If you know me personally or have followed my blog or youtube channel for a while you will know that I have been a member of Slimming World on and off for the past few years. I lost a large amount of weight a few years back but have struggled since after going for a three week holiday to Thailand, suffering from depression and low self-esteem, as well as falling pregnant with my third baby. Slimming World is only easy once you've got your head into it and once you are motivated to do it properly. The plan will not work if you do not stick to plan 100%. You will lose weight if you stick to the plan 100% and if you're not losing weight then there may be other reasons why you're not losing weight with Slimming World and if you stay to the group, you will get the help you need from your consultant. I thought as I am back on track and have lost just over 1 stone, somewhere I've been wanting to see for a long time, I thought I'd share my tips on how to stick to the plan. I'd love to know your tips and how you stay motivated too: remember to leave a comment to let me know, or message me on Instagram. HOW TO STICK TO THE SLIMMING WORLD PLAN SHARING MY TIPS 1. Write a for and against list Writing a for and against list could be great for those who are thinking of joining Slimming World and for current members who are struggling to find the motivation. Writing a for and against list can help you see on paper why you want to lose weight and the reasons what's stopping you. This could be the list you need to kickstart your journey or help you mid-way through your journey. 2. Don't see it as a diet The last thing you want in your head is for Slimming World to be a diet. When you have the word 'diet' in your mind, your brain seems to start to go against what you actually want or need to do - which is stick to plan. This is why you need to learn that Slimming World is a healthy balanced eating lifestyle. The plan helps you learn how to eat properly and eat a balanced diet. 3. Meal planning Planning your meals ahead will massively help you on your Slimming World journey. Whether you write a meal plan for the day ahead or for the week. Something I have personally struggled with in the past is coming to a meal time and not knowing what to have. But having a meal plan ready, helps me think fast and plan my meals ahead. 4. Batch cook Batch cooking is a great way to help stop you from picking the wrong foods and doing that take away phone call on a Friday night. Whether you work or not, there are some nights during the week where you can not be bothered to cook and most of us end up grabbing the wrong things or phoning for a takeaway. By having one or two days a week to focus on batch cooking, it definitely helps you to stick to plan as there's always a meal ready on hand to pop into the microwave. 5. Join Facebook Slimming World groups To start with, these Facebook groups are not official Slimming World but they are friendly, chatty and most importantly, very helpful groups for Slimming World members all over the world. The groups are a great way to share your meal photos, syn finds and meeting other fellow Slimming World members. It's also a great place to ask for syn values if you're struggling to find them on the app. 6. Stay to group Staying to your local Slimming World group definitely helps you stay motivated and stick to plan. By staying to group you are meeting other people who are wanting the same goal as yourself, you're finding out more news about Slimming World, new food ideas and a ton of other things. 7. Write everything down When you join Slimming World you will get a new member pack which is exactly the same as every other member. In your pack, you will find a few food diaries. Personally, the paper food diaries aren't great for me, but they work for others. What helps me is writing them in an ordinary notebook or you can find a food planner online such as eBay or Amazon. Writing everything down is key, a top tip is to write it down before you eat it. This will make you think twice if you really need that food - if it's the wrong foods - or are you eating just for the sake of it? 8. Make a Slimming World Instagram account I personally find Slimming World a great app to stick to the plan. It really helps motivate you to stick to plan, finding new meal ideas and following other Slimming World members too. It's a great way for you to post your meals and help others too. 9. Fill your fridge with free or low syn snacks We all open the fridge when we're feeling a bit picky don't we? By making sure you have some low syn or ideally, free foods in there to pick on instead of the wrong things - you're making that change and sticking to plan. The kind of snacks you could buy for your fridge are meat slices, fruit, chopped peppers etc. 10. Drink before you eat During your meal times and even sometimes before a meal, have a drink. I have a 750ml sports bottle from Home Bargains that cost me just £2.49. I can drink roughly 5-6 full bottles per day. This is by making sure I drink between my meals too as sometimes when you're feeling picky between your meals, you are more than likely just thirsty, not hungry.