About the Book
Facebook executive Dan Zigmond boldly entered the writing world alongside co-author Tara Cottrell with the release of Buddha’s Diet: The Ancient Art of Losing Weight Without Losing Your Mind. Zigmond is a Data Scientist for Facebook who investigates ways to improve the powerhouse social media platform. Using his expert background in analytics and passion for Zen Buddhism, Zigmond co-authored the science-based ultimate guide to weight loss. Buddha’s Diet cites ancient fundamentals introduced by Buddha and correlates these principles with how they can change our lives today.
Dan Zigmond, Co-Author of Buddha’s Diet and Director of Analytics at Facebook
As the Director of Analytics with Facebook, Dan is trained to look at data and base judgements on evidence he sees. This approach is paralleled in the philosophy behind Buddha’s Diet. When Zigmond and Cottrell embarked on the adventure of writing together, they were certain they wanted a book grounded in data. “While writing the book, we read dozens of research studies, and I poured over the latest scientific evidence around everything from diet to exercise to sleep,” Dan tells The Huffington Post. The book uses strong relevant information to help the reader firmly grasp the ideas behind its practices.
What is Buddha’s Diet?
The book outlines a strategic method of eating within a certain window of time followed by fasting for the remainder of the day. But don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it sounds. The book lays an easy-to-follow foundation for achieving your weight-loss goals. Additionally, Buddha’s Diet is considerably flexible, and maximizes opportunities to enjoy your favorite meals, rather than requiring you to religiously count calories and avoid guilty pleasures. The diet doesn’t specify which foods to eat or avoid; instead it provides the framework for a balanced lifestyle that can be followed without regard to a bothersome monthly subscription or limited meal plan. When asked about his daily eating routine, Dan says, “I don’t follow a strict diet; I even have the occasional slice of pizza”.
Buddha’s Diet covers a wide range of evidence-supported material such as why eating at designated times is crucial to weight loss and overall health management. The book also talks about why it’s important to weigh yourself daily on the weight-loss journey. Buddha’s Diet romances the art of healthy dieting into much more than just nourishment for our physical body.
“He who often weighs himself, knows himself well. He who knows himself well, lives well.” -Buddha’s Diet
Why Buddha?
Many readers might agree that Buddha is an unlikely source for weight-loss tips, however, the book’s comprehensive look at Buddha’s weight-loss practices significantly impact its message. Not only does the book focus on the study of mindful eating, but it also discusses being present and content in all situations. The book also debunks the myth that Buddha was overweight; on the contrary, it explains Buddha’s healthy and balanced lifestyle in detail.
An active Zen priest and Buddhist, Dan explains: “Buddha also believed in data. He didn’t want us to take his teachings on faith... He wanted us to experiment ourselves and see what worked and what didn’t. I’ve spent decades on that experimentation already.” Zigmond’s fascination with the Buddhist lifestyle began in college, when he felt a striking connection to a book on Zen. “Buddha’s message really spoke to me,” Dan tell The Huffington Post, “I wanted to calm my mind and become more present. I wanted to be mindful”. Since then, Zigmond has established an efficient routine of eating throughout the period of nine hours and fasting for fifteen hours each day.
Why Buddha’s Diet Stands Out
Buddha’s Diet was born in the heart of Silicon Valley, rivaling an influx of trendy diets and common strict eating regimens. Dan’s co-author, Tara Cottrell, told The Huffington Post about her past experiences in “extreme dieting”. She talked about the hardest and most expensive diet: juice cleansing. She adds, “Buddha’s Diet is kind of the opposite of an extreme diet. A true extreme diet is generally a quick fix that doesn’t take. You lost the weight (after all, why wouldn't you drinking only juice?) but no one can sustain something like that for long.” Referencing Buddha once more, Cottrell explains that Buddha did not encourage taking extreme measures in any circumstance. Rather, he encouraged his followers to find the middle ground. Similarly, Buddha’s Diet helps you implement a effective balanced method of eating that you can maintain for life.
Tara Cottrell, Co-Author of Buddha's Diet
Zigmond and Cottrell take a realistic approach to their readers by showing how to implement a practical and habitual eating routine. Additionally, Buddha’s Diet covers content on failure and making mistakes. By referencing Buddha’s own personal and experimental missteps, the book explains how to handle real-life situations and how to learn from each individual experience. Through practicing Buddha’s Diet, one will learn their physical and biological relationship with food on an intimate and cellular level; one becomes aware, present, and curious to learn more. Filled with quirky facts and personality, Buddha’s Diet will remain a distinguished resource for readers everywhere.
To learn more, you can start your journey on Buddha’s Diet here. To get involved on social media, you can visit the Buddha’s Diet Facebook page or website.