Paul McKenna

I've been following the Paul McKenna programme since LivingTV showed the entire series three weeks ago and in that time I've lost 2.5kg - which is about 5lbs. I'm not incredibly overweight - I'm 5' 7" and so now I weigh 10st 2 (and that's with my gym kit including trainers on). I used to follow WW but decided to give this a go combined with four sessions at the gym.

The thing about it is - it really does work. But you have to do it properly and you have to believe in it and want it to work. I've NEVER left food on my plate or thrown food away. I mean - why?! Eat it!! That was how I used to think. Now I really do eat when I'm hungry (not just because "it's time for lunch") and I eat slowly and I stop when I'm full. And my portions have really dropped. I've surprised myself with how much I can survive on!

If you're interested, there's a very supportive group on FB - search through the groups and you'll find it on there. It has international members and lots of stories from people in the US who have been following the program a lot longer than I have. Might be worth a look?

But at the moment it does work for me. I don't feel like I'm dieting - I'm not! I'm eating whatever the hell I want but just less of it. And crisps and chocolate just aren't a big deal for me anymore. I'm over them!!

HTH

Thanks CBH that's really helpful and encouraging! The friend that lent me the dvds has lost 9lb. And even just listening to her has had an effect already (eg chose large glass of sugar free squash instead of a second slice of toast just now - just realised I didn't want it and was only bored)

Time to get the cd bit of it on my ipod, I think - apparently it works whilst you're asleep, which is pretty clever....

thanks

L

Let me know how you get on! ?

I ordered an Indian takeaway tonight and I ate 1/3 of the portion of rice and took just one dessertspoon of the main course and one dessertspoon of the side portion. My H just looked at me as if he didn't know who the hell I was!! The rest of the it's all gone back in the fridge for tomorrow. It's unreal how much smaller my portions are now and how full I feel. I really hope I carry on feeling this good and this satisfied and I'll come back in another couple of weeks and let you know if I've continued to lose weight.

I've been following this since new year. I watched the shows on Living and have mostly just been following the first one. It's been a real eye-opener as to how I eat, and I've really cut back the amount I eat - without really trying.

So far I haven't lost any weight, but I haven't eaten any of the tasteless low fat stuff I thought I should be eating. When I've wanted chocolate I've eaten proper lindt chocolate, and I've had a couple of curries thrown in as well. I've eaten everything I've wanted, but I've just not wanted as much. And I haven't gained weight so i see that as a success.

I'm doing the Moonwalk in May so I'm hoping that the walking will shift the extra weight and then if I stick to the Paul McKenna stuff, I shouldn't put it back on.

Actually I lie, I've lost two pounds.

I lost 7lbs very quickly with PK last year. After reading his book I'm finding to hard to go on any well known 'diet' at all. The only reason I stopped loosing was I moved house (a renovation project) and things got really hectic and I lost my concentration.

I've recently re-read his book and watched living and also listened to the CD in bed. I feel like I'm in the zone again.

At first, you DO really need to concentrate and listen to your body. That is what I found hardest, but honestly, the first time I weighed myself I lost 3 lbs in a week and honest to god I didn't deny myself anything. It's great to feel 'free' around food.

I'll let you know how I get on from now on. You'll find PK isn't very popular on here though for some reason as his ethos totally goes against all the SW's and WW's out there.

I've lost 5.5lbs in three weeks and am on target to shift half a stone by the end of this month. It definitely works for me - and I was a devoted WW-er before I started with PMcK. I can't believe I'm never going to have to count points ever again or use the immortal phrase "I can't eat that, I don't have enough points left". Ha! ?

Do the DVDs have pictures of Paul McKenna or are they just soundtracks?

A mixture Tanta. Some live film of him doing his stuff in front of an audience, some relaxation/'reprogramming' dvds, and the audio cd.

I seem to be doing a mixture of ELMM (gym 3 times per week, swimming twice) PMcK and WW but hey whatever works.

I am doing well with this I think. I still go to WW to get weighed in and give me a weekly discipline, but am not obsessed with points. I find I want to eat things which would 'fit' well with a healthy (or WW) plan in any event. I am not fussed about my usual trigger foods and am finding it really quite straightforward so far. I bet I've actually eaten far less points than I would have done otherwise, as it goes, and like you say how fantastic not to be hidebound.

I'd recommend, based on experience so far!

Thank you. ?

I need the organisation of weight watchers, but I think his methods are good for others. I actually think using his cd earlier last year helped me get in the right mind set for when I started weight watchers

Its interesting reading this, i've just ordered his book and journal from amazon to give it a try.

I'm looking forward to giving it a go now

I've been doing this since Boxing Day and have lost 17lbs. I didn't get the book, but watched his TV show on Living TV.

I can't believe how well it is working for me - my weight loss has slowed now to a steady 2lb a week, and I am more than happy with this because I don't even feel as if I am dieting. I have been doing 30 minutes exercise a day too on the aerobic section of Wii Fit which is also helping!

Hi - I'm a newbie over here but I've been watching him on TV too. I did the mind over matter thing through the TV with him where I imagined barber hair and spitoon contents over my weakness which is buns and cake. It seems to be working as my daughter baked a cake for us yesterday and I can't eat it! I feel really guilty! I had a teeny weeny piece but I could feel the hair in my throat!

I find the idea of this diet really interesting and I'd love to give it a go but I'm just too scared! I know the idea is that you don't get weighed for 3 weeks and during that period you eat what you want, when you want, stop when you're full etc. The reason I'm scared is that I have a HUGE appetite and I very very rarely feel full so I dread to think how much weight I could put on in 3 weeks (I had 2 days off my low GI diet at Christmas and put 5.5lbs on!)

I think I'll stick with Low GI for the moment but I do love the theory behind the Paul McKenna diet.

Gem

x

After years of yoyo dieting following diet plans, I've thrown it all in and my resolution this year is to shift the almost three stone of excess weight I'm carrying around by following Paul McKenna / Beyond Chocolate principles. Eat whatever I want but only when I'm hungry, eat consciously and stop eating when I'm full. That alongside trying to move more. I already feel that my relationship with food has changed for the better and I make different choices now knowing that I can have what I want, when I want. Foods I love are no longer banned, I could eat them every day if I wanted, which means I no longer binge on them or 'make the most of bad days'. I hope it works as it's so sustainable in the long term.

I did Paul McKenna for a while and lost about a stone. My attitude towards food was a lot better and I found that I didn't comfort eat but I had to really focus in order to get a good result. I'm now on WW as I feel that I need the structure of the WW programme and the weekly weigh in to keep me on track. I'm hoping that when I finally get to goal (9 stones to go!) that my eating habits will have changed for the better and I can move to something more like ELMM.

K

Don't be scared GemBear. I have/had a huge appetite too. I find that I have to concentrate all the time while I'm eating or I overeat. The most useful piece of information I read in the book was when I was told to recognise feeling full as a small warm spot at the top of your tummy, underneath your ribs. If you concentrate you can feel this spot. As soon as I fee it I stop. PK says that if you even suspect you are full then stop. If you a wrong, it really doesn't matter because if you are wrong you just carry on eating a while later. PK has a 'hunger scale' to follow to that I've put on my fridge and I have to check all the time if I'm genuinely hungry or bored/tired etc. That helps too.

I urge you to try the book. If anything it makes you look at your relationship with food and diets in a new way.

I tried the PK way of eating a couple of years ago, I wasn't convinced it would work but it most definitely did. I cottoned on quite quickly how to realise when I was full and subsequently lost about 7lbs (can't remember over how long), the only thing that stopped me doing it (and this is VERY silly) was in relation to going out for some drinks. As I'd not eaten half as much as I usually did when I went out for some drinks with some friends I ended up totally sloshed after 2 glasses of wine, I was very, very ill and it frightened me to death how drunk I'd become so quickly. I stopped doing PK (although it was hard to ignore the signs I was full!) and have slipped back into old habits. What I probably should have done was to realise I couldn't drink as much as I had previously and see that as a good thing!

I think this has inspired me to listen to the PK thing again, it's on my IPOD so shouldn't be difficult! Also going to locate his book when I get home too. ?

I hope people don't mind me bouncing this back up, but I've just found a Paul McKenna UKsupport group on Facebook called "This is not a diet'. I've just joined and it's really great to talk to other people who are doing this and loosing weight really well. There's are hundreds of them and some have been yo yo dieting for over 20 years and found this has been the answer for them. It's really inspiring. You can also find a PM 'buddy' do have pm with to support you. The whole group and diet is FREE!

Just thought it may help anyone interested.

I only lost 1lb this week, but at least it's off not on.

I'm already a member of a PMcK group on Facebook and I've found it really useful. Any support is good support!

I've not been doing Paul McKenna but I have been having one to one sessions with a hypnotherapist every week since the beginning of January. I'm a serial yoyo dieter and recently it's begun to dawn on me that the likes of SW and WW don't address the root cause of why I'm over weight. It's really forced me to look at me eating habits and why I over eat. I'm now very conscious of how I eat, just looking around at other people you can see that those who are naturally slim take their time when they eat and will leave food when they've had enough. It's quite interesting to watch other people.
I've lost 9.5lb since the beginning of January. I won't say it's been easy, it hasn't. But it's also not exactly hard. Much of it seems like common sense. And I can guarantee whoever it was (sorry, can't see who) that was worried about their portion sizes that you won't starve. If you get hungry shortly after a meal then have something else, but again just stop eating it when you are no longer hungry (not full, there's a difference). You'll be surprised how little food is actually needed to get you to this point.

When Living showed his US series I was inspired to give it another go (I knew it worked just lacked the effort with 2 young kids - I tend to eat fast when they are around!!!) anyway I lost 5lbs with no exercise and I ate what I wanted. However been poorly and feeling tired and run down I haven't stuck to the principles and have put back on 2lb due to comfort eating.

My H was skeptical about the craving tapping technique until I made him try it next time he had an urge He couldn't believe it worked but it does! I just need to remember to do it before actually reaching for the chocolate!

I really need a kick up the rear to get back on track as I think it's the best thing you can do. When I did WW all I thought about was food and what I could or couldn't have.