280: When Life Gets Busy...

Introduction

0:00Now then, how are we? Hope you are all doing fabulously. Let's be honest, Anna, the title of this podcast is pretty much on par with where me and you are at right now in our lives. But we are like, I feel like I'm a coiled spring that's been let off and it's just going round

0:32and round and round and round. Busy is not the word, but still on plan.

0:38That's good to know. Stay on brand, mate. Stay on brand. No, no, no. No, I'm just thinking. No, no, no. Because I was thinking this earlier as I was measuring out my cheese. Busyness doesn't mean I can't do it. It just means I need to prioritise it. Because I was really tempted just to spoon the cheese spread into my mouth. And then I thought, no, you're a food optimiser, put it on the scales. And then you can weigh it and spoon it in your mouth. I mean, I feel like that could be a caption right there, couldn't it? I was thinking earlier as I was measuring my cheese, dot, dot, dot. Finish that. I bet Holly, who does our Instagram,

1:10is going to have some fun with that. We'll let you decide what the end of that sentence is if you're listening. Keep it clean. Wow. Or don't, but we just won't air it. Yeah, yeah. We'll hide that comment, but enjoy it for our own pleasure. We really thought that actually, do you know what, considering where we're both at in our lives, and we just logistically have not managed to get together, have we? Yeah, we were. To find these times. So we were like, let's just grab a cup of tea and just jump on Zoom and talk about this. Because actually, I think it's really key that people understand that

1:45we're not here to be like robots or machines as podcast hosts. We are living, breathing, food optimising under the same circumstances as a lot of people. And we thought this could be a really helpful podcast, perhaps for people who are members, but also not members, to really understand, well, what are the options? And sometimes we all need a reminder, because it's so easy, isn't it, to, you know, when things get hectic or stressful or emotional, even, to just say, I can't do this right now, and throw it out of the window. And as someone who's been a yo-yo

2:18dieter, I've seen what happens when I do that. I've been on that rodeo many times. And we're going through that process, aren't we, at the moment, Anna, where we're both have finally reached our target weight. We've maintained this for a decent chunk of time. And this is an example where, for me, if I don't really lean in on all those options available, that I could then come back out that target range and then go back down that slippery slope. So it's a great moment, I think, for both of us to be like, let's put a pin here and say, okay, take a breath. What is it we need

2:54to do? I mean, with your consultant hat on, what, I mean, not that your member hat is any different, I'm sure. But what is it that you kind of say to a member, you know, be in one of your groups when they're asking for that support of where to begin unpacking this kind of moment in their life,

Food Optimization

3:14in their journey? What I truly think about is what can we do, not what we can't do. Because I think when we're stressed and we're busy, we're wanting to shed. So we're saying, right, I can't do this, it's too hard. Well, actually, we all still have to eat. So how can we prioritise ourselves? How can we make space to give ourselves some time? Because actually, what happens when you're busy and you're stressed, and you don't prioritise yourself and you're eating, is it then makes you more tired and stressed. So I always look at the simple wins. Where is the place we know we don't have to think about it?

3:45So let's look at breakfast and simplify that. Then let's look at how we can really make our evening meal work. So we've got leftovers, so we don't have to think about lunch. Is it simple swaps? Like one of the biggest game changers for me is online food shopping and having it delivered to the house. Things like Slimming World Kitchen, just ordering that and know it's coming. So the simple things that we can do to take the pressure off, rather than thinking, right, it's got to be all singing, all dancing. This is how I got into pre-chopped vegetables, because actually, I would meet the vegetables if I had to take the time to chop it. So just buying everything pre-packed,

4:20for me, was a game changer when I was busy. It's now just carried on going. So I try and just simplify it, work out what's the biggest, going to have the biggest impact, and then work down. But don't try and be perfect either, I think is a really big thing, because perfection is not something that is achievable, you know, consistently, but it's also something that we can use as a real thing to berate ourselves with. Like, I've not been perfect, therefore, what's the point? Actually, do you know what? I can take steps towards food optimising 100%. What do I need to change?

4:55Yeah, you said that, you know, that opening statement about, you know, what can I do? And my consultant, Lizzie, has this phrase, which we always, like, come back to, is it can be done. Exactly. And I think sometimes where we maybe struggle is actually sitting down and really working through the how. And I think that takes practice and confidence. And actually, I think one of the benefits of doing a plan like Slimming World is that you can reach out for people and ask for help

5:28or support. If that means that you're travelling on the road, or you're having to eat out more, or maybe you're working away or something, reaching out to your group or the online community for ideas or suggestions. Or maybe, you know, dare I even say it, looking at low SWIP options, if you have to rely on things like some quick grab and go convenience kind of stuff, that that is also the flexibility of the plan. Yeah. But also understanding your personality type as a slimmer. So for me, knowing that I can run into

6:03M&S, grab my free tangerines, a packet of chicken, some low SWIP sushi and a Diet Coke, that protects me from driving into McDonald's. So knowing how you're liable to behave, for me, I know what has to happen for me is I just have to shed. So I have to make it simple. So actually, breakfast is going to be one of two things. It's going to be overnight oats, or it's going to be baked oats, because that's just simple. Lunch is going to be some leftovers, because that's simple. So actually, all I've really got to put my attention to is my dinner, actually, and how can I make that work, so it's not difficult for me?

6:38Is it, you know, one of my favourite places? You know, when the people in Iceland know you by name, you've been in there a lot. But actually, for me, having the curries, the potato dauphinoirs, sensational, having that in the freezer. So actually, all I've got to think about is, you know, putting that in the oven, and you know, cooking the chicken or whatever it is, then takes the stress out of it. So knowing what's around you. For me, one of my absolute favourite places is Subway Jacket Potatoes, because you know, I'm just an obsessive. Actually, that's a safe space. I can go in there and I can

7:10protect myself. But actually knowing I've got to eat things I enjoy, but that I can do quickly, and not just press that, I can't be bothered button. But lean into what's around you. So lean into the support, the features. Also, on our YouTube channel, I don't know if you know,

Simple Meals

7:27but there's all the recipes that are there that are cooked, and it shows you how to do it. So if you need a bit of learning or some inspiration, that can be a great, great place to go to as well. Yeah, I think the idea of asking for help, you know, whether it could be a friend or a partner or a family member that could maybe support you. And also saying, look, do you know what, actually, tonight's really busy for me. Could you deal with dinner? Actually, do you know what, I'm really struggling with this. Could you help me prep this? Or could we do some batch cooking? Or could you bung the slow cooker on? Or do you know what,

7:59you know, saying to your partner, actually, you know, when I'm tired and stressed and you go, shall we get a takeaway? Actually, could you support me by saying, no, we're not going to do that. We're going to make an omelette, like getting them to understand how you're going to behave as well. So you've got that support system is really important. And talking to your slim buddies. So is it the community? Is it in group? Because what I see in groups is that there's always someone who's experienced something very similar, if not the same, someone who's ahead of you. So you could go, do you know what, this really worked for me. So for example, we were talking about busyness

8:29in group last week. And we found out about these pouches of lentils and these ready made noodles and stuff that were really low sweep that actually someone could get in for their drawer in the office that stopped them going to the vending machine. They wouldn't have known that if they weren't in group. So utilising the power of the knowledge of a collective, I think is really key. I also wonder whether there's something like, I mean, obviously, that's like more like the practical side of things. But I also think there's like this element about the language that we use when things get busy. So, you know, whether people lean on that I'm off plan or on plan or I'm being good

9:06or I'm being bad. And I think that can that for me is where it gets a little bit murky. I think where I'm like, is this a diet or is this a lifestyle? Do you know what I mean? The off on good bad? So for me, I'm never off plan. There are, you know, there is 100% on plan. And then there's when I really need to go and fix it up a little bit. But that stepping on and off, I think psychologically can be quite dangerous. For me personally, it's a slimmer. And that good and bad, like I'm really trying to normalise food as fuel, actually. Yeah, there is chocolate in my life and

9:40there is crisps. Are they as nutritionally beneficial as carrots or some, you know, jacket potatoes? But by labelling yourself with kind of these negative words, perhaps, that might subconsciously sabotage you. So actually, I've been bad. So I now need to be good. But actually, because I'm not ready to be good, I'm just going to order a pizza. So catching yourself with that self tape of I'm busy, therefore I can't, you know, there's this going on, I can't. Well, actually, you've got X, Y and Z on. What can you do? How can we shine a light on the things that are easy to do? What's going to make it

10:15simpler for you? And know yourself. Like I know, if I've had a busy day, I'm tired. Daisy's not doing great. I'm not going to want to cook. So actually, putting something in the microwave, like one of the lunch pots for eight minutes, is going to really help me getting some quick cook pasta that takes five minutes, is going to be something I can manage, rather than saying, right, I've got to cook an absolutely beautiful meal from scratch that's going to take an hour and 20 minutes. Get lost. It's not realistic. Yeah. It's not. I think that, well, it's interesting you say about understanding yourself as a slimmer. I think the thing that has really been different for me

10:51about, you know, this Slimming World journey, and also Slimming World in general as a plan, is the idea about learning about what your self-sabotage areas are, your danger zones, your trigger foods. Like I know when things get busy, or I'm tired, that I'm less likely to make better choices. So I'm almost, in order for me to kind of learn myself, like to maintain this target weight, I have to get on top of that early. You know, it might be that I know that next week is going to be really crazy. I'm not going to get a chance to get down and do the big shop. But with

11:24four days notice, I could plan that a slimmer world kitchen box arrives on my doorstep. For you, you could obviously order in like an Iceland meal to be delivered to your door. So I think that idea about actually understanding what it is that your triggers are, allow you to just put a bit more of a personalised plan in place. And that, for me, is that if you get a chance to do that when you're not busy, and you lean in on those tools. So actually, if at the moment you're listening, you're like,

11:54you know what, things are all right, but this is an opportunity where maybe I could go and do a little bit of a semi-world school, you can go and you're leaning on those aspects of the quizzes, the articles, the tools that semi-world offers members so that you get that. Because I think that idea that, you know what, if someone gives us a food plan, and we just stick to that food, and we eat it, you're going to lose weight. But then when these little hurdles and things come in, these challenges step up, have you honestly got the resilience to know yourself of how you need to handle that or

12:28approach it in a way that works for you and your people and your lifestyle and your work and your home and your local supermarket area and what options you have in terms of, you know, the delivery stuff? I think that is what makes it like a long-term strategy for weight loss. I'll never forget, I had a trainer at Slim Rod who said to me, when emotions high, thinking is low. So actually, take the thinking out when you know emotion is high, plan for it, know it, and then you will thank yourself. So it's understanding, you know, if you don't get the

13:01big shop in, it might lead you to order a takeaway. So actually, how can I do something that's going to protect me from that Slim Rod kitchen? Whatever it is, it's understanding you. I've just got to go get my door. Oh! Hang on. Is it Slim Rod kitchen? Wait a second, wait a second. I don't, I don't, I don't know if this is real or not, guys. I don't know if she's going to even keep this in. Do you think this is real? Do you, can you imagine if it's like a Slim and well kitchen that arrives? Like, and she doesn't know. I hope she keeps this in.

13:32Right, there's a lot of thank yous. Oh, what's going on? She's coming back. She's going to get her door. What could be going on now? What's going on? Oh yeah. Right, I said, I kept, I kept talking because I was like, imagine if it's a Slim and well kitchen. I can't hear the words you're saying, but, um. She can't hear what I'm saying, but she hasn't got her headphones on. I think, I think what it is, is. Slim and well kitchen? It's not a Slim and well kitchen.

14:03Oh, I just kept recording in case. No, it's not. It's, I've, I've signed up for this monthly gardening subscription. Oh, okay. Where I'm growing all my own veg. Oh, wow. Now, this is not what you do when you're busy, I'll be honest. This is going to get put on the shelf for two weeks, but. This is what I was thinking. This is what I was thinking. It's Slim and well kitchen. Do you know what I'm hoping, right, is when I'm busy in summer, I can, instead of going to like the local supermarket, I can just go to my back garden and pick a tomato, a bit of spinach and make my own little salad. Oh, that would be the best salad you've ever eaten.

14:35But so far, my orange peppers, my cucumelons, my honeycomb tomatoes, my rosemary, basil, um, what else have I got going on? Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries. I'm like going for it. I've been gardening over winter so that hopefully I can have a like, you can pop around mine, Anna, and I'll pop some freshly cut raspberries into a nice cold drink for you. How different we are. Pop around to mine, I'll get you some out that I bought in Tesscaps.

15:07So anyway, sorry about that. It wasn't Slim and well kitchen. I mean, the last time we had an interruption of a door going off was Margaret. Yeah, God bless her. Yeah. But you know, I often think what would Margaret say in this situation and she's like, get to know yourself and get a plan for it. Don't be surprised, get fascinated. And that's a really important way of thinking, isn't it? You know, one of the, also the books that I use, I don't know if you've used it much, is the 15 Minute Heroes book because everything in that book, oh my gosh. This is a new one, right? And it's now on sale.

15:39Yeah, it's fairly new and it is brilliant because everything can be made or constructed in 15 minutes. There are some incredible things. There are like omelettes on steads. There is, oh, take, one of my favourites is there's a steak carbonara in it, like a hoisin pork omelette, a curry in a hurry, like really easy things, 15 minutes because we were both takeaway girls and I often think what used to happen to me with a takeaway, it was, it was the pressure being shedded just by ordering it.

16:09I would then wait an hour for said takeaway. Whereas actually, if I can cook something in the time it takes me to have a shower and come back downstairs, the takeaway's still not arrived. Do you know what I mean? And I've saved myself an utter fortune and food optimised. So I would really recommend that book because there's even things like sandwiches in it, things that you can just really easily construct that will keep you really safe at times of stress. So if you're a member then, you can order that from your consultant and then online you can buy it? You can order it in the shop. Yeah. So your consultant might have a copy in or they can get

16:42you unordered, but it's a, it's such a brilliant book because it shows you the possibilities in what can be done in 15 short minutes. And actually you can make the most delicious meals. And imagine you made a 15 minute hero and then you've literally done your dinner and your lunch for the next day. And while that was cooking, you could be prepping your breakfast and then you'd have to think about it. Really, really, really good. Also something that really helps me is in times when it's not that busy, batch cook, literally. So you've got things in the freezer, you know, like I've got

17:15enough spag bol to feed the street. Is there things that you can do? Like I batch cook jacket potatoes. So there's eight of them just frozen. So I can put them in the air fryer and crisp them up. So almost thinking when you have got a window and you know, there's a stressful time, you thought yourself ahead because surprise is the worst thing for people trying to lose weight. Because what we then do is old neural pathways, old habits go, hi, I'm here. Just get yourself to Domino's. They'll sort you right out. And actually it's not what you want to do. I'm thinking back to a couple of weeks ago

17:49when we had Ray on the podcast. Oh my God. Let me just remember what the title of that podcast was because too many, uh, planning for life. Right. And Ray talks about having this spreadsheet where he planned everything out over the course of the month. But, um, and I was thinking back, right, a couple of years ago, what I ended up doing was I had like four or five different type of weekly menus. And then I had the shopping list attached to that plan so that I could literally

18:20just whip out that shopping list, check what I had in, go and get what wasn't in and then go. And I know obviously like with things like similar magazine, they've got these QR codes and shopping lists and all of this kind of stuff. So it's, I think that using the technology, I think to help you in that way that maybe for you, it's, it's, you know, when things are a little bit quieter, maybe getting a plan together of what are the seven, seven days of really quick and easy meals.

18:51Here's the, here's the meal plans. Here's the shopping list. And then you can just whip that out ready to go whenever you need to. And, and, and also I think when you've got a few different menus, you have a bit of variety, don't you? And you can slot new things in, but you have those maybe seven or eight meals that you just really know, right? This is what it looks like for me. This is maybe three or four different types of breakfast over the course of the week. And you've got that stuff in. Yeah. And I've got loads of members in my groups who will do like batch their breakfast. So they'll make overnight oats for four days, or they'll make something like,

19:26you know, boiled eggs. So they've got them in the fridge, things that they can grab that, that morning when they just know they're not going to be faffed, it's there done for it. And there's such a smug feeling when you open your fridge and like, yep, it's done. All I've got to do is eat it now. So, you know, knowing, knowing what you need to personalising it to you, because actually, if you know that Wednesday night's a really tricky night, take that stress out of it. Know that you've got your, I don't know, curry ready done. And you've got your, like for me, I buy frozen rice now, like literally when I'm in Iceland by my Iceland range,

19:58I'll get the frozen rice. So we don't even have to think about cooking the blinking rice. Like some people may say, you know, that's extreme, but actually it's protecting me from going down an old lane that is a dead end. It doesn't have weight loss at the end of it. It has a big fat stop. What are you doing here? The, you know, the conversation we had with Yvonne a couple of weeks ago, well, I think was like the takeaway for me when Yvonne talked about how there

20:29was that time or, you know, where she would go out and she'd have that meal or, or maybe have something that was a bit higher in Swips than perhaps she'd originally planned for that. She didn't really dwell on that. She didn't kind of get, you know, throw the whole vase of flowers out the window, like people have talked about. She just got back on track the next opportunity that she could. And I think that's, that's interesting in that you can just draw that line. At what point is it that you need to draw this line and say enough, right? I'm getting back on this because I've definitely been in that circumstance where things got busy. I was then so like far away from

21:06where I was really wanting to be with food optimizing. I stopped going to group or I stopped staying to group. Then I stopped going to group because I'm not seeing the results I want. And then I blink and three, four, five months have gone and I've, you know, put on a stone and I've been in that journey so many times, maybe more than a stone sometimes. And it's like, okay, what point am I ready to draw the line here and do this in a different way? How much do I want to learn how to do this in a different way? Because if we're likely to get to, I look at Yvonne, like 10 years

21:36as a diamond member of maintaining a target weight loss of eight and a half stone, like you're going to have to have made some changes to kind of stay at that level. And for me, I think one of the reasons I wasn't, I don't know, able to really find that groove with target was that I wasn't really willing to make those changes on a long-term basis. And I needed to do a little bit more detective work. And now I think the journey that I'm going through now, I'm just coming up to six

22:07months at maintaining my target weight. And I've pretty much stayed within the two pound bubble, you know, over Christmas and New Year. And I honestly think that I first hit my target in May 2021. And I kind of went up and down and around. And then I hit target again, last year in May. And then I kind of came straight out of that target range. And I just, I think now, I think I've done the work to kind of understand what target looks like for me in that making sure I've just got a bit

22:42more flexibility. And I think the idea about just come back when you can, the biggest thing for me is not eating out as much, I would say. And when I do eat out, I really think about ahead, what it is that I want that to look like. I realised actually that a lot of time I was eating out because I was almost just being lazy. Yeah, I can totally relate to that. Yeah. And then I got really skint. And I was like, I can't actually afford to eat out. But actually, the quality of food that I can make when I get home, a simple swap that I did. And it's funny, because on a busy weekend, I would normally

23:17have just done this without even really thinking about it. But this shows how I've changed. So last Saturday, I did park run, I walked it actually, I just power walked it at the back on my own, I was totally fine talking to the geese, listen to the birds, whatever. I mean, they're my people, what can I say? And then, and then we finished and we used to go in the habit on Saturdays of going straight to a cafe, and we'd have brunch, we'd have coffees, maybe a couple of coffees. And I know if I

23:50mean, I kind of conservatively estimated that to be about 15 swips. Well, I instead this week, I was like, I don't really need to do that. I'm at the top of my target range. And I kind of want to come back down a little bit. So I'm going to go home and I'm going to make myself my own food optimised breakfast. And we did it. And we had things like potato waffles, and we'd add hash browns. And I leaned in on using my avocado for my healthy fats choice. And I had the beans and I had the mushrooms and the tomatoes and they weren't caked in oil. And we worked out there that we'd saved 33 pound 50

24:28doing that at home. And for me, it only cost me I need to check what it was, but it was around six or seven swips. And I was like, these are the changes that I need to be willing to make in order for me to kind of work out how to stick with this so that when I'm emotional, when I'm busy, I just know what my other options are. Yeah, it's that inevitability that we have within us that, oh, it's stressful. Inevitably, I can't do it. Well, actually, you can, it's going to be different.

24:59And I've got to think more and I've got to plan more. But actually, that's that's changing behaviour, which allows you to lose weight. And more importantly, or just as importantly, I should say, stay at your target range, doesn't it? So well done. And having that, that courage to think outside of what you need to do, because sometimes it can be very easy to say, but I like going for brunch and I like having the coffee and it's a really nice thing to do. Well, actually, it is a really nice thing to do. But having this wonderful, healthy, slim body that I've worked so blinking hard to get and keeping it there and actually being able to afford to eat is a much nicer thing,

25:31isn't it? So well done. Looking at that flexibility. I mean, you know, like losing five stone and keeping it off is by far the hardest thing I've done. And it's, I just got to that point for so many times when things got busy or tough, I checked out. And this time, I don't want to check out on myself. I just don't want to do it anymore. And so when things get busy, I'm going to find a different way. I think that's just an amazing thing to hear because it is just doing things

26:02differently and the payoff will be so huge, won't it? Yeah. Yeah. You know what? I mean, I watched a TV show and it was all about like, when we show up for ourselves, we also show up for others. And how often do we not really show up for ourselves or take care of ourselves or put, you know, put ourselves first. And you were talking there about, you know, seeing food as fuel or for me, it's even like nourishment and that nutritional benefit that food gives us to make sure that our immune system is strong, that our hearts are healthier, you know, that we're more resistant to coughs and

26:37colds and we're just better able to move with ease and sleep better and all of this stuff. And you just think, okay, if this means I need to take 20 minutes less time watching telly or being on my phone to put together a plan this week, am I worth it? Yes, you are. But it's where you, so I think I said this a few months ago, but my husband, I was talking about going to the gym. I said, I don't have time. I said, can I ask you what happens in the bath? Personal question, love. No, it was like TikTok in the bath. It was like, I don't know what you mean. He's like,

27:10well, you prioritise your relaxation as scrolling on TikTok in the bath, right? You prioritise that time. What's that half an hour, 40 minutes an hour? Because you want to do that, but you're not prioritising the time to go to the gym because it's not something you actually want to do. So understanding that prioritising half an hour to get to the gym is going to mean that you don't need to sit in the bath for an hour scrolling TikTok because actually you've done something that's better for your mental health. You'll then eat better and you won't need to go and break down that stress in that way. So I kicked him in the shins, got very hungry with him and said,

27:42you're right. Because actually what it was, was understanding my priorities needed to change to free up time, to be able to go to the gym, to be able to cook myself some decent food because I show up better as a mum, a wife, a friend, a consultant if I'm happy and I'm well nourished and being at the way I want to be. I'm an all round nicer person to be around. I love the silence. She just looks at me like, yeah, I didn't want to say love, but yes. Good job we're on Zoom. But it's

28:12true, isn't it? It's true about where we see our priorities. And you and I have had exhausting careers and exhausting lives where we have literally gone a million miles an hour and we've neglected ourselves. We've not eaten well. We've not moved. And actually the result of that was our mental health being so badly impacted, our bodies being affected because we were really overweight and not looking after ourselves that actually it's a non-negotiable now that I'm going to eat well because I deserve that. My body deserves that. And the work that I have put in to get to this point, to have this body, I deserve to spend time looking

28:48after it. Hear, hear. That is exactly it. It's true there, isn't it? Yeah. I mean, I couldn't put that better myself. There you go. You heard it here. Did you hear what she just said to me? There you go.

29:02Well, I mean, I hope that, you know, if people are listening and things are pretty busy, maybe there's that feeling of spiralling. Maybe this is just the wake up call that you need to hear. And just to know that there are options and that there is a support, you know, group and consultant and online community out there to help you navigate this. You don't need to work out all these answers yourself. You don't need to do this on your own. That is what your membership really gives you in that help, that support, that guidance, that someone helping

29:35hold your hand along the way and motivate you, your own team of cheerleaders. And that's what helped me crack it because trying to work this out and struggle in my own mind on my own was not the answer whatsoever.

29:50So actually, one of the things you were saying there about priority, well, I've been looking at my screen time on my phone recently, right? So scary. And I mean, on average, I think I was getting nearly four hours a day screen time and I use it for work as well. I'll be honest. It's not, but I use that as an excuse, I would also say. I'm just doing some research. No, you're not. You're just scrolling, doing comparisonitis on Instagram. Step off, mate. Anyway, I made the decision to really limit the amount of time

30:23I have my phone. I'm trying 30 minutes a day. Oh my gosh. And what it's actually done is it's made me, when I pick up my phone, I really have to be focused on what I've picked it up for, who I'm responding to, and then check out. I'm doing a lot more voice notes because it's quicker than typing. Yeah, I noticed that. But the other thing is that from seven o'clock, me and Matt, we leave our phone downstairs, plugged in, and we have no phones in the evening. And the difference in terms of the mental capacity

30:56that I have to be able to cope with life, a reduction in anxiety. This year, if I'm honest, I've really struggled with stuff like panic attacks. And a lot of it is just because I've been stuck in this habit of being on that cycle of comparisonitis and, you know, just really just stuck in that doom scrolling kind of mode. And I really had to like, just pull away from that. And it's amazing how much more time that gives me the meals that we are trying new recipes, and the time that we're kind of working together to create new meal plans

31:29and stuff like that. It's so much more joy. Yeah. And that's, you know, when life gets busy, maybe put your phone away. It's the answer that I got to for me. Well, I got it. I got it last week with all three of us. We're all in the same room. Daisy's on our iPad. I'm on my phone working. Phil's Googling something. And I just thought we're all sat in the same room. The TV's on. And we're not communicating with each other. Put the phones and the devices away. And let's go for a blinking walk. And we've lost that, haven't we? And actually, it's that going back to that prioritizing. My hour in the bath

32:00on TikTok, I had suddenly got into this habit. I needed to break it, actually. And it's really liberating when you do do it. So put your phone down once you've listened to the podcast, though. Please don't put your phone down now if you're listening to your phone. Don't be like, Claire, talk. No, get to the end of the episode, please, if you would mind.

32:18Yeah. Well, what you can do on your phone, actually, you can choose which apps you can put restrictions on. So yeah, I do that. And I've really, that's really made me think about, well, which apps are actually helping me and which apps are actually really not. They're a bit of a trigger. It's a bit like trigger foods, isn't it? So having that kind of balance, really. Do you know what is really helpful is if I have access any point, any time in the day to Headspace to do a meditation, that's helpful. Yeah. So, you know, it's knowing yourself and knowing those options. So I feel like we've kind of

32:51tapped on psychology, mobile phone use, marriage, recipe books, food, some kitchen, Iceland range. I mean, I feel like we've done a lot of tick lists here. A hundred percent. But, you know, take the fact that together, experience-wise with food optimising, I'm 27 years. How many are you? Uh, 2012, I joined Slimming World. So that's what, 30, 14 years? No, 14 years plus 20. That's a lot of years. Like, you know, we're in our mid-40s as slimmers. Like, actually, we've made the mistakes. You don't need to.

33:25Just learn from us. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. Right. Next week, we're, um, we're opening up the Archive Vault, aren't we? And we are, um, doing a really special members episode, but we're going to go back and listen to some amazing footage of Margaret Miles Bramwell, um, talking about letting go of guilt. And maybe that's a topic that you'd like to explore. And guilt is a sneaky little emotion, isn't it? It creeps in, in these little kind of, you know, unhelpful habits in ways that we don't

33:58even often realise consciously. Um, and so we're gonna, we've got a copy of, um, Margaret talking through this video and members can access this at any point, by the way, but we're gonna just listen back to it and just talk through it and break it down and just really digest that and see if there are any takeaways for that kind of more mindset focus of how we approach the food optimising plant. Cause we're here for the brains as well as the food on the plate, right? And the beauty, sorry.

34:29You are, yeah. I've not even brushed my hair today, so. I mean, do you know what? If I hadn't brushed my hair, I'd be arrested. Look how nice you look without brushing your hair. This has taken seven hours in the makeup chair to get to. Well, mate, what I did do is I planned my food for the day, so. Did you? My food shop came last night, you see. Well, so basically what you should do is not brush your hair and sort your food out, is that? No, my food's, my food's done. It was done last night. I'm all planned and prepped. Well, I'm off to brush my hair. Okay, I'm off to eat.

35:00Let us know what are your go-to things that you do when life is busy. Um, have any of you who said that you were going to try a spreadsheet after being inspired by Ray the other week? Did you go? Did you do it? Do you want to send us a photo of your spreadsheet? You can email us slimmingworldpodcast at gmail.com or drop us a DM on Insta at slimmingworldpodcast. We just like to be nosy, to be honest. Um, always looking for tips, advice, and just ways that we're all working through this journey in our own way, carrying on, ticking on, finding the joy, trying to think

35:38of a positive way to end the episode as the credits roll. I'm going to throw to Anna because Anna always has a positive way of ending the pod, pod, I can't even say the word podcast, mate. Podcast. I'm over now, aren't I? Do you know what I'd say? Just, just know you're worth it. Know you're worth that effort. Other, other, um, brands are available. No, but know you are worth putting that time and effort into. Your body, your mind, and your soul are worth that time. And with that, see you in a bit.

36:09Bye for now!