The Real Me is Thin

Description

The hapless and hilarious tale of a life lived under the constant and ruthless reign of a chocolate biscuit... Lumped into the 'too fat for potatoes group' by her mother, carefree eating isn't something Arabella Weir had much experience of growing up. Written with startling frankness, Arabella unravels her own eating history in this humorous appraisal of our attitudes towards eating disorders and obesity. Not easy for someone who still can't be alone unsupervised in a room with a packet of chocolate biscuits. Charting Arabella's neurotic relationship with food, from prolonged abstinence to binge eating, this humorous memoir recreates a childhood besieged with battles over food. Subjected to her mother's capricious feeding regime and taught early on that food was her enemy, happiness meant being allowed to eat what she liked - or more importantly what everyone else was eating. Recounting stories of unhinged mothers and callous doctors, mystery-meat suppers, and egg custard battles with calculating boyfriends' mothers, this candid memoir vividly recreates a childhood and adolescence marred by the social embarrassment of being marked as different simply due to your weight.

Comedy writer, performer and author of the fantastically funny, international bestseller Does My Bum Look Big In This? Arabella Weir is best known for her various characters in BBC2's The Fast Show. Arabella also wrote and starred with Richard E Grant in BBC2's Posh Nosh. She played Michelle's mother in the first two series of E4's teen drama Skins, most recently appeared in the West End show Calendar Girls, and has contributed to all the series of Grumpy Old Women. She lives in North London with her husband and two children.

'This book is honest, very funny and sometimes sad, but Weir ends on a high with an important message: love the size you are. It's a memoir for anyone who, in Arabella's words, "had ever thought twice about anything she's putting into her mouth". And unlike a packet of biscuits, you won't feel guilty when you devour this book in one sitting' Stylist Magazine 'A hapless and hilarious tale of a life lived under the constant and ruthless reign of a chocoate biscuit ... this candid memoir vividly recreates a childhood and adolescense marred by the social embarrassment of being marked as different simply due to your weight.' Lighter Life 'Brutally funny' Irish Daily Mail