Top 3 books on healthy dieting - discussing weight loss

@dove

By: Martha Komninou

If you are like me, weight has always been a painful subject.

I have tried to lose weight from a very young age. I was the chubby kid in school, the fat friend, the odd one out. In a society where looks are everything, fat was a burden. To make matters worse, I grew up in the 00s where the double zero was trending, the low rise pants were a must, and being pro-ana was a dangerous fashion that cost many lives. My only way of combating all the pressure was developing a cringey sense of humor as a coping mechanism in a desperate effort to fit in. I was indeed the fat girl, the whale, the obese, the dragon of food, the “no-one-likes you-because you are fat.” I could at least be the funny one and make people like me.

“Like” a simple word which ties everything together. In the social media era and especially in the country of Greece where bikinis are a must and people are fatphobic, you have to try to make people like you. It does not matter you are losing yourself alongside the extra kilos. The opinion of others is all that matters and losing is the only way to gain likability.

And boy did I try to make myself likeable. Five dietologists, endless yo-yo dieting, keto, paleo, diet buddies, going gluten-free, trying the very expensive diet of dairy-free and the list goes on. I have tried them all and failed. Yes, I did manage to lose weight for a short period from now and then, but right now, I am at my heaviest. There is always the physical rebound.

Desperately, I tried to find the reason why. I watched my diet buddies become their skinny selves, and I was jealous. I cried while I was watching transformation videos on Youtube. I was terrified when I heard all the health problems obese people have. And I got so angry when body positivity got hijacked by the fat acceptance movement. Mortified, I watched the inspiring motto of “every body is beautiful,” from skinny to apple-shaped, to pregnant, to burn survivors transformed to “Fuck being healthy” and “obese is awesome”. A subjective opinion that can ruin one's health and life and cause serious health hazards.

Gradually though, I noticed a common trait in all these videos, which was liking yourself. In all these Instagram, Tik tok, Pinterest and articles peppering the internet people started viewing themselves as a friend. They started finding their inner goddess (haha sorry fifty shades reference, couldn’t resist) and started implementing habits that changed their life. Losing weight simply came along the way.

Now you may wonder if this long and boring prolog was necessary. And the answer is that I am trying to explain my book choices. These are books that help you understand why you eat and not how you can eat less. They have no map to a pharmacy that sells this “oh so secret MLM diet pill,” no diet smoothy, no spells that instantly give you the body of your dreams. However, they contain touching words and motivational pep talks you always needed to hear. Simply put, they are about changing lives.

Disclaimer: I am no licensed health worker, dietitian, or psychologist. Always consult your doctor before embarking on any diet.

1. Leora Fulvio: Reclaiming Yourself from Binge Eating: A Step by Step Guide to Healing

According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)

Binge eating disorder (BED) is a severe, life-threatening, and treatable eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food (often very quickly and to the point of discomfort); a feeling of a loss of control during the binge; experiencing shame, distress or guilt afterward; and not regularly using unhealthy compensatory measures (e.g., purging) to counter the binge eating.

The unnamed author continued that although it is very common, it was only recently recognized as a mental illness. Sufferers often fluctuate in weight and develop the disorder as a result of their constant dieting. It is no coincidence that both anorexia nervosa and bulimia contain bulimic episodes.

The differences are that on the one hand binge eaters don't purge the extra food and that they actually gain weight. Due to their being obese, they are often not being taken seriously as sufferers of a mental illness. They are simply labeled fat and diminished as second-grade citizens.

I first heard about the disorder when I was researching healthy dieting books and came across this gem of a book. Leora Fulvio had trouble losing weight herself until she realized that to achieve this, she had to lose her negative mentality first. She worked hard to actually achieve so but then she realized that she wanted to help others too. This is why she actually got her Master's in nutrition.

The book narrates is a mixture of a workbook, dieting book, and a guide to your own bildungsroman. It contains personal anecdotes, exercises, exemplary meal plans, and steps that help readers heal. According to Fulvio, the ideal weight is the one that your body feels best. But for the reader to accept this often hard truth, a self-journey has to occur. The destination is mindfulness, simply put, sensing your body’s needs and covering them with the necessary nutrients.

Although my sugar-coated paragraph may not satisfy everyone, I have to say that this book helped me understand that to lose weight, I have to make a permanent change. In my case, it was re-wiring my brain to feel my body. For example, I was eating when I was not hungry. After reading this book, I was able to eat when I really needed to. You may mock, but this simple change aided me in losing 4 kilos. It may help you too.

Why should you buy it: It feels intimate and provides some great advice

Where can you buy it: Click the image above

Things to notice: Leora Fulvio also has a workbook alongside the book. However, buying it is unnecessary as this book already includes plenty of exercises in it.

2. Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program that Works by Tribole Evelyn and Elyse Resch

Two registered dietitians with many diplomas and apparent experience on the subject write this book. They embarked on this journey as they struggled to understand why so many of their perfect clients gained the weight back after they stopped consulting them. They knew that their clients’ willpower, intelligence, or nutrition knowledge was not at fault here. So what was it?

It is known that diets don't work as they basically starve the body. The worst is that starvation has severe repercussions such as sluggish metabolism, fear of food, eating disorders, and difficulty concentrating, issues that make life unbearable. By examining behaviors such as the instances of "the last supper" (aka eating every beloved food that will soon be forbidden the night before you start a diet), practices such as "the depression eating" (eating because you feel sad), and inner motives like "control" (that is dieting because you need to feel control in some aspect of your life) and even by analysis of the types of eaters (unconscious dieter e.t.c.), Tribole and Resch conclude that diets should be abandoned and a new program should arise from their ashes.

To combat all the issues, they conclude that diets should be scrapped and be replaced by the balance offered the practice of “Intuitive eating.

Intuitive eating is mindful eating, meaning that people should eat according to their bodies needs. Yet, for clients to master their intuitive practice, they have to battle their food anxiety first. Intuitive eating comes only as a result of recognizing inner hindrances and realizing that the ideal weight is the one the body feels comfortable at. The authors also provide examples of how to deal with the food police, that is the judging people that constantly comment on the food. Simply put, the book helps to achieve corporal and mental balance. It is worth a try reading it.

Why should you read it: The authors have much experience and can help you understand why so many of your diets failed

Where can you buy this book? Click the image above

Things to notice: Be careful as the book has many editions! Be sure to read the latest one!

3. The Fuck it Diet

The final choice might be a biiiiiit controversial...

The book titled "The Fuck it Diet" has a very loyal fanbase. With its fun style, quick pace, and witty humor, the book was a hit. What is more, its success elevated the author, Caroline Dooner to the spokesperson of intuitive eating. Caroline Dooner is an actress who had chronic problems with food. She started writing this book to heal her relationship with food, journaling her thoughts, trying to feel great in her own skin.

She said "f*ck it" and started eating consciously.

Yet, the author has no official education on the subject and is no licensed professional in any field besides acting. However, her lack of experience did not stop her from now operating a site, having a merch line, a podcast, and a course where she claims that she changes people’s lives by taking their mone- sorry by helping them lose weight.

Despite her over-capitalizing on her fame, the Fuck it Diet has many devotees all over the globe. Short, casually written, and fun it feels like reading something a friend wrote. The style and the swear word in the chapter helped attract people who don't normally read health books. In this way, the book became a best seller and now she can sell over-priced tote bags on her site.

As you can see I have many issues with the novel. On the one hand, the writer is inexperienced and sells the intuitive rhetoric with nothing but her humor. On the other hand, it helped establish the anti-diet movement that gradually evolved in acceptance of those few extra kilos.

Yet, U have to note that I am the minority. People rever her and swear by her methods. So I put it on the list because I believe that it IS consequential. It is fun. And It might help you.

I honestly hope it does.

Why should you read it? It is fun to read and it has changed many lives. It may alter yours too

Where can you buy this book? Click the image above

Things to notice: The author has no legitimate knowledge of the subject.

So these are the top 3 books I would recommend. They are definitely worth every penny and will help you embark on the journey of self-acceptance and seld-love.