Health at every size, sounds great doesn't it? I ordered this book because it sounded to me like an anti-diet. For any of you out there who have tried one or one hundred diets, are you tired of this vicious cycle? It seems like as we get older, the more we try, the harder it is to lose weight.
This is the basis of the book, what if our bodies already know what to do? What if we can eat and not feel guilty, exercise in ways that are enjoyable? Diets are torture and we have made working out torture as well. The author is pretty clear on her message, dieting and exercise are not a guarantee for lasting weight loss. She goes into great detail, explaining how we destroy our body's ability to take care of itself. We starve ourselves and exercise to the breaking point, lose some weight, only to gain it back when we get into our "normal" habits again.
She has an excellent idea, listen to your body. Your body has a "set point" or a specific weight it wants you to be at, your healthy, ideal weight. Pay attention to when you feel full, pay attention to how you feel after eating a cheeseburger. Do you feel better when you eat fruit? We forget how wonderful our bodies are and how they are an efficient machine that takes care of us day in and day out. If you pay attention, your body will do what it is made to do.
It seems pretty simple to say, love yourself, take care of yourself, but most of us really don't. If we could throw out all the diet and exercise tips we had ever heard and start with a clean slate, this would be the basis of what Linda Bacon talks about in her book.
Exercise, I know I have leaned on it as a key ingredient in weight loss. Who hasn't ? There isn't a ton of information in this section on what you should do. She talks about doing things you enjoy, moving around for fun. Playing with your kids, taking the dog for a walk. The point is, do things you love. And cleaning the house is exercise too! The idea is to move more, don't think of it as torture, or you will never do it.
I feel like this book is a great idea, but kind of a tough thing to wrap my brain around. Sure, I know every word the author said makes sense, but I have it etched in my mind that if I am going to lose weight I need to diet and/or exercise. But I had to remind myself this book isn't about losing weight. It's about learning how to care for yourself regardless of what the scale says. So if you are truly ready to get rid of the diet mentality and just learn to care for yourself and reap the benefits, I say give this book a chance.
However, I do feel that actually doing a workshop would be beneficial along with reading the book. Most of us aren't willing to just give up on the idea of losing weight and being thinner. There are strong emotions involved with why we want to lose weight and sometimes just telling yourself to do what a book says is easier said than done. Overall, this wasn't too bad of a read, there is a TON of information, the author really backs her research.