Fulfilled: Let Go of Shame, Embrace Your Body, and Eat the Food You Love

by Alexandra MacKillop

Today's culture has distorted the way we women view our bodies. We are hyper-critical, obsessed with weight loss, and distracted by the countless advertisements we see to eat, exercise, and dress differently. But God does not call you to be thinner or to follow a perfectly clean diet plan. Rather, God longs for you to embrace your body, eat with freedom, and live with a deep sense of confidence that you (and your body) are loved exactly as you are. In Fulfilled , nutrition expert Alexandra MacKillop explores physical, mental, and spiritual health through a non-diet lens, encouraging you to respect your body, honor your hunger, and embrace the unique size and shape that God created for you. Fulfilled provides tangible steps toward changing your beliefs about food and your body. After examining the ways dieting harms a person's physical and spiritual health, the book lays out a more intuitive framework for eating that emphasizes mindfulness, satisfaction, and surrender. As you learn to embrace your body, you'll be set free from the fear of losing control. As you grow in your understanding of God's love for you and your natural shape, you'll be released from the shame of not conforming to a certain physical type. As you develop your knowledge of intuitive eating, you'll realize that you can love and eat foods of all types. With Alexandra as your guide, you'll learn how to enjoy food without sabotaging your fitness goals, honor the unique body God created for you, and live out a life of love and freedom--all under the umbrella of grace.

Genres: Nonfiction

174 pages, Paperback

Published March 2, 2021

Reviews

[Erin L Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is such a blessing for the woman who wants to break free from the shame and frustration of dieting and truly understand how intuitive eating is God's design for our health. Alexandra MacKillop skillfully explains the problems with dieting from a scientific and faith-based perspective and then shows us how to eat with freedom and embrace the bodies God created. If you want to learn intuitive eating from a faith-based perspective, this is a must read. I can't recommend it highly enough!

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Y'all I started reading this simply because my friend wrote it and I think it's so cool I have a doctor friend who is a published nonfiction author.

I didnt think I'd get much out of it. I mean, I like food and dont have a problem eating all kinds of food.

But I still needed to hear the stuff she said, especially in the second half of the book. God really used her words to remind me of the importance of all aspects of self-care, even down to making sure the food I eat are regularly scheduled, nutritious and tasty. And sleep. This book isn't even about sleep but she was comparing food habits to sleep habits at one point for sake of clarity about food and I realized I haven't even been sleeping enough regularly to be healthy! Goodness.

Her style/tone is so full of grace and peace. I felt calmer just reading her practical, professional, and approachable words.

She did lose me briefly in just a handful of places as she brought in technical/medical vocab but did a good job breaking them down into laymen's terms.

I recommend this book for basically everybody. We all need a reality check on nutrition and to have our eyes opened to how unhealthy our culture's tendency toward dieting is.

In fact, MacKillop proposes no diets ever. THAT oughtta pique your interest.

So go buy it and support a new author! :)

[Bethany Feustel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been following intuitive eating for almost two years now, so this information was not new exactly. But it was thorough, concise, and through a biblical lens which has always lacked in other books I’ve read. This concept has such power to help women who are in (mostly unrecognized) bondage to the burden of constantly seeking a “better” body through dieting.
I’m buying my own copy, and will be re-reading parts of the book frequently when the temptation to jump on the next diet trend strikes again (which is not a rare occurrence)

[Melanie Hay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a blessing. I google searched while in a somewhat desperate state to feel better. I thought I wanted to be smaller but became more miserable than ever when I did. The anxiety that came on from the diet lifestyle was awful. This helped me so much already. I know this isn’t going to be an overnight fix but I feel hopeful!

[Ashley Powe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!

I have A LOT to rethink about dieting, my body, and how I think about the two. Also, I never considered the spiritual implications!

I’m so grateful to Dr. MacKillop for writing this book!

[K. E. Meadows · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Katie Hamby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been extremely helpful in my recovery. It's rare to find good books that tackle intuitive eating, HAES, and eating disorders from a faith based perspective.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book hooked me by the title, and though there was a LOT of religion that I didn't expect, it was easy to dodge if that's not your thing. Overall, intuitive eating by listening to your body and its signals, and being ok with how your body is NOW takes some work, but I think it might be a better way to go than fad diets.