T-Shirt Swim Club: Stories from Being Fat in a World of Thin People

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Comedian Ian Karmel, with help from sister Dr. Alisa Karmel, opens up about the daily humiliations of being fat and why it's so hard to talk about something so visible.

Ian Karmel's weighed eight pounds and he's weighed 420 pounds and right now he's almost exactly in between the two, but this book is not a weight loss book. It's about being a fat person in a skinny world. It's about gym class and football practice; about chicken wings and juice cleanses; about airplane seats and rollercoasters, about fat jokes and Jabba the Hutt; about crying in the Big and Tall section and the joys of being a sneakerhead; about pre-diabetes and gout; and about realizing that you actually don't want eat yourself to death and hoping it's not too late.

This book also includes a "What Now?" section from Ian's sister Alisa, who herself cycled through so many fad diets that she eventually pursued a master's in nutrition and a doctorate of psychology, with the goal of changing the contemporary narrative around fatness, so it's helpful too.

Ian and Alisa Karmel grew up fat. As kids, they never talked about it. They were too busy fighting over the last Snackwell Devil's Food cookie. Now, decades later, having both turned into fat adults who eventually figured out how to get their health under control, they are finally ready to unpack the impact their weight has had on them.

For Ian the T-Shirt Swim Club is meant to be a place of support for anyone who struggles with weight issues. A place of care and candor, free of shame. A place to not deny or avoid the emotions you feel, the experiences you go through, the embarrassment, the anger, the resentment. The T-Shirt Swim Club is about being a fat person and how the world treats fat people — but also an acknowledgement that maybe it doesn't always have to feel quite so lonely.

"Ian Karmel is truly an inspirational person. He took his life and his weight by the scruff of the neck and refused to back down in his quest to get healthier. He also got funnier when he got slimmer; this never happens. I love him and I love this book." James Corden

"Ian Karmel is funny and his sister is smart. Together they create a work that is both of those things and so much more." Seth Meyers

"A lot of people are funny. And a lot of people are warm. And a lot of people are insightful. But Ian Karmel, in his lovely book here, somehow manages to be all three of those things at once, fully and completely, across every single page. It's wonderful." Shea Serrano, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Ian Karmel is an Emmy-winning comedian, television writer, podcaster, newspaper columnist, and television personality. He was the co-head writer of The Late Late Show with James Corden and has worked on Chelsea Lately, the Grammys, the Tonys, and Who Is America? with Sacha Baron Cohen.

Alisa Karmel holds a doctorate in clinical psychology and a master's in nutrition. She provides counseling for weight-centric concerns including issues related to fatness, obesity, and overweight, such as body acceptance; health behavior improvement; and depression, anxiety, trauma, and other mood disorders.