Always Hungry

How I Lost the Weight and Found Myself

By: Jane McGuinness

Narrated by: Jane McGuinness

Raw and wickedly funny, this debut memoir details one woman’s recovery from her emotional eating disorder, while navigating divorce, discrimination, motherhood, and the madness that is Tinder dating.

A riot of dark humor beginning with Jane McGuinness’s dysfunctional childhood in outback Australia, Always Hungry explores themes of patriarchy and discrimination against the overweight as it details Jane’s recovery from an emotional eating disorder.

Jane’s journey to find herself is something of a curious social experiment: She walks away from her long-term marriage, returns to grad school while raising her three children in a foreign country, and gradually transforms her health. Listeners will find themselves amused and aghast in equal measure as she recounts her experiences hiking the Camino de Santiago through Spain, adventuring in Greece, and subjecting herself to the horrors of post-divorce Tinder dating in her dry, self-deprecating wit.

This debut memoir is truly a transformative journey in every sense, as Jane ultimately discovers that it was never food that she hungered for after all.

©2025 Jane McGuinness (P)2025 Jane McGuinness

Humor, Humility, and Honesty

Author Jane McGuinness’ story is uncomfortably close to the reality staring many of us straight in the face. Escape, boredom, relief, stress, and a myriad of things happening in our lives driving us to eat in disordered ways. Immediately relatable, her opening story allows readers to see a bit of themselves in Jane, at least that was the case for this reader.

You won’t find recipes and fitness tips amongst these pages, but you will find humor, humility, honesty, and a hunger to live a better life, as a healthier version of yourself. Whether a story about her trial of Botox, something that really does work, leaving her children worried she was having a ministroke, to her childhood in Broken Hill, Australia, Jane shares her story with a grace and acceptance that took more than a decade to embrace. Finally discovering it was time to be proud of the work she’s put in to losing weight, sharing the secrets she’s kept buried, and making peace with her past self. “Always Hungry” is at times a memoir and an exploration of weight loss.

Breathtakingly honest, “Always Hungry” features bold admissions and a revealing look at the hunger author Jane McGuinness found herself under, through the layers of weight. From a marriage she walked away from, to the mountains she now feels drawn to, Jane’s decade-long maintenance of weight loss defies the odds as she sheds the emotional layers she’s dug through to get here. Humor, raw emotion, and traumatic revelations make way for this beautiful memoir. Relatable and down to earth, Jane walks readers through her life, taking us on the jagged trails through the depths of her valleys and peaks as she pulls back the curtain and bares all in this exquisite look at her journey to health.

more than an account of weight loss

This memoir is an honest, both serious and humorous, account of finding oneself that goes far beyond weight loss. The author explores the wisdoms hidden within her hunger, sharing them with readers while encouraging respect for bodies of all shapes and experiences. The audiobook narration, performed by the author, is intimate and adds subtle “between-the-lines” nuances that bring the story vividly to life.

Inspiring

I truly enjoyed the wisdom and strength shared in this book! Do yourself a favor and read it.

Compelling

I loved listening to Jane's story. She is the narrator and the author, which was an added bonus. Jane is hilarious, very real, and genuine. I appreciate that she was open enough to share her struggle with food earlier in her life. I developed an eating disorder when my parents divorced at age 15. My perfectly controlled life spun completely out of control, and literally the only thing I could control was my calories. I’m deeply grateful for an intuitive therapist who helped me develop a healthy relationship with food after a scary year of starving myself and thankful for a dad who cared enough to get help for me. That was a LONG time ago, but the life lessons and guidance that Jane shares about gratitude and moderation were perfect reminders for me. Although I have practiced both for years, this beautiful memoir was a fantastic reinforcement. Jane covers some heavy topics, but her incredible sense of humor made this memoir an absolute delight.

Authentic & Funny

Jane has put her heart and soul into this book. She reveals every part of her journey, the ups, the downs, with nothing left out. I recommend everybody give this a read. It will give you a variety of perspectives regarding what someone goes through!