Book Review: You Just Need to Lose Weight and 19 Other Myths About Fat People

Very few of my friends have not tried dieting, and many of them have called themselves fat. So I picked up “You just Need to Lose Weight” and 19 Other Myths about Fat People by Aubrey Gordon. I am familiar with Gordon from her podcast Maintenance Phase and have enjoyed her perspective on that show. Gordon is a large woman and has been large all her life. After decades of hurtful comments by her family, friends, acquaintances, and yes, utter strangers, she started researching the politics, science, and myths about fat people. This book wants you to truly think, not just have a gut reaction to fat people. It is a series of essays divided into four sections which are based on ideas we have all heard before: Being Fat is a Choice, But What about Your Health, Fat Acceptance Glorifies Obesity, and You should.... Each section ends in a series of questions about your own assumptions about obesity.

The first section highlights that being fat is a choice is a cultural message that doesn’t take into account all of the factors and also squarely blames the fat person. In this section she talks about the lackluster results of dieting, especially if you look at the results long term. Statistically, 95% of the people gain more weight after dieting. I was most interested in the second section which talks about weight and health. The most interesting piece of information in the section was that BMI (body mass index) is solely based on white males from World War One. This limited set of people is supposed to set the standard we are all meant to reach, despite the fact it doesn’t match reality.

Another interesting idea presented is that when a fat person dies of exactly the same causes as a thin person, the death is attributed to their fatness not the actual cause of death. Many of the studies linking obesity to deaths are sponsored by companies that sell diet products. Each section is well-researched and contains lots of helpful statistics and studies. Though number-dense at times, the book is still approachable. Many sections end with reflection questions that made me look at my own biases and assumptions about my body and others. If you are interested in examining the anti-fat culture we live in, this book is an excellent start that gives plenty of resources if you want to continue this learning journey.