The most recommended weight loss books

Who picked these books? Meet our 21 experts.

21 authors created a book list connected to weight loss, and here are their favorite weight loss books.
When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

What type of weight loss book?

Loading...
Loading...

Book cover of The Best Life Diet

Milan Somborac Author Of Your Mouth, Your Health: Stop and Reverse Aging

From my list on nutrition from a retired dentist.

Why am I passionate about this?

I retired after 54 years of private dental practice. I hold four dental implant patents and have been awarded fellowships in four honorary dental academies. I've made it a personal mission to use print, radio, TV, and personal appearances to bring into focus the dietary connection between diseases of civilization (excess weight, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, constipation, diverticulitis, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, deep venous thrombosis, and others) and dental decay which predicts all the others. They account for over half of all hospital admissions and over half of the money spent on health care. Understanding their common dietary origin will allow anyone to prevent, reverse and eliminate any and all of them.

Milan's book list on nutrition from a retired dentist

Milan Somborac Why did Milan love this book?

This for-life approach diet is based on solid science, is easy to follow, and emphasizes exercise in a healthy lifestyle. There is a universal agreement among experts on the issues of a healthy lifestyle. This book simplifies these issues for the layman. Knowledgeable and qualified people hold it in high regard.

By Bob Greene,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Best Life Diet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Based on the feedback from thousands of readers of The Best Life Dietand subscribers to www.thebestlife.com, Bob Greene has made substantial revisions to his bestselling diet book, including faster weight loss results, the most up-to-date science, more meal plans and recipes, including more no-cook and convenience meals and take-out options, and success stories from readers or bestlife.com subscribers who have been on the diet for a year or more.

In Phase One of the diet, readers will eliminate six unhealthy foods right away instead of waiting until Phase Two. Because they start cutting calories earlier, they'll lose more weight up…


Book cover of Skinny

Anna David Author Of On Good Authority: 7 Steps to Prepare, Promote and Profit from a How-To Book That Makes You the Go-to Expert

From Anna's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Publisher Novelist Memoirist

Anna's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Anna David Why did Anna love this book?

First, let me say that this is not a new book: it came out in 2011. And the author is someone I know. Even though I’m obsessed with her Substack and have loved every essay I’ve ever read, for some reason, I’d never read her books.

I picked Skinny because I liked the title, but the truth is, it doesn’t matter what Diana Spechler is writing—what the plot is, who the characters are—because every word she writes just sings.

This is a novel about a woman whose father dies, and she becomes a counselor at a diet camp because a girl she thinks is her half-sister is one of the campers. But, like I said, the plot is irrelevant. Diana Spechler just has this way of turning a phrase that manages to be hilarious, biting, descriptive, and original.

This book addresses female issues with weight in a way that you…

By Diana Spechler,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Skinny as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“Skinnywill be my go-to recommendation all year for anyone who wants smart, endearing,beautifully written women's fiction." —Allison Winn Scotch, New York Times bestselling author of TheOne That I Want and Time of My Life

"Spechler…transcends melodrama and clichewith striking sensitivity and delicate touch." —Boston Globe

To escape thegrief she feels following her father’s death, twenty-six year old Brooklynite Gray Lachmann becomesa counselor at a summer camp for overweight children, where she discovers shehas her own demons to battle both emotionally and physically. In Skinny, the ambitious, accomplished, anddarkly  humorous second novel fromreader-favorite Diana Spechler—author of Who ByFire and acontributor to…


Book cover of Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth about Your Weight

Harriet Brown Author Of Body of Truth: How Science, History, and Culture Drive Our Obsession with Weight—and What We Can Do About It

From my list on weight and body image.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been reporting on and writing about food, eating, health, and body image for the last 25 years. So much of what we’re taught about those issues, it turns out, is wrong, inaccurate, and often damaging. I’ve made a point of uncovering the truth in those areas and to write about it in ways that help other people through this difficult terrain. My writing philosophy can be summed up in six words: I write so I’m not alone. And, I would add, so you’re not alone, either.

Harriet's book list on weight and body image

Harriet Brown Why did Harriet love this book?

Though Linda Bacon didn’t originate the idea of Health at Every Size (HAES), this book popularized it for a mainstream audience. Here Bacon explains what HAES is and isn’t in clear, readable prose, supported by research, evidence, and logic. This book is a perfect starting point for anyone who wants to explore the ways we think about weight and health and how they are (and aren’t) connected.

By Linda Bacon,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Health at Every Size as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Fat isn't the problem. Dieting is the problem. A society that rejects anyone whose body shape or size doesn't match an impossible ideal is the problem. A medical establishment that equates "thin" with "healthy" is the problem. The solution? Health at Every Size. Tune in to your body's expert guidance. Find the joy in movement. Eat what you want, when you want, choosing pleasurable foods that help you to feel good. You too can feel great in your body right now--and Health at Every Size will show you how. Health at Every Size has been scientifically proven to boost health…


Book cover of Hunger: An Unnatural History

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been fascinated with the science and psychology behind sugar addiction ever since I started graduate school at Princeton University. When I was deciding what to study for my dissertation. I knew my topic needed to be something big, important, and meaningful. At the time, we were starting to hear about the dangers of obesity, and I wondered if it was due to our changing food environment, which had more and more sugar in it. I never would have imagined that this project would lead me to over 20 years of research. Learn all about it in my book Sugarless

Nicole's book list on science and psychology of food addiction from a distinguished neuroscientist and nutrition expert

Nicole Avena Why did Nicole love this book?

This is a foundational book that teaches the basic biology of hunger. I love how Sharman Apt Russel continuously paints a visual for the reader of the physiological processes that occur during hunger and starvation—making it easy to follow and understand.

The best part is Sharman Apt Russel doesn’t stop with the science behind hunger, she discusses the horrific effects that hunger can have on individuals and the entire world.

By Sharman Russell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hunger as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Every day, we wake up hungry. Every day, we break our fast. Hunger is both a natural and an unnatural human condition. In Hunger , Sharman Apt Russell explores the range of this primal experience. Step by step, Russell takes us through the physiology of hunger, from eighteen hours without food to thirty-six hours to three days to seven days to thirty days. In quiet, elegant prose, she asks a question as big as history and as everyday as skipping lunch: How does hunger work?


Book cover of Hotline

Mary Soderstrom Author Of Against the Seas: Saving Civilizations from Rising Waters

From Mary's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Curious Optimistic Perseverant

Mary's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Mary Soderstrom Why did Mary love this book?

This is a "good news" novel about a young mother forced to leave her homeland during the Civil War in Lebanon with her young son after her husband was kidnapped.

Muna is up against a lot, and she must find a job, but even though she's a qualified teacher, the only work she can find is as a telephone salesperson for a line of weight loss products. She discovers she has a knack for connecting with her clients, and their problems put hers in perspective.

I was sure that things would work out all right for her, but I sat up late to finish the book because I wanted to see just how her kindness and intelligence would triumph.

By Dimitri Nasrallah,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hotline as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Bright Line Eating: The Science of Living Happy, Thin and Free

Vera Tarman, MD Author Of Food Junkies: Recovery from Food Addiction

From my list on capturing sugar and food addiction.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an addictions physician with a passion for the field of food addiction. I have spoken, taught, and written about this subject for over 15 years. I am the author of Food Junkies: Recovery from Food Addiction; have a thriving free Facebook group: I'm Sweet Enough: Sugar-Free for Life (which you are invited to join), and a podcast called Food Junkies—to catch up on the latest in the field. I am also a food addict in recovery for over 15 years and have maintained a 100-pound weight loss since then.

Vera's book list on capturing sugar and food addiction

Vera Tarman, MD Why did Vera love this book?

This book is written by the founder of the very successful weight loss food program, Susan Peirce Thompson. She covers the science and clinical picture of food addiction. Which she believes is essential for long-term successful weight loss.

This book is very public/reader-friendly. She is also a food addict in recovery and is very open about her trials and tribulations. I find her very engaging and personable.

By Susan Peirce Thompson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Bright Line Eating as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Over 99% of people who try to lose weight don't succeed. They don't get slender and they don't stay slender long term. The average dieter spends a significant amount of money and makes four or five new attempts each year. Four or five new attempts each year with almost no hope of success. Only 1% of people will get down to their goal weight on traditional diets. Susan Peirce Thompson. Ph.D., suggests that there's something fishy going on here, something important we're not paying attention to. We don't have an obesity problem; we have an obesity mystery-and she has a…


Book cover of Indian Cooking

Frances Kuffel Author Of Passing for Thin: Losing Half My Weight and Finding My Self

From my list on cookbooks for weight loss and maintenance.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love to cook and it’s difficult to find something beyond chicken and salad when you’re trying to lose weight.  Over the years I’ve assembled a cookbook library that covers many topics (interested in how the Georgians ate green beans? I can help you out!), many of them as off-topic from weight-loss as my cookie cookbook collection. But I still return to what I call “abstinent” favorites, simply because they are so tasty.

Frances' book list on cookbooks for weight loss and maintenance

Frances Kuffel Why did Frances love this book?

If you discount Northern Europe and North America, it’s amazing that most of the world has such clean food. I love Indian food and Madhur Jaffrey knows how to make it accessible and easy for the rest of us.  You’ll find dishes here that are not part of your local Indian spot: Dry Moong Dal, Goan-style Hot and Spicy Pork, Cold Yogurt Soup with Mint.

By Madhur Jaffrey,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Indian Cooking as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Chef magazine called this book�s author �the best-known ambassador of Indian food in the United States� . . . and the Boston Herald referred to her as �the renowned author and actress [who] teaches home cooks about the sophistication and infinite diversity of Indian fare.� The New York Times described her simply and succinctly as �the Indian cuisine authority.� For many years a best-selling cookbook, Madhur Jaffrey�s seminal title on Indian cuisine now has been totally revised, redesigned, enlarged, and enhanced with 70 brand-new full-color photos. With chapters on meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables, as well as pulses, relishes, chutneys,…


Book cover of Eat Right 4 Your Type: The Individualized Blood Type Diet Solution

Pip Waller Author Of Deeply Holistic: A Guide to Intuitive Self-Care--Know Your Body, Live Consciously, and Nurture Your Spirit

From my list on what to eat, what not to eat, and why.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a naturopathic therapist, teacher, and writer working mainly with plant medicine since 1989. For decades, I’ve been teaching many aspects of natural healing and have written 5 books, published in 6 languages, on various aspects of my work. One of my favourite books is DEEPLY HOLISTIC, a Guide to Intuitive Self-Care, a synthesis of much of the advice I’ve given clients over my 30 years of practice.

Pip's book list on what to eat, what not to eat, and why

Pip Waller Why did Pip love this book?

This book is not the one-size-fits-all approach of many food books. Naturopath Dr Peter J. D’Adamo has carried on the work of his father to research the effect of various types of lectins, a type of protein found in our body, and found in many foods. One way our unique biology is expressed is in our blood type – O, A, B, or AB. Different types of lectins cause agglutination (the clumping of particles) in different blood types. ‘If you eat a food that contains lectins incompatible with your blood type, those lectins cling or bind themselves to membranes in the digestive tract causing damage such as inflammation.’

By Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo, Catherine Whitney,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Eat Right 4 Your Type as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Eat Right 4 Your Type harnesses the power of our own amazing bio-chemistry to help you to cast aside the fad diets for good!

Dr Peter D'Adamo and Catherine Whitney are back with a fully updated and revised edition of their sensational book to demonstrate how working with your blood type plays a key role in losing weight, avoiding disease and promoting fitness and longevity.

After selling over a 7 million copies worldwide, this revised edition of the global phenomenon blood-type diet is packed with even more material - including a 10-Day Jump-Start Plan - to help you tailor your…


Book cover of Burn: New Research Blows the Lid Off How We Really Burn Calories, Stay Healthy, and Lose Weight

John B. Arden Author Of Rewire Your Brain 2.0: Five Healthy Factors to a Better Life

From my list on life-style health.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have lectured in 30 countries and all US States. Previously, I was the Director of Training in Mental Health for Kaiser Permanente in the Northern California region. In this capacity, I oversaw training programs in 24 medical centers where over 150 postdoctoral residents and interns are trained each year, the largest mental health training program in the US.  I am the author of 15 books (translated into over 20 languages). The second edition of my book, Rewire Your Brain 2.0, came out last year. My book, Mind-Brain-Gene: Toward the Integration of Psychotherapy, encompasses the fields of psychoneuroimmunology, Epigenetics, Neuroscience, Nutritional Neuroscience, and psychotherapy research.    

John's book list on life-style health

John B. Arden Why did John love this book?

This timely book reveals how many of the food fads are not based on coherent and sensible science.

One of the hot fads that the book reveals does not make historical sense is the so-called paleo diet, which is based on the no-carb diet. Actually, our ancestors, who were all hunter-gatherers, did not eat primarily meat and avoid carbohydrates. In fact, these ancestors ate complex carbohydrates. The point that the author raises is that complex carbs are critical for metabolism.  

By Herman Pontzer,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Burn as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Pontzer's findings have huge implications for our attitudes to exercise, diet and public health' Mark Webster, Sunday Times

A myth-busting tour of the body's hidden foundations from a pioneering evolutionary biologist

'Public health strategies stubbornly cling to the simplistic armchair engineer's view of metabolism, hurting efforts to combat obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and the other diseases that are most likely to kill us'

Herman Pontzer's ground-breaking research has revealed how, contrary to received wisdom, exercise does not increase our metabolism. Instead, we burn calories within a very narrow range: nearly 3,000 calories per day, no matter our activity level.…


Book cover of Elevation

Peter David Shapiro Author Of Ghosts on the Red Line

From my list on stories built on an inspired premise.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m struck by the narrative elegance of a premise-based novel. Here’s the premise, now what happens? These stories succeed when the premise catches your attention and leads plausibly and compellingly to what the characters think, feel, and do next. Apocalyptic novels are premise-based (apocalypse!) but not all premise-based novels are apocalyptic, e.g., Elevation, Mystic River, and own Ghosts on the Red Line. My experience writing Ghosts on the Red Line has provided me with a good sense of how authors Perrotta, King, Lehane, Miller, and St. John Mandel went about building on their inspired premises to create their unforgettable stories. 

Peter's book list on stories built on an inspired premise

Peter David Shapiro Why did Peter love this book?

Elevation grabbed me from its starting premise until its last memorable scene. A flabby protagonist reveals to a doctor friend that his weight, as shown on his scale, is steadily dropping despite his unchanged appearance. In effect, he is less and less affected by gravity. Because his muscles have adapted to manage his large size, as his gravitational weight decreases he gains disproportionate agility and stamina, to the extent that he becomes a formidable marathon runner which amazes everyone who sees him. He develops close bonds with two women with whom he previously conflicted and they and his doctor friend help him to deal with his situation which becomes perilous as his weight approaches zero. 

By Stephen King,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Elevation as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From legendary master storyteller Stephen King, a riveting story about “an ordinary man in an extraordinary condition rising above hatred” (The Washington Post) and bringing the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine together—a “joyful, uplifting” (Entertainment Weekly) tale about finding common ground despite deep-rooted differences, “the sign of a master elevating his own legendary game yet again” (USA TODAY).

Although Scott Carey doesn’t look any different, he’s been steadily losing weight. There are a couple of other odd things, too. He weighs the same in his clothes and out of them, no matter how heavy they are. Scott doesn’t want…


Book cover of The Best Life Diet
Book cover of Skinny
Book cover of Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth about Your Weight

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,187

readers submitted
so far, will you?