Throughout the years I struggled with food, battled my weight, and hated my body, books became my lifeline. I devoured anything related to helping me not feel like a crazy person around food.

My sister still makes fun of my ridiculous (read: excessive) collection of self-help books. But books can be such a great tool to help you on your journey.

Here are the 5 books you must read if you struggle with food or weight: 

Book One:  Women, Food, and God

Geneen Roth’s books were my saving grace during my years of all-over-the-place-eating. I would read her books and be sobbing one minute, laughing the next, and breathing a sigh of relief all the way through. I finally felt that someone understood me!

She has a way of putting into words what I felt within myself, but didn’t know how to articulate. This book wasn’t out when I was deep in my own struggles, but it is a fantastic resource to help heal your “food/weight issues”. Even if you don’t believe in God, read some excerpts from this because it is a game-changer!

Book Two: A Course in Weight Loss

I bought this book because it was on one of Oprah’s “lists” of some sort. The name sort of deterred me (because it is based on The Course of Miracles teachings, which I wasn’t super into), but I figured if Oprah recommended it, why not? (Maybe I can get Oprah to endorse the book I write one day… 🙂 ) But reading this book left me speechless in many moments. It’s deep, it’s raw, it’s vulnerable, and it’s very healing.

Marianne Williamson makes it interactive, so there are exercises to do and ways to explore how the teachings relate to your own life. This book was immensely healing for me.

Book Three: The Power of Now

Eckhert Tolle is an amazing spiritual teacher.  If you haven’t heard of him, go on youtube and watch some of his vidoes. He oozes peace and “zen”. This book completely changed my outlook in life. It was my first introduction to “living in the now”, instead of being in my head 24/7. Some of the jargon was difficult to understand upon my first reading (just because it was the first time I was hearing some of it), but I’ve since read it about a thousand times.

The concept of getting out of our heads and into our bodies, as we are NOW (not where we wish we could be) is such an important concept in finding peace within ourselves. This book goes into that in-depth and almost every other page makes you want to stop and just “be”.

Book Four: When You Eat at the Refrigerator, Pull Up a Chair

Another one of Geneen Roth’s book (really you can’t go wrong with any of her books) that I adored. It is written in small, bite-sized chapters, so it’s the kind of book you can carry around in your purse and pull it out when you need some inspiration. It has tons of nuggets of inspiration, lots of insightful tips, and is super light/easy to read.

She also brings in some humor which helps to make a serious issue much lighter!

Book Five: Fit From Within: 101 Simple Secrets to Change Your Body and Your Life

What I love about this book is it’s simplicity. It is also a short, quick read and it gives really valuable information in bite-sized pieces that you can take away and digest. It’s a good pick-me-up when you’re feeling down or need some inspiration. It’s one of those books to keep on  your nightstand, so that you can keep reminding yourself of all the little things you can do that add up to big changes.

I have a million other recommendations from my personal development “library” of books, but I think these are great resources to get you started!

What are you reading at the moment that inspires and moves you around food/weight “stuff”? 

Please comment below. I’m always on the lookout for more inspirational, awesome books!

PS-Last week, I was interviewed on Peggy Fresh’s podcast Simple Daily Practices. It was fun to go in-depth about how journaling has been such a HUGE part of my healing process (along with books!), because I don’t often talk much about it. You can hear all about my own journey and how I got to where I am today.  You can check out the podcast here!