Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1455 in Books
• Published on: 2008-12-30
• Released on: 2008-12-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 176 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781402765711
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author

Customer Reviews

"I Can Make You Thin" - Review
For almost 3 years now I have been handing this book and 'mind-reprogramming' CD to every patient who comes to me to lose weight, or who is caught up in the mentality of diets, scales, cravings, or overeating.

I am *delighted* that this version of "I Can Make You Thin" is finally available on Amazon.com rather than having to hunt it from the UK site. The long wait is over!

At the risk of making this book seem too simple, here are Paul McKenna's 4 golden rules...
1. When you are hungry, eat.
2. Eat what you want (not what you think you "should".)
3. Eat consciously and enjoy every mouthful.
4. When you are full stop.

I've seen other "I Can Make You Thin" reviews that dismiss the 4 rules as just obvious common sense. I'm not sure what common sense they can really mean since the rules make a mockery of the majority of get thin / lose weight approaches around. Rule 2 in particular certainly disagrees with the 'common sense' that I was taught as a medical doctor.

Even if the rules are common sense, McKenna needs to be given great credit for showing people HOW to live these habits. Hopefully you are buying this for the results, not just to have a fun read and a relaxing, new-wavy listen.

Yes, the coverpages are a bit hypey, but the inside is less so. The book is refreshingly thin :), jargon-free, and entertaining.

McKenna's style also involves techniques such as tapping (TFT/EFT), hypnosis and NLP . Hypnosis is what first made Paul famous, and I've seen NLP Practitioners review this and say they knew all of these tricks before. In NLP terms Paul is saying that the Golden Rules are the "model" for being "naturally thin". Just knowing all the geewiz psych techniques won't help if you have the wrong model as I suspect most NLPers do.

More importantly, you don't need any of these techniques to apply the 4 golden rules and lose weight.

Most people can go the book & CD, discover the Aha moments, and get started on transforming their relationship with food and their weight straight away.

There might be a group of people that could eat according to the 4 rules and not be thin, but I agree with what Paul says. For myself, I'm yet to meet such a person.

I have counseled people who thought it didn't work for them, but it turned out they hadn't gotten the rules into their behavior, so here are some extra pointers...

- Just listening to the CD over and over doesn't seem to be enough. The book plays a big part too. Expect to re-read the book at least once. You can succeed without the CD, so if it doesn't suit you, no sweat.

- Don't add more rules. Extra rules almost always conflict with the four golden rules. Must eat breakfast? No. Just eat when you are hungry. Have to eat only fresh food? Check you really want to eat it, and whether you might want to eat anything else a bit more. Etc, etc.

- Having trouble visualizing? Just act 'as if' you are visualizing, or on the CD just leave it to Paul.

- Don't make exercise the focus. Improved fitness will improve your chances of living longer, but unfortunately the best research evidence is that exercise doesn't help much in losing weight. Keep to the four rules, which are all about food and getting back in control.

- If you have a question or a difficulty, the answer is somewhere in the book. The book alone truly is comprehensive (unlike watching YouTube videos or reading this review.) Indeed the updates have covered the two or three remaining gaps I had found before, including the extra information for self-sabotage issues.

In summary, McKenna is not the only person to propose this way of eating, but his is the most accessible version I know about. His is also the most likely to reach out from the page and permanently change your thinking and your behavior, and thereby your weight.

You can buy his measly book just to prove Paul wrong :)

Oh and then come back here and add your own review. Let people know what your results have been, whatever they are. No one book/CD can fit everyone but "I Can Make You Thin" deserves way more reviews here on Amazon from people just like you who have been wondering if this might just be what you need.

If this review helps, please click "YES" below.

It's working for me!
I have lost 60 pounds since mid-July using this system. I can't say it's always been easy; changing habits of a lifetime never is. I CAN say I've never felt deprived, starved or desperate like I have on diets. I'm a "real" mom who doesn't have anything to gain or lose by recommending this product. It works.

Keep an open mind
*** Review Update ***
I've been on this diet for ten weeks and have lost 21 lbs, so about 2 lbs/week which I understand is a safe weightloss rate. I like the feeling of control that this program gives me. It is interesting how little food it takes to make me feel full, now that I'm eating slowly and paying attention to my true hunger. Also, I've been exercising regularly (cardio, 30-40 minutes a day, 5 days a week) which helps keep the weight coming off steadily.
***

I liked this book, but be forewarned that it is an unconventional weightloss program that relies on a few simple eating rules (eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full kind of thing), along with neuro-linguistic programming techniques (think Anthony Robbins) to "recondition" your mind. Some might be put off by the pop psychology approach, and you might feel silly doing some of the exercises. However, I do think that by keeping an open mind and giving the techniques in the book an honest try you could successfully lose weight. The book is very brief - I finished it in under two hours. My hardcover copy included a self-hypnosis CD that reinforces the mental conditioning stuff.

I liked the program in the book because it is simple and concise, yet touches on all of the essentials (eating behavior, emotional eating, food cravings, body image, and exercise). Another thing I liked is that it does not contain any nutritional advice, food lists, recipes, or other dietary suggestions. In fact, the program requires you to eat precisely what you want to eat and not what you may feel you should eat. As I said, it is a short book so nothing is covered in great depth, but it is meant to be very simple and practical, not long-winded and philosophical.