This post is part of the Weigh in Wednesday Linky that I’m hosting with Emma from Sunshine and Rain. It’s a fab way to connect with other bloggers who are on their weight loss journey. So, if you’re a blogger, check out the info at the end of the post to find out how you can join in and add your own post. And if you’re not, check out the links at the end of this post for more great weight loss related content!
In last week’s Weigh in Wednesday post, I made my weight public and promised I would keep you updated with my weekly progress. So, that’s what I’m doing today.
I was terrified last week. Telling all of my friends and family (who had better be reading my blog, or they’ll be in trouble) – plus god knows how many strangers – how much I weigh, was not at the top of my “fun things to do” list. But, it’s actually been really great. I’ve received so many messages of support and knowing I’d have to come back and share my progress with you all has kept me motivated and, mostly, away from the snacks.
If you don’t like spoilers, look away now! I haven’t had a 100% week. But life isn’t 100% anything, is it? Did I feel bad when I slipped off the diet wagon? Yes. Do I wish I hadn’t done it? No. Not really. I did at the time, but life is too short to put that kind of pressure on myself and keep stressing about it. Did it ruin my whole week? Let’s find out!
Day 1 was easy. Day 1 always is, right? Even my somewhat shaky motivation can usually manage to keep me going through Day 1. And, this time, I have the extra pressure of telling the whole world how much I weigh! I had Exante’s Cookies & Cream Bar, Strawberry Shake and Chocolate Mint Shake on Wednesday. These are my three favourite Exante products. I did feel hungry, but I’ve done meal replacement diets before, so I was expecting that. I knew it wouldn’t last long, so it was fairly easy to ignore it.
Day 2 wasn’t too bad, either! I had a bit of a headache, but I was expecting that, too. My usual diet is very carb-heavy, so my body wasn’t too happy about going low carb. But, I knew that wouldn’t last either and I’d be fine by Day 4. Thursday’s menu was a Banana Shake, Chocolate Orange Bar and Chocolate Coconut Bar. I love chocolate. That’s why I need to diet. So these bars feel like a treat and satisfy my sweet tooth. I promise I’ll do a post reviewing the actual products soon.
Day 3 and my motivation was still going strong! Unfortunately, so was the headache. But ibuprofen and lots of water kept it at bay and I was confident it will be gone by morning. On the upside, I didn’t feel hungry at all. Which suggests my body was going into ketosis, which is fab for fat loss. Not being hungry also makes it easier to stick to the diet. I chose three bars on Friday – the Chocolate Caramel Bar, Lemon Bar and Peanut Butter Bar. I’m not usually a fan of lemon flavoured foods, but when I placed my latest order with Exante, I knew I’d be blogging about my journey and I wanted to try as many different products as I could. I was really pleasantly surprised. The lemon wasn’t overpowering and I like the texture of the the cereal-type bars.
Day 4 is where my week fell apart. The twins had the devil in them on Saturday! They drove me to food, I swear! I shouldn’t blame the twins for my terrible relationship with comfort eating. But I couldn’t turn to wine, because I was on my own with Jack and Alice all day. And also because I don’t like wine. But I do like food. Clearly. Anyway, I started the day with good intentions and a White Chocolate and Raspberry Exante Bar. I didn’t feel hungry, my headache was gone and I was feeling motivated. But then Jack and Alice spent all morning bickering and ignoring everything I said to them. So, being toddlers, basically. It started with a little sausage roll, when the twins had their lunch. And then I had a packet of NikNaks. And an ice cream cone with a small scoop of raspberry ripple ice cream. And 5 chocolate buttons. I suppose it could have been worse. If Mr Becca hadn’t come home from work when he did, I probably would have ordered pizza.
Day 5… Can we all just agree that weekends are hard and leave it at that? No? OK. Sunday was not a good day. I mean, it was a great day for me, but it wasn’t a great day for my diet. In fact, Sunday kind of made me want to take back this whole public weight loss journey thing. But since that particular Pandora’s Box has already been opened, I guess I’ll just have to be honest instead. It started at the cinema (Mamma Mia 2, in case you were wondering, and yes – it was really good!) with a three scoop ice cream sundae and a large Tango Ice Blast (which were also really good). And it ended with sweet and sour chicken balls and chips from Mr Becca’s favourite Chinese takeaway for dinner. Oops.
Day 6 and we’re back in the game! I stayed 100% on track from start to finish and drank plenty of water to help my body deal with all the salty Chinese food I ate on Sunday! I tried not to spend too much time feeling bad about going off track. It really doesn’t do anything except set you up for another failure – worrying about the past wouldn’t change it, right? That’s the biggest thing I learned in CBT – try not to worry about the things you can’t do anything about. It doesn’t achieve anything except making you feel worse. So I got on with my day and focused on not letting a bad weekend turn into a bad week. In case you were wondering, I stuck to Exante Shakes today. I figured the extra water and lack of solid, bulky food, might help with damage limitation! I had the classics – Chocolate, Strawberry and Banana – all of which I already knew I liked. There are lots of different ways to mix the shakes. Exante even sell their own Shaker Bottle, which is handy when you’re out and about, but I personally like to make mine in a blender with ice. It gives the shake a really nice texture and I prefer the taste when they’re cold.
Day 7 was the 13th anniversary of me and Mr Becca getting together. I’m really starting to think I picked the wrong week to start this weight loss journey! We went to Chiquitos for lunch and then I had another sundae and Tango Ice Blast at the cinema (Skyscraper – like Die Hard, in a taller building, with The Rock instead of Bruce Willis – pretty good!). We had a lovely day, but it did make me a bit nervous for my weigh in. Life is too short to watch my husband eat ice cream while I sip water. Especially on our anniversary!
So that brings us up to this morning and #WeighinWednesday! I was really nervous about getting on those scales, but I was pleasantly surprised! Drum roll, please!
Last week’s weigh in (to save you checking back) was 15st 11lb (221lb) and today’s…
Date – 25/7/2018
Weight – 15st 5lb (215lb)
So that’s a 6lb loss! I’m super pleased with that, because I haven’t been 100% all week. Imagine what I could have lost, if I hadn’t come off plan over the weekend and yesterday! Exante really is a great option for fast weight loss, but I’m not kidding myself into thinking it will continue to produce results like today’s if I keep coming off plan. As with any diet, consistency is key. So the plan is to be 100% for the next week, to make sure the good results continue!
How has your week been? I’d love for you to comment and let me know! And, remember, if you’re a blogger with a post related to your weight loss journey, we’d love for you to add your link below!
[inlinkz_linkup id=790427 mode=1]
Thank you for this linky! Here’s my blog post on getting motivation to lose weight. https://www.arosetintedworld.co.uk/finding-motivation-lose-weight/
Thanks, Jo! To add your post to the linky, there should be a little blue button at the end of my post that says “add your link”, if you click on that and follow the instructions, your post will be added to the linky so everyone can see it ?
Well done! I’ve been really ill this week and eaten anything I fancied. I stayed the same, I’ll take that! I would never have the willpower to do a meal replacement diet so good luck!
Staying the same is good, if you’ve been ill and not on track! Well done! x
Well done. I watched a programme not that long ago about weight loss in shakes and they did say if you do a 12 week program on them and then slowly introduce 1 meal back at a time,it works. Look forward to seeing how you get on next week 🙂
Thank you! It can definitely work, if you’re careful about how you reintroduce food ?
I loved this, it’s so motivating to know I’m not alone in my attempts to avoid chocolate every second of the day!! The important thing to remember is that you’re not sharing this to be shamed, you’re sharing to be accountable. So a couple of days weren’t the best, you did really well the rest of the week. 6lbs for goodness sake, that’s amazing! Keep up the good work, I’m so excited to see where you are next week 🙂 #weighinwednesday
Definitely not alone ? my whole life is an exercise in avoiding chocolate ? good luck for next week! xx
Yay, well done hun. I’ll definitely be reading every week to keep you in check lol.
This week is a tough one for me, 2 years into my weight disposal journey and I’ve got to decide whether to move my target! I spent about 9 months bouncing in and out of my target zone. My love of food combined with mummy tiredness doesn’t help with making the best choices! Suddenly, I’ve found my groove though so now comes the toning exercises ????
Mummy tiredness makes everything tricky! You’ve done so well with your weight disposal (love that lol)! x
Hi Becca! Are you eating these bars as meal replacements or as low-calorie snacks? The names of the snack bars sound very sweet and sugary! Do they contain enough protein, fibre and carbohydrates for the recommended daily levels?
Bless you for worrying about me ? they’re meal replacements. Each Exante product contains a third of the daily required nutrients. They sound sweet and sugary, but they’re not, really. They’re high protein, low carb (although not as low carb as some keto diets recommend). I promise, it’s perfectly safe and my GP knows I’m on a very low calorie diet ? hope you’re well! xx
I really commend your honesty and openness. For the Chinese takeaway, having plain white rice or a vegetable side dish would be a great calorie saver, or bringing your own drinks and snacks to the cinema. In the past I’ve made popcorn at home from the kernels, with a sprinkle of salt, and brought it with me in an air-tight bag. Or grapes or a mix of unsalted nuts and raisins to snack on ?
Those are all great tips, thanks!
6lbs loss is superb, well done!
The flavours of those shakes sound delicious too, thanks for creating this linky! xx
Thank you! The shakes are really nice!
This is great. I’d love to get involved in the linky. I’ve been on my weightloss journey since last year. I have lost 4 stone so far so this will definitely help with my motivation and hope to inspire others too. Also gives me a weekly content for my blog.
That’s great, Sonia! We’d love for you to get involved with the linky. It will be open again at 8am on Wednesday morning and will stay open until 8pm on Sunday night, so there’s plenty of time to add your post 🙂 Hopefully it will help drive extra traffic to your blog, too x