The Paul McKenna Thread Number 12. A Simple Title, for Simple Weight Loss and All amongst Friends!!

[Solo]

Welcome to thread 12 of the Paul McKenna's I Can Make You Thin weight loss system.

The Golden Rules that will aid you on your journey with our like minded support system are:

1. Eat what you WANT
2. Eat when you are HUNGRY
3. Eat CONSCIOUSLY
4. STOP eating when you are satisfied and full

This weight loss system is about re-educating your body; learning to listen to it and in doing so losing weight and inches. After all, eating a meal is not a competition, it's about enjoying what you are putting in your mouth, but not feeling bloated and uncomfortable (or guilty) afterwards!
Many people have issues around food. Many of us have been brought up by the 'clear your plate' parents of yesteryear which leave us feeling guilty if we leave even the smallest morsel of food, but we are working through this guilt or any other hang up we may have, and we are learning to leave a bit on the plate; return to it another time if we really want to or even feed it to the dog or the bin!
So!! forget diets; they may work for a while, but they aren't permanent solutions. This is a new way of living for your brand new life!! Let's get lighter for those summer clothes!

The Paul McKenna system really works and is easy to maintain.

I've C&P'd our previous threads links as they are helpful.

Here are the book choices on AMAZON which is all you need to get started! they aren't compulsory, but they do help! it's something to refer to and listening to the cd's can really focus you.

This is the tapping technique EXPLAINED - this can be useful to combat cravings.

You don't have to buy the book and CD, but we have found that they do help and somehow they keep you on track, so it would probably be a good investment and will cost you far less than a couple of trips to WW or SW meetings, so do consider having them in your life.

Please feel free to join us, whether it's 10lbs or 10 stones you want to lose.
We are friendly, supportive and successful, but we're not hungry ~ NO we're not!!! so come on in and start living your new life today and make 2013 your year to drop a dress size or several...if we can get into a smaller size for summer, just think how we could look for next Christmas!

Mmm cake! I've had a lovely sponge cake my grandmother in law baked today - we're down in Devon visiting.

Happy birthday Tinwe!

I don't know what shape I am, I have a round tummy so probably apple but I have boobs too! I am working on the muffin buster at the moment.

French cakes always look gorgeous ppeat. Too pretty to eat almost

The Germans make some rather splendid cakes too.

German cake reminds me that I found a rather good word today on Pinterest. It was a list of words for which there is no English translation. The word was kummerspeck which apparently means the weight you put on from emotional eating -a problem a few of us can identify with a little I think. Well me anyway at times. The literal translation is 'grief-bacon'. It made me laugh and think of ppeat. Not in a bad way ppeat, just that you don't think we should be eating pork. Grief-bacon sounds appropriate.

Rulesgirl suggested I post what I posted on the Gastric Band thread here, to see if I could get some advice, so here goes:

OK - so, I read the book, I listened to the CD and did the trance & I started well. I didn't snack between meals, I was serving myself smaller portions and eating mindfully.

This was about 3 weeks ago & now I feel like it has all just disappeared.

At no point have I actually been able to feel full while I am eating. I will feel full afterwards - which is definitely an achievement - but at no point have I felt full after a few mouthfuls.

I was listening to the CD every morning but I found I just kept falling asleep and I was feeling like it wasn't affecting me so much.

Any tips from anyone who has been through this & come out the other side?

Hello PostBellumBugsy,

Welcome!

First of all, you don't sound like you are doing anything wrong to me - you have had a great start.

WRT the CD, do you wake up when PMK says to wake up? If you do, I don't think you are asleep at all, just in the trance where your unconscious mind is taking over. That is totally normal and the CD still works even if you aren't aware of it, especially if you are aware enough to wake when you are told to wake. I don't use the CD as much as I should but I imagine that it isn't going to have the same impact after 3 weeks as it does after the first few days. You will become accustomed to it but that is OK too.

Have you actually lost any weight yet? I know we have been having a discussion about it recently and we all have different opinions about this but I think you need to find out and give yourself some proof that what you are doing is having an effect. It has been 3 weeks. You might be surprised. I think if you see it working you will be encouraged to carry on as you are. On the other hand, if after 3 weeks it isn't working then perhaps you need to be looking at what you are eating.

Finally, forgive me for saying this but the way you write about food sounds like you are on a diet - cutting out snacking, measuring portion size (roughly I know, not calories or weight or anything) and counting mouthfuls. I know Rules feels full after a small number of mouthfuls but I don't. I am not saying she is doing it wrong or that either of us are breaking the rules, just that it isn't something worth counting up front iyswim. Rules has noticed she is full after very few mouthfuls but I don't think she mindfully sets out to eat very few mouthfuls or to count them. After all how many mouthfuls will depend on what you are eating, how big your mouthful is and how hungry you are when you begin so it will vary from person to person - I don't think about how many mouthfuls I have or the size of my portions or even about snacking.

WRT to snacking if you are hungry, you need to eat so if it isn't a meal time and you want to preserve mealtimes with the family as most of us do, then a small snack is not a bad idea and then you eat less later when you are eating with other people. You don't have to cut out snacking but only eat a snack when you are genuinely hungry. Similarly, don't worry about portion size. PMK says to leave some food on the plate just to prove you can and that you know when to stop. You can't do that if you have very small portion sizes because you probably won't have had enough.

Keep doing what you are doing. And pay attention to how you feel. That is the most important thing imo. Listen to your body so that you know when you have had enough. If you eat slowly enough and take your time then you will recognise the feeling that says you have had enough. I think you do but you need to trust that you do.

Sorry for rambling!

Hi BBB, thank you for coming back to me.

My primary aim of this is to stop over eating and snacking. I err towards low-carbing, because I have IBS and wheat intolerance and think that high sugar processed foods are very unhealthy.

Yes, I do wake up when Paul tells me too & I'm full of beans and raring to go - but I feel like it isn't working any more. When I first did it, I cut right back on my portions and ate like a snail, whereas my portion sizes seem to have increased again and I'm really struggling to eat slowly.

I don't weigh myself, but my clothes are not any looser (this is how I usually tell if I've lost weight). I would like to be one/two dress sizes smaller. When the GP last weighed me, my BMI was 30, which makes me obese I think. I'm 5ft7" and wear size 14 or 16 clothes depending on who makes them.

Should I go back to listening to the CD again? I feel like I've lost confidence in it.

How long does it take to re-wire ourselves?

Morning all ref. the cakes they are sometimes much too sweet and not worth eating but we have a pet choclatier who make the very best cakes and sell their own chocolate like they sell coffee beans in the Algerian Coffee stores Soho or wines (you taste them) 'sublime'.

Yup I totally agree with BBB's extremely good and detailed advice Postbellum

BTW BBB there are a couple of world religions who happen to have a downer on pork too !!!

I know ppeat, I was teasing you really.

The Arthritis Society or whatever it is called says to cut back on pork, I think. You were the one who has mentioned it a few times, that's all, and with some justification.

PostBellum - yes, keep listening to the CD.

Maybe you cut back the portion size too far to begin with? There is no right answer. I assume that you have been overeating for a while so it will take a time for your appetite to adjust and your stomach to shrink a little. I bet you are still eating less than you used to be. Try not to worry about any of that - just concentrate on how you feel for a bit. It takes some time for it become a habit.

I just googled to see how long it took for a habit to form. I thought it was something like 21 days of daily repetition so I checked and found this. It is a bit long but the bottom line is that 21 days is a myth and they reckon a habit takes at least 66 days to form which means you are not likely to feel entirely comfortable with this yet.

Actually, that explains a lot. I think some of us who have fallen off the wagon probably haven't given it long enough on that basis. It takes a lot longer than I think most of us would predict. A bit depressing but at least we can have realistic expectations.

Hi bugsy. It sounds to me like you're trying to control your eating still. I think it sounds like it is making a difference. If you're only going by clothes sizes it will take longer to notice a difference compared with weighing yourself. Are you taking care to apply the rules - particularly are you making sure you're hungry when you eat? Putting down your knife and fork between bites and chewing? It takes me a fair amount of mouthfuls to feel full. I'll generally ESH at least 3/4 of my meal at least.

I would definitely persevere with the CD and dip back into the book if I were you! :)

I am enjoying a holiday in Devon with DH's family who live down here. Tis lovely but I keep munching on sweets when I'm not really hungry! Need to listen to the trance if I can!

You are all great & doing a good job of encouraging me to stick with it.

I definitely feel full after a meal - which is progress.

I have years & years of bad eating and I am particularly prone to eating when I'm tired or bored. I eat far, far too quickly - like I am in some really pressing hurry and I am learning to eat more slowly / mindfully but it is a giant effort and I find it easy to slip. However, that doesn't mean I shouldn't do it, I just need to try harder.

I find it very difficult to know what I want to eat, as it is things like cheesecake, chocolate and more chocolate that call out to me. I never, ever think - "oh wouldn't a salad be lovely right now", so I force myself to eat salads & proper meals with vegetables - when actually what I really, really want is to have is a huge slab of home made gluten free brownie with double cream.

I'm glad you're enjoying your hols Hadalittle There's not much to beat Devon when the sun's shining! The weather's just broken here so probably veryberry 's getting wet .

PostBellum don't worry about eating what you think you should, follow the rules and eat what you want, you will find you stop wanting chocolate and do start wanting healthier options naturally but if you force yourself to have a salad your not following the rules, you're still trying to diet. For what it's worth I've just done my first 2 weeks back on PM and I haven't eaten a single piece of fruit and hardly any vegetables, all I've fancied is carbs and dairy. But I'm not worried as i know at some point my body will need the nutrients etc from veg etc and I will find myself fancying a salad or similar, but right now after 2 months of trying to restrict myself to just 1200 calories a day my body obviously needs the good fats etc that come from dairy and carbs. PM gives an example in the book

Sorry posted too soon... An example of how in a study toddlers were able to choose whatever they wanted to eat and all ended up eating a balanced diet. So give in to your temptations, as long as your truly hungry and eating slowly and consciously have that slab of ch

Ch

Chocolate

And I give up!!!!

I agree. I also have to listen hard to my body and say Okay, what do I want? usually chocolate and sweets okay, what does my body really want? then I find myself fancying fruit or veg more. I try to shop for tasty food that's good for me like hoummous and peppers, fruit I'll enjoy. Then it's win/win. At the moment you're still eating what you think you should, not what you actually want.

Just wanted to add one more thing, PostBellum by denying yourself these things you're giving them power over you. In your head they become 'special' foods, when all chocolate is is another form of fuel. Fundamentally, our bodies need calories to survive, you could just live on a diet of crisps and chocolate, you wouldn't be especially healthy, but you wouldn't die. So give yourself permission to eat these foods and I bet they'll soon lose some of their appeal. Good luck!

Yes notGood and when you eat the cheap milk stuff REALLY SLOWLY AND CONSCIOUSLY it tastes disgusting !!!! it's actually inedible!!! I eat the best dark ginger, or mint and it's still gorgeous when eaten in the required Paul mckenna way!!! You can't eat much though!!!

Sorry all GOOD MORNING btw!! (I was so excited about the chocolate thing !!!

I don't like or even eat cheap milk chocolate - I like the expensive 70% plus stuff! I just don't have a stop button. I can suck on squares of it all day.

I am terrified to eat what I want - because I don't feel full when I eat, so I can pack away a lot of food very quickly. The evenings are the worst, because I'm knackered and I really want a huge energy boost from my food. Am going to have to think on this a bit - but thank you all. I'm going to try and persevere.

I wrote a long post about cake and chocolate but its gone! Oh we'll.

Just to add a suggestion. Have you made sure you've had plenty to drink before you eat so you're sure it's hunger not thirst? Thirst can make you feel tired too at night. And are you waiting til you're very hungry before eating? Once you've taken the edge off the hunger (eg with a drink) sometimes it's easier to evaluate what to eat. I understand about certain foods bring weak spots though and that's why there's a craving buster in the PM programme. I know chocolate is a weak spot for me to start a bit of a binge so I do allow myself it when I'd feel deprived without (eg someone bought me a chocolate cake at work) but try not to choose if there's a choice, eg custard cream not choc digestive! I don't consider that giving it power as I'm making an educated choice that its not good for me in one way or another

Post this woe really does take a good six months to adjust to and to understand properly . You have to let go of your diet mentality totally. Read the book a few times and really follow the rules whenever you go to the kitchen. When you open a cupboard or the fridge, stop and say, am I truly hungry and if so what do I really really want. Learning when your really hungry is important. When you feel this way there is almost a desperate need to eat that you cannot override and will grab at anything. So you need to be on the level before that where you can actually take time to make something to eat that you want
Did you do low carb before?

Thank you Rules - you are right remembering to be hungry is key. I find I do ok with this until I hit the evening and then everything gets confused and I'm not sure if I'm hungry or tired.

I'm going to have to think about what I want to eat too - as so often I simply don't know!!!!!

I think one of the keys as well you could be you mentioned in one of your posts that you "pack a lot away very quickly". If you focus

On really slowing down and stopping as soon as you think you might be full (even if you're not sure, still stop, you can always eat again later) and then distract yourself with something else. I find sometimes if I stop but the foods still there I'll carry on picking, but if I walk away and do something else I won't think about it again. Especially if the thing you distract yourself with is a treat type thing like a nice hot bath or giving yourself a manicure

I find if I've eaten the amount that usually makes me feel full I just stop and in a few minutes,maybe five or so, I DO get the full feeling (it just takes a bit longer sometimes).

At nights I don't eat eat after 7.3o or so even if I feel hungry (against the rules I know but I also know what makes me gain weight; also strangely eating late makes me hungrier in the morning) so I'll have a cup of camomile tea and some fruit if I feel really hungry. I go to bed around 10.30 though!!