Zen Of Eating: Amazon.ca: Ronna R Kabatznick: Books

Product Description

Book Description

When it comes to weight loss, the emphasis today is shifting away from fad diets and compulsive workouts toward sane, sensible techniques that incorporate both the mind and the body. This is the first book to apply the 2,500-year-old principles of Zen Buddhism to the modern struggle with the vicious cycle of dieting, losing, and regaining weight. From a Buddhist perspective, overeating is a disorder of desire. This book will teach readers how to find freedom from eating problems and the tyranny of desire that triggers them. Filled with concrete, practical exercises and the wisdom of the ages, The Zen of Eating provides, at last, an alternative to ineffective diet programs, products, and pills.

Ingram

From a psychologist and mediator comes the first book of its kind--an innovative approach to diet and weight loss management that taps into the time-tested, 2,500-year-old principles of Zen Buddhism National media publicity. Local San Francisco publicity .

Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
The Buddha made a plain and simple observation about life that he summed up in the First Noble Truth: There is suffering. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews

5 star:		(14)
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3 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.7 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant surprise, Jun 11 2004

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Shari G. (San Diego, Ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zen Of Eating (Paperback)

The book was much better than I expected. I felt compelled to write the author afterwards and thank her for writing such a book. I've read a ton of books in my lifetime and this is one that stays with you -- the principles can carry over to all aspects of one's life. It's also the kind of book you can pick up on any given day, turn to a page, and find something motivational. After 100's of books and 100's of diets, this was the first that inspired me to write a review.

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2.0 out of 5 stars A striking example of "each to their own"......, Jan 20 2004

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Wednesday "Wednesday" (Torrance, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zen Of Eating (Paperback)

Not since D. J. Conway have I read a book that so often so missed the mark...clearly some have found it a wonderful source of information and inspiration...I found it a wonder of bafflement, observations presented as "ancient wisdom"..."what you weigh or what you eat cannot provide lasting nourishment because they are always changing." (what you ate is not supposed to last forever) "The Buddha did what you and I have done many times. He went to the opposite extreme. Instead of indulging himself, he deprived himself." (page 6) "Unlike you and me, Buddha did not bounce back and forth between the extremes of indulgnece (overeating) and deprivation (restricted dieting)." (page 7)...It does sound very profound unless you think while you are reading it......really, Buddha did not have an eating disorder, he fasted in the tradition of spiritual aspirants of the age until he decided/realized to try another practice. Better (I think) to read general books on Buddhism and allow the practice to flow naturally into your relationship with food.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking and very helpful, July 3 2003

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MotherLodeBeth "MotherLodeBeth" (Sierras of California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zen Of Eating (Paperback)

It has been a long time since I have savored a book as much as I have been this one. I hope I do not repeat what other positive reviews have said, and if I do, I apologize.

I liked the combination of using real life examples rather than antidotes for showing how people behave and how they can change for the positive, and let go of negative desires. I say negative because as the author wisely notes on page 58 "Letting go doesn't mean annihilating, rejecting feelings, or pretending that you don't have strong feelings". Or on page 62 "Letting go doesn't mean any of these desires disappear. It means that they no longer have control over you". The author notes that we can still like a certain ice cream or treat and enjoy it, but that the treat doesn't have to become an obsession. But more a take it or leave it way of eating. And that once we let go of the habitual desire that food even begins to taste better.

My husband and I grew up in the 40-50's and he remarked that growing up he often was hungry which is why he probably eats "stuff" because he wants to feel full and not wanting. In the late 40's when I was a toddler a sibling often stole food so we could eat. So I to grew up wondering if I would ever not have to worry about food. It has only been since I have been serious about finding out how to let go of the fear-desire issue that my weight started to drop, and I became healthier.

Its also interesting how the author explains how often people drink, smoke, eat wrong because of some issue of fear, be it speaking up when someone says something bad, or when we are faced with a challenge we are afraid of, or because we are afraid of the unknown, like being rejected.

This is a thoughtful and helpful book and one I am so pleased I bought.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Graceful and difficult
I'm going back to read this book again. Kabatznick writes with the equanimity that convinces me she knows what she is talking about. Read more

Published on Mar 15 2003 by J. H. Bell

5.0 out of 5 stars Gracefully written...
"The Zen of Eating" is a gracefully written fusion of psychology and Buddhism, the best example I've seen of applying spiritual principles to behavioral problems. Read more