Journalist Martin Cizmar's Chubster is a "how to" guide for counting those calories most often consumed by the young and hip--especially the ones from frozen entrees and fast-food establishments. Unhampered by concerns over GMO crops, organic produce, free-range chicken or grass-fed beef, Cizmar (who lost 100 pounds in eight months) bypasses the morality of food and simply explains how most easily and efficiently to take in fewer calories than are burned. The process of successful calorie-counting is covered in helpful depth, from which apps are most accurate to what type of record-keeping fits certain personalities. The Music Snob Hipster, for example, uses "a simple app for your out-of-date cell phone," while the Artsy Fashionista Hipster might prefer a "vintage electronic organizer... an old 32kb Casio," perhaps.
In many respects, Chubster is refreshing: readers for whom losing weight yet remaining "cool" is paramount will find this guide quite helpful, as will those readers for whom health is more important than image. Cizmar debunks many popular theories--i.e., fast food is making us fat, or spicy foods and lifting weights rev up our metabolisms--and insists that eating fewer calories while feeling as satiated as possible is the best way to lose weight. His tone is chatty and witty--or, in his word, "snarky"--and readers will know after just a few pages whether or not Chubster is the right guide for them. --Kristen Galles from Book Club Classics