This week I have lost my sense of humour. I can’t think of anything amusing to say or anecdotes to regale you with. This might be because I only maintained this week, I’m not sure. So please be kind and forgive this rather perfunctory, insouciant and half-baked post.
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Today Mandy-Lace served us Pork Stroganov at 8.10 in the morning. The things I do for Slimming World. Well actually I didn’t have any of it as I can’t do savoury food at that time of the day unless it’s a full fry up English breakfast. But everyone else seemed to like it. It comes from next week’s edition of the Slimming World magazine which is always a good read.
The most brilliant statement in the group this week came from Neil who declared ‘I’m a Scientist, I can’t believe that!’ This was in the middle of a heated discussion regarding speed foods. There is a slight disconnect between knowing what we should eat and believing that it will work. But Neil is living proof that Slimming World does work. He has done very well since he joined a few months ago. Sometimes the details are hard to fathom and follow.
What I think Mandy Lace was trying to explain to us was that the foods we eat are ‘portion controlled’. Not by ‘you can only have this much’, but by the amount of speed on the plate. The idea is not that we just have vegetables, but that we have speed foods on at least a third of the plate. Then there is only so much left for the rest of the meal.
Therefore, we need to put the speed on the plate first. Then we won’t try and squeeze some speed on to the plate to salve our conscience, but add the meal to the declared amount of speed we are having. Whether it be a third or more than that on an ‘sp’ day. I must say this is a control that I am happier with as it doesn’t mean I need to eat less but control the portions of what I eat. I am still full at the end but the proportions of ‘speed’ food encourage me to lose weight.
Being Happy With My Target
One of the aspects to Slimming World that I appreciate the most is that I make the choices and I make the targets. It’s up to me to decide what I am happy with. Mandy-Lace and the Bluebrook Park group stop it being a lonely experience. My target is to lose 7 stones and I’m very happy with that.
However…
Many times in the last month or so, well-meaning people have said to me, ‘You don’t need to lose any more weight’. This usually comes in the middle of this conversation…
‘Hi, Ken. I didn’t recognise you. You look so different.’
‘Well thanks, you are very kind. I joined a Slimming World group near where I live. I’ve lost nearly 5½ stones.’
‘Wow, well it is obviously doing you some good, you look so healthy. How long did it take you?’
‘I’ve been going for fifteen months.’
‘When I saw you I was worried that you might be ill. I don’t believe in these faddy diets but it obviously works for you.’
‘It’s not a faddy diet. It’s about being in control of your life and eating well.’
‘I hope you have finished now, you don’t need to lose any more weight, do you?’
‘I’m hoping to lose another 1½ stones to get to target. Then I’ll look at things again.’
‘Oh no, don’t lose any more weight, there will be nothing of you, and you will look all old and scraggy.’
‘I do still need to lose some more weight.’
‘Rubbish. There will be nothing left of you. I knew someone once who… blah, blah, blah…’.
I stop listening after a while and switch off. Ever done that?
Have you noticed that they always know someone who did this or did that? They always know so much more than I do. In one short conversation people move from heartily congratulating you to telling you what you should do. The cheek of it! They haven’t been with me on my journey and they have no idea what I weigh. They don’t have a clue about why I joined Slimming World and how my life has changed. I am finding it harder and harder to be quietly nice in these situations and just nod sagely while people try to tell me how to live my life. (I am in a bit of a mood, can you tell? I’ll be fine next week, honest.)
How To Stay On The Wagon
Felicity falls of the wagon every now and then. She even knows how many times she has done this. She has had 5 gains since beginning of February. She confessed this in the Facebook group. But she is not alone. I myself have erred from the straight and narrow several times. Every week this happens to a few people in our group who then reveal their misdemeanours to us. Sometimes this is with a knowing smile, sometimes with frustration and even tears.
To help anyone who is perilously close to falling off their own wagon here are my…
12 Tips To Not Falling Off Your Wagon
1. Don’t buy your food temptation, don’t even associate with it or touch the packet. You know who you are, you know what I am referring to, I don’t need to tell you.
2. Put your food plan for the following day in order the night before. Really clever people can plan for a whole week but I am not that clever. Decide on your breakfast lunch and dinner and syns the day before.
3. Then stick to your plan. If your day changes then take a moment to accommodate these changes rather than give up.
4. Always have copious amounts of speed food available to snack on. Find something legal that you see as a treat and keep a stock handy. I’m currently hooked on strawberries and always have a punnet in the fridge. My apple addiction has abated somewhat but I still keep a healthy stock of those.
5. Phone a Slimming World friend, there are plenty of us. Explain which part of your wagon you are falling off and get some help to stay on.
6. Don’t go into the kitchen unless you have a specific purpose for doing so. Otherwise you will graze.
7. Remember that the start of our week is on a Saturday – not Monday.
8. Fill your day with non-eating activities. Don’t relate everything you do to having a drink or eating food.
9. Don’t let the idiots in your life talk you into giving up in a weak moment. (Most of us have them unfortunately). If you know that you are going to spend time with an unhelpful person you can’t avoid, then brace yourself for the time and resolve to get through it without going off plan. You and your plan are too important to give up on.
10. When you get a dinner invite, tell people what you can eat. Most hosts will be happy to cook something special that means you can join in. (OK I admit – ‘Most’ but not all).
11. When you accidentally find yourself face to face with an unexpected banquet try to take a deep breath and look at the contents on the table in detail. There will nearly always be something you can eat hidden away somewhere. I went to a Chinese Restaurant buffet the other day that offered ‘All You Can Eat For £7’. There was a selection of 60 dishes on offer. Only 4 were low enough in Syn value for me to have so that’s what I had.
12. This one is a cheat. My apologies, I could only think of 11, and 11 didn’t sound quite enough. If you fall off the wagon there is only one thing you can do, get back on it.
Brilliant as always Ken xxx
Thank you Marie-Louise. I appreciate knowing that what I write works for people.
This is a brilliant read and one I can definitely relate to ???
Thank you, Fiona. You are brilliant and your earnest endeavour to reach your goal is inspiring.