Dawn's Dad Diet Memoir

Bruce Von Stiers

Dawn Lerman is a nutritionist, a motivational speaker, a blogger, and a columnist. Her writings have been featured in both the New York Post and the New York Times.

Dawn wrote a book titled My Fat Dad. It is a poignant memoir of growing up with an obese father and the steps he, and she, took to help him lose weight and be healthy.

My Fat Dad was published by Berkley Books. It has three hundred and twenty pages. Included in the book are several pages of photographs of Dawn, her dad, and other members of her family. The book was based on a column that Dawn wrote for the New York Times over a nine year period called Fat Dad.

The book also includes a whole bunch of recipes. These recipes are at the end of chapters and coincide with the various incidents and circumstances that are described in each chapter.

Dawn's dad, Al Lerman, was an advertising executive. He came up with slogans and campaigns such as “Leggo My Eggo” and “Coke is it.” Apparently Lerman was a genius at advertising. But on the personal side, he struggled with his weight. That struggle was an everyday, all day occurrence.

Even at a young age, Dawn tried to find ways to help her dad lose and keep weight off. Those ways included all kinds of different food recipes that were designed for a healthier lifestyle.

Dawn details how she spent a lot of time with her grandmother. And how her father and mother would go out at night, often times coming home very early in the morning. Her grandmother taught her how to cook some basic meals, but also some very intricate dishes. Some of those dishes Dawn would try out at home.

Through the various chapters, Dawn details the struggle her dad kept having with his weight. From a countless number of diets to a six-month stint at a so-called “fat farm”, her dad could never quite get down to a weight he was completely comfortable with.

Dawn also went into the other aspects of her life. There was the move from Chicago to New York when her dad went to work for a different advertising agency. There was making new friends and finding ways to fit in at school.

Dawn was left on her own a lot to explore New York City. Learning about her experiences, strolling through the streets of New York, riding the subway and other things, made for interesting reading. Dawn got to know many food and grocery vendors during those forays, which helped her create new recipes and tweak existing ones. All in order to help her dad fight his obesity.

Along the way, we learn about the birth of April, Dawn's baby sister. And later, April became a cast member of the touring company for the musical Annie. Their mother accompanied April on the road, in effect becoming a stage mom. Dawn stayed behind and took care of herself and her dad.

I grew up in a diverse neighborhood. So, I understand about being on your own a lot and fending for yourself. But I was a little surprised by the amount of freedom that Dawn was afforded by her parents. But I didn't grow up in a major metro area like New York, so I really don't have much to compare Dawn's freedom to. Especially the chapter on Studio 54. Dawn goes into a lot of detail about being admitted to that elite New York nightclub and what occurred there. And that she went there on multiple occasions, all the while just being a high school aged teen.

Later in the book, Dawn writes about her parent's divorce and her dad's involvement with another woman. And that her dad had cancer and all the struggles that came with it.

My Fat Dad is a funny, yet very poignant memoir. Dawn Lerman provides a vivid snapshot of her life growing up, trying to help her dad with his weight concerns. And all the ups and downs that came with it. In addition, there are many terrific recipes included in the book.

As of this writing, Dawn is working on possibly optioning the book for television.

My Fat Dad is available at most major book retailers.

To learn more about Dawn, and My Fat Dad, visit her official website at http://www.dawnlerman.net/

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© 2023 Bruce E Von Stiers