I Can Make You Thin by Paul McKenna (Bantam Press, £9.99)

Reviewed by Dietitian, Juliette Kellow BSc RD

What’s the theory?

There are three main patterns of behaviour that make people fat: dieting obsessively; eating to deal with emotions rather than to beat hunger; and thinking in a way that leaves you with an unhealthy relationship with food. These factors combine to leave you feeling unhappy with your body and disheartened with dieting.

Fortunately, there are just four golden rules you need to follow if you want to lose weight and stay slim. These are: to eat only when you are hungry; to eat what you want to eat and not what you think you should eat; to eat consciously and enjoy every mouthful; and to stop eating when you feel full.

The book and accompanying CD give you the techniques you need to achieve these four rules by helping you re-pattern your thoughts, attitudes and beliefs about yourself, health and food, so that you lose weight.

What does the diet involve?

This isn’t a diet. This book and CD are designed to build self-esteem and help you feel more in control around food. It achieves this through a series of visualisation exercises, which are designed to programme your unconscious mind to change the way you think and alter your behaviour so that you eat in a different way and lose weight as a result.

What else does the book include?

You’ll find case studies and ‘mind’ techniques to help you beat cravings and boost your desire to exercise. The 25-minute CD supports the information in the book and puts you into a deep state of relaxation, opening up your unconscious mind to new suggestions to help you lose weight.

How much weight will I lose?

This book is not designed to be a specific weight loss plan, so no promise is given regarding the amount of pounds you can expect to lose.

Juliette’s verdict on 'I Can Make You Thin'

This is a great book and CD combo for anyone who’s been stuck in a cycle of comfort eating and dieting for years and is desperate to break free. You’ll learn to like yourself and understand that food can’t change your emotions, no matter how much you eat. Plus you’ll feel that you’re finally in control of food, rather than allowing it to control you. You’ll need to go elsewhere to learn about healthy eating though.