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

I love the idea of this book, but I think the practical application is going to be tough. Basically, the book seeks to teach “mindful” eating practices, which is the idea of eating intelligently – understanding when and why you’re eating, not eating more than you should, etc.

Basically, the book attempts to fix the biggest problem that the First World has with eating, and often the biggest single challenge some people have faced in their entire lives.

That’s a tall order, for a book.

The author has a PhD, and has given workshops and done studies on this all over the world. She’s famous for it. And I think this idea probably works very well in other contexts with community support. You just don’t get that from a book.

The book contains exercises that I just don’t think anyone will do on their own. To really get something from the book, I feel like someone would need to read it with a group, have regular meetings, do the exercises together, and be accountable to each other.

Again, I love the idea of this book. Everything the author said resonated deeply with me and with my experience around food. But I just think the lasting practical application of the concepts of the book will be very hard for someone without the support of other people. What the author does in workshops just doesn’t translate to paper, I don’t think. When you close the book, the ideas go away.

But, read it anyway. It will open your eyes to a lot of different ways that we eat, and a lot of problems with face. Even without a group behind it, the book has value, if for no other reason than to open your eyes and explicit reveal your problem.