How many of us would watch our Moms, Grandmothers or other maternal figures stand in front of a mirror & be unhappy w/their completely normal & perfect bodies? They would grimace & criticize themselves just because they didn't fit the societal images that were promoted by marketing teams or clothing designers made up of men in years gone by?

This book is The Bible for body & age acceptance & the demand for the respect that any age deserves. Make living well & being healthy the priority vs trying to fit some heavily edited, AI generated or filtered photo. Loving your body "as is" isn't wrong.

The author has been a Registered Dietician for 40 years & she covers far more topics than I can write about in this review. That is why I call the book, The Bible, because it covers it all. I most admired the chapters devoted to the concept of shame vs guilt, the 10k step myth, the small % of individuals that are actually underweight despite being bulimic or anorexic & just the general mantra that I do not have to change this body of mine. (On a personal note, I lived about 5 miles from the original Renfrew Center for 20+ years when it originally opened in Bryn Mawr. I remember how cutting edge it was in the late 1980s).

This book will be a welcome change from what we see online with social media, television and movies & it applies to the very young as well as our older & wiser population.

To quote Mark Twain, "Do Not Complain About Growing Older. It Is A Privilege Denied To Many".

I thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for a fair & honest review.

As a 35 year old, I was probably a bit on the younger side for this book but it still made a big impact. Unapologetic Aging is a clear guide to step away from diet culture and towards a more respectful and realistic relationship with your body. Debra Benfield doesn’t offer quick fixes or idealised wellness plans. Instead, she shares practical advice and emotional insight for anyone tired of feeling like their body needs to be changed to be accepted.

I’ve had a relationship with disordered eating for most of my life and started attending weight loss clubs when I was 15. I’ve lived in a body that’s been labelled “too big” for as long as I can remember, and this book reminded me that health and worth aren’t defined by size or age. Some chapters spoke more directly to women further along in life, but I still found it empowering and I know I’ll return to it again and again as I get older. It’s the kind of book that grows with you.

If you’ve ever felt like your body story was written by someone else whether that’s the media or social pressure this book helps you take it back.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

I found this book very helpful and informative. At times, the prompts and body breaks felt a bit tedious but I also feel like this is a book that someone would live with for several years, versus read it in one sitting. I can see it being a companion through a 10-year or 20-year span and that one would dive into different sections, depending on what is feeling most resonate. I appreciated the subject at hands, as I feel it is very underacknowledged and needs to be addressed. Women live with so much burden and external projection on their bodies. I hope every woman is a bit more free and relieved of that pressure after reading this book!

If you’re a woman over 40, your social media feed is probably flooded with “solutions” for the physical changes you are experiencing during perimenopause and menopause. Influencers insist that you can look exactly the same as you always have—if only you follow their strict rules for eating, exercising, and supplementing. It’s an exhausting and impossible standard, leaving many women feeling like they can never quite get it right.

Debra Benfield’s Unapologetic Aging offers a breath of fresh air—and a far more realistic alternative. This book speaks to women who have spent years feeling like they live in the “wrong-sized” body, as well as those who are grappling with the natural changes that come with aging in a culture that prizes youth and thinness.

Benfield takes a compassionate, evidence-based look at the toxic messages embedded in modern wellness culture. She invites readers to step away from the obsession with weight management and instead focus on genuine self-care—rest, nourishment, movement, and joy.

Unapologetic Aging is an empowering and deeply needed guide for any woman struggling with body image or self-acceptance as she grows older. It’s a reminder that aging isn’t something to resist or fix—it’s something to live unapologetically.

Such an important book for those of us looking to break free from the diet/wellness and aging nonsense we've been fed for so long! Love Debra Benfield's approach and the way she presents such great information!

I’m reviewing this as a woman who has reached her menopause following cancer treatment that changed my body beyond recognition. I also work in the same speciality as the author so found the detail and the research that has been put into this book just outstanding. I think for most women body image difficulty is always a smokescreen for something far deeper and approached this book with trepidation. I did take my time to read this book and I don’t think it’s a book you can rush.
I chose this book because the author is a Registered Dietitian who, in my experience, are some of the best health professionals out there, full disclosure I am a nurse so I am unbiased.
I love the author starts with a proclamation of potential fallibility, there is nothing else that gives me more confidence in any one.
It’s a hard topic and I really felt the embodied breaks the author recommends shows their clinical experience and care. I think so many other books I’ve read would greatly benefit from these additions. A book can not tell when you are triggered so I think this such a caring idea and also instils this concept for beyond reading this book. I also know so many of my patients and so many people with trauma struggle to be with their body so the acknowledgment that this might not suit all is also very helpful.
The addition of alternative methods of self care were a welcome addition and gave me an insight into why so many people have already given this such a glowing review.
I have to say the reminder to take a break makes me want to cry every time it comes up, I hope this author writes more books as god knows we need them!
The content is well written, well researched and written with passion. I found each chapter interesting and loved the references and index. I would recommend this book for all women, people who work with women and people with body image difficulties. I think men could also benefit from reading this…so basically everyone!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book for my consideration, this is all my own rambling, honest and personal opinion

UNAPOLOGETIC AGING
BY: DEBRA BENFIELD

I thought that this book would be more about how important it is to have a regular exercise regimen as we get older, and I awarded it four stars because the author is very kind, and compassionate and it could be helpful to people who struggle with negative body images who are perpetually dieting or controlling their food intake. It covers ageism and not embracing your getting older as wisdom like ages ago that was celebrated. The book is helpful in regulating your nervous system which is not something most people are conscience of, but what I am already very aware of. She gives questions at the end of each chapter which I knew didn't resonate with me as journal prompts to gain self awareness which as an author whose anecdotes were of clients who have issues with food. I could tell that most of this has to do with women who struggle with being overweight. She has a gentle approach but I was always someone who was active, and I don't mean to sound like I'n insensitive to the audience that this is too oriented around which I'm aware in this country I know this is a great resource. The author had many anecdotes from clients who are bulimic, or anorexic which is a serious disorder who this could help, but I am the wrong reader since I am not the right fit for this, which I read the entire book, and there were questions like how do I feel about food, which I eat whatever I want, as I have my entire life, and I have always been thin. I have my own areas that I struggle with, like everyone does. I would have never requested this, because it is written by a Registered Dietitian who works with mostly people who are so not comfortable in their bodies with have struggles that I am going to be more careful with what I request because there was nothing new that I didn't already know, and I am frustrated that the title is very misleading. I had to read an entire book, and spend even more time that I devoted writing a review that explained why I'm frustrated and I hope the title gets changed since I have many other ARCS that are not a great fit either. I hope the title gets changed with a more accurate one that actually is more related to the majority of the content I read that deals with the book and the author's true passion is. I do have compassion for those who struggle, but this was also very basic below my taste in its simplicity. The author is extremely kind, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to have been gifted the ARC.

Publication Date: December 18, 2025

Thank you to Net Galley, Debra Benfield, and John Murray Press US--Sheldon Press for generously providing me with my ARC, in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own, as always.

#UnapologeticAging #DebraBenfield #JohnMurrayPressUS #SheldonPress #NetGalley

Read the first paragraph of this title's introduction and see if it resonates for you. I think that it will for many. While not discounting the importance of appearance entirely, possibly we spend too much time on criticizing ourselves when we could be doing so many other things. That is, in part, the premise of this book that is written by a dietician who is in her sixties.

I very much like that Benfield does not buy into it being possible and desirable to be super thin and look way younger than one's age. I further like that she believes in CARING for, rather than CONTROLLING one's body.

This is a book for any woman who is getting older, wants acceptance and could use some wise advice. I definitely support unapologetic aging (both the book and the idea).

Many thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for this title. All thoughts are my own.

I liked this book. It’s an extremely positive and life affirming read, as you would expect. At heart it’s an anti diet and anti ageism manifesto. The reflections and journal prompts give the reader some practical work to do but you may find yourself wanting more. The diet culture is so ingrained that the thought of giving it all up is scary to me. This book has not been enough for me to ditch all my unhealthy ‘healthy’ habits. But, it’s a journey and I am certainly all the better for having read this book. Thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for the ARC.

Outstanding read. The author challenges diet and fitness culture and helped me see that many thoughts I was having about my body are not my own but are forced on me and are harmful. I am grateful I read this book.