The Joy of Half A Cookie
Using Mindfulness to Lose Weight and End the Struggle With Food
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- $19.99
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
Anyone who's tried to lose weight through sheer will power knows how difficult, if not impossible, it can be. In this practical and paradigm-shifting book, Dr. Jean Kristeller presents a new alternative--a program for weight loss based on her successful Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training Program. Instead of frustration, depravation, backsliding, guilt, and a lack of results, The Joy of Half a Cookie provides simple, proven ways to lose weight and keep it off, using what we now know about the power of the mind.
The first book to bring mindfulness to the dieting space in a truly accessible and mainstream way, The Joy of Half a Cookie will show readers how to lose weight while:
- ditching willpower, guilt, and cravings
- loving every bite, including favorite and previously "forbidden" foods
- tapping into the body's satiety signals
Written for anyone who wants to lose weight - not just the mediation and yoga crowd - this accessible book delivers a proven way to find peace of mind and a healthier relationship with food, for life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kristeller, a psychology professor at Indiana State University, serves up a winningly low-key primer to using mindfulness and meditation to lose weight and cultivate a healthier relationship with eating. Replacing yo-yo dieting and endless negation with "self-care, self-nourishment, self-acceptance," Kristeller teaches regulation techniques that heighten awareness of taste satisfaction, stomach fullness, and overall satiety. These involve using hyper-focus to truly experience and enjoy eating while keeping tabs on when hunger is subsiding, as in exercises such as "Mindfully Eating Four Raisins." The Keep It Off Checklist gives readers a space to set goals and evaluate progress, while the 500-Calorie Challenge provides an empowering approach to dieting. Kristeller also gives instruction on the most effective nutritional choices and lists best practices for choosing food at the supermarket and avoiding problematic restaurants and buffets. Despite some New Age terminology, Kristeller's system is grounded in established principles such as calorie awareness. She discourages rigidity, noting that an "all-or-nothing mind-set" can result in unhealthy cravings. Her thoughts on emotional eating are particularly sensitive and wise, encouraging readers to tune in to their feelings and develop more appropriate coping mechanisms for stress. While the title may produce some initial scoffs, this is a smart system offering plenty of flexibility.
