Sore Tummy? How To Figure Out If You Have A Food Intolerance

 

Image Credit: UnSplash

{This is a collaborative post}

Food intolerances are a common form of chronically sore tummies. They’re not as severe as food allergies, which is why most people are able to live comfortably with an intolerance or two. Symptoms tend to manifest as a soreness in your abdomen, often coupled with bloating, severe toilet habits (on either end of the spectrum) and gas. 

If you always have a sore tummy area, then there’s a chance you might have some sort of food intolerance. A recent study found that about a third of people have some sort of food sensitivity, so it’s remarkably common. Could this be the reason for your chronic pain? Here are a few helpful steps that help you figure out if you have a food intolerance or not. 

Step 1: Detox Your Gut

Kick things off with a gut detox that basically resets your entire digestive system. If you’re wondering how to detox your gut, then it’s a simple case of removing certain foods from your diet. You basically want to stick to a very relaxed whole foods diet without any processed foods at all. Some people like to fast for a day or two to help with the detoxification process, but the overall goal is to remove all irritants from your gut so you’ve got a clean slate to work with. 

Step 2: Introduce Foods Back Into Your Diet

Slowly but surely, you can introduce different foods back into your diet. If you have a suspicion that a certain thing is causing your stomach pain, then make it the first thing you add back to your normal eating regime. 

Step 3: Monitor Your Symptoms

After adding foods to your diet, keep a check on your general symptoms and gut feelings (no pun intended). How do you feel after eating, say, dairy products again? If you experienced no adverse symptoms during the detox, or even after adding other foods to your diet, but your stomach pain came back when you ate cheese, then make a note of it. 

This is a big sign that dairy products could be the source of your intolerance - and the same goes for any other food that triggers symptoms. Monitoring how you feel also helps you rule out certain foods or spot patterns. Hey, it may show you that you don’t necessarily have a particular food intolerance too. If your symptoms return when you eat a mixture of foods, maybe you’ve got a general digestive issue (like IBS) instead of an intolerance. 

Step 4: Visit A Medical Professional

Carrying out this dietary test helps you see how your body reacts with or without certain foods in your diet. You might suspect that you’ve got a food intolerance, so visit a doctor and tell them of your findings. They can perform additional tests or give you advice on how to deal with your intolerance. 

At the end of the day, food intolerances and sensitivities are common health issues you shouldn’t ignore. While not life-threatening, they can make your life a lot worse and leave you with chronic pain. Figuring out if you’re intolerant is the first step in treating your symptoms and living with one less thing to worry about.

6 Ways You Can Lead a Healthier Life

Image Credit: Pexels

{This is a collaborative post}

It is no secret that a healthy lifestyle can lead to a longer and happier life. However, it can be challenging for many people to make the necessary changes to achieve this goal. If you are looking for ways to improve your health, this blog post is for you! In today's post, we will discuss six ways that you can lead a healthier life. Follow these tips, and you will be on your way to better health in no time!

1. Commit to leading a healthy lifestyle.

The first step in leading a healthier life is committing to do so. This means setting goals and sticking to them, no matter what obstacles you face. It also means being honest with yourself about your current health and fitness level and accepting that there is always room for improvement.

If you are not sure where to start, try creating a list of reasons why you want to lead a healthier life. Some common causes include wanting to feel better mentally and physically, having more energy, or setting an excellent example for your children. Once you have identified your motivation, focus on keeping it in mind as you make changes in your lifestyle. It won't always be easy but it will be worth it.

2. Eat healthy foods.

One of the most critical aspects of leading a healthier life is eating healthy foods. This means filling your diet with nutrient-rich fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats. It also means limiting processed foods, sugary drinks, and unhealthy snacks.

If you are not used to eating healthy foods, adjusting your diet may take some time. Start by slowly incorporating more nutritious items into your diet and cutting back on unhealthy choices. For example, if you typically eat fast food for lunch every day, try packing a healthier lunch from home one or two days per week. Over time, you can continue to increase the number of meals you eat at home and reduce the number of unhealthy choices you make. Even small changes will start to add up and you'll see the difference.

Getting Serious about Weight Loss - Starting My Slim and Save Journey

{Post in collaboration with Slim & Save, I received gifted products. 

This post may also contain affiliate links - as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, any affiliate links will be marked with #ad}

My Journey so Far

Regular readers will know I have been very overweight for a long, long time. It really is the bane of my life but much of the time I seem powerless to do anything about it. I know that sounds a bit pathetic but we all have our demons to conquer and overeating is mine.

I went on my first diet when I was about 14 (if my memory serves me well). It was my doctor who put me on it and thinking back, I'm sure I was only about a size 10/12, so it seems outrageous to me now, that he thought it was OK to confirm my worries about my size and ask me to keep a food diary and then just half everything I ate. 

Over the years I have tried many, many diets. I tend to go for the more mainstream and less extreme diets in general. I know the general principle of eat less and move more, but truly I do love food and as much as anything, I know I am an emotional eater and I love the comfort of food, and that's not healthy for me.

I'm now at the heaviest I have ever been, I am classed as morbidly obese and I can feel myself falling apart. I have around six different health/ pain issues that I am convinced would all benefit from me being between 2 - 8 stone lighter. So, no longer can I ignore my issues, I have to take steps to make a difference. 

Changes are Coming....

It's been a lovely summer and it feels like a very long one. We've had a short break in Kent and a couple of days in London and now my parents and brother are here staying for the week. I've been at work one day a week, and that's been a nice escape and the kids have all had time away at camp and grandparents.

But now I am ready for school to resume and normality to come back. I like a break and a rest, but then I love routine too and I really am craving some quite times to myself without any shouts of mum or moans as they wind each other up and bicker.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record I have realised (again) that I must lose weight and this isn't just something I fancy, it really is something I MUST do. I have developed carpel tunnel syndrome in one hand, I still have pains in my left foot that never go away, my calves ache after too vigorous exercise, I have arthritis in my knee joints and my right thigh goes numb/ has pins and needles if I stand for too long. Add that to asthma and high blood pressure and you can see that I need to do what I can to try and give my body a fair chance at being healthy.

I've been burying my head in the sand for too long and I need to put as much effort into my own health as I do to anything else in my life. Nothing else will give me the quality of life that a healthier body would, so it completely makes sense to invest in that area. It really does seem crazy that I choose to eat too much and the wrong foods, rather than sacrificing a few calories.

Sick Of Bouncing Off Diets?

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Few words are likely to fill a lot of people will more frustration and misery than that word "diet". Sure, most people are totally on board with the idea of adopting a healthier lifestyle, but the truth is that there's a big difference between doing that and going on a diet. Of course, a lot of diets can be great. They can allow you to improve your health, look the way that you want, and increase your self-confidence. However, that only happens if you can actually stick to it. A lot of people will tell you that all you really need in order make a diet work is to stick to it, but that might well be the very definition of the phrase "easier said than done" Being able to stick to a diet can be a serious challenge for a whole host of reasons. Luckily, whether it feels like it or not, a lot of those challenges are within your control. With that in mind, here are some ways that you can really make your diet stick!

Set clear goals
One of the most common mistakes that a lot of people make when it comes to starting any kind of diet is that they try to jump in without really thinking about the kinds of results that they want. Things like "lose some weight" or "be healthier" are great as motivators to start a diet, but when it comes to actually trying to stick to something, you need goals that are a little more specific and clear. Figure out exactly how much weight you want to lose and try to figure out how long that will realistically take. Not only should your goals be clear and specific, but they should be something that you can actually achieve. The last thing you want is to end up getting discouraged because you haven't reached some kind of overly ambitious goal that you were never going to achieve in the first place. By having goals that you can aim for and can tick off your progress over time, you're going to find it much easier to stay motivated, even when things get difficult.

16,800 Average Steps a Day - Go Mich! #SlimmingSunday

What a day! I had an amazing lunch with my husband and now a walk round the lake listening to a podcast and tuning into God.

A post shared by Michelle Pannell (@michelletwinmum) on May 12, 2017 at 7:25am PDT

Morning friends, welcome to this weeks link-up for #SlimmingSunday.

I'm afraid it is a short and sweet one for me this week as time has just run away with me. My parents have come to stay for a week, which has been great but they have kept me so busy that I haven't had any time to devote to my blog.  I suppose you could say that is a good thing, I've just been out there enjoying life and not closeted away indoors. This post has literally been written in 10 snatched minutes between the recycling and the summer fete.

Exercise wise I'd say it has been a good week as I worked hard at my Monday night Fit Club and then I have really upped my steps again, finishing on just over 84,000 steps for Monday - Friday, so that's an average of 16,800 steps a day. I had said I would do two early morning DVD workouts but that didn't happen. I suppose because I hadn't thought about my parents being here and not actually having any free time.

I did teat myself to some new exercise gear this week though as I saw my jogging bottoms were getting some holes, I then realised they are 20 years old - that will be why! I'm hoping to put these though their paces Monday night but I'll have to see as I hurt my knee yesterday. I stepped down some stairs and felt the crushing pain as if too much impact had gone through my knee. It is no fun having arthritic knees at age 43.

I weighed in at Fit Club last Monday and as I mentioned a few weeks ago I have decided to do it blind for a while, so I have no idea what the scales said and truthfully I don't expect they said anything too different to the week before. I haven't been consciously dieting but I have been being mindful of my foot, trying not to just eat for the sake of it and I've been good with my water intake too.

Next weekend I head off to Spain on holiday and that means it will be Emma (Mrs Shilts) hosting #SlimmingSunday alone for Sunday 28th May and 4th June as I won't be here, so you'll need to make sure you link up over there.  I am enjoying keeping up with your journeys though so once I am back and the washing is done I'll be over to visit to see how you are getting on.

From Monday 5th June I am treating it as if I am back at Slimming World and following that diet plan to give myself a good kick up the bum and to get some weight loss going. I was going to say ready for the summer but actually it is just because it needs to happen.

Wishing you a fabulous week, Mich x

How to Join in

Slimming Sunday is a weekly linky hosted by Mich at Mummy from the Heart and Emma at Life According to Mrs Shilts. The posts go live at 7am every Sunday morning and you are most welcome to join in with any slimming/ weight loss/ exercise/ healthy recipe type post. Join as little or as often as you like. No pressure!

1)  Write or link up an existing post about diet/ slimming/ healthy eating/ exercise or anything related to these topics.

By linking up you'll receive a weekly email reminder about Slimming Sunday, of course there will be an unsubscribe button on every email so you can opt out any time but lots of people have been asking me for a reminder.

2)  Grab the badge or add a text link to either Emma or I (or both if you are feeling super generous)

3)  Go share the love. Please comment on both Emma and my posts and also at least one other but it would be great if you feel you could comment on a few more. I'm sure you'll feel the love back if you do.

Emma and I will come and visit you too and tweet out your links. Feel free to tag us with #SlimmingSunday, @michelletwinmum and @mrsshilts and we'll give you an RT.

I can't wait to read your post. Have a fabulous week, Mich x


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Facing My Fears - #SlimmingSunday

Morning friends, How are you doing on this fine Sunday?

I'm doing well, it has been a good week. Again I couldn't tell you I have been massively focused on my food, so it hasn't been a dieting week as such but overall it has been a really good week and I am pleased with my progress.

I've shared a little about how my eating and food issues are tied up with so many other things and one of the things that keeps me fat is fear. I have a fear of being hungry, a fear of losing weight and having loads of saggy skin, a fear of being too confident in myself and a fear of facing some things that have gone on in my past that have led to me wearing this fat suit as protection. I don't expect you to understand but it has been my reality.

This week I have done a session from the marriage course with my husband and we had a really deep and open conversation, been out with a friend where we also shared deeply and then had lunch out with my husband and continued the conversation. All this honesty and talking has been good and as my husband said, 'you can't not lose weight just because you are fearful Michelle'.

I realised I have been living under a sprint of fear and that I don't want it to continue as God wants me to be free and not fearful. So I took a symbolic step and I drove down a one-car wide country lane. I've lived in the countryside for four years now and I never drive down them as I get scared but I approached the lane and knew I had to drive through it and show myself there is no need to fear any longer.

I also went to my Fit Club on Monday night and I loved it. It really tested me and boy did I ache for a couple of days after but I am even looking forward to my session again tomorrow. Then I also need to start exercising more often, once a week is a start but it is not enough. I've been great at upping my steps and moving more but again it is not enough as it doesn't raise my heart rate.

So this week I am going to get back to a habit I had some years back. I woke early and came downstairs and did about 20 or 30 minutes of a fabulous workout series I have, called Walk at Home by Leslie Sansone. I just love them as they are walk aerobics and can be as low or high impact as you like but they are simple and get your heart pumping.

Last weeks Targets -
I did OK. I got my sleep, which is important. I don't think I had as much water as 2 litres each day and I forgot to write a full meal plan! No wonder I didn't achieve that one, if I didn't do the meal plan. I'm not writing a meal plan this week as my parents are visiting and that will mean lots of unpredictability and meals out.

I think I hit my step target except one day and I say think as I had let my Fitbit run out of charge without realising and missed a day and a half of steps logging. It's amazing how much this annoyed me as my track record now doesn't look so good!

Targets this week -

• 7 hours sleep every night
• 2 litres of water per day
• No chocolate all week
• 2 sessions of working out to my DVD as well as Fit Club

I'm looking forward to another good week ahead and I hope you are too. Wishing you all the best, Mich x

How to Join in

Slimming Sunday is a weekly linky hosted by Mich at Mummy from the Heart and Emma at Life According to Mrs Shilts. The posts go live at 7am every Sunday morning and you are most welcome to join in with any slimming/ weight loss/ exercise/ healthy recipe type post. Join as little or as often as you like. No pressure!

1)  Write or link up an existing post about diet/ slimming/ healthy eating/ exercise or anything related to these topics.

By linking up you'll receive a weekly email reminder about Slimming Sunday, of course there will be an unsubscribe button on every email so you can opt out any time but lots of people have been asking me for a reminder.

2)  Grab the badge or add a text link to either Emma or I (or both if you are feeling super generous)

3)  Go share the love. Please comment on both Emma and my posts and also at least one other but it would be great if you feel you could comment on a few more. I'm sure you'll feel the love back if you do.

Emma and I will come and visit you too and tweet out your links. Feel free to tag us with #SlimmingSunday, @michelletwinmum and @mrsshilts and we'll give you an RT.

I can't wait to read your post. Have a fabulous week, Mich x


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Wasting Time or Enjoying Life? #SlimmingSunday

I've been musing this question this last week - 'By being fat am I wasting my life or am I just choosing to enjoy life by eating the foods I fancy?'

If you've read my blog before you'll know that I have spent the majority of my life for the last 30 years as an overweight women, probably around 20 of those as a very overweight woman and much of that time I have been exceedingly unhappy about my size and weight. In recent months I've been doing a lot of what I call 'head work' in relation to some of the issues I have that send me to the food as my drug of choice.

Doing It Blind #SlimmingSunday

Morning friends, how are you today? I hope you have fab plans for this bank holiday weekend.

As you read this I'm away in Portsmouth with my family. We have taken a trip to see the Historic Dockyard as I've heard so many good reports about the attractions there and I'm so happy to be spending some time with them.

Last week in my Slimming Sunday post I said how I had finally realised things need to change. I can't go on as I am, getting more and more unhealthy and suffering from numerous health ailments because of this. Because I have such a large amount of weight to loss I don't want to do a crash diet meal replacements or such as I know this isn't a healthy and sustainable way to live.

So this week has been about making a start and cutting down. I set myself four small steps to follow last week and they were to -

• Sleep for 7 hours each night - as I write this post I have achieved this each night and I don't think it will be a problem for this to continue as I know how much being well rested helps me to resist all the foods I shouldn't be eating
• Glass of water before each meal - I've been very aware of keeping my water consumption up and need to keep with this
• 3 meals and 3 snacks to ensure I do not get too hungry and reach for the wrong things. I've been really good with my meals, and haven't had as many snacks as I thought I might need
• No cake. I forgot that on a Wednesday evening my husband and I are doing a Marriage course at the moment and at this they give us tea and cake. So I have had one piece but for me that is amazing, as I had turned into a cake most days kind of girl!

Facing Reality and Planning for My Future #SlimmingSunday

I love this picture. This was taken at BritMums in 2015 and I'm around the same size then as I am now
but we are lying down and it seems to be pretty flattering. This is how I'd like to see myself every day!

Morning friends, how are you this week?

I'm really loving reading the posts that you are linking up each week. It isn't easy starting a new linky to be honest and in this day and age everything seems to be judged on numbers and popularity and by traditional standards 2 - 6 people linking up to #SlimmingSunday in a week wouldn't necessarily be considered a linky success but I think it is a success.

You know why? Because you are helping me to stay focused on the goal. I seriously need to lose weight, not just for my vanity or my mental health but for my physical health too. I have so many aliments that are exasperated by my size and they will only get worse as I age but I don't seem to be taking them anywhere near as seriously as I should.  By being accountable and having to report in here each week I have to stay focused and whilst I have not been perfect with my eating, I have been so much better than if I wasn't being accountable with anyone. The good news is that I am continuing to take tons of steps and having a good nights sleep.

#SlimmingSunday - Moving More...

Hello friends, welcome to #SlimmingSunday, the new Sunday linky hosted by me and Emma from Life According to Mrs Shilts. We'd love for you to link up any post that is diet/ healthy eating/ exercise related.

I've had a week off since I last posted as our family went away to Butlins in Minehead for a big Christian festival called Spring Harvest and we had the best time. I wasn't consciously dieting but I did make some really good food choices whilst we were there and enjoying the eat-all-you-can buffet breakfast and dinner. Thankfully I've got past the point where you have to stuff your face if you have paid for a buffet and I just go for one straight meal now. There was always jacket potatoes, salad and yummy roast meats available.

In the last week since we have been back home I wouldn't say I have been dieting but I also haven't been blowing out. I went and weighed in last Monday night at the fit club that I'm starting to attend and sadly it won't be on this Monday as it is a bank holiday. This does mean the kids can go back to school on Tuesday and I've got the week to get back to normal and focus on healthy eating before my next weigh in on 24th April. I'll let you know how I do.

The one thing I have been doing really well with over the last couple of weeks is my step count. Whilst we were on holiday I managed to clock up 123,314 steps, that was an increase of more than 30K steps from the week before and I am determined to keep it at this level as there is a lot of work to be done on my fitness level. Once the kids are back at school and normality resumes I've committed to a daily walk round the lake with the children after dinner most days and I'm even thinking of checking out the local gym again.

Oh and the other good thing has been my sleep. Of course I've been able to have a few lie-ins but I've consistently been getting over seven hours good sleep each night and I'm going to make sure this continues as I know I cope so much better with eating challenges when I am well rested.

So that's me right now. Not really dieting but being mindful of my food and making some good choices, whilst moving and sleeping more. I'll call it a win! But how about you, how are things going?

How to Join in

Slimming Sunday is a weekly linky hosted by Mich at Mummy from the Heart and Emma at Life According to Mrs Shilts. The posts go live at 7am every Sunday morning and you are most welcome to join in with any slimming/ weight loss/ exercise/ healthy recipe type post. Join as little or as often as you like. No pressure!

1)  Write or link up an existing post about diet/ slimming/ healthy eating/ exercise or anything related to these topics.

By linking up you'll receive a weekly email reminder about Slimming Sunday, of course there will be an unsubscribe button on every email so you can opt out any time but lots of people have been asking me for a reminder.

2)  Grab the badge or add a text link to either Emma or I (or both if you are feeling super generous)

3)  Go share the love. Please comment on both Emma and my posts and also at least one other but it would be great if you feel you could comment on a few more. I'm sure you'll feel the love back if you do.

Emma and I will come and visit you too and tweet out your links. Feel free to tag us with #SlimmingSunday, @michelletwinmum and @mrsshilts and we'll give you an RT.

I can't wait to read your post. Have a fabulous week, Mich x



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Making my Mind Up & Working on Forgiveness #SlimmingSunday

Clocking up some steps last weekend with all my family at National Trust, Petworth House

Morning friends,

How are you today? Well I hope. If you are a Mum I wish you a very happy Mothers Day but remember it is just another day and if it doesn't turn out as you hoped it doesn't mean that your kids love you any less. There can be far too much pressure for perfection on days like this.

So on with the matter in hand - slimming! Or perhaps in my case a lack of slimming, I'm really not sure, as for my sanity it feels as if I'm better not stepping on the scales right now. As you know I didn't make it to my Slimming World group last week and yesterday I was away in London with my Mum (I still am) so I should have gone to the Tuesday afternoon group but that would of meant running in getting weighed and running out before the kids got home from their after school club and I found myself umming and aching about whether I really need/want to go to a slimming group at the moment. I'd have had to pay £10 for that quick weight in (two weeks fees) and I felt as if I'd get nothing for it.

For sure, I know that I want and need to lose weight but I think being accountable by this linky and through a Facebook group I have with some slimming friends I actually get the support I need. I really love the consultant at the Slimming World group I've been attending but all her classes are so busy that you don't really get to have a conversation with her and Saturday mornings just seem to fill up with kids activities and holidays. I do really like the short talk that she does each week but it always seems to start late as so many people arrive late to weigh in and then the image therapy (or people sharing their tips / successes) doesn't really inspire me too much. Maybe I've been around the Slimming circuit for too long and actually know most of the tips, I just need to put them into action?

8 Low Syn Slimming World Snack ideas to keep You on Track #SlimmingSunday

If you are on the Slimming World plan you'll know that it is all about the free food and syns. The average person can have between 5 - 15 syns a day but someone larger like me gets 20, although of course it is better to not have so many and then you can see great weight loss results.

I find that my real struggle time is the evening and as such, I always try to plan in a yummy treat for the evening and use my syns for it. I often don't want to use that many though as I need them throughout the day for things like my milk in tea, butter on my toast or ryvita, sauces, gravy or a little treat.

So here are 10 low syn treats that keep me motivated and wanting to lose weight but without feeling like I am missing out -

1.  Quark and highlight with mini marshmallows (4 syns)
This is probably my favourite evening treat as it is sweet, creamy and filling. I use half a tub of fat-free quark and mix it with a highlight or Options chocolate powder sachet (1.5-2 syns it varies for which one you use, so check), it mixes really well and is like a chocolate cheesecake.

I also like to add 10g of mini marshmallows on the top for extra sweetness and indulgence. You can see you get around 30 mini marshmallows for the 10g (you get 25g for 4 syns, so I class these as 2 syns).

I also have a friend who likes to turn this into a cheesecake and she has a crushed light digestive biscuit (3 syns) at the bottom and instead of the marshmallows she has raspberries ad a drizzle of choc shot (1/2 for a level tsp). Add on the chocolate powder and that makes a 5.5 syn dessert.



2.  Raspberry Jelly/ mouse (1/2 syn per dish)
With this one you make up some sugar free jelly (I used raspberry - 2 syns for whole packet, so all 4 desserts shown here), add in a pot of mullerlight (I used vanilla) and some fruit for speed and allow it to set. Bets eaten on the day it is made I find but it does take about 4 or 5 hours to set properly.

A Much Better Week for #SlimmingSunday

Variety is the spice of life they say and certainly keeping my food interesting helps me to say on plan

Happy Sunday friends,

I hope you are well and enjoying the weekend. Thanks so much to all those who joined in with mine and Mrs Shilts first Slimming Sunday last week, it was great to read your posts and I look forward to seeing you again today. Although no pressure, link up every week or just sporadically it is fine with us.

I'll jump straight in there and share my week -

What I've learnt this week

• That being ill is a hindrance to weight loss as sadly I don't lose my appetite like many do but I do lose my motivation to prepare healthy food
• That I find it even harder to concentrate on being healthy when I am tired. I'm not even tired because I feel poorly but because Miss M has been poorly and has been waking me each night

Successes for this week

• Despite being ill I haven't thrown the towel in, I have still been conscious to eat well
• I resisted the urge to have a KFC on Thursday on my way home and instead had an M&S balanced for you thai green curry (about 800 calories less)
• I mainly stuck with my food plan
• I have drunk loads more water this week

Welcome to Slimming Sunday with Me and Mrs Shilts #SlimmingSunday

Planning for food for the week is key to my successful weight loss

Welcome. It's so great to see you here for the first post in the #SlimmingSunday series. Emma at Life according to Mrs Shilts and I will be hosting this new linky each week and we'd love for you to join in.

Emma is a bit of a pro at Slimming World and has been following the plan for as long as I've known her (that must be at least 6 years or maybe more) and I highly recommend this great post if you are starting out on a Slimming World weight loss journey.

I am currently on Slimming World but I've tried out most diets and also Overeaters Anon for a few years as my weight is a lifelong battle and I've written about it quite extensively. As a Christian, I suffer with guilt for being this big (I need to lose around 8 stone) as I know I am abusing the body that God gave me and also I end up feeling bad that I turn to food for comfort rather than turning to God. So that's what I am doing right now, working on freeing myself from this guilt as that isn't God's plan for me.

I'm doing a 'Living Free' course at the moment, designed to help me live in the freedom that God gives me and I am making headway in learning that I am enough just as I am, I am loveable, I am unique, I am accepted and I am free to be who I was designed to be.

I started out well in January and lost half a stone but if I am really honest my food has been a struggle the last few weeks and I feel a bit of a fraud starting this linky but Emma and I have been planning it for a while and to be frank I think it is just what I need to get to motivated again. I'm not going to want to report in once a week to you all without some good news now, am I?

My FitBit has been dug out and I've been taking part in a few friendly challenges and moving much more. I really can't wait for the nicer weather to be here so I actually want to go out for very long walks. My step total for last week was 74,517 and I'm fine with that as it averaged over the 10K a day they recommend.

What I've learnt this week

• I have to meal plan and stick to it, it is not enough to just hope!
• That I must not buy foods that tempt me and have them in the house
• Not to go off the grid. I need to keep chatting daily with my SW friends and logging my foods and taking pictures. Accountability really works. 

Successes for this week

• Moving more and being committed to wearing my FitBit even when my food hasn't been great
• Spending lots of time with God and really working on loving and forgiving myself: Dumping the guilt!

Focus areas for the coming week

• Drink a large glass of water before every meal (I've done this before and it helped curb me overeating)
• Plan out my food for the week and stick to it. The online shop has already been ordered.
• A strict week on plan, keeping a very close eye on my syns. Record everything super accurately

Results

• This weeks result - 0.5 lbs, which is OK as I didn't really care for myself at all last week food wise
• Weight loss to date in 2017 - 4.5 lbs
• Starting BMI - 44.5       Current BMI - 43.6

Goals 

• Gain my half a stone award next Saturday (so that means losing 2.5 lbs)
• 2 stone loss by end of May for my Spain holiday
• 2.5 stone loss by 22nd July for my Bournemouth Holiday
• 3 stone loss by 15th August for my birthday
• 5 stone loss by the end of the year (that feels very exciting typing that!)

How to Join in

1)  Write or link up an existing post about diet/ slimming/ healthy eating/ exercise or anything related to these topics

2)  Grab the badge or add  text link to either Emma or I (or both if you are feeling super generous)

3)  Go share the love. Please comment on both Emma and My posts and also at least one other but it would be great if you feel you could comment on a few more.

Emma and I will come and visit you too and tweet out your links. Feel free to tag us in with @michelletwinmum and @mrsshilts and we'll give you an RT.

I can't wait to read your post. Have a fabulous week, Mich x



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6 Great Slimming World Blogs to Encourage You

Some of this weeks yummy meals

Hey friends, it is week 2 on my Slimming World Journey and it has been a bit of an odd week. My usual weigh in day is Saturday and I should have been weighing today but I'm volunteering at the night shelter and then doing a first aid course so I couldn't go. This meant I had to weigh at the other class which is a Tuesday evening, rather than my Saturday first thing and I was a tad sad to see the scales said I'd put on a pound.

I'm not sure what made it say that but I had been being good and my perseverance will pay off, it can't not! So I am putting ti down to an evening as adverse to a morning weigh-in and that you can't really accurately judge anything after just 3 days. I have to weight in again this coming Tuesday as we are away next weekend so that will be a truer reading.

I'll be honest with you, I haven't found it massively easy to stay on track. Thee is just so much I enjoy and want to eat but I know I have made such progress, so it is good and I'll keep at it.

What I learnt on my First Week on Slimming World

Last Saturday morning I joint Slimming World, it isn't the first time but I am determined it will be the last as I am going to lose weight this time (even if it takes me a decade) and keep on going to ensure I stay slimmer and healthy.

I'm not kidding myself that this will be easy but I genuinely believe that Slimming World is the best plan to follow. Once you have learnt what to do the plan is simple, no food is banned and you can literally stuff your face if that is what makes you happy - but of course it has to be the right foods. The ones that give life, rather than the fatty, sugary rubbish that steal it.

If you want to know all about the Slimming World way, then check out their website as they'll explain it better than I ever can and no this post is not sponsored in any way, I am paying for my classes and there independently.

I thought it would be helpful for anyone considering this journey or just starting it like me to see what I ave learnt in my first week on the Slimming World plan.

1.  You need to make time to get to know the plan
It is different nowadays, I recall going to a class back in the 1990's and it was all about red and green days and I hated the idea that I couldn't have carbs and protein together. Forget anything you ever heard and investigate it yourself.

Once you join, your leader will give you an introduction to the plan and you'll have plenty of material to take home to read and digest. Make sure you do this the same day - read it, highlight it, keep referring to it and in the end live it. I friends now that are four or five years post weight loss via the Slimming World way and it is all in their head as a healthy guidance plan for life now and that is why they are staying slim and healthy.

Celebrate Success #FitandFree Update

Some of my recent 'better choice' meals and the good books I'm reading

For me dieting is never an easy journey. It is all a bit of a conundrum really as I know I'm supposed to enjoy the journey and live in the moment but equally I need goals to keep me focused and I have to keep my eyes set on those too. It's difficult.

I want it all to happen now, I do a little footwork and eat well for a few days or establish an exercise pattern and I want to see the weight fall off me and my body shape change. I'm hardly excited by the few pounds that the scale shows or the odd inch loss that the tape measure highlights. What I'd really like just now is about a 3 stone loss showing on the scales and at least a dress size or two dropped. I'm not too realistic am I?

When I was at the gym last week I had my mid program assessment for the 20 session GP referral program I am doing. I got a really excellent chap called Matt allocated to me and in the short hour we had together he made a difference. We hadn't met before and he asked me why I wanted to lose weight. I explained that it was necessary, I didn't feel I had a choice any longer, it was time to get fit and create a strong example for my children. He then said to me 'and how important is this to you?' And what a great question, my instant response was 'so important' and I've been reflecting on this ever since.

If the weight loss and fitness are so important to me it means I cannot fail on this journey. I can't give up. For years I've said the philosophy in my life is to win or learn, we never lose as there is always something to be learnt and I feel I have applied this in all areas of my life. All areas that is except in regards to losing this weight that has held me back for too long.

It is not going to hold me back any more. I refuse to let it, I'm not good at perfect dieting, I get far too hungry and grumpy, so this means my weight loss is slower. Logically I know this is better as research shows those who lose weight steadily over time have a better chance of keeping it off long term but it is also really frustrating as I want the results now.

I was pondering today how I am setting my kids a really good example by embarking on this journey. Not only will they see how I increased my energy levels and fun factor by becoming fitter and slimmer but they will see me persevere at something I find difficult. Kids need to know that not everything is easy in life and that it can take a lot of work to attain what you want.

I've been on this journey since 1st January and in this time I've lost some weight. I'm not entirely sure how much as I've got a bit lost with weighing without any clothes at home, in gym gear at the gym and in jeans and normal clothes at slimming world.  According to the naked scales at home I am about 10lb down since the start of the year and my gut instinct is to diminish that and not be impressed with that figure but I know I must choose to celebrate that success. It is a big first step in the right direction.

More than the weight loss the other successes that I must celebrate since the start of the year are -

Establishing a three times a week exercise plan. I go to the gym once (and now have a challenging program thanks to my meeting with Matt) and then I started out running twice a week for the couch to 5k challenge. I've found that running hurts my calves so instead I'm doing a walk aerobics 2 mile workout twice a week indoors and I also use fit cables for these to build strength training in with the cardio workout.

You know what? I'm enjoying the exercise and I might even up it to four or five times a week as I believe that can make the difference and I find it much easier than the food part of this journey.

I'm aiming to get back to the running in March when I should be a good amount lighter. I figure this change in weight might help my running style and I'll also get myself gait analysed so I can get the right shoes, I'm assuming I have oversupination from what I have researched. I must get it sorted as I need to get ready for the 5k I've signed up for in June.

Matt asked me last week what my first goal was and I said to lose 1 stone 13lb, as that will take me into a new stone bracket, two down from where I've started in 2015 and three down from mid-2014. What I realised is that I don't have any kind of time frame for this and that's a bit loose, so I need to set a target of achieving this loss by the end of March 2015. Again I'm tempted to dismiss this and feel it is taking too long but every pound counts and I suspect that amount should equate to a dress size and this means when we go away on 27th March I can take some clothes that have not been out of their vacuum packed bag for at least 6 years! That will make me feel very good I'm sure.

That's probably enough waffle from me for one day. I could go on and on but actually I'll save it for another day. If you are on this weight loss/ fitness journey with me then I hope it is going well for you and keep on keeping on!

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Who am I? Jesus reveals a little more...

This morning at Church I was really challenged to think about who I am in Christ. and that means the totality of who I am. There is no Christian hat, I am just one person and to be a Christian is a 24 hour commitment, I don't just have to attend church on a Sunday. Every day I have to seek to make right choices, demonstrate love and attempt to emulate Jesus himself.

It really was one of those life changing mornings today. The 18th January 2015 will be recorded as a time of realisation and revelation. Back on 30th November 2014 I was baptised by full immersion, just like Jesus was. Despite having been Christened as a child and confirmed as an adult I knew I had to take this important step. Since then lots has been changing within me and today I realised that I must not diminish who I am. God loves and values me, I must too. It is so important. I have to trust that when I gave my life to God in 2002 and then again at my baptism last year he wiped my slate clean and I am now a daughter of the most high king. I should stop doubting my own usefulness.

Avoiding the new year diet pitfalls #FitandFree

I am what is known as a career dieter. I can honestly tell you I went on my first diet when I was 12 years of age and I begged my Mum to take me to the doctors so he would help. He told me to list everything I ate for a week and then the next week to halve it. Looking back now I feel that was pretty irresponsible of him (balanced diet and all that) but it did work... for a while.

For the next 29 years (yes I am 41) probably at least once a year I have started yet another diet and lost some weight and then put it all back on again. A diet mentality is not a good one. I can't tell you I've done every diet under the sun as ones like the cabbage soup diet that was popular in the 80's just do not appeal to me. I have always had a desire to lose weight healthily in a way that means I can keep it off and sustain that food plan for life.

If you know me you'll realise I'm not doing that well on my career of dieting as I am about 7 stone overweight. This year I have vowed things will be different, I am working hand in hand with God to sort my body out. I've joined Slimming World, I'm going to the gym and I'm also doing the Couch to 5K running program but I realise that until I am well into this change of eating (not diet) and losing some serious weight then people might be dubious of the results I'll get.

Despite my own results I'm actually quite knowledgeable on the subject on healthy eating and how to lose weight, so I thought I would share with you my top tips to avoid some serious diet pitfalls, those you might not even realise exist!

1. Putting the diet off until tomorrow
I started this healthy eating and exercise plan on the 1st January, it seemed as good as time as any and it was when i was feeling motivated. A few friends said they wanted to join me but said 'I'll start when the kids go back to school' and this is a slippery slope.  It is easy to say tomorrow but sometimes tomorrow never comes. So when you are feeling motivated, grab it and start then. Don't wait for anything as you may just miss the moment. Change is always hard whether the children are home or not.

2. Giving up at the first hurdle
There are very few people who can start a serious diet (especially if they have had weight and eating issues for years) and eat perfectly every day from day one. Accept the fact, there will be slip-ups and you might grab the wrong thing in a hurry. You have not blown it. When you allow the thought of 'Well, I've blown it. I might as well eat what I like and give up now' to stay in your mind then there is going to be problems. When that thought comes up, remember that you can start again NOW. Your healthy eating or diet does not have to start in a morning, on a Monday or whatever other lies you have told yourself.

3, Being too strict with yourself
You know you best, are you the kind of person who can give up all sugar, carbs and caffeine from your diet and still be happy? because your happiness or state of mind is really important in this, if you are a size 10 but completely miserable then guess what? Your new way of life is not working for you. Be realistic, eat a little of what you want and follow a plan which works for you. Some people do amazing things with eating plans I could never dream of living on, look at Jane and her paleo diet but do what it right for you. For me it is about moderation of all food groups.

4. Assuming cutting down on food will be the answer to your prayers
I'm sorry to be the one to tell you but once you lose weight you'll still be you. If you eat because you are unhappy or because you have problems you need to seek help and do whatever is necessary to get those sorted as being a slimmer you won't instantly make you feel great.  In fact for some people it makes them feel more vulnerable.

Also don't forget that the secret to weight loss is to eat less and move more.  So yes, you need to do some exercise too. I've started the Couch to 5K program and I'm finding that good so far (hard but good) and I also highly recommend any of Leslie Sansone's walk fitness exercise DVD's. They are really manageable for people of all fitness abilities but work for weight loss.

5. Thinking you have signed up for a miracle cure
There are no instant miracles when it comes to losing weight. If you sign up for a liquid diet, supplements or something else that promises you will lose 3 stone in 3 months then expect there to be a very large cost and some issues. As I've mentioned before you need to make changes for life and that is my biggest worry for people who lose a lot of weight on very low calorie replacement meal diets as they have to learn how to eat again once they have lost the weight and that is a big learning curve.

Then to finish here are a few tips from me, that I'm following as I endeavour to lose weight -

• Write down everything you eat, especially at the start of a new eating plan. You will forget what you have snacked on and it can be very easy to kid yourself that you are being good when actually your intake has gone up far past what you wanted. 
• Use a smaller plate or bowl for your meals. You will still feel full as your eyes tell you that you had a plate full but the calories will have been reduced. It is a great trick.
• Be realistic with your food, build in small treats. A little of what you fancy works wonders. For me it is chocolate and I find something like a small packet of milky way stars takes me ages to eat and I feel as if I have indulged lots.
• Find some supportive friends. You don't have to join a group but make sure you have supportive people around you. There are loads of wonderful groups on FB for people looking to make changes with their eating and life style. 
• Drink plenty of water and have a glass before every meal as it definately helps you to eat less.
• Plan out your menu for the next week and draw up your shopping list from that. I have my shopping delivered so I am not tempted in the supermarket and I'm not keeping junk food in the house. It makes it way easier.

I wish you all the best and look forward to hearing your tips or advice for changing to a healthier lifestyle.

Be blessed, Mich x

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