I lost four stone and changed my life in just six months https://t.co/J1xWBUJnqd

I lost four stone and changed my life in just six months https://t.co/J1xWBUJnqd

— sosnicaragua (@sosnicaragua) March 24, 2021

from Twitter https://twitter.com/sosnicaragua

I lost four stone and changed my life in just six months

THE absolute highlight of my working week is hearing the inspirational success stories of our Slimpod members, and I’m so excited to be able to share another wonderful one with you here.

Rachael Buckett started her Slimpod journey six months ago, and is now over halfway towards her goal after losing an incredible four stone in that time. She has gone from a size 26/28 to a 16/18.

She is rightly proud of what she has achieved, and knows the changes she has made are for life.

Rachael’s story offers some valuable lessons that I just know will help so many others, no matter what stage you are at in your weight-loss journey.

I chatted with Rachael on Zoom about how she lost four stone and this is the video we made.

Click on the picture to watch it on The Slimpod Channel on YouTube. Make sure you hit the Like and Share buttons!

I lost four stone – Rachel’s story in her own words

Even before I discovered Slimpod, I had made a list of foods that I knew I had an addiction to and had decided to stop eating. They were sweets, bread, crisps and potatoes.

I was lucky and after listening to the Slimpod only once, I was instantly repulsed by crisps.

Before Slimpod I was more than eight stone overweight, convinced I had some kind of undiagnosed condition. and was walking only about 3,000-4,000 steps a day.

I was working from home and bingeing off buttered toast, crisps and pork scratchings. It was a struggle to move – to get off the sofa, to put on my shoes.

Rachael before starting Slimpod

Then I was made redundant and I suddenly had the time to truly get my eating and exercise in order. It was the best thing that ever happened to me!

I started off quite simply, by restricting the foods listed above and walking my dog for longer in the mornings.

After the first month I had lost a stone and was regularly walking over 10,000 steps a day. I had also naturally fallen into 16:8 intermittent fasting.

I found delaying the first thing I ate in a day restricted the amount I was eating overall. I stuck to my eating window of 12 noon till 8pm and ate far more vegetables and salad.

I found my exercise was also giving me a buzz and took away any hunger I was feeling.

New-look Rachael now

I went on a two-week holiday and walked every morning – I came home 6lbs lighter!

In October I started listening to the sugar pod. This initially made me crave sweet things, but I found that they tasted disgusting.

I started to eat a lot more fruit and now only drink water (apart from prosecco on Christmas day and my 50th birthday).

Another big change I made was to introduce some Lucy Wyndham-Read workouts. Then, in November I was lucky enough to get a new job.

I panicked initially: how was I going to fit my exercise in? It was an 8am-5pm desk job, in an office full of men – above a bakery!

I made the decision that I would get up earlier every morning and do exercise before work. So every workday I set my alarm at 6am and do three LWR workouts before work.

I found that instead of making me more tired it actually really gave me a boost and I started each day with such enthusiasm that I never even yawned at work.

At lunchtimes I powerwalked every day, stuck to intermittent fasting and took my own lunch in two small tubs – one tub had overnight oats, and the other salad or just chicken and oatcakes. I only ate what was in my two small tubs plus a few tangerines.

In December I learned more about HIIT exercise and decided to buy a rowing machine. I started rowing 5k every morning after my workouts. I felt amazing!

At Christmas I hit just over three stone weight loss. I enjoyed lovely food at Christmas and some treats – but religiously kept to my exercise and intermittent fasting.

In January I decided to sign up for the challenges of rowing 100k and walking 175 miles – both of which I easily achieved. I started walking home from work (2.5 miles).

I also bought a mini trampoline – a great way to start couch to 5k – and I also use weights.

In February I decided to start walking to work – some days I walked and ran! My goal was to maintain an average of over 14,000 steps a day throughout the month, which I achieved.

During March I have continued to get up at 6am, do two lots of 20 squats, row 5k and then walk to work every day – a power walk for a mile at lunchtime and then the walk home. My goal for the month is 200 miles in total with 100km of rowing, and I have just started cycling.

I consider now that my eating has been “fixed” – my diet is spot on, varied and delicious. I love every meal I make. I no longer emotionally eat or eat because of stress.

My exercise is definitely what gives me the buzz – every day. I always feel better after exercise. I never yawn at work – and usually sleep brilliantly and it completely stops any feelings of hunger.

Sensible eating and good exercise habits go hand in hand for success, together with meal planning and being organised.

If there is something I fancy eating, I never deny myself, but plan it in for the next time I go shopping. Delaying the gratification makes such a difference and puts you in control.

Last week there were two days that I couldn’t walk at lunchtime at work (due to icy conditions) and I felt so sluggish and hungry – it was obvious what a benefit the lunchtime walk is.

I do still obviously listen to Slimpod every night, and always write my three wins. I have lost four stone so far and Slimpod has made this process easy…I just needed to add my determination and planning.

If I can achieve this, while working full time, anyone can do it. The main thing is making a start!

What I eat now I’ve lost four stone

• I still practise intermittent fasting and don’t eat until after my lunchtime power walk.
• I never snack after 8pm
• I still haven’t had potatoes
• I have had three takeaways and really enjoyed them
• I very occasionally have bread
• I have a very small bar of 85% dark chocolate every night
• I have at least three vegetarian meals every week
• I meal plan and only buy what I need.
• I’ve only had two bags of crisps since September
• My shopping trolley is mainly fruit and vegetables.
• I don’t eat low fat versions of any food – they have more sugar
• I am 95% sugar free
• I don’t eat pasta
• I choose wholemeal rice, grains, lentils, chickpeas, quinoa
• I don’t worry about eating cheese.
• I love broccoli, avocado and spinach and have them every day
• I have never been to the bakery downstairs at work.
• I still only drink water

She’s lost four stone – let her know what you think

Please let Rachael know what you think of her achievement and how she lost four stone by leaving a comment below. And do please tell me about your successes and how Slimpod is changing your eating and exercise habits.

Come over and say hello by following me @sandraroycroftdavis on Instagram . I’ll be talking about Rachael in my Slimpod Club live chat at 8pm this evening (Wednesday March 24) so if you’re a member I look forward to seeing you there.

The post I lost four stone and changed my life in just six months appeared first on Slimpod.

Slimpod vs Noom: what’s the difference? https://t.co/aRihuod9uq

Slimpod vs Noom: what’s the difference? https://t.co/aRihuod9uq

— sosnicaragua (@sosnicaragua) March 9, 2021

from Twitter https://twitter.com/sosnicaragua

Slimpod vs Noom: what’s the difference?

One of the questions I have been asked more and more frequently lately is about the differences between Noom and Slimpod, so I thought I’d take time to address them here.

Behavioural change and its link to weight loss is being over-used right now because lots of big slimming companies have decided to distance themselves from dieting, which has become a dirty word.

Noom says it is a behavioural change app and Slimpod is too.

So what’s the difference?

Before I begin, I want to just make clear that I’m not disrespecting or criticising any other weight-loss programmes. I’m not saying Slimpod is better than Noom – just giving you the facts on the differences to help allay confusion.

Noom vs Slimpod: the key differences

Let me begin with the single biggest difference:

1. Noom works with the conscious mind, which means you have to put conscious effort into behaviour change. Its system uses mindfulness and some other conscious cognitive techniques, but you have to spend time focusing on changing your behaviour and beliefs, etc.
   A lot of people feel happy with doing it this way because they feel they’re in control when they have to input daily information on an app.
2. Slimpod works with your whole mind and some of your brain too! And yes it works with your conscious mind through the coaching, but, importantly and uniquely, it works with your subconscious which is where habits are generated and processed and your automatic and instinctive behaviours are “stored”.
   The subconscious is also where limiting beliefs and emotions are stored.
   Slimpod gently changes your behaviours without you even knowing much about it.
   This is why we ask you to record your changes, feelings and wins at the end of each day.
   You are effortlessly changing your eating habits. Also over time Slimpod REVERSES your limiting beliefs and bad habits that you’ve accumulated over the years.
   It also helps to take the emotion out of eating to give you a fighting chance to take back control
3. Noom focuses on food and calories, and you have to track what you eat every day.
   Slimpod doesn’t ‘tell’ you what to eat OR include a food plan because we believe that deep down inside you’ve learned what’s healthy and what isn’t, you’ve just stopped trusting yourself.
   I know there’s a lot of confusion about food, but Slimpod gently guides your subconscious to help you WANT to choose healthier options and helps you lose the desire for the snacks and sweet stuff, naturally and automatically.
   Also the way the mind works is that what’s on your mind is brought to mind. If you’re focusing on food most of the time by tracking, food is on your mind constantly – including the food you can’t have. Because really whether it’s good food or bad food it’s all food – your subconscious doesn’t differentiate. So Slimpod helps put food at the back of your mind.
4. Noom asks you to step on the scales as a way of tracking your weight loss.
5. Slimpod asks you to stay away from the scales unless you find they motivate you. For the vast majority of people the scales become a trigger and this interferes with your mood.

We believe there are plenty of other ways of tracking how you’re doing that don’t trigger emotions.

What do Slimpodders say about Noom?

But don’t just take my word for it! I asked those of our members who have had experience of both programmes to give us their honest views too. Read on…

“I signed up for Noom and cancelled it very quickly when I realised that it is actually a calorie counting plan with a fairly tight allowance supplemented by advice and colour coding for foods to encourage you to eat less energy dense foods to fill you up. You have to enter your food into the food diary and literally the first thing I entered, a yogurt available in all UK supermarkets was not on the list. There is also some counselling/advice but it’s all computer generated. Not like our Sandra who puts so much time and effort into supporting us, along with Lynn and Kate.”

“You have to count all your food with Noom, so it’s a diet you have to follow. They do have support but not in the same way as Slimpod, which feels more personal and is definitely not a diet. Plus Noom doesn’t have Sandra.”

“I did Noom for a while but it’s pretty basic calorie counting and because it’s American it doesn’t recognise all of our English products .There is supposed to be support on line too but I had to wait a long time for someone to get back to me. You are asked to weigh yourself every day in order to take away the fear of stepping on the scales but it’s no way to live.”

“I liked the concept of Noom but I couldn’t be bothered with it so I didn’t make it past the free trial. Slimpod is the complete opposite, you don’t track your food and you don’t weigh yourself, the whole point is to forget about food and behave like a slim person – just eat when you are hungry, smaller portions etc. I’m sure everyone here has calorie counted for years and we all know what food is bad for us, just need to stop craving it all the time which the pods help with by retraining your subconscious.”

“Noom takes quite a different approach. Focuses on calorie density as a way of planning and managing food intake, emphasising foods with low calorie density without banning those with a high calorie density. The app tracks your steps and tells you the number of calories your steps have burned. You weigh in daily – which is intended to gradually desensitise you to the horror of the scales. You have a personal coach and a support group of other Noomers. It offers daily coaching in psychological tools to help manage all the various kinds of wobbles and weaknesses one encounters. Although the two take rather different approaches, I’m finding that from the two of them I can synthesise something that seems to work for me.”

“I signed up for [Noom’s] free trial about 2 months after Slimpod, just wanting guidance on “good” food choices. Cancelled within an hour, saw the “weigh yourself everyday” thing and went NOPE! I don’t have an obsession or unhealthy relationship with the scales and that sounds like a really good way to get one!”

“I joined Noom for the 2 week trial back in early October – but gave up during the trial and moved to Slimpod. It drove me crazy! I hadn’t been food or calories obsessed before, but I certainly was on Noom.”

“Initially Noom was quite good as you have an article to read every day, cones with a recipe book too (fundamentally low carb) but I quickly felt like I fell behind… plus I didn’t like the daily weighing. This is much better.”

“Loved both Noom and Slimpod equally – and have kept a mix of both approaches.”

“I tried Noom earlier this year but it all got a bit much with all the reading and logging and everything. At least with the slimpod videos, they’re far quicker to engage with.”

“I lost a bit of weight using Noom a few years ago, but I found that once I plateaued it all came back on and the constant food diaries made me think about food all the time. I’m so much happier without it.”

Head over to our YouTube channel to watch my video here on the differences between Slimpod and Noom, or browse the ‘how it works’ section and the rest of our blogs for more information on Slimpod.

As always, I love to read your comments about the issues discussed in my blogs; please share your thoughts with me in the space below.

 

The post Slimpod vs Noom: what’s the difference? appeared first on Slimpod.

Slimpod has freed me from emotional eating and given me back my life https://t.co/mrosbvG9c1

Slimpod has freed me from emotional eating and given me back my life https://t.co/mrosbvG9c1

— sosnicaragua (@sosnicaragua) February 23, 2021

from Twitter https://twitter.com/sosnicaragua

Slimpod has freed me from emotional eating and given me back my life

This week I thought I’d hand over my usual blog spot to a very special guest: Slimpod Community Manager Lynn Haddrell, who has written a wonderfully inspiring summary of her Slimpod journey so far and what it has meant to her. It’s about SO much more than weight loss!

Last weekend (Valentine’s Day, to be exact) was my official Slimpod birthday and I thought I’d take time to reflect on the past 12 months.

Well, where to begin? I could write a novel about the positive changes that have happened for me over the past year but I’ll try to keep it to a synopsis or at least a short story.

Some of you may only know me as one of your Community Managers but I’m also a Podder, just like you, on my own Slimpod adventure and I joined the day after my lovely friend and fellow Community Manager, Kate Morris. Happy anniversary sweetie!

One thing that was key for me in the beginning was that I was ready for change and open to learning about a new way of living. I was also determined to make a conscious effort to stop comparing myself to anyone else and follow my own path.

I was wrung out from 40 years of yo-yo dieting, calorie counting, starvation, feeling miserable and craving love and approval anywhere I could find it (those tubs of Ben and Jerry’s, box after box of Magnums and truckloads of sweets and chocolates lied when they said they loved me).

From craving to be thin and beautiful I’d then eat my way to undesirability and oblivion. Food was my morning, noon and night. I was ruled by my all-consuming secret binge eating and riddled with guilt. I was weary from the constant self-loathing, the self-harm, the terrible black depression that never went away and chronic physical pain. I was weary from pretending to be happy and fun when actually my first thought on waking every morning was disappointment that I was still alive and then a feeling of terror deep in the pit of my stomach at having to get up and go out into the world. On the rare occasion I looked in the mirror I was vile to the poor woman in the reflection. As someone who has experienced both physical and mental abuse, it now makes me so sad to think how, ultimately, I was abusing myself in such a horrific way. I’d never talk to another living soul in that way and I’m so grateful to have learned I’m worthy to love and be loved.

LYNN’S STORY

Take a look back at Sandra’s interview with Lynn from November, where she discussed her new-found freedom from emotional eating:

One year on and I’m still me, but a me I could only ever dream about; a me I used to think was destined to remain hidden forever.

LYNN’S WINS

I don’t eat in secret any more, ever!

I overeat occasionally but when I do I tell someone and it’s OK because I know I’ll get back on track

I enjoy exercising every day (who knew!)

I cook from scratch and enjoy that too (I thought chefs were weird, I mean why bother with all that faffing about making sauces when you can simply buy them pre-made in a jar filled with sugar and who knows what other gut destroying and addictive additives)

I’ve had maybe a dozen drinks in the last year. I haven’t tried to give up the booze, I just don’t crave alcohol at all

I’ve dropped three dress sizes

My scrubs that were splitting at the seams are now hanging off me and it feels great not having to worry that my backside might burst out every time I have to get down on my knees and wrestle a Rottweiler! My boss has ordered me a size SMALL

I’ve melted away lots of fat on the inside and the outside… over 7 inches gone from my waist and loads more from everywhere else

My BMI is now in the healthy range

I have loads more energy

My physical body hurts so much less and even with osteoarthritis and osteoporosis I’m fitter now than in my 30s and 40s

I’m kind to myself

I can look in the mirror and smile

I’m brave and have confidence in my own ability

I believed I had the skills and personal attributes to begin a new chapter as a Community Manager for Slimpod and made it happen!

I’m happy in my own skin (even the saggy bits)

I no longer take or need antidepressants because I have the self-awareness and tools to help myself in other ways and the courage to ask for help if I’m still struggling

I’m positive and happy

I am good enough

I’m hopeful for the future

AND WEIGHT LOSS TOO…

For anyone new to the programme you may be confused as to why “lost ‘X’ amount of weight” isn’t included in my list of highlights. I understand you’ve joined to drop weight; so did I – after all it’s not called ThinkingHappier, ThinkingKinder, ThinkingConfident, ThinkingPositive or ThinkingResilient… it’s ThinkingSlimmer! But I feel all of these things. I didn’t feel any of them before Slimpod and the weight loss has become secondary.

But yes, I have lost a lot of weight. Quickly initially, then much slower, with a few blips and long plateaus along the way. But it doesn’t matter how much I’ve lost, this is my journey not yours. I’ve usually weighed every 2-3 months because reaching a healthy BMI was my goal. Over Christmas I could tell by the feel of my clothes I’d gotten a bit bigger, but for the first time I didn’t panic and I certainly didn’t weigh! I told my inner saboteur to bog off! By January 14 I weighed again knowing whatever the scales said wouldn’t affect me and was thrilled to weigh the same as on my previous weigh-in on November 14. For comparison, between Christmas 2019 and joining Slimpod in February 2020 I’d piled on 2 stone, so I’m taking maintaining with a slight swell in the middle as a huge win!

Well, I’ve had a great month, but I’ve worked for it! Emotionally it’s been one of the toughest. Being separated from my children due to Covid has become harder than I could have imagined and the realisation that my brother who passed away in September is never coming back is really sinking in and I’m still heartbroken. I miss my friends. I miss hugs so much. I’m fighting against agoraphobia as I used to have panic attacks in crowded places and even the current semi-empty supermarkets can still put the fear of God in me. My other job at the vets is relentless and exhausting at the moment. We wear full PPE all day and aren’t permitted to take our masks off unless we are outside and away from the building. We need to keep our staff and clients safe. I get dehydrated. I eat lunch in my car. I will forever be in awe and full of gratitude for everything every single carer and NHS worker does and will never take them for granted again.

Having a great month has meant that rather than turning to my old ‘friend’ food, I’ve pushed on with eating less, moving more and choosing better. I’ve dropped 7lbs and another inch off my waist. How? I did a new goal map, have started a new journal, listen to my pods, put aside time every day for self-care, upped my exercise, drink more water, read up on healthy eating, choose not to eat refined sugar and cook everything from scratch. But although I’ve worked for it, I haven’t deprived myself. I’m not on a diet! It’s so easy to slip back to diet mode when you think of restricting certain foods or ‘having’ to exercise but the penny has finally dropped that healthy eating and exercise isn’t a diet, it’s a lifestyle choice and by thinking of it this way I genuinely don’t feel deprived at all.

And I’m not scared of feeling hungry anymore. I was always hungry as a child and somehow as an adult this turned into making myself believe that I needed to feel full to bursting all the time to feel safe. Feeling hungry was really bad and meant bad things would happen. Now if my belly rumbles I’ll have a drink, maybe focus on an activity, wait a bit and if I’m still hungry, guess what, I have something to eat. It wasn’t easy and I messed up plenty of times but with time and patience I think I’m there.

I chose not to eat chocolate, sweets or Magnums (yum) for a month as I was feeling sluggish after enjoying myself but overindulging at Christmas. I wanted to see what I could do to feel better but I still ate ‘normal’ food, including a rather large gluten-free pasty that hubby bought back from a business trip to Cornwall last week and it didn’t enter my head to worry about the pastry (horror) or the number of calories (double horror). It was delicious and it was no big deal. I also made a batch of cakes this month and ate them too (just not all at once). Normalising the way I feel about food has set me free. It’s about balance. It’s about trusting yourself but not beating yourself up when things go a bit off track because sometimes they will. And that’s OK. It’s about keeping calm and carrying on.

EMBRACING THE MAGIC

I often call Slimpod magic, and it is, but I think of myself as the magician, Trevor and Sandra as my glamorous assistants and all you lovely people as the best audience ever, smiling and clapping and willing me to do well! And Slimpod is magic, it gives you the tools to succeed and a gentle nudge in the right direction, but you do have to choose to pick up those tools and do some work. You do need to take responsibility for yourself and the choices you make. You’ll get out what you put in. After all, even the best magicians need practice every day to fine tune their performance. Any time you put on your own magical FB extravaganza I’ll be in the audience rooting for you. And if things don’t always go to plan don’t worry, you can take a break, have a kind and honest conversation with yourself and see what you can do to make things better. Nothing is ruined, no wagons have been derailed, it’s just a blip, a rubbish moment or even a rubbish day. But that’s OK. It’s just a day and tomorrow is a new one. You might just need a bit more practice. And if you’re still not sure what to do, you can reach out for support here. There’s no shortage of that in this wonderful community! Either way, I’ll be here with the rest of the Group cheering you on and clapping like a demented seal!

Thank you so much to Sandra, Trevor, my dear Buddies (you know who you are) and also every single one of you lovely Podders. You are all truly fantastic and being here with you has made all the difference. I have never known such a kind, safe and supportive place. When someone is happy we love to celebrate with them. When someone falls down, we help them get back up with ideas, encouragement and positivity.

Please, please always look for the bright side. Even on days when it’s really hard. The dark side is not a nice place to be. The sun never really goes away and will always appear from behind the clouds, shining brightly once any storm has passed.

I am finally happy in my own skin and glad to be alive. I can feel joy and find it in the simplest of things. It’s taken 40 years, so maybe I’ve been a slow burner but this is who I am now and I’m never going back.

Take inspiration from Lynn’s journey!

Whether you’re considering signing up to Slimpod, you’ve just begun your journey with us or you’re an ‘old hand’, I’m sure there will be much of Lynn’s account that rings true for you too.

Don’t forget, if you’re already a member you can join me on our Slimpod Club page for a Facebook Live tonight at 8pm UK time.

If you’re a Slimpodder who’s not on Facebook or Instagram, there’s free Zoom support especially for you. Join Kate every Wednesday at 10am at www.goldgatherings.com

I love to read all your comments, so if Lynn’s journey has resonated with you, please let me know in the space below.

The post Slimpod has freed me from emotional eating and given me back my life appeared first on Slimpod.

How Gill rediscovered her weight loss mojo https://t.co/o1MHogCHrg

How Gill rediscovered her weight loss mojo https://t.co/o1MHogCHrg

— sosnicaragua (@sosnicaragua) February 10, 2021

from Twitter https://twitter.com/sosnicaragua