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The Wellness Project: How I Learned to Do Right by My Body, Without Giving Up My Life

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For those battling autoimmune disease or just seeking healthy life balance the voice behind the popular blog Feed Me Phoebe shares her yearlong investigation of what truly made her well.
After she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease in her early twenties, Phoebe Lapine bounced among every fad diet and new health program on the bestseller list in her attempt to get well, only to experience mixed results and a life of deprivation that seemed unsustainable at best. In response, she adopted 12 of her own wellness directives including eliminating sugar, switching to all-natural beauty products, and getting in touch with her spiritual side to find out which lifestyle changes truly impacted her health for the better. The Wellness Project is the insightful and hilarious result of that year of exploration part memoir and part health and wellness primer (complete with 20 healthy recipes), it s a must-read not just for those suffering from autoimmune disease, but for anyone looking for simple ways to improve their health without sacrificing life s pleasures."

384 pages, Hardcover

First published May 16, 2017

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2109 people want to read

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Phoebe Lapine

9 books33 followers

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5 stars
377 (23%)
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625 (38%)
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464 (28%)
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117 (7%)
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23 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
Profile Image for Sheri.
1,362 reviews126 followers
August 28, 2019
The author spends a year learning how to tune into her body again by making a series of lifestyle changes. As she works through those changes, she wants to see what works for her, both in actual better health and what changes are realistically doable for her. She promotes finding a sweet spot between health and hedonism.

One thing that really appealed to me is that The Wellness Project is written in a conversational style. I felt like we were just hanging out at the kitchen table, a mug of tea in hand, chatting about health and wellness. I enjoyed knowing what she was learning, and what she was questioning. I'm now thinking about the balance in my own life and begrudgingly admitting that I need to make some changes to swing me back closer to the health side. 3.5 stars
Profile Image for Terri.
431 reviews
February 19, 2018
Ok. So I really didn't "read" this book. I did in the beginning but about 25% through I began to give it a skimming. I believe the author is about 20 years younger than me so her worry about how not drinking around her friends would appear, believing being sober would make her less fun, and honestly worrying about wearing no makeup in public OR around her boyfriend did not resonate with me at all. Not her fault but I really just don't much care about that stuff anymore. Or maybe I'm not as much of a hedonist as I thought when I picked up this book.
Profile Image for Madeline.
1,006 reviews118 followers
October 6, 2018
The Wellness Project: a super approachable book about achieving greater 'wellness'.

What I really loved about The Wellness Project was how easy it was to read. Lapine's mini-projects to help her body all came from a place of learning, so she never fell into the trap of preaching about 'the right way'. She's not an expert in the field (which is, of course, important to know), but that makes her experience and advice that much more applicable to one's own life, like 'oh this little thing worked for Phoebe, a normal person trying to be healthier; maybe it can work for me, too.' Even Lapine's style of writing was very approachable, and read more like a conversation than a scientific lecture.

There were lots of little details that really made the book for me. I liked that Lapine discussed what didn't work; that she discussed making these changes whilst trying to build a relationship and then living with someone else; that she tackled things I wouldn't really have thought of, like contraception; and I really valued the knowledge she was able to contribute from her job as a chef. And even though I don't personally suffer from Hashimoto's disease, I do deal with my own dietary problems, and it was cool to see how Lapine's own condition interacted with her wellness project.

It's not the kind of book that will answer all your wellness problems. No book will. But I do think The Wellness Project is a really great place to start, simply because it chronicles someone else's start. It raises some good points, offers interesting information, and provides some starting points for better health, from water to skincare, that are achievable (and a successful start is so important in sticking with it).
Profile Image for Crystal.
22 reviews10 followers
September 24, 2017
"1st World Problems & Naturopathy "

[audio book review]
Before I begin, let me start by saying I really really wanted to like this, and there were a few sections which I found quite interesting and well researched, but overall I wanted to quit, increasingly more with every passing chapter. It took me such a long time to finish this book and now that I have I feel I owe it to fellow readers to review since all the reviews that I saw before my purchase were 5 stars.

If Ivanka Trump, minus a few billion dollars, and an actual career/job, were to write a wellness book under the astute guidance of Gwyneth Paltrow and Marie Condo - this would be the book. Perhaps they would call it 'Women Who Do Wellness'; To be fair I will list the things I did like before I recount the anger I felt while forcing myself through these chapters.

Pros
1. Green Beauty - this is a journey I have experience with and I still struggle with it. (I totally understand my hypocrisy in calling out this book but saying this is a positive aspect - It's stupidly expensive to buy organic skincare, unless you just don't put on any makeup ever). I probably researched the same topic to death, and while I did not learn anything new myself from the chapter she included others who haven't considered the chemical crap in their makeup or skincare products may benefit from the information she has included. I think the topic is extremely important, and I commend her for researching this and including the information.

2. The chapter on probiotics and gut health - I actually learned a few things from her virtual meeting with some microbiology professors over skype. It only reinforces my obsession with kombucha. I also think our society downplays the overuse of antibiotics and how damaging it may eventually be to the delicate balance of our gut bacteria and the evolution of smart viruses.

3. From her book, I found her blog, and there are amazing recipes, which I plan to try. We may not agree on all wellness topics, but I'd absolutely buy a cookbook if she wrote one.

4. Charlie and Baron - I was so annoyed with her I felt camaraderie with the creatures forced to share their lives with her. Is that a pro? Not sure - but I’ll list it here anyway to balance things out. Charlie, and Baron the beagle - you both have my sympathy for your involuntary presence in this wellness journey.


Cons
1. HER ACCENT - I grew up in NY, in upstate NY, but I've lived all over and I've traveled all over. I have a graduate degree in linguistics actually, so it's rare that I don't marvel at any accent as I LOVE language in all its forms and irregularities. This author choosing to read her own book .... why would her publisher allow this? She pronounces every 't' as a 'd' which just became extremely distracting after the first hour, and after the first 2 chapters I wasn't sure I could continue to listen to her talk about 'gluden'

2. A large portion of this book is specifically focused on hashimoto's syndrome, so if you don't have that you can discount 25% of the material as it won't be relative to your own wellness.

3. Naturopathy Medicine and Pseudoscience - The author seeks out a number of non-scientific not proven remedies. Some of these eastern medicine remedies like acupuncture have enough research behind them that I could agree with their inclusion, but she delves further into some woo woo aura/chakra-type crap (like if a certain part of your back hurts it's because of relationship stress) that I nearly had to forward through and almost had to stop reading.

4. Most Important : The book is supposed to be about healthy 'hedonism' and there is zero hedonism involved. Further she never solves the premise in the book's title. She ends the epilogue with 'Am I fully healed? Have I found the magic recipe for hedonism that allows me to feel good while indulging in all life's pleasures? How I wish..' I purchased this book because I expected someone to tell me how they found balanced or figured something out and the author ends this book by telling us she hasn't. Clearly, she has 'forgodden' the main thesis of her book.

5. Did not spark Joy
Profile Image for Stephanie Vogel.
59 reviews1 follower
January 11, 2018
The author tries to pass ALOT of unproven scientific claims as fact in this book. Some examples include gluten intolerance (the people who even funded this original study have since admitted they were wrong), only drinking water an hour before or after eating, fluoride affects on water and many more. She also seems rather obsessive with her “quest for wellness” and seems down right rude to a lot of people who don’t follow her unscientifically proven lifestyle (I can’t imagine why they might be resistant l......)

Don’t get me wrong, if she wants to eat this way that’s her prerogative. However I do have an issue with her presenting fiction as fact to fit her agenda. Would not recommend unless you are interested in the claims I previously stated.
Profile Image for Sheri S..
1,635 reviews
January 25, 2019
The author describes the health challenges she experiences as a result of an autoimmune disorder and the steps she is taking to battle the symptoms. She visits various doctors and tries all kinds of treatments and exercises in order to improve her health. One of the biggest changes she makes is to her diet, specifically in limiting the consumption of sugar and alcohol. Tidbits of health information are scattered throughout the story, such as babies delivered via C-section are more prone to allergies. Overall, I thought it was a somewhat informative book...
Profile Image for Nari.
497 reviews20 followers
September 25, 2017
There are better books on the same topic. Go find one of those and skip this. Its anecdotal rather than information. Her research consists of spending a lot of money on fad wellness trends to see what sticks. SPOILER ALERT! Drinking water, not sitting in a chair all day and eating whole foods can cure a whole lot problems. Who knew?? Revolutionary, really.
Profile Image for Erin.
396 reviews5 followers
September 23, 2017
This book was a breath of fresh air. Being diagnosed with Hashimoto's at 11, I didn't fully understand what my illness meant for my life or my health. I've struggled with it ever since. Every time I read up on Hashi, I am bombarded by doctors and practitioners telling me to go fully gluten, dairy, and carb free... to work out every day for an hour... to make extreme changes to my lifestyle, and in many cases, expensive ones. So to read this book and have Lapine understand that complete life overhauls aren't feasible for some was great! She was realistic and honest, sharing what worked, what didn't, and what changes she felt was worth it. In the end, everyone is different and no two Hashis will react the same way to some of her lifestyle changes, but she set up a realistic set of guidelines and reminders for everyone on how to feel better and life more fully.
Profile Image for Cassidy.
441 reviews36 followers
April 16, 2021
Like every mainstream millennial, I’m extremely interested in ~wellness~ so damn right I’m gonna listen to a year long wellness journey memoir. Listening to Phoebe felt like a friend telling me her life story over a glass of wine. A lot of it was relatable, as I’ve had some whacky issues in the past year. Some not so much, as I don’t live in NYC and am self not employed therefore many goals weren’t practical. I learned a lot!! And I need to eat more veggies!!
Profile Image for Jessica.
1,978 reviews38 followers
July 9, 2018
When Phoebe Lapine was diagnosed with Hashimoto's tyroiditis after college she struggled to reconcile her diagnosis with how she thought her 20's should be lived - lots of drinking and eating garbage. After cutting out gluten, she saw some improvement, but not enough. So, in the vein of Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project she decided to spend a year focusing on her health and how to improve it without never enjoying her life. While some of the chapters/focus were interesting the whole book was more geared toward someone with Hashimoto's or autoimmune disease, so that got a little old for me since I don't have that. But, I pretty much lost complete interest during the chapter on birth control. She makes it sound like the Pill is the worst thing you could ever use and decides on the withdrawal method (?!?!?!) and FAM (fertility awareness method) which is where you track things daily like your temperature and vaginal discharge - seriously? who has time to do that? And this quote about the withdrawal method just pissed me off, "Most [women using this form of birth control] are in committed relationships and therefore have already nurtured the degree of trust needed to cede that kind of control to a man. And many acknowledge some comfort in handing over the reins; it's stressful to be the lone watchdog guarding the hen house." (p.251-2) WTF?! Are you going to hand the pregnancy reins over if it doesn't work?! This is the stupidest thing I've read in a long time. After this chapter I was pretty much done. I just felt like this book was so geared toward her specific situation that it was hard to get much out of it. Also, she worked from home so she had a lot more freedom to take exercise classes during the day, sleep in, cook better meals, etc. Overall, I wasn't impressed with this one.
Profile Image for Taylor.
360 reviews
July 22, 2019
The author’s writing is simple, almost childlike, and yet it was one of the hardest books to get thru. There’s no structure to both the writing or her “wellness project” so it’s very confusing to follow. For example, she talks about giving up gluten as part of her year long wellness project, and yet later on she talks about having given up gluten for years. She also starts the book refusing to take medication to control her condition and how much pain she suffered. At the end of the book, she talked about how much better she feels due to the wellness project, with her condition under control etc. But you come to find out she gave up along the way and started taking medication to control her condition. So it raises the question of how much of her improvement is due to this wellness project, and how much of it is due to just taking medication like she should’ve done in the first place.
Profile Image for Janine Brouillette.
164 reviews3 followers
April 18, 2017
A book or really a journal of her journey on the author's quest to live a healthier life by making better choices, not only with food, but all the items she used in everyday life. A good read with many good resources.
Profile Image for Shawnna.
323 reviews
July 23, 2017
Really liked this memoir. A woman about to turn 30 and facing lots of health problems decides to take a year and change her health habits to see if it will make a difference. Tackling problems like exercise, water intake, food and alcohol, and sleep, she tries to figure out if small changes over time will make a difference. This wasn't preachy and she made sure that the readers knew that the changes were what worked for her. My high rating probably has something to do with my interest in the subject, but it was well done and fun to read.
8 reviews
January 6, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. Not having personally experienced an autoimmune disease, it was an interesting perspective on wholistic healthy living. Author Phoebe Lapine dives into a year long “Wellness Project” in search of healing her body since being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Each chapter describes how she spent each month learning about different aspects of health and how to apply a balanced approach to change, as well as personal stories. She includes steps to take in each area of wellness as well as a couple recipes that relate to that topic. As the reader, it is by no means a textbook approach to healing ourselves, but an inspiring nudge to start listening to our own bodies in whatever state it may be in. Her input is accessible and encouraging to all.
Profile Image for Amy Discher.
31 reviews
May 6, 2018
Gives you a lot to think about in terms of your overall health and wellness. She is not preaching or telling you what to do. It’s a chronicle of her journey to a healthier lifestyle and her struggles with her own health issues. I got some great takeaways and have implemented several of her suggestions.
Profile Image for AJ Morgan.
28 reviews
March 21, 2022
I have a hard time giving 5-stars to self help books, since everyone is different and it’s not a one size fits all; but at the rate that my eyes were opened it definitely deserved a 5-star rating. If your body isn’t feeling 100% this is a good place to start if you want to do well by your body. Highly recommend!
Profile Image for Tracy.
95 reviews1 follower
January 8, 2019
As a woman recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, I found The Wellness Project relatable and unexpectedly fun. I appreciate Phoebe's playful voice, her experimental approach, and especially the concept of healthy hedonism. I'm left inspired and hopeful.
Profile Image for April.
241 reviews5 followers
August 12, 2022
I could only get a couple of chapters in...too much pseudoscience and wellness culture dialogue. When she started talking about lemon water for 'liver detoxification' I was done.
I wouldn't recommend this book if you are looking for evidence-based answers to health issues.
Profile Image for Maddy Baboian.
15 reviews
September 28, 2024
Great read - still (try to) follow the principles today.

example…waiting to drink your morning coffee (:
Profile Image for Cassidy Murphy.
23 reviews5 followers
January 30, 2018
Obsessed with this book! I will be performing my own wellness project in 2018, inspired by this book. It is very relatable and realistic.
Profile Image for Hailey Schabo.
52 reviews
May 17, 2024
This definitely puts things into perspective. I enjoyed reading about her wellness journey and I want to take some of the information and apply it to my own life. Trying to detox my life, mind, body, and spirit and I feel like this book can help with that.
Profile Image for Stephanie.
269 reviews4 followers
July 11, 2021
I enjoyed this book. The author seeks to detox her life through many different strategies as a way of managing her Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. I, too, have Hashimoto’s, and I wondered what I might learn. It turns out, after managing this myself for over 20 years, that I didn’t learn a new strategy. That said, this is a great overview of approaching your health holistically, whether you have an autoimmune disease or not.
Profile Image for Jessica Goodman.
531 reviews18 followers
May 26, 2017
If you loved The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin - and I did - you will love this book. The author explores and experiments with various aspects of her health - from what to eat and drink to movement and meditation. She is generously personal which I really enjoyed and appreciated so that it is both a self-help book and a memoir in one, plus contains some delicious-sounding recipes that I'm eager to try, so I guess it's a cookbook too!
Profile Image for DD.
237 reviews
May 25, 2017
I really enjoyed this book - engaging and full of ideas for both small and larger ways to take better control of your health. Breaking new habits down into smaller, more "chewable" actions is very helpful too. I'm definitely going to take some of the chapter ideas and experiment - particularly those related to back health and good sleep habits. Recipe ideas are great too!
Profile Image for Emily.
Author 2 books82 followers
August 15, 2018
OK, so....sigh.
This book has some good ideas in it--I love some of the recipes--but also some ideas that make me go, whaaa?
First off, water is a chemical. Whenever people go on and on about how chemicals are bad, I want to scream. Chemicals are EVERYWHERE. We are made up of them. There are good, and there are bad, chemicals. Learn the difference. It kills me when people say this stuff, because did we not take basic chemistry? Did we not learn that everything is a chemical? Apparently not.
Second, a lot of this doesn't seem vetted by science. You do not need like 200 ounces of water a day! You don't need 100! Look at your urine output and check the color. You can drink too much water, guys. Yes, most of us probably need to drink more, but not nearly as much as this book and others like it suggest.
The chapters on sleep and on women's reproductive health were good; I'm glad she noted that, if women are trying to be more "natural", then they probably need to be off chemical birth control, because, hello....most books don't end up going there, so props for that. And people definitely need more sleep. In fact, I'd say that's absolutely critical and needs to come *first*.
Essentially, I liked the premise of this book, but I was disappointed that it was a lot of first hand experience as opposed to, hey, this worked for me, but it's also backed by science. And some of it was. But a lot of it, not so much. So--will there be things I want to try? Sure. But most of it isn't stuff I'm going to do. However, the recipes look great, so it's worth checking out for that.
Profile Image for Chad Schultz.
441 reviews8 followers
September 12, 2020
I listened to a couple hours of this. It seems to be largely an autobiographical tale of one woman's struggle with Hashimoto's Disease, and the various ways she tried to treat it, most notably by changing her diet. There's also a strong self-help/wellness guide aspect, with advice on more natural makeup, better hydration and better eating. The author is a chef, not a doctor or a nutritionist, but it seems like she did her research... right? She certainly sounded scientific, with her recitations of physiology facts and nutrition studies.

She maintains lemon water will flush toxins out of your system, that fluoride is bad for you and must be removed from your water, and that charcoal sticks will thoroughly clean water, just by being immersed in it for a while (without the water actually being forced through the filter).

This is not science. This has changed from a harmless and interesting tale of one woman's struggles to manage her illness and personal wellness, and has turned into a work chockablock with inaccuracies. Following this book could lead people to pursue useless, possibly expensive or even harmful tactics, all while believing they are taking care of their health.

I stopped listening once she got to the fluoride and activated charcoal sticks and deleted the book. There's no sense in filling my mind with untruths.

Turn to more accurate resources on nutrition for your wellness needs, and to other biographies for your entertainment.
Profile Image for S.T..
467 reviews
July 11, 2022
I’m on a quest of my own in regards to wellness that has nothing to do with any autoimmune related disease, but I thought I’d give this a whirl to see if I’d pick up any interesting tidbits. Her friendly tone made this a quick and easy read so I didn’t invest too much time…

Unfortunately, there really isn’t much content here that did much for me in regards to my personal quest. I didn’t really learn anything new, she didn’t have any “aha” moments or pearls of wisdom to pass on, and I’m not really sure what her final formula became for her own search for health. (Basically, I think she just “grew up” and realized that she needs to sleep; she needs to exercise; she needs a Perscription for her thyroid disease; she needs to rethink her alcohol consumption…and…she needs to rethink the importance of having a dog🥴.)
Profile Image for Caroline.
48 reviews
September 26, 2017
I just loved this book. First, Phoebe's writing style makes it seem as if you're having a casual yet informative conversation with her. Also, it's far from "preachy", which is refreshing for this type of book. Secondly, it presents a wide array of things to try and phoebe is not afraid to say what worked (and why), what didn't work (and why) and what stuck. Lastly, sometimes I feel like I have to have a PhD to understand some of the wellness terminology. Phoebe does a great job at explaining the important facts and makes them so much more understandable than any other book like this I've read.

Plus, the recipes are great. I love the Thai peanut hummus!
Profile Image for Melissa Fish.
411 reviews6 followers
March 22, 2019
I wanted to love this. I have friends and family with various thyroid and autoimmune problems, but I just couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes at this author's perceived difficulties following her new wellness protocols when she's young, single, childless, living in an area with seemingly unlimited resources, and economically stable. Boo hoo hoo, it's so hard to get to the farmers market. Also, stop calling splitting a single bottle of wine with a grown man "hedonistic".
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