Please give me your best slimming world tips

[MyBeard]

I'm panicking right now! I weigh 19St 2lbs and am getting married in February. I look disgusting, feel disgusting. There isn't one part of my body I like.

I desperately need to lose weight obviously, I haven't even gone dress shopping yet but plan to do so in October so I need to lose as much weight as I can before then.

What really works for you with slimming world? Thank you!

Making sure I drink loads of water, make sure at least a 3rd of every plate is a speed food and making sure I have loads of easy speed snacks. So I cut up whole melons and have them ready in the fridge to eat. Make massive fruit salads and keep them in the fridge. Whenever I make a sw bologna idea sauce or curry etc I make extra and freeze so I have easy meals. Big pan fulls of vegetable soup made on Sunday evening for lunches. Things like carrot sticks and raspberries etc that I can pick at in the evening to stop me reaching for crisps. I find it easy to follow as if I fancy a treat I can see that I can have some chocolate or crisps or whatever, you just weigh the portion and make sure you count it.

Biggest thing for me is every single snack can make a difference, so if you go off track for lunch, just by following the plan for tea and supper you can get back on track. You've plenty of time and something great to aim for, good luck!

Thank you. They're good tips! I don't feel like I have lots of time. Last time I lost 2.5 stone and barely dropped a dress size

The slimmer of the month in my group this morning lost 1stone 3lbs in July. She has kids and a full time job so is doing amazingly. It is doable. Are you joining a group?

Wow! Yeah I've joined a group. Tuesday is my second weigh in, I lost only 2.5lbs on my first week

Planning is key. If I plan I lose weight, if I don't I completely lose it. Lost 1 st 8 lbs in 3 months because I have a great week then a bad week.

I hate being out of routine in these school holidays too.

Boiled eggs for breakfast, bowls of chopped cucumber and carrots for easy snacks. Embracing green veg - mangetout, spinach, courgettes, green beans and cooking them with chilli, onions, ginger, lemongrass and garlic.

Sending lots of positive thoughts to you.

Eat lots of protein, drink lots of water. Meal-plan and make sure there are no 'treats' in the house. I snacked on bowls of berries & plain low-fat yogurt. Never let yourself get hungry . Good luck!

Thanks all. Have just planned for shopping tomorrow but the school holidays are hard. I never know what to have for lunch!

My first Slimming World shop was more expensive than my usual shop, but once you get lots of handy staples in, you're away!

Tasty additions such as balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, stock cubes, garlic, smoked paprika- all fat free and syn free and really make a difference. I even make a syn free chicken tikka masala that tastes amazing.

Previous advice is spot on- plan, batch cook and make sure you have loads of the right food ready in case you get hungry. Good luck!

PS When I reached a plateau, the weight loss started up again quickly when I exercised every day- just a 30 min brisk walk got the graph pointing downwards again.

I'm trying to do exercise too now, like I said I really need to lose lots! I just can't ever seem to stick to it

"make sure at least a 3rd of every plate is a speed food"

This ^^^

Be prepared to do lots of chopping, keep frozen veg in (chopped onions, peppers etc) for those nights you just cannot be arsed, learn to love cooking from scratch and taking pride in your creations, vary your food as much as you can, don't get stuck in the rut of having jacket and beans for every meal. Get some recipe books and bookmark your favourites.

Batch cook and stockpile your freezer so you always have something you can just defrost if you're feeling lazy. Stops you from reaching for a takeaway menu.

I find I have to be prepared at all times - I can stick to the rules no problem as long as I do that, but the second I fail to think ahead it all goes out the window! As PP have said, bowls of snacks ready to go in the fridge really makes a difference.

I also find my motivation is higher if I save my syns for the evening (my real 'trigger' is a cup of tea when the kids are in bed - if I know I'm allowed one biscuit, I can stick to that and really enjoy it! ).

You can do it!

I started at Easter and have lost 2 stone in 14 weeks and it honestly has been pretty easy. Top tips - fruit and fat free yog for breakfast that way you can save "b" choice for later. Take fruit everywhere - I do a big aldi shop. Do the odd speed and protein day that way the rest feels easy. We have a "fry up" for breakfast at the weekend - so grated potato fried with fry light in a non stick pan, mushrooms and tomatoes, poached egg and bacon with fat cut off - feels like it shouldnt be healthy plus does not use the "b" choice. The slimming foodie blog is ace! Her nandos style chicken is ace - spicy but lovely - I make loads of spice mix to use. I then cook extra chicken and have it in salads the following day. Focus on small victories and "non food" treats every stone. You can do this!

Write everything down for the frost few weeks then every so often later on to keep you in check. I have dropped two dress sizes and although I still have a couple of stone to go I feel a million times more confident and have so much more energy. Once you have started you won't look back! Good luck. Xx

All fab advice! I totally agree with planning and being prepared .... Also think about your triggers and optimum time to be tempted and face it head on. For example, save your hi fi bar, your syns, and some cheese for an evening plate of treats if that's when you want to snack. Join every Facebook page you can, loads of inspiration, advice and recipes... Also take every opportunity to pack fruit and veg in, I got a soup maker and have a different soup most days at work now. I've lost 1st 7.5lbs in five weigh ins. Stick to it, and it will work. Good luck

OP, if you are tempted too have too many syns, visualise yourself at your wedding: imagine being in the venue, having lost weight, and in the kind of dress you want to wear.
You can make all that come true.

Melons! And water, loads, 3 liters a day if possible. Best of luck, keep going!

Meal planning is definitely the way forward, and batch cooking so you've always got something SW-friendly there for evenings when you just can't be bothered to cook! I drink tons of water and swear by green tea too, and have chopped fruit/veggie sticks in the fridge to snack on if I get hungry between meals.

I also think I lose more if I mix things up...I don't have the same meals each week but try new recipes, and I'm going through a couple of weeks at the moment where I'm trying a different healthy b choice each day of the week.

And definitely agree that having 1/3 of your plate as speed food really helps - replacing other stuff, rather than extra food. I tend to put the speed on my plate first, then the rest of my meal - still full at the end of it! Good luck!

Are you near Yorkshire?

I found the best bridal shop for my dress, the specialise in sizes 18+ and I tried on about 15 dresses which all fitted really well

The shop is amazing, worth a trip