The book has a lot of strategies for breaking negative patterns surrounding issues which trigger mindless and emotional eating. Many of these are well-grounded in clinical practice,the author uses citations for sources responsibly --I read the source page but have yet to verify the sources as I doubt I will use this in my work. I've seen many of the tools and strategies written here used successfully in dealing with people working through eating disorders such as anorexia and binge eating. The author often spells out ideas in ways which are easily understood and relatable for a wide audience, whether they're looking to lose a few extra pounds because of lifestyle imbalances, cutting back on junk food or comfort foods, or those who have deeper issues to work on in order to address they symptoms expressed in dis-regulated eating habits. It's also written in a style easily accessible for most readers, and if they have any training in CBT, DBT, or mindfulness, then these ideas will be familiar.

My one caveat, and it's a strong one, is that this book is heavily focused on a Christian theological perspective which isn't readily disclosed in the book notes or in the 'about the author' information. If you are not of the Christian belief system, then many, many pages of anecdotes and even a few strategies presented -- such as using forgiveness to release guilt and shame---will be worthless for you.This perspective was so integral to much of the book that I personally felt it disingenuous that this spiritual bias wasn't made obvious in the title, or at least in the liner notes. I skimmed many, and for most, I could find a way to adapt the ideas for clients using concepts which relate to personal fulfillment through creative expression, building meaning into your life, but others were so heavily laden with overt references to needing faith in in unknowable and giving yourself over to God's will, as to be utterly useless outside of the author's spiritual paradigm. I would also caution that for clients whose emotional difficulties and eating triggers lie in a past of abuse in the church, by spiritual leaders, or trauma related to evangelical pedagogues such as is seen in those who title themselves recovering evangelicals, this book could be detrimental to healing and should not be used or read without the help of a therapist-- I found several passages which would serve as triggers and cause the emotional response and correspondent eating behaviors this book seeks to address and heal. ( )

As a physician, I am often critical about the way authors use research and sources and their conclusions. Dr. Linda Mintle is very fair in her assertions and gives enough data so it can be looked up, if desired. The book covers the whole range of eating, but is focused on people who are overweight or have eating problems. But even if you don't have those problems, there is a lot of good information about eating. ( )

I really liked the concept of this book. And I liked what I read of it. And like so many diet changes I try to make I FULLY intended to read and try the things that she was saying. What I really like is the idea that she is trying to change the way you think about what and why you eat -and I know that when I attempt to be really aware of what and why I eat I generally eat better. I'm not sure what it's going to take to get me to that place where I try to make real changes but obviously I am not there yet because I haven't followed through. I do think that the idea is good and would recommend it to anyone trying to find a way to handle the mental aspects of eating for the wrong reasons. ( )

Press Pause Before You Eat by Dr. Linda Mintle is definitely different from my normal fare. I don't tend to read self-help books unless they're of the financial sort so I wasn't entirely comfortable with the tone of the book at first. In the end, it was quite readable and easy to apply to one's life. The book was sort of an interesting mix of ideas. I haven't read any diet books before, but most of them probably don't focus on God as much as this one did. It was insightful, but it ran a little long and did come right up to the brink of being preachy at some points. I'd recommend it to anyone who was looking to reprogram their eating habits and wasn't hostile to religion playing a role in that change. ( )

An interesting mix of advice, scientific research and anecdotes make this a very readable book. In addition, the pace of the book was good and it followed a logical progression that seemed to cover a range of topics that lead the reader to (over) eat. I also liked the "thoughts to watch out for" which made it more readable and gave the reader something to look for. That said, I ffound it to be condescending at times and made assumptions that may or may not be true of most readers. I did not find the Chirstian aspects of this book to be offensive or overbearing, though I am not religious myself. It might have made me pause before selecting this to read had I known of the author's leanings. I might recommend this to other readers but I'm not sure it's the most relevant on the topic ( )