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Beautiful Bodies: A Memoir
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From the bestselling and beloved author of Coming Clean, a brave and witty examination of how and why we try to control our bodies with food.
Like most people, Kimberly Rae Miller does not have the perfect body, but that hasn't stopped her from trying. And trying. And trying some more. She's been at it since she was four years old, when Sesame Street inspired her to go on ...more
Like most people, Kimberly Rae Miller does not have the perfect body, but that hasn't stopped her from trying. And trying. And trying some more. She's been at it since she was four years old, when Sesame Street inspired her to go on ...more
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Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a finished copy of this book for review - all opinions are my own.
Heartbreaking and intensely relatable with scientific research interwoven between stories of Miller's personal journey, BEAUTIFUL BODIES is required reading. No one in modern society can deny how diet-obsessed US culture has become, and Miller has a perfect view of this world via her writing career and her own fixation on weight and body image.
As a 30-something mother of 3, I have per ...more
Heartbreaking and intensely relatable with scientific research interwoven between stories of Miller's personal journey, BEAUTIFUL BODIES is required reading. No one in modern society can deny how diet-obsessed US culture has become, and Miller has a perfect view of this world via her writing career and her own fixation on weight and body image.
As a 30-something mother of 3, I have per ...more
It’s always difficult to read about someone else’s struggles with her weight, especially when you can relate.
The author and I probably have at least ten years between us, and yet I could relate, which shows that how world hasn’t changed that much between when she was a kid and now.
We still judge little girls - and little boys, though I think they struggle more when they’re teenagers and people expect them to have a six pack - about their weight. It’s like, if your girl, your supposed to have thi ...more
The author and I probably have at least ten years between us, and yet I could relate, which shows that how world hasn’t changed that much between when she was a kid and now.
We still judge little girls - and little boys, though I think they struggle more when they’re teenagers and people expect them to have a six pack - about their weight. It’s like, if your girl, your supposed to have thi ...more
A brave woman who was more than willing to do the work to see what made the ideal body and what made them ideal. Kimberly Rae Miller was willing to delve into uncharted territory in order to get her answer as to why and what is the ideal body.
After dealing with her own struggles loving her body since she was 4, she was more than willing to go for the gold when it came to the answers that she wanted. She knew as an average woman that dieting was normal, especially in todays society. While growin ...more
After dealing with her own struggles loving her body since she was 4, she was more than willing to go for the gold when it came to the answers that she wanted. She knew as an average woman that dieting was normal, especially in todays society. While growin ...more
Oct 26, 2017
Marla (Not Maria)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
first-reads,
goodreads-wins
Several things that Kim wrote about makes me think of my life growing up. I have always been overweight and I've always wondered if my body is made to be small. I don't think it is. I remember probably in middle school taking some popular diet pills and then as I was an adult they were taken off the market for being dangerous. I've tried all kinds of things and now that I'm in my 50's I'm working on repairing my metabolism with the Fast Metabolism Diet, which is not starving me. In fact I usuall
...more
Heartbreaking, honest, hilarious and incredibly well researched, Kimberly Rae Miller's Beautiful Bodies is an informative and wonderful read that I will be recommending to every one for a long time to come. If you have every struggled with your appearance, this book is for you. If you have ever felt that you are not good enough, this book is for you. If you have ever had any body issues in any capacity at all, this book is for you. And if you are that rare creature who is completely confident in
...more
First I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher for allowing me access to this title and for granting me my wish!!! 😊
Being a woman with a negative body image and weight Issues myself ( the reason why I requested this title) this has always been a very hard topic for me to discuss and also very emotional.
I admire the author for sharing her struggles and for her honesty as she shares, reveals, and acknowledges her imperfections to her readers.
I enjoyed that the author backed up her informati ...more
Being a woman with a negative body image and weight Issues myself ( the reason why I requested this title) this has always been a very hard topic for me to discuss and also very emotional.
I admire the author for sharing her struggles and for her honesty as she shares, reveals, and acknowledges her imperfections to her readers.
I enjoyed that the author backed up her informati ...more
"You can only change yourself if you love yourself."
"People can, on average, lose 10 to 15 percent of their body weight easily and successfully with just about any diet that restricts calories through one ploy or another, but in time 97 percent will gain it back with interest, leaving them in worse health than they would have been in if they had just not dieted to begin with."
"Love yourself anyway. You don't have to be a size two to be beautiful. Life's too short to never eat cake."
There was a l ...more
"People can, on average, lose 10 to 15 percent of their body weight easily and successfully with just about any diet that restricts calories through one ploy or another, but in time 97 percent will gain it back with interest, leaving them in worse health than they would have been in if they had just not dieted to begin with."
"Love yourself anyway. You don't have to be a size two to be beautiful. Life's too short to never eat cake."
There was a l ...more
A well done memoir about a life obsessed with fat. It's depressing how much energy we spend obsessing on our bodies. If all the smart women put all that energy into defeating the patriarchy instead, we could just change perceptions about what it means to have a perfect body. It seems like it might be easier to fight that than try to make ourselves conform to the arbitrary standards. I have not personally had a struggle with weight, but there was enough in here that I could totally resonate.
...more
This is absolutely great. It's great because we've all been there; distressed about our bodies and somehow tricked into thinking that zero calories is the optimum amount. Cutting carbs, counting macros, pretending we like kale.
Kimberley Rae Miller has written her story with an honesty that is really affecting. Her focus and obsession on food and weight for the entirety of her life is distressing to read- but in reality, she is no different to the myriad of other people on this planet who feel e ...more
Kimberley Rae Miller has written her story with an honesty that is really affecting. Her focus and obsession on food and weight for the entirety of her life is distressing to read- but in reality, she is no different to the myriad of other people on this planet who feel e ...more
Is there such a thing as being too thin? I don’t think I know too many people who haven’t tried one diet or another. In “BEAUTIFUL BODIES A Memoir” by Kimberly Rae Miller, bestselling author of “Coming Clean”(a book about Hoarding), she discusses her obsession with having a “beautiful or perfect body”.
I appreciate and I am very impressed that Kimberly Rae Miller not only shares her experiences, but has done tremendous research into studies about the science of fat and weight loss.
Kimberly became ...more
My first Goodreads giveaway book. I enjoyed Coming Clean, and this one was also a memoir, instead focusing on her relationship with food and her body at different stages in life. It was a good light read and kept me interested.
What every woman wishes they had read as a pre-teen. We all have some sort of body issue.
This really hits home. Great book.
This really hits home. Great book.
In this memoir about lifestyle, nutrition and bodies, Kimberley opens up on her life and opinions about how harmful so called diet culture can be in modern day.
Talking openly about her struggles with weight and anorexia like behaviour, to gaining all the weight back after another restrictive and dangerous diet.
Talking about diet culture and media influence, as well as her own early modelling days and adults telling her younger self to watch her weight, we learn how damaging and worrying it plant ...more
Talking openly about her struggles with weight and anorexia like behaviour, to gaining all the weight back after another restrictive and dangerous diet.
Talking about diet culture and media influence, as well as her own early modelling days and adults telling her younger self to watch her weight, we learn how damaging and worrying it plant ...more
I really wanted to like this book. Kimberly Rae Miller is such a likeable author. However, I could not quite get around the pity pot she seems to be rooted on. Successful careers, great husband, a dog---holy crap Kimberly ---quit whining about your weight and count your blessings! People have suffered far worse than you and not made a career out of it. I would recommend this book to friends just for the discussions it would engender. Life changing - no, fun read by an honest to a fault author -
...more
I love this book! It is informative and opened my eyes to the relationship I have with food and with my body. Beautiful Bodies is an important book that I will keep on my bookshelf and pick up every few years as a gentle reminder to love myself and my body and all that it can do. I highly recommend this to every woman in my life - especially those I've traded diet and exercise tips with!
Note: I received a free SIGNED copy of this book as a Goodreads Giveaway! All opinions expressed below are my ...more
Note: I received a free SIGNED copy of this book as a Goodreads Giveaway! All opinions expressed below are my ...more
This review first appeared at http://www.bookwormeverlasting.com/re...
I don’t share personal matters about myself on the internet. I’ve never felt the need to. However, I think it’s important to know why I was eager to accept and review Beautiful Bodies. I hate my body. I’ve always hated my body. For as long as I can remember my body has been my enemy. I hated it when I was young and thin. I hate it now as a thirty-two year old, not-so-thin-after-birthing-three-children woman. Some days I won’t ...more
I don’t share personal matters about myself on the internet. I’ve never felt the need to. However, I think it’s important to know why I was eager to accept and review Beautiful Bodies. I hate my body. I’ve always hated my body. For as long as I can remember my body has been my enemy. I hated it when I was young and thin. I hate it now as a thirty-two year old, not-so-thin-after-birthing-three-children woman. Some days I won’t ...more
The author is an actress, fitness and food blogger, and a certified fitness trainer and spin instructor. I think she earned the two fitness certifications after she wrote this book. I read her previous memoir, which describes her experiences growing up with hoarder parents.
The current book is a memoir describing her lifelong relationships with body image and dieting. Although much of her career is related to fitness, she had body image issues beginning at age 7. Like many women, she defined her ...more
The current book is a memoir describing her lifelong relationships with body image and dieting. Although much of her career is related to fitness, she had body image issues beginning at age 7. Like many women, she defined her ...more
I've been really into food and body image and cultural trends this year as far as reading interest and thought I'd give this one a shot.
It was okay. As an American woman, I have had my fair share of negative body thoughts, of wishing my thighs were a little tinier or that I didn't have a bit of a gut (albeit, I recognize, a small-ish gut). However, I have never dieted officially, weigh myself maybe...5 times a year maximum, and generally don't hate myself too much when I go out and romp around ...more
It was okay. As an American woman, I have had my fair share of negative body thoughts, of wishing my thighs were a little tinier or that I didn't have a bit of a gut (albeit, I recognize, a small-ish gut). However, I have never dieted officially, weigh myself maybe...5 times a year maximum, and generally don't hate myself too much when I go out and romp around ...more
Nov 24, 2018
Meagan Cahuasqui
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
nonfiction,
feminism
Finally finished my MadLibs2018 reading challenge with this one! And what an excellent memoir to end that challenge with. I found myself laughing and yet in so much emotional pain, reading sentiments and thoughts that I've had myself about my own body. This author is so funny, but still so brutally honest about our society's obsession with women's bodies and how that affects our own relationships with them, it was hard to read sometimes. But I mean that in the best way. Reading this memoir felt
...more
I really enjoy the author's writing style. She covers every aspect that many women think about and experience when it comes to our bodies. Our bodies tend to be at the forefront of our minds as children, in intimate relationships, socially with food, along with constant societal pressures to diet and strive to fit an unattainable and ever-changing standard of beauty. This book covers a lot of it and unfolds the evolution of a chronic dieter into a woman determined to love her body at all stages.
...more
I found this to be a fascinating assessment of how the female body image is shaped, while intertwined with the author's real-life experience. Many times in reading the book, I found myself exclaiming, "Yes, me too!" or "Yes, I have also been told that/experienced that!"
A must read for both women and men.
Thank you to GoodReads GiveAway for this interesting read. ...more
A must read for both women and men.
Thank you to GoodReads GiveAway for this interesting read. ...more
I breezed through most of this book in a 48 hour period. Kimberly Rae Miller's writing is funny, interesting, heartwarming and honest. She skillfully blends history, science, and personal anecdotes all around the theme of dieting. No surprise really - I greatly enjoyed the first memoir she published, "Coming Clean."
...more
So many of the episodes of Miller's life - continual dieting, thyroid issues, living with parents with mental illness - mimic my own that there were times I had to hold back tears when reading this book. This is a raw, funny, and heartbreaking account of one woman - and really, most women's!- issues with weight, body consciousness, and poor physical self esteem issues.
brava! ...more
brava! ...more
"I had spent the majority of my life trying to fit a mold that didn’t work for my body—and it fought me tooth and nail. I didn’t know what my ideal body would look like. “Somebody else’s” came to mind, but that wasn’t going to happen."
Preach. ...more
Preach. ...more
If you have tried more then 2 diets then you need to read this book. She provides historical context on the birth and evolution of diets and our thin is best culture which I found fascinating. It’s a quick read so just go read it.
Loved it. It was a quick read. And I could totally relate with the girl/woman, who has tried all kinds of diets/workouts throughout her life to try to attain a certain kind of body.
Great read!
Loved this book! It was relatable and completely engaging! I felt as if I was right there along the journey.
Loved this book! It was relatable and completely engaging! I felt as if I was right there along the journey.
I read this book on a whim after it was advertised on my Kindle's sleep screen. As of writing, I'm working on a script about the human body and how society sees food and weight as a matter of failure, and this book provided a scientific exploration of how society views people, especially women, and their consumption of food.
Miller sprinkles this with her own experiences with food and having to appear thin and well put together, despite the mental implications that come with it. She details her ...more
Miller sprinkles this with her own experiences with food and having to appear thin and well put together, despite the mental implications that come with it. She details her ...more
I was close to giving this a 5, so let's say a 4.5 would be more accurate than the 4. I was so happy to have been granted my wish, for an ARC, by the publisher, Little A, in exchange for my honest opinion. I thought this might be more of a non fiction read on the history of weight loss, body self image, etc, but was so pleased to find the author sharing her journey along the weight loss path. Where we go wrong and how our misperceptions end up hurting our metabolism (and I'm sure this is true.)
...more
Thank You to Little A for providing me with an advance copy of Kimberly Rae Miller's memoir, Beautiful Bodies, in exchange for an honest review.
PLOT- In her memoir, Beautiful Bodies, Kimberly Rae Miller explores her relationship with her own body; the confusion she feels over body image and her never-ceasing diets.
LIKE- I loved Miller's previous memoir, Coming Clean, about growing up with parents who are hoarders, and I was thrilled to be approved for a galley edition of her latest memoir. Mill ...more
PLOT- In her memoir, Beautiful Bodies, Kimberly Rae Miller explores her relationship with her own body; the confusion she feels over body image and her never-ceasing diets.
LIKE- I loved Miller's previous memoir, Coming Clean, about growing up with parents who are hoarders, and I was thrilled to be approved for a galley edition of her latest memoir. Mill ...more
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Kimberly Rae Miller is a writer and actress living in New York City. Her writing on healthy living has been published on Conde Nast’s blog network, Social Workout, Yahoo’s women’s network Shine, and in various magazines. She also contributes entertainment news to CBS Radio and CBS New York. In 2010, Kim was featured in Katharine Sise’s breakthrough career guide Creative Girl: The Ultimate Guide fo
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“It wasn’t long before our hometown library became a refuge, babysitter, entertainer, soothsayer, and therapist. If I was grappling with something I didn’t understand—hormones, homework, boys, or bullies—I would find a book by someone who did understand, and the world seemed a lot more manageable.”
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“But everything I wrote was with one very specific message: Love yourself anyway. You don’t have to be a size two to be beautiful. Life’s too short to never eat cake. It was, and is, a great message. I just didn’t believe it when it came to my own body.”
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