During the interview we asked how long it took to write the book. Janice's initial response - followed by a laugh - was "50 years." But then she clarified: "Writing the book took about 6 months."

Janice also said:

The art in Our Lady of Weight Loss makes me smile. There are collaged "Our Lady" pictures (Janice describes her as: "Patron Saint of Permanent Fat Removal") throughout the book. I love their whimsical qualities and the texture in them grabs me - the fabric in the folds of the skirt on the front cover, cinnamon coating on the donut in the picture from the chapter "Our Lady of the Evelyn Wood School of Label Reading", the mantilla from the "Our Lady of Luminous Light" chapter.

The art is more than enjoyable - it served a purpose. In the book Janice describes how she came to use art for transformation.

Janice evokes much laughter through the book. She also balances this with deeper subjects. She notes having been heavy as a child ("They never made mention of my size, as many others did, nor did they make the comment I'd gotten used to hearing: 'What a shame. You have such a pretty face.'") and mentions her past relationship with food ("I had always given food way too much power. Making art about food wasn't just a distraction, it was a way to embrace food--to stare down the enemy and learn how to befriend it and play with it.").

The book isn't typical Square-Peg fare, in that it does have a pretty specific plan, a series of steps to take. But Janice's use of humor (lightness - she definitely doesn't feel like a drill sergeant) and wacky use of art for pushing through a negative relationship with food make it Square-Peg approved. The book IS grace-filled.

There are sections covering aromatherapy, cravings, laughter, mindfulness, chocolate, fidgeting, even manners - and plenty more. Chapter titles include: "Our Lady of the Sacred Snooze, Our Lady of the Waning Moon, Our Lady Says Grace, Our Lady of Complete and Utter Silence."

There are "Weighty Confessions" sprinkled throughout the book, these are notes from Kick in the Tush club members - who write of eating half a cake at one sitting, grabbing hashbrowns on the run and such - after each of their admissions Janice writes: "All is Forgiven. Move on." Very Encouraging.

Our Lady also includes "faTOIDs", which Janice describes as "just a dash of trivia." One of these, in the chapter "Our Lady Stands by Her Man", notes: "Men who average twenty-one orgasms a month reduce their risk of prostrate cancer by 33 percent versus those who average four to seven orgasms per month." Food for thought?!

For awhile now I've had the negative relationship with food that Janice mentions. I joined the Kick in the Tush club (fr*e, with a weekly newsletter full of ideas) after reading Our Lady of Weight Loss, and have begun to do some of the steps. I prefer to think of it as "taking some suggestions" - I've got a healthy rebellious streak and I rarely do anything exactly the way it's "supposed" to be done. The step I'm really doing well with is #7 in "The Ten Commandments of Permanent Fat Removal": "Thou shalt drink enough Holy Water to frighten Noah and map out all the restrooms in thy village."

If you're looking for a different way to approach weight loss - or if you'd like to read about the way Janice (hint, hint: YOU can too!) used art to transform her life - or if you just want to laugh - this is a great book to pick up.