Tag: <span>Progress</span>

One pound a monthbulls eye 1044725 1920
Published Thu, 29th Sep 2016

One pound a month

I went to my Slimming World class last night for the first time in 4 weeks.

We missed two meetings because we were on holiday, and then I missed last Wednesday because I was in A&E!

And so, over the course of almost a month, what did I lose? One pound! Just one tiny little pound. Or 453 grams for those who prefer metric.

Over the previous 4 weeks I had lost a stone, so I guess I was a little disappointed to weigh-in at just a pound down from the end of August. But then again, it’s been a fairly unusual few weeks.

We went totally off-plan while on holiday – eating and drinking pretty much whatever we wanted, and enjoying as many cocktails as our wallets could stand. And then, I spend two days in hospital last week, eating nothing but bread and water (I exaggerate, but I’m looking for sympathy here!).

Over that time I’ve probably put on weight, lost, put some more back on, and lost again. My diet has been very inconsistent, and my levels of exercise have been curtailed from what they normally would be. So it’s no wonder that I haven’t lost more. Indeed, some would say it’s amazing that I haven’t put on weight!

One thing it has done – it’s made me more determined to stick to my food optimising, and to aim for a decent loss for next week. I’d like to lose 4 lbs, as that would take me to my 3 stone award. Let’s see how I do…

My Story Slimming World

Class Determined Gaining Progress Weigh In

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Published Mon, 29th Aug 2016

Back on Track on Monday

I think I went over my syns during the weekend. I don’t really know, because I lost track, because there was alcohol involved.

We had friends round for dinner on Saturday, and I ended up having more drinks that I planned. After the first gin and tonic it was all downhill. But at least I was drinking bottles of Coors Light beer, which are 5 syns a bottle. It could have been much worse if the red wine was open!

We cooked the BBQ Pulled Pork in the slow cooker, and served it in 60g wholemeal rolls (from M&S) with lashings of salad and Slimming World chips. The only problem was that it all tasted too good, and I ended up having a second roll (oops, another 6 syns). And then there was dessert of strawberries, crushed up meringues, and vanilla yoghurt (syns unknown).

It was a lovely dinner, but it didn’t stop me scoffing a granola bar (5 syns) with a cup of tea just before bed.

Then Sunday came around, and I was out for lunch with friends. We ended up in an italian restaurant where I would normally order a pizza. But I figured a whole pizza (who would only eat half?) would clock up about 50 syns! So I had a grilled chicken salad instead. It had loads of olives in it, but I don’t care. They’re nowhere near as bad as the pizza would have been.

I also had a small glass of wine with lunch, which could easily have turned into two or three!

Then, over dinner at home that evening, it was a struggle to resist having another few beers. I was tired, and it’s easy to make bad decisions when you’re tired. But I somehow managed to step away from the fridge.

Now it’s Monday, and I have a new-found determination to get back on track. My mind is focused on the Wednesday weigh-in, and my target to lose 2 pounds. I don’t know if I’ll make it, but I’m sure going to try!

My Story Slimming World

Alcohol Eating Out Progress Struggles

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Two Stone Loss, Taster Night, and Man of the Yeartwo stones and man of the year
Published Thu, 18th Aug 2016

Two Stone Loss, Taster Night, and Man of the Year

Yesterday was a pretty epic night for me in my Slimming World class.

Two Stone Loss

I was delighted to achieve my two stone loss. This comes just 7 weeks after starting at Slimming World, which is pretty rapid progress! In fact, it’s an average loss of 4 pounds per week!

I am really pleased to be doing so well, and to know that it’s ‘working’. However, I realise that I’m not going to be able to keep up such a blistering pace as I go forward from here. If I can lose an average of 2 pounds per week for the next stone I think I’ll be doing well.

Taster Night

Taster Nights are those when everyone in class is invited to bring in food – sweet or savoury items – that they have cooked, and (like the name suggests) we all get to taste them. People can also share their recipes with the rest of class, and get some inspiration for things to try at home.

I decided to join in and cooked some Bombay Bhajis and Raita following a recipe from the SW website. I couldn’t find any Bombay Spice Mix in the supermarket, and so I used the Garam Masala spice mix instead, which gives a milder flavour. You could add extra curry powder and spices if you prefer more of a kick!

Anyway, they seemed to go down well with the class, and loads of people were asking about the recipe.

Man of the Year

The reason we were having a Taster Night at class was because we were also voting for the Man of the Year and Woman of the Year awards. These aren’t the national competitions that get reported in the press, which tend to feature people that have lost 10 stones – these are to pick the people within the class that have inspired you.

The nominations took place last week, and from within the three men that attend the class (stiff competition, eh?), two of us were nominated. The nominees were then invited to tell the class a little about why they come, and what they get from Slimming World, and then the class vote for the winner.

And I won!

I got a certificate, a rather fetching red tie with “Man of the Year” written on it, a sticker for my book, and a lovely gift that was hand-made by my consultant.

I was also very humbled and grateful for all the people who voted for me. I’ve not been coming to the class for very long, and so I was pretty surprised to even be eligible to be nominated.

My Story Slimming World

Man of the Year Progress Taster Night

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After one week of food optimisingcalendar 660670 1920
Published Wed, 6th Jul 2016

After one week of food optimising

The first week is usually a good one.

You dive into the Slimming World healthy eating plan – or “Food Optimising” as they call it – and you follow all the rules, and at your first weigh-in, you get some good results.

My first weigh-in saw me lose 7 pounds, and so I got my half-stone award staight away.

Obviously not everyone can lose half a stone in a week, but when you start at such a big weight as me, its easy to lose quite quickly at the start.

The most radical change for me has been cutting out all the between-meals treats that I was eating. Gone are the bags of sweets, bars of chocolate, and family-sized bags of crisps. And instead, I’m now snacking on raw carrots and grapes.

I’ve also noticed that I’m now properly hungry at meal times. Before, I was eating so much between meals that I wasn’t actually hungry when it came to lunch or dinner – but I was still eating my meals as well!

Now I’m actually hungry at meal times, and as such I find that I’m enjoying those meals all the more.

I’m also enjoying helping my wife out with the batch cooking. So much so that the freezer is now groaning with multiple portions of chilli con carne and chicken curry – all free meals, of course!

My Story Slimming World

Progress Snacks

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