There is no way to sugar coat this; week 3 was an utterly crap week! I fell off the wagon, repeatedly. I had the hormonal week from hell. Slimming World refers to this as ‘star week’. There is nothing joyful, pretty, or remotely nice about this week… and referring to it as star week makes me want to give it the two fingers even more. [If you can’t tell, I’m still in the horrors.]
In recent years I’ve tried to make big efforts in taking responsibility for my actions, but honestly, I do not control myself when the hormones rage. It is very scary. I can feel them pump around my body. And as I have PCOS and am 8 months postpartum after three consecutive pregnancies you can imagine they are still raging strong! I ate sweets, chocolate, and foods I wouldn’t normally dream of putting in my mouth while trying to lose weight; especially when on a challenge. I had internal battles with myself about what I was eating, what I wanted to eat and what I could eat.
My big wins this week:
I wanted takeaway this week. God did I want a takeaway, I still do. I want chips and a battered sausage and a massive pepperoni pizza with a stuffed crust and garlic dough balls followed by about a gallon of ALL the ice creams. And yes, there is a small part of me that would eat all this at once. Did I have them? Yes, but not in the way you’re going to think. I don’t know how, but I dug deep, I mean really deep. I used every ounce of will power I could muster and even though it would have been so easy to open the Just Eat app on my phone, I went into the kitchen and I made my version of my favourite sweet & sour crispy chicken from the takeaway. Was it the same, not exactly. Was it delicious; ab-so-bloody-lutely … and practically syn free! I also made crispy cheesy, garlic, bagels topped with pepperoni pieces. Again, just a couple of syns each. I ate these, without guilt and knowing that I was making a much better choice long term.
The big realization and internal fight I have this week was that my body wanted, craved, demanded those calorific foods. But had I ordered them and eaten them 3 things would have happened; 1. The ‘relief’ would have been short lived and then I would have wanted more and more. 2. I would have put on weight. 3. I’d ultimately feel awful and disappointed in myself.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I did give in; I ate more sweets, chocolate, and chocolate peanuts than I should have. BUT it could have been soooo much worse. BUT on whole this week I’ve had another important realization and mindset change; I can still have a little of what I want AND I can make excellent substitutions if I put my mind and time to it. This is not to say I will never eat anything of these things again, BUT it means I can say no, have similar, and enjoy them more because they won’t derail me. And the more times I can say no, the better!
What I ate during week 3
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snacks | Syns | |
| Tuesday | French Toast & Strawberries | Strogonoff Leftover Salad | Crispy Chicken FakeAway | Yoghurt [1.5 syns] Cake Bar [4.5 syns] TimeOut [6 syns] | 12 syns |
| Wednesday | Eggs on Toast with Strawberries | Tomato Pasta w. Pepperoni [1 syn] | Tex Mex Burger w/ Sweet Potato Fries [6 syns] | Chocolate Peanuts Sweets Time Out [15 syns] | 22 syns |
| Thursday | Eggs, Bacon, Pear | Grilled Cheese, pepperoni, Pear [2 syns] | Chorizo Paella [6 syns] | Chocolate Peanuts Malteaser Bar Sweets [15 syns] | 23 syns |
| Friday | Eggs on Toast with Strawberries | Tomato Pasta w/ Pear | Chicken Korma [1.5 syns] | Cake Bar [4.5 syns] TimeOut [6 syns] | 12 syns |
| Saturday | Eggs, Bacon, Mushrooms, Strawberrries | Chicken Wings & Salad [2 syns] | Burger, Chips and Salad w/ fake whopper sauce [2 syns] | TimeOut [6 syns] | 10 syns |
| Sunday | SW Fry with Melon | Noddle Stir Fry | Steak, Mushrooms, Green Beans, Onions, Chips, Pepper Sauce [2 syns] | Mango, lychee and yoghurt [1.5 syns] TimeOut 6 syns | 9.5 syns |
| Monday | Fruit Medley w/ yoghurt [1.5 syns] | Prawn Salad | Egg salad [3 syns] Beef, Potatoes, carrots, parsnips, Strawberries | TimeOut [6 syns] | 9 syns |
A total of 97.5 syns for the week. Miraculously under my total syn allowance for the week! A daily average of 13.9 syns – WAY over the 6 syn goal, but honestly with the week I’ve had, I’ll take it… considering I wasn’t counting until after many of those eating events! And somehow, this happened….
Week 3 – the weight loss
For any of you keeping count that’s 1 lb off this week and I’ve FINALLY reached a total of 3 stone off!! I’ve been circling this for weeks, its feels. In reality my weight loss has been slower than I’d hoped during this challenge time frame. But I’m officially 3 stone lighter this year! And almost 5 stone lighter since my heaviest! This is just incredible to me. I love the feeling I have now when I put on clothes or see my reflection in a mirror or window.
Another area that has changed for me is my internal happiness/ motivation meter. First and foremost this weight loss is for me. Its my 2020 goal. Sure I love the comments. I love how my husband looks at me, especially if I flash him, because lets face it; if you’ve got it, flaunt it 🙂 But this weight loss has been about being healthier, reducing the amount of health issues I will face and ensuring I will be around as long as possible to see my little boy grow up! The renewed sense of purpose, taste for life and everything that comes with weight loss is invigorating! In a way, losing weight is addictive; wanting, willing and needing to see that scales decrease every time you step on it.
I’m not going to end this with; if I can lose weight anyone can. Because while everyone can lose weight, the key is, determination; you can lose weight if you’re determined to lose weight. For a long time I didn’t have that determination and dieting, joining weight watchers and all the others didn’t work; not because they don’t work; but because I wasn’t prepared to put in the work.
This weeks change
So this is going to be a mini-challenge within the weight loss challenge and I’m honestly not sure how this going to go. Right now I weigh myself every morning, sometimes in the evening too. This can either have a really positive or negative effect on the start of my day. This week, I am only going to weigh myself on Wednesday mornings… [oh! weigh day has changed to Wednesday … a Slimming World change, not a ‘me’ change.] I think this will be a big challenge for me… not to know in figures how I’m doing as the days go on. Hopefully, less of me will be back next week!
Next day update
You’ll all laugh, because I’ve almost immediately failed on this weeks big change… BUT I have good reason! When I sent in my weight, my consultant said she’d input it as 13st even [given I was so close, and the fact, going forward, I’d have an extra day before weigh day.] Well me being me, I woke up this morning [the day of my Slimming World Zoom meeting and] I wanted to be sure that I was in fact the 13st she’d generously given me. To get the shock of my life!
Somehow during the week from hell, the week I overate more than in recent weeks. The week I’d given to my hormones… somehow I managed to lose 2.5lbs this week! I official got the 3 stone award at 13 st 0.5lbs BUT I also got into a new stone range… AND my initial target stone range! Oh! and as the complete icing on the cake [i’m not currently eating] I am, for the first time, EVER, lighter than James… by over 4lbs!! #shocked #delighted #isthisreal
Honestly I am so glad that, despite being disappointed for my efforts the previous weeks, I am glad I put those efforts in. They showed up, and probably most when I needed them!
Leave a Reply