Diet Starts Monday: Ditch the Scales, Reclaim Your Body and Live Life to the Full

by Laura Adlington

Diet Starts Monday is a no-BS guide to body acceptance in a looks-obsessed world.

Plus-size TV personality and body confidence advocate Laura Adlington has struggled with her weight (and the weight of other people's opinions) her entire life. Here, in conversation with experts including doctors, psychologists and nutritionists, Laura reveals just how detrimental diet culture is to health, and explores where our true worth lies.

Packed with personal stories and practical advice, this book will help you find peace with your body – not be at constant war with it.

By undoing negative ingrained beliefs about beauty and value, and focusing on building inner confidence, Diet Starts Monday will empower you to live a fun and full life – whatever your size.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Health

Audible Audio

Published January 4, 2024

Reviews

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an essential read for everyone! It’s cathartic, validating and incredibly insightful. Backed by bundles of research, accounts from WOC and the disabled community makes this book truly stand out above other books I have read that talk about body image. It is an eye opening read about diet culture, how we should view our body and how deeply ingrained anti-fat bias is in our society. It’s well written, honest and authentic in its approach and answers all the questions you want to be answered. If you struggle with body image or your relationship with food and health this book will heal you. The self empowerment tasks are actually valuable and based on Laura’s own experience and at many points made an emotional impact. I highly recommend this book and I thank Laura for writing a book that we so desperately needed.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook, it was much more beneficial than reading especially as it was read by Laura herself and I felt like she was talking to me. I'm a huge fan of the Go Love Yourself podcast and this is a perfect book for those struggling with body confidence and stupid diets!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed this as a young person. It was so relatable and has taught me a lot too. I think this is a great read for everyone!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adlington provided a nice view on her experiences with diet culture in the 21st century adding in some research to support her experiences. The book was really approachable and conversational but not a lot in the book felt wholly new information.

[Greta · Rating 3 out of 5]

very informative and interesting about the history of beauty standards throughout the decades, how to be an ally of the fat community and guides/recommends how to break the diet culture and how we view ourselves in front of our children

[Nicole Jacobsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lot more thorough in a lot of areas of this topic (diet culture, fat acceptance movement, intuitive eating and movement, etc.) than I was expecting. Have loved Laura since GBBO, and she did a really good job with this book!

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's very thought provoking and definitely an interesting read

[Jessica Lucas · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to stop reading this when information was put across in a way that makes it factually incorrect.
For example, a calorie deficit makes you gain weight.
Laura’s point may be restriction leads to over eating but therefore you would not be in a calorie deficit.

Considerably less relatable and more ‘woe is me’ compared to the Go Love Yourself podcast.

[Jessica Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so relatable and felt like sitting down with a smart, honest friend. I appreciate the clear recognition of other experts as well as personal experiences.

[frackletum · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good primer if you know nothing about body politics, but if it’s something you’ ve had to deal with, this book is a bit too basic

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Laura Adlington - I enjoyed watching her on The Great British Bake-off and was a regular listener to her podcast. She has a great sense of humour and I love her passion for anti bullying, and her transparency with her binge eating. I was therefore excited to read her book. I think overall it is well written, and covers a lot of important points. I have a masters degree in Human Nutrition and have spent a lot of my career helping people lose weight for health reasons such as type 2 diabetes, so I find it very interesting hearing different opinions surrounding the weight loss industry. I have a slight issue with how biased the book is, there is a lot of emphasis on the fact ‘no diet’ works long term which can easily be refuted, and the discussion around calorie deficit could be considered a bit misleading. I think the issue is, although Laura has a lot of lived experience with weight gain and loss, and binge eating behaviours, without any disrespect there is a lacking of any biological or physiological mechanisms to back up a lot of questionable statements. However I do think a lot of people will be helped by this book, people will feel like they are not alone in their struggles, and I still rate the book as a worthwhile read.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Is it the worst thing in the world if I don't lose weight, and what would happen if I just accepted myself instead?"

Diet Starts Monday is an enlightening and empowering non-diet book that wants you to ditch diet culture and never say, "Diet starts Monday" ever again. The author encourages and motivates us to shift the focus to health instead of weight, to stop being slaves to diets, and to stop worrying about every roll, stretch mark, or wrinkle.

WHATEVER YOUR STORY, YOU'RE NOT ALONE
Your story might be completely different from mine ─ it may be that you've gained weight in later life, are struggling to come to terms with your body after having a child (or multiple children), or that you have a disability. You might be smaller than me or bigger than me. Whatever your story, my hope is that some of the experience that I've gained over the years, and that I share within this book, will resonate with you and make you feel less alone.

Have you ever looked back at old photos of yourself when you were in a smaller body and thought, "God, I wish I looked like that now!" I know I have! Yet I can also remember that, at the time, I hated my body and how I looked, which is proof that it's never been about being a specific weight or size.

I appreciated the author's compassion, and although I've heard a lot of the same advice and guidance in other books, she mentioned something I experienced myself (and was not healthy for me) and am surprised other books aren't talking about, and that is, not complimenting someone when they lose weight. When I had my heart broken a few years ago, I lost a lot of weight. I was depressed and not eating, losing over 20lb in a few months. A lot of people told me how good I looked, but they didn't know that I was unwell and developed an ED. When I gained my weight back, I started questioning my size, missing the weight I'd lost. I still struggle with my body image at a natural weight where I have very normal and healthy eating habits.

When we complement weight loss, we could unknowingly be complimenting an eating disorder, a medical issue, or a trauma such as a divorce or a loss.

When we comment on or compliment someone's weight loss, we are emphasizing appearance and reinforcing the social narratives that weight loss is important and of significant value (at the detriment to other things such as our physical and mental health.) And, while compliments may provide a momentary boost in mood, they are actually unhelpful in the long run because they can lead to us associating feeling good with being told we have lost weight/are slim, which might make us focus on achieving these compliments at the detriment of our health. They can also make us feel bad if we gain weight and don't get the compliments anymore.

The book is about acknowledging your body for what it is: unique and perfectly imperfect. Our bodies change and although your body has changed, you haven't. Your worth doesn't change! There's nothing wrong with your body, and you don't have to compensate for anything. You deserve people who love, respect and support you just as you are. Our bodies are constantly changing, and we have no control over that, so we shouldn't want someone to love us just because of our body or despite our body. We are more than just our bodies.

[Ari Imi02 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really liked this book, it contained everything! I liked how Laura spoke on her own experience, it was relatable to my personal life, I felt her every emotion. She touched upon the impact of diet culture, beauty standards, media, societal norms and health prejudices regarding weight. I liked how the book was presented, each chapter discussing a different approach to ‘fat’ and the little tasks to help break the mold.
The little debates were well received especially on particular topics like cultural bias and encouraging body ‘neutrality’ whereby emphasising that ‘positivity’ isn’t entirely accurate; individuals are most likely to fall back on their progress or fake their new found self. Initially, I was intrigued by the title of the book and unaware of the author’s status or intentions regarding the topic, fortunately it was beyond my expectations and I completely devoured this!

[Rosamund Moger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book because I listen to Laura’s podcast ‘Go Love Yourself’ and was expecting an uplifting and refreshing take on the body positivity movement. However I found that there was very little that hadn’t been discussed on the show previously and it felt slightly repetitive as a result. The writing is good and message strong if you aren’t familiar with the podcast or body politics but if you’ve listened to every episode then it’s nothing new. There are areas that have been touched upon in the show that I felt warranted more discussion in the book than they got. For example the financial burden of living in a bigger body or how to approach fat bias in the workplace and in medicine. Both are talked about but lack depth. Overall worth a read if you are just starting on the path to body acceptance but might not be best suited to those further along their ‘journey’.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was ok. I must admit I thought it was going to be more of a memoir, but it read a little more like a research paper on diet culture, body positivity/neutrality, and intuitive eating. All of those topics are important and interesting to me, but I can't say I learned anything new. There were a lot of quotations from doctors and other professionals, which I guess makes sense since the author isn't an expert, but I wish it had a little more about her personal experience or other specific stories and examples. If you're new to these topics I'd say it's a great primer and good way to dip your toe into the main points.

[Harriette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like Laura and I loved her podcast so I really wanted to love her book but it was like a badly written essay and so preachy.
I get the premise of the book and what it’s meant to stand for but there was no nuance to it. It was very “well this didn’t work for me so it doesn’t work”. It screamed of tell me you downloaded my fitness pal and it gave you a 1200 calorie daily limit which was obviously unsustainable so you gave up and decided it didn’t work without investigating it properly and calculating your tdee and working out a reasonable deficit without telling me.
I wanted to DNF this so badly but I couldn’t let it defeat me. Sadly disappointing

[Brodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

I love Laura and the ‘Go Love Yourself’ podcast. I’m quite far in my journey of body confidence/neutrality so I feel like there wasn’t huge amounts of information that was new to me but I can 100% see how someone new to the movement or trying to get away from that cycle of body self hatred and yo-yo dieting would really benefit from it. I’m actually planning to gift this to my MIL in hope that I can stop the constant ‘I need to go on a diet’ mindset she has (something I’ve heard every week for the last 12 years!)

[Megan Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while (I was in a reading slump) but finally finished this - a really good intro to body neutrality and how damaging anti-fatness can be. I would recommend reading as an intro book and then moving to further reading (some linked at the back of the book) if you’re curious about in depth details. I actually didn’t follow Laura before I saw this recommended and I’m glad I do now - she’s a breath of fresh air and I love her personality. Would recommend this book!

[Shao Ting · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy-to-read introduction to everything body-related based on Adlington's experience as a plus-size woman. If I could, I would want everyone to read this as it contains so much information on the harmful diet culture we find ourselves trapped in and useful advice on moving forward from this book with diet, exercise, and body acceptance.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura's book is an excellent read for anyone who is thinking of jumping off of the diet bandwagon and exploring why we think, feel and look the way we do. Its one I need to get copies of and stealthily leave at various friends houses for them to read. Also, really loved Dr Josh Wolrich and Molly Forbes being cited. Excellent people.

[Meg Gavilanez-Erickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really missing hearing her voice on her podcast, Go Love Yourself, so I started reading her book. It was wonderful to hear her voice through her stories! She also did her best to include other marginalised groups that she's not a part of as well. She acknowledged her own bias and privilege which I think is so important. I would recommend this book to every fat lady out there!

[Niamh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I thought this would be done in a memoir style it was more like a research paper but all included sources offered valuable insights and reputable references. A good read for everyone I feel but particularly those who feel they haven't ever quite fit the mould of how girls/women are supposed to look.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

An accessible and friendly guide to issues around anti-fat bias, the pervasiveness of diet culture and body neutrality. Laura's non-judgemental, inclusive and honest approach was this book's biggest success. Highly recommend as an introduction to these topics or a straightforward refresher.

[Laura Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t think I would enjoy this book as much as I did. It’s insightful & thought provoking. I found myself nodding in agreement whilst reading. It’s informative & something I would recommend plus size women read.

Defiantly worth a read if you’re struggling with making peace with your body.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. I'm a huge fan of Laura Adlington and her work in the body image and acceptance space. This book is brave and insightful. Excellent structure and Laura's naturally powerful voice comes through in this book just like it does on her podcast series Go Love Yourself.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was super well researched. I think I would have been more passionate about it if I hadn’t listened to all of the Go Love Yourself podcast, it didn’t cover loads of new ground from this, but was still good and would be a great intro to people trying to free themselves from diet culture.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️
This is a difficult book to rate as I feel very neutral about it. Having listened to Laura’s podcast this felt like an extension. The book was helpful in that it was a reference book, so you could dip into the relevant chapters and was well researched.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes a fair few assumptions I found unhelpful and is largely an amalgamation of things I’ve already read. It is very well intentioned, however, and if it takes the smiley lass from bake off to get the point across then I’m all for it.

[Pippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked bits of this book and not others, I also resonated with some but not all which I think is quite normal. I like how Laura is tackling intergenerational diet culture and challenging societal beauty norms!

[Louby Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book, a healthy approach to life that I think most people would benefit from especially women. Following it up with "Just Eat It" by Laura Thomas which goes deeper into the intuitive eating.