How’s your 2016 going so far? Are you sticking to those New Year’s Resolutions? I hope things are going well and you are working towards whatever goals you have set yourself this year. I have been thinking a lot about what I want to achieve in 2016 both personally and as a freelancer. One thing I’m looking to crack this year, which applies to all areas of my life, is having more balance.
Things Go Wrong When I Don’t Have Balance
As many of my regular readers will know, I have constant battles with my weight. When things are going well, I share my successes in my Thinking Thin series. When things aren’t going quite so well, I slip into denial and stop writing about it all together.
Things went wrong for me when we went on our holiday last year. Being faced with an all inclusive buffet for every meal was just too much temptation and I slid off the wagon. Shortly after I took a self catering holiday with my daughter, which was more restrained, but still not perfect. My coffee intake increased and my sweet tooth returned. We were then straight into Christmas, which lends itself perfectly to party food and cheese boards.
I’ve been thinking a lot about why I lost my way with my weight loss journey and I realised that I lost a sense of balance about my life. As I work from home, it is really easy to sit at a computer all day and plough through the never ending to do list. I had a lot of work on in the run up to Christmas and I really felt the pressure in terms of getting all the content out for the various brands and sponsors I work with.
I think it was a slippery slop in some respects and I became more sedentary and stopped drinking plenty of water and making time for preparing meals. That balanced approach slipped away from me and I went back to needing quick fixes like cake and chocolate to power me through. These things are easily done when you aren’t mindful about what is happening around you.
How I’m Achieving More Balance In My Life
I have been working on bringing that balance back into my life, and have made a few simple changes already. I’m all to aware that when I get engrossed in something that I’ll forget that I need to drink more or that if I want to start cooking a meal from scratch I need to get started by 4.30pm. If I leave it too late I’ll just be trowing chips in the oven again! I also need to be prompted to move more, which could either be going out for a walk, some other exercise or even a blast of housework. I really need to do more of all of the above.
I’ve simply added reminders to my phone to help me live a more balanced life and keep me on track for my weight loss journey. I have reminders throughout the day to drink water, which could take the form of hot lemon or herbal tea also. I have a reminder to make sure I get out of my chair and do some activity for up to an hour. This has been really helpful and I’m creating more balanced habits already whilst still being as productive about my work.
Improving My Weight Loss Journey
I am also taking a slightly different approach to my weight loss journey. I have just began a 12 week trail with XLS Medical Max Strength and will be using this product for the next 12 weeks to boost my weight loss.
It is designed to help support your weight loss program, which should include a healthy diet and exercise, by reducing the calorie intake from fats, sugars and carbohydrates.
I have spoken to an XLS Medical Dietician and we have set some goals around increasing the number of steps I take each day and I have also been provided with a healthy meal plan to reduce my calorie intake to around 1800 calories per day. I’ll be checking in with Jodie once a week to see what progress I’m making too. I think this additional support may be pivotal in turning my weight loss situation around.
I am really conscious of starting this journey with the right frame of mind, and know that these tablets are not a free ticket to eat bad foods. I’m looking at it more as a deterrent. There seems little point in eating unhealthy food, if my body is going to reap little benefit from it. I’m hoping it steers me towards more healthy choices and in the long term, more healthy long term habits.
I’ll keep you updated on my progress and how I get along with XLS Medical Max Strength every couple of weeks. Today is only day 2 so I have nothing much to report just yet. My starting weight is 16 stone 4 lbs or 105 KG, which I’d like to make a dent in over the next 3 months.
I’d be really interested in knowing if you have used any XLS Medical Products to support your weight loss and how you got on with them.
I’ve been provided with a complimentary 3 month trail of XLS Medical Max Strength in return for sharing my progress with you for the duration of the trail.