There is a book where a woman is shown eating anything and everything in front of her guests. Not just that, she is also betting that they will all get sick from her food. The whole thing is rather hilarious.
The book in question is called ‘The Biggest Loser Cooking Book’ and it was released in 2013. Let’s take a look at how the book works and whether or not it’s worth picking up. Is this a meme you will see repeated or is there a book that stands out above the rest? Let’s discuss.
How Does It Work?
The ‘Biggest Loser’ cooking books were first published in 2011 and 2012. They feature a blonde with an American accent who goes by the name of Jillian. For the most part, Jillian is shown teaching her guests how to prepare various luxury foods. In some instances, she might also make a joke about how she dislikes a particular food. For instance, she will often say “I don’t like green eggs. They’re disgusting.” Or “I don’t like chocolate cookies. They’re too sweet.”
Although she is often shown in a comical and satirical light, Jillian really does appear to be very serious about her cooking. Much of it is gourmet and involves a lot of steps. For example, there is a three-step process to preparing lobster. Step one involves picking the lobster meat off the claws and removing the rubber band. Step two involves cutting the body in half and removing the digestive tract. Step three involves cutting the tail off and serving each part individually.
The Concept
Now, I don’t know about you, but I have always found female bodybuilders rather disgusting. I’m sure most of us have. They look like the kind of people who would use muscles for sex instead of food. The very thought of a woman like that makes me feel physically ill. Nevertheless, Jillian and the author of the ‘Biggest Loser’ series seem to have a thing for strong, independent women who eat a lot. Therefore, I suppose it is sort of funny that they named their company ‘Jillian Michaels’ for example. Anyway, the point is that people like this exist, and they make for interesting stories. Hence, the title of the blog article.
The Narrative
The book starts with a woman who has just finished eating a big breakfast. She then proceeds to get dressed and head off to the yoga class she has scheduled for that afternoon. As you might imagine, she has a lot to get done that day and she doesn’t have time to stop and eat lunch. So, she has a sandwich and a Diet Coke for breakfast, a small salad for lunch, and another sandwich for dinner. This pattern continues for the entire duration of the book. She is always eating, always working out, and rarely has time for anything else.
One of the funniest things about the ‘Biggest Loser’ books is how they try to market them as if they were fitness or nutrition books. They will often talk about the importance of regular exercise and how it benefits the human body. They will also bring up the subject of vitamins and minerals, and how they are essential to human health. However, the whole book is clearly about food and how to prepare it. So, the author markets the books as if they were really about something else, but they’re not. They’re about preparing foods that the author likes and that her guests tend to like as well. That’s it.
The Recipes
The recipes are where the real value of the book lies. They are actually fairly easy to follow, and it isn’t that hard to prepare foods that you’ll see featured in the series. You’ll get a good sense of this if you peruse the recipes for the various foods she prepares. You won’t get very far before realizing that most of them were either inspired by or are directly related to an episode of ‘The Biggest Loser’ that inspired the book.
The Feedback
This aspect of the article isn’t really about the book, but about the response to it. Over the past year, there has been a lot of buzz about the ‘Biggest Loser’ series. Much of it has been positive, which is encouraging. People seem to be enjoying reading or hearing about the misadventures of Jillian and her guests. Nevertheless, there have also been a few complaints. Some people say the book is unhealthful. Others have said that it promotes anorexia. Still others have said that it is simply a “meme book.”
Is It Worth Reading?
There are a lot of books where women act in a silly, comical manner. Some of them are even about food. Nevertheless, there is a difference between a funny book and a shallow one. The reason the Jillian Michaels’ books stand out above the rest is because of what they say and how they say it. While other books simply try to be humorous, the author of the ‘Biggest Loser’ series actually appears to have something worthwhile to say.
Most of the time, when authors try to be funny, it comes off as forced. However, in the case of the Jillian Michaels’ books, it seems like the author is having fun while also teaching you something new. So, as long as you don’t take yourself too seriously, you might actually learn something.