I Can Make You Thin: The Revolutionary System Used by More Than 3 Million People (Book and CD)

This is an easy-to-read self-help book that covers a lot of bases. The subject is eliminating overeating. But McKenna is wise enough to know this behavior is so much more than just eating. Some of the underlying issues such as self-esteem, cravings, motivation, stress and self-awareness are covered. He includes 14 exercises to explore and extinguish bad habits.Upon reading half the book and listening once to the CD, I was immediately more aware of my eating and conscious of what was physical hunger and what was just automatic eating or eating to distract or entertain myself. I have thrown away all diet foods and bought anything my heart desires. Even though I have some of my favorite foods around the house, I have not touched some of them because they weren't what I wanted in the moment. I also have been less interested in processed foods and have been cooking more of what I want--because I am my favorite cook and I know just how I want my food!After two weeks on the program I have lost 3 lbs effortlessly. I have had all kinds of food. At times I have wanted veggies, hardboiled eggs, french fries, chocolate, pie and salad. I have followed through and eaten exactly what I wanted and eliminated nasty diet foods. I have not exercised as much as usual due to being busy so I imagine if I had been more active I would have lost a few more pounds. I think three pounds weight loss in two weeks indicates I ate reasonable amount of food and even though I lost weight I have not suffered being hungry. The one time I ate a bit more after I was full I felt ill. My body has adjusted very quickly to not wanting to overeat. Also, one time I had to eat something because I had to take a pill and I was not hungry. The food was not enjoyable--almost repulsive.It seems I am addressing deeper problems and habits. This is training me to trust my body to eat what it needs and balance out my weight naturally. I am pleased and optimistic. While most of the concepts and ideas in the book are not new, McKenna has put together the best of the techniques for conquering compulsive eating in an accessible and user friendly way.Another plus is an upbeat mood due to the positive suggestions on the cd and in the book. I ordered a copy for a friend who is also struggling with some of these issues and she reports an immediate result. Definitely worth the time to read the short book and listen to the 25 minute CD. Get it!

I first read this book and tried these techniques about 8 months ago. I lost 6 pounds in 2.5 weeks, but then I completely derailed myself at a buffet, stopped listening to the CD, and went on a binge that lasted a few months.That said, I felt confident that it could work if I would just work it, so I started it again 6.5 weeks ago, and YAY!!! I re-read the whole book, started following the rules, and I listen to the CD AT LEAST once a day. After 6.5 weeks I am down 13 pounds, which may not sound like much but: (1) That's an average of 2 pounds per week, which is normal and healthy; (2) I have not felt deprived once during that time, because I eat when and what I want; and (3) That is with no change in my physical activity so far.I absolutely LOVE the CD! I agree with prior reviews; it is best listened to through earbuds due to the stereo effect of different words into each ear at various times, but I also listen to it without earbuds quite a bit and still get a lot out of it. I converted it to an MP3 and put it on my phone so I have it handy anytime I want it. I've listened to it totally awake, and totally asleep. My favorite time is first thing in the morning (I set my alarm 30 minutes early and start it then), because while it's extremely relaxing, it brings up the energy level at the end. It's also great for an afternoon power nap, because I feel well-rested and invigorated after listening/dozing to it. I think I'm actually a bit ADDICTED to the CD, because not only does it make me crave fresh fruits, veggies, and protein, and make sweets less appealing, it makes ME feel beautiful every time I listen to it! For somebody who has for YEARS thought "UGH!" every time I looked in the mirror, this is mind-blowing! And that started during the first week, so my change in self-perception wasn't due to actual weight loss at that time. The CD also makes me feel much more energetic. While I haven't incorporated exercise yet due to time constraints (4 kids and lots of activities each evening), it makes me want to get off my butt and do SOMETHING, so I've gotten some extra cleaning done that had been sitting around for awhile. The couch is much less appealing to me now. I do plan/hope to incorporate more exercise when school is out for summer and the activities slow down a bit (we'll see how that goes).Personal challenges that I've faced: I have found that I have to stay away from buffets, because of that "get your money's worth" mentality. I also still have trouble pushing food away, so my solution to that is to dish up MUCH less than I ever would have in the past, which usually ends up being quite satisfying. If I start to feel full and still have a couple of bites left on my plate, I tend to think, "If I eat those, it will take longer for me to feel hungry again." But that's not how this plan works, so I am trying to get past that and be willing to just throw the food away (and dish up even less next time). Forcing it in is not helpful, and I wind up feeling yucky.As far as cravings go, I haven't tried any of the cravings buster tricks yet. If I want chocolate, I eat chocolate. However, I have found that I now rarely want it, and if I do eat some, it loses its appeal very quickly. I used to marvel at some (thin) friends who could keep a bag of M&Ms at their desk and just eat a few at a time, but now that's me! If I find myself plateauing on the weight at some point, I'll probably go back and incorporate the cravings buster ideas.Overall, for a 47-year-old female who has invested THOUSANDS of dollars over the years into every type of diet imaginable (including some really unhealthy ones), this is a complete life changer. To feel more energetic, never deprived, love myself more than I have in years, and still lose weight is nothing short of a miracle. Or it's just due to four basic common-sense rules, but apparently I needed somebody to put that common sense into an easy-to-understand format, which Paul McKenna has done. I HIGHLY recommend not just purchasing this book, but actually FOLLOWING the rules and advice (which I'm guessing the negative reviewers have not done). Good luck!