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A review by heyyyitsjp
Big Girl: How I Gave Up Dieting and Got a Life by Kelsey Miller
5.0
I really, really enjoyed Big Girl. I listened to Kelsey and her bestie Jon on a podcast a while back and put her book in my queue, and I'm so glad I did. It made me recall reading the F*ck it diet last year, also a book about intuitive eating and also a memoir by someone ~30 years old, but that story honestly felt like a big joke compared to this. Kelsey hasn't had it easy, with her parents, with her body, with work, and with relationships, both with others and with herself. She goes through the motions of a million bullshit diets, a life ruled by food rules from as far back as she can remember, only to fall deeper and deeper into self-loathing and emptiness. Until...she finally gives up on this painful cycle she'd been calling her life, on waiting for herself to be "better" and "smaller" before her life can begin (wow did this speak to me). And then, the reader crawls out of this pit with her, joining her alongside every triumph and every misstep as she heals her relationship with food (which is just food!). At times, this book is so raw and painful that it just crushes you. There's a quote on the cover that says that in different hands that this topic would be so poorly handled, and I totally agree. Kelsey tells her story with poise and honesty coupled with a hilarious wit and a tone that makes you feel like you're with her listening to this all irl. Most importantly, yes, this book was about food (I wanted pad thai so bad reading this book hahaha), but it was also about mindfulness and actually living life rather than going through the motions. Her ability to weave these themes together spoke volumes...I'm so glad I read this book!