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Big Girl: How I Gave Up Dieting and Got a Life Paperback – January 5, 2016

by Kelsey Miller (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 594 ratings
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A hilarious and inspiring memoir about one young woman's journey to find a better path to both physical and mental health.

At twenty-nine, Kelsey Miller had done it all: crash diets, healthy diets, and nutritionist-prescribed "eating plans," which are diets that you pay more money for. She'd been fighting her un-thin body since early childhood, and after a lifetime of failure, finally hit bottom. No diet could transform her body or her life. There was no shortcut to skinny salvation. She'd dug herself into this hole, and now it was time to climb out of it.

With the help of an Intuitive Eating coach and fitness professionals, she learned how to eat based on her body's instincts and exercise sustainably, without obsessing over calories burned and thighs gapped. But, with each thrilling step toward a healthy future, she had to contend with the painful truths of her past.

Big Girl chronicles Kelsey's journey into self-loathing and disordered eating-and out of it. This is a memoir for anyone who's dealt with a distorted body image, food issues, or a dysfunctional family. It's for the late-bloomers and the not-yet-bloomed. It's for everyone who's tried and failed and felt like a big, fat loser. So, basically, everyone.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    288 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Grand Central Publishing
  4. Publication date
    January 5, 2016
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.75 x 8.38 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1455532630
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1455532636
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This chronicle of [Miller's] journey from childhood through hard-won revelations is hilarious and brutally honest, offering plenty of wisdom for anyone who's struggled with issues of her own."― People

"Readers of all sizes, shapes and backgrounds can relate to 'Big Girl.' It's a tour de force on growing up, learning how to be healthy in mind, body and spirit, and coming to terms with the fact that life is fast, but it is OK to stop for a moment to bring home, smell and eat the bacon."
―New York Daily News

"Raw and revealing, with self-deprecating humor sprinkled throughout. . . . [Miller's] honestly, hilariously told story will appeal to any readers who have ever felt dissatisfaction with their bodies and will move them to tears of sorrow, laughter, and joy."―Publishers Weekly

"Readers will cheer for Miller to succeed on her 'anti-diet' diet of intuitive eating, her quest to eat according to her mindfully mined needs and desires, not according to a rulebook."―Kirkus Reviews

"In less capable hands, Big Girl might have been another garden-variety memoir or diet book. With Miller in charge, however, we see these two genres woven cleverly together to tell a story that - if you're in possession of a beating heart - will promise to amuse, educate and inspire."―Sara Barron, author of The Harm in Asking and People Are Unappealing

"Smart, sane, and funny, Big Girl is the wise friend that every person should have by their side when navigating the bizarre extremes of modern eating. With grace and humor, Kelsey Miller sheds light on the hazards of a culture obsessed with dieting--and shows us that self-acceptance and intuition can offer a way out."―Alexandra Kleeman, author of You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine

"Reading Big Girl is like spending time with your utterly authentic and devastatingly articulate new friend. Kelsey Miller strikes a pitch perfect balance between criticizing our deeply warped cultural attitudes toward body image and reminding us all that we're personally responsible for--and capable of--rising above the insanity."―Kelsey Osgood, author of How To Disappear Completely

"Big Girl is so much more than the story of a girl's life-long struggles with food and her body. It is a unflinchingly honest and laugh-out-loud hilarious look at what it means to be a woman, full stop. Kelsey Miller's struggles might not specifically be yours, but no one reading this spectacular debut memoir will doubt that how she deals with those struggles, her successes and very human failures, are universal. This book is, quite simply, an act of both courage and kindness, shining a spotlight on the things we all hold secret, and in the process it becomes not only inspirational and uplifting, but more importantly, an enormously entertaining piece of writing."―Stacey Ballis, author of Out to Lunch and Recipe for Disaster

About the Author

Kelsey Miller graduated from Boston University with a BS in Film & Television. She began her career in the film production industry before transitioning to full-time writing. Soon after joining the staff of Refinery29, she created The Anti-Diet Project, one of the website's most popular franchises. She is currently a Senior Features Writer and lives in Brooklyn.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing (January 5, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1455532630
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1455532636
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.38 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 594 ratings

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Kelsey Miller

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
594 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

JS
5.0 out of 5 stars A great memoir for anyone interested in intuitive eating
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2017
Verified Purchase
I loved this book! I felt that real sense of sadness when I only had a chapter left, like I was ending a vacation with a really wonderful friend. Kelsey Miller is smart, funny, and a beautiful writer with a perfect sense of humility and self-deprecation. This highly personal (duh?) memoir follows Kelsey through the beginnings of her intuitive eating journey, with plenty of stop-offs (typically in the form of well-signaled flashbacks) along the way that help build context and provide insight both for the author and reader. I laughed, cried, and cried some more as I read.

This book provides a working glimpse into the life of intuitive eating. It helps a the reader understand that intuitive eating is truly a life-long process that involves both uncovering the past and honoring whatever future may come. If you are looking for a manual on intuitive eating, try  Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works  or  The Diet Survivor's Handbook: 60 Lessons in Eating, Acceptance and Self-Care  or  When Women Stop Hating Their Bodies: Freeing Yourself from Food and Weight Obsession . If you're looking for a wonderfully crafted, experiential story about an incredibly courageous woman who is practicing intuitive eating, buy this book!! And don't forget to check out Kelsey's Anti-Diet Project on Refinery29--truly a refreshing voice amidst the constant internet "health" babble!
2 people found this helpful
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Oliver
4.0 out of 5 stars Just the right book for anyone with eating dissorder
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2018
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I 've just started to seriously deal with my bulimia and this books really helped me with the process. It describes alk the struggles in a light, funny way, however the message is strong...
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Sarah Seidelmann
5.0 out of 5 stars read this book
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2023
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As someone who has struggled with food + body issues for 43 years I can only say that this book brought tears, revelations and so much JOY to me. Thank you Kelsey. You have no idea.
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Chantal Marie Doriott
5.0 out of 5 stars Reading this now
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2024
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So far it’s a good read!
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M
3.0 out of 5 stars Good memoir, but be careful with misinformation
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2019
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I liked this book overall as a memoir. Kelsey is such a kind, funny person. Hearing her go through her struggles with her body and food and in other areas of her life was difficult to read about at times because I had so much empathy for her. It made it that much more meaningful when she was able to begin to overcome these problems and develop a healthier relationship with food and her body. I didn't read this book when it came out, but i recall seeing it everywhere for awhile, and we really do need more mainstream representation of intuitive eating and body acceptance.

Having said that, I don't think all of the information about intuitive eating (IE) in this book is accurate, and therefore have concerns about people getting misinformation. One thing that made me very concerned was that Kelsey began working with a personal trainer right away while seeing her IE dietitian. The book Intuitive Eating is the original and best resource for this way of eating, and it lists exercise near the dead end of the process, because it is so difficult to develop a healthy relationship with exercise that is not connected to weight before you accept your body. I know this is true for me and many others who are recovering or have recovered. The way Kelsey talked about exercise reinforced to me that she had not gotten to this point. She comments to a detractor online that "fitness is a big part of [IE]." No, "fitness" is not something we talk about in IE, but we do talk about exercise that keeps us healthy and makes us feel good regardless of "fitness" and body size does. Kelsey missed the mark here. I feel that she does have a responsibility to represent things accurately even though she is not an IE practitioner.

Similarly, I felt for Kelsey when she discussed her issues with mental health, but do not support some of the language she uses to talk about it. She makes a terrible comment that "there is a selfishness to anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders." This is an inappropriate and needlessly stigmatizing comment, as these disorders have nothing to do with "selfishness." There is enough bad information about mental health, and this could have been an opportunity for her to give better information.

Ultimately, it was a good book, but it should have been screened by an IE and/or mental health practitioner before it went to press. I suggest reading the original book Intuitive Eating, most recent edition, to anyone who wants more and accurate information about the process.
19 people found this helpful
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Melanie
5.0 out of 5 stars Really enjoyed this book
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2018
Verified Purchase
The author is witty, funny, and real. I had never heard of intuitive eating until this book but it had got me curious. The author really gets you to thinking about all the diets one had tried and how they have been the issue all along. I've never followed intuitive eating but I got fed up with dieting a few years ago. I aimed for healthy eating instead but still could relate to het dieting woes. She hit home to me on a personal level. Highly recommend to any of those who have tried numerous diets and always chasing that "special number" on the scale. I highly recommend the audio book!
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Top reviews from other countries

Tabs
5.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed this book a lot
Reviewed in Canada on August 24, 2018
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed this book a lot. It was helpful to read another persons struggles and triumphs with intuitive eating. Well written and reads easily
One person found this helpful
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Marioum
5.0 out of 5 stars Genuine and fun, yet very clever analysis of our relationship to food and the diet mentality
Reviewed in France on January 2, 2017
Verified Purchase
Ms Miller's Big Girl is a genuine report of her own experience with stopping dieting and starting intuitive eating. It's not a diet book - it's not the opposite of a diet book. It's an autobiography work, and as such, it's a funny, light hearted, very on-point text. The writer doesn't take herself too seriously and remains cheerful throughout but without diminishing the reality of the social, mental and psychological struggle brought by eating disorders and diet psychology. Actually, it shows how pervasive and insidious our food "morality rules" can be. Even if you think you have no problems in that department at all, that you have a healthy relationship with food and with your body image, you'll be surprised to realize that you do adopt the good/bad food vocabulary and you use it on yourself more often than you think (I've been good, I chose the salad or I've been so bad I ate a whole piece of cake). This book is not an ode to obesity either, and it's sad to see Miller's detractors online calling her unhealthy and "fat", and saying it's dangerous to glamorize obesity. Talk about missing the point.
Definitely a good book if you're not looking for a new diet.
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Laura
1.0 out of 5 stars A delusion!!!
Reviewed in Italy on September 7, 2016
Verified Purchase
I was very curious to read this book, I've followed her online and never considered her really a fat girl as she does, but her writting style is terrible, childish, she focused it too little on her IE experience and too much on her personal life, I wasn't interested in her 120 pages bio, I was interested in how she approached IE, tips to overcome obstacles and problems, after reading it I feel cheated, it seemed just like a gossip magazine.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Witty & thought provoking
Reviewed in Canada on April 12, 2017
Verified Purchase
Kelsey has put into words the thoughts and feelings on diet exhaustion and learning to live healthily without dieting. I'm going to give this a try. Thank you.
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Kindle Customer
2.0 out of 5 stars A bit off-topic...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 24, 2016
Verified Purchase
Some of this book was quite good, well-written and evocative. The author has a talent for bringing you into a place and time, and leaves lovely touches bringing her story to life. Unfortunately, I couldn't finish it, because I failed to see how a lot of said story related to 'giving up dieting and getting a life'. Most of the time I felt I was labouring through some person's backstory - which is fine, if you are just looking for a memoir to read. But a lot of it seems very privileged, pretty irrelevant to the main theme and honestly, a little grating. If you are looking to learn more about the process of intuitive eating, I'd stick with the classic 'Intuitive Eating' by Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole.
4 people found this helpful
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