New Year...New You?

Image courtesy of satit_srihin / Freedigitalphotos.net

With 2013 coming to a close its time to look back over the year and towards 2014. What have you achieved over the past year? Was it what you wanted? Are you disappointed or delighted? No matter how you feel about it, there is always something you can take from this year to the next to drive your future goals. Not just surrounding your weight loss journey, but all aspects of your year. We can draw motivation and goals from everywhere.

Santa Is On His Way!!

Well this past week has flown by and in a few short hours Santa will be visiting! I am so excited, I love Christmas more than anything! I am currently at home on the couch about to make myself a hot chocolate to have with a mince pie! It is my favourite way to spend Christmas eve. We spent the evening preparing all the vegetables and stuffing for dinner tomorrow to make the cooking as easy as possible. 

Only 9 Sleeps 'til Christmas!!

There is no denying that Christmas is in the air! Even the weather has turned and our lovely mild December has gone very cold and wet! Christmas cards are coming in the door and everywhere you turn the Christmas treats are out! 

Slim Tuna Pasta Bake!

I'm sure you have all seen this new product in the shops lately in a few different packages and under a few different names. They all have slightly different nutritional info, some working out at 0pp per serving and some as 1pp. I have used them before but had thought I preferred the courgette spaghetti that I tried a few months ago. The problem with the courgette spaghetti so you can't use it for a pasta bake and I LOVE a pasta bake.

Post Christmas Party Update

This week was my work Christmas party and we were lucky enough to be heading to London for it! And boy did I enjoy it, maybe a little too much. The food on saturday was actually very healthy and dinner was a japanese feast - the amount of alcohol I consumed was not so healthy. I couldn't even begin to count the propoints I consumed in alcohol. I had planned to have a weight watchers free day and if it had just been the one day I would have been fine...but I woke up with the worlds worst hangover (not surprising) and by the time I was actually able to eat anything that afternoon I just didn't stop: pringles, cookies, toasted cheese sandwich, pizza, wedges and garlic bread. 

Creamy Garlic Chicken & Leeks

Serves 2
Propoints per Serving: 8
Ingredients:
300g chicken breast
1 leek halved and sliced
1 small onion chopped very finely
3-5 garlic cloves crushed ( i like things really garlicky)
1 tsp oil (i used coconut)
100mls half fat creme fraiche
100mls white wine
salt & black pepper


For this I used mini chicken fillets as it was all I had, but you could cut whole chicken breasts into 3 even pieces for this too.

Heat the oil over a low/medium heat and add the onions, garlic and leeks. Cook very gently for 4-5 minutes until soft and remove from the pan. Add the chicken (use a little spray oil if necessary and cook turning regularly until slightly browned on the outside and cooked through. Turn the heat up a bit and add back in the leek mixture and then the white wine. Reduce the wine by half and then turn the heat down and stir in the creme fraiche. Add a little water if necessary to help loosen the sauce and season with a little salt and lots of fresh black pepper!

I served mine with a medium baked potato

Simple Carrot & Coriander Soup!

Carrots were never my favourite vegetable when cooked growing up and that included soup! I would eat raw carrots all day long (I used to make my mum put the raw ones on my plate when carrots were on the menu for dinner). But like most things your tastes change and carrot soup is def one of my favourites. This one is particularly easy and tasty and makes a fab packed lunch!

Silly Season Is Here!!

I love December! Each day makes Christmas feel more and more real, and I even don't mind the cold as much because it is again another sign that its Christmas. I have spent 2 Christmas' in warm climates and I have to say it is not the same. I almost feel like Christmas just didn't happen those years. All the decorations are up in the shops and there is a buzz in the air. Party's are happening and people are in a giving mood.

November is Coming to a Close!

Where has this year gone, this is the last week of November already!! A week into the big Christmas countdown and I am happy to report I am down 1lb. Its a step in the right direction. I miscalculated last week and there were only 5 weeks until Christmas but that still leaves 4 more weigh ins and hopefully 4 more pounds lost!

Chicken Korma!

                                 

Indian food is one of my favourites, and it is espcially great in winter when it is so cold out! I find it the ultimate comfort food, rich and filling that gives you such a content feeling after eating it! Now a korma in an indian restaurant or takeaway is going to set you back around 24 propoints, which is fine for a once in a while treat using your weeklies its nice to have an alternative to have more often.

6 Weeks to Christmas!!

So now that the Morun is over its time to get focused for the next few weeks! My weight has crept back up to the top end of my safety zone and I am sitting at 10st 11.5lbs! I have 6 weeks until christmas and if I am really careful I could lose anywhere up to 7lbs in that time.

Morunning!!

Well today was the big day!! I woke up really excited and ready to go, and after a hearty breakfast of porridge I was on the way. I met up with the rest of team 59 lbs to go in the Phoenix park and there was such a fantastic buzz about the place. The costumes some of the people wore were great too and people were just in great moods. As well as giving out fab headbands, they also had a face painter there drawing on stylish moustaches for those of us who can't grow our own!!

4 Days to Go!

Only 4 days to go! I am not feeling prepared but I am looking forward to it! There is still time to sign up and for anyone who will be near the Phoenix Park on Saturday morning feel free to come cheer us along!

As well as doing this 10k run as a personal and group challenge, I am also trying to do my bit to raise support and awareness for movember! I have a fundraising page and would be hugely grateful for any support you could give! http://ie.movember.com/mospace/6674301 

Dare I Say It.....43 Days Until Christmas!

I hate thinking about Christmas too early! There used to be a definite gap between Halloween and Christmas and some time in between where you didn't think about either. Now it seems like the second the Halloween decorations come down its officially the Christmas. I love halloween and usually make a big deal about it (as you can see from my costume this year!), but I find the older I am getting the faster time is going by. Its nearly halfway through November already so it really is time to start thinking about Christmas time and making a plan of attack on how to survive without piling on the pounds!!

Missing In Action!

Things have been a bit hectic of late so my apologies for the lack of updates!! With the late evenings coming in and a lot going on everywhere else it is so difficult to find the motivation to get out training. I have realised something this month, I have never ever been active outdoors in winter. Sure when I have been able to afford it, I went to the gym in winter but I never kept the running up. And it is HARD! Its so much more difficult to get your muscles warmed so they hurt that much more the following day.

A Minor Setback!

I started out last week very motivated and ready to get started with my training program. I went for my run on Sunday to test my fitness and I have to say I was a little disappointed in what I could do. I knew my fitness had slipped but I really didn't think it had slipped that far. It was like I felt every breath I took in my chest and it was worrying. I stuck it out though and I think it made me a little bit more determined to continue with my training.

However by tuesday morning I realised that the feeling I was getting was actually the flu hitting me. So the training came to a halt before it had even really begun! By Wednesday evening I was feeling more miserable than ever and had to take a day off work on Thursday. I think this was one of the worst doses of the flu I have had in years so it really knocked me for six. Not only that but I was also feeling guilty and nervous that I was losing a whole weeks worth of training when I have limited time to get ready.

Week One Training Plan / How to Sign Up

I woke up feeling a little delicate this morning, and then the dread set in of what I had signed myself up for in 5 weeks time. I knew that if I made excuses today not to start my training, then before I knew it 5 weeks would be over and I would find myself very unprepared in the Phoenix Park. I also had one of those late night leg cramps - the ones that wake you up from a deep sleep and make you quite literally cry out in pain (I gave poor Conor the biggest fright), so I figured I should not start today with a jog. Before I go into my plan for this week, I would like to say I am in no way qualified to tell people how to prepare for any sort of fitness regime or run. I know what has worked for me before and I am just going to go with that. People can join in with me, follow their own plan, use the c25k plan or any other qualified advice they may have.

What I do know is strength training and core training is just as important as the actually running part and so I have decided to divide my sessions between jogging, kettlebells and pilates. There are loads of great you tube videos out there instead of joining a class or buying a workout video. I got myself a set of kettlebells for christmas that have been gathering dust for the past few months, but you can of course use everyday items like tinned food, bags of flour/sugar - bottles filled with water/beans.

Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
50 Kettlebell Squats	Fitness Test Jog	Rest Day	30min Walk/Jog Interval	50 Kettlebell squats	30min Walk/Jog Interval	Rest Day
10 mins Pilates				30 Mins Pilates

Tomorrow I just want to test my fitness and see how far I can get without stopping. I will have no expectations on myself but I want to see just where my fitness is for now. I may need to adjust my plan for the week after tomorrow but this is where I stand on things now.

There has been a bit of interest in joining up to team 59lbstogo so this is how you do it. Go to http://dublin.mo-running.com/ and choose the 5k or 10k. Once you have registered for this then you can join team 59lbstogo. To do this follow these simple steps:  

How do I join an existing team?

• Go on www.mo-running.com
• Click on Login/Register in the top menu
• Go to My Events section
• Edit your team name and click on submit.
• You can join any team you want

If you would like to fundraise for the event you can set up a fundraising page on the movember website. Again you can choose to join team 59lbstogo here. You have your own page where you can send to your friends/family to gain sponsorship and all the money you raise is purely attributed to you. By joining the team we can just see the grand total we have all raised together! My page is here and it is really easy to sign up yourself! http://ie.movember.com/mospace/6674301

If anyone does join up, let me know either here or on my facebook page and if you let me know your tshirt size I can look into getting this organised! 

Holidays Over - The Next Challenge Begins

The beach - it is now a distant memory to me! I got back from my week in Portugal in the early hours of Wednesday morning. I completely over indulged and I am finding it difficult to find my way back on track. I feel like I need something to direct me on the straight and narrow.

Success Just In Time!

So it's here, the end of my 6 week challenge and nearly time for my holiday. I am happy to report after last weeks disappointing result I was down a staggering 3.5lbs this week. I have not lost that much in a week in a very long time, which I think does show that my gain last week was my body not cooperating. I may not have made my 6lb goal for the 6 weeks, but as you can see from the chart I am a half a pound under goal. My real aim at the start was to finally break through that goal weight and see a weight below 147lbs, but as you may have seen from last weeks post I have gained so much more. 

A Lovely Day for a Walk!

Can you believe how glorious the weather is for the end of September! We have been spoiled rotten by this weather and I do not know how I am going to manage it once the winter really hits. I did not handle the brief few days of cold and rain well!

Back to the now, the wonderful Mary (my amazing ex - weight watcher leader) picked a perfect saturday to undertake the Bray to Greystones cliff walk. I grew up in Cabinteely and have never ever done this walk so I decided no matter what I was going to make this walk. I was also dog sitting for my parents dogs for the weekend so perfect opportunity to get them out for a walk!

Emsy getting a handle of the pooches!

The End Is in Sight....Or Is It?

My personal 6 week challenge is coming to an end. I am a little disappointed to say that I gained a pound this week. I'm not going to lie it was a little unexpected. As a woman there is usually one week in every month that we don't have the best results when it comes to the scales, but when I watch what is going on and stick to my plan I usually see a STS those weeks. And I stayed on track, I have eaten cleanly all week, stayed away from processed foods and bread and pasta. I have counted my propoints and still half almost half my weekly propoints left over. 

Pork with Mustard and Cider Sauce

Pork is a great low cost, high protein midweek dinner to have. The trick is to cook it so its not tough and give it a little bit of extra flavour. A plain grilled pork steak is nothing special, but it does lend itself well to different flavours. This is something I just threw together  with what we had and it was really delicious. 

Week 4 Update and Secret Eating!

Photo courtesy of Stuart Mills/ freedigitalphotos.net

We have been so spoiled by the glorious weather this summer that I think I forgot how horrible the cold is. I am one of those people that really feels the cold, I can tell when someone opens a window anywhere close by. I have really felt it this week, wrapping up in extra layers, drinking lots and lots of tea and feeling generally lazy when it comes to doing anything outdoors. Its not the best place to be coming into the last 2 weeks of my 6 week challenge as there is something about the cold that makes me crave junk food.

Curried Lentil & Aubergine Soup

Photo courtesy of Dan / freedigitalphotos.net

Well the winter is well and truly here and I need something to warm me up in work. I also needed to try a new protein source for my lunches, so what better than a nice big bowl of lentil soup! I have adapted a vegetarian curry recipe from one of the weight watcher books to make it a bit more soupy and so the propoints are more in line with lunch time allocation! Super easy and the whole batch can last the week (depending on how hungry you are).

Roasted Figs and Honey

I somehow managed to miss nearly all of the fig season, which I am really disappointed about because I really do love figs. M&S still have figs in at the moment so I decided to treat myself to 2 packets yesterday! I ate one raw in work and it was so good that I decided then and there what we were having  for dessert! Super easy and quick and so delicious and filling! 

Need a Boost!

I'm well into week 3 of my 6 week challenge and things are still going well. I couldn't make my weigh in this week but my home scales has me down another pound which is great. I'm not really craving or missing any of the foods I have cut back on. In fact I went to my aunts house for dinner last week and there was the most delicious looking loaf of freshly baked bread and while I am sure it was gorgeous, I did not feel hard done by not having a slice. I have been working regular potato and brown rice into my meals but less than I would have had before. I also invested in some coconut oil to cook with, and a little bit really does go a long way! It's pricy and it does have a distinct smell when you use it in the actifry but it is lovely. I have been loving the quinoa but I think next week I may give lentils a go to mix things up a bit.

Change for Life!

In this weeks meeting our lovely new leader (still missing Mary terribly though) focused on protein which I felt was quite relevant to what I have been focusing on these past few weeks. I feel that I am finally in a position where I can really experiment with my diet a little bit to find the best way to ensure this is a permanent change. I know I have been harping on and on about it and I apologise for this, but I guess I am really trying to figure things out. Weight watchers has given me such fantastic tools and now I just want to expand on that as much as possible.

6 Week Challenge - Week 2 Update

Well as you can see I am starting my third week well prepared. I stuck to last weeks plan to the letter and I am happy to report I was down
a further half pound this evening. I am already half a pound above my 1lb a week goal. I did end up having a little bit of cous cous at book club and at my parents house and while I can't for sure say its down the cous cous, I have felt much more bloated since eating it. However I have still stayed away from the bread and pasta and most things processed.  My energy levels are still up and my skin is continuing to become clearer and all around I am feeling good. 

Nothing Tastes as Good as Being Thin Feels.........

We have all heard the phrase 'nothing tastes as good as being thing feels', and I know I have used this phrase many a time for motivation, but I am not sure this reflects my feelings on this anymore. I've spent a lot of time this week thinking about the reasons why I embarked on my own weight loss journey. Of course there are a lot of different reasons for this, but vanity played a huge part in this. Now I'm not saying there is anything wrong as using vanity as motivation, it is important to be able to feel comfortable in your own skin and feel good about who you are. However I'm beginning to think that I have put a bit too much of an emphasis on that. I have managed to maintain my weight but I I have slipped back into bad habits over time and that is why I have decided I need to rethink my motivation and look back to my longterm goals.

6 Week Challenge - Week 1!

I am feeling great at the end of my first week at this. I have stuck to my plan 100% and I am really hoping that I see the payoff tomorrow night at weigh in. Not only do I feel fantastic, I have more energy than I have in ages, but my skin in the space of a week has cleared up no end. I also seem to have lost all my bloating and considering its my TOTM I would usually be experience huge water retention and really bad skin. So its really paying off. I also had a big night out on the drink on saturday night which was my only break in good eating. I had one mini cupcake that night, a couple of glasses of wine, a couple of cocktails and a couple of vodkas. I was within my weeklies and I was not tempted to hit the chipper at the end of the night. Even though I was miserably hungover the next day, I still managed to avoid the bread with my breakfast on Sunday morning. 

Hairy Dieters Do It Again!! **Smart Point & Flex Updated**

Everyone knows how big a fan I was of the Hairy Dieters first cook book. It is easily my most used cook book and it has never failed to disappoint, whether I am just cooking for me or entertaining friends. I was so excited when I found out they had a new book coming out and I ordered it as soon as I could. And here it is, Hairy Dieters: Eat For Life. I only got it on Tuesday so am yet to try any of the recipes, but after analysing all the recipes (working out the propoints), I do believe this one is even better than the last. For anyone trying to lose weight, be it on weight watchers or otherwise, I seriously cannot recommend these books enough! This one focuses on the importance of making the life time changes and sticking with them, which is hugely relevant to me and I'm sure many others now!Since my last post on these guys is far and above my most popular post, I have trawled through the new book and calculated the propoints for all the recipes.

6 Week Challenge

I feel like the "diet switch" has been constantly changing over the past few months. We all know the feeling, wake up in the morning and the switch is firmly turned on - by the weekend it is firmly turned off, and in the few days in between has going a little bit crazy. I have been managing to maintain within my 5lbs, but I am yet to go even half a pound under my goal. This is and always has been to me a life change rather than a diet, but I have found myself over the past few months over indulging and spending the rest of the time trying to make up for it. I need to remind myself of where I am and how I got here. Only then will I really figure out how to stay here! 

Prawn & Pea Risotto

I love risotto - all types, plain tomato risotto was my favourite food as a child before I even realised you could make any flavour you want. My boyfriend has always maintained he doesn't like it, so I have never cooked it for him. I just discovered that he always associates risotto with mushrooms and thats why he thinks he doesn't like it, so I decided to make a prawn risotto to see if I could bring him around - it worked. This is a lovely dish that is both light and filling. Can be served as is, with a green salad or with a side of steamed asparagus or long stem broccoli. It does take a bit of patience and lots of stirring, but it is worth it in the end!

Ice Ice Baby

The weather does seem to be fading slowly into August so I may have missed the boat a bit with this post. Despite the sun having disappeared, it is still very warm and very muggy and it has taken until now for me to discover just how refreshing an Iced Coffee is. The fact that my new job is 2 doors away from a Starbucks has meant I have spent an unnatural amount of money on coffee. Before I do any serious damage I decide to work out the points in all the lovely iced treats. I've decided to post the points for the best value ones available, and anything that includes whipped cream is really not worth it (a tall skinny caramel frappacino is 8pp with whipped cream and only 3pp without). Nutritional info is on all the websites, but this just gives you a taste of whats available!

Mini Raisin Scones

                                 

I was in a real baking mood yesterday and its been years since I have made scones. I love scones but it can be so hard to point the ones you get in shops. Anywhere from 8 to 20 propoints and to be honest as nice as they are, they just aren't worth it. So I pulled out the complete kitchen and found this recipe. I used raisins instead of sultanas as it was all I had. The whole recipe is 30 propoints so you can make as big or as small scones as you like and just work out the propoints as needed. I made 16 little ones for 2pp each. Perfect for a little snack, and the beauty of them being so small is you really only need a teaspoon of jam for them. I got this gorgeous rhubarb, vanilla and lavender jam when I was in Kinsale and it was so lovely with these. 

Summer Steak Salad!

                                     

The sun may have disappeared for a while but it is still very warm with a heaviness in the air that really has been putting me off stodgy foods. I had made this for dinner a few weeks ago when the hot weather started and it was such a hit that I needed to do it again tonight. 

The dressing I am using for this is a full fat dressing which does bring the propoints of this recipe up a bit, but I think sometimes a healthy dose of good fats is what you need in the place of carbs. You also only need to use 1/4 of the dressing for this salad, so while it seems like a lot of oil, it only adds 4pp to the whole recipe. The rest will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge and just needs a good shake before you use it. You can substitute some of the oil for water for lower propoints, but it won't have the same consistency. 

Breakfast Salad

                                  

I had a very social week last week and as a result the scales have not been good to me. To get myself back on track I decided I was going to go low carb this week. My plan was berries and yoghurt for breakfast but when my boyfriend suggested a fry I decided to try something a little different. This felt a little fancy for breakfast, a little like something you might get when you go out for brunch, and it was really delicious! 

Shawarma Style Chicken

I found this recipe in one of the weight watcher recipe books online, but of course I didn't have everything so I did some tweaking and what I ended up with was pretty tasty. If you are looking for the original recipe it was either the June or July weight watchers magazine that had it.

Serves: 2
Smartpoints per serving: 8sp
Smartpoints on No Count: Free if you use the WW wraps, otherwise just points your wrap.
Propoint per serving: 10
Ingredients:
250g skinless chicken breasts

The Lazy Days of Summer

Summer is here and it looks like it may be here to stay. This is the longest continuous heatwave I can remember for years and it is glorious! As much as I refuse to complain about this, it can make it much more difficult to stay on track. Ice creams and beer gardens have a definite pull that can be hard to resist. There are a few things that are also equally good this time of year  that will help you save your weeklies for a few ice cold beers! 

July is my favourite month!

I have been AWOL of late as things have been a little manic. Not only have I been neglectful of my blogging duties I have also been missing classes for the past few weeks. I did however pick myself up a shiny new scales so I have been keeping a close eye on my weight and things are most definitely under control. I have a rocky few weeks coming up, but its all good and exciting so it will be tough to stay on track but I'm focused and determined.

My first bit of news is that I got a new job!! Yay! It happened very very quickly to be honest and I am so happy about it. I gave my current job my very best but recruitment is just not the career for me. I am going back to what I know and what I have loved in the past and I cannot wait to get back into. My start date is not until the end of August so I have a bit of a wait which is killing me. There is nothing worse than working out a notice period...it feels a bit like limbo. Only a few weeks to go though!

July also  means its my Birthday month! I tend to make a big deal out of my birthday. Last year I kept things quiet which is very unusual to me. This year is a bit of a different story. I am being whisked away on a romantic weekend to an unknown location next weekend. He has mentioned that weather permitting cycling is on the cards so I am hoping to rack up some activity points to offset the rest of the weekend!

The week after that I have my actually birthday dinner with my family, which will most likely be 3 courses with copius amounts of wine and then of course celebrations with my friends. It will be a tricky few weeks but I am so excited about it all!


Will hopefully be trying a few new recipes to help keep me on track and will try to post some soon. We are due a heat wave this weekend so make the best of it!

Docklands 10k

The conditions last night were perfect for a 10k, but all day yesterday I was not in the mood for this run. I haven't been sleeping well this week and work has been really tough so all I wanted to do was go home to bed! In the end I was so happy that I went for it, not only because I felt great after (as you always do) but....I got a new personal best knocking a whole 4 minutes off my time from the Great Ireland Run.  My best time is now 61mins 16 seconds. I am so close to getting my time down to under an hour that I know I can do that this year.

Venison Steaks with Red Wine & Redcurrant Sauce

A little bit of a fancy mid week dinner and something out of the ordinary - I had most of my daily propoints left for the day so I went all out. Venison might be a little pricy but it is so lean, you can tell just by looking at the steaks how little fat is on them, and it is very high in protein so really good for you. I think if you are going to have it, and the fact its so low (3pp for a 150g steak) I think its worth it to spend a few propoints on the sauce. You can serve the venison the same way you would beef steak, but I think the gameness needs something sweet with it. 

The next 10k.....

As I have mentioned a good few times I am determined to get fit. My bootcamp membership ran out 2 weeks ago just before the mini marathon and they were closed for the week after. The few days after the run I was itching to get back to something but I just couldn't find the motivation. They opened again last Saturday but as I was in Kinsale that meant I had to put it off again. Things have been absolutely manic this week and that means I still have not gone back. I felt very guilty and so on Wednesday night I signed up for the Docklands 10k. 

Where Has the Sun Gone?

Depression has hit with the disappearance of the sun. I'm not sure why I am surprised as we were lucky to get the sun for as long as it lasted. I was lucky however to have a weekend in Kinsale with the girls planned - and while Kinsale is lovely no matter what the weather is like, it is INCREDIBLE in the good weather.

We headed down first thing on Saturday morning and I started the day with a cup of tea, a banana and a teaspoon of peanut butter for 1pp. I had all my weeklies saved up for the weekend and I wanted to have a good day with them so I wasn't wasting them on breakfast. The plan was to stop somewhere along the way but we managed to miss all the petrol sailings and I was free of temptation until we got there (apart from the maoam sweets we ate on the way down).

Mini Marathon!

So yesterday was the big day and wasn't it glorious out! To be honest it was a little bit too glorious for us mini marathoners. While it is nice being out in the sun the heat is just killer and can make it twice as hard to make it around the course.

Picnic time!!

                 

June bank holiday weekend is upon us and I was seriously banking on some nice weather for a picnic in the park - but of course Irish weather has let me down. Instead I decided to make the picnic salads and have an indoor picnic which turned out just as nice. I only made a few salads as it was just a few of us but I'm sharing recipes for a few more you can make for a group picnic. The recipes can serve anywhere from 4-6 people, depending on how many you make, how hungry people are so I'm listing the propoints for the entire recipe and you can work it out depending on the amount of people eating. 

Maintaining Balance

I've been a gold member now for nearly 3 months and it has not been easy. The first few weeks were great and then I started to go up a little, still within my 5lbs of goal, but hovering dangerously close to the top end. I kept making excuses for it.... I had things on, I needed to be able to relax a bit, work was stressful. I recognised the pattern and so a few weeks ago I decided to change it before things got out of control. I still couldn't get back down I was planning and tracking

Chilli Con Carne

I have recently discovered the lowest propoint mince out there - only 13pp for 500g, almost half of usual lean mince. Its the tesco extra lean and its less than 5% fat (you have to look close for the small print) and not only that, but its on special at the moment making it even cheaper than the lowest quality mince out there. I would suggest stocking up for the freezer.  I have also realised I can now make my mozzarella stuffed meatballs for even lower propoints!

Not again...

I knew this week was going to be a tough one, I saw the bumps in the road. I thought that I could plan my way around them and stay on a flat and steady track all week. I made the mistake of expecting too much of myself and then when I hit that bump, I hit it hard and flew into the air - and it took me a long time to come back to earth. 

My bump in the road was a wedding on saturday and I had a plan of not eating everything in sight, and counting the drinks I had, and getting back on track with a breakfast of fruit and yoghurt the next morning...well that plan spectacularly failed.

These Things Happen....

I was really looking forward to my weigh in this week. I had put it all out there this week and tracked 100% honestly for the first time in months. I was fully expecting to be down when I got up on the scales but tonight was not my night and there it was, I was up half a pound. I was well and truly shocked - the most surprised I have been by a gain on my whole journey.

Monday's Food Diary

The last day of the week is finally here and I am feeling good about my week. Although my day started with a little bit of a porridge disaster - it exploded all over the microwave in work. It didn't look too pretty so there is no photo of it today. I did try a new yoghurt flavour which is now rivalling coconut as my favourite - the honey peach. It goes perfectly with the porridge.

I was out of the office for the morning so didn't have my mid morning banana and I was pretty hungry by the time lunch came around. Tuna salad with a bread roll and a bag of snax. I was more than stuffed afterwards and ready to face another busy afternoon!

Sunday's Food Diary

Today started out off plan - I had a terrible nights sleep last night and I did not have the energy to go for my planned run this morning despite being out of bed pretty early. So I was determined to be good food wise, and that did start well with some delicious fruit.

Saturday Food Diary

Today has been a lazier day than I anticipated. I think the week has caught up on me and I needed to rest. I had planned an exercise rest day but I was meant to get a lot of cleaning done, but I kept putting it off until it was too late. I usually hate when I waste a whole day but I did get grocery shopping and my weeks plan made.

I have been loving this blogging every day. It takes some commitment and time but it's been great. Today was a real challenge as weekends are usually where tracking slips a little. And today started that way, I woke up early despite planning on having a sleep in and got up and while hardly thinking I had 3pp worth of chocolate and a cup of tea with skimmed milk. Healthiest breakfast ever!! I didn't take a photo of this but I did remember to track it.

Friday's Food Diary

I most definitely had that friday feeling today. I find the older I get the more often I find myself wishing days away - probably not a good thing. Anyway Friday's usually start with kettlebells before work  but I got a text last night to say it was cancelled, so Friday started like any other day....porridge, muller light greek yogurt and a cup of tea. And then of course a mid morning banana. I know I should mix my breakfasts up a bit - but this really works for me! 

Thursday's Food Diary

Today was another stressful day. I got up and went to work early and when I got there our email was down which meant I couldn't do the work I went in early for. I was playing catch up for most of the day and really wanted to finish close enough to on time so I could make my boxercise. I ran out the door without grabbing my lunch which set me back a bit but I got through the day just about.

The morning started a little earlier with the usual porridge and yoghurt combo with a cup of tea. It really cheered me up which in turn depressed me a little that I got excited about something so simple.

Wednesdays Food Diary

Another day on track and feeling great. It was a very long day and I was glad I was prepared and had good foods around me as today would have been a typical day for me to go off plan should I have needed to hit the shop for anything. Stress is definitely a trigger for me so the working week needs to be planned out.

Tuesday's Food Diary

This is day one of my online week of tracking! I have tried to take pictures of all my meals and snacks to keep it a bit interesting.

My day started with my usual weekday breakfast - 30g porridge oats made up with water and then a muller light coconut greek yoghurt stirred through. I try to alternate the flavour of yoghurt I use but coconut is def my favourite and just what I needed to cheer me up in work this morning.

Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail!!

This is one of my favourite weight watcher mottos. There is some serious truth in it and if I could only give one tip to those starting out, planning is it. There has been a lot of talk about planning recently, and I think summer is very easy to find yourself off track. With irish weather the way it is you never know when a weekend of great weather is going to pop up. And with good weather out comes temptation, BBQ's, beers in the sun, refreshing cocktails, picnics, ice cream. It's undoubtedly difficult to plan for these when you don't know they are coming. So you need to get smart and plan for the unexpected.