Slimpod - Week 2

Week 2 of You're Sweet Enough

Halfway through week 2 I weighed myself to find I'd lost 2lbs. I was very happy. Unfortunately weighing myself today - 5 days later - I seem to have regained it. I think I will leave the scales for another fortnight. I have taken a detailed series of measurements and will revisit these in a fortnight as well.

My goals last week were to do 3 x 5km and work out what my motivation for losing weight was. I only managed 2 x 5km, but I really pushed myself harder than I have done in weeks, achieving a satisfying if unattractive shade of puce. As for my motivation... that seems to be the pleasure in seeing the scales and inches drop. I realised this when the scales showed a loss and I had a real leap of elation. That's what I am going to focus on to help when making choices.

Good things this week:

1. reignited my motivation
2. am eating noticeably less sweet things, and feeling satisfied with less - sometimes even half a biscuit (it's a very strange thing)
3. I feel really positive and more focused again.

This week's goals are to do a 3rd exercise session, even if it's not a 5km, and to try and get my 5km time down. I'm 2 minutes off my personal best at the moment. Oh, and drink more water- a glass before every meal and before a cup of tea or coffee.

Slimpod - You're Sweet Enough

I started using Thinking Slimmer's Drop 2 Dress Sizes Slimpod back at the end of Oct. I blogged about the first 6 weeks, but then things stabilised a lot and I even put back on the weight I had lost, which I found quite disappointing despite being able to recognise the positive changes that have stayed. I am healthier but my body shape has not changed and, at a size 12-14 there is definitely room for improvement. I could stand losing another 20lbs (having lost 20lb in the first half of 2011 on Slimming World).

It was exciting to be offered the chance to trial a new Slimpod  - You're Sweet Enough. I noticed that cake had started featuring prominently in my diet again. Not as much as before October, but often enough. I started using the You're Sweet Enough Slimpod alongside the Lose Two Dress Sizes Slimpod a week ago.

Though I have been listening to my Slimpod faithfully for the past 3 months, I've started afresh with new goals and a new daily journal.

I haven't lost any weight this first week, but 3 positive things have been:

1. I am leaving food at meal time again, and am feeling satisfied with less food
2. I am eating less between meals, and snacks are healthier 
3. I am choosing savoury over sweet more often (eg: peanut butter on toast instead of chocolate spread)

Where I am struggling is finding motivation for making the right choices. My goals this week are to run 5km at least 3 times, and consciously think about what motivates me to slim. It must be there or I wouldn't be doing this, but I just can't put my finger on it yet. 

SlimPod diary - Week 6

 

I know I skipped a week of the diary last week. There wasn't much change and I just didn't get around to posting to that effect. I have been listening to my body and staying away from the scales but I weighed on Saturday to find I'd lost the 2lbs I gained. So I lost 4lb, gained 2lb, lost 2lb. The difference between this week and last week is that I've been doing more running and am generally more active. I am eating more than I was in the first week or 2, but a lot less than I was before I started using my SlimPod.

Positive changes I continue to notice:

Feeling satisfied with less food

Automatically making healthier choices with food and drink

Exercising more and being more active naturally - no more having to drag myself out to exercise.

Sleeping better

Looking better 

I have been getting up really early lately and have been feeling tired as a result, however where I would previously have reached for Coke and sugar laden empty carbs to perk myself up, I'm not now. If I snack it's normally on dried fruit and occasionally cake, and I still drink mainly water.

Further proof my SlimPod is working this week:

* I went to the cinema yesterday and had no sweets or fizzy drink (normally I'll have both)

* there are 2 boxes of chocolate in the cupboard for a week. I bought them for Christmas last week. Every now and then I ask myself "you know there's some chocolate in there, don't you?" and my SlimPod brain replies "yes" and moves on. It's quite strange, but satisfying. 

I am a lot more patient than I was a few weeks ago. I am eating more, but enjoying it and not over indulging. It's easy to stop, or to not start if I'm not hungry.

SlimPod diary - Week 4

Thurs: Here we are, week 4. After last week's fairly pessimistic week I have gone back over my daily diary to remind myself of the positive changes I have seen.

• definitely eating less, and satisfied with less food
• unconsciously (or at least easily) making healthier options when choosing food
• excercising more and being more active generally
• sleeping better 
• not overeating, or eating food just because it's there. This has caused a bit of intenal wrangling at times as I retrain my brain!
• Lost weight. I might have gained this week, but I am still 2lbs lighter than I was when I started and I am confident this will continue.

 I really didn't feel like going to the gym today, and even said I wasn't going to, but somehow found myself getting into my gym kit and heading out the door!
I also had some chocolate tonight but am able to enjoy it knowing that I will stop when I have had enough, and not overeat. It's a good feeling.

Fri  - spoke with Sandra from Thinking Slimmer today and she helped me regain m perpective. It's not all about the numbers on the scales, but also about how I feel and look.

Sat - not a bad day. I notice that I'm able to do my belt up another notch, though probably not after a meal. Am staying away from the scales and listening to SlimPod once a day, sometimes twice.

Sun - the desire to be more active and make healthier choices is definitely strengthening. This weekend I washed the car and raked the leaves willingly. Previously I would have groaned about the effort and left it (the state of my car was testament to this). If I crave something sweet, I tend to have a couple of dates. Today I felt like chocolate so I had it. Only a little and that was plenty. The rest is sitting in the cupboard and I'm happy to leave it and not eat it just because it is there.

My meals are a little larger than they were when I started listening to the SlimPod, but I am genuinely hungry which I think is due to being more active. My portions are smaller than before I started. I'm listening to my body better.

Mon - a good day.  I can do my belt up an extra notch without cutting off circulation. I did my first 5km in ages. It was slow, but it was a full 5km (plus the walk to get to the gym). I notice my goals at the gym are changing. I am pushing myself harder and enjoying the challenge. They used to be either time or calorie based, but now they are distance or time/distance based. The focus has shifted.

Tues & Wed - ticking over nicely. I am staying away from the scales for a week or so as I think I have been getting a bit too hung up over them. I can tell good habits are forming nicely.

SlimPod diary - Week 3

Thurs- a really tough day. Compared with previous months I have been very restrained but I definitely had my worst eating day. I was able to resist quite a bit as I know that it's the sort of hollow hunger where I am never satisfied so there's no point eating it. It was mostly due to hormones and a little bit due missing dinner due to running kids around. On a good note, I went to the gym even though I was really tired (I wouldn't have bothered before) and put in quite a decent effort.
I am hopeful these cravings will abate by tomorrow.

Fri - blergh

Sat - could have been worse, but still blergh. Listening to Slimpod twice a day and staying away from scales.

Sun - see Sat

Mon - finally feeling like I'm getting back to normal. No snacking today and a good session at the gym. I have committed to doing Marcothon 2011, which is a 5km or 25min run EVERY day in Dec. 

Tues - stupidly stepped on the scales this morning. Stepped off again very quickly and then tried standing on them on one foot. Makes no difference. Am currently 3lbs heavier than last Tues morning. Have never had a gain that massive all year. The most I have put on is 1.5lbs when we went away for a fortnight at Easter. Am hoping it's just fluid retention as I have not overeaten that much at all, and I have been more active. Bad scales! 

Wed - there's no getting away from the fact that I have gained 2lbs this week. I am really disappointed as my weight has stayed steady for the past 6 months  - it's not like I gain and lose 2lbs due to PMS each month.
I wish I knew what had caused it as I have been eating less and being more active.


Now I've done 3 weeks with Slimpod I can see the effects in my eating habits. I wish I'd had some of the great weight losses that are promoted on Thinking Slimmer's website though *sigh*. I'm going to have a listen to the follow up SlimPod as I can pretty much repeat word for word the one I've been listening to so far.

SlimPod diary - Week 2

After last week's great start I am optimistic that my motivation will only improve this week as Trevor's words weave their magic in my mind. I love listening to my SlimPod and do so twice a day. The kids are now used to finding me having a quick snooze as a result, but I'm feeling more energetic and getting more done generally so it's not a waste of time.

Fri  - I am definitely thinking about food a lot less. You know when you diet and when you're not eating you're thinking about what you're trying not to eat, or about your next meal? It's not like that at all. I'm still off the fizzy pop and finding water is naturally my first choice of drink. Today I went into town and parked in a street near the shopping centre in order to maximise the amount I would have to walk doing all my errands. There wasn't even a great deal of thought in the decision, it was like my subconscious made it for me and my body just drove the car that way. A bit scary really - I clearly have a malleable mind!
Biscuits: 1
Fizzy drink: 0

Sat- average day today. I weighed this morning and the scales continue to show lighter. Will try to resist weighing tomorrow. Daily is a bit silly. I made lemon cake and had a slice of that, but otherwise no snacking or overeating. I listened to my SlimPod twice - once in the afternoon and once before bed. I didn't do any excercise but I did a lot of moving around generally.
Biscuits - 0 (but cake)
Fizzy drinks - 0

Sun -  I suspect hormones are dictating my food choices at the moment. Today included a glass of red wine and a Mars bar. I'm definitely thinking about food less. Dinners are always organised in advance but I don't spend all morning wondering what I'm going to have for lunch, and I don't get hungry in the afternoon either.
Biscuits - 0 (but Mars bar)
Fizzy drinks - 0

Mon - today was a good day. I found myself wanting to snack when I wasn't hungry, but it wasn't that hard to resist. It was probably the biggest test of my willpower since starting. I went to the gym and enjoyed it.
Biscuits eaten - 0
Fizzy drinks - 0

Tues - Slimming World weigh in and another 1.5lbs off. I am a little disappointed as the weight hasn't come off as fast this week as last, but I tell myself not to be ridiculous. The scales are moving in a steady downward direction and I feel good, am eating less and have more energy. I also had wine, cake and chocolate this week and still lost 1.5lbs AND it was easy, almost effortless. Except for yesterday I've not really had to make a conscious decision to resist something that I wanted to eat just for the sake of it. I'm thinking about food a lot less. All these are Good Things.

Wed  - I hate this time of the month. I am so hungry I could eat the furniture and today has been a real struggle. Easier than past months, definitely, but a struggle compared to the past 2 weeks. On the plus side I had McDonalds for dinner (not my choice). I made a healthier choice and only managed less than half what I would normally have eaten just 2 weeks ago. My husband is very impressed at how much less I want to eat.

After another week I am 2lbs down (another 0.5lb off on scales at home today). I will perservere with my PMS cravings and hope that next month is easier.

Onwards and inwards!

SlimPod diary - Week 1

On Thurs I bought a SlimPod from Thinking Slimmer. (You can read more about them here). I chose the Drop 2 Jeans Sizes (or more). I lost 18lbs in about 3 months this year but plateaued and have stayed the same weight for several months. I have definitely lost my motivation, partially as I am quite happy with the size I am now. I know that I could stand to lose more weight to get back into a healthy weight range and that even though I feel alright now, I will feel even better for losing more.

I don't know why SlimPod. I saw a tweet on Thurs that caught my eye and investigated from there. I'm quite receptive to hypnotherapy anyway, having used it to give up smoking, so thought I'd give it a go. For my own record, here is my SlimPod diary.

Current size: 12-14
First Goal: lose 10lbs by Christmas. Be in size 12 properly (I've got a snug pair of jeans that are my yardstick)
Second goal: lose a further 10-14lbs by end Feb, then be able to maintain it.

Thurs: Bought SlimPod. Despite basic instructions it took me 30mins to get it on my iPod. That's due to my own ineptitude than anything to do with the product. Listened before going to sleep. It's less than 9 mins long and I found it really relaxing.
Biscuits eaten: none.
Fizzy drinks: none

Fri: Really hungry today. I tweeted this in passing and got a fairly quick reply from @ThinkingSlimmer, which was nice. I ate when I felt hungry but still ate less than usual and also ate well. Listened to SlimPod twice again . Not sure it will help, but certain it can't do any harm.
Biscuits eaten: 1 chocolate digestive and 1 jaffa cake in the evening. Very impressed I stopped at 1 Jaffa cake. Normally I eat 3, then go back for 2 or 3 more.
Fizzy drinks: none

I also haven't felt like having any fizzy drinks or Coke since first listening on Thurs. Normally I have several glasses a day but am drinking more water instead. Tea & coffee intake has also halved. Unexpected.


Sat: A good day. Scales showing 2lbs lighter since Slimming World weigh in on Tues but I know that can fluctuate so I will see what scales say on Tues. No snacking. Listened to SlimPod twice. Spontaneous Pizza Express dinner whilst out with the kids. I normally have a pizza and doughballs. Instead I ordered from the kid's menu and ate 2 doughballs with salad for entree, half a child's size pizza, and 2 doughballs with Nutella for dessert. And a large glass of red wine. Lovely. I felt nice and satisfied but not stuffed.

Biscuits: 2 small nibbles of a chocolate digestive then I put it down and ate a banana instead.
Fizzy drinks: none

Sun: If Trevor Silvester were my husband I think I would never have sex. As soon as he starts off in that gentle voice of his I'm half way to the land of Nod. Very relaxing. Started to make a bowl of pasta for lunch then decided to have half, and come back for the other half if I am hungry afterwards. Nicely full after initial serving which goes to show how excessive my portion sizes normally are.

I am enjoying the lack of guilt that goes along with this. Not that Slimming World made me feel guilty, but I feel more in control than I have in a long time. I'm not feeling the desire for sweet things as much as normal, so I don't feel like I have to resist anything.
I left about 1/3 of my dinner, even though I served myself less than normal, and 1/3 of Muller Rice. There's still a part of my head questioning stopping eating when I feel full. I see food in front of me and it wants to eat it, but I don't find it hard to say no as I am satisfied.

Mon  stepped on scales again this morning. I should avoid that as I know I can get a bit obsessive. Once a week at Slimming World is enough. Disappointed to see only 1lb loss since Thurs. I know that's stupid as 1-2lb a week is perfectly reasonable and I've only been doing this for 4 days. I guess I have been seduced by all the sponsored bloggers posts of massive weight losses. I need to forget about them and just concentrate on myself. Slimming World eating 80% of the time and listen to SlimPod once or twice a day. Getting active will also help. Got 2 sessions at the gym planned this week. Could do with fitting 1-2 more things in there.
Biscuits eaten: 0
Fizzy drinks: 0

Tues 2lb off at home and at Slimming World this morning. Really pleased as that's just since Fri. My first weight loss for ages and definitely my easiest as I didn't feel any emotional struggle or need to resist at all.
Ate more than I should have at dinner as it was really delicious. Also made a plum sponge cake which I had with some ice cream. Kept eating even though I started to feel full and felt bloated afterwards. Disappointed with myself, but it's early days. I will move on.
Biscuits eaten: 0
Fizzy drinks: 0

Wed a pretty good day. I had a coffee out but wasn't tempted by any cakes, and wasn't remotely tempted when I took the kids to McDonalds. I had a dessert but easily chose the healthiest option and felt satisfied. I had 2 glasses of wine (normally 1 is my limit, but it's school holidays!) which was about half a bottle, but that's fine as I only drink wine once every week or 2. Normally a glass of wine is followed by a craving for crisps or junk eating, but not tonight.
Biscuits: 2 jaffa cakes
Fizzy drink: 0

Thurs Day 7. Scales showing just over 3lbs loss since I started and I'm very pleased with that. The biggest changes for me this week have been the lack of cravings and guilt, and the reduction  size of my portions, and the lack of snacking and fizzy drinks. I haven't been able to the exercise I had planned, but have started getting 10 mins here and there on the trampoline when I can. It's easier than trying to carve out 30-60 mins somedays, especially school holidays.

End of week 1. Roll on week 2!