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cindytheskull's review
2.0
I had orthorexia when I was a teen, and was a disordered eater for many years. In my opinion you can’t “undo” an eating disorder like you can’t “undo” an addiction - you simply learn strategies to not get back to it, and can live a very balanced and healthy life nonetheless.
I’ve picked up this book in a phase in which I realized I was having bad judgements related to the way I felt about how my body looked. I was starting to think of “strategies” to loose some weight, even if there’s no real reason why I should. I’m healthy, and the way my body looks should not be a priority in my life. I’ve been at my weight for years now, and society and doctors would define my size as “average” or “normal”. I eat 3 meals a day because I get hungry 3 times a day, and my meals have fruits or veggies in them because I like them. I eat a cookie or a piece of chocolate almost daily and I’m okay with that.
I’ve had some issues with this book, primarily because I’ve read other books about intuitive eating, and, in comparison, I’m quite sure this book wouldn’t have helped me when, many years ago, I was battling binge eating.
The arguments this book made that rubbed me the wrong way are those related to “eating as much as you want because it will heal your metabolism”. This sentence can be freeing and is also somewhat backed up by some studies cited by the author (although I’m afraid the scientific foundation of this book is far from sound), but not focusing on healing your relationship with HUNGER and SATIATION, to me, is an issue.
The author makes the point that focusing on hunger and satiation by putting them on an evaluation scale (like other intuitive eating authors will tell you to do) creates a performance evaluation environment in which you can’t “thrive”. If you are busy evaluating your hunger, you are basically doing the same as counting macros, points or calories.
If I had read this book at the time I was a binge eater and felt completely out of control with the way I approached food, I don’t think I would have found a way to get over it. “Healing” is an internal process that makes you let go of a coping mechanism to make room for reflection. Food had a FUNCTION in my life, a very central one, and understanding what it was made me slowly get to the point where I am now: I eat, I enjoy eating, I am healthy and sometimes I eat little, sometimes a lot. And it doesn’t influence the way I live my life in any way.
I think that a person struggling with binge eating would find a better way to overcome it by reading books by Geneen Roth who, instead of focusing on EATING and “healing your metabolism”, gives you space to reflect on what binge eating is doing for you and why. Approaching binge eating on the psychological and behavioral level was, to me, of greater help than believing that my “metabolism would heal by eating” or that the starvation experiment was the scientific proof that binge eating was “normal”.
Since I appreciate what this book does regarding body neutrality and acceptance, I gave it 2 stars.
The pressure I feel about “the way I look” is a battle that, like many others, I can stop picking up. As an able bodied, intelligent, white and privileged woman I should use my abilities and time and focus on things that make a good impact on myself and others, instead of thinking about what beliefs people hold about my thighs or my 29 inch waist.
I’ve picked up this book in a phase in which I realized I was having bad judgements related to the way I felt about how my body looked. I was starting to think of “strategies” to loose some weight, even if there’s no real reason why I should. I’m healthy, and the way my body looks should not be a priority in my life. I’ve been at my weight for years now, and society and doctors would define my size as “average” or “normal”. I eat 3 meals a day because I get hungry 3 times a day, and my meals have fruits or veggies in them because I like them. I eat a cookie or a piece of chocolate almost daily and I’m okay with that.
I’ve had some issues with this book, primarily because I’ve read other books about intuitive eating, and, in comparison, I’m quite sure this book wouldn’t have helped me when, many years ago, I was battling binge eating.
The arguments this book made that rubbed me the wrong way are those related to “eating as much as you want because it will heal your metabolism”. This sentence can be freeing and is also somewhat backed up by some studies cited by the author (although I’m afraid the scientific foundation of this book is far from sound), but not focusing on healing your relationship with HUNGER and SATIATION, to me, is an issue.
The author makes the point that focusing on hunger and satiation by putting them on an evaluation scale (like other intuitive eating authors will tell you to do) creates a performance evaluation environment in which you can’t “thrive”. If you are busy evaluating your hunger, you are basically doing the same as counting macros, points or calories.
If I had read this book at the time I was a binge eater and felt completely out of control with the way I approached food, I don’t think I would have found a way to get over it. “Healing” is an internal process that makes you let go of a coping mechanism to make room for reflection. Food had a FUNCTION in my life, a very central one, and understanding what it was made me slowly get to the point where I am now: I eat, I enjoy eating, I am healthy and sometimes I eat little, sometimes a lot. And it doesn’t influence the way I live my life in any way.
I think that a person struggling with binge eating would find a better way to overcome it by reading books by Geneen Roth who, instead of focusing on EATING and “healing your metabolism”, gives you space to reflect on what binge eating is doing for you and why. Approaching binge eating on the psychological and behavioral level was, to me, of greater help than believing that my “metabolism would heal by eating” or that the starvation experiment was the scientific proof that binge eating was “normal”.
Since I appreciate what this book does regarding body neutrality and acceptance, I gave it 2 stars.
The pressure I feel about “the way I look” is a battle that, like many others, I can stop picking up. As an able bodied, intelligent, white and privileged woman I should use my abilities and time and focus on things that make a good impact on myself and others, instead of thinking about what beliefs people hold about my thighs or my 29 inch waist.
chalkchewins's review
5.0
Life changing. Absolutely loved this. If you've ever struggled with food, diet culture, or body image this is the book you NEED to read
gabrielle_erin's review
3.0
3.5/5 stars
I don't know if I agree with all the ideas presented in this book, but it definitely is an interesting perspective that combats years of harmful habits I have been perpetuating in my own life. I do think you have to be in the right mindset to read this however, as I found some of the content to be quite confronting and it could trigger readers that practice disordered eating habits. Overall, in interesting cross-examination of the diet industry and what we owe to ourselves in a society ultimately controlled by weight.
I don't know if I agree with all the ideas presented in this book, but it definitely is an interesting perspective that combats years of harmful habits I have been perpetuating in my own life. I do think you have to be in the right mindset to read this however, as I found some of the content to be quite confronting and it could trigger readers that practice disordered eating habits. Overall, in interesting cross-examination of the diet industry and what we owe to ourselves in a society ultimately controlled by weight.
lauriesax's review
informative
Easy to read and a good read for anyone whos been on the cycle of diets.
dtursi's review
1.0
Author is very clearly a privileged (white and thin) person with very little expertise in research or nutrition. The book was so repetitive and self-centered, I honestly couldn’t finish. I agree with the premise of intuitive eating, but this book wasn’t it for me.
rachelcalvis's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.5