Thursday, July 28, 2016

The Booty Loss Continues >> With SML



A Week Of SML


I've tried a few weight loss programmes now including a couple of VLCD (very low calorie) ones which have been pretty successful. I lost a grand total of 5 stone last year, mostly through slow and steady healthy eating and increased movement, with a little help from previous diet trials.

Since Christmas I have struggled big time to get back on track and I have yo-yo'd all year resulting in a very embarrassing, somewhat shameful two stone gain. I'll be kind to myself, I have had a tough time with back pain and feeling low which is never helpful to weight loss, despite the fact that gaining weight does nothing but make those things even worse, it's a vicious circle!

I was recently asked to trial diet brand SML, a similar VLCD programme to other brands and I was excited to try these out for a week in the hope a sharp jolt in the right direction could kick start my weight loss and motivation.

I was invited to choose my weeks worth of products, including four meal replacements per day, which would be alongside a once daily healthy low calorie meal. I was very pleased that I would get a bite of real food in my day and hoped I would find my mojo.

The Products

My products arrived tightly packed in plastic packaging with each product in its individual pretty plain looking foil sachets. I noticed that one of my shake packets had burst in transit so most sachets were covered in lovely smelling chocolate orange powder. I'm sure this would have been easily rectified and replaced had I called to inform SML.



The packaging wasn't very exciting to look at, but the taste and result is far more important anyway! The parcel also contained some really helpful leaflets giving me a guide on how to do the diet, how much water to drink and how to prepare the meals. There was a nice 'vibe' to the branding and I felt pretty motivated to get started and divided my foods up into 7 separate bags for the week ahead.

It was nice to see a good mix of foods from chilli mixes to chocolate brownie shakes which just so happened to be my favourite! The meals are packed with vitamins and nutrients and are designed to be a healthy way to achieve successful weight loss.

The diet

I got started straight away with a fresh mindset, eager to get started and shift a few pounds. Week one is usually pretty impressive so I couldn't wait to get to that 7th day weigh in.

The products were not bad in portion size and filling enough alongside the water to drink to not feel too ravenous through the day which really helps. You can also have certain veggies alongside which was really handy for snacking, my favourite being fresh peppers.



I completed my first day with no problems, I enjoyed a healthy chicken salad tea and went to bed feeling satisfied that I had pulled off a good day and not cheated once, something that really should be a lot easier than it is at the moment.

By day two my willpower had shamefully already started to dwindle, it was nothing major just the odd bite of the kids dinner or swig of milk that I shouldn't be having. By day three I had decided that I just wasn't in the right mindset for it and decided to save the rest of the products until I was in a far better frame of mind to be positive about this whole thing - no reflection of the products whatsoever!

Verdict

The food I had was all really flavoursome and luckily lacked that 'protein powder' taste that so many similar products have. I think if you are in the right place to start a diet mentally, then this will work wonders and is certainly up there in terms of product selection and affordability. Unfortunately for me, none of these things work if you aren't motivated to do them and this just wasn't the right time for me it turned out. 

I did lose a total of 4 pounds over the three days I half heartedly took part in and fully intend to do a full week of this when I can focus on it after the appointments and things I have coming up have passed.



SML have a delicious range of food options and the fact you can include a healthy meal or simply replace a meal or two from your day to help shift the pounds is a real bonus. I actually enjoyed the meal bars which I must say is the first brand I have enjoyed as they aren't sickly or sweetener tasting. The shakes I tried were lovely and packet meals were good portions sizes and full of flavour.

I think at the moment I just need proper filling chewy real food and I just couldn't do it for some reason. If you are on the lookout for a VLCD diet which I think are great for changing habits and kick starting your weight loss journey, then SML do have it all and I would recommend considering their plan.

You can find out all about SML on their website and as soon as I have tried their plan again I will re post my results!