Body Respect: What Conventional Health Books Get Wrong, Leave Out, and Just Plain Fail to Understand about Weight

This book was a joy to read. There are so many different diets out there and the diet industry is a multi-billion dollar industry (because we all know diets don't work but we all hope we can be in that 5% success rate). If you're done with diets then this book explains why that's actually the best choice of them all. Very easy to read and reassuring that there is nothing wrong with you, society is perversely behind the times. It's time to enjoy life and enjoy your body now! What I most enjoyed and try to share with others is the seven myths of weight stigma: MYTH 1. Fatness leads to decreased longevity. MYTH 2. BMI is a valuable and accurate health measure. MYTH 3. Fat plays a substantive role in causing disease. MYTH 4. Exercise and dietary restriction are effective weight-loss techniques. MYTH 5. We have evidence that weight loss improves health. MYTH 6. Health is largely determined by health behaviors. MYTH 7. Science is value-free. I did read Bacon’s book HAES and while I did enjoy it, I found Body Respect to be a quicker read and better for mass appeal. There was a very small section on emotional eating in Body Respect. For a book that continues to discuss the importance of mindfulness and deals much more with emotional eating, I highly recommend Women Food and God by Geneen Roth. Roth also talks about being the size that's right for you but does not go as far as Bacon. Good for those who have disordered eating and can’t let go of the idea of dieting. For a book aimed at parents, I recommend Your Child’s Weight by Ellyn Satter. Satter talks about how restrictive diets causes children to gain weight but by allowing your children to enjoy all foods they will end up with a healthy relationship with food and be the weight nature intended them to be.

This book is required reading for parents who want to help prevent eating disorders and help their kids recover from an eating disorder. The "war against obesity" has caused countless casualties when it comes to eating disorders, and this book does an excellent job of removing the stigma around weight and sharing important facts about health independent of weight. I am a big fan of "Health at Every Size," and love the new research and added focus on social justice and environmental factors of health in “Body Respect." In addition to improving our own health and that of our families using HAES, we must find ways to influence social systems and government policy in order to build a truly healthy society for everyone. Linda Bacon's work is critically important as we put one foot in front of the other and do our best to overcome the devastating impacts of fatphobia and healthism.

Separately, Linda Bacon and Lucy Aphramor are terrific; together they are awesome. "Body Respect" brings a new perspective to the conversation about health and weight, addressing issues of cultural and social values as well as personal self care. As a mental health counselor with a thirty year history of working with people who have eating and body image disturbances, I am delighted to have this book as a resource to recommend. Some individuals are reluctant to read books that are too "sciencey" but this volume is a great place to start. As a social worker, I find the focus on social justice to be a powerful antidote to the "personal responsibility" rhetoric usually found in conversations about weight and health. Additionally, Chapter 6, Eating Well, is the simple, straightforward, nonjudgmental explanation of basic nutrition that I have been searching for for years.

Love this book BUT if you already have HAES, save yourself a few bucks and pass this one by. If you haven't yet been introduced to the concept of Health at Every Size, you COULD start with this one... but I think you'll be better served with Linda Bacon's original book. I wish there had been more original, fresh information in it, but I'm glad there are more avenues towards this info... maybe this one will be able to reach people who are put off by the size or cover of the original.

An excellen NON-diet self-care book. Wonder why diets and a focus on weight loss doesn't work? This book lays out all the science (not simply theories) and also talks about the other aspects that make up the picture of health. Bacon and Aphramor are compassionate and care about health, and they know that diets do more harm than good. This book may change your life forever, as Bacon's earlier work did for me. It's easy to read, not overly jargony and honest while being very based in reality and science.

Dr. Linda Bacon is one of the most respectful Doctors I will probably meet in life! She is life changing, inspirational, motivational and full of love. She has some inner power that makes us look to ourselves, make peace and love who we are. I am just blessed to have met this Doctor in my life! She changed everything in a way that there is no turning back! Be brave and open yourself to self-love! This is a MUST READ book with her other book Health at Every Size. She and her work is so worth to know! Challenging at the beginning and so peaceful after. I never want lose the sensation I carry now inside me about my body.

I purchased this book because I had previously read and enjoyed Linda Bacon’s book, “Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight.” I admit I’m still a bit of a skeptic when it comes to the idea of completely uncoupling health from weight. But as someone who has struggled with weight issues for decades, I definitely see the value of focusing on personal respect and developing positive lifestyle habits, rather than trying to reach an arbitrary (and perhaps unattainable) number on the scale. With “Body Respect”, I was hoping for new research, more personal stories, and more concrete tips on embracing the HAES lifestyle. Unfortunately, BR is basically just a Cliff’s Notes version of HAES: TSTAYW. For someone just wanting to dip a big toe into the HAES waters, this book is a quick read. But if you are looking for detailed research and lifestyle tips, skip BR and dig into HAES: TSTAYW instead. And if you’ve already read HAES: TSTAYW, I would save your money and skip this one…or wait until a library copy is available. The HAES concept is truly important and deserves a wider audience, but I just didn’t think "Body Respect" covered enough new ground to justify my time and expense.

Well written, accessible to the average individual, and based in current research. This book makes absolutely brilliant points, weaving psychology, physiology, and nutrition into an eye-opening discussion. The authors refute myths about food, weight, and weight loss and present compelling evidence for respecting our bodies' powerful internal systems. I could not recommend this book more.

Ótimo livro e a entrega foi muito rápida.

J'attendais de ce livre un éclairage différent sur les personnes en surpoids, ou le surpoids en général et la façon dont il est perçu. Rien de tout ça dans ce livre. C'est une longue justification sur le fait que, d'après l'auteur, rien ne prouve que le surpoids soit un indicateur de mauvaise santé...

Increíble libro, me cambio la vida. Llego en perfecto estado. Recomiendo muchisimo

This book is incredibly informative and offers a much needed different perspective on the issue of weight and the size of our bodies. It’s full of science and facts, rather than being self-help. Really interesting stuff.

The book "Body Respect" inspired me to throw away my scales after 40 years of weighing myself on a daily basis. I intend to enjoy and respect my body regardless of my weight and BMI!