Well, I've changed a few things and now I definitely have something different!

Well, it's been 16 weeks since I posted my first blog and a good few weeks since I posted the last one. I am very pleased to say that I've found making one small change at a time to be really rewarding.  I'm 28 pounds lighter (which gives me an overall weight loss of 3 stones and 11 pounds, yay) and that means that I'm two dress sizes smaller than I was in June and you cannot begin to imagine the joy that has brought me :) !

During the weeks that I haven't blogged I've been rather busy.  I've been studying for my diploma in Clinical Nutrition and Weight Management and that has given me lots of food for thought (all low cal of course!).  So much so that I have documented my approach to losing weight and I've formulated a plan that I would really like to share with you.  My plan is called Healthy Habits and it's a very sensible approach to losing weight.  It advocates eating a healthy and varied diet and it looks at targetting any bad habits you may have developed and replacing them with something different which will help you in your weight loss journey.  There are two different approaches that you can take with Healthy Habits:

• Plan 1:  This is a structured eating plan which will encourage you to eat three square meals per day plus snacks, without the need for any points counting or similar mechanism.  You also get the option to add in some indulgences each week if you want to and you will learn to balance these options.  This is the plan that I have phased into by changing one small thing at a time and I've averaged a weight loss of 2lbs per week (others who have trialled it for me have seen similar results).  It's not a rapid weight loss plan; those really don't work in the long term.   It's all about a sensible and self aware approach to eating that will help you embed healthier habits in the longer term.  
• Plan 2:  I really struggled with other plans that I tried, mainly because I found the level of commitment needed to fully embrace it difficult to sustain in the long term.  Plan 2 is for anyone who finds it very difficult to stick to a healthy eating plan for more than a few weeks at a time.  Plan 2 helps to phase you in to Plan 1 and gives you one thing at a time to work on.  This worked really well for me, especially as I have a very temperamental tummy and I was gradually able to move from a highly processed diet to one which is far healthier and packed with tasty and filling foods that have clear health benefits. 

Healthy Habits will be taking place at 6:30 each Thursday at the Corby Old Village Community Centre from the 6th October so please come along if you would like to know more.  If you register during October you will not need to pay the usual £4 registration fee, and the weekly fee is £4.50, with 25p from every subs going to the Lakelands Hospice.  If you are already using the services of another weight loss club and it's working for you I would fully recommend that you stick with it.  If something is working well it would seem sensible to stay with it, and I would hate to take people away from any other group.

If anyone would like to know more you can contact me at changeonesmallthing@gmail.com or on 07506 765085.