Getting back into shape...
A couple of years ago I did really well with my weight loss. With health in mind and the need to shift weight to ease pressure on my poorly back, I managed to lose around 5 stone with healthy eating as well as a few diet trials through my blog. I was so happy, I felt so much brighter, better in my own skin, confident and happy.
Unfortunately though, last year my back problems worsened and after 5 years of hopeless doctors and being misdiagnosed, it got too much for me and depression reared it's ugly head. I had lost weight like they told me but I was still in so much pain, what was the point?
As an emotional eater generally, I gradually undid some of my hard work, gaining back over half of what I had lost - gutted.
Late last year though I finally had my back properly looked at, I wasn't fobbed off for once and was referred for a scan, this was a huge relief having suffered since Alfie was born nearly 6 years ago now! Once I knew what was wrong, despite the fact it's not something that can be fixed I felt so much better finally having answers and having physio to help with muscle control and pain.
Now I am finally ready to get back on track and get back to where I was, with a friends wedding next month I'm really keen to get back in shape and focus on being healthier and stronger.
Shake that weight...
I was contacted recently by Shake That Weight, a weight loss brand that specialise in VLCD diets similar to those I have tried previously from Exante and New You. The diet itself couldn't be easier. I chose the option whereby i have three of their products a day from soup, noodles, meal bars or shakes, with one 400 calorie evening meal to look forward to. You can have the meal at any point of the day but for me having that to look forward to is a real motivator.
I was sent two weeks worth of products but decided to top it up myself to do the diet for a full four weeks which will hopefully get me feeling better again, back in a better routine as I'm constantly skipping meals normally, snacking less, drinking more water and best of all - seeing a loss on the scales finally.
I ordered mainly shakes as they are my favourite but I have also got a selection of the savoury products like chilli noodles and chicken soup to try. I'm never a huge fan of meal bars so I ordered a few to try for the benefit of review.
I ordered my meals direct on the website where I was able to easily work out my plan, how many weeks to partake in and what discounts I would get for doing longer. The plan was super easy to work out and there's also clearance items available too to keep costs down. The more weeks you do, the greater the discount. For my four weeks the total cost was £94.08, so it's not cheap but is most my food for the month and is a lot cheaper than some other brands. I was interested to see the taste and portion size though as this is obviously a biggy for me.
I sometimes wonder how I can do a vlcd (very low calorie diet) when at times I struggle not to binge eat all day and I think the answer is that it's easy, it's all worked out for me and it's just really convenient for me being so busy with two young kids.
I'll be updating with my progress on here with each weigh in, as well as regular updates over on my Healthymama Instagram page if you'd like to see how I'm getting on and what I'm eating each day.
After this trial, I hope to have lost a few pounds and to be in a much better place to continue on a healthy diet, eating main meals without binge eating or snacking like I have been. I'm a few days in already and it's going pretty well, but I'll save all the details for my update next week.
Have you tried a diet like this? How did you get on?
