Paul McKenna Fans

Paul’s article, published in The Express today.

1 WHEN YOU ARE HUNGRY, EAT

Starving yourself can actually make you fat.

Ever wondered what’s inside a camel’s hump?

It’s fat. Camels store fat because they don’t know how long they’re going to go between meals. When you starve yourself by not eating when you’re hungry, your body does the same thing. There may be only a few grams of fat in that Weight Watchers lasagne but if you’re not eating when you’re hungry, your body will grab that fat and store it until later - generally on your stomach if you’re a man and your hips and thighs if you’re a woman.

That’s partly why thin people can eat a lot and not put on weight - they aren’t starving themselves so their bodies either make use of or eliminate excess fat from their food. Listen to your body and you will soon easily be able to recognise the physical signs of true hunger.

2 EAT WHAT YOU WANT, NOT WHAT YOU THINK YOU SHOULD

As soon as you tell yourself not to eat certain foods you upset the natural balance of your relationship with them. Rather than wanting it less, that forbidden food instantly becomes more attractive to you. This is why there are no forbidden foods in my system - you can eat anything you want any time you are hungry, providing you take the time to really enjoy your food (see golden rule three).

You may have tried diets that told you to empty your cupboards of fat, sugar and carbohydrates. My instructions for you are radically different. Today, I want you to throw out any food that you don’t really want to eat.

Bin the low-fat yoghurts, diet drinks and sugarfree treats. There shouldn’t be a single thing left in your fridge that you wouldn’t be delighted to eat. Fancy a bit of pasta? Go for it. Cake and ice cream calling to you? As long as you’re actually hungry, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. From this day forward, nothing is off limits to you - ever.

3 EAT CONSCIOUSLY AND ENJOY EVERY MOUTHFUL

One of the unique features on my weight-loss programme is this: you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want, so long as you fully enjoy every single mouthful. I mean really enjoy it - savour the taste, textures and sensations as you thoroughly chew each mouthful. For the next two weeks, slow your eating speed down and chew each mouthful thoroughly about 20 times and concentrate on your food and nothing else. You can probably remember a time when you ate nuts or crisps while watching a film or a football match on TV. By the time you came to your senses, you’d eaten the whole lot, no matter how hungry you were when you started. By eliminating as many distractions as possible while you eat, you will find it considerably easier to apply the fourth g o lden rule. So no TV or magazines while you a re eating, ever!

4 WHEN YOU THINK YOU ARE FULL, STOP EATING

The human body is designed to tell us to eat when we’re hungry and stop when we’re satisfied but many of us until whatever food we put on our plate is gone.

To lose weight effortlessly and keep it off, you must begin working with your body and stop eating when you are full . Your stomach will send a signal that says, ” I’m satisfied - that’s enough.” But it can take up to 20 minutes for that signal to reach your brain, which is why it’s important to slow down and eat more consciously. Some people tell me that they are not sure if the y are full, so for the next few days just guess.

Don’t be a member of what I call the “clean plate club.” You don’t have to eat everything on your plate. Deliberately leave a bit of food, even if it’s just one little chip, to break that habit.

Follow these golden rules and in just a few days you will begin to break the bad habits that ha ve stopped you from being thin and transform your relationship with food.

You’ll start to feel more in control around food and see that it’s possible to eat what you want and lose weight. You’ll have more energy and there should be a slight change in how your clothes fit. Remember, you’ve already tried all sorts of other diets or techniques that haven’t worked long term.

Commit to my system for the next two weeks and you’ve got nothing to lose except weight.

Let me offer you one final note of caution.

Over the years I have noticed how many people are absolutely obsessed with weighing themselves. Everybody’s weight goes up and down all the time - even slim people. In fact, naturally thin people rarely, if ever, weigh themselves and most couldn’t tell you what they weigh.

I recommend that you give up the scales for life - you’ll know you’re thin great and you feel wonderful . However, if you absolutely must weigh yourself, leave at least two weeks between each weighing. You will lose weight and keep it off for as long as you use this system.

To order I Can Make You Thin (new edition) by Paul McKenna (Bantam, GBP 10.99) with free UK delivery, call 0871 521 13 0 1 (10p/min from BT landlines) with your card details, or send a cheque payable to Express Newspapers to: The Express Bookshop, P O Box 200, Falmouth TR11 4WJ, or order via www. expressbookshop. com

Sidebar:

I found the key to feeling good

Height: 5′6″ Clothes size before: 26-28 Clothes size now: 14 Weight before: 21 stone Weight now: 12st 10lb Total loss: 8st 4lb

MY WEIGHT had been a problem for most of my adult life. I ate non-stop and never thought about what I was putting in my mouth or whether I was hungry. But I hated my body and tried every diet going yet always managed to pile on more weight.

Then my mum paid for me to go to one of Paul’s workshops as a Christmas present. I was seriously sceptical but it turned out to be so simple. It was as if someone had just woken me up and said, “Here are the answers.” For the first time in my life, I starting thinking about the food I ate. I used to gorge on crisps, chocolate and junk that didn’t fill me up. But once I started eating consciously and listening to my body, I realised that a lot of foods didn’t taste good and that I naturally wanted to eat healthier meals. I still love crisps, cake and chocolate but I only eat them if I really, really want them and if I’m truly hungry.

Once upon a time I couldn’t even walk up a flight of stairs but now I’m training for a triathlon and I feel amazing. It’s like someone said, “Here’s the key to the rest of your life.”

Extract by Sadie Dodds.