that you tried to recycle it and it got rejected!
This also reads like a review of our federal government – speaking of stupid people changing the shape of the world we live in……….:)
I have long loathed “Skinny Bi%ch” and now there is more to hate!
Loved the review!! Finally something to make me laugh!!
Leigh,
My thoughts exactly. You beat me to the punch with this post – I was going to do something very similar on my site – http://www.ryanzielonka.com. I’d actually love to have you do a guest piece. I already have you linked in my sidebar.
I spent a solid thirty minutes of my life with this piece of trash in a local Barnes & Noble. The kicker is this thing is selling.
It’s my goal to make sure people like you, Alan, Lyle, etc. get exposure and destroy this drivel that occupies precious shelf-space in bookstores.
“I feel like fucking Denis Leary after reading this book.”
You mean you didn’t want to fuck Denis Leary before you read the book? I’ve always wanted to roll with Denis. I can just tell he’d be fun.
I’m amazed this shit gets published but even more so that some sad cow out there buys it thinking it’s legitimate. Whack and sniff? Are they mad?
LOL If cheese is addictive I guess the entire population of France are addicts.
“casein causes cancer” – I’ve already started digging my grave…or maybe I could just dump every copy of this book in it.
-Thanks Leigh, great info about shock value marketing and the lack of real science.
For a moment, the “whack and sniff” thing actually had tempted me to try going on a plant-based diet for a month just to see if it does change my “love nectar” . . . I doubt it would, though. And I don’t want to be a skinny bastard, anyway.
Cheese will kill us all. Know that you were warned.
Ryan-Looking forward to checking out your blog more. I am sure it will be fantastic.
Lyvve-Ha you called me out.
Manny-I can think of many way you could eat to improve both Male/Female “scents.” It would be a lot of plant based food but it would also include seafood and dairy too. Scent is affected by diet. Just like the classic aspargus pee experiment, it does ring true. However, the extremism is not needed and most of the time it is due to a general health issue that needs to be changed.
Just to throw that out there.
Sorry not to get to every post. I will make a habit to commenting more as they come in, as to not get caught at the end so much.
[...] TRX Community Featured Employee: Nicole Gillett eTalk Tonight!! [...]
drop vampires at 200 yards after a good workout… mmmmmmm… garlic… it just oozes… A garlic aroma that could level Tacoma
Makes sense that you can change the smell of “love nectar”… it is just protein, change the source of the protein and you change its make-up.
I actually read Skinny Bitch when it came out. Well, I read the first chapter or so. Then I flipped through the rest to see if it was ALL steaming crap, which it did appear to be. It’s a shame these ladies haven’t learned anything since their first book. Oh wait, they learned that if you write with shock value, you can get rich without being correct. darn.
Thanks for the review. great stuff.
And a quick side note, what guy do YOU know who wants to be “skinny”? Most guys I know want to be “built” or “hyuuuuge”.
What is your take on todays Soy products Leigh????
I did the same thing as Ms Paprika above. It was all just steaming crapola. I didn’t recycle it, but I did return it to Costco to get my money back.
Ha ha… wrote a nice little review on amazon. I linked to this page. Should be up within a couple of days… I couldn’t give it a negative 1 star.
My wife found an exercise DVD of theirs in a bargain bin for like 3-4 bucks so she picked it up because she had heard about these two dolts.
When she popped it in the DVD player, after 10 minutes of listening to their propagandist preamble while doing some warmups (walking on the spot and marching stretches for 10 freakin minutes) we both realized that she was in for a painful experience, and not from the workout.
These two dumbasses basically clown around, say stupid stuff and basically goof off the entire time. The level of professionalism is zero percent. And the stats and statements they spew is absolutely absurd. I can understand living a vegan lifestyle and exercise is good for you and an achievable ideal, but the hypocrisy they promote is ridiculous.
They talk about how corporations and big business strive to keep us all fat with garbage processed products and that “this is bad for you, that is bad for you”, yet corporate backing is what put these two fools in place to promote a weak system. I bet if you do some research on the holding company that promotes the Skinny Bitch products, they probably promote products that these two people are “fighting” against.
If only more people were smarter to see that a polished turd is still a turd.
Hey Leigh, this review is hilarious. I like the way you spill the beans and you’re not afraid to speak your mind. While it is certainly unusual to read this kind of “explicit language” nowadays- well, I love it! To hell with all this fake and phony political correctness!
As to what concerns the book- This whack and sniff thing is really the greatest advice I ever heard. Also, I’m having a very hard time at the moment giving up smoking. Now they tell me that not only the smokes but also my breakfast roll or post-workout-meal is giving me cancer as well. Now my idea is this: I just give up on eating at all and will only smoke cigarettes everytime I feel hungry! If both are causing cancer, why not go for the zero calorie one?
I’m really sick of all this diet B.S. and I wanna thank you Leigh, thanks for sharing this with us. I don’t think Kim and Rory are making the world a better place as they claim- you do!
[...] The Worst Diet Book Ever? Another gem from Peelesville was Leigh’s review of The Skinny Bastard Diet. Yes, from the same ladies who brought you the Skinny Bitch” diet. Upon reading Leigh’s [...]
Leigh, you ROCK MY WORLD!!!!
It’s all about perspective…I’m vegan in fact I’m a high raw vegan…what works for one won’t work for everyone…but to be close minded about it?! There are far better books on being vegan and it’s health benefits…but I wouldn’t refer to Rory and Kim as dumb asses…not in the least
I don’t care for this book. But am I seriously the only one who agrees with what they say about cheese, from my own experience? Um, it is concentrated milk. Ultra-concentrated. So it makes sense that it would be a little I had to cut out cheese to lose weight, since it was either a block-a-day, or none, for me. I totally found it to be addictive. When I finally cut it out (which was hard), I couldn’t eat it without feeling sick. All or nothing. I ate all types: mozzerella, French cheeses, aged cheddars, etc, before and lost weight and felt better once I cut them out. Just my own experience.
I don’t have time to reply directly to everything but here are a few points.
1-There is a big huge difference between personalizing things to your experience and preferences and claiming that this experience deserves to be deemed gospel.
2-Cheese has been one of the #1 ingredients in a Ketogenic diet based on its protein and fat content. I assure you, there is no problem losing weight on cheese. A caloric deficit is what you need to achieve fat loss. It has nothing to do with making any food the enemy.
3-I rarely would stand up and call someone dumb. Usually dumb is another term for expressive misinformation and fear. My writing is for the purpose of fun and dramatics.
At the same time, I think what these woman do are 100% dangerous, misrepresents the good in vegetarianism and veganism, and I have no problem saying that this book is the crap it is.
…..what the hell is with quote #2?
Anyways, I think Cosgrove always say something like he hasn’t read a book that makes him dumber. You should let him borrow this book and ask if he still agrees with that, lol.
So suddenly name calling and un-cited accusations qualify as a critique? You should be ashamed of yourself. Not to mention you approach their book with the same hypocrisy you accuse them of committing. Not once do you provide evidence to disprove their “lies” or even give counter information. Just name calling and un-cited (and unwarranted) accusations. So the same “dumb” reader can take your word instead of theirs? At least they provide sources (and proof read).
Anyone living in North America today should understand that shock value is what it’s going to take to get people to wake up and stop killing themselves with the over-processed, chemically preserved crap the fast food industry puts a smile on. Although these ladies exaggerate, the facts are there, good information is there, and even sample menus! Perhaps you missed that part.
No, this is not the be all and end all of vegan diets and these ladies don’t intend it to be. This is a starting point to open eyes and minds and get people to start paying attention to what they put in their bodies. A vegan lifestyle is not for everyone, and neither are Freedman and Barnouin’s methods. But Leigh, that doesn’t give you the right to personally attack them.
To all you closed-minded readers and critics! Stop taking little things so seriously and look at the bigger picture. As individuals who are able to speak our minds we should encourage difference WITHOUT opposition. Just because someone’s opinion is different than our own, does NOT make it wrong… just different. And since we are all different, a difference of opinion and approach would seem necessary.
Hey Nicole,
I have responded to your concerns below.
There isn’t enough time in the day to write it all out. Also I have given plenty of evidence if you sort through the collection of my articles. I have covered everything from organics, plastics, meats, dairy, etc. You expect me in one article to attack every single one of their flawed researched arguments. That is YOUR job, not mine. I am merely throwing up a smoke signal for you to do your own investigation.
I, unlike some, do not promote blind trust in my readers. I encourage 24/7 not only to do your own research but to ask me questions. If you have a SPECIFIC question you wish to ask on a topic I will answer, but your vague ranting of begging for proof just shows that you are arguing out of emotion, not out of facts.
I am supposed to be happy over sample menus? Sample menus that I could design by throwing a dart at the Enchanted Broccoli forest cookbook I read when I was 16?
The facts aren’t good. Let me ask you a question, have you read all the studies that these ladies were using to make their argument? Let’s discuss that since you are here defending them. I would like you to point me to the research that says Casein is the cause of cancer? I would like you to show me the chemical difference of brain stimulation between Quinoa and cheese. You do that for me, and then we can start to have an intelligent debate on the issue.
A vegan lifestyle should be about 2 things and 2 things only. Personal morals or political stance. You are never going to prove the health benefits on that issue. If you have a moral reason to remove meat from your diet I support that 100%. Trying to use scare tactics or flawed research however isn’t going to help your cause, if anything it hurts it.
There is no such thing as difference without opposition. That makes no sense. The very act of giving a different opinion is to be opposed another.
The Skinny Bittches were allowed to write their drivel of a shock value book and I am allowed to rant about it on my blog in hopes of alerting people to what I feel is good research methods and critical thinking.
You can choose to not visit my website or you can choose to read my posts that are full of passion, grammatical errors, well researched data, and that speaks to people who don’t want a guru but instead want to learn how to gain their own voice.
I 100% stand by the fact that this is the worst book ever put out in nutrition and is the problem we are facing right now in this country. Food Inc, Skinny Bastard, False Organics and Coconut Oil is nothing more than a blinder to the real problems of the way we look at food and our lives.
You get your picket signs and protest things you don’t understand and I will stay in the land of taking responsibility for my own actions and contribution to the problem. I assure at the end of the day my realism of my own actions and community support will make more change then people buying organic pomegranate juice.
Nice response back Leigh. I find Nicole’s comment to be ironic.
This is the worst book review I have ever read!
Never have I seen such a jealous rant in my life! I guess it was a slow workday for you to have time to sit there and write that crap about 2 people you don’t even know. I applaud them for writing this book and putting things in english and opening people eyes to what is really going on in the world and the kind of crap people are ingesting. You make the claim you want your readers to do their own research then ask you questions, well in my opinion that book gets people to think, ask questions, and do some research on their own!
Don’t rain on their parade because they may be successful, don’t be so envious!
There is such a thing as constructive criticism try writing that instead of personal attacks or supplying stupid movie clips. I don’t recall anyone asking the gov’t to make everyone a vegan, there is such a thing as personal choice and books like this are needed to help people make the right ones. Everyone has a writing style, theirs happens to get peoples attention.
It’s your blog, say what you want, but don’t expect everyone to agree with you… I bet there were a hell of a lot more people disagreeing with you, i love the last comment (out of 50) being the one who doesn’t!!!
Anyway since you are such a genius why not write a book yourself!!!
Oh wait… hahahaha
Claudio, Claudio, Claudio… Leigh doesn’t need me to defend here stance but hey it’s a slow work day for me so here goes…
“Never have I seen such a jealous rant in my life!”
Translation: I don’t like that you have such a critical opinion of something I’ve decided to blindly believe and I will level an ad hominem instead of anything resembling a cogent rebuttal.
“I applaud them for writing this book and putting things in english and opening people eyes to what is really going on in the world and the kind of crap people are ingesting.”
Funny how sharp-tongued and otherwise vacuous shock-language is enough to gain the unwavering loyalty of people. Style over substance FTW.
“In my opinion that book gets people to think, ask questions, and do some research on their own!”
Problem is Claudio that when people actually do “think”, “ask questions” and “do research on their own” they soon find out that these gals are charlatans who promulgate half-turhts, mistruths and flat out fabrications to support their preconceived belief systems.
“Don’t rain on their parade because they may be successful, don’t be so envious!”
Translation: Please do not make any attempt to call people out even though what they say is complete BS. Sorry Claudio, freedom of speech is not freedom from the consequences of spreading woo.
“Everyone has a writing style, theirs happens to get peoples attention.”
See: Style over substance. Their bombast makes for a nice distraction from the fact that they are spreading bull.
“It’s your blog, say what you want, but don’t expect everyone to agree with you”
Don’t think Leigh expects everyone to disagree with her but I suspect that what she may expect is a counterargument that has a bit of substance to it rather than just whining.
me= <3 Mike
I was going to say something, but I think you covered it all.
Claudio I wish I understood all your mumbling enough to respond back to it. If you wish to submit some reviews or research for me to look at that provides a different point of view or how the statements (by large) in that book are correct I am all ears.
I’ve read the book and have checked up on a lot of the claims they’ve made and found they are actual fact, just because they are descibed in an in your face way doesn’t change that. That doesn’t mean I’ve changed my eating habits but to call them BS or untrue is BS itself. I think people need to stop being so closed minded such as your friends Mike Howard (who makes a pathetic attempt to sound educated) and Kate. If you want to live in a bubble the skinny bitch series isn’t for you, so go back to your bubble Leigh. The fact that those ladies are so blunt and at times a little pushy doesn’t mean they are trying to brainwash you, it just shows their passion towards something they beleive in, I admire that.
And Mike Howard, don’t put words in other peoples mouths, judging by your arguments/mind reading you’re not that sharp, looks to me like you are the one whining.
Perhaps a book that may be more to your liking would be The China Study by T. Colin Campell. Our watch the documentary “Earthlings” I think its available on youtube.
On a final note, to quote yourself Leigh
“It is a possibility that what is right for you, may not be for someone else.”
Think about that next time you write a book review.
Cheers!
It’s Katie and I would love to see were you “checked up” on the claims to see that they are fact. Could you please provide a study or link?
Better watch out Jeremy, she hates to be called Kate.
As to this…
[quote]“It is a possibility that what is right for you, may not be for someone else.” [/quote]
There is a big difference between a different diet method based off of intelligent principles and a book based off of scare tactics using cherry picked data or botched news stories.
If you wish to provide the sources for conversation, go right ahead but be prepared to have to back everything you are saying with solid claims. The China Study book was a joke too by the way. As for earthlings that becomes a MORAL issue, not a scientific one. IF you don’t believe in the unethical treatment of animals, then don’t support it. I have time and again stood for those who wish to be vegan or vegetarians for animal rights. I wont however use bullshit claims to get my way. Do I wish that animals were treated better, yes. Am I going to lie to get it? No.
Hi Jeremy,
Since you haven’t responded with any evidence (only ad hominem attacks and appeal to authority) I don’t really have a response to your post. Do me a favour though… next time you do your “fact checking” you may want to look beyond a book by a vegan activist grounded in mostly observational and correlative studies.
Killing turkeys does not cause winter.
Insofar as you thinking I’m “not that sharp”… I’ll just have to live with that.
I checked out the Skinny Bastard book from the library and had to put it down about fifty pages in because of it’s (1) disorganization, (2) no useful table of contents or index, and (3) overuse of profanity. I mean, trying to be authoritative or cool doesn’t mean you have to use swear words on every other page. For example (and I’m just flipping open a few pages at random here, pages 102 and 103): idiot, fucking, bullshit. Seriously? I’m reading a book on improving my health but it’s harming my eyes and intelligence trying to comprehend the message through the, pardon the word, shit. As for Leigh’s book review, it too lacks any real coherence. You lost me at the whole wanting to fuck-Denis-Leary-at-the-end-of-reading approach; not much better than the authors you’re dissing, right? Second, if you’re going to attempt a reasonably intelligent-looking review, try using college-level English. The errors alone in your review weaken any authority that you’re trying to convey. For example, (1) You know the saying, if the shoe fits wear it? There should be quotation marks around the saying you are quoting. (2) apart should be “a part”. (3) If you could possibly imagine two of the dumbest and uneducated women should read two of the dumbest and the most uneducated women. (4) Using the word “kewl” does not make you cool. And I could continue, but suffice to say that before you start reviewing other people’s writing you should probably review your own. Finally, this isn’t to say that I disagree with your review; you’re correct about pretty much everything in this book being a total disaster. However, a poorly constructed review fails in your overall goal of dissin’ the bitches.