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, binge-ing 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 abrutally honest cultural critique of
mental health and our weight loss obsession in what he dubs America's
"wellness waistland."
