Weekly Meal Plan & Weigh In: November Week 5

And just like that are into the last week of November. I have 16 more working days until I finish up for Christmas (and 15 portions of soup in the freezer to keep me going for lunches). This weekend is when the real silly season starts for me and we have a busy one planned. We are heading to see the light show straight after work on Friday night, so that will either mean a takeaway when we get home or grabbing food out. Saturday we are heading to the dogs and for pizza for my sisters birthday and Sunday we are having a couple of friends up for Sunday lunch. This weekend I hope to make good choices during the day on Friday and keep as many of my dailies for that evening as I can. If I can manage to keep to my dailies that day I will be doing well. Saturday we will have a lot of stuff to get done during the day so I won't have time for lots of treats or eating, I can't go too mad with drinks on Saturday as I have to cook for friends on Sunday. And finally since I am in charge of the menu for Sunday I know I can stick to my dailies that day. 

Weekly Meal Plan & Weigh In: November Week 4

Was down half a pound this week so the scales are still moving the right direction. There have been times where I would have been disappointed with a loss like that, no matter what I told myself I would always expect more after a good week on plan. However the older I get the more I appreciate how valuable each and every half pound loss actually is. 

I had set myself a goal of losing 10lbs by Christmas and this weeks half pound loss means I have 6 more lbs to go and only 5 weigh ins. I am remaining optimistic but also slightly terrified of what December will bring. I already have something on each weekend from now until Christmas week, and while I know I can manage one night off plan and be relatively ok, its the weeks that have multiple events going on that worry me. Also our last weigh in before Christmas is the 20th of December and my focus this year will be sticking to the plan right up to Christmas Eve, and doing my best to control myself on Stephens day before we head off on our holidays. I always have this plan, and I always fail miserably. It seems that as soon as I walk out of that last weigh in my Christmas Eating/Drinking starts.

I'll be keeping track of my losses on my little Christmas tree. Each week I'll add a new bauble and the star represents the total loss so far. I like to have visual queues to keep me going, There is something very satisfying about keeping a regular check like this in a visual way. 

The weeks are getting busier and being organised is going to be crucial, so meal plans are extra important now. I found it really difficult to pick dinners this week and need some new options to add into the mix. I am considering getting a pressure cooker sometime soon and hoping to be able to try some new recipes with that. I'm running low on soup in the freezer and so I'll be doing my best to stock up this weekend. With some many treats around the office having healthy and filling lunches ready to go is the only chance I have to stick to my plan. 

Weekly Meal Plan & Weigh In: November Week 3

I'm not sure about the rest of you, but after a holiday or week off plan I am always tempted to skip my meeting, get myself back on track and have a great week in the hopes to avoid seeing a gain on the scales. We know its a bad idea, but it is always so scary to go to weigh in knowing full well you have gained. But to be honest, skipping is the worst thing you can do for a number of reasons.

Red Lentil Soup

Its been a long time since I posted a recipe. I have been meaning to make myself dedicate more time to my blogging for ages now but life just seems to constantly get in the way. I have a few recipes I have been experimenting with a few recipes over the past year and I want to get back into it more. A lot of them are just ones I happened to throw together and liked the results, and I will need to try them again to decipher the notes I made in order to recreate. But I have a few that are ready for sharing now, starting with some lovely Red Lentil Soup.

Weekly Meal Plan & Weigh In November Week 2

I'm here to confess, despite the best intentions to not lose the run of myself last weekend it happened anyway. I tried so hard not to slip into holiday mode before I left but I know I was a little lax with things. I was probably being 95% honest on my tracker so not the worst. I packed my running gear and had great plans to get lots of exercise, drink loads of water and eat lots of fruit in between all my holiday treats....none of that happened in reality. What actually happened was a weekend filled with alcohol, indulgent food and a little bit of walking.