Mindful eating -- book recommendations?

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fresh_start59
fresh_start59 Posts: 590 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have heard about books on mindful eating, but from what I've gathered most of the more popular ones are steeped in Eastern religion. I am somewhat religious, but I'm looking for a very scientific, fact-based book on this subject. If anyone has a recommendation, I'd love to know about it.

Also, for those who are familiar with the mindful eating process, is this something that will help me (and others) break that mindset of "I've had a really stressful day, I deserve an ice cream." or "Yeah, I got a promotion. I think I deserve dinner at my favorite restaurant."

Note: I see no problem with eating ice cream or having dinner at my favorite restaurant, so long as I can fit the calories into my daily goal. The problem comes from the thought process ... Food as a reward ... Food as a tranquilizer.

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  • fresh_start59
    fresh_start59 Posts: 590 Member
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    Bump for another chance.
  • Mock_Turtle
    Mock_Turtle Posts: 354 Member
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    it's not exactly what you're looking for, but "The Bodyfat Solution" by Tom Venuto probably spends 100 pages talking about the psychology of eating and how to think about food.

    It's pscyh talk though not biochemistry
  • fresh_start59
    fresh_start59 Posts: 590 Member
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    Psych talk might be just what I need. While I am a Christian, I feel that I need more than God, Buddah or a higher power to help me understand my eating behaviors and how to change them. I'm looking for info that is based on scientific and/or behavioral studies.

    I'll look up the book and see what I can find. Thanks!
  • Amy106Days
    Amy106Days Posts: 172 Member
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    I haven't read any thing scientific or religious about emotional eating or rewarding yourself with food but I have managed to all but break those 2 lifelong habits. Though it has only been a few months, I feel I will make it the long haul.

    My mother gave me this book:

    When You Eat at the Refrigerator, Pull Up a Chair: 50 Ways to Feel Thin, Gorgeous, and Happy (When You Feel Anything But)-Geneen Roth

    The title made me giggle and the book is full of insights that made me laugh and cry. It was pretty helpful and made me take a few steps back and question my motivations other than hunger for eating/ cravings.
  • traceyfunk
    traceyfunk Posts: 86
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    I haven't read the previously suggested book by Geneen Roth - but "Women Food and God" is a must. And don't let the title fool you - it's actually not at all about God.

    And a good place to start for mind-body medicine in general is "Full Catastrophe Living" by Jon Kabat-Zinn. A mind-body course I took was based on it's teachings.

    I work from home, and at the slightest bit of stress, I could find myself up from my desk and in the kitchen downing cookies (or whatever was handy) and not even know how I got there. I wanted to scream from the rooftop the day I stopped at the kitchen counter and realized what I was doing before I got to the food. Sounds kind of crazy - but in my world monumental.

    Good luck!!
  • fresh_start59
    fresh_start59 Posts: 590 Member
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    I haven't read the previously suggested book by Geneen Roth - but "Women Food and God" is a must. And don't let the title fool you - it's actually not at all about God.
    Actually, Geneen Roth is an author that keeps popping up in my mindful eating book quest. I was worried that it was another one of those "Let go and let God" type of books. I'll have to check this one out, too. I'm going to drive to a nearby city where there is a Barnes & Noble so I can take a closer look at some of the books out there.
    I wanted to scream from the rooftop the day I stopped at the kitchen counter and realized what I was doing before I got to the food. Sounds kind of crazy - but in my world monumental.
    I know EXACTLY what you mean ... and YES, it is monumental!

    I have become a little more aware of my thought processes, but I don't yet have full control. My biggest triggers are when I'm away from home.

    A 45-minute trip home from my parents house and the first place my mind goes to is the fast-food places along the way. I love my parents, but sometimes I feel like I need to decompress when I leave. Stopping to pick up a strawberry shake or a Starbucks Frappucino is often at the forefront of my mind.

    The other day, I was in a nearby city filling out applications, signing paperwork, etc. When I got done, I told myself that "I deserved" a McDonald's hot fudge sundae. I felt the guilt creep up after I ordered, but convinced myself that "I'd feel better" once I ate it. I don't believe hot fudge sundaes are dangerous, but I do believe that using food as a reward or calming tool is dangerous. It can, and in the past has, undone lots of hard work.
  • traceyfunk
    traceyfunk Posts: 86
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    This is actually the second time this week that this book has come up for me. I only have the audio version, not hard copy, and I think it's time for a re-listen. I actually went to one of her weekend workshops a couple years ago. I have to admit I don't follow her "guidelines" - I'm trying to come up with my own set of guidelines to last me the rest of my life. But it's definitely a good place to start.

    This is the blurb audible.com gives:

    "If you suffer about your relationship with food - you eat too much or too little, think about what you will eat constantly or try
    not to think about it at all - you can be free. Just look down at your plate. The answers are there. Don't run. Look. Because
    when we welcome what we most want to avoid, we contact the part of ourselves that is fresh and alive. We touch the life we
    truly want and evoke divinity itself. After more than three decades of studying, teaching, and writing about what drives our
    compulsions with food, Geneen Roth adds a profound new dimension to her work in Women, Food and God. She begins with
    her most basic concept: The way you eat is inseparable from your core beliefs about being alive. Your relationship with food
    is an exact mirror of your feelings about love, fear, anger, meaning, transformation and, yes, even God. But it doesn't stop
    there. Geneen shows how going beyond both the food and feelings takes you deeper into realms of spirit and soul to the
    bright center of your own life. With penetrating insight and irreverent humor, Roth traces food compulsions from subtle
    beginnings to unexpected ends. She teaches personal examination, showing readers how to use their relationship with food
    to discover the fulfillment they long for. Your relationship with food, no matter how conflicted, is the doorway to freedom, says
    Roth. What you most want to get rid of is itself the doorway to what you want most: the demystification of weight loss and the
    luminous presence that so many of us call "God." Packed with revelations on every page, this book is a knock-your-socks-off
    ride to a deeply fulfilling relationship with food, your body...and almost everything else. Women, Food and God is, quite
    simply, a guide for life."



    Have you considered that your need for treats on the road is nothing more than a habit? Starbucks is often on your mind - because that's just what your used to. And there's nothing wrong with enjoying a beverage while you drive if that's what you like. But it could be a regular old tea or coffee instead of a decadent shake. It's all about choices.

    And for my last piece of un-solicited opinion - in response to: "I don't believe hot fudge sundaes are dangerous, but I do believe that using food as a reward or calming tool is dangerous. It can, and in the past has, undone lots of hard work." I absolutely agree - but further to that, I think it stems from something much deeper. Maybe why do you feel the need to keep setting your self up for situations that are going to make you feel guilty?

    As Geneen says "it's NOT about the food!!"
  • fabulara
    fabulara Posts: 94 Member
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    bump
  • fresh_start59
    fresh_start59 Posts: 590 Member
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    . . . Have you considered that your need for treats on the road is nothing more than a habit? . . .

    "I don't believe hot fudge sundaes are dangerous, but I do believe that using food as a reward or calming tool is dangerous. It can, and in the past has, undone lots of hard work."
    I absolutely agree - but further to that, I think it stems from something much deeper. Maybe why do you feel the need to keep setting your self up for situations that are going to make you feel guilty?

    As Geneen says "it's NOT about the food!!"

    You are one smart cookie ... a warm, gooey, fresh from the oven cookie! And you've given me some food for thought ... and some thought about food.

    If your not in the psychology field, you might have missed your calling. :-)

    BTW ... I was terribly disappointed in the nearby Barnes & Noble. I went to the bigger and all I found was a Susan Albers book that didn't look all that interesting. The Self Help section is kind of, sort of, in order by subject and within that subject area the books are supposed to be in alpha order by author. Boy, oh, boy. What a mess! Wasn't much where it should be and what I did find was not in the right place. Was going to ask but the help desk people were having some sort of crisis and the manager kept yelling at them to page someone else. So, I just left.
  • hballack
    hballack Posts: 114 Member
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    This is not exactly what you asked for, but I recommend "Mindless Eating: Why we eat more than we think." by Brian Wainsink

    I think awareness of why we eat when we aren't hungry is very helpful on the road to being more mindful.

    Here is the amazon link. It gets great reviews!

    http://www.amazon.com/Mindless-Eating-More-Think-ebook/dp/B000MAHC0E/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1

    Happy reading!

    ~Heather
  • jenideni
    jenideni Posts: 1 Member
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    eat drink and be mindful.. I just started reading this book/workbook... it was recommended to me by a physician friend who has recently lost 80 lbs.
  • Wantingtolose1
    Wantingtolose1 Posts: 139 Member
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    I recommend the dont go hungry diet it's a book about intuitive eating.
  • traceyfunk
    traceyfunk Posts: 86
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    If your not in the psychology field, you might have missed your calling. :-)

    Heaven's no! I'm a SAHM and do income taxes!

    Just been spending several years reading a lot (or more like listening a lot) of very varied self-help / new agey type stuff.
    And I'm still very much a work-in-progress.
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
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    I agree with the reccomendation for "mindless eating" by wansink, and would add that "the End of Overeating" by David Kessler was also very eye-opening.

    Both those books come at "Mindfulness" from a different perspective. Rather than giving you a philosophy, they talk about how we are pushed towards overeating by our own brains, by our human instincts, and also by food manufacturers and their manipulation of product sizes and ingredients.

    In my experience, books like this that break down how we eat and why we eat what we eat have been a very important step. You cannot work against what you do not understand.
  • RamoZimm
    RamoZimm Posts: 95 Member
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    I just breezed through the book, The Beck Diet Solution, and intend to read more thoroughly now. She, Judith Beck, uses cognitive therapy techniques which, supposedly, will make us more aware of why we have an unhealthy relationship with food. To be honest, my first impression was her main advice is Just Say No, and we all know how effective that was for drug abuse. But like I said, I'm going to re-read and see if there aren't a few nuggets that may help. Good luck in your quest!
  • aepdx
    aepdx Posts: 218 Member
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    "Eat to Live"
  • RoBalance
    RoBalance Posts: 56 Member
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    I have "woman, food and God" and it was a nice read but somehow I didn't find it so helpful.

    I've got a couple of mindful eating books but my absolute favourite is 'Savour' co-written by a monk and a doctor. There are many chapters about the nutritional info and the other half is about mindful eating and mindful living and incorporating it into your life.

    It is an absolutely wonderful book!

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