Confessions of a Carb Queen

A Memoir

By: Susan Blech, Caroline Bock

Narrated by: Aimee Jolson

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

By the time Susan Blech was 38 years old, she weighed a staggering 468.1 pounds. She binged. She was "only a little chubby," or so she convinced herself.

Gripping, sometimes shocking, and ultimately inspiring, Confessions of a Carb Queen is the story of how Susan changed her life to save her life, ultimately losing 250 pounds without surgery.

Susan speaks candidly about eating binges, fat sex, and other topics no obese person has dared to address as she recounts her transformation from a vulnerable woman to one charged with willpower and courage. Her powerful story is a blend of memoir, advice, and delicious, health-conscious recipes that will inspire all who listen to it.

©2008 Susan Blech and Caroline Bock (P)2014 Audible Inc.

this was such an amazing book!

this book was totally inspiring to me! if you're looking for a book to help you stay on track or just keep you there, this one is it. will read/ listen to again for sure!

insightful and great listen

Would you listen to Confessions of a Carb Queen again? Why?

inspiring

What did you like best about this story?

her courage and candor

Which character – as performed by Aimee Jolson – was your favorite?

Sue or the cook at the Clinic

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

You Cant Believe I ate the Whole Thing- and that was just the warm up

Reader Comments

Reading the story of Susan Blech is motivational. This memoir is highly recommend to those that are working to lose weight. Just reading stories like Susan's provides the much needed motivation that you have been seeking.

Very good

Great writing style...... Not the typical diet book..... Very motivating...... Very inspiring.... A must read

Best Memoir about being over weight!

What made the experience of listening to Confessions of a Carb Queen the most enjoyable?

I think her tone/mood of the book really gives the reader, whether overweight or not, great inspiration.

The flow was nice regarding the history. She didn't jump back and forth confusing the reader.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Confessions of a Carb Queen?

When she realized that her online dating was almost "the same" as her over eating...just another addiction.

Interesting story, maybe a little stereotypical

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book because it was very interesting and it certainly educates about the real existence of food addiction and emotional eating. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but to other people having weight problems or someone interested in nutrition.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I wasn't exactly happy with the ending. It's too stereotypical woman. About her weight, about men. I wish she'd talk more about learning to love herself rather thing the wonderful things that happened once she lost the weight.

What about Aimee Jolson’s performance did you like?

She's very easy to understand and seems to get the emotions right for the book.

Any additional comments?

I want to like this book a lot. There is definitely a lot I like about it. I totally get her struggle with food addiction and emotional eating, which by the way many people seem to think is a totally made up thing (you probably wouldn't understand unless you were suffering from it). I liked hearing someone's raw truths about their problems with food, because those are things most people hide from the world. I really like Susan and I can relate to her struggles, and I'm really proud of her for fighting through and getting to a healthy place.

However, there was something about this book that rubbed me the wrong way. She's so determined to get married, have kids, and be the perfect size 12, and that's just so... stereotypical is the only word that comes to mind. It's almost as if someone made a person out of a woman stick figure, which I realize isn't very nice because she is after all a real person. But when you think "woman", certain stereotypes come to mind, and she checked off everyone one on the list. Has to find husband? Check. Has to have kids? Check. Has to lose last 40 pounds? Check. Until then she's not happy, not living a "normal life" in her words. Where's the self love? She may have learned to love herself along the way, but she doesn't talk about it much. That's what I was really hoping to get from this book, a story about a women who learns to love herself.

Also, and I don't know if this bothers anyone else, the title of the book is pretty misleading. She may have been a carb addict before going to the diet center, but it's not like she went off carbs. She ends up eating a diet that's essentially all carbs; pasta, veg and fruit sound like all she eats. Which is ok, eat what works for you, but I went into this expecting a story about someone who stopped eating carbs (which is the diet that works best for me), and it's pretty disappointing.

Loved it!!

Very candid! So relatable! Susan is brave to be so forthcoming. Must read for those struggling with food issues.

Negative reviews are ridiculous.

There are a lot of negative written reviews, but the star rating is higher than the ratings for the books these reviewers preferred to this book. This book was, indeed, rather outrageous in the sense that I wouldn't gift it to an Amish person or someone who wears their underwear up to their ribs, but it was not in any way, horrible. Sure, Susan has major problems in this book, how else would she get to be nearly 500 lbs? She has a messed up, cranky dad and an invalid and absent mother who was never able to set an example for her. She doesn't behave like normal people, she is addicted to food like other people are addicted to cocaine or heroine. Food ruins her life every day, gets in the way of her relationships with other people, and she is sad inside. She has problems with men, mostly because she has no respect for herself. There are millions of people out there with problems like this or even worse- they just don't spill their guts out about it and if they do, it is only about weight and how they lost it- not their life, too. Susan shares her crazy life, and frankly, it is a lot more interesting than the fact that she lost weight. The situations she gets herself into and the way she handles them are the whole point of this book. She is kind of a mess, and you will probably roll your eyes, but in the end- you realize you enjoyed yourself anyway.

Inspiring - a look inside an obese's womans life

What made the experience of listening to Confessions of a Carb Queen the most enjoyable?

That I could relate with her and listen to what her thoughts were. That she was being open and honest. I really enjoyed the narrator and could visualize the things happening as she read.

HORRIBLE!

What disappointed you about Confessions of a Carb Queen?

The way she hated herself was hard to listen to....

Has Confessions of a Carb Queen turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

How could the performance have been better?

It was not the performance, it was the content

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disgust at her self loathing....