Mindless Eating (Book #85)

Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think (Brian Wansink, 2006) isn't your ordinary diet book. The author is a market researcher, not a nutritionist, and his focus is on what behavioral research tells us about how we make decisions about food. We can then harness those insights to work for our health instead of against it. He recommends a "mindless diet"--simple behavioral changes to improve our eating habits without making people feel the deprivation of a diet.

In theory I've been on Weight Watchers since July, but I haven't exactly been sticking with it. I mean to get back on the WW wagon tomorrow--but I'm also following this book's suggestion and making a list of three habits I'm going to follow. That way on days where it's too hectic to track points or I just fall off plan, I'll have a back-up to keep me from just binging. Here is my plan, posted on my blog for all the world to see in hopes that it'll keep me accountable:

1. Maximum of one non-diet soda per day.
2. I will only eat potato chips on weekends.
3. I will have at least one serving of fruit or non-potato vegetable per meal. (In theory this should trick me into making generally more nutritious choices, though probably some days it'll mean a banana or apple with a grilled cheese and fries from the cafeteria.)

There. We'll see how this works.