The Diet-Free Revolution : 10 Steps to Free Yourself from the Diet Cycle with Mindful Eating and Radical Self-Acceptance

by Alexis Conason

A 10-step approach to ditch diet culture, heal your relationship with food, and learn to love your body from clinical psychologist Alexis Conason.

Diets don’t work—and it’s not your fault. As a culture, we’re told (and tell ourselves) that if we just lost the weight—tried a little harder, had a little more willpower, or deprived ourselves for a little bit longer—we’d be happier, healthier, and more desirable. But it’s just not true.

The Diet-Free Revolution debunks the myths we’ve been sold about food, nutrition, health, and weight loss, and offers an antidote to the pain and suffering caused by yo-yo diets, untenable food regimens, and quick-fixes. Clinical psychologist and eating disorder specialist Alexis Conason shows that finding health, happiness, and real nourishment is about more than changing what, how, or when we eat: it’s about radically shifting our relationship with food by healing our relationship to ourselves. She helps us discover what really nourishes us, while teaching us how we can listen to and love our bodies. Enriched with case studies, meditations, stories, lessons, and activities, her 10-step program will help you:

• Challenge your assumptions about weight and health
• Find fullness and manage emotional eating
• Embrace your “yum” and tune into taste with mindful eating
• Trust your body to be your guide

Reframing dieting and diet “failure” as pervasive aspects of our culture—not individual failures—The Diet-Free Revolution offers an empowering roadmap to healing, self-acceptance, and radical new ways of relating to and loving our bodies.

Genres: Self Help, Health, Nonfiction, Mental Health, Food, Nutrition

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 29, 2021

About the author

ALEXIS CONASON, PSY.D., CEDS-S is a clinical psychologist and eating disorder specialist in private practice in New York City. She is the author of The Diet-Free Revolution: 10 Steps to Free Yourself from the Diet Cycle with Mindful Eating and Radical Self-Acceptance (North Atlantic Books, 2021). She is the founder of The Anti-Diet Plan, a weight-inclusive online mindful eating program available worldwide. She was previously a research associate at the New York Nutrition Obesity Research Center in affiliation with Columbia University. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals, she is a frequent speaker at conferences, and she has been featured widely as an expert on the topics of mindful eating, body image, and diet culture in the media.

A lifelong New Yorker, Conason lives in Manhattan with her husband and two daughters. She loves all things related to food including cooking, grocery shopping, watching food shows, and of course eating! But most rewarding is helping her clients transform their relationship with food and experience the joys of eating. She is a fierce advocate for helping people recognize and question the societal norms that encourage their feeling not good enough about themselves so they can stop fixating on shrinking their bodies and reclaim the space that they deserve in the world. You can find her on social media @theantidietplan.

Reviews

[Linda Galella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A totally new way to approach food and yourself.

If nothing else, “The Diet Free Revolution” will have folks talking. Author, Alexis Conason, begins by introducing the 10 steps to the DFR: (they’re also the chapter headings)

1. Say goodbye to dieting
2. Challenge your assumptions about weight & dieting
3. Embrace the power of awareness & learn the 5 minute meditation
4. Treat yourself w/compassion & convict your inner critic
5. Hear & feed your hunger
6. Find fullness
7. Embrace your your by tuning in to taste
8. Let your body guide you in eating ( what you want, when you want)
9. Deeply care for your emotional needs
10. Live a full life of self care, value & pleasure

Conason is a clinical psychologist and eating disorder specialist. She’s also lived thru this life of diet hell. She writes with passion and humor while providing science based information and experiences from clients for readers to share. She’s clear, compassionate and careful to advise that this program is not a quick weight loss plan. Real change comes from self acceptance. She recommends breathing exercises, 5-10 mindfulness & meditation sessions daily, letter writing, baths, walks and more self care tips. Each chapter has a variety of suggestions.

There’s no time limit on this plan, no pantry, shopping list, recipes, good or bad foods. Eat when you’re hungry - Stop when you’re full. Sounds easy, right? It took ten years for Conason to write this book. How many years I’ve been bouncing thru diet plans is far longer than that. There’s some good stuff in this “Diet Free Revolution” that I’m going to integrate into my intermittent fasting eating plan.

All things considered, something new and thoughtful📚

[Sonja Schaalo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yep - all makes sense. The diet culture is so incredibly toxic and yet so deeply do we internalise the idea that ‘fat is bad’ that we will spend a lifetime trying to shrink our bodies.
Some poignant points from the book:
“We prescribe for fat people what we diagnose as an eating disorder in thin people.’
‘A 2019 study found that weight cycling is associated with a 50% increase in risk of death.’
‘White people, who created the categories of race science, conveniently put themselves at the top of the hierarchy. Blackness was associated with a robust body size, especially for women, which was said to stem from uncontrolled animal instincts or excessive eating drinking and sex.’
‘The truth is that there is only one good appetite suppressant - food.’
‘There is a reason people say hunger is the best seasoning.’
‘As legendary chef Julia Child said, ‘We should enjoy food and have fun. It is one of the simplest and nicest pleasures in life.’
And this one affected me the most:
‘It can feel sad and disappointing to realise that the food we are eating is no longer as enjoyable as it once was. Just as when we recognise that our fullness is bringing an eating experience to an end, we may feel a sense of grief and loss as taste diminishes towards the end of the meal. After all it is human nature to want to prolong pleasurable experiences and hold onto them as long as we can.’

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely worth reading if you, like so many of us, struggle with food. It’s hard to break the narrative surrounding weight in your own head and this book has helped me with it. Definitely follow Alexis Conason on Instagram too, her posts will continue to help!!
I’m so glad I won this as a giveaway, it came at a time that I really needed it!

[Elizabeth Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an absolute must-read for anyone who has ever struggled with their relationship with food or their body. Conason breaks down the oppressive nature of diet culture and offers practical steps for working towards taking the struggle out of eating and reconnecting with your values. She dispels myths about weight and health and talks about just how UNHEALTHY engaging in diet culture can be. The case examples she uses are interesting and relatable, and the research on everything presented is incredibly thorough. As an eating disorder psychologist, everything Conason writes about informs my work with my own clients. Could not recommend this book more highly!

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nicely laid out step by step guide on how to practice listening to your body's hunger and fullness cues and feel more connected in general. It goes into the psychology of our relationship with food and where that line can break down and how we can fix it. Its basically a beginner's guide to intuitive eating and an excellent starting place for anyone who wants to re imagine their approach to healthy eating that isn't diet focused.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great little book on the mindset associated with eating. As always it’s a lot easier said than done, but this has a lot of small simple suggestions to try to keep you on track.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’re already familiar with Intuitive Eating and HAES, you could skip this book. If you’re new to those ideas, then this book is a good starting place.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been getting back into intuitive eating. Like most people who discover this movement, I've been cycling back and forth between this way of being in the world and the deeply entrenched diet-culture mentality that has me seeking intentional weight loss. I've heard many practitioners speak about how this process is to be expected, so I'm accepting it for what it is: a predictable part of the journey. It takes time to shed decades of cultural conditioning, and I'm giving myself space (and grace) to work through all of that.

I came across this book randomly at the library, and I immediately snatched it up. It hadn't even been on my radar of intuitive eating material, but I'm so glad it crossed my path. Conason's ability to relate to my worries, fears and deeply entrenched beliefs is remarkable. In addition, I appreciated her down-to-earth tone and her genuine support. While the book doesn't cover anything you can't find in other intuitive eating resources, what it does offer - with open arms - is unconditional acceptance and understanding. At this point in my journey, it's exactly what I needed, and for that, I'm immensely grateful to Alexis Conason.

[Manu Arap · Rating 5 out of 5]

so good. it’s simple enough that anyone will enjoy reading it, no matter the background, but still so informative and I love how she backs up arguments with tons of data. diet free revolution is the only possible revolution lets gooooo

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an ED therapist, this was a refreshing read and something that I feel confident and comfortable sharing with my clients! #dietculturedropout🫶

[Laura Willyard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just begun Alexis Conason's book but wow! She captured my attention from the very beginning chapter. Like her my attempts at dieting have always failed and after 25yr+ of trying to diet and keep the weight off I feel like a failure. And asking my self why can I not succeed in losing weight or keep what I do lose permanently. I was relieved to discover that I may not be totally to blame for my diet"failures". I look forward to reading more of her book to learn or relearn a healthy way of mindful eating, and hopefully get off the diet roller coaster and the self defeating, shame feelings I have about my weight.
The book is broken down into 10 steps to read and follow. it is a easy book to read and understand.
I esp look forward to reading the Step 4 "you are not broken", as that is how I feel. I feel broken or that something must be wrong with me. BUT as I have skimmed through her book I am seeing that that is NOT the case! Steps 8 & 10 discusses "Let your Body be your guide" & "Live a Life Full of Self-Care, Pleasure and Value" seems to be the core idea of this book.
I was thrilled when I received this book and began to read, finally a person who "understands" not a Dr. or Nutritionist who has never struggled with weight telling me that you are what you eat, and if you are fat, it is because you eat too much and don't exercise.... It may be just that easy... for some people .. but for some of us it is just not that simple.

Even though I just began reading this book, it has given me hope that I can lose an be a healthy weight for my height, age and build that that power is MINE and is WITHIN me not in a diet or plan. It has also confirmed some things that I have long suspected about the diet industry, and how we as a society need to redefine beauty. I highly recommend it to anyone who like myself has struggled with weight,self esteem for most my adult life, and who have TRIED and wondered"why cant I lose... is it me? Is there something wrong with me??" to read this book.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a health coach I am always looking for ways to help my clients and give them a book that will improve their mindset, THIS is a book to read. I enjoyed her simple yet effective approach and her brilliant way to dial into oneself.

[India · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I learned HAES from a psychologist and dietician 7 years ago and so much of this I have been doing for 7 years. Yet this reminded me of some things I had not thought about in a while and gave me some new ideas for seeing HAES in a new way. Definitely a useful book.