Wednesday 20 March 2013 - Book Review: Unbearable Lightness

Last week I both started and finished reading this incredible memoir written by Portia de Rossi who you may recognize as Nelle Porter from Ally McBeal (back in the old days) or as talk show host Ellen DeGeneres' wife now.

It was obvious through tabloid reports during De Rossi's time on Ally Mcbeal that she was having issues with her weight and she later confirmed it was suffering with anorexia that caused the dramatic publicized weight loss.

What the pictures and a simple confirmation of the fact don't reveal is the extent of the psychological struggle she went through at that time - as what began as seemingly harmless dieting "tricks" spiralled into a life threatening eating disorder. In the book De Rossi candidly and eloquently describes the thoughts, emotions and fears she experienced each day and whilst the perspective she has of her body and of her 'dieting' are clearly skewed, they also haunted me long after finishing the final page - as I saw where I have allowed similar thoughts to exist in my own life.

And that's what I liked most about this book. Her words are relevant for everyone who's ever gone on a diet, or looked in the mirror and criticized the size of their thighs, or labelled themselves as 'fat.' As Portia says on one of the final pages: "You don't have to be emaciated or vomiting to be suffering. All people who live their lives on a diet are suffering."

As an advocate for healthy eating I have found it hard to consolidate these two issues: On the one hand I do believe we should pursue a "diet" that is healthy for our bodies and helps our body to function at it's best. On the other hand I myself have found it all too easy for the lines to blur between eating healthily and intentionally restricting calories or forbidding food groups in a negative and unhealthy way. I think the key is striking a balance with your eating habits which is kind to both your body and your mind.

I think Portia presents it beautifully when she explains her relationship with food after recovery.

"The fact that I stopped labelling food as 'good' and 'bad' made me just see it all as food....there was no bad food. There were just bad eating practices."

And as much as overeating to the point of making yourself ill is a bad eating practice, restrictive dieting in an attempt to contort your body to a size smaller than what is natural is equally as bad.

I commend Portia on her bravery for speaking out so honestly about such an important issue in today's culture where we still praise the super-skinny as a being a beauty ideal. And I highly recommend reading her book. It's called "Unbearable Lightness. A story of loss and gain." I was lucky enough to find my copy at the local Salvation Army but I'm sure you can also order it from book stores online.