Eat It Later: Mastering Self Control & The Slimming Power Of Postponement

by Michael Alvear

QUIT SUGAR THE WAY ADDICTS QUIT DRUGS.
Release the hold unhealthy foods have on you with deceptively simple approaches therapists swear by. “A wellness strategy that changes the way you think about food." -- Kirkus Reviews "RECOMMENDED"


Dramatically reduce your intake of fat bombs like french fries or ice cream with techniques psychologists developed to treat drug addicts.

They'll stop mindless eating and “shrink” your stomach so you can eat much smaller portions without feeling cheated or deprived.

The result?

Significant and permanent weight loss.

LEARN THE KEYS TO SELF-CONTROL.

You are not going to get a list of foods to eat or avoid.

Or recipes or meal suggestions.

You're not going to count calories, fat, carbs or sugar.

You're going to liberate yourself from unhealthy foods the way psychologists liberate addicts from drugs.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Self Help, Psychology, Fitness, Diets

149 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 15, 2015

About the author

Health writer Michael Alvear has written for WebMD, Newsweek, salon.com, The Washington Post, Reader’s Digest, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and The Huffington Post.

He’s been a frequent contributor to National Public Radio’s All Things Considered and co-hosted a health and fitness show on HBO and England’s Channel 4.

Reviews

[Lynzee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This guy has an interesting concept, but I don't think his technique is for me. I'm pretty sure I don't have the patience to do it his way! His way is more psychological. Like, if you eat 16 Oreos in 1 sitting, then eat 14 for a while instead and then 12. Pretty soon you're down to eating only 3 cookies and you don't miss the other 13. It would probably work, but it would take so much time (months and months) and patience!

I have started using one of his techniques though lately. It is that if there's something that you want, you need to pause, ask yourself how badly you want it, and then decide if you're willing to postpone eating it or if you have to have it right then. That's called delayed gratification. For example when I have breakfast in the morning I usually want a glass of milk to go with it. So lately I've been asking myself how much I want the milk on a scale from 1 to 10. If I am at a seven or higher, I choose to drink the milk right then. If my urge to drink the milk is not so high, I can wait and drink water instead. Which usually results in not drinking the milk at all. Which results in the intake of fewer calories.

The other part of the book I'm interested to try is called "bargaining for higher quality crap." This means that if someone brings cookies to a relief society activity, then you ask yourself do I really want this cookie right now? Or can I wait until I can get the best cookie ever at the bakery tomorrow? If you have to have the cookie right then, then eat it and enjoy it! And don't feel guilty for it, like you've broken the rules. But if you decide you want a higher quality cookie, then pass on the mediocre ones and get a higher quality cookie asap. You want your body to trust itself, so don't lie and say you'll get it and then don't.

I think it will be an interesting experiment to try this when ordering from places like McDonald's. I'll ask, Do I really want these fries? And if the answer is yes then how much do I want them? and Can I wait for a higher quality of fries, and then take myself to Five Guys later instead.

I like this book, and I'm glad I got it. But the timing could've been better. I felt like the book was giving me permission to eat whatever I wanted. When right now that's the opposite of what I'm doing. I think his ideas will be more useful when I'm at my target weight and I'm trying to maintain it.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting concept that I think would be easily adaptable into everyday life. It is not focusing on a number on the scale or 5 hours of exercise a day for immediate weight loss. Eat It Later takes a realistic approach to smaller portion and changing your mindset.

While I just finished the book I have not had the opportunity to try out and see the overall effect it will have. I do plan to incorporate this into my daily life, it seems stress free and I know as a woman who has struggled with weight loss over twenty years that sometimes the simplest things are the best solutions. Liked the authors perspective and he did add humor into what could be a touchy subject. Worth picking up if your looking to change your lifestyle with a few tweaks.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely helpful.

The author had some very helpful advice about gradually reducing the amount of food we eat so that we don't go to extremes of deprivation and give up. The key is moderation and portion control. A lot of the process of losing weight is more about the mind than the body.

[Jane Ono · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been struggling with my diet all summer. I tried the Bright Lines Eating plan which made me feel horrible. This book gives you reasonable strategies for controlling your eating that you can actually live with.

[Erinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this has been one of the most helpful and entertaining reads on mastering self-control that I’ve read. It is humorous, without being offensive and provides very simple-sounding techniques to be employed to think before one indulges. The only critique I might have is the reference to the author’s weight. I think this would be more empowering if more people could relate.

[Sheelie Kittee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this technique could be applicable for so many habits and goals we try to implement.

However, I would have to be honest, I am skeptical if this particular method would serve me, myself and speaking for myself personally but everyone is diffrent! I think it is worth trying in any case.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of 'diet' books out there but this one cuts right to the underlying problem and offers great strategies for self-control

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Common sense for eating right and avoiding guilt for "bad" choices. Very funny too.

[Ann L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diets don't work 95% of the time. I knew this already before reading the book; but I wanted to read strategies that would help deal with the psychological aspect of health and well being. I wanted to know that it was ok to eat whatever I wanted without feeling like a failure, without feeling guilty for wanting foods that I've always felt pleasure from eating. This short guide will help you do that AND will help you lose weight too over the long run. This is not a get-quick results type guide. Those only work for a short time but not long term. If you are looking to permanently change your lifestyle when it comes to your eating regime, then take your time, enjoy life, and make small changes using this guide. I'm definitely going to be using these strategies for some bad habits I've accumulated in my own life.

[Willow Brook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good book, once the author finished all his infomercial type hype at the beginning. It is a nice explanation of how to apply some basic behavioral modification techniques to change mindless eating in a way that reduces stress. It is a slow but steady, long-term approach and the author states it is best for people who don’t have a lot of weight to lose and/or who haven’t been overweight for a long period of time, which I do not recall being in the blurb about the book. Still, I thought the techniques could be helpful to losing weight in a slow sensible way or in maintaining weight that has been lost through a more traditional diet method.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow painstaking process

Losing weight the right way is a slow process. Mastering the art of self control is a big part of losing weight and keeping it off long term. The book provides the tips to ease yourself into healthier eating habits that hopefully will last.

[Paula Hidalgo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great techniques for changing eating patterns

Anyone who wants to improve their health permanently can use these techniques. Having a real reason to lose weight works much better than just having a goal to drop pounds.

[LynnB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good plan - for me anyway. Basically - I can have whatever I want if, and when, I want it enough. Tips for reducing binge foods, and for measuring how much I want it NOW and how I can eat better stuff. A bit repetitive, but then again, these are things we need to hear and remember.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically a pep talk

No new advice, not a diet book. The author explains how he lost 14 pounds in 6 months and kept it off for "TWENTY FIVE YARS" by learning to delay satisfaction.