August 27 2006

 

Marna Goldstein

Country: Denver, Colorado, USA
Age: 31
Weight before diet: 167 lbs.
Weight now: 136 lbs.
Target weight: 135-140 lbs.

Marna lost her extra weight not by following other known, well-established diets, but through one called Thin From Within, which she created herself. Drawing inspiration from health professionals and people who have stayed thin throughout the years, she now hopes to help others resolve their own weight loss-related problems.

-What finally made you decide to start with a weight loss program?
I had a scare with cancer when I was just 22 years old. When I had this scare, my grandmother was dying of lung cancer, and I didn’t know if I would go down that path as well. It was at that time that I thought, "You know what, life is short," and if there’s one thing I am passionate about and know, it’s what Naturally Thin people have done to lose weight, just as I had done.

At that point is when I created Thin From Within (it was called Model Image back then). It was an instant success. I received publicity; and my grandmother was so excited to see her granddaughter fulfill her dreams, and the cancerous cells disappeared.

Today I can’t imagine a better life than working with people who struggle with weight, who want a non-diet approach and want to really get to the bottom of this incredibly complicated issue of weight.

-What type of weight loss program are you following?
Well, I follow my own. The name of my company is Thin From Within. I eat when I’m hungry, stop when I’m satisfied, eat all the foods I love and follow the advice of hundreds of people I’ve interviewed over the years who are thin and have stayed thin despite age, having children, or the regular life stressors that occur.

-Why did you create this weight loss program?
Truthfully, it just made the most sense to me after talking to people who never struggled with weight. Thin people don’t diet; they don’t eat for emotional reasons. I really am horrible at dieting! If you tell me not to eat something, WATCH OUT, it will be the first thing I go running for.

-How long have you been on your weight loss program?
I have eaten this same way and been the same weight (plus or minus 5 pounds) for 12 years now.

-What kinds of physical activities do you like doing to help you lose weight and stay fit?
I definitely don’t exercise to lose weight; it’s more to stay toned, to help with mood, etc. I like biking and jogging, and I absolutely love taking my dog Finley for walks (especially on cooler summer evenings).

-What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome or are still overcoming?
The hardest part for me in living Thin From Within comes with ending a meal. I like the feeling of being overly full so I always have to monitor that so I don’t overeat. Probably the other thing is that I’m a happy eater, so I have to make sure I don’t eat just because I’m happy.

-How do you keep yourself motivated?
Every day I work with the most extraordinary people who are desperately working to get their weight off or love their bodies or improve their body image. They keep me motivated. I would never want to let either them or myself down. Living a life free of dieting is what keeps me motivated to stay connected to my body.

-Do you have any weight loss tips for our readers?
Oh my goodness, there are so many, I could go on for days. I think the biggest key is that our life is a series of MOMENTS. Each moment you have the opportunity to send your life and your body on the right track or otherwise. If you overeat or fall off the wagon, just choose in that moment to do something that will lift you up and bring you closer to your dreams. Each moment with have the incredible opportunity to create the body and the life that we desire. We are all human and we make choices that we don’t love -- that’s being human. Just wipe yourself off, visualize what it is you want, and choose in that moment to be different.

The other mantra that I live by is: "In order to change your weight, you must FIRST change your mind."

-Do you think it will be easy to fall back into your old lifestyle pattern? How do you prevent this from happening?
After 12 years I definitely won’t falling back into old habits. I’ve created a new life, new strategies for dealing with all sorts of triggers, emotions, and feelings that used to trigger me to eat. I definitely won’t fall back.

-Do you have a favorite Web site or blog that helps or inspires you to lose weight?
There are several wonderful websites out there. I first would like to mention mine (yes, I’m a bit biased): Thin From Within, and my blog is Living Thin From Within.

Probably my favorite book of all time is "Diets Don’t Work," by Bob Schwartz. It's an excellent book!

I also love Women's Campaign to End Body Hatred and Dieting and Geneen Roth.

I hope this was helpful. If you have other questions, please feel free to email me at marna@thinwithin.com or sign up for my newsletter, where I discuss topics related to the non-diet community.

Thank you and lots of love and abundance.