A couple of weeks ago, I went to a weight loss event with hypnotist Paul McKenna at The HMV Hammersmith Apollo. As someone who has tried lots of different diets, lost lots of weight, put on lots of weight and done it all several times, I though it was time to try something radically different. Paul McKenna has helped millions of people around the world, including countless celebrities, so I thought I would give it a go.
Paul explains his system
And his system is different. He urges you to throw away anything with low-fat written on it, eat only what you want and when you want it, and says you will never need to diet again! Paul says he has made himself very unpopular with the multi-million pound diet industry because in effect he says that no diets work forever, and his system is different because it re-trains your brain and body to know when it needs nutrition, what it needs and how much it needs. This means you don’t end up putting on the weight you lost again, because you are relearning good habits which will last a lifetime.
Practising mirror exercises
As well as that he showed us how to retrain our brains to accept what we see in the mirror and change the negative things we say to ourselves. On the scale (in the photo above) the lady said she felt like a 9 out of 10 on the ugly scale – which we all found quite shocking. (It’s actually to the left of the photo, so you can’t see that part of the scale.) By the time Paul had spoken to her and taken her through the exercises, she said she felt like a 6 out of 10 on the beauty scale. That’s quite a shift!
Tackling addictions – in this lady’s case – chocolate!
Paul also spoke about food addictions, cravings and mindless eating. Most of the time this sort of eating is trying to fill some sort of emotional hunger, not physical hunger. We learnt how to tell the difference and learnt techniques to deal with those cravings should they arise.
Naturally as one would expect, Paul hypnotised us all several times; suggesting to our unconscious minds that we could be more mindful of our eating and stop when full. During our lunch break, I ordered exactly what I wanted to eat, savoured each bite and to my amazement, only managed to eat about half what I normally eat. I felt satisfied and for the first time in years, left some food on my plate. I was already starting to gain back control of my eating.
At break time, I had a coffee and spent some time admiring the historic building.
The beautiful ceiling shows off the Art Deco stylings
Many of the features are originals from 1932 when the building then know as the Gaumont Palace Cinema opened
The building was given Grade II* listed status in 2005
‘That’s all interesting but will it work?‘ I hear you ask. Well, I have only been using the system for two weeks now, and I have to say it has been really easy. I have never felt more in control of my own eating and desires for food (- I am a real foodie!) In fact I was worried about it working ‘too well’ because I didn’t want to lose my love of food. In reality I have found that this system just enhances my appetite because a core part of it is about appreciating and savouring each mouthful. And my clothes no longer feel as though they are trying to cut me in half or strangle me.
‘Will it work in the long term?‘ I would say that to have any lasting change, obviously I have to keep it up and ensure that I don’t just slip back into old habits of denying myself certain foods, skipping meals, over-eating and so on. Also Paul did say that the title of his system ‘I Can Make You Thin’ is a misnomer. No one else can make you thin; only you can. Personally, I don’t want to be ‘thin’; I just want to feel happy in my skin, be able to wear clothes that I like and return to my natural (maintainable) weight.
Amazing Fact#1
I think this is actually going to change my life forever.
Amazing Fact #2
I can teach it to you! I am experienced in all of the NLP techniques that Paul uses and as I am not a celebrity hypnotist I am far more affordable and easier to track down!
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I was there too. Did you find it worked long term for you? Sadly, I haven't got it to work long term but I have had some short term success with his books in the past. Love to hear how you've done with it to date.
Hi Hari, I am still using it and I have to say it is working. I feel like I have more energy and people keep telling me they think I have lost weight. I don't think I have lost pounds as such, but I am feeling better within myself – lighter and freer if that makes sense. I have been using the CDs intermittently and they get me back on track. Let me know if you'd like to talk about this further. Best wishes x
Basically this is a very simple program to follow. Listen to the CD every day for about ten days or two weeks. Read the book. Slow down when you eat, stop when you are no longer hungy, stop and ask yourself if you are really hungry before you raid the fridge, move your butt more often, use the simple techniques to stop cravings. It's really not a diet, but learning how to eat the way normal-weight people eat. This works, but you have to make an effort.
Thanks for your comment Espana 🙂 I totally agree – for anyone to lose weight successfully with this system, you have to change your mind-set and the way you think about food. Like any system, you have to actually do it! Paul McKenna says throughout the programme 'you must follow my instructions fully and completely' – picking and choosing only lead to limited success!