Slimming World Secrets

How to recover from a Slimming World setback

It’s been a setback this week. A 1lb gain is annoying as I walked into group thinking I might lose 2lbs to hit my new Target – but it wasn’t to be. Never mind, I know I’ll bounce back – here’s how.

My week

• Average Syns per day: 18.1
• Average Speed foods per day: 9.1
• SP days: 4
• Body Magic days: 6
• Result: +1lb
• Total loss: -5st 4lbs

It’s been a topsy-turvy kinda week. I went out for dinner with friends last Saturday and, despite making healthy choices (goat’s cheese and tomatoes followed by steak with jacket potato and vegetables), there were still a few naughty Syns around – such as crusty white bread with the starter, and the veggies being cooked in oil.

That’s not to mention the three pints of real ale supped – or the bottle of red washed down when I got home. Or a second bottle of red the next night (yep, I broke my golden I-only-drink-one-night-a-week rule). Oops.

Ya see, readers, even Slimming World Women of the Year winners have weeks where they stray slightly off plan.

Straight back on track after my setback

That said, I thought I might have clawed it back. Since Sunday, I’ve been angelic, keeping my Syns low and my Speed foods high. I did four consecutive SP days and six days with Body Magic, including five consecutive days where I did step aerobics with weights.

I stepped on the scales yesterday morning and they were showing a ½lb loss – so I thought I’d probably get a Weigh Day loss on my consultant’s scales this morning.

My scales usually weigh ½lb heavier than Tracy’s, so I even thought there was an outside chance that I could lose 2lbs and hit my new Target.

When I walked into group, I was feeling slim and that all my hard work from Monday to Friday had paid off.

1lb on – sometimes I hate those scales!

So it was really disappointing to step on the scales and get a 1lb gain. Maybe I deserved it due to the excesses of the weekend, but 18.1 Syns per day on average isn’t THAT bad – and my average the week before was only 7.5. So, over the fortnight, an average of 12.8 Syns.

Two years ago, this gain would have been a massive setback. I’d have sat down, feeling utterly deflated, depressed and that I was a failure.

Today, I just sort of sighed and said “Oh well”. One thing I’ve learned over the past couple of years is not to beat myself up if I have a gain.

Even if you’re angelic every single week, you’re still gonna get the occasional gain due to things like hormone fluctuations, water retention – even constipation.

And I’ve not “been” since Wednesday!

How to overcome a setback

So I’m not going to let it get me down. I’ll just have a great week ahead – there are no outings this week to throw me off track. And hope for a decent loss next Saturday, which just happens to be my birthday. 48, eek! How did that happen?!

As for how I’m going to bounce back: simple – just follow the plan! More specifically, I’ll try to stay below an average of ten Syns per day, do several SP days, do five Body Magic days and eat plenty of Speed foods.

I’ve already made a good start to the week by making a Slimming World breakfast – a full English with bacon and eggs, and all the trimmings. Completely Syn-free and not so much as a Healthy Extra used.

Here it is, on my Instagram:

Small but perfectly formed group

Group was fab again this morning, although only four members stayed. That said, plenty more weighed and then headed off to enjoy the weekend.

But that meant Tracy had a little more time to spend with each of us, asking us about various recipes and our progress. OK, and my setback!

Really love Tracy to bits. As well as being an amazing consultant, she’s just a super-nice person – smiley, welcoming, sooooo encouraging. I feel that she’d defend me to the very last.

I’m very lucky to have her as my consultant, just as I was to have Jackie – my main consultant in my previous group.

Kudos from the Sparkly Castle!

Finally, I wrote last week that Tracy had asked me to write a few words about my journey with a view to getting my story published by Slimming World – maybe even by the magazine itself.

So I wrote a little feature-ette and sent it over with some before-and-after pictures.

Tracy sent these to head office and this was the reply from the field support team (I’ve removed the names):

Sounds encouraging, no?! 🙂 So I guess, I’ll just wait and see what happens now. Maybe they won’t want to run anything, who knows?

But, if they invite me back to the Sparkly Castle for a day of hair, makeup and clothes, plud journalism and photography, OMG, I am going to grasp that opportunity with both hands!

Must get my nails done! 😉