By Kristin Williams, RDN, LD, CEDRD

Reviewed for IFEDD by Anna Marie Oglesbee, MS, RD, LD

Unworthy Weight: Reclaiming Your Worth from a Number on the Scale and Finding True Identity in Christ is an excellent book for anyone who is a Christian in eating disorder recovery. This book is structured as a memoir where Kristin unpacks identity truths through her own personal experiences, as well as using Biblical encouragement to help the reader discover what the Bible has to say about our bodies and food.

Kristin has a thorough knowledge of eating disorders both through lived experience and through working in the field and this book showcases this. She walks the reader through behaviors that are normalized in society but are actually contradictory to what the Bible says. Kristin is a CEDRD, and her expertise in the field is evident through her writing. It is also clear that she is a Christian and is able to thoughtfully combine eating disorder knowledge, as well as knowledge of the Bible and how a strong relationship with Christ can be such an important part of recovery.

A book like this has been needed in the field for a long time! It reads as a letter from a friend sharing her own personal experiences. This friend is someone full of care and compassion for the reader. There are very few resources specifically for Christians in recovery from an eating disorder. This book really dives into food freedom from a Christian perspective. Often, it can be easy to believe the lie that we are “honoring our bodies” for the Lord through dieting or restrictive eating. Kristin discusses Biblical truths, such as the fact that “Jesus ate carbs” (in fact, Jesus even refers to Himself as the “bread of life”). She also talks about moralizing food (i.e. labeling it as “good” and “bad”) and how this directly contradicts where our moral value should be found.

Overall, the book is very well organized and is also a quick read. It is such a valuable addition to the field because it is short and sweet and is appropriate for all levels of recovery. I highly recommend this book for anyone in eating disorder recovery who is a Christian. This book would be a great addition to the shelves of dietitians who are well-versed in eating disorders, but don’t identify as Christian themselves. By recommending this book for clients, a new perspective can be seen, and clients can have more support in their recovery, even if their dietitian does not identify as a Christian. As a dietitian who is a Christian, I plan on adding this book to my shelf and recommending it to clients, as well as using some of the knowledge I gained from this book with my Christian clients during session.

https://www.wonderfullymadenutritioncounseling.com/shop/stay-tuned-for-my-book