I Can Make You Thin by Paul McKenna

 

Given not much else was working, at the start of the year, I purchased I Can Make You Thin.

The blurb says:

Welcome to a revolutionary way to stop overeating, control cravings and feel totally motivated to take exercise. Paul McKenna has developed a breakthrough weight-loss system that re-patterns your thoughts, attitudes and beliefs about yourself, your health and food to help you easily take control of your diet and lose weight permanently.

As you use Paul's amazing system, the latest psychological techniques will automatically help you to start losing weight straight away! You can use it again and again to make you feel happier about yourself as you go all the way to your ideal shape, size and weight.

I remember Paul McKenna from his TV hypnotism where people would act like fools on stage.  But, having used hypnotherapy when I was pregnant, I know that it can work.  Mainly, I got this for the book, because, well, I like books.

I read the book slowly, as I wanted to take in as much as possible, and I listened to the audio/hypnotherapy when I had a spare half hour.  I found that by listening regularly, it helped me keep in mind the positive reasons why I'd like to lose weight and encouraged self belief that I could make it happen.  

Much of the book is common sense, and it dovetails nicely with other books I've been reading concurrently, but having the audio is worth the price of the book itself.  I haven't lost much weight using it; it certainly isn't a cure-all - but the repetition of eating slowly and mindfully does help you develop good eating habits, and this book is much more about a lifestyle change, rather than weightloss (imo, despite the title of the book).

So, would I recommend it?  Actually, yes.  Even though I didn't lose weight using it, it has helped give me the self belief that I am worth it, I deserve to be fit and healthy, and taking just 30min a day to rest and focus on myself, is good for me too.  And as I have made other changes to my life recently, maybe this book and audio have had more, indirect, impact than I thought when I started this review.

 

Weekly Update

My weight this morning was 93.1kg.  I have still been recording my weight, even when I haven't been posting here, and it has been bobbling around the 92-94kilo mark for weeks.  That probably explains some of my apathy for posting updates here, and the fact I've genuinely been really busy.

Recently on TV I watched Strong on Netflix and that inspired me to try focussing on fitness and strength rather than weight.  Then I watched Series 1 of The Biggest Loser (Australia) and I am lighter than all the women (and men, for that matter) at the start of the show, but they quickly dropped weight.  Now, I am not going to be spending 8+ hours each day training, but it has inspired me to start a new exercise routine.  I have even taken some new 'before' pics, but I won't share them (until I see a difference, lol).

I started last week, and aim to do an hour on a Monday and on a Friday.  So far, I have done my 3 sessions in my back garden!  Today I have woken up with an ache in my triceps and in my gluts, so I'm definitely doing something!  I don't know if it will translate into weight loss (especially as I'm not going to go on a strict diet) but it's a start, and I'll hopefully be fitter and healthier.  

It's been nearly a month!!!

My poor neglected blog!  I'm so sorry!  You wouldn't believe how busy I have been - actually, you would, given how sporadic my posting has been so far this year.  I'm hoping I'll have finally turned a corner now, but who knows?  I have been posting mildly more often direct on my facebook page, so if you don't follow it, you should do so now: https://www.facebook.com/MusingsMiddleagedMum .

The Education Select Committee's Inquiry into Home Education is still ongoing.  I have given further submissions, but that hasn't been published yet, nor my personal one.  I'm still involved in helping home educators locally and nationally know their rights, answer their questions, deal with their Local Authorities, etc.  I'm also talking at an upcoming HE conference, so I hope people will have plenty of questions as I'm not good at talking about nothing, lol.  I suppose I should find some FAQs and have them on standby so I can ask and answer my own questions if I need to.  Details of the conference: https://www.learnfree.org.uk/ 

Have I mentioned that DD2 got into the same school as DD1?  So from September, I'll no longer be a home educator! <sob>  I'll still be involved in the community and the politics, but will be stepping down from some of my adminning duties on FB as I don't think it's right that a non-home educator admins local groups.

Weightloss has been a bit up and down.  More up than down, but hopefully that has turned a corner now.  I've got a(nother) new exercise routine that I've paid for so will be sticking with for a while.  Had my first session on Monday, and boy, did I ache afterwards!!!  I hope to be doing this every Monday and Friday for the foreseeable, so hopefully that will have an impact on my weight.  I've also decided to try some monetary incentive.  From a starting weight of 94kilos, for every 1kg I can keep off for a solid 3 weeks, I will put a tenner to one side.  The Pros: If I get down to my dream weight, I'll have £300 to spend on new clothes. The Cons: My weight is up and down like a yoyo, so I could be averaging , for example, 75kilos, and then randomly have 1 day of 82kilos.  But, it's added incentive, so lets see if it works.

I haven't listened to my hypnotherapy CDs for a while either - I've not even had time to take 30min for myself at home.  But, now that the girls' dance classes are back in the studios, I've magically got more time for reading (because I am sat in my car waiting!) so hope to start writing reviews again.

So sorry, again, for the silent treatment.  I hope to be posting more regularly again soon xx