Slimming World Secrets

Christmas gains and new-year losses

The new year could have started as disastrously as the previous one had finished when, after an angelic 2020, I gained 12½lbs in Christmas week.

Thankfully it didn’t. I pulled up my big-girl pants and decided that this was going to be my year. By now, we were on our third national lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but I knew that wasn’t going to hold me back.

As with most other years for the past two decades I set myself the same new-year’s resolution: lose weight. But, this time, my target was Target.

My initial aim was to lose that 12½lbs as soon as possible, then start working towards my PB – and reclaim my 4st award – and then Target.

In week one, I averaged 14.9 Syns and lost 5lbs. Not too shabby for saying I’d been hitting the red wine every day from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve.

Desperate times after too many measures

After eight days of Christmas boozing, I decided I needed to up my game. So, as well as sticking to plan, I was going to take a break from the booze and do Dry January. I’ve done it twice before and the weight just falls off because (shock!) alcoholic drinks are FULL of Syns.

I also wanted to up my Body Magic and throw in a few more SP days.

So, armed with a good combination of tactics and determination, I’ve had losses every week this year (I even won Slimmer of the Month in January). It took longer than I’d have liked to shift the 12½lbs, but I got back to where I was last week.

Why is it so easy to put ON that amount of weight but so, so hard to lose it again? It took six weeks to get back to where I was (-3½st since Jan 2020, -4st overall):

• Week 1: -5lbs
• Week 2: -1½lbs
• Week 3: -1½lbs
• Week 4: -2½lbs
• Week 5: -½lb
• Week 6: -1½lbs

And, this week, it was another loss, albeit another tiny one:

• Week 7: -½lb

Which brings us up to date. Slimming World for me has been a rollercoaster ride: some incredible highs but some punishing lows, too.

Getting in the right mindset – and staying there

Last year, I came to realise that, if I wanted to get more of the highs, I needed to work hard for them – to get “in the zone” and to stay there.

Once your mindset is right, losing weight every week becomes a habit – a bit like a great football team going on a run of consecutive wins.

Look at Liverpool last season: every time those players took to the pitch, they *knew* they’d win – the only question was: by how many goals?

So, I know that, if I want to lift the Premier League trophy this season (my golden Target Certificate) I’ve got to work hard for it. And that’s one of the reasons for launching this website, as well as to help other people on their Slimming World journeys.

I shall strive to update the blog every week with how I’ve done – as well as posting some of the tips I’ve learned over the years: everything from weigh-day rituals to how to make the most of those Flexible Syns if you have had a “naughty weekend” and strayed off-track.

Hopefully, by doing so, that can keep me focussed and I can finally get to Target.