Starting SW again...

[aspiringnurse]

Hi all

Hoping you may be able to help..

I have done SW in the past and lost a fair bit getting to target of 9st before my holidays, since then (three years and a baby later) I'm 11st 10lb.

Have tried SW on and off after having DS however have always fallen off plan and dread going out as something isn't "on plan".

My question.. if going out for instance shopping day, for a meal out etc, do you just choose the healthiest meal that is still enjoyable or have a treat of what you fancy and get straight back on plan?

It's a rare occasion me and DP would have a date night or we would go on a family meal for any kind of occasion.

I really want to start again and actually stick to it I just feel like I need to find my mojo again instead of slipping back into old habits

Thank you for any advice

I've just restarted too. I choose the healthiest meal I can as I like to have a drink too so that's the compromise I make. I then really cut back on the carbs mon - thurs (weigh in Thursday). I'm hoping to get to the stage where i do sw most days but 2 days under 500 calories so essentially a version of 5:2. It's worked well for me in the past but I've just not quite got the motivation for it yet. Probably as my weight loss slows i will do it. Good luck x

Aspiring - whenever I eat out I choose the healthy option, no chips or desserts, at home I stick to the SW plan, have lost four stone in a year. So keep going, you have taken the first step, you can do it, I wish you well.

I joined in November and lost over 5st and a half and am target now. When I go out for meals it depends. If it's a birthday special treat I get exactly what I want. If it's a weekly shopping trip with my best friend I'll pick the healthier option (still what I fancy). I've eaten out loads and managed fine.

Do you stay to meetings?

I've just rejoined after 2 years of hell and staying to meetings really helps.
Last time I achieved my goal but looking at the weigh in it took longer than it should.
I'm much more motivated this time.
I want to loose 1st7 by Xmas, that's around 2lb a week.
I'm not doing anything that feels 'hard', so I eat 3 meals during the day of my evening weigh in, I have a little measuring cup at work for my milk, I'm making switches that the whole family can do.

If we eat out I try to stick to places I can look at the menu for first, make choices before we go.
I have a family meal this weekend and we've preordered the roast, I know how much the pudding is in syns and I don't drink wine.

I'm on plan every day, every meal.
If i slip up on one meal then that's fine.

It depends. Sometimes I feel like I’ve been so on plan and really fancy something indulgent then I just have what I fancy and then continue on plan the following day.

Other times I feel focused and happy with eating something nice and healthy on plan from the menu.

Can I ask how you do SlimmingWorld around family life if they are fussy.

What meals do they like?
If it's chip then do normal chips for them and either SW chips or cut potatoes into wedges, spray with fry light and cook them with the chips for you.

It’s all in the detail - both when staying on plan and also when you take a detour.

Really committing to being informed knowing all of your syns like the back of your hand will help you stay in control and by damage limitation.

So if you know that you have been 100% on plan and v low on your syns for 20 of the 21 meals in your week you can decide to research where you are eating ahead, decide if you will have 3 courses and how much wine. If you have done the effort during the week and want a total blow out go for it - and maybe expect to gain.......or take a more measured approach - healthy options, syns “priced in” and expect on that week to maintain or small loss.

I think the strategy of counting all syns no matter how far over your allowance is important as its factual and realistic - you can say “Yes was 50 over on Sat” - rather than be in denial and get upset or demotivated at weigh in.

It's up to you. I'm just restarting, and one of the things that led to me losing my mojo was posting on a facebook group about my worries about going to group when I was on holiday. Up until that point I had been doing my best to follow the guidelines within reason (treating myself to one ice cream a day, for example), and everyone was like "hey you're on holiday, treat yourself" and I thought sod it, and had a pizza that day for dinner, and then chips the next day...didn't go super wild but then when I got home I had put on a pound. I wonder if I had kept on with my approach of making good choices whether I would have ended up losing weight on holiday!

Since then I've noticed if I try and make a sensible choice when I'm out I am more likely to maintain or lose. One meal out in a week can wreck my losses (I can't resist the bread with butter, and then you don't know how much fat they use to cook things, and then I think "ooh chips").

So personally I would chose the nicest thing you can which is as close to being on plan as possible, and don't go wild. The treat to yourself is losing weight. It'll be worth it in the end.

I love what u said there that the treat to urself is losing weight I’m starting back st the club on Friday but already on plan now.... congrats on ur weight loss well done ... Annemarie xx💕

Some great ideas here...watching with interest!

I think that obviously very occasionally if you eat an unhealthy meal and what you want then it’s fine. But in reality you have to get out of the mindset of SW meals v treat meals, and accept that this is a change of lifestyle in everything you do.

When I go out to eat I’m now in the habit of choosing healthier options from the menu. Like fish, grilled meats, salad, and I really enjoy what I eat. If I really crave a dessert then I’ll have one scoop of ice cream.

I find that the problem with SW is that so many things that are slightly off plan have to be counted as syns. So sometimes you just need a common sense approach to what you feel is the healthy option to go for.

I try and have the best option I can but will then have a drink or another non diet option
Went out last night and had steak and salad but had Stilton and port sauce with it plus diet tonic
Previous occasion had salmon with new potatoes and veg but had gin with the tonic