Author Edward Ugel, fresh off his appearance on the "Today" show Tuesday to promote his book about his struggles with weight, said he felt he earned the national exposure.
"I didn't get on the 'Today' show because I won the lottery. I felt like I earned my right [to be] in that chair and that took the edge off of feeling like an Oompa Loompa," Ugel said at Bethesda's Barnes & Noble last night during a reading from his memoir "I'm With Fatty" in which he shares his tortured relationship with food over the course of a year.
The D.C.-based author quipped: "Does the camera really add 10 lbs.? I wrote on Facebook today that I thought it added 39!"
Ugel said "I'm With Fatty" is not a diet book. To the contrary -- he claims it's a how-not-to tome. And while he continues to struggle with weight fluctuations, he's happier with the man who looks back at him in the mirror these days.
"There are pages upon chapters of failure in this book, and I hope that makes it real."
