Revelation!!

When I first started this journey I had a goal date in mind, June of this year. The reason for this was when wedding season was supposed to be starting and I have a dress that I stupidly paid 220 euro for to wear to one christmas party back in 2007 and then never had anything to wear it to again, along with the fact that a it only fit me for about a year after that. I love this dress and I decided I wanted to wear it again and what better time than a wedding. So while I had a number in mind in reality my goal was fitting into the dress.

I was having one of those evenings where I felt HUGE!! Everytime I looked in the mirror all i saw was belly and

Weigh In 5 of 2013

Well my week was less than perfect - actually it started off pretty perfectly and I only really fell off track at about 9 o'clock friday night when the finger food was bought out at a wedding I was at. Of course at this stage I had consumed enough vodkas that my self control was non existant so I indulged in a few mini spring rolls and samosas with the accompanying dips. Luckily my boyfriend snuck away to get pizza on his own at the end of the night which is most likely the only thing that stopped me getting a slice.

The next day the vodkas took their toll and again I had very little self control. So there was brown bread, brie, full fat coleslaw and chickpea salad for lunch, steak and chips

Hairy Dieters Chicken Jalfrezi

So I am just going to say again this is my favourite recipe book. I have used it so much more than any of my others, making the likes of Chicken Tangle Pie, Mediterranean Beef Burgers and loads more. I have worked out the propoints for the whole book here too for anyone that has the book or found any of the recipes online. This Jalfrezi was yummy but the chilies I used were a little too hot and so the taste got a bit cancelled out by the heat. So do be careful with the type of chilies and the amount you use if heat is not your thing. I served this with 5pp worth of rice and it was loads of food. Was stuffed. 

Weigh In 4 of 2013

After 4 weeks of seeing nothing but 0's on the scales I was absolutely elated to see that this week I had lost a pound. I know it doesn't seem like much but I worked my ass off for that pound to be down. I knew that the last few pounds were going to be the hardest to come off but I really didn't realise just how hard. I had to go really back to basics again, everything into my mouth was weighed out and preplanned.

St Clement's Drizzle Cake

I found this in one of my old weight watcher magazines and I was in a real baking mood this weekend. We were invited to my cousins house for tea this evening so it was the perfect opportunity to get in the kitchen. Yesterday I made the delicious white chocolate florentines. So today was time to try a cake. In reality none of the ingredients in this are actually low fat, but its a sponge without any fat used - so you can get away without telling people its weight watchers. The recipe is for 9 pieces at 5pp per piece (45pp for the whole recipe) - but they are big pieces and you could get away with cutting it into 12 or even 16 and adjusting the pp.

Serves 9

Propoints per serve: 5pp

Weigh in 3 - Beyond Frustrated!

I really do not going on any more, for the forth WI in a row I have seen nothing, not a gain nor a loss and to be honest I am at a bit of a loss as to why. The last WI before christmas made sense, the first one after christmas was ridiculously lucky. Last weeks weigh in was a shock but I suppose I didn't deserve the one the week before. But this weeks big fat 0 on the scales was absolutely gut wrenching. I tracked, I drank more water, I did more exercise so the results should have been there.

Chicken & Spinach Pasta

Was feeling quite lazy tonight after a day of housework, grocery shopping and working out and I didn't really want to cook much. Knew I had spinach that needed using and I had just bought some chicken breasts so this was the easiest thing to keep me away from the junk. It is a really quick, easy and satisfying dinner.

Serves: 2
Propoints per serving: 12
Ingredients:

Hairy Dieters Propointed! ***Smart Point & Flex Updated***

As you all know I love the Hairy Dieters cookbooks and when I first got each of the books I sat down and calculated the ProPoints in all the recipes so I didn't have any excuse not to use them. Now that SmartPoints is out I have gone back and calculated the smart points values after numerous requests to do so. I know a lot of people will be sticking with ProPoints for the forseeable future so I have left the ProPoints values in too. I have also added the SmartPoints that need to be taken from weeklies for anyone following the No Count plan.

***Update 2018***

I have gone back and amended the SmartPoint Values for the new Flex update. A lot of the recipes will stay the same, some have minimal change and some more drastic. No Count values have remained the same so are unedited. 

Just a few things to note on this post and the posts of the other books!

• I am in Ireland and do not have access to the same e-tools those in the UK and else where have, so these values have been calculated using the food guides given in classes and the shopping guide. So cannot guarantee 100% accuracy. 
• For some of the recipes, when working out ProPoints values I did use the calories given in the book as a guide to estimate but have NOT done this for any of the SmartPoint Values.
• For the ProPoint values for this first book, I also replaced all oil with low cal Spray oil. I did not do that for Smart Point values or any of the other books unless the recipe specifies 'oil for spraying' . If you wish to use low cal Spray oil instead you will need to adjust the calculations.
• For the recipes that involve blending fruit and veg, I used the MyFitnessPal recipe builder to get the full nutritional info and then used the calculator to work out the SmartPoints. I did this as the guides tell you that blended fruit needs to be counted but I couldn't find anywhere to show how it should be calculated. 
• Apart from the note about oil above, all recipes have ProPoints & SmartPoints calculated as they are in the book. No substitutions made, if it says full fat cheese thats what I pointed, semi skimmed was pointed as such etc. 
• 
  
• However, when working out values for No Count I made a few substitutions
• Milk changed to skimmed instead of semi skimmed. 
• Rice changed to brown rice (with the exception of Aboria and Paella)
• Pasta/Spaghetti changed to brown pasta
• Cous Cous changed to wholemeal cous cous
• Rindless Back Bacon changed with bacon medallions
• Pitta's & Wraps changed to the WW branded versions which are free.
• Finally, please let me know if any of these are incorrect and I will check and update them ASAP. 

Breakfast & Brunch	Flex	No Count	SmartPoints	ProPoints
Crumpets and warm spiced berries with yourt and honey	7	1	7	7
Cranberry & Almond Muesli (Without Milk)	7	2	7	5
Bacon with Poached egg and balsamic tomato	3	0	5	5
Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon	7	7	11	9
Fresh Fruit compote with Home-made Granola	8	5	8	6
Baked haddock, spinach & egg pots (Without Crispbreads)	3	2	5	4
One-Pan Dishes	Flex	No Count	SmartPoints	ProPoints
Prawn & Chive Omelette	1	0	8	8
Minted Pea and Feta Omelette	4	4	12	10
Minestrone Soup	2	0	2	3
Golden Veg Soup	1	0	1	1
Mushroom, Feta & Tomato Baked Peppers	16	15	16	10
Mussels with Leeks & White Wine: 2 servings	8	3	9	9
Mussels with Leeks & White Wine: 3 servings	5	2	6	6
Roasted Cod with Parma Ham & Peppers	2	2	3	5
Spanish Style Chicken Bake	14	11	14	11
Whole Baked Fish with Sun-dried tomatoes	7	4	11	9
Grills & Roasts	Flex	No Count	SmartPoints	ProPoints
Salmon with Chilli Ginger	2	2	7	8
Masala-Marinated Chicken with Minted Yoghurt Sauce: 4 servings	4	0	8	8
Masala-Marinated Chicken with Minted Yoghurt Sauce: 5 servings	3	0	6	6
Mediterranean Beef Burgers	10	7	10	11
Lemony Lamb Kebabs (per kebab - no pitta)	5	4	5	4
Roast Port with Apple Gravy (no crackling)	8	1	8	7
Peppered Steak with Mushrooms	9	3	9	7
Lemon & Thyme Roasted Chicken: 5 servings	5	1	7	9
Lemon & Thyme Roasted Chicken: 6 servings	4	1	6	8
Easy Crispy Chicken	5	4	7	8
Cajun Spiced Chicken with Potato Wedges & Chive Dip	4	0	6	8
Harissa Chicken with Bulgar Wheat Salad	3	0	5	7
Pies	Flex	No Count	SmartPoints	ProPoints
Quick Cod & Prawn Gratin	5	4	7	10
Chicken & Ham Tangle Pie	10	8	14	12
Skinny Beef Lasagne	8	4	8	9
Low-fat minced beef and potato pies	7	5	7	8
Cottage Pie: 6 Servings	8	2	8	7
Cottage Pie: 8 Servings	6	2	6	5
Lean Lamb Hotpot	15	10	15	11
Stews	Flex	No Count	SmartPoints	ProPoints
Spicy Bean & Vegetable Stew: 4 servings	6	2	7	6
Spicy Bean & Vegetable Stew: 5 servings	5	2	6	5
Gorgeous Fish Stew with Garlic Croutons	7	3	8	9
Paprika Chicken	11	10	11	10
Old-fashionedChicken & Vegetable Stew	14	3	14	11
Our Special Casoulet	12	9	12	14
Rich Beef & Ale Casserole	9	3	9	9
Lamb Tagine	11	10	12	11
Vegetables & Salads	Flex	No Count	SmartPoints	ProPoints
Posh Prawn Cocktail	2	1	2	3
Chicken Caesar Salad	5	4	7	8
Chilli Salad Bowls	10	5	10	11
Cumin Crusted Veg: 4 servings	4	0	4	4
Cumin Crusted Veg: 5 servings	3	0	3	3
Vinagrette	1	0	1	1
Zingy Yoghurt Dressing	0	0	0	0
Light Herby Dressing	1	1	1	0
Beetroot Salad with Yoghurt & Cumin Seeds	2	1	2	2
Warm Griddled Vegetables	3	1	3	2
Fruity Rice Salad: 4 servings	3	0	3	3
Fruity Rice Salad: 6 servings	2	0	2	2
Fennel & Orange Salad with Harissa Dressing: 2 servings	7	5	7	4
Fennel & Orange Salad with Harissa Dressing: 4 servings	4	2	4	2
Fakeaways	Flex	No Count	SmartPoints	ProPoints
Sweet & Sour Chicken	6	5	7	5
Chicken Korma	6	4	7	8
Fragrant Pork & Prawn Noodle Broth	4	2	4	5
Lamb Spinach & Potato Curry	9	6	9	7
Chicken Jalfrezi	4	1	6	6
Coconut Prawn Curry	9	9	10	7
Very Easy Thai Chicken & Coconut Curry	7	7	9	8
Pasta & Rice	Flex	No Count	SmartPoints	ProPoints
Home-made Butternut Squash Tortellini	12	11	12	11
Beachside Paella	10	9	11	10
Chilli Lemon Tuna & Broccoli Spaghetti	8	0	11	12
Chicken & Mushroom Risotto	7	6	8	7
Southern-Style Jambalaya	10	6	10	9
Italian Meathballs with Chunky Tomato Sauce	5	1	5	7
Chilli Con Carne	4	2	5	9
Rich & Meaty Bolognese	3	2	3	5
Puddings & Cakes	Flex	No Count	SmartPoints	ProPoints
Moist Carrot & Sultana Cake	8	7	8	7
Summer Fruit Meringues	11	11	11	7 (low fat cream)
Skinny Lemon Cupcakes with Drizzly Icing	7	6	7	5
Swiss Roll	5	5	6	6
Sparkling Lemonade & Lime Jelly	0	0	0	0
Chewy Cranberry & Apricot Bites	3	2	3	2
Plum Rice Pudding	5	3	5	4
Lunch Boxes & Snacks	Flex	No Count	SmartPoints	ProPoints
Tuna Nicoise Wrap	7	2	7	10
Simple Tuna & Sweetcorn Pasta Salad	4	1	5	6
Chicken & Parma Ham Topless Sandwich	6	6	7	6
Mackerel Pate & Watercress Topless Sandwich	9	8	9	9
A Very English Sandwich	7	5	9	8
Cheese & Pickle	12	11	12	9
Egg, Bacon & Asparagus Flan	6	4	8	5
Cheese, Leek & Onion Pasties	7	6	7	6
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus: 8 servings	1	0	2	2