Another Week Goes By

I have to say now we are nearing the end of May I am finding myself slipping back into my bad habits of just ignoring the plan at the weekend. The past couple of weeks, once work is done on a Friday I ignore my tracker and just enjoy myself. I am definitely eating a little bit more mindfully than I was before - only eating when hungry and not raiding the fridge just because its a 'day off' but I am definitely not eating well.

Summers Coming

May is here and it looks like the sun is out, no idea how long it will last but fingers crossed we get a few weekends out of it. My only problem with the sun is I find it so much harder to stay on plan. I know a lot of people look forward to summer for the salads and fruit etc, and while that is all great, I associate the sun with BBQ's and drinks. And while I know you can have healthy BBQ's, for me it never works out that way. I can make as many healthy salads as I want and think I'll just eat a chicken breast, but before I know it I've had 2 jumbo sausages, ribs as well as my chicken breast (plus all the salads).

We still have that Irish thing of needing to make the most of the sun as it might be the only weekend we get it. I also have the guilt of trying not to ruin everyone elses fun just because I can't control myself. It's a work in progress - just like everything else!!

I know I am a little late with this update, but I didn't get to blog last week over the bank holiday. I had said previously that I was going to track my losses/gains over a monthly period rather than weekly, and my April results are in and I was down 3lbs overall. I stuck mostly to my tracking except for one day and I feel really good about the result.

May has been a bit of a shakey start. I am slipping back to my weekend habits of completely losing the run of myself on a Friday and trying to track retrospectively - which never works. Was much better over the bank holiday than I was this past weekend and as a result I don't feel great this morning. I feel very bloated and uncomfortable and my skin is breaking out a bit. Meal plan done for the week and determine to lose this bloated feeling by the weekend. Heading out after work on Friday so will be a day off plan, just need to get lots of healthy stuff that doesn't take much prep into the house for Saturday so I don't resort to the pizza/chips out of desperation.

Another Month Goes By

End of April is here already, it really feels like only yesterday I was setting myself a challenge for April and now all of a sudden its over. I have to say I am really happy with how April has gone. My challenge was to track every single day 100% honestly - even the days I went off plan. And I have kept to that challenge so far bar one day. I don't even have a good reason as to why I didn't track on Friday, I was home alone and I gave into old binging habits. I don't remember what I ate so I have no way to track it - but I know I went way over my daily allowance. I know it started with a bowl of fruit and fibre, but where I went after that I do not know. 

Getting Back to Myself

I'm halfway through my April challenge and things are going really well. I have managed to track every single day, even on my treat days. Both weeks I have gone over my weeklies by more than 30 but judging by how I have been eating when I am conscious of tracking compared to my treat days before - I don't even want to think about how many I was going over for the weekends I haven't tracked at all. 

The Start of Something New

Last week I set myself a challenge for April, track every single day no matter what. I had the best intentions but I was a little worried heading into the weekend. There have been so many times this year that I have felt like I was ready to get my head back down and stick to the plan, and then the weekend hits and all my best plans go out the window. We were having friends over for Sunday lunch and I knew I was going to go over my SmartPoints, as I was planning a few drinks on Saturday night at home to use up some of my weeklies. I tracked as much as I could in advance and then made sure to track all the extra's I had nibbled on straight after they left. I ended up 34 over my weeklies (oops) but as it was all tracked I was a little bit more mindful than I would usually be, and had I not bothered I am sure I would have been so much more over.

So the first weekend of the challenge has been a success. I have another tricky event this weekend, heading to the Gin Experience with my sister, so I know tracking is going to be tough but I will be doing my best. I am feeling a little better about things and confident that I can get through that challenge. Whatever the result on the scales are, getting through 30 days tracking as much as possible will be a big win. 

Meal plan is done. I seem to have a few high Smart Point dinners, but the plan is to keep back 4 of my dailies each day to try and reduce the minus figure showing on my esource each day! 

It's been a while....

It's been a while since I posted anything here and I am pretty aware. I keep making promises to post more recipes but finding the time and the motivation is really difficult right now. Anyone who follows me over on facebook and instagram will be aware that I have been struggling a lot this year. I seem to have lost my motivation and not sure where I can find it again. It started out with me learning to love my body regardless of my weight, and so my motivation to lose the last few pounds to get back to goal was not really there.

Weekly Meal Plan & Weigh In: Feb Week 4

Keeping this short and sweet because if I am being honest I don't have much to say. I am still struggling to get my weekends under control. I managed to lose half a pound this week and I was definitely less OTT with my treats this weekend but I know my head is not fully in it. I don't seem to have any urgency to lose these few pounds to get back to goal and I am not sure why. 

March is also going to be a busy month for me. I am off to Leeds for a girly weekend this weekend, and I know it will be a boozy and foody one. But I am seeing my bestie and I haven't seen her in almost a year so it is long overdue and I am really looking forward to it. I also have a romantic weekend away in Cork towards the end of March and the whole weekend is basically centrered around food and different eating experiences. Realistically if I can manage to maintain my weight throughout March I will be happy. 

The only way to get there is to keep meal planning for Monday to Friday and stick to that, so that is exactly what I am doing! At some stage I will find my Mojo! 

Weekly Meal Plan & Weigh In: February Week 2

Another week goes by and another gain on the scales. I have to say I have been so far off track on the weekends lately I shouldn't be surprised. I guess I was hoping that keeping myself fully on plan for the rest of the week should be enough to at least STS on the scales. Clearly its not and I need to pull back my mad weekends a little bit. I seem to have lost a lot of the self control I used to have. Before it would be an off plan meal, and the rest of the day would be about making good choices. Whereas now I find myself just going mad for the day and I think that's what the problem is. 

I find myself not getting too stressed about it which I guess is good and bad. I don't want to spend the next year being hung up on being a few pounds over my ideal weight and getting myself angry every time I see it on the scales. For balance, I don't want this attitude to allow the scales to creep up and up until I am back to an unhealthy weight. I am happy that I am not beating myself up about the few gains I have, I know I still need to have a little more awareness of not getting too complacent. And most importantly I want to learn how to be more mindful on my 'treat' days. 

My meal plans still do keep me on track for the most part Monday to Friday so keeping this habit up. Is it helpful for people for me to post them? Is there anything else you'd like to see in these posts? Any feedback on how I can make this place a more helpful site for the readers is more than welcome! 

Weekly Meal Plan & Weigh In: February Week 2

No matter what I did last week I wasn't able to pull back enough to make up for  my Friday & Saturday off plan. I also think that the fact I'd lost 2lbs when I wasn't expecting it the week before probably played a part. So i gained 2.5lbs at weigh in this week. Obviously I would like to see the scales go down, but one of the things I wanted to work on this year is focusing on other aspects of a healthier lifestyle. I have found over the past few weeks that I am sleeping better, my skin has improved and I am really enjoying the food I am eating Monday to Friday. Because I have my work lunches prepped, I have a more time to focus on taking an actual break.

Meal Plan & Weigh In: February Week 1

I have been very lax about posting so far in 2019, and I will change as soon as possible. I had every intention of posting my meal plan last week, but an unfortunate 2 day hangover meant that both Sunday & Monday (by the time i got through work) were a complete write off! I'm not sure how, but depsite eating my way through my hangover on Sunday I still managed to lose 2lbs at weigh in on Thursday. That bring my January weight loss total to 5.5lbs, only 2.5lbs to get rid of the rest of my Christmas gain. 

I've been feeling quite positive about my WW journey. Trying to focus more on how I am feeling and less worrying about the number on the scales (though it is hard not to get a little boost when the scales are moving). I am trying to be mindful about my eating. Focusing on why I want to eat my preplanned 'healthy' foods during the week in work instead of going out and grabbing a chicken fillet roll, crisps and chocolate. When I do have a treat or go off plan, whether it was intentional or not, to actually enjoy it and not feel guilty about it. Last Sunday I fed my hangover; crisps, chocolate, cheese, bread, pizza...all the stodgy stuff you crave when the hangover hits. Instead of feeling guilty and worrying about the scales all week I just moved on with my week as normal. I didn't undereat to make up for it, or kill myself with extra activity. I woke up on Monday and had my normal breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

I didn't have the best start to this month. For some reason on Friday I was just a bit picky with my food and I had such an awful week in work that as soon as I got home I could hear the bottle of wine calling me. So I shared a bottle of wine with my partner, had some garlic bread with my dinner and had a few chocolates. 

Did I need them? No

Do I wish I could handle my emotions around food better? Yes

Will I feel guilty about it? No

Guilt would not have changed what happened on Friday, and it may have affected every day since. Instead of going down the rabbit hole of self hatred I have done before I choose to now accept that I am human and sometimes my emotions get the better of me. I like to think of myself as a rational person, but we can't live life by rational & logic all the time. I have feelings that sometimes take over and for me that leads to over eating. I will always try and change that, but I refuse to feel guilty about it any more. 

Back to my usual meal planning. Only way to make it through the week. I had a planned day off on Saturday but got myself back on track on Sunday and have a good week ahead of me (once I don't let the stress take over). We are out 2 days this weekend, so just need to focus on the days before and after that and ensure to keep up the activity! Hope you all have a great week.

Weekly Meal Plan & Weigh In

I'm going to keep this post brief as I am working on a longer post dedicated to some goals for 2019. I am firmly back in the swing of things and managed to lose 3lbs of my Christmas gain. It may have gone on quite quickly but I know it will be slower to come off and I'm ok with that. I would rather lose it again gradually than try to rush it for no real reason. I feel like I am back into a real routine and that's how I work best. When I am enjoying the food I'm eating and not overthinking everything. 

Hello 2019

I'm a little late with my first post of the year. It has been a crazy few weeks since my last post and I just have not had the time for this. I finished up at my last weigh in losing half a pound, not quite hitting my Christmas goal but feeling pretty good about things. My last weigh in was the Thursday and in that weekend before Christmas I managed to have one full day on plan, one mindful day and one blowout. And then it all went out the window Christmas and my holiday. I came back and had a week where I was all over the place, but despite the temptation to skip it, I brave the scales at my studio/workshop and accepted my gain. I could feel the gain in my clothes and I knew I was up a substantial amount. Had I managed to get myself organised when I got back from my holidays I could have probably done a fair amount of damage control but I didn't and so I was not surprised when the scales said I was up 8.5lbs! Its a lot to gain in 3 weeks, but I don't regret one second of it as it was the best Christmas I've ever had.

Last Meal Plan & Weigh In of 2018!!

I know I say this a lot, but I can't believe how fast time is going by. It really felt like yesterday I was gearing up for 10 weigh ins until Christmas and here I am with just one more left. Last week was the week I was most worried about. I had 2 full days off plan and I wasn't sure how it was going to go but I managed to still lose 2lbs this week. My plan for the hungover roast chicken after my christmas party went down a treat and it really helped me get myself back on track straight away (something I have always struggled with after a night out). 

It brings my total loss of my Christmas to 7.5lbs so far with one more weigh in to go. I'd love to say I am confident that I will lose the last 2.5lbs to meet my Christmas goal on Thursday but to be honest I will feel lucky to maintain this week. I had a planned day off on Friday which alone would have been fine, but I went a bit overboard on Saturday. I had hoped to be able to stay on track for the day but I was a little hungover when I woke up and I didn't have a real plan in place for the day. I was also heading to a housewarming in my parents house and I just couldn't help myself with all the lovely nibbles and finger food they had...and the cheeseboard we tucked into at the end of the night. 

I am also finding the temptation to give into 'Christmas Eating' so hard at the moment. I know I will be fine between now and Thursday when my weigh in is, but I really want to be able to keep tracking all the way up to Christmas Eve. Best intentions, but I am worried that once that final weigh in is done all hell will break loose. I need to take the pressure off myself, otherwise I am likely to end up in an all out binge if I do crack. So for now my focus is on getting to Thursday and then after that I will reassess and see how I can cope with this weekend. 

Weekly Meal Plan & Weigh In: December Week 2

So I knew last week that I wasn't going to get a loss, but luckily I managed to pull it back after the weekend enough to lose half a pound. So I think I can safely kiss goodbye to my goal of losing 10lbs by Christmas. I'm 5.5lbs down so far and there are only 2 weigh ins to go. But whether I make the goal or not the scales are going in the right direction.

Weekly Meal Plan & Weigh In: December Week 1

December is on us and we are down to 3 weigh in's until Christmas. Despite my hopes, I was up 1lb this week. I am not surprised as my one day off plan was really OTT and I did go over my SmartPoints the following day too. On top of that I was definitely retaining some water this week and to be honest looking at previous weeks where I am retaining water, 1lb up is a good result. 

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.