MUMenTUM - Thinking Slimmer

I have been waiting to do this post for Monday's linky as I wanted to get started on my slimpod from Thinking Slimmer. I have been so excited to get started on what seems to be a revolutionary product. We all read about gimmicks from time to time and you read testimonials on websites revealing how good their products are and I always think they sound too good to be true. Now in this instance I might have thought the same had it not been from the fantastic feedback I have heard word of mouth through blogging and predominantly twitter.

I have admitted that I am not someone who can diet easily, my willpower is pretty pathetic and I will have a good week and then that will be it, all good intentions down the pan. This is where the slimpod got me interested. Now if it's possible to change the way I think about food then it might unlock the secret to keeping some unwanted weight off and help me make better food choices. I have a tendency to eat quite quickly, I can't even blame it on my son as I used to eat quickly before I had him. I know it's bad for digestion and more importantly I don't think I am savouring the taste and really enjoying what I am eating. Practically inhaling food is never a good idea but yet I continue...

So finally I am all geared up for 21 days of using the slimpod. After a lovely chat with Sasha from Thinking Slimmer outlining my goals and expectations it was suggested that I try the Drop a dress size slimpod. I like the fact that the slimpod's are just ten minutes long, this means that realistically you can find time to listen to it every day without it becoming difficult.

Last night was the first night I embarked on my Thinking Slimmer journey. I hadn't thought it through properly by installing it on my iPhone as it could easily be disrupted by a text message or twitter. However it's on there now and last night I listened to it uninterrupted. My son didn't even wander in for his daily bed hop so I was very grateful for that. The recording is straight forward and extremely easy to listen to. Trevor the voice behind it has a soothing voice and one that puts you at ease. I have listened to hypnosis downloads before and the voice can really make or break whether you listen further.

Now I am on day two so it's very early days but you have heard it from the start and how I mean to go on. Along with the slimpod you receive a handbook to document how you are doing and a contract to sign and stick on your fridge! (don't worry it's not binding, only to yourself).

This is the start of a 21 day experiment for me and I can't wait to see what effect it might have on me. After that there is a bonus slimpod for maintaining the weight loss for a further few weeks. Once that is finished then my relationship with food should have changed for good. If I feel myself getting into old habits, all I need to do is listen to the original Slimpod again. I am looking forward to the journey!

MUMenTUM - Monday Check in 7

So I am back refreshed from my holiday and starting this week with some commitment by writing this long overdue post. I did mention that my holiday was 'home from home' and that I would be tweeting and throwing in a post or two for which I didn't manage (posting at least). I think you will all agree that when you are on holiday you do need to escape a little, not that I needed to escape from blogging but just to not do a lot and not spend too much time thinking and planning. Thankfully I didn't need to think too much besides putting all my efforts into one crummy book that didn't fulfil it's promise, I completed it with a bit of page skipping!

Anyway back to the subject of this post, MUMenTUM. I have been guilty of neglecting the girls, although I have been following their shenanigans on twitter and the emails I have been copied into. So I fully expect to be whipped back into shape now my holiday is over. I may have a tan (which is diminishing before my eyes) but I have put a couple of pounds on. To be honest though I very often fluctuate a few pounds so I am not too worried about that (lots of wine and food is a no brainer) it's the fact I never really know what to go on. If I weighed myself and I had I had lost a pound or two then I wouldn't credit myself with having achieved anything. Give me five pounds and we would be talking, now I do realise that will require some work on my part...

I also forgot to add this picture earlier that my husband snapped with MUMenTUM in mind. What a meany but it puts our weight into perspective and if she can flaunt it anyone can!

I started this post on Sunday and have only just come back to it now. After a few topsy turvy weeks, life is returning to normal this week. I have lots of reading and posting to do so without further a do I won't ramble on anymore, I just wanted to add this token post and show my support to the group :-)

Good Bloggers Pay it Forward: Blog Award

I woke up this morning, earlier than I would have wanted, but pleased to see I had received an award from Liska at New Mum Online. I have known Liska since the very early days of starting out blogging (so only a few months back) and she has become a firm friend on here. I have even met her and it comes as no surprise that she is just as lovely as she appears online. She is also the 'chief' of MUMenTUM so is always passing on positive vibes. Here she has awarded me the tag below:

The rules are as follows:

1. Put the badge at the top of your post

2. Refer to the lovely blogger who awarded it

3. Pass it on to five others

My choices are for some of the MUMenTUM ladies (just some as there are a few of us now and Liska has covered some girls in hers). 

1. mummy, daddy and me makes three @mummydaddyme
2. The Crazy Kitchen @jessies_online
3. Working London Mummy @workinglonmummy
4. Mother's Always Right @mothersright
5. PR Mummy @Clairewill

So these are my chosen ladies. I wanted to get it done before I rush around like a blue arsed fly this morning trying to get everything sorted for our holiday. I can feel it starting to overwhelm me already, same old story though! I have my trusted list though...

MUMenTUM - Monday Check in 3

I have to admit this week hasn't been my best week. Dedicated and focused I have not been. My good intentions are still the same, somewhere along the line I just became a bit relaxed about it and let life get in the way.  So this past week I have only been on the exercise bike once *hangs head in shame* and not been as careful with my food choices as the week before. I don't drink that much these days and because of this I have never really looked at alcohol as a factor with losing weight. When I do get hold of some wine, the worry of extra calories is not going to stop me, I assure you of that.

As you may have read I attended an exclusive event for Nivea and Ubisoft and along with a few glasses of champagne and a cocktail, I was given a game. The game being Your Shape: Fitness Evolved designed for use with Kinect on the Xbox 360. Having told myself and the other girls in MOMenTUM that I would give the game a go, here I am with the low down.

I tried in vain to set up the Kinect this morning and was somewhat challenged with all the cables and plugs. It doesn't take much to challenge me with setting up consoles and this is usually my main reason for jacking in anything I try and start. However, knowing that I have to give it a fair go and let everyone know what it's all about I managed to get it all working (with a little help from the husband at work).

The next challenge was trying to figure out what to do whilst Beastie suddenly decided he wanted cuddles. You see with the Kinect you need to be within a certain area/space in front of your tv, in view of the sensor and here is the important bit, on your own! A little person running around and climbing on me confused it no end. At this point I gave up and decided to wait for nap time...

When nap time eventually came, I got to try it out. Now I have played on the Kinect before and understand about using your arm as the controller, all of this seemed pretty straight forward. When I had tried to do this earlier (with interference) it was driving me crazy. The sensor scans your whole body and takes your height and dimensions and then asks for your weight, so it seems quite accurate. It was extremely frustrating though when I couldn't enter the correct weight due to the sensitivity of the pointers on the screen. No one wants to weigh more than they actually do! I feel like a need a good few hours to get used to the controls and what I can expect to achieve from the programme. It has options to spend time with your personal trainer, carry out exercise classes and have a go at gym games. My first choice was the gym games which looked the 'fun' option and also had a game that Liska at New Mum Online had tried out at the event (lots of praise her way for giving it a go). So I quite enjoyed punching some blocks, could also be good for releasing pent up anger?

Anyway, so far so good and I moved on to the other sections, where you choose your personal trainer and mimic their moves as if they were in the room with you. I generally fail abysmally when it comes to copying other people's moves. Remember The Macarena and Whigfield's Saturday Night? I never got it, I usually just slinked out of the way to avoid embarrassment. What I need is time and no one watching to get the moves right, so in the comfort of my own home and no audience I can do just that.

The exercise section gave the option for Cardio Boxing and Zen. I decided to give Zen (see below) a try leaving the Boxing for another time. This is designed to relax you and also stretch your muscles, it felt very spiritual and great for following, not too taxing for me. Having already decided that I would not commit fully to a proper session today I also discovered you can make pretty swirling patterns on the screen when waving your arms, completely pointless I know but fun none the less. It's all about distraction from exercise...

On a more serious note I am certainly going to continue with the game and get to grips with the routines, from just the briefest go I could feel some benefits, particularly some of the cardio routines. All I need to do is find the time to give it my best.