A frustrating week 2

This week has been strange. I feel I'm careering along at a million miles an hour and I've lost the brake, but I suppose such is the life of a working Mum. 

On the diet front I tried so hard. I have pointed everything that has passed my lips, so much so I only have 6 points from my weekly allowance left until Saturday morning. I have done loads of exercise, 25 minutes of cardio on Friday and then I dusted off my bike and did about 6 miles at the weekend. I have the sore bum to prove it too! So, WHY have the scales not budged? I know I shouldn't sneaky peek but I am a dyed in the wool sneaky peeker, I just can't help it. I am hoping and praying that all my hard work will pay off when I step on the scales on Saturday but I am not holding my breath.

Meal plan for this week and I have stuck to my rule of 2 fish meals and 1 veggie

Saturday: Jamie Oliver's Beef Kofta curry from the 15 minute meals book. This was LUSH!

Sunday: Home made meatballs with pasta

Monday: Another Jamie Oliver 15 minute meals - pan fried mackerel with quinoa & a tomato salad. 

Tuesday: Gammon, egg and home made oven chips

Wednesday: Mushroom fried rice

Thursday: Baked haddock with garlic mash & braised cabbage with pancetta

Friday: Pizza and a large salad

I've never eaten quinoa before but bought some ready cooked stuff in a pouch from M&S and when dosed up with lemon juice, balsamic plus some salt & pepper it was really nice. A rather unusual texture but still tasty enough. It may be featuring on a menu plan again soon as I am trying to break out of the endless potato, pasta, rice cycle. I found a box of puy lentils in the cupboard the other day so used some in the curry on Saturday but planning more meals with these soon.

As of next week I hope to get back to doing what I love and posting more about my cooking and recipes. Watch this space. 

the results are in

and at the end of week one....*drum roll please*

I've lost 2lbs! I'm quite pleased with this as I only really started on Monday and what with a really topsy-turvy week I am amazed I didn't pig out.

So this week has been strange. I've had son no1 away for 3 days, son no2 poorly and I've been working not my usual days and even work itself has all been rather upended. I've realised that it's strange how much routine plays in my relationship with food. I know, for example that:-

1. On my days off I'm more likely to not stick 100% to my points and on my days at work when everything is pre-planned and packaged up, then I'm going to stick to things better.
2. If I don't eat breakfast on my days off before the school run, then it's a recipe for disaster for the rest of the day.
3. My danger time is about 5pm when I've got a while to go before dinner, lunch is wearing off and I have a bit of a slump. I need to make sure I have something low point to hand so I don't hit the biscuit tin.

So overall I'm happy this week. I've learnt that I still don't like exercising but it makes me feel good - how on earth that works I don't know. I've also learnt I can resist the chocolate, I bought a milky way double pack on Wednesday and it's still sitting in the fridge (I ate a banana instead).

Onwards and downwards, but for now I'm off to rest my wobbly legs (and sore bum) for the 5 mile bike ride I did earlier.

Week 1 meal plan

So, week 1 back on the wagon. I had the obligatory blow out at the weekend and got it all out of my system and yesterday I hit the ground running.

I have meal planned, pointed everything and even refused pudding last night after dinner as I had no points left. I have given the husband the left over Scotch Egg for lunch today and I have been to the supermarket and done the worlds most virtuous shop. I swear it was all fruit and vegetables, low fat cottage cheese, lean meat, wholegrain carbs, green tea and some tinned sardines for a quick omega 3 fuelled lunch. I even re-acquainted myself with my rather neglected gym equipment in the garage. I will admit to a home made latte and a packet of crisps afterwards but it's all pointed and accounted for. I know from previous experience if I deny myself everything I just want the bad stuff even more which is when I fall off the wagon.

Menu plan for the week - a short week as weigh in is on Saturday morning.

Monday: Left over roast chicken, mashed potato & veg
Tuesday: Chorizo & cherry tomato pasta
Wednesday: Teriyaki salmon with rice and veg
Thursday: Reggae chicken with sweet potato mash and collard greens
Friday: Chilli & jacket potato

I am trying to make tasty, interesting meals all made from scratch so I can make the most of my point allowance and make this really healthy. One of my biggest bug bears is the tendency of people on weight watchers to swallow the marketing and try to live off the ready meals and the other additive laden food. Don't get me wrong, I have a soft spot for the weight watchers frozen eclairs but I feel that this is about changing eating habits and looking at what is healthy and good for you. Being overweight is enough of a health problem without fuelling that with more bad food. I have written previously about my diet rules and how I'd rather have less full fat product than more sugar-laden low fat product and a recent article in Healthy Living Magazine reiterated that low fat products can be bad for you.

Enough of my ranting - must nearly be time for lunch?!

Me again

Sneaking in at the back and eating a rather large portion of humble pie...

So in the nearly 12 months since I last wrote, how have things been? Not great to be honest. This blog is like a roller coaster of weight loss, emotion, frustration and every other emotion you can think of. I was doing really well last year and lost 2 stone in total. Then we had a bad holiday, my Grandfather sadly passed away rather suddenly, work went ballistic and I started a post-graduate degree. With all that going on, I will be honest weight loss was the last thing on my mind.

In all honesty I'm back, a stone lighter than I was this time last year but still a stone heavier than I was last summer. I'm cross with myself, of course I am. I've never really got my head around how people say they lost 6 stone and then put it all back on - surely you'd know? BUT here I am a stone heavier, I knew it was creeping on but I stuck my head in the sand and ignored my tightening waist bands although I never got to the stage where I was buying bigger clothes which had I got to that stage may have tipped me back into the WW mindset.

This year I've lost and gained the same 7lbs over again and after seeing a really, truly awful photo of me a few weeks ago I've been spurred into action again but I am weak. I have no will power. I know my tipping points and I know my danger zones but I have an problem with food, I have known that for a long time. I know if I write it all down then I do better, I don't know if anyone reads this but this is my therapy. Before t'internet I'd be using a notebook and pen but hey!

It's 16 weeks until our holiday and I think I can probably make in-roads into the flab in that time. My final assignment for my post-graduate course is in this week and finally I will get some time back for myself. I need to plan, plan and plan some more. I need to man up and deal with the cravings and more importantly I need to blog, blog, blog!

Quick and easy dinner !

Firstly apologies for my long absence, it's been a while.... 2 months to be precise.

I will be honest, my head hasn't really been in "the zone" for the last month or so and I've been losing and gaining the same 5lbs. But enough is enough. I am now 25lbs lighter than I was on January the 1st and I KNOW this is a trigger time for me. It seems that I get to a stone and a half off and then get stuck. I've done 2 stone before but never more. I am DETERMINED to beat that this time, so I need to get my bum in gear.

This is what we had for dinner tonight. We were running late and the original meal plan would have taken just too long. In the end this worked out much better, it was fresh, light and zingy - just right the the vaguely summer like weather that we have (fleetingly I'm sure) at the moment.

I can't really say that this is a recipe, it's more of an assembly job but SO worth making and a very reasonable 11pp per serving, less if you use light or extra light mayo.

SWEET CHILLI CHICKEN SALAD
serves 2 @ 11pp per serving

1 pack of Uncle Bens Spicy Mexican Rice
1 pack of Waitrose Sweet Chilli Mini Fillets
Assorted salad - whatever combination you like
Corn on the cob (these are mini cobs so 1pp each)
2tsp mayonnaise (I have used full fat Hellmanns here but any would do)
2tbsp sweet chilli sauce

As I said - this isn't even really a recipe. It involves chopping some salad, heating the rice, opening the packet of chicken and arranging it on a plate !!
Drizzle the mayo and sweet chilli sauce over and tuck in.

For me, this is a lovely combination of flavours and really hits the spot when you want something healthy and slightly spicy but just CBA to cook !!

Ooops !

Well the diet hiccup lasted longer than that Friday sadly. It lasted a whole week and I paid the price with a huge gain on the scales yesterday. I had fun though and so it's not all bad.

Reading some posts on the WW forum I have found a new quote that I need to concentrate on more which is "don't focus on the week just gone but focus on the week ahead". I've not had a great few weeks but over the last 14 weeks I've lost 14lbs in total which isn't bad - not quite what I'd have liked but it's still a stone gone forever !

I have some photos and recipes to be uploaded so watch this space.

A diet hiccup...

but a very tasty one I must say. Out shopping today and I was so hungry I could have chewed my arm off. Not the best choice but I only ate the bottom half of the bun and half of my chips.

A "giraffe" burger - thankfully not of the long necked kind but a cheese and bacon

 burger at our local branch of Giraffe.