Let's get back to where we were! Since the beginning of 2020 I have tried to lose weight. During this time, I followed the WW plan with an online subscription. Having had some success and then slipping and putting the lost weight back on again I knew that I needed to change some things.
In July 2023, I had around 13 months to lose weight and keep it off for my best friend's wedding.
The thing for me with losing weight (and keeping it off) is that I know that I need to be accountable to someone, other than myself. I have tried having a weekly check-in with someone else but that hasn't worked! I know, for me, that I need to go to a 'slimming' class; be part of a group of people who are trying to achieve the same thing. With that in mind I set about looking for a WW meeting. The pandemic has not been kind to WW meetings in my area. When looking at the WW website, my nearest evening meeting was more than 20 miles away; that's a massive commitment and not something that I was prepared to do.
I had to look at the 'competition' - Slimming World!
I have always maintained that I could and would never go to a Slimming World meeting because they use the word 'syn'. How can food be given such a negative word? And how can you eat as much pasta and rice as you want? All of these are the snippets that I have picked up on those that have been members of Slimming World or indeed from WW leaders meetings! But needs must, especially as there was a meeting within 5 miles of my front door and a mile away from where I work.
With a certain amount of trepidation on Thursday 17 July 2023, I stepped through the door of a village hall into a different world; a Slimming World (SW)!
As you may have previously read, I have followed different incarnations of WW since the 1990's and propoints worked for me when I got to my goal weight in December 2011.
I sat through the introduction, already different from WW, as that would have been done at the end of the meeting. Lots of different things to take in; healthy extra A's (Calcium) and healthy extra B's (Fibre), free food and speed food! I then sat in the meeting. The meeting was being covered by someone other than the regular consultant and as we were right slap bang in the 'holiday' period the meeting wasn't that busy. All of this was great for me; a gentle slide in to the Slimming World way!
I needed/wanted to lose around 2 1/2 stone (35 pounds). This would have me at the top end of my healthy BMI for my height. We won't discuss BMI as we all know that it can be wildly inaccurate, but it is one measure of 'healthy' weight. I am not a 6'5" rugby player with loads of muscle; I am a mid-50's, average height woman whose BMI on 17 July 2023 was 30.7, which classed me as obese.
I am aware that some can lose huge amounts of weight following the Slimming World plan, especially in the early weeks. I have never had significant weekly weight losses and certainly didn't expect it.
I had a food diary (homework, as I called it!) to complete each week for the first four weeks, to be handed in to the consultant for checking. A new one for me, but one that I liked. There was some of the accountability. I lost 2.5 lbs the first week, which I was more than happy with. The second week was 1/2 lb and I had one of those moments! I was asked how I felt about that by the consultant and being honest I wasn't happy. What then happened felt like an attack but was actually other members trying to be really helpful but I was like a rabbit caught in the headlights over what I was and wasn't eating!
Over a year on, I can look back at that moment and laugh. I had SO much to learn (and unlearn!). For a start 'syns' are not what I thought they were! I can honestly say that if I look back at my eating habits, prior to SW, they weren't great. Who remembers the crumpets?! Fruit? What was that? I'd be lucky if I ate a banana a day and again, if I'm truly honest, I would probably only have 3 portions of fruit and veg, some day none! Certainly no where near the recommended 5 a day! I don't have milk in tea, or indeed drink milk, so to have the healthy extra A's added into my diet has been great. I'm now getting the calcium that I wasn't. That's got to be a good thing!
It has taken me nearly fourteen months to lose that 2 1/2 stone. The last 7lbs has taken FOREVER but I know why. I have been 'playing', not truly following the plan, 'cheating' here and there and getting away with it. If I hadn't been paying to stand on someone else's scales then I would have possibly quit and put weight back on BUT I didn't. I also had a goal that I needed to get to; my best friend's wedding!
As I said her wedding was three weeks ago. It was a fantastic day. Although I wasn't at my desired weight, I was very close! The dress that I bought back in January looked great. I was very happy that she got married to her one.
After the wedding, I reset. The event that I'd been aiming for was over and I wanted to make sure that I got to the target that I had set all those months ago. I've been working towards this goal for so long. I had to remind myself the effort that it has taken to get here. Last night, I FINALLY got there! My BMI is now 24.7, so I am therefore in my healthy weight range for my height.
Now I have to live with the weight loss that I have achieved. Learn how to maintain that the Slimming World way, 'cos that's new. Part of that action plan is to introduce some more exercise, to help tone up and also to help towards maintaining the weight loss.
The hardest part has been done. I am now back to a weight that I was in June 2016, post the Moonwalk. That's 8 years ago! My life has changed significantly in that time, which I'd never have predicted back then.
I now need to embrace all that . . . love myself and move forward.
