#MUMenTUM - Things they are a-changing...

Good morning ladies -  I hope you are all well and feeling positive!!

I am now into the second week of using the Slimpod and although I haven't shed masses of weight (3/4lb at weigh-in on Saturday morning) I am beginning to notice a change in the way I am thinkng about food and eating. My portions are definitely getting smaller and my food choices are getting better.
A case in point -  yesterday I went to the Tewkesbury Medieval Fayre with my MIL and SIL. We go every year, usually the whole family but the OH really didn't feel like it and the Little Man was happy to stay at home with Daddy and watch World Superbikes and F1 on the TV. This year it was packed to the gills and by lunchtime the queues out of the food tents were ridiculous so we found ourselves a nice refreshing fruit juice slushy (which was yummy!) and decided to carry on shopping and get food on the way home. Which meant McDonalds...
After ordering strawberry shakes to take back for the boys I surprised myself totally by going for the Grilled Chicken Salad Wrap and a bottle of water. No fries. No coke. No McFlurry.  I think the messages ARE getting through!*
The changes are not only food related. Looking back on my week of success log enteries and I see that I am feeling a lot more relaxed about what I can and cannot do and ultimately I seem to be achieving more each day because of it! My creative mojo seems to be returning AND I seem to be finding it easier to keep on top of the housework as well.
It seems there is more to me being the me I want to be than just simply losing weight...

*just in case you are interested you can work out the nutrirional information of your McD's meal by going to their UK website and adding your meal items to a list that adds up total calories, fat, sugar and salt. It's an eye opener!

#Mumentum Thinking Slimmer...

Hi ladies! Have been a bit lazy these past couple of weeks. Our lovely holiday in Yorkshire saw the diet on hold for a week as we lived mainly on fish and chips and ice-cream! I put on a couple of pounds that week and then spent last week moaning to myself about tightening waistbands and lack of will-power.
By Thursday I had had enough. Various things went pear-shaped, we had no money for food shopping and life just seemed to be one hard slog...

So I sat myself down and had a long, hard chat with myself.

In the old days I was pretty good at living in the 'now', enjoying the moment and trusting that what ever was needed to get me through would be provided. Somehow.  I think it is time to start getting that groove back. I think that would go a long way to  helping me feel 'me' again...
So I told myself to stop worrying about the future, next week, next month, next year, and start concentrating on the here and the now. We'll do what we can do in this moment and trust that we will find a way to do what needs to be done tomorrow...

Post arrives on Friday with letters from both the water company and electric/gas supplier. *GROAN*
Unbelievably the water supplier has halved our monthly direct debit as we were paying too much and even more unbelievably the electric company were refunding our over-payments from the past year to the tune of £170!!! Is this what they mean by 'the universe will provide' I wonder?
More remarkably still, a stroll down into town later reveals a fabulous red dress, only one left and in my size, and pair of shoes, both reduced, so I could even justify buying a new outfit for the wedding we were attending on Saturday...

It's the little things :)

With my little windfall I also 'treated' myself to a 'Slimpod' - I have heard so much about this weight loss method based on cognitive hypnotherapy and have been wanting to try it out but really couldn't find the money to pay for it. Until I stopped trying to find it! I am on day 2 so really too early to tell if it's working yet but I have high hopes!
One of the keys to the Thinking Slimmer programme is setting realistic goals to focus on and making them public - they suggest pinning them up on the fridge door (which I have done) but I also thought I would share them you as well....

1. To fit comfortably back into my pre-pregnancy size 14 clothes
2. To practice my Yoga stretches and breathing on a regular (daily) basis once again
3. To find the energy and enthusiasm to do all the things I WANT to do as well as all the things I NEED to do...

I will keep you ladies posted.

#MUMenTUM : Give me back my energy please!

It's no secret, I am knackered! A constant nagging  'woman-on-the-edge-of-exhaustion' feeling has taken over my life the past year or so. It affects everything I attempt to do, from dropping (and breaking) china whilst washing up, to breaking down in tears when one more thing doesn't go to plan.And before you ask, I DID got to the doctor who said I wasn't suffering from depression, just difficult circumstances and I needed to rest! Yeah, right!

A recent survey of 1002 mums with children under ten by Opinion Matters for B Record Plus, a liquid food supplement by sigma-tau, on the effects of exhaustion revealed that an astonishing 77% of mums forget why they have started a task and 76% regularly misplace items such as keys and mobile phones (I do this all the time and usually end up running around and flapping like a headless chicken until keys/phone/purse turn up exactly where I put them down...)  One in five didn't feel safe when driving the school run due to tiredness and 71% privately admit that they are left exhausted with the toll of everyday life and motherhood.

It would seem I am not alone...

So when I was offered a 10 day trial pack of B Record Plus to judge it's energy boosting effects for myself I jumped at the chance. In a lovely briefing email I had I was told not to expect to see results instantly as the micro nutrients take a couple of days to do their work. I am on day 3 and to be honest not noticing any great difference yet but another 5am wake up call from the Little Man has probably not helped...

I really hope the effects kick in soon as I could do with a boost (or a kick up the backside) to get me back on the exercise bike!

And so for all you MUMenTUM ladies here's a little video by B Record Plus with Nell McAndrew giving us some simple exercise tips. I will keep you updated on my energy reclaiming process!!