The Mindfulness-Based Eating Solution: Proven Strategies to End Overeating, Satisfy Your Hunger, and Savor Your Life

by Lynn Rossy

What are you really hungry for? Is it food, happiness, or something else? In this unique book, mindfulness expert Lynn Rossy offers a proven-effective, whole-body approach to help you discover the real reasons why you’re overeating. In  The Mindfulness-Based Eating Solution , Rossy provides an innovative and proven-effective program to help you slow down, savor each bite, and actually eat  less . This unique, whole-body approach will encourage you to adopt healthy eating habits by showing you how to listen to your body’s intuition, uncover the psychological cause of your overeating, and be more mindful during mealtime. If you find yourself eating without thinking, because you feel bored or sad, or simply because you’ve had a hard day, indulging here and there is understandable. But emotional eating can often spiral out of control, leading to problems in the long run. The whole-body program in this book will help you learn how to listen to your body’s needs, so that you can stay healthy and happy, without giving up your love for food. In fact, according to a recent study, women in the author's Eat for Life program reported higher levels of body appreciation and intuitive eating and lower levels of problematic eating behaviors than did the wait list comparison group. If you want to embrace exuberant health and truly enjoy your food, the easy-to-use strategies in this book will show you how—one mindful taste at a time

Genres: Self Help, Health, Nonfiction, Food, Nutrition, Audiobook

232 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2016

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

The therapist lent me this book to help me gain control of my eating disorder. I found it to be helpful and not helpful.
I tend to binge with a really dissociated view of the world. I sometimes feel like I'm literally looking at myself mowing down a box of Cheez-its. Bearing this in mind, one of the exercises was particularly helpful: mindfully eat some raisins. You see, I didn't have any raisins, and I didn't actually feel like buying raisins because they're not my favorite food. BUT, I did have a tin of Pringles ripe for b/ping. I mindfully ate that, looking at it, smelling it, noticing how it tasted (shocking, I know), and noticing how full I was. Guess what I learned? I don't like Pringles. They're too salty.
I also enjoyed the hunger/satiety scale. Hunger is a big trigger for binges. I usually wait until I'm like a 1 or 2 on the scale, then I binge to a 9 or 10. Yeah, not good. Now, I'm a little more aware of my hunger, so I can (hopefully) avoid getting down below a 3. I liked that scale so much I had my therapist print a copy of it for me.
Now, for the not so helpful. You see, I've had an eating disorder for 12 years. After 12 years of totally screwed up, very disordered eating, you kinda don't know how to eat anymore. Like, what does a normal person eat for breakfast? Lunch? Don't even get me started on dinner. It doesn't help that when you google "How does a normal person eat" you get a crap-ton of keto, vegan, low-fat/salt/calories/whatever stuff that I can't use. *le sigh*
I have to schedule an appointment with a nutritionist, so I actually know how to eat like a normal person. Hopefully they can give me an idea. Once I know how to do that, I plan to implement more of Rossy's suggestions.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eye opening. I will definitely try to incorporate more of these principles into my life.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The very best book on eating sensibly I've ever read. I can dispose of all the diet books in my library!

[Carol Fordahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many good tips and reminders in this book. One notable story involved housekeeps at motels. Of all housekeepers, 67% didn’t view themselves as physically active! A study was done on a group of them, measuring bp, waist to hip ratio, weight, BMI. One half in the study were told nothing and the half were told they had an active lifestyle. At the end of one month they were all remeasured. The educated half had lower bp, lower weight and lower waist to hip ratio - the other group did not. The placebo effect of realizing you are exercising and that you are moving - just awareness, has magical effects!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is a great reminder to really be mindful about what we are putting in our mouths to eat. Listening to our bodies, is it really food it is wanting? is it thirsty? is it craving affection, or something else instead?

Great tips on meditating and taking the time to really savour and enjoy foods. It is not a diet book forbidding you from food but instead the more mindful you become about the food that you eat and how you eat, the less you will crave some of the foods that are not as healthy options for you.

[Elizabeth Parise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intuitive eating has kinda clicked for me while reading this book. I don’t agree with everything the author says, but I found it useful! The BASICS acronym to keep in mind while eating has been helpful:

B - breath and belly check (see if you’re still hungry)
A - Assess your food (does it look good? Is it what will satisfy me?)
S - slow down (put down utensil between bites as an example)
I - investigate your hunger through the meal (especially halfway - am I still hungry?)
C - chew thoroughly
S - savor

[Jared E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like that the book format was very easy to follow, providing chapter summaries at the end of each. Also comprehensive, including ideas helpful to one's mental health as well as physical health. Good examples of studies supporting various topics, and overall I've highlighted and implemented several ideas. I've previously learned about mindful eating on different platforms and never got much out of it. This book was much more informative and persuasive than my previous encounters with the topic.

[Tabitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book begrudgingly (which is why it took me so long to finish it) but did find it to be very wise and helpful— when I took the time to implement the techniques. I’m not sure why I sometimes feel resentful about taking the time to be mindful about what I’m eating, but it’s definitely worth exploring. And when I DO take a moment to be mindful I feel so much better.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It's simple to follow and a short read with tons of helpful information to keep us healthy with good eating strategies. The meditations are easy to follow. Plus, it's not all meditations... in case you are not one for doing that. Honesty, I think I highlighted half the book!!

[Laura Mcculloch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this short book to anyone hoping to develop a more positive relationship to food and your body! It not only gives concepts to consider, but also provides real life examples of implementing these concepts and lists of ideas for implementing the concepts in your own life.

[Edison · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who aren't familiar with Mindful Eating practices, this book is a good introduction. Affordable at the Kindle Unlimited offer.
Lynn provides reflections on each eating bad habit and indicates a meditation to apply the concept individually.

[Dee Griffin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Should espouse what she preaches, “ Thoughts are not facts”

there’s a lot of good stuff in this book but she quotes this quotes stuff is fax from crackpot resources that simply are not true. this is really sad for someone with a PhD which should make them a scientist.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had some really good information in it. I will admit that I didn't do any of the meditations but I hope to be better at being mindful in general but especially with regards to eating and my health.

[Stephenie Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read!

[Sharon Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for someone interested in meditation, but not a great match for everyone. To me, it felt like a partially helpful tool.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a person and as a clinician, I highly recommend this book! It's a great way to ease people into mindfulness concepts while also addressing health and food choices. Love it!

[Pam F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes a lot of sense

Really brings up points to consider when looking at eating habits. Very well done. Will make me rethink my own habits.

[Monika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book for more positive relationship with food. There are very good points how we eat today and what causes our problem and stigma with food - or forbidden food

[Roberta Fish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent information and training in meditation regarding eating.

[Amanda Lombard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it a lot. Trying to be good to myself and my body.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, but I'm not blown away. It took so long to finish because there were meditation exercises throughout.

[Alicia Mosley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with practical tips on how to befriend your body and honor its needs.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will help anyone struggling with binge eating. Yo, yo dieting and negative emotions surrounding food. Great book for bringing the joy back in to eating.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of the book was more useful for me than the second half. I took notes and am putting a plan in place based on principles from this book.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about thinking about what you eat and why. It has some really good tips on how to be more mindful when you are eating. The key is really to listen to your body and really taste your food. Slow down and savor what you are eating. Figure out if you really are hungry and if you really like what you are eating. The funny thing is that reading this book made me want to eat something which is not what the book is about!

[natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks, Goodreads, for allowing me to win this book.

I have read so many diet books over my lifetime, I've lost count. I did enjoy reading this, and discovering I was doing a lot of the things in this book. What doesn't work for me is trying to eat less of what I love. No, the taste doesn't get old and I don't get full. I have to just eat smaller amounts of what I love. I am an emotional eater and have lost the same 25# 3 times in the last 16 years, only to put it back on. But I'm hoping this 3rd time will be the charm, as I'm 1# lower than I've been in 25 years!

I will put to use some of the ideas in this book and hope it helps me to further reduce my weight until I'm happy with it. That's only 10# to go!

Good read and helpful hints here.

[Malorpeg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be extremely interesting, sensible, and, in practice, utterly uplifting! When's the last time you could say THAT about a traditional "diet" book (which this definitely is not)? I highly recommend this book if you want to learn how to "savor" every bite, feel good about yourself, and give up diets and guilty trash talk! Some parts didn't apply to me, since I am not extremely overweight, but most of it would apply to people of any body type who just want to enjoy their food more, without worrying all the time about whether they should go to Confession afterwards. I ate some grapefruit sections when first getting the hang of really savoring my food, and couldn't believe how amazing they tasted. (I also feel pretty good when I "savor" a piece of chocolate, BTW.)

[Yato · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the title of this book. I am interested in mindfulness and meditation and the idea of applying it to eating was logical. I was hoping to get some insights into it. I was definitely not disappointed, this books has a lot acronyms and exercises to help you on your way. It will definitely help people who are new to mindfulness and who want to lose weight. In fact even if you do not want to slim down, get a copy, because your enjoyment of your meals will definitely increase. The book itself is nicely written and easy to follow.
This book is aimed at the newcomer, if you are already into mindfulness and meditation, then this book will not provide you a lot of new information.
I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley.

[Julie Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether your goal is weight loss or to thoroughly enjoy the food you eat, this book is a must read. The author writes in a clear and gentle voice that guides the reader through a simple and effective approach to eating. She supports her approach with plenty of research and her years of experience and training in the field of mindfulness based strategies for health and well-being. I read the book in a day and have found myself eating less and enjoying it more. Don't pass up this delicious gem of a book that shines above others in its class.

[Nina Furstenau]

I love the author’s approach to this topic. Lynn Rossy’s writing is accessible and her ideas in Eating Solution are fresh, supportive, and joyful. You can’t beat that combination especially regarding food—something many of us have a complicated relationship to. The author's clear straightforward writing helps illuminate ways to make life itself delicious – and by savoring it, food is not an issue for self-battle or guilt, but ease and serenity. Strategies here are like a secret door; push steadily and a gentle, intuitive world awaits.