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Frequently Asked Questions
Mostly this is just obvious and easy. Don't make it hard.

1. What exactly is "America's 31 Day Experiment"? It is Marnie Swedberg's personal challenge to every American! She has stumbled upon the most wonderful, obvious, easy and personally-perfect way to eat; and and she wants YOU to know about it! The entire concept is summed up one sentence: STOP shoveling food into your mouth and START pausing before and/or during every bite to reflect on the gift you are receiving. Try it for 31 days and just see for yourself how wonderful eating can be!

2. I'm a diabetic. I'm on a low fat diet for my heart. I am a vegetarian. I am.... Can I do this? Sure! Just start with your current diet and add the habit of stopping before or during any bite to be grateful for life, for food, for that bite -- and to enjoy the taste of the food in your mouth. The quantity and specific food intake of each participant (whether a diabetic, vegetarian, 98 pound anorexic, or 400 pound person) will be quite different, but we can ALL benefit from eating with gratitude.

3. Does this work when I'm traveling, at a business lunch or having Thanksgiving dinner? It always works just the same way no matter where you are, who you are with or what is in front of you. You simply wait for a pause where you can focus your attention on being grateful through one bite, and then enjoy that bite immeasurably. If the meal serving is too large, the meeting too intense, or your immediate interest level too low, ask for a take-out box so you can enjoy some of that awesome food later.

4. What results should I expect? Every person's journey will be different. After Marnie's first few days of "Eating with God," she was hooked; after a few weeks, it was a habit, and after a month she had a long list of reasons why she would never go back to eating the old way:

* Zero time spent planning separate "diet" meals for one, or calculating calories or fat grams, or shopping for special foods. She ate what everybody else is eating, including dessert when served.

* Zero inhibitions about what she was eating. She just enjoyed every single bite knowing that she was finally on the right track when it came to her relationship with food.

* Zero fear of failure. If she forgot to focus during a bite, she remembered soon enough and just restarted. She experienced absolutely no guilt during the habit formation stage, and encourages you to reject perfectionism's curse as well.

* Zero fear of relapse. Returning to your former way of eating will look like trading in a new mustang convertible for an old beat-up bicycle... going back will mostly likely not be a consideration or fear.

* Zero focus on weight, weight loss, scales, etc. This is wonderful, but not natural. Marnie's habit had been to overly worry about the "results" of her food intake choices. However, just letting it go, and not weighing for the entire 31 days, was a wonderful opportunity for her mind to "heal". She was delighted, and surprised, by the resulting weight loss -- especially since she had never once felt like she was on a diet.
* Zero concern about her eating, even though she took a few some hits (sideways glances and few verbal shots) for eating certain foods. It she wanted to eat a particular food, she just ate it. She took each bite with gratitude, in the conscious presence of God, and she did not allow the inhibitions of others to dictate her food choices.

* Zero worry about "over eating". One night, after eating what she considered to be "a lot" at supper, she still wanted more. She drove to a Chinese take out restaurant and purchased additional food, nearly all of which she ate. She was surprised by her hunger, but afterward, and after realizing she had zero sense of failure about eating "so much," it occurred to her that eating less some days (and more on other days) is exactly how naturally thin people and animals in the wild eat. Only people on strict diets try to maintain the exact caloric intake from day to day.

* Zero guilt. Of all the wonderful feelings, this was the best for Marnie! "I NEVER over-ate, because 'overeating' wasn't on the list of possibilities." Marnie missed eating with God a few times, but was just learning that habit, so did not allow those slips to bother her. She loved her trial month and is still going strong!

* Zero pleasure loss. The most shocking discovery for Marnie was that the process of eating with gratitude often brought tears to her eyes. As a dieter since her early teens, she had never really allowed herself to enjoy the daily, meal-by-meal, physical sensation of food on her palate. She was either guilt-ridden, resisting eating it, working (taste-testing for her cookbook and family restaurants) or in some other way "pre-occupied" to the point of never truly experiencing the joy that good food was always intended to bring. She now describes eating like this, "It's as fun as having a massage several times a day!"

* The most important thing she gained was several additional opportunities to hang out with God each day. She playfully asks, "If we are going to live forever, feasting in heaven with God, why not get started now?"

As you progress, and come up with reasons of your own, add them here for the encouragement of others:

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