A raw ,yet comforting, memoir. The author hits the needle in the head and openly discusses the weight loss issue.

This memoir is for anyone who has struggled with weight. It will confront you about your actions yet comfort you knowing that you are not alone.

#TheSecretLifeOfAweight-obsessedWoman #NetGalley

Publisher synopsis: Do you think about food too much? Envy those “skinny bitches” and wonder how they do it? Use the needle on the scale as a measure of your self-worth? Are you “just ten pounds” away from happiness? You are not alone. Iris Ruth Pastor, too, was a weight-obsessed woman who found a way to eat all those tempting goodies—without putting on a pound. At age eighteen, she began bingeing and purging daily and didn’t stop for forty-six years. How did she tame the triggers that led to bingeing and purging? Deal with the ravenous monster within? The Secret Life of a Weight-Obsessed Woman is Iris’s story of ripping down the façade of her “perfect” life and taking steps to break free of her lover ED (Eating Disorder, not Erectile Dysfunction!). If you are grappling with anything that prevents you from operating at full throttle, Iris’s bluntly honest, humorous, and inspirational story reminds us all that recovery is within our reach. In this honest, insightful, and inspiring book, Iris Ruth Pastor shares her story of recovery from a decades-long battle with bulimia. She brings a poignant and relatable honesty to this memoir, using both wisdom and humor to bring readers on the journey from despair to healing. ~ Dr. Nina Savelle-Rocklin, PsyD Congratulations on your outstanding book. I have encouraged all my patients to buy it…. You are amazing. Great writer, speaker, and role model for midlife women struggling with eating disorders. ~ Dr. Ann Kearney Cooke, The Cincinnati Psychotherapy Institute Iris Ruth Pastor is a writer, speaker, and storyteller whose bedrock belief is that our lives are always a work in progress. After just a few months of blogging for the Huffington Post, her blog was designated one of “The Must-Read Blogs” for those over 50. Her musings, weekly newsletters, social media postings, and speeches underscore her engaging message of the importance of self-care—of Preserving Your Bloom. Iris travels the country both entertaining live audiences and encouraging them to use their talents and resources to be the best they can be. While doing so, she tries not to be judgmental, cloying, hypocritical, whiney, snippy, overly sensitive and over­whelmed. Sometimes, like all of us, she even manages to carry it off.


This book is very raw. I really feel for the author and can relate to her. She hits on a lot of battles that women go through. Very insightful book!

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

It's a short book, only three or so hours, but packed with quite a story. Bulimia is a horrifying disease and I am awed that Iris Pastor shared this all too real and brutal story with all of us. A recommended book for anyone who knows anyone with an eating disorder. What a horrible way to live ! Thanks to Netgalley and Ladies,Ink for the perusal. I'm glad that she is better in the end.

I loved, loved this book as I identified with it so much.

While not bulimic, I am an older person who has suffered from an eating disorder for what feels like my whole life.

When we were in our teens, the words eating disorders and therapy did not exist. While it is now different, people who suffer for ED for a long time struggle, in many cases, more than those who are newly diagnosed because we have simply used our ED to cope for so long.

This book takes an honest and fresh look at what it really feels like to be bulimic and doesn't shy away from the truth.

I admire people who can write their own truths - it is a hard thing to do and ED are never a subject that anyone loves to talk about.

Well written, thoughtful and honest.

This could have been me, I still struggle with flash backs to the times I spent in strange bathrooms with these thoughts and the remains of hard earned meals floating in front of my eyes. The secret fight everyday while wearing a happy mask is just not for the young , it can be a lifelong evil friend to take on holiday, through happy family occasions and who sits with you while you watch the sun rise and set .
Well done for staying with it and never losing sight of a goal for yourself. This should be well displayed in all bookstores.

This is a memoir of the suffering and recovery of a woman in her 60s from lifelong bulimia. It's a very brave book to have written, and I do admire her while also being rather stunned by the level of denial that must have been there (on her part and her husband's) for them not to seek treatment earlier - although that's not to say it would have worked. There's nothing more depressing than going from treatment to treatment knowing that every time you fall back into the habit, it's harder to get out. So she obviously tackled it at the right time for her, and kudos to her for that.

The book is rather disjointed, which I guess comes from the author being a columnist accustomed to writing in short isolated chunks. Readers might be disappointed if they open it expecting a self-help manual, because it's not that. We don't hear much of any specific techniques that she used and there's no summary of available treatment methods, clinical data, etc. It's to be read as a personal account, very personal in places as we learn a lot about her life and family that isn't obviously related to the disorder. A courageous step to have taken.

"The Secret Life of a Weight-Obsessed Woman" by Iris Pastor is a wonderful book. Pastor tackles a topic that has rarely been written about, especially by a woman in her 60's: lifelong struggle with bulimia. Her honesty, vulnerability, and quest to bring awareness to this eating disorder make for a compelling read. Pastor is a fine, expressive writer. She explains which tools and programs helped her achieve her recovery from bulimia. Her bravery in overcoming her shame and sharing the truth of her "ED" (eating disorder) with her family, friends, and the public is commendable and inspiring. Highly recommended!

Fascinating look at a long-time bulimic. Honest and thought provoking. Good read.
Thanks to author,publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating i gave it.

An interesting and honest memoir of an older woman who suffered her entire adult life with bulimia. Kudos to her for sharing her struggles, failures, and achievements.