Lose Weight and Keep it Off

Lose 5% Now! Image by Alan Cleaver I mentioned a few weeks ago that I’d reached 5% of my body weight and that I was going to tell you the benefits of that. It is worth noting that the majority of the benefits I will write about depend on the amount of weight that you need to lose but are for the average person. Reduce Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Arguably the most beneficial aspect of losing 5% of your body weight is reducing the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. This form of diabetes is common with those who are overweight and is to do with blood sugar and insulin. Lower the Blood Pressure Another benefit is that your blood pressure will lower. This means that you are less at risk of a heart attack or stroke, among other diseases and conditions. Improves Mobility You will find that you can move more by losing just 5% of your starting weight. You won’t be out of breath as much by just walking down to the shops and will be able to tackle the stairs in your ...

With Christmas just around the corner, you may be worried about gaining weight. I’m planning on this Christmas being the first one that I lose weight and will be trying very hard to stay on track. Here are 4 tips to help you stay on track and lose weight this Christmas. Cook Christmas Dinner Yourself If you can, host Christmas Dinner this year. It is the best way to know exactly what you are eating and the amount of ProPoints in the food (if you are following Weight Watchers). You will be able to switch the full-fat options for light or no-fat and search for the healthiest desserts to enjoy after dinner. We’re doing Christmas dinner this year because of the baby but it means I can really concentrate on everything that we have. I’m making my own stuffing so I know what is going in it and only buying things that I know are in my ProPoints allowance. Save ProPoints for Dessert It can be tempting to have seconds of the turkey and potatoes, but what about dessert?...

I know I haven't updated my weekly weight loss for a while. The last time I weighed in at Weight Watchers, I'd lost 3.5lbs! I was ill that week and put a lot of my weight loss down to that. Over the next few weeks I won't be weighing in. It isn't because I've given up on my weight loss - I really haven't! - it is because there are no Weight Watchers meetings over Christmas and the New Year. I will be tracking everything I eat though and hoping for a weight loss this Christmas. Good luck to all those losing weight over Christmas and I will see you all in the New Year. I will keep this blog updating though over the next few weeks with tips and tricks to lose weight.

So, Weight Watchers has changed. When I heard about this change happening a couple of weeks ago, all I could think about was “oh no, not again!” Weight Watchers UK changed just two years ago to the ProPoints plan. I found out about the changes at my meeting on Tuesday and was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t a change as such – there were just new tools being added and I got a new folder that makes it much easier to keep my Weight Watchers life together. New Tools – Not Very Helpful for Me These new tools involve taking a new approach to Weight Watchers. It involves making a few simple changes to habits to help with weight loss and knowing the things that sabotage the efforts to lose weight. Why does this not help me? Well, I’m in the mindset of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” (remember me telling you about that last week). My current way of working at the plan works! I have “pig out night” on a Tuesday after my weight in and then get back on the plan on a Wedn...

This week I lost another pound! I reached my first stone and I have to say that I feel so much better. To celebrate my weight loss, I went out and bought a new dress - well, my husband bought me a new dress for a wedding that we are going to next week. It felt great to walk around stores and try on new clothes but being able to opt for a smaller size than I could just five months ago after having my daughter. I even managed to pick dresses that were just slightly bigger than I used to fit in and ended up with a size 12! The same size that I was before having my baby! That surprised me even more and definitely put a smile on my face. What Did I Do Differently? Nothing different this week. Remember last week when I said that I don't fix something that isn't broken? Well, I'm definitely not changing this. I will keep going until I stop losing weight - which I know I will do at some point as I'm bound to hit a plateo. But, I'm ready for that whenever it happens an...

This week I lost 1lb. I'm just 1/2lb away from my first stone! I was gutted to see that I only had a half to lose for that stone but it just makes me more determined to have a good weight loss this week. What Did I Do Differently? Not much actually. I think I have found something that works for me and I'm going to stick with it for now. My motto is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" so I am sticking with that. All I can really do is increase the amount of exercise that I do and look at ways to make my life healthier as well as helping myself lose weight - may that should be my next goal! Baby group has become a regular thing for my daughter and me and we (well I since she is in a buggy) always walk down. This is a good 15 minute walk away and we tend to have a wander around the high street afterwards. I tend to gain 1 activity propoint every Friday now, at least. What Will I Do Next Week? It is a case of sticking to something that is working. I have...