Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
DIETS DONT WORK! This is so good!!!!!!!!!!! I needed this. If you ever miserably count calories, try lose weight, or feel bad about your food choices.. read this! Everything they tell us about food is a lie and this book will expose a lot of that. Let's eat!
Hesitated to keep reading this when she said that it was more meant for people with eating disorders, but I am so glad I did (I assume I'm like most other Americans who can't escape disordered eating b/c... diet industry). Again, her tips are very much in line with other work I'm doing, so it seems like a natural fit. And so great to get so much crap totally debunked so that I can have one less thing in my life to overthink.
Some fave lines:
29: First, it shows that diets don't work long-term. No matter how much support and willpower you have, even if you stick to your diet, there is a biological and metabolic backlash. ... Really, it's our body's weight-regulation system that is actually running the show all along. The second myth we can bust is the idea that thin is healthy and fat is unhealthy.
33: Bodies end up right where they belong when you stop trying to control weight. The only thing we can control is how we treat ourselves, and learning to feed ourselves normally.
42: I know what it feels like to believe. ... I know how safe it feels to follow a plan and really, really hope and believe that it will actually deliver on all of its promises. And it all stems from fear. ... It's sad, it's lonely, it's isolating, and it is so, so human. Part of the big problem with the diet and beauty industries (and many other industries that capitalize on your insecurities) is that your fears are being exploited. They want you to believe you aren't good enough as you are. They make you believe we are all supposed to look the same. They want you to believe that you need them to save you.
59: We need to learn to value ourselves at any weight. It is essential. I want you to imagine that you went on The Fuck It Diet and never gained any weight. Though that might seem ideal, it is not, because you would continue to live in fear of what would happen to you if and when you did gain weight (which you inevitably will with illness, pregnancy, menopause, broken ankles, etc. You are not a robot). You would continue to live in fear of gaining weight. ... And all of that subconscious energy would affect your eating and the way you experience your entire life and body.
87: I keep talking about neutralizing food So let me talk about what that actually means, and what that may look like for you. When food is neutral, it has no morality, no judgment, fear, or guilt attached. It is just food. When food is neutral and free of judgment, it becomes so much easier to listen to your cravings and begin to eat intuitively.
90: You can't trick yourself out of this one--you actually have to allow yourself the foods that you crave. Your body and brain are not idiots. They'll know if you're lying.
94: I wish you could realize that even if you think at times you are "irrationally hungry, " that listening to your body is never wrong. I wish you could always trust that. But you won't.
123: I am asking you to consider that what have been dubbed "weight-related diseases" may not actually be caused by weight but are more likely stress-related diseases. And dieting happens to be one of the most active ways we keep your body in a stressed state.
...
Health is listening to your body. And our whole point on The Fuck It Diet is to get you normal with food so you can eventually, easily, listen to what you want and need.
151: You don't need to get anywhere fast. All you need to do is what you can do, and trust that it'll unfold in the right timing. Quick fixes don't tend to stick anyway.
153: So what I want you to do is allow yourself to trust that your body is right. Trust that your body has your best interests at heart. Meaning, if you are tired, you need to rest. Not push through. If you are hungry, you need to eat, not push through. If you are sad, you need to cry or take time for yourself. If you want potato chips, there is probably a pretty good reason, and you should follow that. Your body has always been smarter than you. Your body works on instinct and intuition, both of which have access to really profound information. Your body knows when you need to eat, when you need to sleep, what you need to eat, and even knows when you aren't on the right path. Your body is where the wisdom is.
163: We think that feeling will destroy us, but learning how to move through the emotions that come up by feeling them and honoring their existence leads to more peace. Emotions aren't a reason to quit, they are just a reason to feel.
173: When you eat, you are actually bringing "the earth" into your body--tying you to the planet and keeping you alive.
191: Humans are always going to be messy and imperfect. I don't really see how we can expect to heal without surrendering to that and allowing ourselves to go through the messiness of healing and learning phases. Healing actually comes when we are finally willing to admit that and feel what comes along with that imperfection--again, it's about feeling what is there, in stead of pretending it doesn't exist. Right now, in the middle of this messiness, is exactly where you're supposed to be.
211: I am here to tell you, and then tell you again, that everything you think being thin will give you is something you need to be willing to seek now, regardless of your current weight. You were not made to sit around waiting until someone deems you good enough for the life you want. You were made to go create it.
217: You cannot go through your life without losing and grieving and if you try to avoid it, that emotion will get stuck and be constantly waiting for you to feel it. My advice on avoidable pain is the same as always: feel it and honor it. That's how you process anything.
218: The other kind of pain is belief-based pain, and it is way more avoidable... once you learn about it. This is stress that you will feel because of your beliefs, and in our case, beliefs about weight and how you should be and should look... Those beliefs are causing most of the emotions and misery you may be feeling. Much of it could be avoidable if you could instead say to yourself, Um, I'm awesome and doing the best I can--and you, who are trying to shame me, are clearly a confused asshole.
229: If your health is a stressor and you have blamed it on your eating or your weight, or now are even blaming it on your dieting--it's not your fault. You were always doing the best you could with the information you had, and some things are really, really hard to figure out. Some things will take your whole life to figure out. Some things cannot be figured out at all. Sometimes, surrender is the real lesson underneath it all.
235: You can have privilege and still have problems. ... Becoming aware of the things we have taken for granted will help us create a kinder, more empathetic and aware society.
239: You are almost definitely making the stakes too high--for everything. Lots of people with a Type A personality, control issues, or perfectionistic tendencies feel that everything is on the brink of falling apart, all the time, unless we tightly control it. But unless you hold someone's life literally in your hands (read: surgeon), the stakes are not as high as you think. Fitting into your old jeans is not a life-or-death situation.
241: The best way to begin trusting is to start trusting your body. Your body exists to heal you. Your body's signals, cravings, and appetite exist to keep you alive and to take care of you. Your exhaustion, hunger, stress response, and immune response all exist to keep you well. So if you can't have trust in the big picture yet, begin to put some trust in your body.
243: Love yourself like a psycho.
250: Perfectionism and attempted control are the biggest ways we stifle ourselves. We are so afraid to be imperfect or do a bad job that we would rather just do nothing at all.
257: You're allowed to try things out. You're allowed to change your mind about what you enjoy doing. Self-care is about being willing to take a time-out and giving yourself what you actually need in that moment. It means taking care of yourself in the way that you need most, and prioritizing those needs that you have probably gotten used to ignoring.
265: Your intuition, unlike your mind, is calm. Your mind is wired for survival, and sure that doom is lurking around every corner. So your mind is essentially just a critical, scared asshole, wailing and complaining and nervous and incessantly berating and filled to the brim with limiting beliefs and should and worries. ... When you are having trouble knowing what is right for you, the answer is almost always just wait.
Some fave lines:
29: First, it shows that diets don't work long-term. No matter how much support and willpower you have, even if you stick to your diet, there is a biological and metabolic backlash. ... Really, it's our body's weight-regulation system that is actually running the show all along. The second myth we can bust is the idea that thin is healthy and fat is unhealthy.
33: Bodies end up right where they belong when you stop trying to control weight. The only thing we can control is how we treat ourselves, and learning to feed ourselves normally.
42: I know what it feels like to believe. ... I know how safe it feels to follow a plan and really, really hope and believe that it will actually deliver on all of its promises. And it all stems from fear. ... It's sad, it's lonely, it's isolating, and it is so, so human. Part of the big problem with the diet and beauty industries (and many other industries that capitalize on your insecurities) is that your fears are being exploited. They want you to believe you aren't good enough as you are. They make you believe we are all supposed to look the same. They want you to believe that you need them to save you.
59: We need to learn to value ourselves at any weight. It is essential. I want you to imagine that you went on The Fuck It Diet and never gained any weight. Though that might seem ideal, it is not, because you would continue to live in fear of what would happen to you if and when you did gain weight (which you inevitably will with illness, pregnancy, menopause, broken ankles, etc. You are not a robot). You would continue to live in fear of gaining weight. ... And all of that subconscious energy would affect your eating and the way you experience your entire life and body.
87: I keep talking about neutralizing food So let me talk about what that actually means, and what that may look like for you. When food is neutral, it has no morality, no judgment, fear, or guilt attached. It is just food. When food is neutral and free of judgment, it becomes so much easier to listen to your cravings and begin to eat intuitively.
90: You can't trick yourself out of this one--you actually have to allow yourself the foods that you crave. Your body and brain are not idiots. They'll know if you're lying.
94: I wish you could realize that even if you think at times you are "irrationally hungry, " that listening to your body is never wrong. I wish you could always trust that. But you won't.
123: I am asking you to consider that what have been dubbed "weight-related diseases" may not actually be caused by weight but are more likely stress-related diseases. And dieting happens to be one of the most active ways we keep your body in a stressed state.
...
Health is listening to your body. And our whole point on The Fuck It Diet is to get you normal with food so you can eventually, easily, listen to what you want and need.
151: You don't need to get anywhere fast. All you need to do is what you can do, and trust that it'll unfold in the right timing. Quick fixes don't tend to stick anyway.
153: So what I want you to do is allow yourself to trust that your body is right. Trust that your body has your best interests at heart. Meaning, if you are tired, you need to rest. Not push through. If you are hungry, you need to eat, not push through. If you are sad, you need to cry or take time for yourself. If you want potato chips, there is probably a pretty good reason, and you should follow that. Your body has always been smarter than you. Your body works on instinct and intuition, both of which have access to really profound information. Your body knows when you need to eat, when you need to sleep, what you need to eat, and even knows when you aren't on the right path. Your body is where the wisdom is.
163: We think that feeling will destroy us, but learning how to move through the emotions that come up by feeling them and honoring their existence leads to more peace. Emotions aren't a reason to quit, they are just a reason to feel.
173: When you eat, you are actually bringing "the earth" into your body--tying you to the planet and keeping you alive.
191: Humans are always going to be messy and imperfect. I don't really see how we can expect to heal without surrendering to that and allowing ourselves to go through the messiness of healing and learning phases. Healing actually comes when we are finally willing to admit that and feel what comes along with that imperfection--again, it's about feeling what is there, in stead of pretending it doesn't exist. Right now, in the middle of this messiness, is exactly where you're supposed to be.
211: I am here to tell you, and then tell you again, that everything you think being thin will give you is something you need to be willing to seek now, regardless of your current weight. You were not made to sit around waiting until someone deems you good enough for the life you want. You were made to go create it.
217: You cannot go through your life without losing and grieving and if you try to avoid it, that emotion will get stuck and be constantly waiting for you to feel it. My advice on avoidable pain is the same as always: feel it and honor it. That's how you process anything.
218: The other kind of pain is belief-based pain, and it is way more avoidable... once you learn about it. This is stress that you will feel because of your beliefs, and in our case, beliefs about weight and how you should be and should look... Those beliefs are causing most of the emotions and misery you may be feeling. Much of it could be avoidable if you could instead say to yourself, Um, I'm awesome and doing the best I can--and you, who are trying to shame me, are clearly a confused asshole.
229: If your health is a stressor and you have blamed it on your eating or your weight, or now are even blaming it on your dieting--it's not your fault. You were always doing the best you could with the information you had, and some things are really, really hard to figure out. Some things will take your whole life to figure out. Some things cannot be figured out at all. Sometimes, surrender is the real lesson underneath it all.
235: You can have privilege and still have problems. ... Becoming aware of the things we have taken for granted will help us create a kinder, more empathetic and aware society.
239: You are almost definitely making the stakes too high--for everything. Lots of people with a Type A personality, control issues, or perfectionistic tendencies feel that everything is on the brink of falling apart, all the time, unless we tightly control it. But unless you hold someone's life literally in your hands (read: surgeon), the stakes are not as high as you think. Fitting into your old jeans is not a life-or-death situation.
241: The best way to begin trusting is to start trusting your body. Your body exists to heal you. Your body's signals, cravings, and appetite exist to keep you alive and to take care of you. Your exhaustion, hunger, stress response, and immune response all exist to keep you well. So if you can't have trust in the big picture yet, begin to put some trust in your body.
243: Love yourself like a psycho.
250: Perfectionism and attempted control are the biggest ways we stifle ourselves. We are so afraid to be imperfect or do a bad job that we would rather just do nothing at all.
257: You're allowed to try things out. You're allowed to change your mind about what you enjoy doing. Self-care is about being willing to take a time-out and giving yourself what you actually need in that moment. It means taking care of yourself in the way that you need most, and prioritizing those needs that you have probably gotten used to ignoring.
265: Your intuition, unlike your mind, is calm. Your mind is wired for survival, and sure that doom is lurking around every corner. So your mind is essentially just a critical, scared asshole, wailing and complaining and nervous and incessantly berating and filled to the brim with limiting beliefs and should and worries. ... When you are having trouble knowing what is right for you, the answer is almost always just wait.
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
A better version of Intuitive Eating for people who are/were already obsessed with hunger signals and don't need to "pay more attention to how hungry [they] are". Very informative with sciene to back up what it's saying. I can apply this book to my whole life, not just food. We all deserve to be happy, we all deserve to eat.
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I have complicated feelings about this book.
As someone who has struggled with disordered eating for a large chunk of her life, I found this book pretty relatable, but I'm not sure I necessarily found it helpful, especially because I am familiar with a lot of the content. For most of the book, I found myself thinking, "this is just intuitive eating with a different name," which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does cast a more negative light on the intuitive eating framework, and that kind of gave me the ick.
The presentation of the content was straightforward and reasonably funny, so I didn't have an awful time reading, but I don't know how likely I am to recommend this book to others. It might be a good place to start for folks who are just diving into unlearning diet culture, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is: 1) actively experiencing an ED; 2) looking for content written by fat activists; or 3) already well-informed on the topic.
As someone who has struggled with disordered eating for a large chunk of her life, I found this book pretty relatable, but I'm not sure I necessarily found it helpful, especially because I am familiar with a lot of the content. For most of the book, I found myself thinking, "this is just intuitive eating with a different name," which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does cast a more negative light on the intuitive eating framework, and that kind of gave me the ick.
The presentation of the content was straightforward and reasonably funny, so I didn't have an awful time reading, but I don't know how likely I am to recommend this book to others. It might be a good place to start for folks who are just diving into unlearning diet culture, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is: 1) actively experiencing an ED; 2) looking for content written by fat activists; or 3) already well-informed on the topic.
I started to read the actual hardcover version of this book and struggled. So I eventually bought the audiobook. It is amazing. Has one listen fully changed my relationship to dieting and food? No. Have I started the process? Yes. Will I listen again and again? Absolutely. Also be sure to follow the author on Instagram to keep your growth going (and for lots of laughs).
I am rarely a self help kinda gal but the giving yourself grace thing and some of the other main points of this book really resonated with me and she was funny.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
I spent a few weeks contemplating my review for this book. At first, Caroline makes you feel like you're talking to a good friend, someone you can bullshit with and have real talk about things like our bodies and how we feel about them. And sure, the concept of "stop dieting" is appealing. If only I could stop thinking about what I put into my body and forget about my expanding waistline and clothes that are bursting at the seams! Don't get me wrong; I'm all about body positivity and realistic expectations. For example, I know I will always be in a bigger than average body and I'm completely okay with that.
The problem that I have with this book and others like it is that it fails to strike a balance between loving and accepting your body and eating whatever you want, for whatever reason, at any time. It's called moderation. Moderation is not dieting and moderation is not what Ms. Dooner preaches.
I followed this plan of Ms. Dooner's and guess what? I'm the heaviest I've been in years. My clothes are uncomfortably tight. I can't exercise at the level I did before because of my weight. There is a difference between being 10 lbs overweight if you are not already considered obese and those of us who are not. This is the problem. Ms. Dooner admits upfront that she is not overweight. She has what is called thin privilege. How in the hell can she know what it's like to live in a large body? How can she, in good conscience, advise others to say "f*ck it, I'm going to start taking up space." Yeah, Caroline, a lot of space. Your little "eating disorders" that you had do not compare. She advises people to buy new clothes. Sure. I'll just replace my entire wardrobe!
I bought this book because I was looking for advice about listening to my body, not that devil on my shoulder who wants ice cream and cake every day.
The problem that I have with this book and others like it is that it fails to strike a balance between loving and accepting your body and eating whatever you want, for whatever reason, at any time. It's called moderation. Moderation is not dieting and moderation is not what Ms. Dooner preaches.
I followed this plan of Ms. Dooner's and guess what? I'm the heaviest I've been in years. My clothes are uncomfortably tight. I can't exercise at the level I did before because of my weight. There is a difference between being 10 lbs overweight if you are not already considered obese and those of us who are not. This is the problem. Ms. Dooner admits upfront that she is not overweight. She has what is called thin privilege. How in the hell can she know what it's like to live in a large body? How can she, in good conscience, advise others to say "f*ck it, I'm going to start taking up space." Yeah, Caroline, a lot of space. Your little "eating disorders" that you had do not compare. She advises people to buy new clothes. Sure. I'll just replace my entire wardrobe!
I bought this book because I was looking for advice about listening to my body, not that devil on my shoulder who wants ice cream and cake every day.