Thinking Slimmer Week 1

One of the things I've not been particularly happy about over the past year is the weight I've put on as a result of my Vitamin D deficiency.  As I mentioned briefly in Moving on Up last week I've been lucky to be involved a programme called Thinking Slimmer which I started on Monday.  

This programme is a little different than other weight loss programmes in that there is no dieting involved.  There are no points to count.  No syns to worry about. No food is off the agenda.  There are no prescribed rules or books to follow.  All you do is listen for 8 minutes a day to a SlimPod which is a downloaded file recorded by a man called Trevor who lulls you into deep relaxation to listen to a message of positivity. It's obviously a very cleverly and psychologically thought out recording that taps into the sub-conscious and helps to reframe your thinking and enables you to start to make healthy and more positive choices about your life.

True to the ethos of the programme I am not actively dieting.  I am not eating salads or carrot sticks. I am not actively depriving myself of anything. I've not been shopping and spent lots of money on foods that I "have" to eat.  I had already stopped drinking alcohol on 1st January and have been successful in going the whole month without a single alcoholic beverage.  There were a few moments when I harboured a little longing for a glass of nice, cold, fizzy Prosecco but in all honesty the month hasn't been overly challenging.  In fact I am going to maintain my sobriety for a while longer. Actually one thing I have realised this month is the collusion amongst parents about drinking.  It is acceptable to drink to ease the stress of modern day parenting.  Add to that the challenges of parenting children who have added challenges and it's easy to forgive yourself for turning to the cold, fizzy stuff.

Two of the bonuses of cutting back on my nightly tipple have been a) a decrease in my desire for sweet foods, particularly chocolate and b) a few pounds off the wobbly bits.  Add to that my Slimpod this week and I've lost about 5lbs so far.

So what have I experienced with the SlimPod? Well I could say very little because it's been so subtle that I would be forgiven for saying "very little".  However there have been little changes that are creeping in. The most notable is a decrease in my fear of feeling hungry.  I have coped several times this week with actually feeling hungry and not needing to react to the situation immediately.  I've also noticed that I'm eating more slowly and enjoying my food a little bit more.  Other people have reported a complete change in the way they are eating but, for me, it's been more a not knowing what I want to eat. Mostly I'm thirsty. I've not had any sweets or chocolate (other than a hot chocolate) nor do I feel that I'm missing them.  So something is happening.

What are my goals?

Well my goals are to drop back to a comfortable UK Size 12 from my current sometimes snug Size 14. I'd like my legs to grow 2" but I don't think that the Slimpod can quite manage that.  I'd like to slim the legs that I have down a bit with some more exercise although my energy levels are still low and this feels difficult to achieve still.  Hopefully a little less of me might help my energy levels increase though.  I'd like to feel happier around food generally; to not use food as an emotional prop or eat because I'm feeling tired or bored and certainly not because the hands on the clock say it's a meal time. I'd like to leave my sugar addiction in the past (which I'd say is pretty much already achieved).  I'd like to look in the mirror and like who I see.  I think that last one is more than just about being slimmer though.  Being slimmer will help the image but not necessarily the emotional reaction.  However I think the emotional and over-eating link are intrinsically linked and they feed (pardon the pun) each other a lot.  Resolve one and it should help the healing of the other.

I think these are realistic goals and I'm feeling positive about this 12 week programme.  I'm going to blog about it every week to keep a record of how I'm getting on and how I'm feeling.  This week I'd say my tight jeans are a little less snug.  In fact I'm wearing them currently and am sitting comfortably without feeling like I'm going to explode so that's always a good thing.  We've even been for a family walk today (which sounds more positive than it actually was because it was cold and both children cried and whinged for the whole walk).  I have dusted off my exercise bike though which I am planning on actually sitting on once my current cold and subsequent asthma episode resolves itself.

I'll keep you posted on how I'm getting on but will also still be blogging on the adoption front so the blog won't be totally hi-jacked if you don't want to read these posts!