Introduction

The introduction describes the personal and professional background about Dr. Hartman to set the stage for why she wrote the book. We learn that she had a family member with an eating disorder and then pursued a career as an adolescent medicine specialist with a focus on managing the medical complications of eating disorders. Dr. Hartman describes how the weight-centric medical system is contributing to both the development of eating disorders and weight stigma. She helps the reader understand that this book is relevant across settings including doctors’ offices, homes, and schools. She provides a roadmap for the reader to understand what to expect in terms of language used throughout the book. Ultimately, she leaves the reader with the hope that by learning evidence-based alternatives to weight-focused approaches, we can create environments in clinics, classrooms, and homes where all young people can thrive in the bodies they have, free from the burden of weight stigma and the devastating effects of eating disorders.