Beautiful Bodies by Kimerbly Rae Miller was an interesting read for sure. Makes you think about certain issues in a whole new light!

Kimberly Rae Miller shares with brutal honesty her journey with weight loss and being uncomfortable in her own body. Miller began dieting when she first entered elementary school and still struggles with body image and weight issues as of writing the book. From severely cutting calories (how did she survive on 600 calories a day?!) to exercising until she burned more calories in her workouts than the calories she consumed each day, Miller has tried everything to control her weight and to give herself the body she always felt she deserved. But when a potential husband and a potential future family enter the picture, she realizes how difficult it is to decide between being healthy and being thin, and the consequences of pushing her body (and her metabolism) too hard for too long.

So much of Miller's life story resonates with me, as I'm sure it will with women of all ages. Having tried almost every diet under the sun myself, Miller's background on how specific diets emerged throughout history, and who came up with the notion of counting calories to begin with, helped me come to terms with the fact that I am not the only person struggling to lose weight and that our concepts of what it means to be healthy and beautiful need careful consideration. I highly recommend this autobiography/health literary nonfiction for anyone who has struggled to lose weight and has always hated looking in the mirror.

i loved and appreciated the honesty the author put in this book very very much. Also i found all the information provided along the read very helpful.

I love how honest the author is with her experience, as hard to read as it is, I can totally relate to that. I also love the friendly-anecdote-ish writing style she has. And I definitely appreciate all the research and excerpts she incorporated into her book.

A brave woman who was more than willing to do the work to see what made the ideal body and what made them ideal. Kimberly Rae Miller was willing to delve into uncharted territory in order to get her answer as to why and what is the ideal body.

After dealing with her own struggles loving her body since she was 4, she was more than willing to go for the gold when it came to the answers that she wanted. She knew as an average woman that dieting was normal, especially in todays society. While growing up she had many issues being able to love her body, unlike other girls she wasn't tall, and super skinny like so many girls are. She had trouble with diets and realized that they didn't all work.

While writing about the fitness/diet world she was able to see why so many diets didn't work. Kimberly shared her struggles along side so many women that can relate, and goes through the earliest dietary regulations that are still held up to this day. She goes through research that was done years ago to prove why so many people have issues loving their bodies.

With so many people who deal with eating disorders and have bod dysmorphic disorder it is no wonder so many people don't love their bodies. Our bodies aren't always portrayed the best way especially in social media and print media. It is always about being the skinniest and not always the healthiest.

There are so many ways in which I can relate to Kimberly and how she felt about her body, her struggles with eating and nutrition. It is something many people go through and could learn from her and her approach with this memoir.

As someone who has struggled with eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorders it is such a challenging issue to be able to handle. Because you have to eat to live, not always living to eat. And that within itself Is the hardest battle that people deal with. Because food is legal it is so much more accessible that drugs. And no matter what you do you have to have it to survive.

Knowing that there are so many other people that deal with the issues that I deal with on a daily basis is a comfort because I'm not alone. Someone else understands my thought process when I see a Starbucks drink and snack that I really want, but my brain is saying something completely different.

With all of the body shaming that happens in the world today no wonder so many people don't like their bodies. It is hard to love your body when so many other people are saying you shouldn't. This memoir hit home on so many levels, and I cant give it enough praise! There are so many things to be said about this book, starting with everyone should read this. Whether you love your body or not. Maybe it would give better understanding to those that don't, and those that do!

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<I><b>Disclaimer: Thank you so much to NetGalley and Little A publishing for the early release copy. All opinions stated are my own and not influenced by the exchange.</b></I>

Thank You to Little A for providing me with an advance copy of Kimberly Rae Miller's memoir, Beautiful Bodies, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- In her memoir, Beautiful Bodies, Kimberly Rae Miller explores her relationship with her own body; the confusion she feels over body image and her never-ceasing diets. 

LIKE- I loved Miller's previous memoir, Coming Clean, about growing up with parents who are hoarders, and I was thrilled to be approved for a galley edition of her latest memoir. Miller is a talented writer who is very open with sharing the intimate details of her life. This openness and vulnerability is what makes her writing so accessible. When I read her books, I feel like I'm being told a story by a close friend. Admittedly, I did not find the subject of body image to be as fascinating as her being raised by parents who are hoarders, however Miller's writing is so good, that I'd likely pick up any book she writes.

What Miller really hits on is the disturbing problem of very young girls dieting and having negative thoughts about their body. Honestly, I don't remember personally having these issues, but I see it in elementary-aged girls that I know; the fear of being fat and the obsession with dieting. It's scary! Along with her personal dieting stories, Miller throws in some dieting history. I love how she blends in the historical perspective, providing some Trivial Pursuit worthy tidbits. 

Miller analyzes how her body image has impacted her relationships, including that with her husband, Roy. It is hard for Miller to trust that Roy accepts her body with all of its changes, including pregnancy. 

DISLIKE- Nothing. Miller is brutally honest and often very funny.

RECOMMEND- Yes!!! If you are unfamiliar with Miller's writing, I highly recommend that you read both Coming Clean and Beautiful Bodies. She has a strong voice and unique perspective.

This is absolutely great. It's great because we've all been there; distressed about our bodies and somehow tricked into thinking that zero calories is the optimum amount. Cutting carbs, counting macros, pretending we like kale.

Kimberley Rae Miller has written her story with an honesty that is really affecting. Her focus and obsession on food and weight for the entirety of her life is distressing to read- but in reality, she is no different to the myriad of other people on this planet who feel exactly the same way, all the time.

Her relationships, both with her parents and her significant others (including her husband) and her career are explored openly throughout her story. Miller lets you see the pain of this absolute nonsense obsession with weight that dominates our lives. It's a hard read (particularly as a woman who has been overweight) but it's a really good one.

I really wanted this book as the subject matter is closet to my heart. Unfortunately, the writing style is so boring that I just could not find myself caring about any of it.

Beautiful story of one woman's journey towards health and loving herself. Loved the balance between historical ideals of body image and the memoir tone as the author tells her one story.

Did you read author Kimberly Rae Miller’s book, Coming Clean? It was so good that I read it in record time and was eager to get my hands on Beautiful Bodies, her latest.

I admire writers who can pen stories about their own lives. There’s something so incredible about a person who takes chunks of their lives and shares it with readers who can relate in some way. As someone who struggles in the self-image department, I’m especially excited to read this.

I remember standing in front of Cinnabon at eight months pregnant, crying because I wanted a cinnamon roll but didn’t want to risk gaining an extra pound. All I could think about was adding more weight to my body and being unable to lose it. It was a difficult time for me to say the least.

Anyway, here’s Kimberly’s book:



Like most people, Kimberly Rae Miller does not have the perfect body, but that hasn’t stopped her from trying. And trying. And trying some more. She’s been at it since she was four years old, when Sesame Street inspired her to go on her first diet. Postcollege, after a brief stint as a diet-pill model, she became a health-and-fitness writer and editor working on celebrities’ bestselling bios—sugarcoating the trials and tribulations celebs endure to stay thin. Needless to say, Kim has spent her life in pursuit of the ideal body.

But what is the ideal body? Knowing she’s far from alone in this struggle, Kim sets out to find the objective definition of this seemingly unattainable level of perfection. While on a fascinating and hilarious journey through time that takes her from obese Paleolithic cave women, to the bland menus that Drs. Graham and Kellogg prescribed to promote good morals in addition to good health, to the binge-drinking-prone regimen that caused William the Conqueror’s body to explode at his own funeral, Kim ends up discovering a lot about her relationship with her own body.

I was close to giving this a 5, so let's say a 4.5 would be more accurate than the 4. I was so happy to have been granted my wish, for an ARC, by the publisher, Little A, in exchange for my honest opinion. I thought this might be more of a non fiction read on the history of weight loss, body self image, etc, but was so pleased to find the author sharing her journey along the weight loss path. Where we go wrong and how our misperceptions end up hurting our metabolism (and I'm sure this is true.) The books was a chronological essay type book, and I loved the author's writing style, her honesty and her fears. This isn't a diet book, but if you struggle with food, or body image, or have a child who does...this is a must read.

In this memoir about lifestyle, nutrition and bodies, Kimberley opens up on her life and opinions about how harmful so called diet culture can be in modern day.

Talking openly about her struggles with weight and anorexia like behaviour, to gaining all the weight back after another restrictive and dangerous diet.

Talking about diet culture and media influence, as well as her own early modelling days and adults telling her younger self to watch her weight, we learn how damaging and worrying it plants itself into youngsters and still happens nowadays too.

She also talks about refeeding syndrome and how it takes time to repair metabolic damage once it has occurred, it can take months to repair properly a damaged metabolism.

Kimberley has opened her life to us for judging, relating and commiserating with through every high and low all women face she is brave and beautiful for doing so, any girl who has struggled will appreciate this book.

First I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher for allowing me access to this title, and for granting my wish!! 😊

Being a woman with a negative body image and weight Issues myself ( the reason why I requested this title) this has always been a very hard topic for me to discuss and also very emotional.

I admire the author for sharing her struggles and for her honesty as she shares, reveals, and acknowledges her imperfections to her readers.

I enjoyed that the author backed up her information with insights from history, genetics and, research and incorporates this in her own personal story. I absolutely love this book! Kimberly Rae Miller, thank you so much for sharing your story!

definitely recommended!!!