Friday 31 January 2014

Wake Me Up Before You Go Go : A Breakthrough!

Last night I had a really down night, I felt rubbish and at 10.30pm I wanted something tasty, and nothing would satisfy me so I drove to Tesco ( at 10.30pm!) and bought ice cream and doughnuts and malteasers and then ate all of it. Did it make me feel better? Did I feel fulfilled and satisfied? NO! I felt uncomfortable, over full, sick and still fed up, but not more-so because I'd eaten all that rubbish! Then I couldn't sleep for thinking about it.

Our alarm clock is one which you can dock your iPhone and have it wake you up with music, and it was on shuffle. So I woke up to a song I've not heard before, called "Jump" by Gary Barlow. I woke up as soon as I heard the first bit of music and lay there listening to it and it really put into words how I was feeling. (Here are the lyrics in case you don't know the song)

Its basically about how you feel really rubbishy and down and you know what you have to do to make you feel better, to make your life better but you are too scared to do it in case you fail. And yes, you might fail but as long as you try again you will be stronger afterwards. It really touched me and made me think. Why did I 'need' to eat chocolate and ice cream last night? Well, since I still felt rubbish after I ate it, it obviously wasnt the chocolate I wanted, but I have associated feeling down/depressed/annoyed/rubbish with eating that kind of food so thats what I wanted and in my mind 'needed' to make myself feel better. I actually thought I was feeling depressed BECAUSE I was 'dieting' but that is obviously not true. So, my breakthrough this morning is to not dive straight for 'bad' food when I feel bad, but to try and dig deeper and try to find out what I actually want, what I am feeling. Its about time I sort this out and crack it before I end up putting the weight I've lost back on and more and more. Im almost 29 and I really want to sort myself out, get my weight off before I end up fat and 30!

"...maybe once or twice you’ll fall flat on your face

But when you move on you’ll be twice as strong..."


Tuesday 28 January 2014

The Weigh In Day Blues!

Today was my weigh in day and I was very sad to get on the scales and get a 1 pound GAIN :( There's a few factors that are affecting my weight at the moment, primarily being my hormones. Its not star week, but as I have the implant I have random bloating and water retention at any time it decides it could have been star week! So that is the main reason I think but with me changing to a much higher dose of my pain killers - that has added to my water retention too, so I'm pretty sure if I stick to the diet it will show this week and next weeks losses, in theory! So fingers crossed for that, and if it doesn't then I will be so upset and cry a lot!

I was hoping for 2lb loss a week, so that I can get to my goal weight by X-mas this year, so I'm still on track for that as I have a total loss at SW of 4 1/2 lbs so as long as I lose my 2 next week I am still on target. I have to remember that I am human, and I can't expect bloating not to increase my weight. I just want my 'perfect' idea of weight loss to happen every week and since I changed from Cambridge to SW I just thought 2lbs a week was a good goal to aim for. If I end up gaining or staying the same next week I may need to re-think my plans, maybe even get back on the Cambridge bus to get more weight off fast. I just don't know and I got so upset at group earlier, just wanted to go home and cry, but I stayed to the meeting and it did make me feel a tiny bit better.

Monday 27 January 2014

Caveman Days? The New Paleo Craze!

Picture this... you are living in a dark cave, your partner is out hunting for your next meal, you have managed to find a few handfuls of berries but hope that they come home with something more substantial to eat. You hear something outside and go and check, its your partner with a nice juicy saber-tooth cat for dinner! The choice is yours... berries or meat? In that situation you would go for meat, and its not just because its more plentiful, but your brain is actually programmed to prefer the look, taste, sound, smell of the higher in fat and more energy filled food - the meat. Who knows when you will get your next meal, and the high calories and fat in this meat will keep you going for much longer than the berries. That's just for cavemen though right??


Fast forward to present day and the world has changed dramatically. Houses, tools, weapons, televisions, heating, bathrooms, fancy kitchen equipment... but look inside a modern-day human and they are 'wired' exactly the same as the people mentioned in the situation above. High fat, high energy (high calorie) foods are still much more appealing to us, the smell, taste, texture, how it looks, make us want to eat it, the same as it did 2.6 million years ago. Back then, we needed the high energy food to keep us going, keep us alive until our next meal so of course that's how their brain was wired to choose those high fat foods. Because our brains have not changed we still prefer to eat high fat, high calorie foods. But these days, food is everywhere, supermarkets stocked to the brim, television adverts making you 'crave' the Mcdonalds or KFC, there is no need to wait for your next meal, food is just there. So we crave those high energy foods, and eat more and more of them, not realising why we want those foods and why we cant just easily stop eating them.

The advertisers of fatty foods play on this desire, this inbuilt craving for those types of food that make us fat. Just turn on your tv and you are bombarded with images of burgers, crisps, chocolate, fried breakfasts, even sugary drinks. Surely this is adding to the 'obesity crisis' in so many countries across the world? How many times have you seen an advert for fresh fruit, healthy salad, lean meat? I can't think of any, maybe you can think of one or two... I can think of adverts for 'low fat' yoghurts, 'low sugar' drinks, but are they really healthy foods, are they fresh, clean foods? I can see why the new craze for the 'Caveman diet' or the 'Paleo Plan' is becoming so huge.

The Paleo Diet is eating as they did in the Paleolithic era, ie. Caveman times, the old stone age. Whatever you call it, its eating healthy, fresh, clean foods with no additives, no chemicals, no E numbers. Although they have found evidence of dairy consumption, there is no dairy to be eaten on the paleo diet, something I couldnt live without I know that, I love my cheese and milk too much. But, in the context I have been writing about today, I can see why this would work. Eat as you are programmed to eat, how the human body was made to be treated. The only problem is the world is such a different place now, and the temptations to eat processed, fatty foods are so much higher now.

So, If you can lose weight by eating less fat and sugar, then you are strong and have such strong will power to change the way your brain has thought for millions of years. Well done, you are stronger than you believed you were, you are changing your future and extending your life.

I'm off to cook lunch, one saber-tooth cat burger coming right up!

Saturday 25 January 2014

Cake in a Mug Trial

Last night I tried out the cake in a mug recipe that I got at my SW group on Tuesday. It looks.... not great, but it tastes really chocolatey and almost cake-like. All you do is put 3 teaspoons of options hot chocolate (1 1/2 syns) powder in a mug, add 4 teaspoons of sweetener and 1 egg. Give it a good mix and put it in the microwave for 1 min 30 secs. Give it a try and don't go off its looks, give it a taste and it is alot better than it looks.. as you can see!


Its worth a try and a taste for only 1 1/2 syns for a 'cake'. It would be nice with other things like a yoghurt and fruit, going to do it again and see if i need to tweak the recipe at all to improve it in anyway. Watch this space!

Friday 24 January 2014

Its Foodie Friday!

Tea tonight was my new favourite SW friendly, honey & mustard chicken with pasta. Its 4 syns for the whole lot and its incredibly tasty, definately worth a try if you fancy something new. I've decided I will post a new recipe every Friday, and I'm calling it Foodie Friday! So today's first Foodie Friday is that very recipe!

Honey & Mustard Chicken w/ Pasta
4 syns for whole recipe.
Ingredients
1 Chicken breast per person.
4 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
150g quark
320ml hot chicken stock
cooked pasta to serve

1. Spray a frying pan with frylight and brown the chicken.
2. Whisk together the stock, quark, honey and mustard.
3. Pour the stock mixture into the pan and bring to the boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Season to taste.
6. Serve with cooked pasta in a bowl and enjoy!

Its so simple as you can see the recipe only has 6 steps. If you try it please let me know and share your photos. What recipes have you found since you started SW?

Happy Eating!


Thursday 23 January 2014

Cereal Synner!

I can't believe it! I made such a silly mistake with my syns yesterday. I had 2 Alpen bars for breakfast, a Healthy Extra B choice, and then I had an extra one after my tea for a snack. Now the Alpen Light Double Chocolate bars are only 2 and 1/2 syns so I thought I would just double check the syns for the "Fruit and Nut with Chocolate" bars later on and it would be too bad..... or so I thought. While I was looking at what other flavours the bars come in I couldn't find the fruit and nut ones anyway and thats when it hit me! It turns out my really tasty Alpen bars were NOT light bars, they were just normal non-light Alpen bars! NOOOO! So I had actually eaten 3 of these full fat alpen bars yesterday and that meant I had to syn them. They are 6 1/2 syns EACH!!!! So I had infact eaten 19 1/2 EXTRA SYNS!! I could have cried. I already had eaten 6 syns so I ended up having 26 1/2 syns yesterday! Not a good start to the week at all! Its sort of okay if you over eat on purpose but accidental binge eating Alpen Bars! Ha! I have to laugh about it, theres nothing I can do and it was a genuine mistake, so I drew a line under it and Im not going to try and scrape it back, its done so onwards and inwards for the rest of the week.

My husband has been doing SW with me the last week and a bit and because I need help with mobility he is going to join SW too so we can go as a family trip each week to weigh in and to the meeting. Its also great to have the positivity from him as he is a real inspiration and helps me so much in all areas of my life. I wont get too soppy but he really is a fantastic husband and father to our daughter. *sigh* ok, enough of that!!

In other news, between me and my 14 month old We've managed to damage my laptop and it keeps turning itself off at random and sometimes wont charge, luckily we are a 2 laptop household so I am using my hubby's laptop to write this. Hope to take it into the shop to have it looked at sometime next week, Im going to back it up onto my external hard drive later so I don't lose my hundreds (possibly thousands?) of pictures of my daughter from the last 14 months! That would be horrible so I must make sure I put backing them up to the top of my to do list. Also on that list is writing a shopping list from my menu plan and a bit of planning for this little blog of mine. Im thinking about getting a domain for this blog in the not too distant future.Something to think about anyway.

Tuesday 21 January 2014

Slimming World Switch-a-roo Week!

Start Weight: 23st 11lbs
Start BMI: 49.2
Current Weight: 19st 8.5lbs
Current BMI: 40.5
Loss this week: -5 1/2lbs
Total Loss: 58 1/2lbs

First weigh in this morning at my new SW group and I've lost 5 1/2 lbs. Very happy with that with the amount of food I've eaten this week. I went to the later group this week which is a real 'Granny Group' but they love a good recipe and their slow cookers. They seem nice enough. I got a recipe for a 'chocolate cake in a mug' which I will try this week and share on here. 

Goal for this week:
  • Stick to plan and within my 10-20 syns a day (I get 5 extra syns as I'm over 17st).
  • Eat 1/3 super-free with each meal.
  • Lose 2lbs at WI.
Nothing too exciting from me today, tomorrow a new recipe for ham and hashbrown omelette! 

Monday 20 January 2014

"Super Dieters" to the rescue? Top 6 tips!

Just read this article which says "Super Dieters" are those who have lost weight AND maintained it for 2 years or more. Ive never even got round to losing the weight (YET) but I do worry about maintenance when I do get to my goal weight. The article gives 6 tips from these "Super Dieters" which are:
Rule No. 1. Don’t ever cheat. They never give themselves a break, not even on holidays or weekends.
Rule No. 2.  Eat breakfast. The National Weight Control Registry shows that’s one of the most common traits of those who succeed in keeping those pounds off once and for all.
Rule No. 3. Get on a scale every day.
Rule No. 4. Put in the equivalent of a four-mile walk seven days a week.
Rule No. 5. Watch less than half as much TV as the overall population.
Rule No. 6. Eat 50 to 300 calories less than most people.
I totally agree with No. 1. When I did Cambridge I never cheated, until my big planned weekend blowout which went crazy and I ate my weight in chocolate. If I do 'cheat' I know that getting back on plan takes along time and I usually end up giving up. Thats me personally anyway.

So I thought I would give MY top 6 tips on dieting and how to lose weight that I have found/learnt over my years of dieting. Im not at goal yet, but I certainly know a hell of a lot about diets, its just doing it that I've found hard in the past.

1. Drink LOADS!- Non-alcoholic sugar-free fluids! This is my number 1 rule and I break it most days. When I do follow it though I am much less hungry and fluid fills you up. Especially if you are really thirsty your body can mistake it for hunger. So drink a big glass of water before you go for the biscuit tin!

2. Follow the PLAN. If you can eat unlimited fruit/veg, then do it. If you can have 5-15 syns each day then use them. If you have to eat 8 bananas in one day, do it. If you have to eat 14 individual carrot leaves every morning before 5am then do it. You get the point. However strange or incomprehensible a 'diet rule' may be, if you are going to do it then do it properly. And don't stray.

3. Write it down. Whether you take a photo of everything you eat, write it in a diary or log it on your mobile phone, keep a log of everything that passes your lips. Its easy to think you have stuck to the plan, and forget the handful of peanuts or the sneaky chicken nugget from your childs leftovers. If you bite it, write it.

4. Plan your meals. Make a menu plan for the week and stick to it. I have a meal planning folder which has lots of recipes in it and options for each meal. Then I make a menu for the week and make my shopping list from the menu, then I go shopping. When it comes to lunchtime I dont have to think about it, I just look at the menu and cook it then eat it. It takes all the thinking and wondering what you can eat out of mealtimes. Makes you less likely to reach for a hand ready meal full of salt and fat and instead cook something nutritious.

5. Get some support. I am very lucky in that my husband, both sisters and mum all do Slimming World so I have a great support network. But, I also have alot of friends from Minimins, facebook and other websites to turn to if I dont want to talk to someone in my family. I also make sure I stay to my SW group every week and soak up the tips and ideas shared that week from the members. However you go about it, get yourself a support network and use it.

6. Be POSITIVE. If you KNOW you can do it, and SEE yourself achieving your dream, then you WILL. Go into your diet plan believing you can achieve your goal. If you are negative from the start then that is how you will feel. If you have negative people in your life then either get rid of them, or use their negativity to be determined to prove them wrong.

I hope you find this useful and can take it forward with you to succeed with your diet, whether you are already doing one, or ready to start a new one. Good Luck!

What is your top dieting tip? Share it in the comments below or contact me so I can share it!

Saturday 18 January 2014

Saturday Night Fakeaway!

Tonight we had our first 'FakeAway', which was syn-free kebab with salad and mint/yoghurt sauce. I found it here. It was basically a beef extra lean mince meatloaf with spices and when sliced thinly can actually pass for a real kebab. It was a little bit drier than a normal kebab but I put that down to the grease that is on real kebabs and this one was obviously much healthier than that. As always I did take a photo:


I added a bit of BBQ sauce for 1 syn for a little bit more moisture. It was really good and tasty. Really filling too even though there was no bread involved, I was going to get pitta bread but totally forgot but it really didnt need it as it was so filling.

My sister is also following SW and made me an 'egg custard' which was syn free too. I will get the recipe to share on here as it was really good, shes a good 'throw stuff together' type of cook and knows alot about SW so she will be a handy person to steal borrow recipes off in the future. Ooh she also made me a yummy hot chocolate today too with marshmallows, shes a great sister!

Friday 17 January 2014

Obsessed with Overnight Oats!


I am completely in love with overnight oats at the moment, they are so yum and very filling, a brilliant breakfast. There are several different ways to make them but I thought I would share how I do it. I use either a clip lid tupperware or a protein shaker to put mine in but a bowl with a lid or cling film will do.

Ingredients:
35g Porridge Oats (HExB)
1 muller light (any flavour)
Fruit of your choice.

Method:
Mix together the oats, yoghurt and about 1/3 of the fruit. Put it in your bowl/jar. Top with the rest of the fruit, cover and put in the fridge overnight.

That's all there is to it! You could try it warm the next day but I have mine straight from the fridge and love it. There are so many different combinations to try, my favourite so far has been Vanilla muller light and raspberries. If you try it please let me know and send your photos in and let me know your favourite combination!

Thursday 16 January 2014

SW Syn-free Chicken & Potato Curry


Ingredients: 
4 chicken breasts, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 onion, chopped
180g baby leaf spinach
1 tin chopped tomatoes
4 large potatoes, chopped into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons of medium curry powder
1 chicken oxo
14floz water
rice
natural fat free yoghurt to serve.

1- Put potatoes on to par-boil
2- Brown chicken and onions in frying pan/wok
3- Add potatos, spinach, chopped toms and curry powder
4- Add water
5- Bring to boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 mins.
6- Add oxo and season to taste.
7- Serve with boiled rice and fat free natural yoghurt.

Enjoy! I had this for tea tonight and it was lovely! 




SHRINK SHRink shrink.......

Its time I made myself a blog, Ive attempted it before but never quite got the hang of it and I think I made 2 posts in all. This time Im going to get organised and make it a blog worth reading.


My journey so far..

I decided I needed to lose weight.... actually thats not true, Ive always needed to lose weight but I just didnt WANT to do it and couldnt be bothered, so I ballooned to a shocking 25 stone in March 2012. I got married and had my honeymoon and then I saw the photos!!!!! I hadnt realised that I had got to the size I was, I was wearing size 26/28 clothes but even that didnt really get through to me. In April 2012 I found out I was pregnant, and over the next 9 months I actually lost weight. My daughter was born in Nov 2012, and I was deliriously happy so my weight was the last thing on my mind. 
In September 2013 I was definately getting annoyed with my weight, not being able to buy nice clothes, and my daughter was going to be having her 1st birthday in November so I decided it was time to lose weight. In October I started doing the 'Cambridge Weight Plan'. I found it really easy as I was so very determined and between October-December 31st I lost 5 stone, which got me to 18st 11lbs! Very happy! 
I had to stop Cambridge as I have a chronic pain condition and the doctors have increased my pain medication and told me to take them with food, and REAL food, not pretend food. So I had to make a decision...
On Tuesday (14th Jan) I joined Slimming World and had my first weigh in at group, turns out I now weigh 20 STONE so I put on 1stone 3lbs in about a week off any plan. Not great but better than it could have been considering what I ate! So thats where I am now. I am in my first week on SW and sticking to plan and finding it amazing how much food Im allowed. 
I hope that wasnt too boring, but wanted to start with a bit of history and my journey so far.