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Fat, Crazy, and Tired

Tales from the Trenches of Transformation

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Fat, Crazy, and Tired

By: Van Lathan Jr.
Narrated by: Van Lathan Jr.
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About this listen

Podcaster and former TMZ host Van Lathan Jr. writes a sharp, funny, and brutally honest, cultural critique of the unspoken obstacles and extreme anxiety that keep us from maintaining good health in America’s “wellness waistland,” explored through vignettes about his mental health and weight loss journey as a Black man.

A formerly chubby kid who self‑identified for much of his life as “the fat friend,” media personality and podcast host Van Lathan Jr. has struggled with physical and mental health his entire life. He was used to being his besties' wing man on the dating scene, the slack bench‑dweller at the gym, and his mother's biggest fan at every meal, especially whenever she served up her infamous mac and cheese with five different kinds of cheese. At 365 lbs, Van hated being fat so much, he found it harder than being Black! After dedicating years to improving his physical and mental health, with many ups and downs, in 2020 Van found himself in a shared slump with other Americans when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the George Floyd video was released—suddenly he was surrounded by carbs galore, bingeing everything, feeling non‑stop exhaustion, and crippling waves of anxiety and depression.

Fat, Crazy, and Tired isn't just about Van's ultimately unsuccessful journey to an Instagram‑able body and zen; it's about the unspoken personal battlefield of attaining and maintaining what Americans deem as good health. He explores the real reasons behind our unending physical and mental health battles—culture, family, and the baggage of life—and demonstrates how we can better understand our bodies by better understanding ourselves. He takes it back to his southern upbringing in Baton Rouge, opens up about how being “the Black guy” at work at TMZ overshadowed his identity, and shares how he holds up to survive the madness.
“Detox” cleanses? Weight loss pills? Celery juice? No, thank you. Unlike the self‑help gurus that push you to go “all or nothing” and “keep it 100,” Van wants you to be happier and healthier at 50% without totally admonishing yourself to get there. Packed with double doses of humor Fat, Crazy, and Tired shares a brutally honest cultural critique of mental health and our weight loss obsession in what he dubs America’s “wellness waistland.”

©2022 Van Lathan, Jr. (P)2022 Legacy Lit
Biographies & Memoirs Mental Health Psychology Self-Esteem Weight Loss & Weight Control Funny

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Thankyou Van

12/12

Discovered Van via pods, wanted to support him after all the positive content he's provided me and the people I support.

The book is positive, encouraging and helps me focus on self compassion.

Great easy listen, it's a book I instantly want to gift friends and family.

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Profound

Thanks Van for having the courage to be vulnerable and being so frank and illuminating on key issues that no doubt afflict many but where many don't recognise and deal with by accepting some things need healing. The delivery was as I expected as a long term listener of Van's podcast content, engaging and articulate while still being grounded and maintaining a great sense of comedy. May you find plenty of peace Van, listening to this book helped me get a little of it

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