I Can Make You Thin Paperback – January 5, 2016

UPDATE 9-17-16:Since writing the review below last year, I've lost 40 more pounds -- effortlessly. I just follow the 4 rules, but I do it unconsciously now. I know that sounds crazy -- unconscious mindful thinking is oxymoronic -- but it's the truth. I automatically pay attention to what I'm eating and stop when I'm full, without having to focus all of my attention on what's going in my mouth. I mean, I AM paying attention, but it's automatic and less emphatic -- if that makes sense. It's a skill I've mastered, and like anything you do all the time, you just do it without having to work at thinking about doing it.I also think the key to the whole thing is that mindful eating that teaches you to NOTICE and respond to your satiation point -- so you stop eating when you're full. It also gives you a chance to notice what foods you actually ENJOY.That was the biggest revelation for me -- turns out I love fruit and veggies (who knew?) -- and my health continues to improve. I found out I'm dairy sensitive (to the point I was on a proton pump inhibitor every day for 14 years), and by limiting my dairy, and using dairy enzymes, I don't need them anymore. (Which is awesome since they now realize there are some very bad side effect to using them long term.) Back in the dieting days, it never would have occurred to me to link what I was eating to how bad I was feeling. NOW that seems obvious, but back then -- let's just say I wasn't exactly stopping to notice what I was shoving in my pie hole.But -- trying to be fulling present and mindful in the moment probably feels odd to people who have never meditated, and maybe they should start with that. Without some experience, mindfulness may be a little intimidating, particularly when you're used to being in a trance state while eating, (a little thing called a "food coma"). There are some very good meditation CD available on Amazon that could help people learn what it feels like to relax! (Some by Kelly Howell come to mind.) If you can't relax, you can't be mindful. If you're stressed out, you stress eat.If you give this method a chance, it WILL change every aspect of your life, not just your relationship with food. In fact, it could save your life. It will certainly make your life worth living.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Several years ago, I watched the "I Can Make You Thin" TV show on PBS, and it changed my life. Seriously. I have always had a love/hate relationship with eating -- and I have been on every diet you can imagine -- (and a few no one has ever heard of). I've lost hundreds of pounds, and twice in my life, I lost as much as 80 pounds in 4 months on a medical fast. But despite my resolution not to, I ALWAYS gained the weight back and then some.But while watching "I can make you thin," I had an epiphany. If mindful eating is the key, just how much food did I consume while I wasn't paying attention? I decided to find out.It turns out that I only ate when I was distracted -- while watching TV or reading or with friends or on the phone. Any distraction would do. I realized that when everything you eat is charged with the baggage of a life lived both loving and hating food, you learn to distract yourself out of self preservation, so you don't have to feel the pain of eating what you know you shouldn't eat. Holy s***!I also realized that I was addicted to dieting because it offered me an opportunity to be totally present in the moment! You can't successfully diet unless you pay attention! My mind was craving mindfulness, and I didn't even know it!When I started mindful eating, I took baby steps. I ate what I normally ate, in the quantities I normally ate, but I didn't distract myself. I was shocked to realize that I felt better when I ate half of what I thought I wanted. And once my eyes were open, they stayed open.For the first time in my life I had the road map, the rule book, the secret key to sanity. I bought smaller plates -- I no longer wanted or needed the big ones. I paid attention to how food tasted. I'd never done that before! I realized I was eating crap because it was the stuff I denied myself when I was dieting -- not because I really liked it! I started to notice how bad I felt when I ate some of those foods. I stopped eating them. Turns out, I don't like pizza or potato chips! Who knew! Eating red meat doesn't agree with me. Eating fruit and vegetables, in season, as often as I want, makes me feel great. It turned out that the foods that made me sick are foods I don't even like. It's crazy, right?I got better. I kept going. When eating out, I found I ate half the amount of food I normally ate -- and stopped feeling guilty about it. That's right -- I was eating more than I wanted or needed because I felt guilty when I threw food away. That's just nuts.I stopped eating three meals a day and just ate what I wanted when I was hungry. My blood sugar normalized, and my cholesterol went down. I was free. I still am. And, when I started really tasting my food, I got really picky about what went into my mouth.I know you think I'm full of s***, or trying to sell this book -- but you'd be wrong. I'm just like everyone else on this earth who was born with more fat cells than their body needed. I've struggled and starved and loathed myself for decades. And then mindful eating helped me to see that I was doing it all wrong. Focusing on your weight is a trap. It makes you hurt yourself. It makes you fear the most fundamental need that we all share -- taking in food for fuel.When you go up against your primal need to eat, you're in for a battle! Mine lasted for decades.Now, whenever I see someone mindlessly shoveling fistfuls of chips in their mouth, completely unaware they are even doing it, it reminds me of how I used to do the same thing, and reinforces my delight in knowing I don't do that anymore.My only complaint is that I didn't know this in my 20's.My life would have been so different, and I would be so much healthier now.

I first read this book and tried these techniques about 8 months ago. I lost 6 pounds in 2.5 weeks, but then I completely derailed myself at a buffet, stopped listening to the CD, and went on a binge that lasted a few months.That said, I felt confident that it could work if I would just work it, so I started it again 6.5 weeks ago, and YAY!!! I re-read the whole book, started following the rules, and I listen to the CD AT LEAST once a day. After 6.5 weeks I am down 13 pounds, which may not sound like much but: (1) That's an average of 2 pounds per week, which is normal and healthy; (2) I have not felt deprived once during that time, because I eat when and what I want; and (3) That is with no change in my physical activity so far.I absolutely LOVE the CD! I agree with prior reviews; it is best listened to through earbuds due to the stereo effect of different words into each ear at various times, but I also listen to it without earbuds quite a bit and still get a lot out of it. I converted it to an MP3 and put it on my phone so I have it handy anytime I want it. I've listened to it totally awake, and totally asleep. My favorite time is first thing in the morning (I set my alarm 30 minutes early and start it then), because while it's extremely relaxing, it brings up the energy level at the end. It's also great for an afternoon power nap, because I feel well-rested and invigorated after listening/dozing to it. I think I'm actually a bit ADDICTED to the CD, because not only does it make me crave fresh fruits, veggies, and protein, and make sweets less appealing, it makes ME feel beautiful every time I listen to it! For somebody who has for YEARS thought "UGH!" every time I looked in the mirror, this is mind-blowing! And that started during the first week, so my change in self-perception wasn't due to actual weight loss at that time. The CD also makes me feel much more energetic. While I haven't incorporated exercise yet due to time constraints (4 kids and lots of activities each evening), it makes me want to get off my butt and do SOMETHING, so I've gotten some extra cleaning done that had been sitting around for awhile. The couch is much less appealing to me now. I do plan/hope to incorporate more exercise when school is out for summer and the activities slow down a bit (we'll see how that goes).Personal challenges that I've faced: I have found that I have to stay away from buffets, because of that "get your money's worth" mentality. I also still have trouble pushing food away, so my solution to that is to dish up MUCH less than I ever would have in the past, which usually ends up being quite satisfying. If I start to feel full and still have a couple of bites left on my plate, I tend to think, "If I eat those, it will take longer for me to feel hungry again." But that's not how this plan works, so I am trying to get past that and be willing to just throw the food away (and dish up even less next time). Forcing it in is not helpful, and I wind up feeling yucky.As far as cravings go, I haven't tried any of the cravings buster tricks yet. If I want chocolate, I eat chocolate. However, I have found that I now rarely want it, and if I do eat some, it loses its appeal very quickly. I used to marvel at some (thin) friends who could keep a bag of M&Ms at their desk and just eat a few at a time, but now that's me! If I find myself plateauing on the weight at some point, I'll probably go back and incorporate the cravings buster ideas.Overall, for a 47-year-old female who has invested THOUSANDS of dollars over the years into every type of diet imaginable (including some really unhealthy ones), this is a complete life changer. To feel more energetic, never deprived, love myself more than I have in years, and still lose weight is nothing short of a miracle. Or it's just due to four basic common-sense rules, but apparently I needed somebody to put that common sense into an easy-to-understand format, which Paul McKenna has done. I HIGHLY recommend not just purchasing this book, but actually FOLLOWING the rules and advice (which I'm guessing the negative reviewers have not done). Good luck!