Health & Fitness Diet & Nutrition / Weight Loss Humorous Memoir
Date Published: 07-29-2025
Publisher: BookBaby
Studies have shown that laughter and music are proven ways to facilitate
healing. Author Tammy Waldoch uses this potent secret sauce in her book Plight
of the Pudgy: Stories, Inspirations, and Preposterous Parodies for the Slim at
Heart. From weight loss drugs, chronic diets, and toxic body shame, the book
is an open invitation to connect authentically with someone who deeply
understands the plight. Her own pilgrimage to finding self-love and a place to
"fit in" includes a near-death car accident, a bipolar diagnosis that turned
her life upside down, and a lifelong struggle with poor body image.
Waldoch authentically pours her heart and soul into sharing raw stories and
songs filled with deep faith, side-splitting humor, and a resounding message
that we are all perfectly made in God's eyes.
Tammy writes this book not only as a testimony of her faith but also to share
her private path of redemption and healing.
Among the pages, readers will also enjoy fiction stories designed to encourage
laughter and reflection, along with some preposterous (and creative!) parodies
that provide a backdrop of humor to lighten the burdens of The Slim at Heart.
Early Review
Heart Felt And Honest - This book will make you laugh and cry. The lament of
women who struggle with body image applies to a good majority of women.
Interview
What was your main drive to write this book?
I wanted to write a book to help women overcome poor body image and toxic body shame. Using stories and humorous parodies I was hoping to help women feel less alone in their struggle to make peace with their bodies regardless of a number on the scale. It was important to me to highlight my own personal journey of restoration and recovery and share how God helped me and could help them to see that they are beautiful just the way they are.
What do you hope readers will learn by reading this book?
I have included a memoir piece about my struggle with bipolar and how my dream of reaching women with a message of hope about their bodies was interrupted by this chain of events. I hoped that my reader might be encouraged by the fact that in spite of obstacles, step by step, God made a way to make my dream come true. I wanted my audience to recognize that God could make their dreams come true, no matter how long it takes to bring them to fruition in their own lives as well.
Did you do much research when planning this book?
I mostly spoke from personal experience.
Did you have any main people who helped you in the process of this book or influenced you to write it?
I was encouraged by my small group leader and a handful of writers at The Center for the Arts in White Bear Lake to write this book. I was also strongly supported by my family to proceed ahead with recording the parodies I wrote and put them on YouTube as seen in by opening the QR code in my book. My editor, Becky Flansburg, helped me put this book together from start to finish as well. Krista Soukup, with Blue Cottage Agency, was instrumental in guiding me through the publishing process.
How long did this book take you to write from initial thought to hitting publish?
This project, including the recording of the parodies and the witing that accompanied them, took approximately 4 years to complete.
Do you have plans to write more about this topic or new topics?
No current plans, other than perhaps blogging to continue to write about this topic.
About the Author
Tammy Waldoch is an imaginative author/singer/songwriter/painter with a
degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Wisconsin, Lacrosse, emphasizing
Aesthetic Education—teaching using the creative arts. She did just that
in The Plight of the Pudgy, combining musical parodies with literature to
teach others how to overcome obstacles and rise above adversity. She is
actively involved with the Writer’s Well at the White Bear Center for
the Arts and gathers with other inspiring writers of all ages to explore their
creativity. She also consults with the Springboard Center for the Arts in St.
Paul, MN for further resources.
She and her husband of 38 years share a dynamic love for better for worse, in
sickness and in health, that has endured all things.
She is also a proud parent of two sons and has two beautiful daughters-in-law
who share life’s joys and challenges. Her faith is at the heart of
everything she does, and this book is a testimony of her Lord and
Savior’s incredible loving kindness toward her. Gilda Radner once said,
“Life is full of delicious ambiguities.”
Tammy invites everyone to share those ambiguities with her!
Contact Links
Facebook
Goodreads
Blue Book Shelf
Instagram
PurchaseLinks
https://mybook.to/ThePlightofPudgy
Amazon
BookBaby
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