Flying Start with Slimming World... then a wobble

Slimmer of the Week!

I've made a flying start with Slimming World. Launching out at a shameful 14st:0½lb, I was down by 5½lb after the first week, though losses of this magnitude are not unusual at the beginning of a diet.  Most of it was probably down to fluid loss.

The following week I lost a modest 1½lb, then excelled myself by losing 3lb in the week after that and won the Slimmer of the Week award – a carrier bag full of goodies. Everyone clapped me and I wiped away a tear or two, surprised at how emotional I felt.

Perhaps the thrill of winning went to my head, but at last week's weigh-in I had only lost a measly ½lb.  "Was I happy with this?" asked Debra, our consultant.  No, I was not! An interesting discussion ensued as Debra cast doubt on the culprit being Saturday's crab pate, the villain finally being identified as too much good wine.  So now I'm carefully measuring each drink to exactly 125ml.  I'm also resolved to remain positive; after all, 10½lb lost in 4 weeks ain't bad.

Seriously, discussion like that are one of the great advantages of losing weight with a group. When I don't do well on a particular week it's tempting to skip the social side and go home early, but I'm determined not to fall into that trap.  My next target is 12st:8½lb, which should take about another 6-7 weeks.  At that weight I'll have lost 10% of my body weight and get a Club Ten certificate.

One certificate I already have pinned to the office notice board is this one – a silver Body Magic award for exercising for more than 30 minutes, 3 times per week and keeping it up for 4 weeks.  In truth, this wasn't too difficult to achieve as I regularly walk for at least 4 hours every week, though I nearly came unstuck last week, with all that rain.

I'll call a halt there and not try for the gold award – 5 sessions of 30 minutes every week for 8 weeks, and including 2 muscle-strengthening activities. I'd surely need to enroll in a gym and nothing is going to persuade me to do that.  Not when I could be out walking in the beautiful Forest of Dean!