Fail to prepare, prepare to fail

I know exactly how you all feel as I've been there and to be honest, I still get days where I feel ashamed of how big I am. I snap out of those days and think to myself, "that's the old me.

The new me is doing something about it so I have no need to feel ashamed."

Please share the link for my blog with as many people as you can. I know what it's like to be unhappy but I also know what it's like to be empowered by taking control and seeing the weight come off.

I've had a great week this week and have lost another 3lb so my weigh loss so far is 4st 3lb. I'm so happy and although I've still got a long way to go, I know I'm going in the right direction. It's great when you know people are genuinely pleased for you too just as the other class members are.

After my gain last week I was determined to get back on track and lose that 1lb and more if I could.

It's not just the motivation of the gain that has helped me. I remembered the wise words of my Grandad who always said, "Fail to prepare, prepare to fail!"

His words were so right.

To help us in our weight loss journey, no matter how much we have to lose, we need to be prepared. I always plan ahead so that I know exactly what meals I'm having during the week.

I have a magnetic meal planner on the fridge door next to the photo of me at my biggest. Every Thursday, I plan my meals for the week ahead so that I know what I need on my shopping list.

I find that having a list has cut my time in the supermarket down by an hour. I'm not wandering around the store looking for inspiration and meal ideas anymore. I go in get what I want and am back out within 30 minutes depending on the checkout queue.

I never thought I'd enjoy the weekly food shop.

This is a typical days menu for me:

Breakfast
Half a cantaloupe melon
1 Muller light Vanilla Yogurt with 28g of Fruit and Fibre mixed in

Lunch
Jacket Potato and beans with cajun spice mixed in, topped with 42g grated Mozzarella cheese
Served with a big salad

Dinner
Turkey Stir-fry with ginger, garlic and soya sauce

Snacks
Throughout the day I snack on fruit and carrot sticks. As a treat at the end of the day, I enjoy a Milky Way that's been in the freezer. It takes ages to eat but that way you enjoy it more. I drink lots of water and Bovril as a hot drink as I don't like tea or coffee.

I NEVER feel hungry and, to be honest, that's the beauty of Slimming World, you don't have to go hungry as there are so many healthy things that you can enjoy that won't blow your journey.

Even if you can't plan a week ahead, it's important to know what you're going to have for meals the next day. That way, when you come in tired from a long day at work, you don't reach for the biscuit tin while you decide what to have. It's so easy to be tired and, by the time you've decided what to have, you're too tired to cook and you end up ringing the number for the local take away. I know as it's what I used to do. It was embarrassing that our local take away knew my name and my usual order.

Planning ahead may seem tricky at first but I guarantee, you'll soon get into the way of it and you'll wonder how you ever managed before.

A few weeks ago in group we all set targets as to where we wanted to be on our weight loss journey and how much lighter we wanted to be by the time Christmas came round. It was called The 12 Weeks To Christmas. I decided that in 12 weeks I wanted to lose 1st 7lbs. I'm pleased to say that I've only got 4lbs left to go to reach that mini target and I've got 4 weeks left to get there. Can you imagine if we all made the commitment to lose 1lb a week before Christmas? You'd be well on the way to reaching your 1st half stone. It is possible.

Join me next week when I'll have some tips for Christmas and some great Christmas recipe ideas.

Remember those wise words, "Fail to plan and plan to fail"

See you lighter next week, Love Wendy xxx