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

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.She also uses legitimate sources and evidence based science to back up her words. This is not an influencer spouting their opinions, it's a legitimate piece of work. This is truly a must read for everyone but especially for those who grew up in the early 2000's when body positivity essentially did not exist. Thank you Alex for this!

Wow. This book was amazing. I wish I could go back in time and give a copy of it to my teenage self. It’s a much needed look at society, fat phobia, and our own body image issues. I feel certain I will re-read this book at some point because there’s just so much here to absorb. It’s a must read for anyone who has ever struggled with weight or eating disorders or for anyone who has body image issues. Thank you, for writing this incredible book, Alex 🙌🏻❤️

Amazing author and her message is spot on! Alex Light is the best! 👏👏👏I have sent this recommendation to all my friends.

Where do I start?! This is a book I didn't realize I needed to read until I began. Though I've been fairly fortunate not to get stuck in the diet cycle, that hasn't taken away the feelings of inadequacy I've felt about my body for most of my life. This book is an eye-opener.Growing up in a family riddled with various eating disorders, I'm no stranger to the harm body image issues do to mental and physical health. On one side, I grew up the fat cousin, and comments and attitudes toward me were between the lines. On the other side, I was the thinnest, and yet I was constantly subjected to blatant body-shaming. Sometimes it was directed at me despite being the closest to the 'ideal' weight, but more painfully, I had to witness it happening to people I loved. My body image issues have resulted in overall low self-esteem even if my weight hasn't been the main focus of this. I just accepted I was the 'ugly duckling' and the result was, and still is, letting myself be walked over. It didn't stop at family, either. Being the heaviest of most of my friends as a teenager was damaging as well.I wish this book had been around for me then.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.In the time that I've been reading this book, I've found myself more aware of the toxicity in the media surrounding weight. There have been so many red flags all along that I've been blind to because the diet culture mentality has become such an accepted part of life. While I personally swore off diets quickly, the trade-off was/is thinking I'm not good for much and will never achieve anything because I lack the willpower to do what I need to do to be 'successful'. After reading this book, I'm already starting to question my own thought process. I eat when I'm hungry because I feel miserable if I don't... I can't believe it took seeing it in ink to realize that's not a bad thing.No matter what your personal struggle is with weight and/or body image, I highly recommend reading this book. I learned so much and have felt inspired since the first chapter. My point of view on these matters will never be the same.A huge thanks to HarperCollins/Harper360 for providing me with a free ARC to read and review. (I've since purchased a Kindle copy as a gift.)

You are Not a Before Picture: How to Finally Make Peace with Your Body, for Good by Alex LightAs someone who has struggled with body image and disordered eating, I found this book to be a welcome resource. In the first half of the book, Light has provided a concise and accurate primer on diet culture, its origins and iterations, its lies and harm. From a very young age, we are all recipients of diet culture’s messaging, which has only become more powerful with the advent of social media. With awareness of diet culture and its pervasiveness, readers can see that they, and their bodies, are NOT the problem. Just knowing that isn’t enough unfortunately, which is where the second half of the book comes to the rescue. Here, Light explains how to improve our negative perceptions of ourselves, steps to take away from dieting and toward intuitive eating and how to find joy in exercise again.Light uses many resources to back up each and every chapter of this book. She gives examples from her own life and lives of others, points to recommended reading, and provides Instagram handles to follow for continued encouragement. This book is incredibly readable and each chapter offers something complete and helpful on its own. There was something that I could relate to on just about every page and the second half of the book provides real, actionable steps. Light is also careful to mention her privilege as a straight-sized white woman with access to mental health care and brings in diverse voices.I love the design of the book as well and hope to get my hands on a physical copy as soon as possible. Throughout, quotes are pulled out from the text and displayed in pink boxes. They are almost all quotes that I picked out to highlight myself. There are also minimalist illustrations of bodies by Louise Evans that I absolutely adored. With so many of them, I thought “That looks like me! And it’s so beautiful!” They are a perfect accompaniment to Light’s message in this book.In the final chapter, Light says, “[Life’s] too short to live as a ‘before’ picture. You are not a ‘before’ picture…We are living, breathing, multi-faceted, talented human beings whose true beauty cannot be captured in a picture…Our bodies are merely the vessels that hold all the good stuff.”Thank you to @netgalley and @harper360 for the ARC.

As someone who has struggled in the past with many of the same issues at the author I found this book really helpful. It reaffirmed things I had already worked on and helped further my thoughts in a positive direction. I think this book is a great read for anyone as it helps shift your thinking against diet culture and helps you realize how brainwashed we are. There is a possibility to live a life that is not consumed by food, exercise and body thoughts and this book does a great job of starting this conversation and providing tips on how to do those things!

I have followed Alex on Instagram for a while and a few others like Nelly, and I love her podcast with Em so I knew I was gonna buy this book and I am so glad I did it’s a breath of fresh air, so refreshing to see, I love the way the chapters are broken down and I feel it’s very informative and I think I have learnt a lot from this book! Very thought provoking

I've been a fan of Alex Light for a while now so I was eagerly awaiting the release of this book, and it did not disappoint. In fact, it managed to exceed my high expectations!Alex's journalistic experience shines through, as she seamlessly weaves scientific explanations, personal anecdotes and input from other experts in their field. She acknowledges her privilege and limitations, and uses this space to highlight others.What I really loved is how practical a lot of it was, without ever slipping into the general non-fiction faux pas of oversimplifying things or repeating the same advice. She had genuine tips and examples of what helped her, but also acknowledged that these are starting steps and subjective.I've struggled with my eating disorder on and off since at least 15, and this is the first book that's actually given me hope and made me feel understood. I wish this book could be mandatory reading for everyone, and I'll be recommending it until everyone is sick of hearing about it.

I have been following Alex for quite a while now on Instagram and I just love her energy, confidence and the positivity that she bestows on the world. She is so authentic and gives genuine advice.What I like about Alex is that she’s been on both ends of the spectrum, having had an eating disorder but also having had struggles with being a heavier weight. Her journalism experience shines through and this is such a brilliantly written book. It is clearly broken down and is easy to follow in different chapters, such as “the media have a lot to answer for” and “beauty is only a trend”. She uses personal experience but also intertwines professional expertise on a range of issues which really gives the book a great appeal, she really knows what she’s talking about. It’s not just another generic self help book, it has some really great advice.Additionally, I like how she has also done a bit of a history of diet culture and other elements like fat phobia etc. she has really made a great effort to break down the core of diet culture and how it permeates through all levels of society, and the overall message of how we can break free from it.The book is clearly set out and has quotes and illustrations making it a nice book aesthetically and it doesn’t feel too heavy going because it’s broken down into manageable chunks that are clearly broken up. I also really liked how positive Instagram accounts and further reading are included, along with detailed notes on the text. Clearly so much research and work went into this book.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.Alex, you are wonderful and such an inspiration. This book will no doubt help a lot of people. I hope it soon becomes essential reading especially for younger girls. If I could I would buy hundreds of copies. I will definitely be lending it to all my friends in the hope that Alex’s wisdom can help a few more people!

I expected this book to be good, but it's really beyond my expectations. It's not only well-written and lovely designed, but well substantiated with research about the historical origin of the diet culture, fatphobia and more. It debunks so much of the toxic ideas that we have in our society. I truly wish this book would be mandatory for every one to read - whether you are or have ever struggled with body image yourself, or want to get a better understanding of the underlying issues.Big big compliments to Alex, she did an absolute amazing job on this book!

A non-fiction that I eyed up for its 99p deal and I am so glad that I did!😳Light provides a framework for changing the way we view ourselves, including knowledge from various professionals and creators. Light empowers readers to interrogate their underlying beliefs, challenge internal and external beliefs and find freedom in own bodies.This book is a self-help non-fiction read which I consumed on my kindle. It was a good book to read alongside my fiction picks📝.Trigger and Content Warnings:❗️: Discussions of fatphobia, dieting and body image throughout the book.This book was an excellent combination of tips in dismantling negative thoughts and reassuring individual journeys 🌏. When reading, I felt seen, understood and empowered.Having highlighted many a passage, I plan to refer back to this book when I need it💘.No rating due to Non-Fiction.