2011 Paul McKenna P3 - the march towards skinny jeans continues

[whomovedmychocolate]

Well the old thread was getting mordibly obese wasn't it?

Welcome new people and people who've been here for a while, this is the definitive Paul McKenna support thread.

Whether you are dribbling over his Paulness or wibbling over pudding, we're here to listen, slightly mock you and tell you to step away from the scales.

The Paul Mckenna plan is not a diet but a way of teaching yourself to eat slowly and consciously and achieve the body you've always dreamed of.

There will be no diet foods on this thread, no starvation and no beating ourselves up because ^lifes' too bloody short to weigh a carrot and we'd far rather be doing something incredible instead!

For those who are still waiting for it all to click into place: try printing out several copies of the 4 golden rules and place them strategically in places where you eat, eg living room, kitchen, office... I've not actually done this but I will definitely do so if I start falling into old habits again.

everlong The mirror exercise, there are two, the first one is: stand in front of the mirror (ideally naked) and look at yourself. Find bits you like first and admire them, no really - admire them. Then go through your body and say to each bit you don't like 'I accept.....' - this is to help you come to terms with where you are - you may be hoping for a flatter stomach or firmer thighs but it is this body which will get you there and you need to learn to like yourself unconditionally.

The second one involves standing in front of a mirror a few feet away. Now imagine someone who you really admire standing in front of you, imagine how they stand, smile, their posture. See how confident they are - now turn them round so they are facing the mirror in your mind, and step into them. Feel how they felt, imagine looking through their eyes and being inside their body and feel how good it feels. Repeat this a few times.

There's also the mirror appreciation feedback one where you look in the mirror and imagine someone who has said something nice to you, any sort of compliment, imagine them in front of you saying what they said and feel the love with which they said it and then step into them and feel how they felt and how good you felt hearing the compliment (bit like the above really). HTH :)

Rookiemater yes the message goes in. You know when you have a newborn and you can be totally asleep, really deep in and the baby breathes funny and you wake up - you see your brain is never totally asleep. You still have awareness and you still can take things in.

3ismylot - excellent progress. It's amazing when you lose the obsession with foods and diets, you suddenly get this insight that you have wasted years counting stuff and denying yourself stuff and for absolutely sod all other than larger jeans

Mummyosaurus Well the weather is (apparently ) picking up, how about eating outside in the garden - perhaps you'd have less distractions if you are away from a power source? Worth a try perhaps. You have to do things that break your habit and if that means hunkering down on the front lawn to eat your Weetabix with the postie looking on, so be it!

Blimey, I killed the thread with my overexacting repetition of the NLP exercises

They're all off doing the mirror exercises

Do you ever find that you feel really hungry, but still actually don't feel like eating anything? I do.

After a couple of iffy days, Im back in the groove! Even though it has "clicked" for me, I have been having terrible headaches this week & medicating myself with some extra food :( Nowhere near like my old habits, just a wee bit more than I should have. Feeling good & positive today though! Hope you all are too :)

Yes franke, I find myself hungry but can't decide exactly what would be the right thing for me to eat and don't want to settle for something, its very frustrating ( but slimming!)

Franke - yep. But now I've cottoned onto a few things I will always want to eat and keep them in the fridge - herb salad, stilton, chicken, roasted veg etc.

Rookie its easier if you eat an apple or any chewy fruit slowly while cooking something nice 'cos it fills you for enough time to wait, but not too long! I'm amazed at how LITTLE it takes to fill me up now.

"Nowhere near like my old habits" That's the key howtolook - I've also had a not-so-good week due to crashing tiredness so I've taken my eye off the ball a bit. BUT even on a bad day I'm not eating anything like as much as I used to. It keeps me positive knowing that I haven't completely sabotaged myself.

My jeans are now too big and look stupid

I should be pleased about this but I'm not. I'm miffed. Two weeks ago they looked great, now they look baggy and they keep falling down (and no belt will solve it - I have a twelve inch difference between waist and hip, I look like a sack tied in the middle with a belt on.

I actually appear to have morphed into some sort of teenagers body, sort of rangy.

I know it's an in-betweeny stage and it'll get better but I looked in the mirror this morning and didn't recognise myself. It's a massive headfuck to realise how much you've changed in a short time.

I guess I need to go shopping

I hate shopping.

You look amazing in your pics,absolutely gorgeous. I weighed myself today (I'm about to start the book) and I am heavier than I thought-I put on a whole stone gorging on choc mousse when dd was having a terrible time at school last term. I am 10 and half stone on one set of scales,and nearly 11 (keeling over even writing that)on the other.Lord knows which is right.I'm a size 12 and I should be an 8. so I'm hoping it all works for me...

Anyone else wish that the NLP CD was a bit shorter? It's a bit of a bind having to find 30 mins a day to listen to it, and this week has been easier to find time than normal as I haven't been out running.

WWMC shopping is good, particularly if you are skinnier than you thought you were, why not do some online shopping so it all arrives through the post

helly - umm if you mean my pics, that was before I lost the weight.
But thanks.

Shopping is dullsville rookiemater - I just can't get excited about clothes. I have a figure which on paper sounds great but doesn't fit normal sizes - unless I shop in the kids stores. Which is great on prices but I don't always want a sparkly pony on my top and I have in the past had the experience of turning up to a six year olds birthday party in the same frock as the birthday girl (albeit in an age 13 version).

But you look teeny weeny! you have a flat tummy and a tiny waist! How could you have found any stray chub to lose?

Umm I'm about eleven stone in those pictures. I don't gain weight out of proportion thankfully, but it was there all right, note the double chin and hips. People just notice a small waist and filter out the rest. :)

WMMC congrats on more weightloss - how much more do you have to go now? Also, when you reach goal how will you maintain as such. I know this is not a diet but how do you know you won't become underweight or below the weight that suits you?

I'm a classic hourglass figure with round hips, small waist and big boobs. People can't believe it when I say how much I weigh or what dress size I am. I look overweight but not that overweight. But I know the truth and losing weight is giving me so much energy and allowing me to get back into some old but fabulous clothes pre-DD.

By the way - who are people imagining when they look in the mirror during one of the mirror exercises? I am modelling Beyonce's body as I think she has a lovely body - curvacious but slender, toned but with just the right amount of wobble!

Yes BsshBossh i am also worrying about WMMC despite the Duchess of Windsor IMO one CAN be too thin!! it's not fair though is it WMMC? I need some weight on my face if I get to an 8 I"m too thin.

Umm I don't know how much more I have to go, I think it's about ten pounds probably. In terms of maintaining it's fine actually, I won't be able to buy knickers if I get too thin so I won't bother And I do look stupid under 8st 10 - like a little girl because I'm not very tall.

Please don't worry about me - I have a looooong way to go before I get there (and two months too don't forget - I'm doing this by June). I don't want to be stick like. It's very ageing.

I spose you need to think about toning now. I use acupressure and my famous flat belly exercise (which you probably don't need) but def has flattened mine!

I'm slipping a little Im fine during the day, but evening mealtimes I am eating far too much - no idea why! I eat way past my satisfactory level. Im not too hungry when I start to eat, so its not that. Argh!

35 miles on the bike this morning.
have come home to an empty house.
and empty fridge.

UMMMM nevergoogle whose turn was it to go shopping? Blimey you're keen on cycling do you cycle on the roads? I'm too frightened of the traffic!

Howtolookgoodglaikit - I'm finding it hard actually, the last couple of days. I'm finding it hard to get to grips with being like this for ever - it's a bit perplexing why I should be unsure about looking and feeling better but partly about it's that I have no excuses for not doing things I don't want to anymore. I'm not too old/fat/unfit/ to do anything at all, I just need to get off my arse and do it.

I think I need to do something off the wall to kick myself back into touch. I have just bought four pairs of jeans though so I don't feel so deflated when I get dressed in my too baggy clothes.

Just popping in to say hello. Have relaxed my self imposed internet ban for a couple of days as I am monumentally bored (I've read 3 novels in two days ffs). I am minus gall bladder and it is playing havoc with my digestion. Slightly high on painkillers too.... nice to see that so many people are still following the righteous path of paul