Weigh In 8

So no big celebrations this week, I STS. But I am staying upbeat and positive about it. I have not gained any weight so the stone I lost still stands. I know I stuck to my propoints so I am hoping the loss will show another week. And I'm due my TOTM some time over the next week or so, and it was the same deal last time I got a STS on the scales.

Now I am not making excuses to allow for this sort of thing all the time, just being

Weigh In 7

I got my stone!!! Another WI and another huge smile on my face for the evening. Have put the stone in my purse so I can be reminded of it all the time. Am going to make sure that its a stone I never see back on my body again.

Indulged a bit for pancake Tuesday, but I had points left and I pointed everything I

Fish and Chips

Fish and Chips is one of my absolute favourite meal, so I had to find the best way to have it guilt free. There are lots of recipes for breaded fish for low points but I have to say I like batter. So i found these in lidl, they are only 5pp. Now they are not the biggest in the world but they are really tasty and my stomach has definitely changed since starting WW (wish my eyes would catch up) because it does take a lot less to fill me up.

To go with this I made home made wedges. For 5pp you get 100g of frozen

Weigh In 6

Had my WI last night and am down another half pound! Am delighted even though it is only a small amount and minus on the scales has me smiling now! And those 11.5lbs are gone for good now.

Had a lovely Valentines Day and did go a little overboard after WI, got thai takeaway with starters and a curry as main, and had a chocolate valentines cupcake for dessert (I bought those, my lovely very supportive boyfriend was very careful not to get me any chocolate or wine in case I didn't want to use the extra pp so treated me to flowers and a framed photo of us). But am back on track as of this morning and going to try to use as few of my weeklies as possible to counteract last night!

A new week and its onwards and downwards we go :-)

Runamuck?

I just signed up to do the runamuck challenge in March! 3 weeks to go and I have to do 5k of this http://www.runamuckchallenge.com/ and I am terrified!! I'm really glad I've only signed up for 1 lap. This is the first step to see how I am going to get on in the mini marathon in June. I don't want this challenge to be about the time I get but more getting through it and having fun!

I've been lacking in exercise this past week, there has just been so much going on which I know is no excuse so I am going to step up the exercise from now on. Try get a class or 2 in the gym and get out and do some actual out doors running instead of just on the treadmill! We'll see how I get on :)

WI tomorrow and am already my usual bundle of nerves, only time will tell....

Challenges for this week

This week is going to be tough, after a 5lbs loss in one week I can't expect huge results on Tuesday, but I would like to lose something be it half a pound! Its going to be a tough weekend so I'm setting out here how I plan to get through it and stay within my pro points.

Tomorrow night myself and my boyfriend got tweetseats for Skinflint, which basically means that we both get a free pizza. Now usually pizza its through the roof points wise, but I have been told the bases in this place are super thin and judging by their menu - the toppings are not the usual. The menu is here http://www.skinflint.joburger.ie/ and I think the Eithne (butternut squash, rosemary capers ricotta and espelette) is gonna be my best option. Going to try and eat as few pp during the day so I dont have to use to many weeklies tomorrow night. Fruit and yoghurt for breakfast, soup and salad for lunch and lots and lots of water. 

Saturday is rugby day (night) which means a night in the pub and a night out after. So I am going to drink a bit but I am going to try and alternate one alcoholic drink to one water and see how I get on! I have never successfully managed to keep this up all night so we'll se how it goes!

And finally Sunday - going to my boyfriends familys house, not even sure if its lunch or dinner or if there will be food - but in general I find Sunday's very hard anyway. I tend to graze throughout the day and I want to avoid that at all costs. And if there is food there and I cant control what it is, then I'll have to control the portion size and just eat much less than usual!

If I can make it to monday with any weeklies left then I will be a very very happy camper! Motivation and planning is the key to success - and if I have both of those then there is no stopping me! 

Weigh In 5

So today I was very nervous for my WI - last wednesday I figured out that for all of the week before I had pointed a wrap in work wrong. So every day instead of having the 6pp I thought, I was really having 11pp!! And since I lost weight on tuesday I was really worried that the mistake would show this week. So I was ridiculously good all week, used some but not all of my 49 and I was kind of just hoping for the best. I did not think overeating by 25pp the week before would go unnoticed. I had also, after my attitude readjustment I had decided that I was going to lose it slowly and I was ok with that. That I was going to be genuinely happy with any loss at all and start looking at the bigger picture.

I was my usual nervous self anyway before stepping onto the scales - that stone in my stomach seems to get heavier and heavier each week. My dress which felt loose when I put it on this morning was starting to feel very tight and constricting. I stepped up on the scales all ready to be disappointed when Mary pointed and gasped - 5lbs down!! I couldn't believe it and I swear I nearly cried. It was so overly dramatic but I couldn't help it. I've now lost 11lbs in 5 weeks which is more than double what I have been aiming for. I got my silver 7 tonight, my 5% goal and I am only 3lbs away from losing my stone. Penguin party to celebrate!!

Now I am starting my week on a high, motivated and ready to go :-) Onwards and downwards!!

Oriental Chicken and Noodles

I made this tonight for myself and himself and it was really delicious and so easy and 10pp per person! So here goes the recipe :-)

125g dried egg noodles
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 red chilli, de-seeded and diced
1cm fresh root ginger grated
1 garlic clove crushed (i used 3 cos I love garlic)
cooking spray
125g shitake mushrooms halved
200g pak choi, quartered lengthways
50g baby spinach
2 x 125g chicken breasts

- Cook the noodles for 2 mins until they just start to soften but are not fully cooked
- mix together the soy sauce, chilli, ginger and garlic with 1 tbsp of cold water
-Cut 2 large pieces of tin foil and spray with the cooking spray
- Place half the noodles in the centre of each piece of foil, top with the mushrooms, pakchoi, and spinach and place the chicken on top. Finally drizzle with the soy sauce mixture. Fold the tin foil around this and seal the edges by folding them over.
- Place on a baking tray and put in the oven (preheated to gas mark 4/180/fan 160)  and cook for 20 mins. Tear open the packages carefully (there will be a lot of steam trapped) and serve immediately


So I substituted mange tout instead of the mushroom as the OH does not like mushrooms (though i do think it would be nicer with mushrooms). It also took a bit longer to cook than 20 mins, what I would prob do in future is cut the chicken breasts into 4 pieces so the veg and chicken are done at the same time, as the veg was slightly overdone. But it was really very tasty and does not take long to put together.

Weigh In 4

Had my WI last night and am delighted to say I am down another 1.5lbs (picture me doing a little happy dance in my chair while typing this).

So I am still holding at half a pound a week above what I am aiming for so I couldn't be happier. I have had a complete attitude adjustment since last week and realised that what I said I was aiming for and what I was hoping for in my head were not matching up. I have managed to merge these, and while I know it would be great every now and then to see a higher loss - I would rather be losing it steadily and slowly so I can keep it off once and for all! I am only 1lbs away from my first silver 7 - and if I lose 1lb a week going forward I will be down a stone by Easter!

I know I have got a different attitude this time to all the other times I lost weight. I no longer see food as a reward for doing something, I still treat myself to things I like but within reason. Going out for dinner before meant ordering the highest fat thing on the menu, and if they place served chips I would almost always have to have them. I have not had any chips since January and I do not miss them at all. I have found that when eating out, sometimes choosing the healthy option is more satisfying and enjoyable than choosing the high fat 'treat'. The treat of going out is more being out and being sociable, not having to cook or clean up than filling myself with food that sometimes seems so much more appealing on the menu then it is when you eat it!

I'm only 4 weeks in, and I know that there will be times that the above attitude will falter, and I will crave chips or cream based sauces - and there will be times where my resolve my not be strong enough to avoid it. The difference is now I will be taking responsibility for those weaknesses and not let one bad day/WI ruin everything I am working for. I'm only human after all.

This is my year to get healthy, fit and happy with what I see in the mirror! And I have the first successful month down :-)