lizanotlisa's review against another edition
5.0
My review will be printed in the Aug/Sept issue of BUST magazine. Go check it out.
manadabomb's review against another edition
4.0
I only knew my weight from the times I went to the doctor. Mostly, I just knew if my clothes were fitting or not. If they weren't, and I was to cheap to go buy new ones, I would hop on the treadmill just a little bit more than usual. Then I discovered online food tracking and "helpful diet hints". While I got down to a skinny weight, I ended up gaining it back (plus more when I had thyroid surgery and my meds got out of whack). Even though I've never been obese, or even heavy, I beat myself up on a regular basis. 5 more pounds, 10 more pounds....
After starting the Biggest Loser at work and having to weigh myself every week, I got even more down about myself. Two and a half months of diet and exercise and I lost 1 pound. Seeing my doc, we discovered my thyroid meds were again messed up so my metabolism was messed up. Bloody hell. At this point, I decided I wasn't dieting anymore. I missed cooking my big feasts and baking and well....eating. I love food, dammit. I didn't want to throw exercise out the window because I actually like my treadmill and feeling good afterwards. I liked the extra energy because obviously my thyroid meds weren't going to help me there.
Lo and behold, I found a review for this book, which is all about accepting your body for what it is. Bless you authors. The 2 ladies go over all the reasons to give up dieting and wishing for a body that you just don't have. Major studies have shown that your body will do what it needs to do, meaning it will stay in the weight range it's meant to be in, regardless of how much you yo-yo and push it to change. Diets don't work. Anything that alters how you eat, portion control, calorie restrictions, etc, just don't work. At least not long term. So why put your body through that?
This book encourages learning how to be healthy at any size, doing exercise that you enjoy doing and eating when you're hungry and stopping when you're full. Revolutionary! They also emphasize that food is neutral, it's not bad or good. It's whatever you want. There are too many messages from our culture out there telling women (and men) how they should look if they want to win at life and frankly, they're just wrong. Not everyone is meant to be a size zero and people shouldn't be humiliated to be the size they just are.
The authors don't want you to give up on yourself. They're just asking you to be kind to yourself and go out and quit worry about that last 10 or 15 pounds. You are perfect the way you are.
After starting the Biggest Loser at work and having to weigh myself every week, I got even more down about myself. Two and a half months of diet and exercise and I lost 1 pound. Seeing my doc, we discovered my thyroid meds were again messed up so my metabolism was messed up. Bloody hell. At this point, I decided I wasn't dieting anymore. I missed cooking my big feasts and baking and well....eating. I love food, dammit. I didn't want to throw exercise out the window because I actually like my treadmill and feeling good afterwards. I liked the extra energy because obviously my thyroid meds weren't going to help me there.
Lo and behold, I found a review for this book, which is all about accepting your body for what it is. Bless you authors. The 2 ladies go over all the reasons to give up dieting and wishing for a body that you just don't have. Major studies have shown that your body will do what it needs to do, meaning it will stay in the weight range it's meant to be in, regardless of how much you yo-yo and push it to change. Diets don't work. Anything that alters how you eat, portion control, calorie restrictions, etc, just don't work. At least not long term. So why put your body through that?
This book encourages learning how to be healthy at any size, doing exercise that you enjoy doing and eating when you're hungry and stopping when you're full. Revolutionary! They also emphasize that food is neutral, it's not bad or good. It's whatever you want. There are too many messages from our culture out there telling women (and men) how they should look if they want to win at life and frankly, they're just wrong. Not everyone is meant to be a size zero and people shouldn't be humiliated to be the size they just are.
The authors don't want you to give up on yourself. They're just asking you to be kind to yourself and go out and quit worry about that last 10 or 15 pounds. You are perfect the way you are.
rakishabpl's review against another edition
4.0
This book is an addictive read that will inspire you to stop dieting and look this great big "fat=bad" myth in the eye. It analyzes the media and the health industry's role in keeping this myth alive. It is a resourceful book that will bring out the fat activist in you!
newfgirl's review against another edition
4.0
The parts that were relevant to my were very informative and well written. I like the section on intuitive eating especially
kamahi's review against another edition
4.0
I think this book is a really great beginner's resource for anyone interested in fat acceptance. For me it was a lot of "yes I know this," but that's due to the work I've already done, not a failing of the book. The writing is really approachable and I enjoyed the small essays added in by other authors. The topics the book covers are fairly wide ranging.
shinychick's review against another edition
5.0
Nothing I haven't read before, but surely updated since the once-groundbreaking "Fat! So?" I don't read either of these ladies' blogs often, but the book was good - and gave a lot of references, which I wholly appreciate.
sarahbotreads's review against another edition
4.0
I read a lot of self-help books - I mean, A LOT. And I've come to the conclusion that what makes a self-help book helpful doesn't really have much to do with the actual content; for me, at least, it's more about the author's voice. Are they giving me the information in such a way that it resonates with me? This one really worked for me. The recurring basic theme is that there's no morality inherent in one's weight, eating habits, exercise habits, etc; that is to say, you're not "bad" or "good" based on what you eat, how often you work out, or what you weigh, and there are no virtuous or sinful foods. As usual, these are all things I know rationally, but are always good to be reminded of, and Harding and Kirby do so in that gentle-yet-unyielding way, the way you expect your best friends to talk to you, without denying the reality that making these sort of mental shifts is hard work that takes a long time.
bowienerd_82's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not really in the target audience for this book, but I thought it was really well written and an excellent read. It's got a really awesome message about being body positive both for yourself and for the people around you.
I've absorbed a lot of the dangerous media messages they discuss, and this book really made me think about a lot of pre-conceptions. It's a great resource, and I'm glad I read it.
I've absorbed a lot of the dangerous media messages they discuss, and this book really made me think about a lot of pre-conceptions. It's a great resource, and I'm glad I read it.