The former ORF presenter and voice trainer Ingrid Amon has written a new book after her bestseller “The Power of Voice”. In “Mein Essbuch” she tells of her path to becoming a dream figure. myWoman blogger Jennifer B. Wind attended the pre-release party and interviewed the author.
“Another diet book?” Thought some who made their way to the preview at the Schubert Steinzentrum. The fact that Ingrid Amon's “Mein Essbuch” was not a conventional diet primer was noticed as soon as you entered the wonderful location: it smelled seductively … like food! At the premiere of a slimming guide, you can expect salads, water and small canapés. But at this book presentation, the invited guests were not only personally received by a refreshingly good-humored author, but also pampered with grilled chicken, pastries, beer, wine and mini punch donuts. And that wasn't the only surprise of the evening!
Stay slim in the long run and never gain weight again? This is the dream of many women who struggle with weight gain again after a successful diet. So diet follows diet. In the end, the frustration is great and the body weight more than ever before. Many books deal with fasting or losing weight. Not a month goes by without a new diet being introduced. Readers of relevant magazines find themselves within ten minutes between "A bikini figure in 7 days", "My fight against anorexia", "Fit on the beach" and "Tasty summer recipes" and reach for the chocolate bar in confusion and then immediately afterwards from a guilty conscience plagued to pant a lap around the block.
But there is another way: stay slim and still eat muffins? - Why, surely!
No pinching of the waistband despite having eaten crispy pork rind or a banana split? - No problem! Dress size 36 without sweating in the gym. - A simple exercise!
Do not you think? Then read Ingrid Amon's “Mein Essbuch”. The former ORF presenter and voice trainer has achieved what many only dream of. Not only has she lost 25 pounds, but has also maintained her new weight over the years. She describes her very personal path to the dream figure and more in her book. You won't find recipes and fitness exercises in this book, but lots of tips, tricks, practical exercises and background information, as well as a 10-point program with which you too can achieve your goal. And all in an entertaining tone, enriched with humorous anecdotes from her life.
The ten points or balance factors deal, among other things, with the right drinking, chewing, tasting, observing and documenting. One chapter deals with the saturation point. Here, too, the strength of the author shows, because without lifting her index finger and giving us scientific explanations, she approaches the topic primarily with humor. The self-attempt to find her personal saturation point ran over three sundaes, eleven eleven bars of chocolate on two stilts. With a twinkle in her eye, Ingrid Amon reports on her interesting and unusual experiments on everything to do with food. The book reads loosely and easily. It is fun to follow the author on her way. Will he be your way soon too? Convince yourself.
It was an exciting, fun and very filling evening. The author not only signed personal copies from the goodie bags, but also gave herself an exclusive interview on her book “My Essbuch - Vom Losing und Schlankbleiben” (published in June 2014 by Nymphenburger Verlag).
Wind: You are a voice trainer and have already published a bestseller in this area. How do you come to a "food book"?
Amon: Quite simply: I have been motivating people to change their behavior in a positive way for decades. So far, to design the voice and speech technology in such a way that the own message is better received with the power of the voice. And now to shape your own eating habits so that you - like me - can keep your desired weight forever. I taught myself that, it made me a slimming expert. I would like to share this success with as many readers as possible. The subtitle “On getting slim and staying slim” says it all, the focus in this book is on STAYING slim. There are thousands of weight loss books, but hardly one that says on day 1 after the diet how to look after a permanent balance and how to ensure the success of your weight loss. How to take care of it, especially with smart eating habits!
Wind: The main aim of your book is to find a permanently healthy lifestyle in order to keep your weight in balance. Anyone who is overweight cannot avoid dieting. You give the tip to lose weight in stages and pause again and again in between. Why?
Amon: Yes, that's right, the goal is to establish an individually, permanently possible, enjoyable lifestyle with regard to eating. Losing weight is the first step. My stage route was successful. In between, the body always had time to rest from losing weight, to adjust to the relief. And the stability courses have always strengthened the vision that one day I too would be able to eat NORMAL without constantly looking at the scales.
Wind: It doesn't work completely without movement. Because the human being is a "moving animal" and not a "sitting animal". Evolution-related adaptations to our new lifestyle will take many decades to come. You admit that you don't enjoy exercising even after you've tried everything. What do you advise others who feel the same way?
Amon: Standing by it is the most important thing. To his not sporting existence. AND: A clear distinction must be made between sport and exercise. Sport is about going further, faster, better. Movement is the other thing … So more movement in everyday life, small steps help: If you have to go to the 6th floor, get off on the 5th, and then walk the rest of the way. Then in the 4th, sometime in the 3rd, and so on. Park the car at the supermarket parking lot far away from the entrance. Get off one stop earlier on the subway and tram. Take a lap around the house after the office closes before you go in and make yourself comfortable. Mini-steps also have an effect.
Wind: What do empty shelves have to do with fat cells? Or to put it another way: Are “collectors” generally overweight?
Amon: I'm seeing an interesting trend. Not all collectors have more pounds than they want. However, overweight people are seldom masters at "mucking out". In general, too, I tend to find overfull wardrobes, CD and book shelves, magazine stores, cellars, cutlery and tool cabinets with the tendency “a little too much of everything” … If you can do it, sometimes empty shelves or a loosely filled cupboard also mentally endurable (is not easy for some people) - then you get a helpful idea that you can simply leave your own fat cells empty. (You should also know: the number of fat cells can no longer be changed from adulthood, only their filling quantity - unfortunately!)
Wind: How does a happy psyche relate to external appearance? There is this idea of “the happy fat one”. Many overweight people also say that they feel good for who they are. According to the motto "Better round and healthy than sick and slim". Is that some kind of self-lie?
Amon: Personally, I have few “happy fat people” around me. I don't buy it from most of them. In the last few years I have asked about 300 people whether they - if they didn't have to change anything in their behavior, absolutely nothing - but could choose - do they voluntarily choose fat or thin? What do you think, dear Jenny - not a single one voluntarily wanted to keep their kilos …
Wind: What else would you like to give or say to your readers that is not in your book?
Amon: + Never give up. + Changing behavior is possible - and it takes time, but it doesn't matter how long it takes for you. + And nobody should be ON DIET all the time. Put your technical hard drive back on - and leave dieting behind you for good. + We are all blessed beings of the universe, no matter what our bodies look like. Point!
Wind: What can we expect from you in the future? What are you working on?
Amon: One of my great gifts is that I have a high level of motivational power. I ponder a “book of the good life” (tips and ideas for a light and smiling everyday life). And possibly the eating book will get a cook's sister or a work brother who could then be called YOUR ESSBOOK … So my future has already begun.
