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.