When I started using the ThinkingSlimmer 'Drop 2 jeans sizes' slimpod back in July/August, I had no idea I was pregnant. I used it for 4 weeks before finding out I was expecting a baby, at which point I was recommended to stop using it because a woman's food needs during pregnancy are quite different.
I wanted to take this opportunity just to tell you about the difference it did make to me. Obviously I wasn't losing weight. In fact, in the first 5 weeks of pregnancy I put on an astonishing 5kg in weight. Eek. I would say that I also didn't notice any difference in my eating habits after using the slimpod but this could also have been down to my change in hormones and different needs. However, it did have one very big impact for which I am very grateful and which I attribute directly to the ThinkingSlimmer process. I gave up caffeine!
Ever since Christmas last year I had been planning on trying to cut down my caffeine intake because I knew I was going to try and conceive again (high caffeine intake is known to affect your ability to conceive). When I miscarried in June I told myself I really needed to get on top of my diet and my caffeine intake. Even with the miscarriage to kick me into shape I was struggling with willpower. I'd go to work in the morning and tell myself that I didn't need to have 3 cans of diet coke as well as the two morning Nespressos and I really could get through the day without an ice-cream from the endless free supply. But then come lunchtime I'd convince myself that just one coke wouldn't hurt and by mid afternoon I'd be raiding the freezer.
I've tried giving up caffeine before. Its painful. Days 1-3 are normally fine but then the withdrawl symptoms kick in. Usually a mind-numbing headache that makes the basic functions of life a struggle. By day 10 I'm normally fine. I saw a good friend go through that kind of detox quite recently and come out the other end having consumed a year's supply of paracetemol. This is why I wasn't looking forward to giving up caffeine and it wasn't my main focus when I started ThinkingSlimmer.
Within 48 hours of trying the slimpod for the first time there was a niggly thought in the back of my head telling me "why don't you try dropping the diet cokes?". The next day I went for it. Coffee and cokes didn't even cross my mind. Day two of operation no-caffeine was the same. Days 3 and 4 were the ultimate test. Still no headache. I got through the full working week unscathed.
I spent the next week waiting for the withdrawl symptoms and expecting my willpower to wane. There were none, and it didn't. During week 3 I felt so good that I decided to have a little experiment. I had a cup of coffee in the morning each day that week and expected to fall straight back into my old habits. I didn't. I now feel totally in control of my caffeine intake. I can choose to have a coffee or a coke... or I can choose not to. Sometimes I go for a decaff, sometimes I don't. It feels great to have the choice and knowing that I'm pregnant, I'm glad to have got on top of my caffeine intake.
So here I am now in late October still in control of my caffeine and ice-cream consumption even though I stopped listening to the slimpod after 4 weeks. My only trips to that fridge in recent days have been for pineapple ice lollies to fulfil my cravings for tropical fruit!
I wanted to take this opportunity just to tell you about the difference it did make to me. Obviously I wasn't losing weight. In fact, in the first 5 weeks of pregnancy I put on an astonishing 5kg in weight. Eek. I would say that I also didn't notice any difference in my eating habits after using the slimpod but this could also have been down to my change in hormones and different needs. However, it did have one very big impact for which I am very grateful and which I attribute directly to the ThinkingSlimmer process. I gave up caffeine!
Ever since Christmas last year I had been planning on trying to cut down my caffeine intake because I knew I was going to try and conceive again (high caffeine intake is known to affect your ability to conceive). When I miscarried in June I told myself I really needed to get on top of my diet and my caffeine intake. Even with the miscarriage to kick me into shape I was struggling with willpower. I'd go to work in the morning and tell myself that I didn't need to have 3 cans of diet coke as well as the two morning Nespressos and I really could get through the day without an ice-cream from the endless free supply. But then come lunchtime I'd convince myself that just one coke wouldn't hurt and by mid afternoon I'd be raiding the freezer.
I've tried giving up caffeine before. Its painful. Days 1-3 are normally fine but then the withdrawl symptoms kick in. Usually a mind-numbing headache that makes the basic functions of life a struggle. By day 10 I'm normally fine. I saw a good friend go through that kind of detox quite recently and come out the other end having consumed a year's supply of paracetemol. This is why I wasn't looking forward to giving up caffeine and it wasn't my main focus when I started ThinkingSlimmer.
Within 48 hours of trying the slimpod for the first time there was a niggly thought in the back of my head telling me "why don't you try dropping the diet cokes?". The next day I went for it. Coffee and cokes didn't even cross my mind. Day two of operation no-caffeine was the same. Days 3 and 4 were the ultimate test. Still no headache. I got through the full working week unscathed.
I spent the next week waiting for the withdrawl symptoms and expecting my willpower to wane. There were none, and it didn't. During week 3 I felt so good that I decided to have a little experiment. I had a cup of coffee in the morning each day that week and expected to fall straight back into my old habits. I didn't. I now feel totally in control of my caffeine intake. I can choose to have a coffee or a coke... or I can choose not to. Sometimes I go for a decaff, sometimes I don't. It feels great to have the choice and knowing that I'm pregnant, I'm glad to have got on top of my caffeine intake.
So here I am now in late October still in control of my caffeine and ice-cream consumption even though I stopped listening to the slimpod after 4 weeks. My only trips to that fridge in recent days have been for pineapple ice lollies to fulfil my cravings for tropical fruit!
