@AnneEyhtMeyer - I bought the book in the morning. I had finished reading it by evening. And, somehow, during the course of reading it, I knew that this had the potential of changing everything. My eating habits had been so horrendous - up till the day that I bought the book - that following the Four Golden Rules was enough to seriously transform things for me.
I didn't do any of that pre-op malarkey that PM talks about. I just started to follow the rules and I knew instantly that, if I stuck to them, my life with food would be radically different. And it has been! I think I listened to the CD a few days later. But, by then, the rules had become pretty well ingrained and I didn't really feel the need to fit the gastric band. And, actually, I fell asleep listening to the CD. I didn't particularly like the idea of the band. I don't really want to feel full after a few mouthfuls. I don't think a few mouthfuls is enough nutrition for me! And I don't think it 'stuck' anyway. Because I am eating very decent-sized meals. Just nowhere near as much as I used to. And snacking is a thing of the past. It is true that, no matter how hungry I am, I am feeling a certain degree of satisfaction after only a few mouthfuls. But I was feeling that as soon as I began following the rules anyway.
The biggest change is that, over the past three weeks of following the rules, I have become very good at distinguishing between the various stages on PM's Hunger Scale. So I am now pretty adept at predicting where I'm going to end up on the scale when I plate up! This means I'm not wasting food at all and not having to leave any behind. The only exception to this is the bowl of fruit'n'nuts which accompanies almost every meal of mine. It is the last thing I tuck into at any meal. And I know that, if I am full or pleasingly satisfied or, even, neutral after a couple of mouthfuls of fruit'n'nuts, I'll just leave the rest and resurrect it for the next meal.
I understand that some people overeat/eat the wrong foods because of emotional reasons. I don't think I was particularly an emotional eater. I had just fallen into awful habits over many years. And my body's satiety signals (and my interpretation of them) was completely wrecked! But distracted eating was the major reason for that. (Primarily TV, but also radio or music or a newspaper or a book or conversation!) Three weeks ago was the first time I actually focused on my food - on every single mouthful - since I was a young child. I think I remember PM saying in Gastric Band that unless you're not willing to give up TV and all other distractions when eating, he can't help you. I agree. I took that to heart. I think almost all of my crisps/chocolate/junk food consumption in the past has been distracted eating. And my supersized portions and second and third helpings have also been as a result of distracted eating.
If the gastric band works for people, that's fine. But I don't know quite how to process ShhBoom's terrible experience. Was it really as a result of the band? Was it coincidence?
Unlike many who will try the Gastric Band and the Four Rules for the first time, I have never, really been on a diet as such. I've never calorie counted. I've never been to WW or SW etc. I think I am lucky that I never did any of those things because I get the impression that they tend to mess with most people's brains and attitudes towards food and hunger. Maybe some of those who are having difficulty with the Four Rules and/or the gastric band have a lot of that diet industry programming to uninstall and that's why they are not finding PM's methods easy to follow?
Is there anyone else on here who has never really bought into the diet industry before? And if so, how are you finding PM's methods?
Jeez! That's a ramble-and-a-half! Apologies! But I am passionate about the Four Golden Rules and it saddens me somewhat that some others are finding difficulties with them.