Slimming World Secrets

I got to Target – now I’m accused of having anorexia

To whom it may concern: no, I haven’t got anorexia. And, if I want to lose any more weight, I bloody well will do. My body, my rules, and you can keep your crappy opinions – and JEALOUSY – to yourselves!

Yes, dear reader, it’s been another one of THOSE weeks. And I need to vent. So buckle up, buttercup, this is gonna be a full-on RANT.

My week

• Average Syns per day: 16.6
• Average Speed foods per day: 9.6
• SP days: 2
• Body Magic days: 5
• Result: +½lb
• Total loss: -5st -1lb

First of all, my week. I actually went over my Syns for the first time in eight weeks, averaging 16.6 over the seven days. This resulted in a ½lb gain.

But I’m not at all concerned with that. As well as my usual Saturday shenanigans, I had a bank holiday Monday to contend with and, yesterday, our much-delayed works Christmas meal out.

I tried to keep the Syns down as much as possible, so that teeny gain is just fine. I’m still in my Target bubble and I may have even sneaked a maintain had I not slept in and then got to group just as our consultant was leaving! Ooops!

So my weigh-in was at home – and my scales usually weigh ½lb more than my consultant’s.

Stop telling slimmers what to do

Anyway, rant time. I’ve been accused of having anorexia. Now, 99% of the comments from people about me losing 5st and getting to Target have been positive.

People have told me I look great – and I sure as hell feel great, with increased confidence and energy, and myriad other health benefits. I look in the mirror and don’t hate my body anymore.

But there are always a few people who like to have a dig. I wrote a few weeks ago about a friend telling me, “Don’t lose much more“. This was BEFORE I got to Target, like I was just gonna abandon more than seven years’ hard work.

Then I got to the hallowed land of Target milk and honey itself, and all the responses were initially overwhelmingly positive, both in real life and on social media.

Then Bank Holiday Monday happened. I try to limit myself to drinking alcohol once a week, on a Saturday, these days.

But, since I watched my local non-league football team that Monday afternoon, I agreed to have a couple of pints with my Dad afterwards at a micropub in town. I still had a few Syns in the bank, so it was all good.

The pub was pretty busy – and there were loads of people I know in there, many of whom I’d not seen for 18 months because of Covid-19 and all the lockdowns.

‘Don’t lose any more weight’

It was a lovely sunny day and, after watching my team in a brilliant local derby, I was in a really good mood. I saw one lady, who’s always been absolutely lovely to me, and gave her a big hug.

We were both all smiles and then, after a few pleasantries, she sort-of-jokingly pointed a wagging finger at me and warned: “Don’t lose any more weight!”

I replied: “I’m a Target member, I don’t need to lose any more, that’s sort of how it works. Being at Target is about weight maintenance, not weight loss.”

I didn’t tell her that I was thinking of lowering my Target by another half a stone.

But she was insistent: “Well, good, because you really don’t need to. Just don’t lose any more!”

She didn’t say as much, but she clearly thought I’d lost too much weight and was looking – wait for the word – it’s coming – GAUNT!

So that annoyed me. I wouldn’t dream of commenting on her weight – or anyone else’s for that matter, unless they were actively working to lose some, and then I’d say they were looking great.

I’d do that thing called ENCOURAGEMENT. Remember that? Where you try to build people up – especially women – instead of knocking them down.

Because – newsflash – people DO look better when they move from obesity to being overweight and then to a healthy weight, like I did. It’s not just being slimmer, but the effect on your skin, and your self-esteem. You GLOW!

I hear you’re anorexic now, Andie

Anyway, I made my excuses and headed indoors with my Dad, and there were three more pals inside. A police constable might have described them as “in drink” – all having lots of fun.

It was lovely to see them and join them for a couple of nine-Syn pints. Had I not been driving my Dad home and watching my Syns, I could have happily stayed there all night.

Then one of them told me that mutual friends had told her they were concerned that I’d lost too much weight and that I was “ANOREXIC”!

I mean, FFS!

My response was along the lines of: “Well, you’ve seen pictures of the massive portions of food I eat, on Instagram.

“And people who say that kind of thing are usually unhappily overweight themselves – and always jealous, so they can f*ck off!”

I was – and still am – really hurt and annoyed. I HATE being gossiped about behind my back at the best of times – but this was top-level bullshit.

How people can turn something that’s overwhelmingly positive into a massive negative is beyond my comprehension.

Anorexia is a severe illness – but I’m healthy

So let’s break this down. If you’re overweight and happy with that – and if you’re still healthy – then great, good for you. Knock yourselves out. Love your wobbly bits, it makes no odds to me.

I wasn’t happy being overweight, but that doesn’t mean I have any issue at all with anyone else for carrying some extra baggage.

But just because you’re overweight – or even if you’re a healthy weight – that does not give you the right to body-shame slim people.

And that’s the case whether they’ve worked their ass off for more than seven years doing Slimming World – or they’re just naturally skinny. Because some people are. The lucky gits! ?

And for f*ck’s sake, comparing someone who’s just got to Target to someone with a potentially fatal condition like anorexia nervosa – is just downright disgusting and insulting.

People rarely commented on my weight when I was obese – and yet now they evidently think they have free rein to do so. The world has gone mad.

I have worked so hard to get to a healthy weight with good diet and exercise. I am healthy – and I take deep exception to being compared to someone desperately mentally and physically ill with a severe eating disorder like anorexia.

So what is anorexia nervosa?

The NHS states that people with anorexia try to keep their weight as low as possible by not eating enough food, or exercising too much, or both. This can make them severely ill because they start to starve.

Those with anorexia often have a distorted image of their bodies, thinking they’re fat even when they’re underweight. It is most common in young women and typically starts in the mid-teens. I’m 48 next month.

So, just to prove a point, let’s look at the symptoms of anorexia nervosa – and see how I measure up. The headings below use the actual wording from the NHS.

Unusually low body mass index (BMI)

❌ No. My BMI at the last weigh-in was 22.3, which is in the healthy weight range for my height (5ft 6ins). I weigh. 9st 13lbs.

The healthy range for someone my height is between 8st 3lbs and 11st 2lbs, so I’m actually closer to the overweight range than the underweight one.

Resetting my Target and losing another half a stone would put me smack bang in the middle of the healthy range with a BMI of 21.3, like this:

But yeah, tell me again how I’m anorexic and underweight.

Missing meals

❌ No. It’s very rare I miss meals, apart from the occasional breakfast if I have a big lie-in on a Sunday morning.

Apart from that, I eat a good breakfast, lunch and dinner every day – and top those meals up with plenty of protein, and fruit and vegetables, if I get peckish.

Eating very little

❌ No. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! I used to get stick from one or two fellow Slimming World because my portion sizes are MASSIVE.

I pointed out to them that you can eat as much as you like on Slimming World, so long as you eat plenty of Speed and Free foods and don’t overdo it on Syns.

But they didn’t believe me and eventually left. I cracked on and got to Target, so who’s laughing now?! ?

Anyway, the reason I love this lifestyle SO much is that I get to eat massive platefuls of delicious food and still lose (or maintain) weight. Calorie counting while eating tiny dishes of salad? Not for me, thanks.

Here are a few pics from my Instagram feed over the past few weeks. I hardly think I’m starving, do you?!

Please follow me on Instagram, @andie_slimmingworldsecrets. I’ve built up a nice following of a few hundred followers now, and usually post a couple of times daily.

Avoiding eating any foods you see as fattening

❌ No. While Slimming World involves a low-fat diet, I still have healthy fats in things like milk, cheese, olive oil and nuts every day. These are all counted as either Syns or Healthy Extras.

I try to avoid unhealthy fats in things like cakes, crisps and chocolate but, on the rare occasions I have them, they’re counted in my Syns.

So, while I try to avoid bad fats, I certainly don’t avoid the good ones. In fact, as a Target member, I can now eat more good fats in things like avocado – so-called Savvy Syns.

Believing you’re fat when you’re a healthy weight or underweight

❌ No. I’m not fat – not anymore. I’m probably happier with the way my body is now than I’ve ever been.

As someone with gender dysphoria, that new feeling is due to a combination of losing 5st and taking HRT – the fat redistribution from this has been wonderful.

My body’s not perfect and there are still things I’d like to improve – that’s just how gender dysphoria works. But it’s still pretty damned fine right now.

Taking medicine to reduce your hunger (appetite suppressants)

❌ No. I honestly didn’t even know such things existed until now. If I want to reduce my hunger, I eat something.

If I want to snack between meals and not have to count extra Syns, I nibble on fruit and vegetables, or something full of protein, like ham, chicken or eggs.

Appetite suppressants? Really? And deprive myself of the joy of eating? No thanks.

Your periods stopping (in women who have not reached menopause)

❌ No. Erm, I’m a trans woman, soooooooo…

Physical problems, such as feeling lightheaded or dizzy, hair loss or dry skin

❌ No. All good there. I can’t remember the last time I felt dizzy, I have a full head of curls and my skin has never been better thanks to HRT.

Some people with anorexia may… also make themselves sick

❌ No. I HATE being sick – it’s one of the worst feelings ever. I’m probably only sick once every couple of years – and alcohol is always to blame!

… do an extreme amount of exercise

❌ No. I do my Body Magic five times a week – usually three half-hour step aerobics sessions topped up with a bit of walking. It’s hardly extreme, but it does keep me fit.

… use medicine to help them poo (laxatives) or to make them pee (diuretics)

❌ No. That said, if I have a “movement” before weigh-in, that’s great!

So there ya go. I’m no expert in eating disorders and I’m not a doctor, but I am pretty confident that I do not have anorexia.

What I do have is a desire to stay at Target and to stay fit and healthy – all while eating some fantastic meals, enjoying a few beers and doing moderate exercise.

As I’ve said before on this blog: you do you. But don’t project your own insecurities on to other people who are working their asses off to improve themselves just because you’re lazy and jealous.

Build people up – or just shut up.