This Is Big: How the Founder of Weight Watchers Changed the World -- and Me

This Is Big: How the Founder of Weight Watchers Changed the World -- and Me

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  • Create Date：2021-01-20 04:17:45
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Marisa Meltzer
  • ISBN：9780316413985
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Summary

From a contributor to The Cut， one of Vogue's most anticipated books "bravely and honestly" （Busy Philipps） talks about weight loss and sheds a light on Weight Watchers founder Jean Nidetch: "a triumphant chronicle" （New York Times）。 Marisa Meltzer began her first diet at the age of five。 Growing up an indoors-loving child in Northern California， she learned from an early age that weight was the one part of her life she could neither change nor even really understand。 Fast forward nearly four decades。 Marisa， also a contributor to the New Yorker and the New York Times， comes across an obituary for Jean Nidetch， the Queens， New York housewife who founded Weight Watchers in 1963。 Weaving Jean's incredible story as weight loss maven and pathbreaking entrepreneur with Marisa's own journey through Weight Watchers， she chronicles the deep parallels， and enduring frustrations， in each woman's decades-long efforts to lose weight and keep it off。 The result is funny， unexpected， and unforgettable: a testament to how transformation goes far beyond a number on the scale。

Editor Reviews

A Vogue Most Anticipated Book of 2020
One of Apple Books' Most Anticipated Books of 2020
A Washington Post Book to Read for April
One of People's Best New Books



"Her life changed dramatically as she realized you can live a big life at any size。"—People

"A triumphant chronicle。。。 Meltzer has created singular companionate text for those who know the agony of frustration surrounding weight as an issue， both personal and political。 Acerbic， culturally astute and genuine， [Meltzer] makes exquisite company in the struggle。"—New York Times

"Meltzer writes movingly of her own struggles with having a body， but her experiment isn't the exclusive focus of the book:
It also chronicles the life of Weight Watchers founder Jean Nidetch， whose vaudevillian comic timing， retrograde ideas about fat and happiness， and unconcealed desire for fame and connection make her a fascinating subject。"—Vox

"Marisa
Meltzer's new Weight Watchers biography feels surprisingly in sync with the emotional arc of isolation eating。"—Wall Street Journal Magazine

"If you've ever been critical of diets， diet companies， and diet culture in the past， you're going to love what Meltzer has to offer here。"—Bustle

"Not a memoir of radical self-acceptance or saccharine inspiration， but a candid - at times dark - look at what it means to be an overweight woman in
2020。"—Los Angeles Times

"This heartfelt， incisive book layers the story of Weight Watchers founder Jean Nidetch with the author's own lifelong journey through various fad diets。 What emerges is a surprising portrait of a remarkable but little-known life in business， as well as a thoughtful critique of America's obsession with thinness。"—Esquire

"This is Big。。。[finds] in Nidetch both a genuine pioneer - a woman who built a massive culture-defining business as a time when women couldn't even have their own credit cards - and a representative of many ideas about weight and health that are as destructive as they are enduring。"—Vanity Fair

"Meltzer looks at her own pursuit of weight loss and uses it to illuminate our culture's relentless focus on thinness。"—Washington Post

"[This] brilliant book tells the story of thinness obsession through the lives of two women-Jean Nidetch， the founder of Weight Watchers， and Meltzer herself。"—Glamour

"One writer describes her lifelong journey with Weight Watchers and exploration of its founder's life， finding the latter more relatable and moving than she expected。"—Vogue

"Meltzer looks at her own pursuit of weight loss and uses it to illuminate our culture's relentless focus on thinness。"—The Daily Beast

"Inventive。。。Meltzer's own experience with weight loss。"—Bitch

"This book is an honest， open exploration of one woman's relationship with her body as it exists in the world。"—Here Magazine

"[Meltzer] writes with a voice that feels like you're chatting with one of your best friends， cracking jokes and digging into all the emotions you'd usually hide from others who aren't as close to you。"—First for Women

"Journalist
Marisa Meltzer interweaves her personal dieting history with a compelling biography of Jean Nidetch， the woman who founded Weight Watchers。 As the author chronicles her own journey through the popular program， she describes how
Nidetch-despite getting and staying thin-struggled at home and at work。 In the end， Meltzer learns and grows in unexpected ways。"—Real Simple

"The cleverly told story of both Jean Nidetch， founder of Weight Watchers，
and Meltzer's own lifelong battle with her body and her weight。"—Kim France， Girls of a Certain Age

"Meltzer did a deep dive into Jean Nidetch， the
Queens， NY， housewife who founded Weight Watchers in 1963， for a book that is part biography， part memoir of her own lifelong journey with dieting。"—New York Post

"Her story will resonate with readers who have struggled with weight and body image issues。 A straightforward memoir of struggling with obesity and finding inspiration from the founder of
Weight Watchers。"—Kirkus

"Meltzer's engaging history of Weight Watchers and candid account of her own dieting journey is a frank and affirming portrait of the ways women， in particular， have always coped with health and self image。"
—Booklist

"Insightful。。。a thoughtful exploration of how to make diet choices on one's own terms。"—Publishers Weekly

"This is Big is a brave， bold， funny， honest， riveting book that made me have every kind of feeling in the world。"—Jami Attenberg， author of All Grown Up

"For anyone who has ever felt defeated by food， betrayed by their own body，
embarrassed for not only lacking the willpower to change their habits but also embarrassed by the desire to change their own body， Marisa Meltzer sees you，
has written this book for you because she is you。 While simultaneously delving into the history of the woman who started Weight Watchers and bravely and honestly examining her own complicated relationship with food and weight，
Marisa has written a book that perfectly captures our country's obsession with THIN and the struggle with obesity at this moment in history。"—Busy Philipps， author of This Will Only Hurt A Little

"Marisa Meltzer is an ingenious writer。 This Is Big expertly weaves together two engaging tales: the charming， funny， and often heartbreaking account of Meltzer's lifelong attempts at bodily transformation， and the little-known story of a largely forgotten American icon Jean Nidetch， the irrepressible， pathbreaking entrepreneur who founded the now billion-dollar company Weight Watchers in her modest living room in 1963。"—Nancy Jo Sales， author of American Girls and The Bling Ring

"This book was so good that I devoured it （with no guilt）！ Meltzer shows us， through honesty， rawness and deep vulnerability， the complexities of living in a body that doesn't adhere to society's narrow beauty standards in an era that holds up body positivity as gospel。"—Mara Altman， author of Gross Anatomy

"A witty and meaningful look at our obsession with weight and dieting; blending the story of the founder of Weight Watchers with her own saga， Marisa Meltzer crafts an amusing story with universal insights。''—SheilaWeller， author of Girls Like Us: Carole King， Joni Mitchell， Carly Simon -and the Journey of a Generation and Carrie Fisher; A Life On The Edge

"This book is an incredible hybrid: both a detailed study of an extraordinary American life， and a candid and revealing memoir。 Meltzer is the biographer Jean Nidetech deserves， crafting a portrait of the woman and the world in which she lived。 She's also a bracing memoirist， a warm and honest voice unafraid to offer readers the stuff of her own life to help us better understand the culture we now share。 It's a remarkable feat。"—Rumaan Alam， author of That Kind of Mother and Rich and Pretty

From the Publisher

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Reviews

ohtoread ，

Thank you to #NetGalley， the author and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book prior to publication in exchange for my review。 This is Big: How the Founder of Weight Watchers Changed the World （and Me） is really two stories。 It is Marisa Meltzer's story of her own battle with weight but interwoven with her own story is the story of Jean Nidetch， the founder of Weight Watchers and the parallels between their stories。 Meltzer's weight issues began when she started her first diet at age five。 In fact， she and her mother joined Weight Watchers together when she was in elementary school。 Meltzer's story is very relatable as talks about being frustrated with her body image and the mental， emotional and physical toll that food and dieting take on an individual。 As she grew up， food became the defining relationship in her life， something she addresses honestly and with humor。 I think the message that really stands out in this book is that each of us is struggling with something and we just need to be aware of that and realize that we are not alone。 This book was a quick， enjoyable read and I think it would make an excellent movie similar to the one Julie Powell wrote about herself and Julia Child， Julie and Julia。

Crystal ，

Given my interest in nutrition， weight loss， etc。， this was an interesting read。 I agreed with so much of the author's thoughts on expectations put on women， but overall it was a pretty negative outlook。 I liked the author's honesty; but it also meant I liked the author less because of her reluctance to change， her acknowledgement and use of privilege， and her general snobbiness。 I am also not really sure Jean's life was all that bad， or that she was unhappy; it felt like speculation from the au Given my interest in nutrition， weight loss， etc。， this was an interesting read。 I agreed with so much of the author's thoughts on expectations put on women， but overall it was a pretty negative outlook。 I liked the author's honesty; but it also meant I liked the author less because of her reluctance to change， her acknowledgement and use of privilege， and her general snobbiness。 I am also not really sure Jean's life was all that bad， or that she was unhappy; it felt like speculation from the author and that she wanted to skew it that way。 Still， I finished it， so。 :） Interesting quotes:- Loving my body still keeps the focus on my body。 What I would prefer to have is the freedom not to think about my body at all。- A term like lifestyle change is a more accurate description of the process。 But it’s just another euphemism。 A more fitting word for the state of mind that weight loss and its maintenance require is vigilance， which you must practice constantly。- Women who are trying to lose weight are congratulated for “doing something for themselves，” while at the same time society imposes on them the assumption that weight loss is something done for others—in other words， that even what we do for ourselves is in a sense a performance， leading women to yearn not to perform， to own their bodies。- Body acceptance says that it’s my fault that I don’t feel great about my body because I haven’t fully committed to loving it。 It’s just a painted layer of positivity over the unresolved culture of dieting。 。。。more

Peter ，

I enjoyed this。 From a woman’s perspective but resonates with me as a gay man。

Robyn Martin ，

Audible

Olivia Kelle ，

Mind provokingI enjoyed this book it hit home on many points。 Recommed it。 It is good to be able to relate to someone in a book。

Kathy B ，

I LOVED this book and absolutely LOVE the author - her style， her smarts and her outlook - imagining she could be one of my besties！ This book is not just a history of the Weight Watchers company and its founder， Jean Slutsky Nidetch， but a look at food， dieting and how weight affects ones life。 The story of the company itself is fascinating， with one woman losing weight through a program through the City of New York。 After she lost 75 pounds， she began meeting up with friends to encourage them I LOVED this book and absolutely LOVE the author - her style， her smarts and her outlook - imagining she could be one of my besties！ This book is not just a history of the Weight Watchers company and its founder， Jean Slutsky Nidetch， but a look at food， dieting and how weight affects ones life。 The story of the company itself is fascinating， with one woman losing weight through a program through the City of New York。 After she lost 75 pounds， she began meeting up with friends to encourage them to lose weight， and they brought friends and a company was born。 Weight Watchers has gone through many changes in its history， and Marissa Meltzer made its story， as well as the story of dieting abs body image， interesting。 She wove in her life’s story of all things poundage， and I couldn’t stop reading - she captured my mind and my heart， as I could identify with perhaps too many of her stories and anecdotes。 This book is as interesting as it is inspirational。 While not for everyone， it absolutely spoke to me and I loved it！！！ 。。。more

Carol ，

She wasn't perfect， it wasn't easy， but this is what makes the founder of WW so like the rest of us。 A bored housewife in the 1950's game up with a novel concept of losing weight and keeping it off。 Fascinating story of an average woman。 She wasn't perfect， it wasn't easy， but this is what makes the founder of WW so like the rest of us。 A bored housewife in the 1950's game up with a novel concept of losing weight and keeping it off。 Fascinating story of an average woman。 。。。more

Kimberly ，

Very interesting to read about the history of Weight Watchers。 The founders story is quite an interesting one。

Alexis ，

Conflicted about this one。 I wouldn't recommend it for everyone I know， or every reader。 Marisa Meltzer is a 40 year old journalist， who wants to lose weight。 In alternating chapters， she delves into the history of Weight Watchers， and the life of the woman who created it。 The history is really interesting。 Marisa looks at dieting， and how it became a phenomenon。 In other chapters， she talks about her own weight struggles， society's fascination with thin-ness and her own adventures on Weight Wat Conflicted about this one。 I wouldn't recommend it for everyone I know， or every reader。 Marisa Meltzer is a 40 year old journalist， who wants to lose weight。 In alternating chapters， she delves into the history of Weight Watchers， and the life of the woman who created it。 The history is really interesting。 Marisa looks at dieting， and how it became a phenomenon。 In other chapters， she talks about her own weight struggles， society's fascination with thin-ness and her own adventures on Weight Watchers。 I really liked this book and what I learned， but I feel like some of the terms she used would be hard for some people to read。 。。。more

Cara Moran ，

Picked this one up expecting to learn more about the founder and founding of Weight Watchers， but I felt that portion of the book hardly skimmed the surface。 What I ended up being more interested in was Meltzer's examination of her own relationship with diet culture， body positivity， and what it means to fall somewhere in between。 I thought her honest portrayal of her complicated relationship with her weight was refreshing and the book would have worked better with it as the focus。 Picked this one up expecting to learn more about the founder and founding of Weight Watchers， but I felt that portion of the book hardly skimmed the surface。 What I ended up being more interested in was Meltzer's examination of her own relationship with diet culture， body positivity， and what it means to fall somewhere in between。 I thought her honest portrayal of her complicated relationship with her weight was refreshing and the book would have worked better with it as the focus。 。。。more

Sammy ，

I really felt like this author had a VERY bad attitude。 Don't get me wrong， I'm obese， too， and am trying very hard to lose weight。 But I choose to feel empowered -- like I can DO something about my health for the positive。 The founder of weight watchers story was far more interesting than Marissa's。 I really felt like this author had a VERY bad attitude。 Don't get me wrong， I'm obese， too， and am trying very hard to lose weight。 But I choose to feel empowered -- like I can DO something about my health for the positive。 The founder of weight watchers story was far more interesting than Marissa's。 。。。more

Elizabeth ，

I loved reading about the history of WW and Jean Nidetch。 Less compelling was the author’s story- she understands how to lose weight but seems unwilling to actually do the work to get thinner。 Still an interesting read。

Carol ，

I really enjoyed this book and the way it was told。 Marisa Meltzer is a journalist with a very easy writing style。 She was inspired to write this book by seeing an obituary for Jean Nidetch， the founder of Weight Watchers， and this book alternates between Jean's story and the author's own story of her struggle with weight over the years。 She chronicles her year in the WW program with her story and some of members。 She also provided a lot of interesting information about dieting and programs for I really enjoyed this book and the way it was told。 Marisa Meltzer is a journalist with a very easy writing style。 She was inspired to write this book by seeing an obituary for Jean Nidetch， the founder of Weight Watchers， and this book alternates between Jean's story and the author's own story of her struggle with weight over the years。 She chronicles her year in the WW program with her story and some of members。 She also provided a lot of interesting information about dieting and programs for well over a century。It seems younger people are not aware of Nidetch， but I am old enough to know she was the founder of WW but not the details of her start-up and involvement， which were quite remarkable for the time。 Meltzer's struggles with her weight were honest and forthcoming。 I， too， carry extra weight although I don't fixate on it as this author does， as in her case it is not just about the extra pounds but a lot of ambivalence about weight issues。 She couldn't seem to settle on whether she should lose the weight or accept it and I felt for her with how much of her time is consumed with thoughts of weight。 At the end it is a bit hopeful she is on a better path but it seems she may still have a long way to go。 I hope she gets there。I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads。 。。。more

Andrea ，

Not recommended。 I thought I was reading a book by a 22 year old， maybe just out of college， and bam。。。this is a 41 year old woman！ Creepy， just creepy。

Stephanie ，

3。5

Natanya L ，

The alternating chapters of personal memoir/experiences with diet culture and history of weight watchers did not flow smoothly for me。 I was personally hoping for more of a scathing essay on diet culture。 I would recommend Empty by Susan Burton （cw: eating disorders） if interested in a book more along those lines。 I did Meltzer's personal take on weight watchers， but the book was choppy and I occasionally wanted to skip the chapters on the historical elements of weight watchers。 The alternating chapters of personal memoir/experiences with diet culture and history of weight watchers did not flow smoothly for me。 I was personally hoping for more of a scathing essay on diet culture。 I would recommend Empty by Susan Burton （cw: eating disorders） if interested in a book more along those lines。 I did Meltzer's personal take on weight watchers， but the book was choppy and I occasionally wanted to skip the chapters on the historical elements of weight watchers。 。。。more

Lucy ，

Witty and funny and about so much more than just diets。 I have tried WW before and I found the story of how it started inspiring。 Thankfully I tried it before they insisted you eat liver every week！

Gill ，

An interesting book。 Tackles diet culture alongside the history of the founder of weight watchers。 Thought provoking。

JoJo Shanky ，

I enjoyed this book！ I picked it up from the library （the author reads the audio） without knowing much about where Weight Watchers came from or about Marisa Meltzer's work。 The book is part memoir about the author's struggle with her own fatness， part history of dieting in 20th century America， and part biography of Jean Nidetch， the founder of Weight Watchers。 There is a lot of societal commentary about wellness， weight loss， and fat acceptance rolled in。 The chapters go back and forth between I enjoyed this book！ I picked it up from the library （the author reads the audio） without knowing much about where Weight Watchers came from or about Marisa Meltzer's work。 The book is part memoir about the author's struggle with her own fatness， part history of dieting in 20th century America， and part biography of Jean Nidetch， the founder of Weight Watchers。 There is a lot of societal commentary about wellness， weight loss， and fat acceptance rolled in。 The chapters go back and forth between the 1960s and 2017 （the year the author tries to go on Weight Watchers）。 It's definitely told from a wealthy white woman's perspective， which is my only ding on it。 It doesn't get into any class/socioeconomic angles of weight， which leaves a huge piece of the puzzle out。 。。。more

Pam Clayton ，

I listened to the audio book and enjoyed this。 I remember going to WW meetings with my mom as a kid， trying to do the program wither books when I was in my late teens/early 20s （darn Freshman Fifteen）， and I've been a WW member myself since 2017。 I like how this book flips between a biography of Jean Nidiech （the founder of WW） and Meltzers autobiographical essays of her own struggles and experiences with diet culture and going to WW。 Even though I have known of WW my whole life it seems， I had I listened to the audio book and enjoyed this。 I remember going to WW meetings with my mom as a kid， trying to do the program wither books when I was in my late teens/early 20s （darn Freshman Fifteen）， and I've been a WW member myself since 2017。 I like how this book flips between a biography of Jean Nidiech （the founder of WW） and Meltzers autobiographical essays of her own struggles and experiences with diet culture and going to WW。 Even though I have known of WW my whole life it seems， I had no idea about Jean。 And that's kind of sad really。 I'm not sure this is earth shattering， but it's well written， well researched， and very well narrated。 I listened to this in one day and recommend for anyone who is a WW member or is thinking of joining or is interested in diet culture。 。。。more

Sara ，

I won this via a Goodreads contest， but it was already on my to-read list。Phew， there's a lot of truths in here and I see a lot of myself in this book。 I don't have a history completely fraught with dieting like the author does， but I have a history of living in a fat body pretty much since adolescence。 I， like her， feel caught in a world between wanting to be smaller， but not being capable of living the life of total abstinence and dedication required to weigh less。 I， like her， want to be more I won this via a Goodreads contest， but it was already on my to-read list。Phew， there's a lot of truths in here and I see a lot of myself in this book。 I don't have a history completely fraught with dieting like the author does， but I have a history of living in a fat body pretty much since adolescence。 I， like her， feel caught in a world between wanting to be smaller， but not being capable of living the life of total abstinence and dedication required to weigh less。 I， like her， want to be more at peace with the body I have but never really will be。 We would both also like it if the world would stop looking at us as failed humans due to our shape and size as no amount of self-confidence can combat the prevailing societal opinions about fatness。 There is no happy magical ending and she's still evolving like everyone else。 If nothing else， it's nice to have found a kindred spirit。 。。。more

Vera Coniglio ，

I loved this book。 It reminded me of julie and Julia

PWRL ，

SM

Lesley Looper ，

I was definitely intrigued by the history of Weight Watchers and the life of founder Jean Nidetch shared in this book。 I wasn’t as consistently impressed by the more personal weight loss snippets。 Everyone’s personal weight loss story is important and valid to them， for sure， but I just wasn’t inspired at this time。 YMMV。

Linda ，

Informative， deep， sensitive book。 Author Marisa Meltzer describes the challenges， struggles and self-perceptions of those who founded ww and those who are in and out of self-help groups and their striving for self-acceptance。

Mary ，

Really interesting look at diet culture’s evolution through history—and how it’s manifested in the author’s life！

Amber Spencer ，

I loved much of this， and while I think the final take away is correct， I enjoyed the chapters about the founder of WW the most。

Erin ，

I liked this more than I thought I would。 I liked the story of Jean and how basically the patriarchy stole her company from her （that they also kind of forced her to feel like she had to invent） and I liked how Meltzer intermingles her own weight struggles within。 I don’t think there is a woman out there who hasn’t been aware of her weight and body image her whole life， and I appreciated the honesty in this。

Laura Beasley ，

I’m biased， I love WW。 This book made me feel sad。 I can’t recommend it。 Maybe you might enjoy it。 Read another review。 She’s a talented writer with her own point of view。

Sinead ，

Overall I really enjoyed this book。 The chapters on Jean were excellent and I found out a lot about the founder of Weight Watchers that I never knew。 At times I found Marisa difficult to empathise with， not wanting to have fat friends for example， but overall I recognised a lot of my own story in Marisa’s。

Tracy Wilson ，

great story and motivation

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=This Is Big: How the Founder of Weight Watchers Changed the World -- and Me

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=This Is Big: How the Founder of Weight Watchers Changed the World -- and Me&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,This Is Big: How the Founder of Weight Watchers Changed the World -- and Me&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0