Eating the Moment: 141 Mindful Practices to Overcome Overeating One Meal at a Time [Paperback]

Pavel Georgievich Somov (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2008

Mindfulness itself has been studied in recent years and found to effectively reduce symptoms of chronic pain, anxiety and panic, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, and depression, as well as a range of other health and psychological problems. Recent research has shown mindfulness to be effective in helping binge eaters control their binging and to feel more in control of their eating. In this book, Buddhist psychologist Pavel Somov introduces techniques, exercises, and tools to help overeaters to slow down and become more aware of their food and food-related issues such as triggers for overeating.Readers can then use these techniques to get control over their overeating. Unlike most books about eating, Somov doesn't judge the reader for emotional eating, being triggered into eating, or eating out of boredom. He doesn't tell the reader how to eat; instead, he helps the reader become more aware of why he or she is eating at the moment, and helps the reader slow down, develop awareness of the experience of eating, and become more centered around his or her eating. There are 141 specific exercises in this book to promote mindful eating, as well as brief discussions of why we eat and stop eating, mindfulness principles, finding meaning in food and the act of eating, and developing a 'philosophy of eating'.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Psychological know-how and the wisdom of mindfulness combine in Eating the Moment to offer readers compassionate, meal-by-meal advice for developing a healthful and satisfying relationship to food that can correct problems with binge eating, compulsive overeating, and other food-related problems.

About the Author

Pavel G. Somov. Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Pittsburgh, PA. The mindful-eating program presented in this book uses techniques and tools he developed for his clients. He has successfully used similar mindfulness-based interventions with substance abusers in recovery. Somov emigrated from Russia at the age of twenty-one and became a US citizen in 1996. He received his Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 2000.

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: New Harbinger Pubns Inc; 1 edition (November 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572245433
• ISBN-13: 978-1572245433
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,073 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Pavel G. Somov, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist in private practice.

Publications:

Somov, P. G. (2008)
A Psychodrama Group for Substance Use Relapse Prevention Training. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 38, 151-161.

Somov, P.G. (2007).
Meaning of Life Group: Group Application of Logotherapy for Substance Use Treatment.
Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 32 (4), 316 - 345.

Somov, P.G. (2000)
Time Perception as a Measure of Pain Intensity and Pain Type. Journal of Back & Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, 14 (3), 111-121.

Education:

State University of New York at Buffalo: Ph.D., Counseling Psychology

Professional Affiliations:

Member of the American Psychological Association (APA)
Member of the Greater Pittsburgh Psychological Association (GPPA)
Member of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association (PPA)

Military Service:

Independent Special Purpose Motorized Rifle Brigade (OMSBON) of the Ministry of Interior of the Soviet Union (1987-1989)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, very helpful book, January 12, 2009

By 

monika0304 "monika0304" (Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eating the Moment: 141 Mindful Practices to Overcome Overeating One Meal at a Time (Paperback)

I wish I would have found this book years ago. I've been a yo-yo dieter for over 30 years. And I used food to take care of my needs, during stressful situations and to calm me. For me "control" has never worked, there was no way to control my cravings or to control my appetite or even to control my feelings and therefore diets actually have never worked in the long run.

But Dr. Somov has showed me easy to follow ways to be conscious of my cravings and to take care of them or just to let them be. Even though my life is still the same - still enough stress and a huge work load - I dont reach for the cookie bowl anymore and - for the first time in my life since I have been a child I eat according to my needs. I always new that the cure for this eating problem lies within me and Dr. Somov has just showed me the way. Thank you so much for this long-distance therapy, I hope your book will be translated and published all over the world.

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mindful practice, December 12, 2008

By 

S. T. Meier "stmeier" (NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eating the Moment: 141 Mindful Practices to Overcome Overeating One Meal at a Time (Paperback)

This book is for individuals who understand there are no "miracle diets." Rather, it is a sophisticated read, in straightforward language, that proposes that the solutions many individuals use to deal with overeating can become problems of their own. Dr. Somov points out that diets typically are short-term efforts to lose weight, when what is needed is a long-term change in how one lives. Thus, as a part of an effort to increase one's mindfulness, Dr. Somov presents a set of 141 practices to increase our awareness around food and eating. These including noticing what triggers our eating, what foods we crave, even what thoughts and feelings are associated with different types of eating.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Reader-Friendly Guide to Mindful Eating, January 10, 2009

By 

Deanna Hamilton, Ph.D. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eating the Moment: 141 Mindful Practices to Overcome Overeating One Meal at a Time (Paperback)

With its focus on mindfulness, Eating the Moment presents what is often a missing link in the battle to overcome eating issues. Dr. Somov writes about the important distinction between the typical "sprint" toward weight loss that is so common in dieting approaches and is so often a temporary fix, and a long-term change in lifestyle that results in lasting, healthful change. Somov's writing is smart, funny, and thoughtful. The activities are presented in an easily digestible format that is applicable to a wide range of readers - from those who are interested in changing their eating habits, to those who are interested in understanding more about their relationship with food, to professionals who are looking for creative, effective ways to help their clients.