What do you think?
Rate this book
Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-repent-repeat Cycle
Do you regularly deprive yourself, succumb to temptation, feel guilty, and then start the process all over again? If so, you need this book. Dr. Michelle May will guide you out of the food-focused, diet-driven downward spiral that leads you to eat, repent, and repeat. She offers a powerful stop being afraid of food and start eating mindfully and joyfully. No more rigid rules, strict exercise regimens, questionable drugs, or food substitutes. This book will soon have you eating the foods you love without fear, without guilt, and without bingeing. Create the healthy, energetic, and vibrant life you deserve. Called ''the antidote to ineffective dieting,'' Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat is a rare prescription for optimal health of the body, mind, heart, and spirit. After twenty years of yo-yo dieting, physician Michelle May discovered a peaceful, joyful relationship with food. Now Dr. May will show you how to resolve mindless and emotional eating and break free from your eat-repent-repeat cycle. With uncommon sense and a powerful mind-body approach to healthy living, Dr. May helps you rediscover when, what, and how much to eat without restrictive rules. You'll learn the truth about nutrition and how to stop using exercise to earn the right to eat. You'll finally experience the pleasure of eating the foods you love--without guilt or bingeing. In down-to-earth language that conveys her compassion for people who are sick of overeating and dieting, Dr. May offers you unconventional strategies for eating fearlessly and mindfully. With your new, powerful patterns of thinking, you ll live the balanced, vibrant life you desire. Looking for Am I Hungry? What to Do When Diets Don't Work? We are sorry but that book is now out of print and has been replaced by the greatly revised, updated, and expanded new version, Eat What You Love, Love What You How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle. While Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat is based on the same key concepts to guide readers out of yo-yo dieting, it also includes new tools and strategies, new chapters and topics (including head hunger, emotional eating, fearless eating, mindful eating, and mindful exercise), personal stories from Dr. May and her patients, dozens of recipes from Dr. May s husband, Chef Owen, and much more. Praise for Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat :
''There is much wisdom embedded in this eminently practical book. Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat is a valuable guide for those seeking freedom from struggles with food and dieting.''
-- Anita Johnston , PhD, author of Eating in the Light of the Moon , director of 'Ai Pono Eating Disorders Programs ''Throw away all your diet books and replace them with Dr. Michelle May's Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat --it is fabulous, comprehensive, and the last book most dieters will ever need to break free of their dieting cycle.''
-- Kathleen Zelman , MPH, RD '' Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat gives the recipe for joyous and healthy eating.''
-- Joe Scherger , MD, vice president for Primary Care, Eisenhower Medical Center; clinical professor of family medicine, University of California, San Diego ''An increasing number of experts have gotten on the non-diet bandwagon. Dr. May has taken it to a whole new level by creating a simple and compelling mind-heart-body approach that brings pleasure back to eating.''
-- Margaret Moore (Coach Meg), founder and CEO, Wellcoaches Corporation
''There is much wisdom embedded in this eminently practical book. Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat is a valuable guide for those seeking freedom from struggles with food and dieting.''
-- Anita Johnston , PhD, author of Eating in the Light of the Moon , director of 'Ai Pono Eating Disorders Programs ''Throw away all your diet books and replace them with Dr. Michelle May's Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat --it is fabulous, comprehensive, and the last book most dieters will ever need to break free of their dieting cycle.''
-- Kathleen Zelman , MPH, RD '' Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat gives the recipe for joyous and healthy eating.''
-- Joe Scherger , MD, vice president for Primary Care, Eisenhower Medical Center; clinical professor of family medicine, University of California, San Diego ''An increasing number of experts have gotten on the non-diet bandwagon. Dr. May has taken it to a whole new level by creating a simple and compelling mind-heart-body approach that brings pleasure back to eating.''
-- Margaret Moore (Coach Meg), founder and CEO, Wellcoaches Corporation
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2009
249 people are currently reading
1061 people want to read
About the author
Michelle May
26 books12 followersMichelle May empowers audiences to take charge of their lives and their well-being. Her authenticity and passion for mindful eating and vibrant living stem from her own personal struggle with food and body image. After years of ineffective yo-yo dieting, she developed a mindful, non-diet approach to food, movement, and self-care.
With personal experience and professional expertise, Michelle inspires new thinking and leaves your audience with a clear path for implementing vibrant well-being in their personal and professional lives.
Michelle founded Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Programs and Training in 1999 to share this compassionate, constructive, and life-changing approach through health and wellness professionals, corporate wellness programs, and community-based programs.
Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Programs are available through hundreds of licensed Am I Hungry? facilitators, coaches, therapists, and instructors worldwide.
Dr. Michelle May is the award-winning author of the book series, Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat, that teaches mindful eating for yo-yo dieting, diabetes, binge eating disorder, bariatric surgery, and students.
Dr. May is an Associate Professor at Arizona State University where she teaches Mindful Eating. She is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), the highest earned designation from the National Speakers Association.
With personal experience and professional expertise, Michelle inspires new thinking and leaves your audience with a clear path for implementing vibrant well-being in their personal and professional lives.
Michelle founded Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Programs and Training in 1999 to share this compassionate, constructive, and life-changing approach through health and wellness professionals, corporate wellness programs, and community-based programs.
Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Programs are available through hundreds of licensed Am I Hungry? facilitators, coaches, therapists, and instructors worldwide.
Dr. Michelle May is the award-winning author of the book series, Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat, that teaches mindful eating for yo-yo dieting, diabetes, binge eating disorder, bariatric surgery, and students.
Dr. May is an Associate Professor at Arizona State University where she teaches Mindful Eating. She is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), the highest earned designation from the National Speakers Association.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
August 3, 2013
Very mixed review on this one. It's not a bad book, per se, but it also wasn't totally for me, in a lot of ways. There was one concept, though, that I found so valuable in the first part that it kept me reading the book to through to the end, even though I found the second, third and fourth parts to be of increasingly little use or interest to me.
The first section of the book is about the psychological aspects of eating and eating patterns. Generally, I found this section interesting and helpful. One model that the author used, I found to be an intensely useful framework for thinking about eating patterns and is definitely my big takeaway from this book. She describes three patterns or "cycles" of eating: restrictive eating, overeating and instinctive eating. The first correlates to dieting and other rule-based eating behavior. The second, obviously, to overeating or binging type behavior, and the third to a more natural, satiety-based, "instinctive" eating type behavior. Clearly, it is healthiest to aim for the third type — but most people have different patterns at different times, and there can be justifiable reasons, on occasion, for eating in one of the less "healthy" patterns. As long as it's conscious.
I really liked this way of looking at eating cycles. While it seems sort of obvious once it's pointed out in such clear words, I find it gives names and clarity to a lot of stuff that was very amorphous in my brain. It makes these behaviors real, explicable, name-able (and thus changeable and controllable) things. So five stars to this section of the book.
Unfortunately, the rest of the book feels like "healthful living for dummies". Or at least healthy-living newbies. I was SUPER disappointed when the author based her nutritional advice on the USDA food pyramid, as if it were a given that that thing is the way to go. Her explanations about metabolism were not bad, I thought, but then all of a sudden it felt like she might be drinking the government kool-aid about "heart-healthy grains" and low-fat and all that... which I found odd. Until that point, I thought this book was more sophisticated.
The chapters on exercise, similarly, are not bad, per se, but a bore to read if you've ever actually done any exercise in your life. This whole section would be great if you really are truly new to exercise and are nervous about becoming "active" and want lots of hand-holding. Not that I'm jock or something, but I found it all very basic.
Finally, the recipe section was of little interest to me. Partly because I'm vegan and the recipes weren't, but also because it was just a random selection of things to do with mostly whole foods. Sure, if you eat total crap processed food now, making these recipes could be great. But if you're particular and/or know the first thing about feeding yourself with healthy whole foods, it just seems like an odd add-on to an otherwise non-prescriptive book.
I guess I would have liked the whole thing to have been like the first section, expanding on that... if indeed there is enough to say. The rest just seemed like a reading the manual for an intuitive product. That said, this book would be GREAT for a lot of people, it's a good introduction to getting healthy, if you're starting from the opposite end of the spectrum.
The first section of the book is about the psychological aspects of eating and eating patterns. Generally, I found this section interesting and helpful. One model that the author used, I found to be an intensely useful framework for thinking about eating patterns and is definitely my big takeaway from this book. She describes three patterns or "cycles" of eating: restrictive eating, overeating and instinctive eating. The first correlates to dieting and other rule-based eating behavior. The second, obviously, to overeating or binging type behavior, and the third to a more natural, satiety-based, "instinctive" eating type behavior. Clearly, it is healthiest to aim for the third type — but most people have different patterns at different times, and there can be justifiable reasons, on occasion, for eating in one of the less "healthy" patterns. As long as it's conscious.
I really liked this way of looking at eating cycles. While it seems sort of obvious once it's pointed out in such clear words, I find it gives names and clarity to a lot of stuff that was very amorphous in my brain. It makes these behaviors real, explicable, name-able (and thus changeable and controllable) things. So five stars to this section of the book.
Unfortunately, the rest of the book feels like "healthful living for dummies". Or at least healthy-living newbies. I was SUPER disappointed when the author based her nutritional advice on the USDA food pyramid, as if it were a given that that thing is the way to go. Her explanations about metabolism were not bad, I thought, but then all of a sudden it felt like she might be drinking the government kool-aid about "heart-healthy grains" and low-fat and all that... which I found odd. Until that point, I thought this book was more sophisticated.
The chapters on exercise, similarly, are not bad, per se, but a bore to read if you've ever actually done any exercise in your life. This whole section would be great if you really are truly new to exercise and are nervous about becoming "active" and want lots of hand-holding. Not that I'm jock or something, but I found it all very basic.
Finally, the recipe section was of little interest to me. Partly because I'm vegan and the recipes weren't, but also because it was just a random selection of things to do with mostly whole foods. Sure, if you eat total crap processed food now, making these recipes could be great. But if you're particular and/or know the first thing about feeding yourself with healthy whole foods, it just seems like an odd add-on to an otherwise non-prescriptive book.
I guess I would have liked the whole thing to have been like the first section, expanding on that... if indeed there is enough to say. The rest just seemed like a reading the manual for an intuitive product. That said, this book would be GREAT for a lot of people, it's a good introduction to getting healthy, if you're starting from the opposite end of the spectrum.
June 2, 2012
For as long as I can remember, I have obsessed about calories, points, fat grams, exercise - you name it. It has gotten to the point of ridiculousness, and I have literally felt like I was drowning. This book was like an answer to a prayer for me - and I honestly can say I feel like I have been freed from the diet prison. When you take away the whole concept of forbidden food, you remove power food has over you, and empower yourself over food. The meat of this concept is in the first 2 chapters - the last 3 were things I already get (how exercise & healthy food affects you). But the genius in this book (even though it is really is just common sense) is when you allow yourself to have anything you want whenever you want, your whole mindset changes because YOU are in charge - not some diet or self-imposed rules. She calls it the "eat-repent-repeat" cycle that most of us go through our whole lives - we're all either feeling guilty, restricted, obsessed, or momentarily in control - all based on what we ate today. This is not the way to live our lives!
UPDATE: I just re-read this ( for a refresher course I was desperately needing. If you have body or food issues, this is a MUST READ. I can't describe enough what a lifesaver this book is. 6/2/12
UPDATE: I just re-read this ( for a refresher course I was desperately needing. If you have body or food issues, this is a MUST READ. I can't describe enough what a lifesaver this book is. 6/2/12
April 6, 2011
I love food but it hasn't always loved me back. When I turned forty my metabolism packed up and moved south, along with several other parts of my anatomy. When the numbers on the weight scale started to climb, I panicked. I bought into every fad diet out there, never succeeding my goal to lose and keep off those extra unwanted pounds and inches. However, after reading Dr. May's book my eating habits have drastically changed.
"Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat" by Dr. Michelle May, will change your life forever. Through years of research, Dr. May has succeeded in writing a no-nonsense formula that will help you to stop obsessing over food. Dr. May's approach to weight loss and management is attentive to the fact that most of us overeat when stressed or bored. The book teaches you how to get back in touch with your emotional and spiritual self by learning to use food as nourishment for your mind and body. Dr. May's eating guide and strategies are effective and empowering.
"Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat" is twenty-five chapters broken down into four designed parts. The following are just a few examples of what you will find. Part 1 is `Think' - techniques that teach it is not about food, it is about mindful eating and taking control over your body. Part 2 is `Nourish - techniques teaching you how to rediscover food, the importance of fats in our diet, and clearing carb confusion. Part 3 is `Live' - learning to increase your flexibilities, challenging your body, therefore increasing your strength and stamina. Part 4 is `Eat' - forty-seven nutritional recipes; everything from Rustic grilled pizza, Southwestern stew, Portobello mushroom burgers, to deserts such as, Blueberry peach almond crisp and Bittersweet chocolate soufflés.
Michelle May, M.D. is a recovering yo-yo dieter, founder, and CEO of the "Am I Hungry" workshops, in which she has trained over 170 health professionals worldwide to facilitate in their offices and communities. She is the award - winning author of "Am I Hungry? What to Do When Diets Don't Work." Michelle is also the author of "H" is for Healthy: Weight Management For Kids. Dr. May is a board - certified family physician with fourteen years of clinical experience and holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Arizona State University. Well respected by her physician colleagues, they elected her to serve as president of the Arizona Academy of Family Physicians.
I highly recommend Dr. May's book "Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat" to everyone who wants to experience the pleasure of eating the foods you love while maintaining a healthy weight.
"Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat" by Dr. Michelle May, will change your life forever. Through years of research, Dr. May has succeeded in writing a no-nonsense formula that will help you to stop obsessing over food. Dr. May's approach to weight loss and management is attentive to the fact that most of us overeat when stressed or bored. The book teaches you how to get back in touch with your emotional and spiritual self by learning to use food as nourishment for your mind and body. Dr. May's eating guide and strategies are effective and empowering.
"Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat" is twenty-five chapters broken down into four designed parts. The following are just a few examples of what you will find. Part 1 is `Think' - techniques that teach it is not about food, it is about mindful eating and taking control over your body. Part 2 is `Nourish - techniques teaching you how to rediscover food, the importance of fats in our diet, and clearing carb confusion. Part 3 is `Live' - learning to increase your flexibilities, challenging your body, therefore increasing your strength and stamina. Part 4 is `Eat' - forty-seven nutritional recipes; everything from Rustic grilled pizza, Southwestern stew, Portobello mushroom burgers, to deserts such as, Blueberry peach almond crisp and Bittersweet chocolate soufflés.
Michelle May, M.D. is a recovering yo-yo dieter, founder, and CEO of the "Am I Hungry" workshops, in which she has trained over 170 health professionals worldwide to facilitate in their offices and communities. She is the award - winning author of "Am I Hungry? What to Do When Diets Don't Work." Michelle is also the author of "H" is for Healthy: Weight Management For Kids. Dr. May is a board - certified family physician with fourteen years of clinical experience and holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Arizona State University. Well respected by her physician colleagues, they elected her to serve as president of the Arizona Academy of Family Physicians.
I highly recommend Dr. May's book "Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat" to everyone who wants to experience the pleasure of eating the foods you love while maintaining a healthy weight.
April 16, 2014
FINAL Review:
I like the practical, logical, simple advice in this book: Only eat when you're hungry, make choices that make you feel good, try to understand why you eat when you aren't hungry, take care of the body you were given, and stop trying to look like everyone else.
Pretty obvious.
MID Review:
Interesting book. It's part of the "stop listening to people who are trying to sell you a diet plan, tell you that your body size is "wrong", tell you how you should look and how you should eat, and actually start listening to your own body because when your stomach growls, you're hungry" idea.
I've been on a diet for 40 years and I weigh more now than I ever have, so obviously those so-called "diets" and eating what and when other people tell me to eat are not working. I picked up this book to see if there was something else I could try.
It's eye-opening to read about the history behind obesity in women. When the diet craze started (that is, when Twiggy became popular), obesity in women skyrocketed. So did all kinds of eating disorders.
Women were led to believe that in order to make it in America, we must be more like a man -- that there is something wrong with us if we don't look like a man -- slim-hipped and rail thin, even if genetics says you will be heavier than the so-called "average". (Later, someone told us that although slim-hipped and rail thin, we "must have a big rack to be sexy", which is another confusing message...but I digress. But, can you really blame me for digressing, with all these confusing messages I'm trying to keep up with here?)
There's a problem with "averages". Not everyone fits into that "average" and if you're outside of it, you are negatively labeled, made a virtual outcast, a pariah. "Averages" are where people are placed into a box - if you aren't a certain color, size, or type, you don't go in the box with everyone else.
If you think about it, weight is one of the last characteristics where blatant discrimination is openly accepted, and where people who are "average" or skinny feel fully justified in telling others how to eat and what they should look like. It's all really rather bizarre.
This book makes the point that it is time to just BE YOURSELF and take care of the body you have, and that our bodies know what they need. Makes perfect sense to me. The body is really such a fantastic, complex system. Listening to it and only eating what it craves when it's hungry would sure cut down all the stress of trying so hard to look like what other people think I should look like, and beating myself up if I don't.
:)
I like the practical, logical, simple advice in this book: Only eat when you're hungry, make choices that make you feel good, try to understand why you eat when you aren't hungry, take care of the body you were given, and stop trying to look like everyone else.
Pretty obvious.
MID Review:
Interesting book. It's part of the "stop listening to people who are trying to sell you a diet plan, tell you that your body size is "wrong", tell you how you should look and how you should eat, and actually start listening to your own body because when your stomach growls, you're hungry" idea.
I've been on a diet for 40 years and I weigh more now than I ever have, so obviously those so-called "diets" and eating what and when other people tell me to eat are not working. I picked up this book to see if there was something else I could try.
It's eye-opening to read about the history behind obesity in women. When the diet craze started (that is, when Twiggy became popular), obesity in women skyrocketed. So did all kinds of eating disorders.
Women were led to believe that in order to make it in America, we must be more like a man -- that there is something wrong with us if we don't look like a man -- slim-hipped and rail thin, even if genetics says you will be heavier than the so-called "average". (Later, someone told us that although slim-hipped and rail thin, we "must have a big rack to be sexy", which is another confusing message...but I digress. But, can you really blame me for digressing, with all these confusing messages I'm trying to keep up with here?)
There's a problem with "averages". Not everyone fits into that "average" and if you're outside of it, you are negatively labeled, made a virtual outcast, a pariah. "Averages" are where people are placed into a box - if you aren't a certain color, size, or type, you don't go in the box with everyone else.
If you think about it, weight is one of the last characteristics where blatant discrimination is openly accepted, and where people who are "average" or skinny feel fully justified in telling others how to eat and what they should look like. It's all really rather bizarre.
This book makes the point that it is time to just BE YOURSELF and take care of the body you have, and that our bodies know what they need. Makes perfect sense to me. The body is really such a fantastic, complex system. Listening to it and only eating what it craves when it's hungry would sure cut down all the stress of trying so hard to look like what other people think I should look like, and beating myself up if I don't.
:)
January 6, 2015
I got inspired to do better on page 5 of this book and it hasn't let go yet.
I want to learn to eat instinctively, i.e. eat what I want or feel like eating when I am truly hungry and stop when I am not hungry anymore.
Simple enough, right? Well, maybe with practice, but I am several days into this and I feel great and I do not feel deprived and I don't have to count calories. YAY!
The author gives you enough boost to want to change your eating habits and your lifestyle without any dieting whatsoever. I have heavily underlined my Kindle edition and I am intending to print out the outline to keep with me for inspiration. (my motivation fluctuates a lot!)
Definitely worth a read for anyone struggling with weight or anyone who just wants to make healthier choices in their diet.
There is a great collection of very easy recipes towards the end of the book and even I managed to make some because they are so simple.
Yes, most books on food will list recipes, and I usually skip those the moment I look at the list of ingredients, for several reasons:
1. I don't like cooking and I usually think it is a waste of time, so the more complicated the recipe the faster it puts me to sleep;
2. I don't like shopping for food,
3. I am only interested in "regular" ingredients and can't be bothered learning about anything new, or shopping for it. (I don't consider myself a "foodie" at all)
Well, this book doesn't do that, it gets you to make tasty meals from the ingredients you probably already have in your fridge or cupboards.
There is a lot of useful info in the appendix as well, all familiar to me already (because I was always dieting by counting calories), but good for a reminder on how to read food labels.
This book will definitely get you to eat when you are hungry, teach you how to read your hunger signs and you will finally be able to let go of "but I am hungry all the time" notion.
Highly recommended.
September 19, 2012
For someone who has struggled with weight issues all my life this book was an complete "aha" moment. It is NOT a diet book (although it has some really tasty looking recipes in it). It is how to change your relationship with food from the dysfunctional -- eat this, not that, this is good, that is bad, etc. to looking at what natural hunger signals you've learned to suppress from your body and looking at food as VERY enjoyable fuel.
It will probably take a few more readings of key chapters to totally sink in, but right now I'm loving this new relationship with how/what/when/why I eat. No guilt, no cravings, no food obsession. The only downside so far is learning to recognize how much I REALLY want to eat and downsizing my portions accordingly.
It will probably take a few more readings of key chapters to totally sink in, but right now I'm loving this new relationship with how/what/when/why I eat. No guilt, no cravings, no food obsession. The only downside so far is learning to recognize how much I REALLY want to eat and downsizing my portions accordingly.
October 23, 2017
It's worth reading the first third. That part really helped me understand that some of my own "disordered eating" behaviors aren't really based on my relationship to food. It's other mental drama that manifests in mindless eating patterns, and that's what I really need to focus on.
The food advice in the middle contradicts the author's "eat what your body needs, don't worry about good vs bad foods." It was frustrating. And in some areas... not actually good advice. Unfortunately, that carried through to the recipes at the end. Phrased another way: Fat free dairy products are an abomination, and I will never take food advice from someone pushing them.
The food advice in the middle contradicts the author's "eat what your body needs, don't worry about good vs bad foods." It was frustrating. And in some areas... not actually good advice. Unfortunately, that carried through to the recipes at the end. Phrased another way: Fat free dairy products are an abomination, and I will never take food advice from someone pushing them.
December 13, 2017
this book was really great, especially the beginning parts that deal with the psychology of dieting and eating. i loved her little mantras and inclusion of stories to help illustrate the points she was trying to make, most notably the story of her patient who compared hunger to filling his car with gas: you wouldn’t stop at every gas station if your car was full so why would you eat when you weren’t hungry? since the book does not endorse a free for all eating mentality (she does give guidelines for being healthy and mindful but advises not to feel guilt if you overeat) lots of what she says can be overwhelming if you have been stuck in a dieting cycle and want to break free, but it’s certainly doable. im excited to try the recipes she included as well since they seem so fresh and good. the chapters on working out didn’t matter to me since I exercise and know a lot about that but, again, the mantras about mindset and not having an all or nothing attitude helped me rethink the way i understand the gym and training plans. all in all, i think it is an excellent book for anyone who struggles with the shame around dieting and wants to develop a healthier mindset around food. it is not easy but her suggestion are smart and work.
February 3, 2017
I LOVED this book. I would recommend it to anyone. It gave a healthy, sensical, intentional approach to being healthy. Probably the most infuential to me health book I've read.
January 13, 2022
I rented this book from the library to read and then bought it!!
I found peace and knowledge in this book for myself. I have a always had an unhealthy relationship with food/celebrations/etc… and I found this book very helpful.
This book is separated into 4 parts. I found Part 1 & 2 to be the most helpful. Learning key reasons people overeat, or may have unhealthy relationships with food, and enter into these cycles that she calls “eat, repent, repeat”. Great suggestions and support in these parts to help you pass through these thoughts or other cycles with food you may have. With this process is there is no good/bad food, so she shares about types of food, what it does for you, and thr health benefits. Which, although I’ve been on my own healthy journey for the past year, was something I didn’t know I needed to read and see again!
Part 3 focused on current things you can do to get started on this change of how to view food (which, to some may be very helpful, but I started my fitness journey almost 2 years ago, so I quickly read it, but learned a few things). Part 4 being recipes- which look so tasty!
Out of 10, I rated it a 6. Lots of reasonings behind relationships with food and eating cycles and suggestions and information to use to shift your mindset about food.
I found peace and knowledge in this book for myself. I have a always had an unhealthy relationship with food/celebrations/etc… and I found this book very helpful.
This book is separated into 4 parts. I found Part 1 & 2 to be the most helpful. Learning key reasons people overeat, or may have unhealthy relationships with food, and enter into these cycles that she calls “eat, repent, repeat”. Great suggestions and support in these parts to help you pass through these thoughts or other cycles with food you may have. With this process is there is no good/bad food, so she shares about types of food, what it does for you, and thr health benefits. Which, although I’ve been on my own healthy journey for the past year, was something I didn’t know I needed to read and see again!
Part 3 focused on current things you can do to get started on this change of how to view food (which, to some may be very helpful, but I started my fitness journey almost 2 years ago, so I quickly read it, but learned a few things). Part 4 being recipes- which look so tasty!
Out of 10, I rated it a 6. Lots of reasonings behind relationships with food and eating cycles and suggestions and information to use to shift your mindset about food.
February 26, 2021
I was so excited to read this book. I was someone who knew a lot about what kinds of food to eat but simply always chose the easy or unhealthy route. The premise of the book is that in order to eat what you love and love what you eat, you should only eat when you're hungry and stop eating once you aren't hungry anymore. (Insert a sarcastic "mind blown" gif) The way she discusses instinctive eating was really enlightening for me but seemed to get repetitive. Overall, though, this book has helped me repair my relationship with food. It helped me be able to identify why I made missteps in my eating decisions to learn from it, not simply feeling guilty that I messed up.
The first half was great for repairing my relationship with food, but the second (about nutrition) and third (about exercise) parts were simply okay. The nutrition seemed to be based on the US food pyramid, a tool for nutrition that I refuse to use because it was created as a compromise between health and industry. The third part was about simple ways to become more active, things that I knew before but was nice to be reminded of.
The first half was great for repairing my relationship with food, but the second (about nutrition) and third (about exercise) parts were simply okay. The nutrition seemed to be based on the US food pyramid, a tool for nutrition that I refuse to use because it was created as a compromise between health and industry. The third part was about simple ways to become more active, things that I knew before but was nice to be reminded of.
August 4, 2022
This book was really helpful! I enjoyed the first 200 pages the best and then the rest was just recipes and exercise 101 stuff. But the first part was going through why we eat and get into overeating or restrictive cycles. I have kept track of my calorie count for years and it doesn’t seem to work most of the time. But this book encourages you to work towards instinctive eating-when you are hungry and listening to your body. She gives framework for figuring out your triggers and for handling things like vacations and holidays.
April 9, 2018
If you're tired of diets and you're willing to do the difficult internal work required, this is the book for you. It's not a diet book and there are no banned foods. If you're looking for a quick fix, don't read the book - you won't like it. I took a long time to finish as I was digesting the material and applying it to my life. I have a long road ahead of me, but I'm finally facing my demons and learning to eat to nourish my body.
May 12, 2018
I think the best parts of this book were the “Mindful Moments” snippets featured in each chapter. There was so much wisdom here. I really appreciated that she dove into what drives us to eat, but I agree with other reviewers who argued that the nutrition and exercise sections read like a diet manual/textbook. However, I think these sections would be helpful if you had little to no knowledge of nutrition or were just beginning to exercise.
November 21, 2018
Overall I really liked this book. Some of the concepts have really helped with my ED recovery process, particularly the mantra of "I am in charge" as a means to transfer my food relationship from control to being in charge of my choices. I recommend this one for people who struggle with compulsive or addictive behaviours around food - particularly binge eaters.
October 13, 2020
I liked this a lot, it was recommended to me by my therapist as I am working through issues with disordered eating. I got a lot of good things from this book; there were sections of things I was already quite familiar with but I loved her perspective on eating in a mindful & instinctive way. I’ll return to this book again to refresh myself on effective thought patterns & strategies.
March 1, 2018
Read this book as part of a Mindfulness Based Eating class through our local Cancer Center. Found the class, workbook and concepts to be incredibly life changing. Explains why diets don’t work and rests your intuitive eating button. Powerful!
January 9, 2019
I have a very difficult time reading "self help" books, however this was recommended to me and I did jump around a bit to keep myself moving through the book. I probably din't read every single line but was able to understand the purpose and meaning behind my addiction to food.
May 3, 2019
A different way to diet
This book is more about being in the moment and being mindful. Not really a diet book if you are trying to lose weight. Gives good advice on eating when hungry and stopping when satisfied. A good read.
This book is more about being in the moment and being mindful. Not really a diet book if you are trying to lose weight. Gives good advice on eating when hungry and stopping when satisfied. A good read.
September 30, 2019
This is a great book for emotional eating. It taught me to re-evaluate my relationship with food. There are several exercises that are helpful and several statements that stuck with me although I read it more than 5 years ago.
October 16, 2017
I thought this was totally bogus, but I did end up getting some good ideas from this book, and I find myself more happy with food.
October 16, 2018
I read this as part of a free workshop they were offering at work. I learned a lot and it was an easy read.
March 30, 2019
Finally a self help book that gave real answers on how to do something. Lots of great way to help you imagine how to change. I have already passed this book on to share with friends.
April 10, 2019
Excellent mindful eating book!
May 27, 2019
Loved this
I’m new to intuitive eating! This book gives so many nuggets of information and wonderful recipes as well!!
I would recommend this to anyone struggling with over eating.
I’m new to intuitive eating! This book gives so many nuggets of information and wonderful recipes as well!!
I would recommend this to anyone struggling with over eating.
June 5, 2019
Good book to give you the right perspective on food. Not a diet book. A mind shift for those of us that need a fresh look at what food is meant to be.
February 6, 2025
Aplicable and real. Felt really seen and I could hear myself and my experiences in the testimonies. Started implementing the techniques, I have hope they will help.
August 22, 2025
great book. if you have rather serious bed or b/n I would recommend another approach.
December 24, 2025
3.5 stars. Self help reading is really not my jam but this one was a pretty quick read with some good tidbits
September 25, 2024
Completely changed my mindset on eating, I am slowly starting to have a healthier relationship with food thanks to this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews