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A review by lara_ayrolla
Never Binge Again: Reprogram Yourself to Think Like a Permanently Thin Person by Glenn Livingston
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
2.75
TW: fatphobia and eating disorders (binge eating, anorexia, bulimia)
I sort of feel ashamed for reading this book. Even the title is fatphobic.
I guess there will always be this internalized fatphobia inside of me, especially after being fat for most of my life and having suffered so much because of it.
If I'm being honest, there's a dark side to it that must be acknowledged. Society taught me to hate myself even though I don't want to. And if conforming makes it easier to cope, I end up choosing it.
That is probably the reason why I don't feel pretty in my body right now, and that is a problem. However, it's not the main reason for me to want to stop bingeing.
I hate being out of breath after simple physical activities, feeling so heavy I can barely turn on my bed, getting embarrassed about leaving the house, being gassy and uncomfortable for an entire day after eating too much, not fitting in the clothes I love, feeling so out of control of my own life... I want to stop bingeing because I want to be happy.
Reading this is to me is about how I feel about myself and my body. I'm not condoning anyone to feel the same way and do the same things.
That being said, this book was a good way to dedicate time to actively think about my eating habits, encouraged me to create a flood plan to accomplish my goals, was easy to understand, and seems effective.
It does, however, contain hints of fatphobia and a lot of arrogance. It can be very triggering to people with eating disorders, and it has the potential to make people feel worse if they fail to understand the method and fully apply it.
Pros:
* I love that, despite the title implying the main reason to never binge again is being a thin person, the entirety of the book focuses mainly on being happy and healthy.
* I love that it keeps being reinforced that your food plan should be nurturing and not too restrictive.
* The book was an easy, simple read, and I genuinely think it positively impacted my thinking.
Cons:
* I hate the links to the website at the end of almost every chapter. The resources seem good, but they should've been included in the book itself as well as the website.
* Despite the book being marketed as an obvious solution, the method is not a miracle. It's more about putting in the work than anything else, and that by itself is not a problem, but the insistence of the author in saying that it can't fail if you truly apply it is disingenuous.
* A chapter about using the scale as a tool was so triggering that I almost cried. I avoid the scale because anorexia and bulimia are very real, and they ruined my life because of 1kg fluctuations from one day to the other. I felt judged and criticized for being afraid of the scale and avoiding it to protect myself.
I sort of feel ashamed for reading this book. Even the title is fatphobic.
I guess there will always be this internalized fatphobia inside of me, especially after being fat for most of my life and having suffered so much because of it.
If I'm being honest, there's a dark side to it that must be acknowledged. Society taught me to hate myself even though I don't want to. And if conforming makes it easier to cope, I end up choosing it.
That is probably the reason why I don't feel pretty in my body right now, and that is a problem. However, it's not the main reason for me to want to stop bingeing.
I hate being out of breath after simple physical activities, feeling so heavy I can barely turn on my bed, getting embarrassed about leaving the house, being gassy and uncomfortable for an entire day after eating too much, not fitting in the clothes I love, feeling so out of control of my own life... I want to stop bingeing because I want to be happy.
Reading this is to me is about how I feel about myself and my body. I'm not condoning anyone to feel the same way and do the same things.
That being said, this book was a good way to dedicate time to actively think about my eating habits, encouraged me to create a flood plan to accomplish my goals, was easy to understand, and seems effective.
It does, however, contain hints of fatphobia and a lot of arrogance. It can be very triggering to people with eating disorders, and it has the potential to make people feel worse if they fail to understand the method and fully apply it.
Pros:
* I love that, despite the title implying the main reason to never binge again is being a thin person, the entirety of the book focuses mainly on being happy and healthy.
* I love that it keeps being reinforced that your food plan should be nurturing and not too restrictive.
* The book was an easy, simple read, and I genuinely think it positively impacted my thinking.
Cons:
* I hate the links to the website at the end of almost every chapter. The resources seem good, but they should've been included in the book itself as well as the website.
* Despite the book being marketed as an obvious solution, the method is not a miracle. It's more about putting in the work than anything else, and that by itself is not a problem, but the insistence of the author in saying that it can't fail if you truly apply it is disingenuous.
* A chapter about using the scale as a tool was so triggering that I almost cried. I avoid the scale because anorexia and bulimia are very real, and they ruined my life because of 1kg fluctuations from one day to the other. I felt judged and criticized for being afraid of the scale and avoiding it to protect myself.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder and Fatphobia