The Joy of Half a Cookie: Using Mindfulness to Lose Weight and End the Struggle with Food

by Jean Kristeller, Alisa Bowman

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 ditching willpower, guilt, and cravingsloving every bite, including favorite and previously “forbidden” foodstapping into the body’s satiety signalsWritten 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.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Food, Health, Psychology, Diets, Unfinished

288 pages, Paperback

First published December 29, 2015

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I cannot understand how these author's can take their ideas, and in this case, even part of it's name (Mindfulness-based Eating Awareness Training), and not give credit to Molly Groger, who wrote https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
"E.A.T.: Eating Awareness Training" in 1983, before the whole 'mindfulness' movement became a thing. EAT is how to eat mindfully, without using those words. So just changing it to 'mindful eating' doesn't change Groger's approach nor does it justify not giving credit to her for this idea.

Since I read EAT before reading any of these other take-offs on that approach, it is difficult to see the basic premise - that our bodies know what and when and how much we need to eat and that we can relearn how to understand our body's messages - and add calorie counting and other extras that, if the program were truly followed, would be unnecessary.

This book gives some additional guidance for getting into the mindfulness/awareness part of eating, so I will give it that.

[Kim Huppert · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a person who mindlessly eats out of boredom, stress, or really for any other reason I thought this book was extremely helpful. A lot of it I already knew as I was reading it (and eating), but it's putting it into practice and actually thinking about it that will be the hard part. I wasn't particularly interested in the meditation pieces and feel that I can work on my mindless eating without using those practices, but if I can't then maybe I'll have to come back and try them.

[Tabitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned some helpful techniques, but this book was aimed more at people who eat junk or fast food. I eat extraordinarily clean, but my big struggle is overeating healthy treats (avocado mousse, nut brownies) once a week. Practicing mindfulness helps, but in total honesty, the 10th bite of mousse tastes just as delicious to me as the 1st.
What HAS really benefitted me is committing to not eating to the point of discomfort, and setting up calming routines for myself during times I might reach for stevia fudge first. I dream of someday being able to "eat til I'm 80% full" as they do in Okinawa, but I reckon that'll take some time.
I'd probably be fine without any desserts ever, except that that seems so anti-celebratory to me, and I love creating sweets, especially inspired by treats I read about in novels. That is a huge one for me! And therein lies my dilemma.

[Traci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely addresses some of the emotional aspects of overeating. Think it would be best read by someone who has true food issues, such as binge eating. For those that just need to lose a few pounds, not sure this would help.

Also, I didn't really "work the plan" as I was just wanting to read the book. Therefore, the text became fairly repetitive as I went through each chapter...think about the piece of food about to be eaten, examine the texture on tongue, how long it takes to lose flavor, whether it really satisfies, etc.

[Sara Goldenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title was the best part. Plus the picture of the cookie; I love cookies !!!!

[Alan Tsuei · Rating 3 out of 5]

探討飲食減重的竅門，不是叫你不踩油門，而是教你學踩剎車，換句話說，就是讓你學會什麼叫淺嘗則止，美食的邊際效益遞減地很快，所以愛吃什麼就去吃，只是記得少吃就好，如此一來就可以在慾望與熱量之間取得一個平衡，達到身體健康與生活享受的平衡
1．了解自己的食量，不必有把桌上食物全吃完的責任感
2．吃完餐後等20分鐘再確認自己的飽足感，身體需要一點時間來調適
3．把每次飲食減少一點附加物當成挑戰，比如少一些鹽、少一些糖、少一些醬料等
4．了解食物的構成與養分
5．學會愛上運動
6．每週量一次體重
7．記錄自己每日吃了些什麼
8．利用喝水來增加飽足感，以減少每次用餐量

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book, and the best regarding food and mindfulness that I have ever read. It has a lot of practical suggestions and exercises for identifying and working to change disordered behavior regarding food, and is the only book I have read that discusses out of balance eating (swinging from underconsuming to overconsuming) as opposed to just binge eating and/or undereating.

It is practical in the sense that it discusses the reality of calories and overconsumption, but also approaches caloric intake in a relaxed and non-"diet" manner. It is full of common sense ideas that I have found to be true in my own life (such as, attempting to count your chewing as a method of slowing your eating, as some people have suggested, will just drive you insane.)

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to stop yo-yo dieting or has problems with emotional eating.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading books about dieting, healthy eating, and the newest trends. This book really resonated with me. It provided such insight and empowerment for me, and will assist with returning my eating habits back to what they naturally were years ago. So many good, simple and logical tips that anyone can use for the rest of their lives to become a healthier person. I wish I had read this book years ago.

I especially enjoyed the information on meditation, emotional eating, and turning off the panic button about calories. Finally a great book that could be helpful and do-able for all.

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It is a whole new way to look at food. It is a very healthy approach to food, and avoids extremes and dieting. I have already started loosing weight by using some of these techniques, and don't feel deprived at all. I especially like how it addresses some of the emotional issues we create with food.

[Massanutten Regional Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mandy, Central patron, July 2019, 3 stars:

Have you ever felt like you just can't stop eating your favorite food? Have you ever felt powerlessly trapped in a cycle of habitual overeating followed immediately with feelings of guilt and failure? Ever wondered why food seems to have control in your life and you'd like to take that control back? Then this is a good starting point. The Joy of Half a Cookie is a great book about eating mindfully to avoid the cycle of disordered eating. The book is informative, easy to read, and includes everything you need to begin looking at food and eating differently.

[Rachael Curtis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the Keep it off Checklist on pg. 98. As well as the reminders for meditation and intentional eating. I also really like the raisin challenge and how that really tunes you in on what you are eating. The author suggests if you wanted to lose 50+ pounds for the year to eat 500 calories less than you normally do. If you only had 20-30 pounds to lost 200-300 calories less. Overall, this book wasn’t what I was hoping for but it was decent.

[Diogo Freire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m all good with the mindfulness and connection parts of this book (although it gets pretty repetitive), but the constant pairing with processed sugar rich foods and constant dated calorie advice really puts a stain on all of it for me (even though there was about two pages talking about the my plate framework, which is better than nothing I suppose)

[Asia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this idea of using mindfulness to nourish my relationship with food. Using my senses to feel and understand if having that tempting chocolate or fried snack will make me feel better in the long run or make me feel worse.

[Thao Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cuốn sách chỉ ra niềm vui thực sự trong việc ăn uống - một việc chiếm phần lớn thời gian trong cuộc đời con người, lần đầu tiền tôi nghe tới phương pháp này- ăn một cách chánh niệm, tôi sẽ thử trải nhiệm cách ăn mới này

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mindful eating---so easy to say and read about, but hard in practice. I did enjoy reading it and getting some help about the struggle with food we have. Mindfulness 101, Eating the Right Amount, and Your Inner Gourmet were my favorite chapters.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

The tips my be helpful, but this book was sooo boooring. Every time I tried to read it, I had to take a break to wake up.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A library book so I didn't have time to go through it at the slow pace advised, but I tried the first few steps and it does seem helpful.

[Liz Harkness · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning chapters were interesting. But the actual action items later in the book seemed beyond pointless. Do not recommend.

[Simona Garbarini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Focalizzato sulle abbuffate alimentari. Qualche consiglio utile

[Laurie J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super informative. Hunger scale, fullness scale, mindful eating, true satisfaction, tools, practices

[Christina Adebiyi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful ideas and practice lessons to build a better relationship with food.

[Colleen Dutton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found no joy in only half a cookie. And I am ok with that.

[方熠 翟 · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is mindfulness?
You deliberately pay attention, without judgement, both to your inner wisdom (your emotion, your thought, your hunger and taste signals) and your outer wisdom (nutritional information on your snack).
How to eat mindfully:
1. Tuning in to your inner wisdom: maximum enjoyment of each bits, feel physiological hunger, fullness.
2. Tuning in to your outer widsom: use nutrition and calorie approriately to embrace balanced, varied food choices.
3.Do not categorize food into good food and bad food, and let go of the struggle of restrictive eating.

[Anne Asher]

Great book about mindful eating.

[Lizzy Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this book as a free sample when I got my new kindle so it was a random wild card read but I quite enjoyed it and found it a refreshing non diet focused read on food!

[Novia · Rating 1 out of 5]

「聽君一席話，如聽一席話。」
一本集合所有減肥書的重點再寫成的一本書。
再多幾個章節提到冥想，就是一本新書了。

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Bought my own copy because there’s so much to try out.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Joy of Half a Cookie is a light version of the very popular Intuitive Eating. The best part of this book is the ‘Keeping It Off Checklist.’ I’m not a huge fan of the name but really like the practices she encourages. For instance, she wants you to consider how often you listen to your hunger and take note of the taste of your food.

For more reviews check me out @stephaniesbookclub on Instagram.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are so many books on mindful eating. This one isn't that great. I say skip it.

[Tanya]

The book encourages self- regulation,which is defined here as realizing when you are no longer hungry or not enjoying the food so much that you can simply decide to let go without a struggle. You can always have more later and you will enjoy it more.