Walking With Giants

It is awards season. Baftas, Oscars, Emmys and all sorts. Slimming World are very good at awards. Today was no exception. Fortunately, there was no mix up with the envelopes and Price Waterhouse staff can relax and know their jobs are safe for now. Mandy-Lace had prepared us the week before for ‘The Greatest Loser’ Awards.

The Slimming World award winners are far superior to famous actors and musicians, in my opinion. They live real life and change their way of living completely. I consider them the giants of our group and it is an honour to know them and walk with them.

They deal with an addiction (that’s what it is for me) that has dominated their lives for years, sometimes their whole adult life span. With some addictions, like smoking and drugs, you must give up consumption completely. But you can’t do this with food. We must all eat every day of our lives.

We must consume the very thing that causes all our problems. You can’t do ‘cold turkey’ with food. It is all about control and planning and ‘The Greatest Loser’ winners announced today are some of the best people I know at doing this.

There were no surprises in the first group at 7.30. June duly won the award having a few weeks ago, reached her six-stone landmark. She spoke about Saturday being ‘her’ day of the week and the commitment she had made, over a year ago, to lose weight. The applause was long and genuine. It has been involving and exciting to witness her success.

Debbie won the award at the 9.30 meeting. I’m sure that she has been secretly dieting away from the group as I have only recently noticed how well she is doing. My bad!

I didn’t stay to the 11.30 group due to other urgent, pressing things in my life – I had a door to paint (Doh!!) – but I so wished I had been there. Kath is one of those people who has to fight for every pound of weight loss. She is in our Fitbit walking hustle group and is always top or near the top at the end of the week. Kath is so humble and self-effacing that she had no idea that her being ‘The Greatest Loser’ would even be possible. Kath likes to be quiet and in the background so I will respect that by not saying anymore, but there is so much I could say.

The Facebook group nearly exploded with the news about the awards and the encouragement from everyone. Very moving and emotional.

Sasha shocked many of us by posting a stunning before and after set of photos (people on diets do this!). I had no idea that she had lost so much weight before coming to our Slimming World group. I have only seen the current rather lovely version of Sasha.

‘Pizza-Gate’

Harriet ate a Domino’s Pizza on Friday night before the weigh-in and still lost one and a half pounds. She stated her determination to partake of her pizza to the full and no one put her off. There was even positive encouragement for her to make the most of it. Laurie, however, refused the pizza that she would have loved to have eaten and she put on three pounds! How does that work? I think biscuits might be the answer, but I’ll say no more on that subject. Both seem at peace with the world about their situations. Are they telling us the truth? That is the ‘Pizza-Gate’ jeopardy!

Whilst we are talking about Pizza, I have found a way to make a pancake pizza base. The idea came from Martina and Nigella originally. It’s a savoury version of overnight oats with eggs to bind the mixture. See recipe for download sheet here. As today was a taster day in group, I was up at the crack of dawn making Slimming World Pancake Pizza with toppings of Chicken, Bacon, Tomatoes, Peppers and Cheese. It was gobbled up very quickly and Fay asked me if she could pay me to make a pizza base for her!

I might make one for her as a special treat but it won’t become a habit. Needless to say, she doesn’t need to pay me for it, even though she did offer. I am now looking at other recipes and food ideas to invent. Watch this space.