You Are Not a Before Picture: 2022’s bestselling inspirational new guide to help you tackle diet culture, finding self acceptance, and making peace with your body

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It’s easy to feel like we’re the only ones struggling with our weight. It’s even easier to feel like we’re the problem, not the media, not society. But if only 5% of people have this ideal body type, then why are we at fault? It’s clearly not an average body, so why are we killing ourselves to get it? Will this book change me? I hope so, but in truth I have been brainwashed for over 50 years and it will take me so long to shake off the messaging, I have been fat shamed, I have judged happiness by my size. The author is candid about her own journey and where she finds things particularly difficult and I know that change will be difficult for me. If anything can help me this book can. Having listened on audiobook I have now bought a copy of the book and I will be reading it again and again. I will be gifting copies of this book. These quotes by Alex Light don’t even do the book justice, you really have to read ‘You Are Not a Before Picture’ for yourself! This book is easy to read and hard to put down. It’s the perfect mix of personal anecdotes, scientific evidence and input from other experts. Light includes ways for the reader to think about how they’ve been conditioned by diet culture, and offers tips and thought starters around things like the accounts we follow on social media. She asks us to really notice what we’re engaging with. And because she is deeply aware of the ways we’ve been trained to think of beauty as white, straight, and cis, she asks the reader to actively seek out content from people who are marginalized. “Being exposed to a range of bodies reminds us how varied, different, and beautiful the human race is.” I loved everything about this book. I was particularly interested in the discussion of the relation between health and weight, exercise and weight. The exploration of BMI, its origins, and embedding in current health practise and narratives was enlightening and worrying. Alex’s messaging around consent to being weighed was for me very powerful. With the same principle as date protection the question should be - what is this information needed for. The author explores how exercise has become purposed in relation to weight loss, submerging messages about the value of exercise for mental health, strength, enjoyment. She encourages us to love our bodies for what they can do rather than their aesthetics.

Discover what helped Alex learn to love herself and no longer give a damn about what anyone says about her body. Alex vulnerably shares her journey of learning that her body is ok, right now…it isn’t all about inspirational quotes or running away from triggers. Nothing felt better than losing weight, and yet I was constantly miserable. Because I was permanently exhausted and could barely think straight. I don’t have many memories of that time, maybe just because I didn’t have the energy to even form them. Along with a history of how we've arrived at the 'thin is good, fat is bad' mentality we've been groomed to believe, Alex Light debunks the myths we've come to accept as fact. 'Skinny people can't be unhealthy', 'Fat people can't be healthy', and in general the moral issue that has become different food groups. She provides sets of healthy, reasonable, and achievable guidelines to live your best life in the natural body you were given. Her own story and battle with self-image are intertwined through all of this providing so much inspiration. There is so much I want to do in this world. There is so much impact I want to make. And none of it has anything to do with my body. I’m almost tempted to get a tattoo of this quote as a constant reminder. Because we are here to do so much in our short lives, and none of it revolves around our bodies. So why do we dedicate so much time and energy to worrying about it?When I think about losing weight or getting toned, it comes with the inherent belief that people will like me more then. Not just potential partners, but my friends and family. It sounds ridiculous to say it out loud, but a part of me truly thinks that my loved ones will regard me higher if I had a smaller waist, toned legs or abs.

I want to be happy. I don’t want to wait for a weight or size. 10. “I had let myself go and let myself live, and it was the most powerful thing I have ever done for myself.” (pg. 211) But it's not our fault that we see our bodies as projects in need of constant work: this is just one of the beliefs that has been ingrained in us by diet culture. Food is food. Food isn’t guilty, it isn’t cheating, it isn’t earned. 4. “Only around 5 per cent of women possess the body type typically shown in the media. How does that leave the other 95 per cent of people feeling?” (pg.70) Haz las paces con tu cuerpo: La guía definitiva para escapar de la tiranía de las dietas (Divulgación)Despite what we're taught, real fulfilment only really comes from making a life that is meaningful - from building precious relationships and forming connections, pursuing passions, discovering your purpose, building a sense of self and living with compassion. Having a thinner waist is not going to be your legacy.” Found this very interesting. If you’ve ever wondered why don’t women have more influence in the world, how about the idea that patriarchy manipulates fashion to keep women down? This seemed too far fetched but once I started looking and listening I found that there are examples all around. This book covers a huge amount of ground! It explores the world of dieting - where it started and why. It explores the relationship between health and weight, weight and exercise, social media and body image, body positivity. It explores the power of messaging and the results of societal conditioning. The author charts her own journey with weight gain and loss, offering personal insights and anecdotes. She writes candidly and with great honesty. Our misery is creating a huge payout for an already-rich industry. We’re not benefitting from this, we’re the ones suffering. I no longer want to be part of their cash cow, and that motivates me even more to break the diet culture cycle for myself. 8. “Once again, you’re enough as you are, exactly as you are.” (pg. 143) From an absolute ice cold hearted non crier, I felt so emotional when I got to the end of this. I honestly can not think of a woman that this wouldn’t resonate with. And that’s sad.

Your guide to staying entertained, from live shows and outdoor fun to the newest in museums, movies, TV, books, dining, and more. This book is certainly not that - it’s full of highlighters from me and I will revisit it time and again This is a wonderful, well written book that has so much amazing information in it. It points out simple points and explains the manipulative psychology used in the weight loss/beauty industry, but Alex doesn't stop there. She gives a path to follow and thoughts to consider to improve your mental health and break out of the trap. The issue isn’t your body, it’s your mind. We can be happy at this size, we don’t have to lose weight, but we need to change our thinking. This book helped me to start doing exactly that. 14. “You’re less alone than you may imagine.” (pg. 278)You Are Not a Before Picture - How To Finally Make Peace With Your Body, For Good by Alex Light. This is the book we always needed, and never had. An urgent, enlightening and empowering guide to disavowing diet culture and learning to make peace with our bodies, from body confidence and anti-diet advocate, Alex Light.When we look in the mirror, so many of us see a 'before' picture: the miserable person in the side-by-side shot waiting for the 'glow-up' (read: weight loss) that will bring true happiness. When we look in the mirror, so many of us see a ‘before’ picture: the miserable person in the side-by-side shot waiting for the ‘glow-up’ (read: weight loss) that will bring true happiness. But it’s not our fault that we see our bodies as projects in need of constant work: this is just one of the beliefs that has been ingrained in us by diet culture. We have been taught to view ourselves as a collection of ‘problem’ areas for which the billion-dollar diet industry holds the solutions. Overall, I loved the book. I was sad to finish it! I genuinely feel like it’s changed my life and my whole outlook on appearance and weight. But once you’ve healed, you realise how little control you actually wielded. You were at the mercy of a number on the scale. You couldn’t enjoy food, you couldn’t go out with friends, you couldn’t let go for even a minute. You were never in control.