I wanted to share my Slimming World journey. Having reached my goal weight i now want to continue to maintain this. Hopefully, by using the forum more i can continue to keep my focus (as now the pounds aren't disappearing) and motivate and inspire others so i keep going with my journey.
I started to realise i wanted to shift the weight and do something about it Christmas 2013. I had one massive blow out, ate as many yorkshire puddings, pigs in blankets and Chocolate log cake as i could ready to start my journey in the new year. I started making more positive choices straight away (put the chocolate bar down! Step away from the biscuits) during the Christmas period.
So the 1st January started as did my Slimming World Journey. I had got some tips and bits from my sister, who was already doing slimming world and we had planned to do it together. Personally, groups didn't work for me i am a very independent person and more capable and driven of following the rules myself.
Luckily i found this forum (some months in before i registered to actively use it) and this helped me keep up to speed and shift through the messages and stories i wanted to. Each day i wrote on a calendar how many syns i had, a green tick if i completed the day following the slimming world plan and a red cross if it didn't. In addition i recorded how much exercise i did and my weight at my own 'weigh ins'. One of the big pieces of advice i can give is if you are dong it at home, weigh yourself at the same time roughly in the same circumstances each week. I did fall in the trap of doing it daily (or even multiple times in a day) and it doesn't help. I actually weighed myself throughout a day once as an experiment and i found that throughout the day the difference in my weight was 4lbs.
I am very proud of the fact that each week i lost or maintained the same weight. Week by week my weight was dropping off and before i new it i the pounds were a stone and the stone was stones. In total i have lost 5 stone and 7lbs. This out did my target weight by a long shot and i never even thought i could do it. I am more determined that ever that i want it kept off! One thing i am finding is that for the past five ish months (total on slimming world being a 15/16 months) i am not loosing any weight, or putting it one and those 'losses' that i had were inspiring me to keep going. Now i don't have that and i've been doing it for so long i do find i am bored. My plan is to use the forum to help and inspire others and keep myself in slimming world mode.
One thing i probably shouldn't admit is that some weeks if i wanted a pizza i had one. If i wanted mexican that everyone else was having i had it. The meals themselves were up to 50 syns. I followed the plan for the day but had it every so often to support me eating what i wanted and getting it out of my system. I guess i am lucky that i didn't put on during these times. We shall glaze over that point as i know some people have horrific weeks and feel the burden of a gain.
The exercise i do is very simple. I look on Youtube for the walk at home programme, by an American called Leslie. I do 30 minutes of simple exercise per day with some sit ups. I used to do more when i weighed more and found that i have stuck to it daily and it is FREE so no gym membership, which is just not needed.
I am no cook, i am a lover of chocolate so making crap meals and watching the family eat chocolate was and still is hard! (at this point my sister got pregnant and decided - i'll eat what i want so i was all alone on plan again). I do enjoy finding out shock syn values and attempting weird replacement concoctions.
I did find that not drinking alcohol has helped. Some people do drink on the weekends and it is surprising how bad it is. Keep to them spirits and diet mixers folks!
Now that i am 'done', which i hate referring to because i want to continue and maintain and i know if i stop i will go back to square one. I do have less of a 'diet' focus as family events, we don't have many but for me, eating some extra bread and drinking alcohol with some cake - is fine and i can carry on having enjoyed myself the following day. I do find i have low syn days and some weeks i spend all remaining syns up to 15 on chocolate lol.
So..... what are my tips for surviving?
1) Don't be afraid to snack - keep it syn free or low syn
2) If you want something find a way of working it into your day - if you want crisps, use 4-6 syns on them and you'll find its out of your system. If not you're more likely to buy a huge bag and eat the lot.
3) If you go over your 15 syns - don't worry - stop, carry on the following day back on plan
4) If you put on or don't loose - its ok - life isn't perfect, try changing something for the following week
5) I found i got bored of the same things, try new food, recipes, snacks to keep you uplifted
6) The forum is great - use it!
7) Easy exercise - as i outlined above - simple and supportive
8) Have a laugh with the weight loss - it will go, its a journey. Mine took 11-12 months before most of my weight was off - that's a long time.
9) Make the plan work for you, i do the plan different to my sister - we both follow the rules but when we have our b option or the snacks we choose are different.
10) Ask people's advice - its ok to check things out and wonder what has gone wrong/you could change.
11) If you want to go out, do it. You shouldn't feel guilty having a glass of wine with a steak dinner, with friends. Just be conscious that doing it ALL the time will have an impact.
12) 'Fakeaways' if you can cook them, can help with take away cravings!
13) Keep a record of how you are doing, it can help you see if you are on plan, if you've done less exercise or if you have just not done anything wrong, followed the plan but just not seen the difference - it happens!
14) Drink water - some times, you feel hungry when you want some water - drink a glass, see if it keeps you going for a bit.
15) When you go shopping - TAKE A LIST AND STICK TO IT!
16) Don't give in - it does work, if you put the work in too. If you don't - you won't see the results.
Those are some of my tips. I am more than happy to discuss anything with anyone. I want to inspire and motivate others to help keep me going on plan and maintaining as well as helping all you guys get it off and maintain too!
Lee
(P.S - i am pretty sure i have missed something off here that i wanted to say but that's life isn't it - no-ones perfect!)
I started to realise i wanted to shift the weight and do something about it Christmas 2013. I had one massive blow out, ate as many yorkshire puddings, pigs in blankets and Chocolate log cake as i could ready to start my journey in the new year. I started making more positive choices straight away (put the chocolate bar down! Step away from the biscuits) during the Christmas period.
So the 1st January started as did my Slimming World Journey. I had got some tips and bits from my sister, who was already doing slimming world and we had planned to do it together. Personally, groups didn't work for me i am a very independent person and more capable and driven of following the rules myself.
Luckily i found this forum (some months in before i registered to actively use it) and this helped me keep up to speed and shift through the messages and stories i wanted to. Each day i wrote on a calendar how many syns i had, a green tick if i completed the day following the slimming world plan and a red cross if it didn't. In addition i recorded how much exercise i did and my weight at my own 'weigh ins'. One of the big pieces of advice i can give is if you are dong it at home, weigh yourself at the same time roughly in the same circumstances each week. I did fall in the trap of doing it daily (or even multiple times in a day) and it doesn't help. I actually weighed myself throughout a day once as an experiment and i found that throughout the day the difference in my weight was 4lbs.
I am very proud of the fact that each week i lost or maintained the same weight. Week by week my weight was dropping off and before i new it i the pounds were a stone and the stone was stones. In total i have lost 5 stone and 7lbs. This out did my target weight by a long shot and i never even thought i could do it. I am more determined that ever that i want it kept off! One thing i am finding is that for the past five ish months (total on slimming world being a 15/16 months) i am not loosing any weight, or putting it one and those 'losses' that i had were inspiring me to keep going. Now i don't have that and i've been doing it for so long i do find i am bored. My plan is to use the forum to help and inspire others and keep myself in slimming world mode.
One thing i probably shouldn't admit is that some weeks if i wanted a pizza i had one. If i wanted mexican that everyone else was having i had it. The meals themselves were up to 50 syns. I followed the plan for the day but had it every so often to support me eating what i wanted and getting it out of my system. I guess i am lucky that i didn't put on during these times. We shall glaze over that point as i know some people have horrific weeks and feel the burden of a gain.
The exercise i do is very simple. I look on Youtube for the walk at home programme, by an American called Leslie. I do 30 minutes of simple exercise per day with some sit ups. I used to do more when i weighed more and found that i have stuck to it daily and it is FREE so no gym membership, which is just not needed.
I am no cook, i am a lover of chocolate so making crap meals and watching the family eat chocolate was and still is hard! (at this point my sister got pregnant and decided - i'll eat what i want so i was all alone on plan again). I do enjoy finding out shock syn values and attempting weird replacement concoctions.
I did find that not drinking alcohol has helped. Some people do drink on the weekends and it is surprising how bad it is. Keep to them spirits and diet mixers folks!
Now that i am 'done', which i hate referring to because i want to continue and maintain and i know if i stop i will go back to square one. I do have less of a 'diet' focus as family events, we don't have many but for me, eating some extra bread and drinking alcohol with some cake - is fine and i can carry on having enjoyed myself the following day. I do find i have low syn days and some weeks i spend all remaining syns up to 15 on chocolate lol.
So..... what are my tips for surviving?
1) Don't be afraid to snack - keep it syn free or low syn
2) If you want something find a way of working it into your day - if you want crisps, use 4-6 syns on them and you'll find its out of your system. If not you're more likely to buy a huge bag and eat the lot.
3) If you go over your 15 syns - don't worry - stop, carry on the following day back on plan
4) If you put on or don't loose - its ok - life isn't perfect, try changing something for the following week
5) I found i got bored of the same things, try new food, recipes, snacks to keep you uplifted
6) The forum is great - use it!
7) Easy exercise - as i outlined above - simple and supportive
8) Have a laugh with the weight loss - it will go, its a journey. Mine took 11-12 months before most of my weight was off - that's a long time.
9) Make the plan work for you, i do the plan different to my sister - we both follow the rules but when we have our b option or the snacks we choose are different.
10) Ask people's advice - its ok to check things out and wonder what has gone wrong/you could change.
11) If you want to go out, do it. You shouldn't feel guilty having a glass of wine with a steak dinner, with friends. Just be conscious that doing it ALL the time will have an impact.
12) 'Fakeaways' if you can cook them, can help with take away cravings!
13) Keep a record of how you are doing, it can help you see if you are on plan, if you've done less exercise or if you have just not done anything wrong, followed the plan but just not seen the difference - it happens!
14) Drink water - some times, you feel hungry when you want some water - drink a glass, see if it keeps you going for a bit.
15) When you go shopping - TAKE A LIST AND STICK TO IT!
16) Don't give in - it does work, if you put the work in too. If you don't - you won't see the results.
Those are some of my tips. I am more than happy to discuss anything with anyone. I want to inspire and motivate others to help keep me going on plan and maintaining as well as helping all you guys get it off and maintain too!
Lee
(P.S - i am pretty sure i have missed something off here that i wanted to say but that's life isn't it - no-ones perfect!)
