I'm not the editor of this book, but Shauna Reid's journey of losing 175 pounds is so inspiring I wanted to share it with you. (You can also check out Shauna's video on the Avon Books website.) Her story is inspiring, touching and at times funny.

Weight is such a complicated female issue. I don't know anyone who isn't affected by it. Recently I was reading comments on another website where comments doubted the existence of size 0. Well let me tell you, size 0 is alive and well and walking around the streets of NYC.

New York, NY is a town where anything over a 6 is considered beyond the pale. It makes my size 10 on a good day downright obese. I recently left a chain store because I couldn't find anything over a 4, and not on the sale rack either.

Like most women, I've been up and I've been down and I tend not to worry about it, but I gain around my middle, which has made for some embarrassing scenes on the subway. While my truly pregnant friends can't get a seat, strangers have leapt to their feet, love to make me sit down. One kind soul was so persistent, I finally had to explain I'm just so tired in the morning that I'd forgotten to suck it in! (Note to Samaritans: unless someone looks like MIA prancing around the Grammy's, you should take "no" for an answer!)

But back to The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl, I think anyone would be inspired by Shauna's amazing story. It's not solely a story of weight loss, but a story of how she begins to love herself. And, after all, that is often the first step to happiness.