The F*ck It Diet: Eating Should Be Easy

Comedian Dooner presents a lively case against dieting in an impassioned debut peppered with the titular expletive. A former raw vegan and yo-yo dieter, Dooner argues that dieting actually causes weight gain; a state of restriction, she asserts, causes the body to eventually fight back against “famine” by regaining all the weight lost, and then some. (In support, she cites research, including the WWII-era Minnesota Starvation Experiment and a more recent study.) Her plan, as she explains it, is less a traditional diet with set meal portions and an exercise regimen, and more a philosophy of how to “neutralize” the power of food while also eschewing the “dysfunctional hell” of dieting. Intended to keep one in the middle of a naturally-occurring weight range, it allows, temptingly, for eating when hungry, consuming carbs and sugar when desired, satisfying cravings, and engaging in “moderate” exercise. Dooner also offers five self-care tools, including a relaxing, mandatory 10-20–minute a day “Lie-Down,” the “Breathe and Feel” (noticing physical sensations), and “The Belief Release” (in which readers let go of limiting beliefs). Readers who have churned through any number of diets before will enjoy Dooner’s unorthodox and sincerely delivered guide. Agent: Susan Raihofer, David Black Agency. (Mar.)