How to be Thin in a World of Chocolate

Anti-Fad, Anti-Misery Guide

One day, the devil was looking for a new form of torture. -I've got it', he said. -Dieting!'

In a world full of unrealistic fitness solutions and unsustainable diets weight loss regimes quickly become abandoned and weight put back on. How to Be Thin in a World of Chocolate sets about to change the way you look at losing weight.

Offering refreshing and achievable strategies, that do not rely on following a miserable diet and unpleasant exercise, this warm, down-to-earth approach to managing weight loss is not only spot on in terms of weight-loss science but is also laugh-out-loud funny.

How to Be Thin in a World of Chocolate is the ultimate guide if you or anyone you know who wants to lose weight but doesn't enjoy hours of exercise in the gym or is sick of extreme calorie-restricted diets.

Michele Connolly is an author, psychologist and lover of burgers, pizza, waffles and chocolate. After working in corporate marketing for 13 years, Michele completed her bachelor of Psychology and a thesis on personality and happiness.

After being what she describes as 'chunky" for most of her adult life, Michele eventually discovered how to be both slim and healthy whilst still enjoying all her guilty pleasures. Michele is now sharing her secret to success in this new must read book.

How to be Thin in a World of Chocolate
Finch Publishing
Author: Michele Connolly
ISBN: 9781924048 988
RRP: $19.99

Interview with Michele Connolly

Question: What inspired you to write How to Be Thin in a World of Chocolate?

Michele Connolly: During my psych degree I tried to cut down on chocolate for a behaviour modification project - but ended up eating much, much more! So I began researching the effects of dieting, deprivation and denial and discovered that bingeing, disordered eating and even negative feelings were a common result. The problem wasn't our lack of willpower, it was the diet! I took a scientific approach and became my own guinea pig - because what could be cuter than a tiny rodent in a lab coat? - and over time worked out how to shift the extra kilos without giving up the foods I loved. So many people asked me how I did it that I thought I'd better write it all down.


Question: How important is it to increase our pleasure even whilst trying to lose weight?

Michele Connolly: Getting in touch with our sense of pleasure helps us be mindful, so we register when we're eating rather than than simply finding an empty plate in our hands and wondering how it got there. Noticing our pleasure also allows us to recognise when food is not giving us enjoyment, so we can say no to soggy fries or so-so ice cream and save ourselves for the splurges we most love. Thinking about pleasure when trying to lose weight helps us to be discerning without feeling deprived.


Question: Can you share some of your practical strategies to weight loss?

Michele Connolly: One of my favourite strategies is to think of your body as an exclusive nightclub. You're the bouncer, and you decide which food is allowed in. The healthy food gets in easily, but when it comes to treats you have to think carefully before you lift the red velvet rope - only allow in your favourites! Another strategy is to splurge strategically. If you love a treat food like chocolate then you let yourself enjoy it when you feel like it. But if you could take it or leave it, then always leave it.


Question: How is your information achievable and sustainable?

Michele Connolly: Some people try to give up entire food groups or foods they love, or join exercise programs that are terribly onerous. Eventually they go back to their old ways because the changes are too much of a sacrifice and make them miserable. Then they regain the lost weight, or even more, and they feel like a failure. My strategies are based on smaller changes that you can stick with for life. Because they're based on your own preferences and pleasures, you don't feel deprived or miserable. It's easier for you to succeed. And you can keep adding small changes as you go along.


Interview by Brooke Hunter

How to be Thin in a World of Chocolate
Finch Publishing
Author: Michele Connolly
ISBN: 9781924048 988
RRP: $19.99