A book that can change your life: ‘The F*ck It Diet’

As you will quickly learn, I read a lot of books.

I average about 30 per year, according to my Pinterest boards, where I’ve been tracking my reads over the past few years.

During our summer of COVID, the most impactful book on my daily life — by far — has been “The Fuck It Diet” by Caroline Dooner.

Some praise on the back cover sums it up quite nicely: 

“The world needs this book. There isn’t a woman I know who wouldn’t benefit from the profound truths — served with a side of humor and a whole lot of science to back them up — within these pages. If you’ve ever struggled with dieting, binging, food fixation, fear of gaining weight, or obsession with thinness, The F*ck It Diet is for you. — Simi Botic”

With the help of other authors including Lindy West, I’ve been ooching toward the wisdom of this book for years: The idea that I could love myself enough to accept my body as it is * in this moment *, and not count, obsess over, or feel guilty about every morsel of food I eat.

There are too many quotables in “The Fuck It Diet” for one blog post. I urge you to give this gift to yourself: Order it now and read the whole thing.

After I finished, I tearfully journaled all my personal struggles over the years, all of the failed diets, the challenge of clothes shopping, the judgment of doctors and dates … pretty much the nonstop disdain of our superficial society, including my own critical voice. This was an emotional purge. I also re-lived the triumph of losing significant poundage, once in college — another time before my wedding. But as you probably know, it never lasts.

I’ve known for a long time that the diets don’t work for the longterm … our bodies fight back, and we lose. Every time. I’ve lived this reality, and we’re finally waking up to the science, too. Dooner says the *one* thing she wants us to remember from her book is the Minnesota Starvation Experiment, which happened during World War II. It will show you how restricting ourselves just leads to misery and food obsession.

I’ve spent so much money on Weight Watchers plans, on refrigerated probiotic vitamins, on tiny portions of processed food, even “hormone-balancing” creams. I’ve wasted too much mental energy on counting points and avoiding bread and stupid projects like intermittent fasting … and generally loathing my short and stout body, which is just blaming myself for who … I … am.

NO MORE.

Loving yourself like a psycho, as the author calls it, is both an act of resistance and a path to peace. Instead of fruitlessly pursuing a goal weight, pursue what brings you joy.

Same goes for exercise. If you want to do yoga, do yoga. Want to train for a 5K? Go for it. Just don’t do it because you think it will make you thinner (or “healthier”) and therefore, worthier. Do what makes you feel good.

Easier said than done in our thin-obsessed culture, I know. But this book can help get you over that hump of not giving AF about what anybody else thinks about what you’re eating or what you look like in a swimsuit. Turning 40 helps, too.

One of the tarot cards best captures my profound revelation: The Eight of Swords. 

A woman is trapped, her eyes blindfolded and her hands bound — but if you look more closely, you’ll notice how loose the bindings are around her body. She has the power to wriggle free or use the swords surrounding her — she’s just blind to her situation.

“The imprisonment is a state of mind,” explains my go-to guide, “Holistic Tarot.”

Once I decided I am worth loving like a psycho — that my weight should have nothing to do with my happiness — it freed me to spend my energy on more constructive pursuits, such as this blog. Or literally *anything* else.

Eating becomes … pretty effortless, which it should be. I eat when I’m hungry and I eat what I crave. It’s …. awesome … and downright essential that I lead by example for my young daughter, who is just now forming attitudes about her own body image.

Seriously, read this book for yourself, and maybe you can help build circles of support with your own girlfriends, your family members, your children. 

We are so much more than our weight … and you have the power to finally believe it.