Meaning-FULL is pitched as a “blend of motivational self-help, memoir, psychology, and health and wellness. It’s a collection of short stories all woven together by the author with clever and caring commentary, as well as blunt truth and sharp humor.

I was immediately happy to see that in the introduction, the author described the book like a grocery story, where each aisle contained multitudes, of which we should consider and take what works for us, while leaving other things behind. She uses this diverse body of experiences as lived experience that she then pulls wisdom, humor, and relatable trauma from.

As someone who has struggled with my own relationship with food and my body, it took me a long time to pick this one up. I was scared it would make me feel judged or demotivated, but in fact I think she hit a perfect balance of offering a lot, but in a way that made me feel absolutely fine about not connecting to some passages or advice. The author doesn’t treat this book like a cure all for everyone’s body image and food issues, but instead presents a wide array of anecdotes and peer reviewed research in a format that truly allowed me to connect with what resonated with me, and respectfully read the rest without feeling the need to find it useful to my situation.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who struggles with their relationship with food and body image, with the caveat that while the presentation was easier to digest and connect with than most things I have read before, It was also all information I had heard before.

So while nothing in the book felt ground-breaking, it was presented in a compassionate, effective manner that I appreciated. An easy 4 star read that I would happily recommend to others.

Thanks to NetGalley and Unsolicited Press for this ARC.
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As someone who is and has struggled with weight for most of my adult life, I really enjoyed this book. I love anthologies, and short stories, and I love the format of that. I struggle with self-confidence as well, and have my whole life. It's nice to read of others with my body shape and type who have it, to know that it's okay to not be a size 0 or 2, and still feel beautiful.

I decided to start this book because my doctor and I decided to start me with a calorie deficit diet a few month ago. I was also diagnosed with RA and put on prednisone. I was sticking to the 1500 calories a day and I still gained 20 pounds. I was depressed, upset, and discouraged. I read this book in hope of getting inspiration and I was so happy with this book. I could relate to the stories in the book and it really inspired me to keep going on my health and weight loss journey.

This was an easy to read 'self help' book told from different perspectives with life lessons and learnings and at the end of each chapter a summarisation by the main author.

Some of the passages felt a little preachy and there were product placements thriugh out however overall I think this would be helpful if you needed affirmations.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy.

This book, compiled by author Alli Spots-De Lazzer, contains over a dozen personal stories of men and women dealing with eating disorders and body image issues. In each entry, the individual authors share what they learned and tips for others in the same situation. Spots-De Lazzer ends each entry with additional thoughts and information.

This is not a dieting book and will not give you any info about losing weight in a healthy way. It's more about learning from fellow travelers how to live at peace with your body at any weight.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. #meaningFULLread

I had been hearing good things about this book so I thought I would check it out. The book has personal stories told by 23 people struggling with various weight issues. After each story Alli, an expert in eating disorders, shares her thoughts. We also hear Alli’s story as she details her struggles with weight, dieting etc. I found this book relatable and easy to read. It deals with many eating and diet issues and the complexity surrounding our thoughts about weight. It was enlightening to hear people’s thoughts on this and how they are living their lives going forward. There is an emphasis that you should seek professional help if needed by a qualified expert.

A great book about building confidence and understanding how the world around you is geared toward a weighty focus. A candid approach, and one that I would recommend!

As a plus size girl, I truly appreciated this book and the stories within it. I thankfully have always been confident, but this would be great for someone who is working on that.

As somebody who has always battled with weight, I really appreciated this read. It candidly describes individuals personal journeys and stories with advice/discussion from the author after each entry. Heart breaking as well as uplifting this read made me realise we are not alone in our personal battles.

The thing I loved about this book is that I could pick it up at any point and read a short section and put it back down. It covers so many different things involving body image, weight, self love, and more, and it was perfect for those moments when I was feeling bogged down by my own issues and needed someone or something to relate to.

What a timely and wonderful read. As we discover more and more that a person's self worth is not a number on a scale or the number on a clothing tag, these personal stories become more impact full. 100 percent resonated with me. A must read.

I was expecting the usual inspirational weight loss stories so I was a bit shocked by the candid accounts so bravely exposed. Some harrowing tales, each with a commentary by the author to give more background and information. Really highlights that most issues with food ( over or under eating ) are psychological.

This is a very insightful book about what it means to be in good relationship with your body image and the food you eat. They storytellers are compelling and they feel like a conversation with friends. I will dip into this book often.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"Be proud of who you are, and not ashamed of how someone else sees you"
❣️❣️❣️❣️

MeaningFull is a collection of memoirs which deals with areas of psychology, self-help and health. This guides people especially women who strives to overcome an abusive relationship with themselves. This is a highly relevant book in the present times when most people are obsessed with what they see in social media.

This book is for all those who hates themselves and their bodies, who keeps on trying to be 'fit' for photos than for own health.

All memoirs will connect with every reader with own experience or is related to anyone we know. When I took up the book, I thought it would be a usual self help book. But it is more than that. This book can guide you to develop self appreciation and fulfillment. It teaches you that losing weight and dieting need not be a torture for mind and body and for that one need to be content with oneself, focusing less on food, body and weight.

This book teaches you the need to love self, take time and deal with life cooly, without stress.
I strongly believe many people will be benefited from this book.

Thanks to @netgalley for providing a free copy.

This book contained some interesting first person accounts of the struggle most people face with diet, body image and general well being.

Although I applaud the sentiment behind this book, I found the talk of diets and calories a bit triggering.

I've really thought a lot about this book since finishing it a week or so ago.

Since turning 55 and the stress of covid and some other life changes, I've been having some problems with "food digestion". I kept telling myself that "really this book didn't apply to me". And then this book dug up some memories from high school when I could put a book over my hips and measure the gap to my stomach. But no, this book didn't really apply to me. And then I remembered, that I had tried to purge food once (well, not more than twice ... or was it a handful of times). And the more this book kept creeping into my brain. Hmmm ... I guess this book applies to me more than I thought.

Alli wasn't sure whether she should include stories from the extreme thin side of dieting and weight imaging; but I'm glad that she did.

And the more I read/listened via Siri, the more I thought ... "who doesn't know someone in these stories". If it isn't you, its a friend, daughter, coworker, neighbor, relative. You can keep telling yourself "no this doesn't really apply to me"; yep, you could keep the blinders on. You could. But your shouldn't.

At the end of each story, Alli adds her comments. They are really informative and help clarify some direction. Every story won't connect with you; but I can almost guarantee that at least a couple will.

At first I thought that Alli was "cheating" by including a story from her mother and 5 year old daughter in the count to get to "23" stories. But these very different perspectives really needed to be heard independently and I'm glad that Alli provided the stories the way that she did.

If I had a suggestion, each story would be a chapter. Since I had Siri read to me via text to voice; I had to be really careful to listen for Alli's commentary or I would be swept into the next story without realizing that the voice was another person.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher Unsolicited Press and especially to the author Alli Spotts-De Lazzer for the opportunity to review.

This book is not a typical weight loss how-to manual. It shares stories of people who have struggled with dieting, disordered eating, and/or poor body image and the strategies they've used to overcome it. It's not just for people who have struggled with getting their weight into an "acceptable" range. Some of the stories are from people who have never been overweight Some have moved past the desire to be at a goal weight and instead learned to embrace the body they’re in. But if you've ever felt your eating or exercise habits were out of your control, that your body was unacceptable, or even just struggled with being able to love yourself, you might find something in this book that speaks to you.

As someone who has struggled all her life with body image and weight issues, I was interested to see if this could silence the voices that reverberated through my head every day. Those voices, no matter the weight, no matter the exercise routine, no matter the determination and resolve and self discipline told me I did not make the grade. Vertically challenged with a big superstructure, I was never going to be the delicate waif or the tall and willowy example of womanhood that we have come to perceive as perfection. Trying to be healthy was still a code name for trying to be thin. It was and is an elusive goal that is out of the reach of many of us. It is not sustainable. Nor in many cases is it healthy, either physically or mentally.

This book, while it does not provide a silver bullet or a one size fits all answer, does go a long way to helping us understand that we are all different. Trying to fit round pegs into square, skinny holes, is a recipe for disaster and self loathing. There were 23 stories about what the contributors went through and how they found ways of coping and accepting. While each reader will likely need to do the work to find their own solution, it does offer some very good take always.

I like the Poodle Science. I had never heard of it but think about it. All dog breeds have different structures so a skinny Mastiff is never going to be a healthy Poodle. Yet, with BMIs and other gauges, we try to convince ourselves that one size fits all and that if our broad shoulders, big boobs, hefty hips and tendency to be softer and rounder than those people placed on a pedestal, means we can never measure up, it is not a failure on our part. You must learn to love the body you have and treat it well. I also liked the idea of writing a letter to your younger self, using all the understanding and compassion we save for others.

Have I had an epiphany? Did this book change my life? No. But did it start me thinking differently? Yes. Where it goes from here who knows but any book that gets you reassessing your beliefs that have been imprinted all your life, it has done its work.

Five purrs and two paws up.

This is just an amazing, powerful, and unique book about what it means to be in good relationship with food and one’s body. I have read a lot of books on these subjects and this one is unique because not only do you get the author’s story, you also get the benefit of many other storytellers who share their journeys as well as the insights they’ve gathered along the way. There is much wisdom here for anyone who wishes to trust themselves more around food and their bodies. I also especially appreciated the resources suggested at the end.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.