Merlin…Thich Nhat Hanh’s mindfulness teachings were indeed a source of inspiration that led me to create this attention-focusing tool. My ADD tendencies and rapid, mindless-eating were another impetus;) I was truly amazed when I saw how much less I could consume (and still feel satisfied!)—simply by finding an effective way to break through my mental wanderings and actually PAY ATTENTION to my food and bodily feedback AS I ate.

This led me to wonder if these methods could help others and so I bit the bullet and self-financed the tooling, production and a market test of 2,000 units. The Powerseed approach was well-received with 85% of surveyed customers saying this system was better than other weight control programs they had tried. At the same time, I don’t want to tout this product as some sort of non-diet wieght control panacea—changing ingrained lifestyle patterns is always difficult and success critically hinges on one’s intentions first and foremost.

At this point, I am regrettably out of inventory with a customer waitlist as I search for a compatible financial and marketing partner to move forward. As a solo-entrepreneur, any suggestions or advice on how to proceed from you or your knowledgeable readers would be sincerely appreciated! I also recognize that this product can serve many other uses beyond weight control and I’d be very interested in hearing of other lifehacks. My email is billATpowerseedDOTcom

grey…thanks for your thoughtful post. I, too, would have rolled my eyes in skepticism if I had not actually used the Powerseed or fully understood its methods of use.

I also agree 100% with your statement that people overeat because the don’t pay attention to the food they consume (nor, I would add, do most of us consciously monitor our body’s hunger/satiety feedback WHILE we eat).

The whole purpose of the 30-second repeating reminder signal is to bring our wandering minds back to the food and the process of eating and to provide a period of time to really savor each bite. Slowing the pace of eating is also helpful, secondarily, as it permits added time for the physiological processes of satiety to build. The second, five-minute mindfulness reminder refocuses the attention to assess the state of hunger and satiety. When no hunger can be detected, you can confidently quit eating in the knowledge that in 15 more minutes you will feel comfortably full. It is simply impossible for most of us to maintain this level of awareness on our own.

Using this attention-focusing device can seem awkward at first because the reminders interrupt the impulsive momentum of initial hunger and appetite and bring the mind back to the food. Before long, though, the 30-second rhythm becomes much more natural and you can easily pick up the signal in the periphery of your vision without “constant anticipation”.

To be sure, not everyone has the mindfulness intentions or the patience to support this practice. Positive results can’t be expected if a user impatiently views the reminder cue as a dictatorial STOP light rather than a “GO AHEAD and REALLY ENJOY YOUR FOOD” signal. Like most everything else in life, our intentions are ultimately controlling.

You are correct that gadgets in this world imply a quick and easy fix without effort. The Powerseed is not one of those gadgets! It is simply a tool to help a person who wants to learn and implement new mindfulness skills to improve their life experience.

Mindfulness is not attained by a simple decision or by assuming a responsibility. It is, as you say, a practice that aspires to living in the present moment. Many “devices” such as the repetitive breathe in meditation, or Thich Nhat Hanh’s bell of mindfulness, are used as tools to continually bring the mind back to a state of presence. That’s also the purpose of the Powerseed.

Yes, the MotivAider is gray, square, and utilitarian; however, I’ve used one for over 15 years with great success. Have recommend to my coaching clients, too. A simple use: It’s one thing to talk about drinking enough water, but it’s quite another to take consistent daily action. In the mornings, I set my MotivAider for 30-minutes and drink about 4 oz. of pure water each time it reminds me. I’m hydration-happy.