One year!

It's been a year since I started this blog and I have neglected it and me for that matter over the last few months.

A few weeks ago I turned 30 and I didn't loose the weight I wanted but I did enjoy myself. 

Since I have been thinking a lot about my life, my future. I have been struggling again with my thoughts and I feel I need to de stress and get to a happier place.

1. Work

It's tough for me lately, I'm finding it hard to even get up and go there in a morning. I really want to focus on my little business so that I can make it a full time commitment. I want to be passionate about what I do and still make enough money to be comfortable.

2. Home

Or the house itself, I want to redecorate and make it more fresh looking. Not spend too much on Xmas so that I can afford new things.

3. Family 

I have felt ready for a while and I don't want to leave it too late. I have pcos so it's difficult for me. As well as giving Marc the nudge to get him fully on board with me about this I need to make changes in my life and diet.

So to sum up I'm telling myself...

Find a way to live and make money in a way I can enjoy and make better choices when eating.

Wether I can do it I do not know!

Until next time, over and out.

Week 31- it's been a while

I know it's been a while but here I am again....

I haven't been to group for about a month, I lost all motivation and was not feeling the benefit of going anymore so I just stopped thinking I will find another group but then I thought, I will need to start all over again and all the work I had done so far would be lost.

I haven't been 100% on it lately, and I still want to loose more for my 30th birthday. I thought I might read over my old posts, they made me realise that I do still want this and I can do it, also what nice food I was eating.

What have I been up to since week 19? Hummmm...

Well I got my stone award, yay!

Been to a couple of weddings that was a boost as I was getting compliments on how I looked. I have been going to Zumba class every week with my sister, btw I'm dreadful at but it's fun and keeps me active. Now the bf's birthday is out the way and I am finally about to have my garden done I feel much more content.

Oh and by the way I have started my own online business selling yarn, whoop!

So feeling refreshed and motivated here we go again...

Today's weight is 12st 5.5lb

I think a stone is do able for October so that's my current aim.

Week 19- food haul #1

This week I didn't go to group, I wasn't feeling too well. I think I probably did have a loss as I feel like I have and I have been on plan.

I'm on lates this week and I cannot be bothered going food shopping before or after work so I did my shop online.

And here is what I bought...

Freezer food- I went for the herbs, I haven't tried them before but I thought they would come in handy. And some frozen veg, convenient for when I'm in a rush and have not got the time for chopping veggies.

A selection of meats, planning on along pulled pork, steak and kidney pie, spaghetti bolagnais, possibly piri piri chicken and chicken curry.

And a selection of veg and salad to go with the meats.

Some speedy fruits to snack on.

Healthy extras, the soup and all bran are Bs and the milk and baby bel As.

Treats, love the flavoured coffee not tried these flavours yet, can't wait.

Can't do a shop without stocking up on my old favourite eggs. Can't live without them these days.

I don't mind every now and then doing an online shop but I do prefer going to super market so I can choose my food, I look for food the have the longest life and pick my fruit and veg and meats. It normally takes me a good hour to do a food shop but online it's mostly all saved and I don't go off budget and I stick to what I need.

Week 18- meat!

This is a little late, but when I went to group this week I didn't do as well as I thought I would, just half a pound off. I was hoping for 2 and my stone award. Which means no new make up for me just yet (treat). But onwards and upwards, must not let it get me down.

I thought I would share a little recipe that is inspired by one I saw on SW website.

Meatloaf

You need:

600g pork I used the stir fry version from asda because they are lean and already cut up into bits.

5 eggs, 1 for binding the meat together the rest boiled.

Approx 8 rashers of bacon, remove the fat.

Seasoning and some herbs of your choice I went for sage because I think it goes well with pork.

I put the pork into the food processor a bit at a time so that it cut up nice and fine like mince. Meanwhile I boiled 4 eggs.

I then put the chopped up pork in a bowl with a whisked up egg. Herbs and seasoned with salt and pepper. Mixed it all together.

I then took a silicone loaf mould and lined it with the bacon. Put a layer of the pork in the bottom approximately a centimetre thick. Layed the peeled boiled eggs across the middle, filling the sides up and covering the eggs up with the pork. Then wrapped the remainder of the bacon around the pork.

I put it in the oven for around 45-50 mind on gas mark 6.

This went down so well with my other half and I enjoyed it as abit of a snack or with a salad for lunch. 

Week 17- Aldi 5 favourites

This week was a good week, I went to group feeling good and voila! 2lb lost. Which means another 2lb and I get my stone award and I will treat myself to some new make up. Hopefully I will have it off next week then I can present a bit of a make up haul.

I thought this week I would show you my top 5 favourite food items from Aldi because I have been going there a lot lately. In no particular order...

5. The super 6!

So generally every week they have 6 items of fruit and veg that they have price dropped to something like 59p. Which I think is really good because you can get your free or speed foods really cheap although all the fruit and veg is reasonably priced anyway I do like to try something I wouldn't normally buy when it's in the offer like kewi or butternut squash.

4. Infusions salmon fillets.

These are so good, you get 2 salmon fillets that are already seasoned for £2.89. I like the Thai red marinade, I haven't tried any of the other flavours yet. All you do is put them in the microwave for 4minutes and they are done, you can grill or bake them if u like instead. They are really nice with some stir fry veg and noodles. I'm going to have mine this week with roast Mediterranean vegetables. And by the way free.

3. Egg poacher

I am loving my new egg poaching pan only £4.99. Reason being I am useless at making poached eggs, no matter how hard I try I just cannot get them right but then I got this little beaut. I used it for the first time at the weekend, all you need to do is pour a shallow pool of boiling water in the bottom of the pan, crack the eggs into each of the separate compartments on the next layer then put the lid on top. This steams the eggs, just left them for 3-4 minutes and that's it, perfect and syn free.

 

2. Moser-Roth finest chocolate 

All verities are are 7syns for a 25g bar and you get 5 per pack for £1.19. I love mint dark chocolate so I have been enjoying these as a treat mostly with a mint chocolate options got chocolate drink (2 syns). They come in a few other flavours, I think I will try the orange chocolate next.

1. Harvest morn Benefit light cereal bars.

You can have 2 of these as an HEB and come as a pack of 6 for £1.19. They have them in chocolate and fudge, summer fruits and, apple and sultana. I prefer these to the alpen light bars, and you get more in a box and they are cheaper.

If anyone does read my rumblings and also enjoy Aldi's slimming world friendly treats then please let me know so I can try for myself.

Week 16- come on PMA!

Its a new week and new mindset, positive mental attitude. 

Last weigh in I had a maintain, and at group it's almost as bad as if you gain, you still get the whole 'well done for staying' and 'what's happend this week? Do you need help?'. I know I wasn't feelin it last week but I had a maintain and I'm ok with that at least I hadn't gained which I was dreading.

Now it's time to pick myself up and try again. I have planned meals and tried to come up with something new to make and one of my favourites, Stocked up on yogurts and cereal bars, so I feel prepared.

I have even got a mini goal in mind with a friends hen do coming up, I have 7 weight ins to go and I think I can easy get half a stone off by then.

I'm in the process of making a list aswell so that I can give myself a treat per every half stone award at slimming world, at the moment I am 4lb off my stone award and I'm wanting some new make up.

This week I am making slow cooked BBQ pulled pork which is one of my favourites at the moment. It's from sw website but this is just to show steps of how I do it, y'know just incase anyone reads this.

1. Above is the recipe from the website, I like to add a teaspoon or 2 of smoked paprika and an extra carton of passata.

2. I put all the ingredients in the slow cooker apart from the pork shoulder and mix it all up.

3. Then I add the pork, making sure it's all covered in the sauce. I get my pork shoulders from asda most of the time because they are normally in the 2 for £7 offer and hardly have any fat on them.

4. Then just leave for the day when I go to work. I think it will probably be ready to eat in about 4hours but not certain because I have only ever left it for the day.

I served mine with jacket potato and salad.

Week 15- too busy to think about food.

I was surprised last week that I had a loss then this week at group I lost another 1lb, I don't know how because I'm not trying my best to stay on plan, I'm not keeping a regular food diary, I'm too busy at work to plan ahead, would rather grab the nearest and quickest thing I can find to stop the hunger. I'm feeling so low and I cannot be bothered with anything.

After that 1lb off, the next day I went out for a meal of stone baked pizza and sticky toffee pudding drank a few wines and strawberry timmermans beer, didn't bother counting the syns.

Saturday, we drove to Skipton, had a walk round then had steak pie andash with peas and gravy for dinner that was so yummy. Then went home and chilled. 

Sunday was a good day, good breakfast of eggs on toast with baked beans. For dinner I slow cooked some lamb with veg, served with cauliflower cheese and broccoli, and mash potato.

Rest of the week at work I haven't had much time for lunch breaks so I've been grabbing meal deals, Gregg's sandwich, subway salad which was low in syns at least. Not had much fruit. When I'm home I just threw something together for dinner, mostly pasta based and I had pancakes on Tuesday night.

Today is Thursday, I'm walking to work as I write this and it's weigh in tonight. I need to make an effort today at least then be back on track and focused for the week ahead.

Week 14 - Wy Ey!

I spent this weekend in Newcastle for a friends birthday, and of corse I over indulged!

It all started Friday night, Marc and I went for a nice meal and I had salmon teriyaki and sticky coconut rice and a bottle of wine all to myself.

Next morning on our way to Newcastle I had a McDonald's breakfast, sausage and egg mcmuffin with hash brown. After a day of shopping I had home cooked chips with my chicken breast burger roped with pulled pork mmm! All washed down with lots of vodka diet cokes.

But I didn't stop there, when I got home I had a takeaway curry with naan bread and pigged out on chocolate.

I'm not bragging, that's what I did, after that I behaved myself and ate reasonably well.

On Thursday I was bracing myself for the scales considering I didn't get weighed last week and after all the junk I had scoffed, but surprise surprise I lost 1.5lb! Could not believe it, so now I'm totalling at 12st 10.5lb.

Here is some of good meals I have had over the past few weeks...

1. Asda 50% less fat Cumberland sausages (1.5 syns each) and swede and potato mash served with lots of veg and onion gravy.

2. Aldi salmon fillets in a sweet chilli seasoning served with new potatoes, baby sweetcorn and salad.

3. Lamb with swede and potato mash, sprouts and carrots, stuffing and onion gravy.

4. Chicken breast with laughing cow light inside wrapped in bacon served with new potatoes and a huge salad.

5. Shepherds pie with mushy peas

6. Chilli con carne with plain rice.

7. Left over chilli con carne with uncle bens Mexican rice.

8. Shepherds pie with aunt Bessie's Yorkshire puddings and gravy. 

9. Homemade beef chow main stir fry with egg noodles.

Week 12 - 5 favourites(1)...

Last week at slimming world I had a maintain, I told jan that I'm not sure why possibly due to not keeping a food diary like I normally do or (I think in my head) due to the four pints of lager and the Burger King burger with mozzerella sticks I had the night before, oops!

It's my own fault, I started to train a new group at work so it's been abit stressful, normally I'm not one to get stressed easily but I have been wanting a drink after work and craving chocolate.

I was naughty this week too as I didn't attend group. I have been trying my best to stick to plan as it was my friends birthday at the weekend and I was going away. I went all out over Friday Saturday and Sunday, eating things like curry from takeaway, chicken burger, lovely fried chips, McDonald's breakfast ect.

Now I'm refocusing by reminding myself of all my favourite free foods. In no particular order, because I love all...

5. Fruit salad

I like to prepare a nice fruit salad to take to work. I cut up some apples and pairs, add some black grapes and strawberries and squeeze over a lemon or lime, the lemon/lime makes them taste extra nice and refreshing but also preserves that Apple and pair from going discoloured. 

 

4. Picked veg

As a nice snack on an evening whilst watching tele, instead of reaching for the Pringles or Doritos and dips I have been tucking into a variety of pickled veg. Things like onions, beetroot, gherkins pickled in chilli and mustard seeds, I will have some ham, cheese (HEA), boiled egg. Very nice and filling.

3. Baked beans

Recently I have been eating baked beans with everything. I like to have them with my cooked breakfast, omlettes, jacket potato, I make a sausage casserole with them in I even keep the small tubs in my drawer at work just in case I am stuck for what to have for lunch. 

2. Potatoes

Every way you can think of, I have them at once almost everyday. I like to have slimming world chips made in the overnight with things like piri piri chicken ( fake nandos). I have steak with boiled new potatoes finished in a frying pan to give them a crunch. Jacket potato I some times make a load and freeze them so they are ready for me to grab and take to work with me. And my favourite (this is why I'm useless at sticking to S&P), mash potato. I have tried making it abit better by only using half the potatoes I usually would and the other half suede, which I still really enjoy.

1. Eggs

I have been making effort to eat lots of eggs lately, not so much fried as I am not successful at making them when there isn't lots of oil involved but instead I make lots of omlettes for breakfast, crust less quiches I can take to work and hard boiled eggs I can snack on. I want to master the poached eggs but never seem to get them right.

Fingers crossed I won't have too much of a gain and I am determined it's just I have a lot on with work lately, I know I'm a bit slack with this healthy eating diary but I'm still here and on it. 

Week 11- the late shift!

This week I couldn't make it to group as I was working later shifts at work, this meant I wouldn't make it back in time for group. But it was alright I just found a group on my way to work in Leeds that I could pop into to get weighed. I was so glad I did because I had a loss and got my 1/2 stone award, yay! 

This just spurs me on all the more because it means I am getting closer to my goal.

With me working lates I have had to think about what I'm having for dinner. I wasn't getting home until 9pm some nights so I just wanted something quick. 

I made BBQ pulled pork from the sw website, prepared in the morning and had it cooking all day until mark got home. When I got home I had it with jacket potato and salad, it was really nice and it was all syn free.

I also made corned beef stew in the slow cooker, I got the lower fat version and worked out at 8 syns for the whole thing, and there was around six servings.

Other times it was something drone the freezer that I had made in weeks gone by and froze a portion.

Also I have had portage every day nearly for breakfast, lots of fruit salads for snacks with a nice squeeze of lemon. As I work in Leeds City centre I have sometimes needed to go grab something quick, that something as been a Turkey and ham subway salad which is fee and then 1.5 syns for the sweet onion dressing. 

Ok so just in case any actual people read this I'm not going to tell you about absolutely everything I eat this week. I am going to tell you how to make syn free American style pancakes....

1. Separate 2 egg whites from the yolk, leaving the yolks to one side. Whisk the whites in a large bowl until stiff peaks form.

Then add 1 teaspoon of sweetener and vanilla flavouring to the yolks, fold into the egg whites.

2. Heat up a frying pan with fry light then place a big spoonful of the mixture in the pan and leave for a couple of minutes.

3. Then turn over and leave for another couple of minutes, they don't take long to cook it the whisking that takes a while.

4. When they were done I had a fruit salad and a tablespoons of honey. I've had with strawberry and yoghurt before or you could syn some Nutella or something. They are nice though, honestly.

Fingers crossed I have a loss next weigh in. But as I'm writing this I dunno I have had a fair few drinks this week but I have been good with food, apart from one exception when I have had a Burger King whopper burger band mozzerlla sticks errm ... well ... ok.

Until next time.

week 10- On it!

Last Thursdays weigh in made me very happy, i was aiming for 3lb off and i got 3.5lb off, whoop!
As always I was asked by Jan, the group leader, what have i been doing this week to acieve my loss?
Well i have put xmas and new year behind me and i have planned ahead and stayed off the sauce. She asked if i have tried the new SP plan, I have tried i had it in mind when ever something passed my lips but some times i could not resist. I have been staying away from potato, pasta or rice when i can think of an alternative and when i have been writing my food diary i have been writing 'S' and 'P' next to my foods to kinda educate me to what is classed as an S or P.
By the way when i am saying S and P, if anyone is actually reading this and do not know what im on about, S stands for Speed foods like certain fruits and veg, P stands for Protein like meats, beans and eggs.
So i have been eating more of these types of foods and i can also have an extra HEB, which is my fibre.

This is some of the things i have eaten for breakfast...

I have had porridge nearly every day with some fruit, blueberries are not an 'S' food but i like them with porridge, strawberries are too I have eaten about 2 boxes of them this week. when i have had time in a morning i have cooked some form of egg which is a 'P' food and here we have bacon which is 'P', hovis nimble wholemeal toast which is HEB and spaghetti hoops which is just free on EE plan.

For Lunches...

Again here there is a lot of egg going on, i love eggs and i have been eating more than ever, i even made a quiche to take to work to have with baked beans, in the quiche there is tomatoes (s), bacon bits (p), mushrooms (s), and cottage cheese (free) with mixed herbs and seasoning.
Alaso as i lunch/snack i have had things like boiled eggs, with a selection of pickled veg all free, which cheese as an HEA. the Jacobs flatbreads are 2 syns each, mango chutney 2 syns per table spoon.

And also Dinners....

These are what i have had for dinner all made by me, so no eating out this week. things like fish Pie with carrot and suede mash, i have a sunday dinner with suede mash aswell, now im not too keen, i did not enjoy it, but i have tried it and no thanks i will stick to my potatoes. As Jan said i havent had a totally S and P day/week but a really good for EE.

I have lots of things in mind for the month ahead, hopefully I will have an award next week and it's payday so I'm hoping to reward myself for the commitment so far.