A Review of the Book Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight

I recently finished reading "Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight" by Linda Bacon Ph.D. If this had been the first ever book I'd read on the subject, I probably would be knocked out. Its major strengths are her credentials and the hands-on practical parts of the book, such as exercises to get in touch with your hungry and full signals and to boost your body image.

However, HAES isn't new to me, and I read Bacon's book in the context of other books on intuitive eating, size acceptance and body image. It suffers a little bit in comparison. For instance, some of the material feels like old hat: how many other books and articles on health have suggested taking the stairs instead of the elevator and parking further away to get more "lifestyle activity" into your daily routine?

Also, I think other authors on similar topics have a more dynamic voice and a compelling way of integrating storytelling in with the facts- I'm thinking "Rethinking Thin" by Gina Kolata and "The Obesity Myth" (also under the title "The Diet Myth") by Paul Campos as a couple of examples.

Nevertheless, Bacon's new book is a solid contribution to the literature on HAES and body positivity. While the weaknesses of the book include a dryer style and parts of it being a little elementary for someone already immersed in HAES, it still feel it would be a good introduction to HAES for someone new to size acceptance and the idea of giving up dieting.

The book is also a good companion to other reading on the topic; I especially appreciated the resources at the back of the book, including a letter asking for support from family and friends and a list of places to shop online for plus-sized exercise clothing. The HAES book would also be a good refresher for someone who has been "doing HAES" for a while but is getting discouraged or is having trouble with certain parts of the process.

For instance, one complaint I've heard against the idea of intuitive eating is, "But I'm never hungry" or "I can't tell when I'm hungry" or "I never feel full." Bacon provides some practical exercises for getting in touch with your hungry and full signals. She also provides an eating log you can copy. Instead of tracking calories or points with a goal of weight loss, you track what foods you ate, when you ate, how full or hungry you felt on a scale of 1 to 10 before you ate, and how the food made you feel mentally and physically.

I think for some people with a history of yo-yo dieting, this could trigger some bad feelings or regressive behaviors. However, Bacon does encourage readers to skip over the nutrition chapter if it makes you start thinking in weight-loss dieting terms again. I would encourage readers to do the same with chapters on exercise or any other sections that don't feel right. Skip what doesn't work for you and take the advice that does.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others. I think there's a little something for anyone interested in size acceptance, intuitive eating and learning to enjoy physical activity. One of my favorite sections was about food politics- how agriculture and industry conspire to change our taste in food so that we crave food-like products instead of real food. Most of the material wasn't brand new to me, but it was interesting to see it all in one place and in the context of Health at Every Size.

To get a feel for the book before buying, you can visit Bacon's excerpts and downloads page.