Teenage Waistland: A Former Fat Kid Weighs in on Living Large, Losing Weight, and How Parents Can (and Can't) Help »

For five years, Abby Ellin wrote the "Preludes" column, about young people and money, in the Sunday Money and Business section of the New York Times. She also regularly writes the "Vows" column in the New York Times Sunday Styles section, as well as feature assignments for the New York Times Magazine. Her work has appeared in a range of publications, including Time, the Village Voice, Marie Claire, More, Self, Glamour, the Boston Phoenix, and Spy (RIP). She's an editor-at-large for Gotham magazine and has an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College. But her greatest claim to fame is naming "Karamel Sutra" ice cream for Ben and Jerry's.

Ellin's parents got it all wrong when it came to helping her lose weight — but what would have been right? In this fresh, frank, funny look at childhood obesity and its treatment, she journeys through diet culture seeking a better way.

Big Apple Parent July 2005

"An insightful and compelling journey... Teenage Waistland leaves readers with a deeper understanding of childhood obesity and our diet-obsessed culture."