Slimming World Secrets

Christmas: It’s the most dangerous time of the year

Christmas is the scariest time of the year of Slimming World members. I’ve had seven of them – and I’ve had massive gains every single year.

This time I’m a Target member, and I’m hoping things can be different. I’ve worked so hard to get where I am now – and to maintain my weight for the past seven weeks.

To blow it all would be a disaster, and I have a plan in place to stop that from happening.

But I can’t help hearing the little bad devil on my shoulder, who keeps reminding me of my festive roll of shame over the past seven Christmas weeks.

So, confession time! Here are my results for my Slimming World Christmas weeks, apart from Christmas 2019 when I went off the rails and didn’t weigh in for three weeks.

Black Christmases: 2014 to 2020

• 2014: +6½lbs
• 2015: +5lbs
• 2016: +6½lbs
• 2017: +13lbs (group record gain)
• 2018: +11lbs
• 2019: +12½lbs (albeit over three weeks)
• 2020: +12½lbs

See my issue here?!

In the past, Slimming World members were given little cardboard baubles two or three months before the big day. We had to write down our “Slimming World Christmas wish” on the back. The idea was to set ourselves a mini Christmas Target – maybe to lose a stone or so over that period.

We were also presented with three cuddly toys as it got closer to December 25 – each with its own “plan” for the Christmas period.

These were to stick rigidly to the plan, to take a complete break from the plan and get back on it in the new year, and to compromise by following the plan where possible but still having a few extra treats.

I usually went for the latter plan – but then I always ended up following the kamikaze route instead and completely blowing it.

Even last Christmas, after a really good 2020 in which I won our group’s Miss Slinky title and lost loads of weight, I blew it again, gaining 12½lbs in ONE week!

Yes, I got straight back “on it” in the new year and soon lost it all again, but even so, I do not want to do that again this Christmas.

I’m a Target member – and I want to remain a Target member for the rest of my days. I don’t want to slip out of that bubble, even for one week.

Balls to baubles!

I mention the tactics given to us in years gone by because they had limited success. I don’t know for sure, but I guess that’s why the baubles mini target thing was scrapped.

As for those cuddly toy plans for Christmas week: I don’t think they worked either. In my seven previous Christmases, I can only remember one person having one loss.

That was a lovely lady called Tracie, and she was either at Target or well on the way to it after losing about 6st. So she was “on it” – and she aced it.

For the rest of us, no matter how great our intentions, we all turned up in the new year with our tails between our legs, vowing to get back on track, but cursing our lack of endeavour when faced with mince pies, chocolates and a glass or two of Baileys.

2021: Will I be naughty or nice?

So, Andie, I hear you cry, what’s gonna be different this time? And if you have no baubles or cuddly-toy strategies, what strategies DO you have?

Well, food-wise I’m on it. I have admittedly bought stuff I wouldn’t usually buy, such as a massive turkey, a huge ham and so on.

But I’ve tried to make healthy choices. I’m cooking Christmas dinner and it will be Syn-free. As well as turkey, there will be Oxo roast potatoes, the Fat Girl Skinny sage and onion stuffing I made last year and pigs in blankets made by using Slimming World sausages wrapped in lean bacon. Then there will also be plenty of Speedy veg.

I have a list of recipes for the turkey leftovers, all low-Syn or Syn-free. And I’m making a few things to snack on, such as Pinch of Nom chicken liver and bacon pâté and the official Slimming World hot salmon pâté from the Christmas recipe books.

Christmas drinking is my downfall

Food isn’t going to be an issue. To be honest, it rarely is. My downfall has always been alcohol. And, over Christmas, there’s nothing better than watching Christmas movies with a glass or ten of vino tinto!

Then there are days and nights spent with friends and family – and the alcohol units soon mount up.

This Christmas, I’m going to TRY to cut down a bit – I’ll raise a few glasses on Christmas Eve (tonight!), Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

But, after that, I’ll [try to] leave it alone until New Year’s Eve. Also, during that period between Christmas and new year, I’ll throw in some SP days and loads of Body Magic.

Hopefully, that SHOULD help me to avoid disaster.

My week (six days)

• Average Syns per day: 13
• Average Speed foods per day: 7.8
• SP days: 4
• Body Magic days: 5
• Result: -1lb
• Total loss: -5st -7½lbs

I weighed in this morning with the very lovely Sally as my usual group tomorrow morning is off. Something about Christmas Day, I think. 😉

And I lost 1lb, which I’m really happy with as that puts me ½lb below my actual Target. I had hoped to have got right to the bottom end of my Target bubble, which would have given me a brilliant 6lbs buffer for Christmas.

As it is, the buffer is 3½lbs – I just hope that’s enough. If I gain 4lbs or more, I’m out of Target. Wish me luck!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

So, that’s all for now. I’m going to head off and start prepping my stuffing and pigs in blankets for tomorrow – and then it’s time crack open a bottle of wine and relax with my favourite film of all time, It’s a Wonderful Life.

To everyone who reads this blog, thank you so much for your support over the past year (well, nearly a year) and have a great Christmas.

Most of all, I want to thank Carol, a lovely Welsh lady who now lives in Australia but still follows Slimming World. She has been a big supporter of both my blog and my Instagram account, and always leaves really kind comments on both.

Have a great one, Carol! Enjoy the Christmas sunshine Down Under! xxx