What do you think?
Rate this book
The Weight of Beautiful
Jackie Goldschneider, star of The Real Housewives of New Jersey , bravely chronicles her decades-long battle with anorexia and public journey to recovery in this unflinching, moving, and ultimately inspiring self-written memoir.
All Jackie Goldschneider ever wanted was to be thin. As a child, she’d stand in front of the mirror, sucking in her stomach and arching her back to feel her ribs, praying to see a model-like figure looking back. As an obese teen, lonely and tormented by her weight, her doctor encouraged her to start dieting, ultimately leading to a prolonged battle with anorexia that nearly took her life.
After decades of hiding her eating disorder from friends, family, and the world, Jackie is ready to expose the realities of her devastating struggle with anorexia, including the harrowing day-to-day tactics she employed to count calories and restrict meals, her struggles with fertility and pregnancy, the effects her eating disorder had on her relationships with her husband and children, and ultimately how, in a twist of fate, becoming a reality TV star saved her life.
The Weight of Beautiful is Jackie’s personal story, but within it are also the stories of millions like her, striving to lead healthy, happy lives despite their eating disorders. In the vein of Unbearable Lightness , Hiding from Reality , and What Remains , The Weight of Beautiful is a moving testament of strength, honesty, and recovery.
All Jackie Goldschneider ever wanted was to be thin. As a child, she’d stand in front of the mirror, sucking in her stomach and arching her back to feel her ribs, praying to see a model-like figure looking back. As an obese teen, lonely and tormented by her weight, her doctor encouraged her to start dieting, ultimately leading to a prolonged battle with anorexia that nearly took her life.
After decades of hiding her eating disorder from friends, family, and the world, Jackie is ready to expose the realities of her devastating struggle with anorexia, including the harrowing day-to-day tactics she employed to count calories and restrict meals, her struggles with fertility and pregnancy, the effects her eating disorder had on her relationships with her husband and children, and ultimately how, in a twist of fate, becoming a reality TV star saved her life.
The Weight of Beautiful is Jackie’s personal story, but within it are also the stories of millions like her, striving to lead healthy, happy lives despite their eating disorders. In the vein of Unbearable Lightness , Hiding from Reality , and What Remains , The Weight of Beautiful is a moving testament of strength, honesty, and recovery.
239 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 26, 2023
101 people are currently reading
5319 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews
Read
October 11, 2023i have not finished this *yet* but feel like i need to share :
‼️‼️
this leaves very little to the imagination so huge trigger warning for this one. while her experiences validate the feelings and experiences of others who have struggled with an ED, this book has a little bit too much information. some of the secrets and details can give ideas to the wrong people. some things are better left unsaid. however, i do not want to rate it poorly because coming out with a book as self exposing as this one takes a lot of courage. audiences who know they would be affected by something like this should skip on this housewife memoir
‼️‼️
this leaves very little to the imagination so huge trigger warning for this one. while her experiences validate the feelings and experiences of others who have struggled with an ED, this book has a little bit too much information. some of the secrets and details can give ideas to the wrong people. some things are better left unsaid. however, i do not want to rate it poorly because coming out with a book as self exposing as this one takes a lot of courage. audiences who know they would be affected by something like this should skip on this housewife memoir
October 25, 2023
That had me in tears. So brutally honest and open.
October 4, 2023
Whew. This is an anorexia memoir, full stop. It's intense and very technical describing the inner workings of how anorexia rules your life and keeps happiness and joy out. I would not recommend this if you have any history with ED or don't want to hear about extreme deprivation and mental illness. This said, it was very brave to tell this story and a positive move to work against a lot of silence we have in society around this topic. It was frustrating to read at times, such as when she calorie restricts carrying a twin pregnancy or the fact that her own husband never said one word about her health white she was hovering near death. But this isn't unheard of and we should all be able to recognize the depth of suffering that can result when this is unchecked and unmanaged.
February 10, 2025
| 4/5 Stars | ★★★★☆
Trigger Warnings for The Weight of Beautiful:
The Weight of Beautiful is a memoir by Jackie Goldschneider about her battle with Anorexia Nervosa. As shown on the cover page of the book, Goldschneider would eat ever decreasing in size meals while exercising to the brink of collapse to achieve her "perfect" body. That "perfect" body almost cost her life.
I want to start by saying I've never seen any of The Real Housewives or their spin-offs. I genuinely came into this book not even knowing who Jackie Goldschneider was or that she was on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Even without knowing who she was, I really enjoyed this book. Goldschneider focuses so heavily on her life in The Weight of Beautiful, starting from her adolescence all the way until present day, that her experience on The Real Housewives of New Jersey feels more like a framing device than a focus.
All in all, Goldschneider's words spoke to me. As someone who has struggled on-and-off with disordered eating, her words were honest, harsh, and real to the core. I would highly recommend this book no matter where you do or do not fall on the disordered eating spectrum.
Follow all of my reviews and content with LinkTree
Trigger Warnings for The Weight of Beautiful:
The Weight of Beautiful is a memoir by Jackie Goldschneider about her battle with Anorexia Nervosa. As shown on the cover page of the book, Goldschneider would eat ever decreasing in size meals while exercising to the brink of collapse to achieve her "perfect" body. That "perfect" body almost cost her life.
I want to start by saying I've never seen any of The Real Housewives or their spin-offs. I genuinely came into this book not even knowing who Jackie Goldschneider was or that she was on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Even without knowing who she was, I really enjoyed this book. Goldschneider focuses so heavily on her life in The Weight of Beautiful, starting from her adolescence all the way until present day, that her experience on The Real Housewives of New Jersey feels more like a framing device than a focus.
All in all, Goldschneider's words spoke to me. As someone who has struggled on-and-off with disordered eating, her words were honest, harsh, and real to the core. I would highly recommend this book no matter where you do or do not fall on the disordered eating spectrum.
Follow all of my reviews and content with LinkTree
May 27, 2024
This couldn't have been an easy book to write but the bravery Jackie had to be 100% honest with not just the reader but with herself was incredibly powerful. My heart hurt for all the things she thought about herself and her body but I'm glad she has made it to the other side and in recovery.
Make sure to look up all trigger warnings before reading this book as it goes into lots of detail.
Make sure to look up all trigger warnings before reading this book as it goes into lots of detail.
April 9, 2025
Wow Jackie. God bless you for having the courage to write this book. So well written. If there is a way to get signed copies, I know what gifts I am giving this holiday season. You are great writer with a strong story that will change lives.
January 16, 2024
4.5 ⭐️ a little redundant but a fantastic audiobook. Watching her on housewives, I had no idea her eating disorder was as bad as it was. Such a powerful story!
September 30, 2023
Raw.
Powerful.
Heartbreaking.
Beautiful.
Jackie shared a harrowing testament of strength, honesty, and recovery. How unbelievably therapeutic this must have been for her to lay out her constant internal struggle with her body image. For anyone who has struggled with body image issues, this is one you should tread carefully with as there are many triggers. Her story hit home on so many levels. I loved how Jackie took full control of her own story, addressed the vulnerable aspects of her life while also sharing inspiring actions of survival and motherhood. I equally loved how Jackie wrote with specificity and striking emotional clarity about the years she struggled with her mental health & eating disorder. There was absolutely no sugar-coating the suffering, embarrassment, pain, and emotional trauma Jackie’s eating disorder brought her. Far more effectively than anything else I’ve ever read, was her presentation on the power that the disorder had over herself and others in her life.
Overall, I applaud Jackie for her bravery and transparency as she dove into the depths of an inner battle with her image, food and societal pressures to look, act and be a certain way. What a strong and remarkably courageous woman. (Audio)
Powerful.
Heartbreaking.
Beautiful.
Jackie shared a harrowing testament of strength, honesty, and recovery. How unbelievably therapeutic this must have been for her to lay out her constant internal struggle with her body image. For anyone who has struggled with body image issues, this is one you should tread carefully with as there are many triggers. Her story hit home on so many levels. I loved how Jackie took full control of her own story, addressed the vulnerable aspects of her life while also sharing inspiring actions of survival and motherhood. I equally loved how Jackie wrote with specificity and striking emotional clarity about the years she struggled with her mental health & eating disorder. There was absolutely no sugar-coating the suffering, embarrassment, pain, and emotional trauma Jackie’s eating disorder brought her. Far more effectively than anything else I’ve ever read, was her presentation on the power that the disorder had over herself and others in her life.
Overall, I applaud Jackie for her bravery and transparency as she dove into the depths of an inner battle with her image, food and societal pressures to look, act and be a certain way. What a strong and remarkably courageous woman. (Audio)
February 27, 2024
A deep & emotional memoir that really puts you in Jackie’s shoes. I found this to be so raw and honest and I really commend her for publishing her story. I enjoyed being able to gain her perspective, and while it was really sad/traumatic, it’s a super valuable learning experience. Not 5 stars because at times I just felt kinda bored, but loved the RHONJ sections too naturally. Definitely check TW, but overall a great memoir!
September 25, 2024
An excellent memoir of a woman battling anorexia. The author narrated her own book, which is what I prefer. What a story!
November 12, 2023
I've always liked Jackie. Her intelligence is a breath of fresh air on the Real Housewives. This book was really helpful in understanding the mind of someone with an eating disorder. While I'll never truly understand anorexia, this book made me realize that she was truly ill and couldn't get out of that spiral without help. I wish her husband and mother pushed for her to get help a lot more. I know she lashed out at them but that shouldn't have stopped a loved one trying to help someone very literally dying from a disease. Having said that, I fully understand that we don't know the entire extent of her family's cries for help. A very nicely written memoir. Hope it brings lots of awareness to this issue and also helps someone that is struggling!
February 12, 2024
Jackie had always been one of my favorite housewives because of her wit, intelligence, and compassion; this book took my admiration of hers to a new level. Her writing and sharing of her battle with anorexia is vulnerable, brave, honest, and raw. It couldn't have been easy to lay out the level of detail she did, but I hope it was healing for her. Trigger warning - this book should be read with care if you are struggling with an eating disorder, and consultation with health professionals is recommended.
June 12, 2024
Profound, and insightful. Incredible dive into the mind, a close look of how one can easily and innocently enough fall victim to the mindset of diet culture. I think this book would be helpful to loved ones of people with disorderly eating who find themselves asking where did this come from? Why are you like this and why can't you just stop? So honest and raw about how her family was impacted. How a goal of having a perfect body so you can be loved and enjoy life...can isolate you/strip away all enjoyment of life.
July 19, 2024
I feel like this book was trying to accomplish a story of recovery however came across very victim and very triggering for people with ED’s! I appreciated her honesty, however I felt that I was triggered more than inspired!
January 12, 2024
Finished this so long ago… promising to actually use this app this year 😬 Absolutely loved this memoir and love Jackie.
November 16, 2023
Very brave to be so honest and upfront.
Read
August 5, 2024TW: ED
While Jackie was not my favorite New Jersey housewife, I really appreciated her bravery and vulnerability to write this book about her 20 year struggle with anorexia
While Jackie was not my favorite New Jersey housewife, I really appreciated her bravery and vulnerability to write this book about her 20 year struggle with anorexia
August 11, 2025
I thought this was an extremely interesting read. My favorite type of nonfiction is books where you can really feel what was happening inside someone’s head and this book gave exactly that
October 19, 2023
This is definitely not an easy read but an important one, shedding light on the often silent and misunderstood battle many face with eating disorders. The narrative details how anorexia can infiltrate and control every aspect of one’s life. It’s a difficult journey to follow, especially for those with similar experiences, yet it stands as a powerful voice against the silence that often shrouds such struggles.
Giving 4/5 stars because I feel like the ending was rushed a bit. I would’ve liked to hear more about her recovery journey. However, it takes a lot to talk about this mental disease and i applause Jackie for bringing a sense of understanding and urgency to a typically hushed conversation.
Giving 4/5 stars because I feel like the ending was rushed a bit. I would’ve liked to hear more about her recovery journey. However, it takes a lot to talk about this mental disease and i applause Jackie for bringing a sense of understanding and urgency to a typically hushed conversation.
October 6, 2023
A book that shines a light on the perils of diet culture in all of its forms. Jackie is a fantastic writer and had me completely engrossed in her story-I ended up finishing this in about 24 hours. If you grew up in the 80s or 90s it’s impossible to not relate to the way diet culture permeated her entire childhood: weight watchers, the cabbage soup diet, the school bullies. Highly recommend even if you don’t watch RHONJ.
June 25, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.
This was definitely the best-written book by a Bravoleb I’ve ever read. However, it was kind of a brutal read just because of the content. It’s a pretty painful story and much more was delved into besides what they showed on the show. It gave me a lot of secondhand anxiety when she described her intense eating disorder, but that just tells me that it was great writing to make me feel what she was feeling in the throes of her own anxiety. I hope Jackie is doing well, and I hope she does truly know now that she is beautiful at any size.
This was definitely the best-written book by a Bravoleb I’ve ever read. However, it was kind of a brutal read just because of the content. It’s a pretty painful story and much more was delved into besides what they showed on the show. It gave me a lot of secondhand anxiety when she described her intense eating disorder, but that just tells me that it was great writing to make me feel what she was feeling in the throes of her own anxiety. I hope Jackie is doing well, and I hope she does truly know now that she is beautiful at any size.
September 30, 2023
It really might be better than a 3, but I had several personal issues with it. A lot of the story was about the mess with only the last couple chapters discussing the recovery. She wanted to announce her surrender and agree to get treatment on TV for the world to see, but then she didn't even agree to the treatment plan laid out for her by the experts. I don't think that was the best message to send.
I certainly felt her pain throughout the book but I didn't feel much inspiration. I might have picked up more eating disorder tips & tricks than anything else.
I certainly felt her pain throughout the book but I didn't feel much inspiration. I might have picked up more eating disorder tips & tricks than anything else.
Read
July 21, 2023#NetGalleyARC This was a really good read. I'm a fan of the RHONJ so I was a little familiar with Jackie and her story but this book really goes deeper into it and into how Jackie felt during her ED. I appreciate anyone who is able to tell their story, especially when it's a story of a struggle, and give her so much credit for the honesty.
March 4, 2024
Wow, that was an amazing and detailed life journey thru anorexia….. wow the time and energy it takes to keep at this disease.. it took courage to write such honesty….as a woman I could relate to some of the social aspects of being beautiful and special….
October 30, 2023
this is exactly the kind of housewife book that i love; centered around a specific aspect of their life, rather than just a standard run down of their life. like yolanda’s memoir about her health and taylor’s about abuse, jackie’s detailing of her anorexia and journey to recovery is commendable in its brutal, heartbreaking honesty.
content/trigger warnings; eating disorders (very detailed descriptions/discussions of anorexia, body dysmorphia, food restriction, starvation, calorie counting, overeating, binge eating, extreme dieting, diet culture, over exercising, secondary amenorrhea, infertility issues, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, recovery), fatphobia, misogyny, poverty, antisemitism, nazi/hitler, ableism, bullying, surgery, cissexist language, pregnancy, premature birth via c-section, miscarriage,
to echo what others have said, if you have an eating disorder, the level of detail she gives could be very triggering.
my one gripe: jackie talks about how doctors were only concerned about her weight when she was fat and never when she was thin and how people assume only those who are so thin they’re emaciated are anorexic or have an eating disorder, getting so close to a reality that plays so heavily into the topics she’s discussing in the book, eating disorders; diet culture; the desire for a perfect body, but then stops before she gets there. and that reality is fatphobia. not every eating disorder stems from a desire to be thin or a hatred of fatness, but diet culture and the desire to have a perfect (read: thin) body are rooted in the fear of being fat; the belief that being fat is bad, undesirable, shameful, unhealthy, etc. and for many people that turns into an eating disorder. to never really touch on how this normalized (even in medical settings) societal and cultural hatred and fear of fatness plays into eating disorders or how the belief that only scarily thin people have eating disorders leads to fat people with eating disorders being ignored, silenced, dismissed, disbelieved, and ultimately not helped feels like a missed opportunity.
content/trigger warnings; eating disorders (very detailed descriptions/discussions of anorexia, body dysmorphia, food restriction, starvation, calorie counting, overeating, binge eating, extreme dieting, diet culture, over exercising, secondary amenorrhea, infertility issues, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, recovery), fatphobia, misogyny, poverty, antisemitism, nazi/hitler, ableism, bullying, surgery, cissexist language, pregnancy, premature birth via c-section, miscarriage,
to echo what others have said, if you have an eating disorder, the level of detail she gives could be very triggering.
my one gripe: jackie talks about how doctors were only concerned about her weight when she was fat and never when she was thin and how people assume only those who are so thin they’re emaciated are anorexic or have an eating disorder, getting so close to a reality that plays so heavily into the topics she’s discussing in the book, eating disorders; diet culture; the desire for a perfect body, but then stops before she gets there. and that reality is fatphobia. not every eating disorder stems from a desire to be thin or a hatred of fatness, but diet culture and the desire to have a perfect (read: thin) body are rooted in the fear of being fat; the belief that being fat is bad, undesirable, shameful, unhealthy, etc. and for many people that turns into an eating disorder. to never really touch on how this normalized (even in medical settings) societal and cultural hatred and fear of fatness plays into eating disorders or how the belief that only scarily thin people have eating disorders leads to fat people with eating disorders being ignored, silenced, dismissed, disbelieved, and ultimately not helped feels like a missed opportunity.
September 13, 2024
First of all, BIG trigger warning. She gets pretty detailed about things I've never even considered. She spends most of the book in denial, partly explaining how she got there and partly just... staying there. For years, decades even. It's exhausting to read about (even though I read it in the span of one day), and I can't imagine living it.
For people with a history of an eating disorder, I do not recommend this book.
Every part of it (and I wish I was joking) filled me with wild envy - both the disorder itself getting so bad without anyone stopping her (yeah, okay, I'm disordered myself, what of it), and then her description of recovery. I've theoretically been in recovery for one year and seven months, but mine is nothing like she describes. She sounds so carefree - and I cannot, cannot believe it, especially for someone whose disorder was so much worse than mine in every way. I don't see how it's possible. I'm delighted for her if it's the case (and assuming that it is), but it reminded me of how far off normal I myself still am.
Oh, and I've never heard of her or whatever show she was on, so I had no idea what was going on with that portion of it, but I got the gist.
Anyway, an excellent book and excellently written. Would consider reading again.
For people with a history of an eating disorder, I do not recommend this book.
Every part of it (and I wish I was joking) filled me with wild envy - both the disorder itself getting so bad without anyone stopping her (yeah, okay, I'm disordered myself, what of it), and then her description of recovery. I've theoretically been in recovery for one year and seven months, but mine is nothing like she describes. She sounds so carefree - and I cannot, cannot believe it, especially for someone whose disorder was so much worse than mine in every way. I don't see how it's possible. I'm delighted for her if it's the case (and assuming that it is), but it reminded me of how far off normal I myself still am.
Oh, and I've never heard of her or whatever show she was on, so I had no idea what was going on with that portion of it, but I got the gist.
Anyway, an excellent book and excellently written. Would consider reading again.
March 10, 2024
As a Housewives super fan, Jackie is in my top 5 favorite Wives for her tenacity, intelligence, and innate goodness. I admire her courage to let us in on the intimate journey of her recovery. The messages of her story that needs to be heard deeply and widely by those of us who are in or have experienced eating disorder recovery, but probably most importantly, the messages need to be heard by those who are in actionable positions in various cultural spheres. We could collectively change the tide on fatphobia, feminism, and racism, but diet culture and the patriarchy hold each other in an ironclad grip. Cheers to Jackie for courageously shining a light on the idea that we are all better and healthier when we can conceptualize our beauty beyond the lies and shame that our society and diet culture imposes upon us from early childhood.
October 23, 2023
Incredible book about Jackie’s years and years of pain as she struggled with anorexia. She told her story so well, and was 100% honest with how her eating disorder took control over her life, family, and friends.
I was blown away in how she revealed so many private thoughts and mental challenges that she encountered over the past 18 years.
Highly recommend this Bio for those who will not be triggered by ED rituals, obsessions, compulsions, etc.
I was blown away in how she revealed so many private thoughts and mental challenges that she encountered over the past 18 years.
Highly recommend this Bio for those who will not be triggered by ED rituals, obsessions, compulsions, etc.
December 29, 2023
Is there anything Jackie can’t do? She’s a great housewife, practiced law in NYC, has a HAWT husband and now the girl can WRITE. This book is fabulously written and gives great insight into what it can be like struggling with an eating disorder, something I’ve never quite understood even though it’s permeated my life quite frequently. Her story is inspirational af and I hope she continues to write and share her story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews