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  • You Are Not a Before Picture

  • How to Finally Make Peace with Your Body, for Good
  • By: Alex Light
  • Narrated by: Alex Light
  • Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (163 ratings)
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You Are Not a Before Picture

By: Alex Light
Narrated by: Alex Light
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Summary

An urgent, enlightening and empowering guide to disavowing diet culture and learning to make peace with our bodies, from body confidence and anti-diet advocate Alex Light.

When we look in the mirror, so many of us see a ‘before’ picture: the miserable person in the side-by-side shot waiting for the ‘glow-up’ (read: weight loss) that will bring true happiness. But it’s not our fault that we see our bodies as projects in need of constant work: this is just one of the beliefs that has been ingrained in us by diet culture. We have been taught to view ourselves as a collection of ‘problem’ areas for which the billion-dollar diet industry holds the solutions.

Step-by-step, You Are Not a Before Picture provides a framework for changing the way we view ourselves and the world around us. Working with experts in the fields of psychotherapy, fitness and nutrition, Alex empowers listeners to interrogate their underlying beliefs, challenge the external and internal forces that are holding us back and finally find freedom in our bodies, for good.

©2022 Alex Light (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"A timely and passionate rally against the diet industry." (Cosmopolitan)

"You Are Not a Before Picture sets out to dismantle dangerous dieting habits and encourage self-acceptance." (HELLO)

What listeners say about You Are Not a Before Picture

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So glad I listened to this!

This book is a must read. Thank you so much for writing it! It is has substance, it has facts and it has compassion. Absolutely brilliant for anyone having body confidence issues.

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The read every teenager or woman needs to listen to!

Oh Alex is the friend we all need she has the advice and words of wisdom I wish someone told me when I was a teen. Her book is raw and honest and sometimes not pretty but she describes the diet culture that scarred so many of us growing up.
At times listening to it. I hurt, I cried but most of all I accepted the disordered eating I put myself through and how cruel I was to myself. But most of all I healed. Thank you!

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lifechanging

I really needed this - hopefully will be the first step to body acceptence and food freedom. Well written - informative, well researched. Life changing x

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The one book every man, woman and child must listen to or read

This book must become a household item and taught in schools. Full of shocking facts about the diet culture / industry , fat phobia etc it is only through people like Alex educating the whole country that we, as a society, can overcome prejudices towards weight and all make peace with our bodies.

Alex’s passion about disavowing the diet culture and learning to make peace with our bodies is evident throughout the book. You can hear in her voice how much she cares about this subject and to hear her open up and be so raw and honest about her struggles is inspirational.

The book is eloquently written with so much, expert supported, information and personal narrative everyone can relate to and learn from.

This is not just someone’s story about overcoming an eating disorder this is an educational must read for everyone living in a society governed by diet culture.

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Amazing & Life Changing Book

Every woman should read this book. It is very well written and well researched, it teaches how to reclaim your power and learn to love your body when we are bombarded with messages of inadequacy and ‘not enought’ by the diet culture. I also love Alex’s narration, so authentic and you can really tell how passionate she is to spread this wonderful message of self compassion and self acceptance.

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Wow, emotional an so needed!

From an absolute ice cold hearted non crier, I felt so emotional when I got to the end of this. I honestly can not think of a woman that this wouldn’t resonate with. And that’s sad.
I’m Going back to the beginning to listen again and will always keep this book to return to when needed.
I would never dream of talking about other peoples bodies how I talk about my own and if you’ve ever felt like that this book is a must read/ listen

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Sad true … thank you Alex

This book ticks all boxes … the sad reality that I have been facing since the age of 10.
Implemented by parents

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Love this.

Life changing. It has made me realise that my whole life has been focused on weight loss being by my happiness goal and it shouldn’t be. Let’s remove diet culture 💪🏼

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Such an important read

This is life changing for anyone who has disliked their body. This is not a self help book, or a autobiography. It’s handbook of how to pick apart why we feel the way we do, who is responsible (spoiler… it’s not you!!) and steps to take to start to dismantle the toxic diet culture we have all been fed for so long.

I will be recommending this to anyone that will listen, well researched, well balanced, well said Alex Light.

Read this book, immediately!!!!

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brilliant!

it's completely changed my views on diets, changed my life! would definitely recommend it

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