Slimming World Update- Tips To Stay On Track When You Can Not Make Group

We all get them times when life can get super busy, 10 million things to do and not enough time to do it in. That was August for me! I had to prioritise and choose things that needed my time and things that at this moment I could not afford to give my time to. 

That is why at this moment I am not attending weekly weigh ins. After a crazy busy August of a horrendous flu that had me a week in bed, my Mams 50th and multiple of friends birthdays and preparing for college I could not make my weekly Monday meetings. 

At the moment I am waiting to get my college time table to see will I be home from college on a Monday to start going back or will I have to change group. I do miss group, group provides great support and let's you talk about your journey in an open non - judgemental setting.

I may not be at group but I am still following the plan. Slimming world is great in that sense it provides you with the tools to carry on in your everyday life.

So here are some tips to stay on track when you can not make group.

Remember why you started! 

So cliché I know but it really does help. We all started on this journey for a reason weather it was to lose weight, get healthy, feel better about ourselves or all of the above . If you keep this in mind then you are sure to stay on track.

Use your tools! 

 When you started you were given the tools in the form of your books and online tools i.e syn calculator. When you feel you are losing your way read the book. When you are unsure of syns use the calculator or the syns online tool with a list of  branded product syns.

Keep in touch with fellow slimming worlders! 

Weather it's the ladies from group, slimming world family on Instagram or one of the many groups on Facebook. All these men and women are on the same journey as you and can relate to every craving, every bad day, every milestone. A little word of encouragement can really set your mind back on track.

Do not deprive yourself!
It's the same as been in group, if you really want something have it by not having that naughty treat/ that extra tipple/cheeky takeaway you can drive yourself demented. Slimming world set you up with the tools to control your attitude towards food. So if you went way over syns or had a big binge get up the next morning and start all over again back on track.

Avoid the scales at home!
If you are used to the scales at group do not start weighing yourself at home if you miss a meeting or two. Scales at home can be totally different from scales at group. They are not calibrated the same. You could be losing weight or maintaining but the scales you have at home could have you at a three pound gain. This can really change you attitude towards the plan, you could end throwing all the hard work you have been putting in because of scales that weigh you different.

Hope my tips help you when you life gets to busy and you can not make group. Remember to stick to plan and everything will work out great.

Slimming World Week 8 update- 1/2 Stone Award

 

Stepping on the scales last night I had no idea what to expect, when a -3 popped up on the screen to say I was delighted is an understatement. After my ups and downs over the past few weeks, getting my first half stone award is an amazing feeling. I am now down eight pounds and well on my way to my stone award. This week I changed up what I was eating, I listened to my body and ate what I wanted. This week my body wanted carbs and I ate carbs by the bucket load!

The great thing about the Slimming World plan is that there is little or no restrictions. You can eat as much carbs as you want following the Extra Easy plan. There is also no time restricts e.g no eating past 7pm or any weighing involved so you can eat as much or as little carbs as you feel you need. In last week Slimming World Post I mentioned how with my insulin resistance Doctor had told me to avoid carbs where possible, so when I started Slimming World I was a little frightened of carbs, from week 2 I started including Sp days into my week. I feared that eating carbs throughout the week would have a negative effect on the scales come Monday, by Fridays I would switch from Extra Easy to Sp. Some weeks I lost one or two pounds with a few maintains thrown in. I was chipping away and content with it as I stated last week my journey will be a slow one.

I had no plan start of the week, as I said I just listened to my body and gave it what it wanted. I thoroughly enjoyed my week and all the food I consumed. I kept my syns to about 6/7 a day with one day of using my full 15 syns. Slimming World should never feel restrictive and if you food optimise 100% it never will. This week I ate crisps, had Chinese and wine. As long as you stay within syns then it will show on the scales.

I stayed the whole week on the Extra Easy plan, and as you can see my result was better then ever, -3 pound brought me up to 8 pound loss over all and got rid of my nasty one pound gain from last week.

You will find my instagram dedicated solely to my Slimming World Journey here. I post all my meals here and my weekly weigh ins. Below is just some of the delicious meals I ate during the week

 

 

So fellow Slimming Worlders how was your week? Did you get what you wanted on the scales?

Let me know in the comments below.

Do not forget to check back on Friday for another delicious Slimming World friendly recipe.

Remember you are in a race with nobody. Enjoy your journey, treat yourself and if you have a bad day/week remember tomorrow is a new day and all you have to do is pick yourself up and start a fresh.

My Slimming World Journey

I wanted to write this post when I had received my first half stone award but here I am 7 weeks in and 6 pounds down. Not  very much people expect to loss that in their first week, but am I disheartened? No! Do I love slimming world? Yes I could not be more happier I bit the bullet and joined 7 weeks ago.

So my weight loss is slow, and I knew from the start it always would be. Due to health issues I suffer from Insulin Resistance. Slightly similar to Diabetes but no where near as bad. What it means in weight wise is that I find it very difficult to loss weight due to my metabolism been greatly decreased. So this also means weight can easily piled on. Before diagnosis my diet was pretty clean I always bought meat from the butchers and fresh fruit and veg, I never bought processed food barely ate takeaways. My weight though did not reflect my diet at all.  Doctors suggested I try low gi diet which I did I cut out so much, bought special foods said goodbye to all grains, ate lentils by the bucket load, broke countless nails grating up cauliflower rice. So six months on feeling deprived and craving everything I could not have, been moody and irritable I had only lost 5 pounds. 5 bloody pounds!!!

It just was not working and I felt worse then ever before. So family had suggested Slimming World to be countless times, but I was convinced it would not work due to my food limitations. When a close friend of mine admitted she had been going for some time and was loving it and promised me I would really enjoy it and if it did not work they would give me my money back.

So start of June I bit the bullet and joined. Sitting in my first group meeting I could understand why everyone lately has been raving about Slimming World, the confidence you leave group with is amazing because everyone is so encouraging and supportive. My Consultant Lorraine is one in a million also and is there throughout the week not only at group.

So the plan, you have speed foods, protein foods, free foods and syns. You can eat as much protein, speed and free foods as you want and you get 5-15 syns a day. Once you understand the plan it is very easy to comprehend. So this meant for me I would have to introduce food I had been avoiding for so long, I convinced myself the whole first week it was not going to work, this plan was going to make me gain weight and I would be back to square one. 

First week I lost a pound. At group I said I was disappointed, but the reason I was disappointed was because I expected to be like other people. The big loss getting their first award in one week, two weeks etc. Then I sat myself down and gave myself a kick up the arse and a tap on the back. I had to remember that everyone is different, our journeys are different, we progress at different rates and we meet bumps in the road at different times. So 7 weeks on I have had 4 losses 2 maintains and a gain. I have lost more weight in 7 weeks then I did following the diet the hospital gave me for 6 months. I have never once let the word disappointed cross my lips again at group and remained positive at everything the scales throws at me each week. I am in a new stone bracket. My moods are better and I no longer feel deprived. I may be still waiting on my first award but I have already received one Slimmer of the Week Award , my Bronze Body Magic Award. To my total shock last night I have also been Nominated for Women of the Year 2015.

So follow me here for my journey and weekly slimming world friendly recipes.

Follow my Instagram dedicated only to my Slimming World Journey @Megan.sw

Find your local Slimming World Group at SlimmingWorld.ie