Tiger tiger, please leave me alone...

It's been a bit of a stressy day today - on account of me cocking up at work yesterday without realising. I've spent most of today in a panic, I do not like making mistakes. Fortunately, I've not tried to self medicate with food which is the usual answer. My boss was fine about it, I think he perhaps realises that I have been trying to do too many things at once, I guess it was inevitable that I would cock up eventually. Ah well, you live and learn.

I worked from home today, which usually leads to random food snaffling, but since we are away for the weekend, there is nothing in. Hence my fairly lacking in inspiration food for today (serious lack of greenery).

Breakfast was 2 slices of tiger bread toasted (damn you tiger bread, please stop hounding me). One with Marmite and one with Sloe Gin and Gooseberry Jam from Bill's. 

 Lunch was left over Lasagne. A smaller portion than anticipated due to a fridge raider last night. Matthew!

Mid afternoon, I felt the need for a pick me up, so I indulged in a large skinny latte with sugar free Gingerbread syrup.

Dinner will be a steak, mushroom and onion sandwich with French mustard. Yet more of that bloody bread. I've made it already, but I am trying to hold off eating it for a few hours. For some reason, I thought it was much later than it is and ended up cooking this at 4:30pm??! My brain really is fried.

I've not pointed anything today, but I can't see how I can be over my allotted 26. I shall perhaps work that out in a moment.

So, off to Edinburgh tomorrow to visit friends. I've been a few times, but not for a long while, so am really looking forward to it. I'm going to do my best to stay on track, but am hopeful we will do a fair bit of walking to counteract any food and booze indulgences. 

Have a fabulous weekend everyone.

Game tasting

As I briefly mentioned last night (after the shock of my WI) we went for yet another Tasting Menu. This time, not so fancy, but to celebrate 'Game Season' at our local pub. The menu was lovely, but the portions were fairly huge so I was pretty full after the second course. I am not sure our local quite has the hang of a Tasting Menu.

So, I am with renewed enthusiasm today, it's not long til Christmas and I really want to lose another half a stone at least by then. I'm going to do a few photos of my food this week to try and keep me on the straight and narrow, please bear with me. 

Firstly, a thanks to Lexie for recommending Aldi's Fruity Porridge. I bought both flavours the other night (Raisin and Cranberry or Sultana and Apricot) The Raisin and Cranberry is definitely my favourite as it has a lovely cinnamon taste, but they are both really tasty. 3.5 points.

As we were out late last night, I didn't have time to prepare lunch today which is always a bit of a concern. I went to our local sandwich bar and bought a Mozzarella, Avocado and Tomato Toasted Sandwich served on Tomato Ciabatta with pesto. This was totally amazing. I estimate around 10 points.

Mid afternoon I had the Olives (3.5 points) from my Graze box. Use code N4D9KJ1A if you want to try a box for free. (Disclaimer: I get £1 off if you do use this)

Dinner was home made pork lasagne (7) with salad. I'm trying to make do with just my weekly Veg box and whatever we have in the freezer and cupboards at the moment - hence the pork. Delicious

We got some Mixed Bean Sprouts in our Abel and Cole box last week, I am not overly sure about these, but I've read that they are really good for you. I found a recipe to make Hummous with them and they are definitely a lot more palatable like this. Any other ideas what to do with them? I have a lot!

So far so good. We are off to Edinburgh for the weekend, so I need to get a few good days under my belt before I do any weekend damage. 

WI and another tasting menu

Somehow I've managed to lose 2 pounds. I don't really think it's deserved, but maybe last weeks gain was more of a hangover than I thought!

Regardless, that will do me nicely. We are having yet another tasting menu tonight so I'll be back at it tomorrow.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

AWOL

Apologies for having been AWOL for a few days, life has been a tad hectic of late and I am feeling bloody shattered today. The only good thing about this morning is that it's half term here, so I got to work much quicker than usual (although not completely convinced that is a winner!).

The diet is kind of ok. I've been out every day for some form of social activity since last Monday, so it's not been so easy to keep track of everything, but I'm trying to make the best choices possible (most of the time).

I had a lovely weekend, after a pub lunch on Friday at work, we stayed in on Friday night and I cooked a lovely lamb chilli with loads of fresh veggies from my Abel and Cole box. Saturday morning my friend Debbie and her hubby Tim came down from Liverpool for her birthday, so obviously much alcohol was consumed. We were out from 2pm - 10pm so I can't be exactly sure how many points I had that day, but you can be sure it was too many (we ended up at our local Chinese Restaurant, having already had a pub lunch)

Yesterday, we headed over to Richmond to meet the latest addition to our group. My friend Nina gave birth to a little boy last week, so me and Debbie and Tim popped to meet him for the first time. We had a lovely walk in Richmond afterwards followed by lunch by the river. Crap photo of me, but look at that view. Lovely!

I've promised myself that I am going to make a big effort on the exercise front this week. Since I started trying to lose weight, I always struggle at this time of year. I want comfort food, I want to stay in bed of a morning instead of getting up and exercising and I want to hibernate mainly. I really need to be careful or I am in danger of going backwards. This week looks less hectic on the social side, so that should help, but I am once again dreading the scales tomorrow.

Big kick up the backside is required.

Thanks and a Tasting menu....

I can't thank you all enough for your lovely comments on my post yesterday. They brought tears to my eyes (I am over emotional at the best of times). So, massive thanks everyone for taking the time to comment, it means a lot to me.

WI last night was not great - I've put on 3 pounds which was to be expected. Frustrating, but very much deserved. I know it's probably just a hangover from the weekend of excess, so I am not stressing overly.

Last night didn't see me off to a flying start with the WW way of life. Matt had managed to get us a table at our favourite restaurant for their Autumn Tasting Menu. OMG. They do this at the start of every season and we've never been lucky enough to get a table, so I was quite excited to go last night! We had 7 courses of food, plus 6 glasses of wine to accompany each course (small glasses I hasten to add). The food came in petite portions and I didn't end up feeling stuffed, but blooming heck, it was all gorgeous.

Back on track with a vengeance today. Food is planned, exercise is being toyed with. I'm fairly sure I can get these pounds off in the next few weeks or so if I can focus. I'm aiming to get back down to my lowest (around 8 pounds away) by Xmas. That should be achievable if I pull my finger out.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

My baby sister gets Wed

So I am back from my baby sister's wedding. I had a lovely time, my sister did an amazing job with the planning and preparation and it was truly a lovely day, she should be a wedding planner or something. Everything was done by her, she made the name cards, the menu's, the order of service etc... Very talented.

My baby sister is all grown up now - she looked completely stunning and it was lovely to see her looking so happy. I spent most of the day trying not to cry too much and ruin my make-up. I am such a wuss!

I actually felt good in my dress which was unexpected and had a few lovely compliments from people which made me feel much better about wearing it. The make up was a lot more than I'd usually wear, but everyone said it suited me, so I may even experiment a bit more in future. (perhaps not, I am not exactly talented in the make up department). Thankfully also, the Ooompa Loompa look didn't materialise. The spray tan was fairly harsh, so I washed it off a bit earlier than recommended and I ended up looking ok.

I had a minor panic when I saw the staircase I had to walk down (it was huge), but fortunately I managed it unscathed so I remained in an upright position where required. I breathed a massive sigh of relief once I got to the bottom and Matt was there waiting to walk me to the front.

So here are a few photos of the big day.

Me with my sister Victoria, prior to our grand entrance down the staircase from hell.

Me and my eldest niece Ella.

The Bride and Groom. Doesn't she look stunning? Like a bloody super model or something!

And finally, Me and Matthew in the grounds of the hotel. He was one of the ushers, so I didn't get to spend too much time with him until after the ceremony.

My diet has been completely out of the window since Thursday night. I've eaten and drunk what I wanted and not given a second thought to WW. I am dreading facing the scales tonight, but I am not going to stress about it too much. I am back on track today and determined not to let any gain throw me too far off the straight and narrow.

I'll be back later with the dreadful scale news!

Oompa Loompa Wedding

I'm doing ok, food is under control and lots of vegetables are being consumed, so far so good. Exercise is still minimal, but I am working on that, albeit slowly.

3 years ago today I agreed to a lunch date with a slightly mad, Brummie accountant. I was fairly concerned as he seemed like a mini Rodders (my Dad) and in fact he is, but it works for my mother so it can't be all bad... He ended up fairly drunk (I was driving) but he made me laugh like no man ever has so here we are 3 years on. Who'd have thought we'd have lasted this long, I expect my medal is in the post. Happy Anniversary Matthew!

We fly up to Newcastle tonight for the Wedding of the year. I am looking forward to going home for a few days, but my sister is liable to combust if she carries on the way she is going. I am sure it will be an amazing day (she is a brilliant organiser) but I am pretty much staying out of the finer details, best just to do what I am told and turn up when required.

My biggest worry presently is that we are required to make our entrance to the ceremony down a staircase - in full view of the congregation (is it a congregation if it's not in a church?) and I am wearing a heel. Regular readers of this blog will be well aware of my inability to stay upright at the best of times - and I NEVER wear heels (I feel like an egg on stilts). I am fairly convinced I am going to fall and being 'Chief' Bridesmaid and therefore right behind the bride, take her out in the process. She weighs about 8 stone wet through, so me falling on top of her could be a bit of a shock to the system, not to mention the lack of dignity on my behalf if I end up flashing my undercrackers. Fingers crossed I manage to remain in the upright position.

I've also been booked in for a spray tan tomorrow morning. Heaven help me. I am whiter than white. I have a massive fear I am going to look like I've been doused in Cuprinol. Is the Ooompa Loompa look on trend this season? My sister's friend is a beautician and is doing our make up - I've been told to buy foundation (I never wear it and in fact mascara and blusher is about as adventurous as I get ) so there is a chance I will be resembling some hideous Jordanesque drag queen.

So other than that, I am fairly sure it will be a lovely weekend. I get to spend some time with my nieces tomorrow night as we are all staying at the hotel while the boys stay at home. Unfortunately my sisters mother in law passed away a few weeks ago which is very sad, but you can always rely on the innocence of children to lighten the mood a bit. My eldest niece, Ella, called me to say that her Nanna was now in Heaven with Grandad, Lennox (my parents dog) and Michael Jackson. Sounds like some party. Bless her.

Hopefully my eating will remain in check, but I am not going to stress myself overly. I'll be back and focussed next week. Honest Guv.

Happy weekends y'all.

WI

You'll be pleased to hear the grumpy cow has gone. I am feeling much more my usual self. Amazing what a good night's sleep can do. Monday was a fairly busy day and night, I popped to my Osteopath who cracked my spine and ribs causing all sorts of alarming noises but much relief. I then went to see my very pregnant friend for dinner at hers (Macaroni Cheese - lovely but not really WW friendly) She's having a fairly tough time of it, bless her, and is currently at the hospital every other day due to high blood pressure, so fingers crossed she's ok. One way or another though, she'll definitely have a baby by next week. Scary. Despite my advancing years, the thought of a child still scares the bejesus out of me.

I made WI by the skin of my teeth. By some miracle, I stayed the same. Perhaps I've not been as bad as I thought.

We saw the amazingly funny John Bishop last night in Reading. The plan had been to go to Wagamama for dinner beforehand so I could choose something relatively healthy (despite me not usually worrying too much on a Tuesday), but my clever boyfriend didn't leave work til 1830 which left us half an hour to grab food and get our tickets. Unfortunately that left McDonalds as the best option. Ah well, it's a rarity.

I'm back at it today. All of my meals are planned for the next couple of days (don't I say this all of the time?!) so in theory I should be good. The weekend will obviously not be ideal as I'm back up North from tomorrow night until Monday for Bridezilla's wedding so my control will be limited. We're staying at the wedding hotel Friday - Monday so most of my meals will be out of my control. Fingers crossed I don't do too much damage!

Grumpbag

After my dodgy Saturday, Sunday was much improved. Having smugly completed the hill of hell, I gave breakfast a swerve in favour of a milky coffee and then tucked into a Sunday Roast without any guilt at a lovely pub near us once the rest of the flat decided to wake themselves up.

After that, considering it was a gorgeous day, we decided to take Mad Mick and his Missus to Henley on Thames for a lovely walk along the river. It's a beautiful place, so we spent about an hour and a half walking before we dropped them back off at the station for their journey home.

Fairly rubbish photo, but you get the idea.

It was nice to see Matt's brother so happy, if not a bit puke inducing at times. I am not overly comfortable with public display's of affection at the dinner table.

This morning I started work at 0645, so I am in a dreadful mood. I don't really know what's wrong with me, I'm just not my usual cheery self and it's annoying me somewhat but I don't seem to be able to snap out of my grump.

My meals are all planned and I am sticking to it so far and dinner is already made for when I get home, so in theory all should be good from a WW perspective. I am fairly sure though the scales will be hideous to me.

Really busy week ahead, I'm off to see my Osteopath tonight as I appear to have put my shoulder out in some sleep related injury. Afterwards, I am off to see my friend, unless she's gone into labour already as she is worryingly quiet. Tomorrow night we've tickets to see John Bishop in Reading, Wednesday I have a night off but need to pack and then Thursday, we fly up to Newcastle for the wedding of the year... oh and it's mine and Matt's 3 year anniversary so I am sure he'll have planned something really romantic.... Ha.

I'll let you all know tomorrow how bad the scales were. Expect a temper tantrum!

Enough already

Well if you want an example of a really bad Saturday, look no further people. It started with a McDonald's breakfast, and then a 3 course lunch followed by 2 slices of Pizza for dinner, all washed down with Prosecco and Cocktails. Am I a paragon of virtue or what?

Friday was a bit of a nothing day in the end. Matt was meant to be off work (which is why I took time off), but unsurprisingly, he ended up working. That put me in a wonderful mood as you can imagine. Apparently he knew he'd have to work, why he failed to tell me is anyone's guess.

So, yesterday Matt's brother and his lady friend arrived which meant we started on the alcohol fairly early - there seemed to be no other option really. The day pretty much went downhill from there (if you ignore the Sausage and Egg McMuffin already consumed...) I had to drink to get over the cringeworthy public displays of affection from Mad Mick and his missus, but we'll gloss over that.

Lunch yesterday was Black Pudding and Rabbit Galette, followed by Lamb Kofta with Ratatouille and then Cherry Jelly Trifle Style for Dessert. Oh dear.

Last night we were supposed to go for Thai, but after an afternoon of cocktails, no one could really face it so we headed home to watch the X-Factor (with 2.5 hours of additional running commentary) and ordered a couple of Pizza's. I only had a couple of small slices, but I wasn't hungry at all, so I've no idea why I felt the need to consume any.

This morning I feel rubbish from all of the crap consumed yesterday. I woke up early and was confronted by a tarantula in the living room, cue huge girlie screams.

I've walked up and down the hill of hell 5 times in an attempt to work off some of the lard, so I feel a little bit smug considering the others are all still asleep.

Tomorrow I will be better. I have to be. I am in danger of ending up back where I started if I carry on like this. I'm starting work at 7am and then heading over to see my Friend Nina after work as she is due to give birth imminently, but I am going to make sure that all of my meals are planned so I am not tempted to stray off the straight and narrow.

Wish me luck people.

Random ramblings

My date with Jillian this morning was hard work. She almost killed me, so much so that I had to sit and watch the last couple of minutes for fear of knocking my teeth out on the wooden floor when I collapsed. Does that still count as exercise? It's a start I suppose, but I really need to get my arse back into gear or risk remaining a heifer for the foreseeable future.

My original weight loss goal, listed over there ----> was for my little sister's wedding. Well folks, that takes place next weekend and I'm certainly not as small as I had planned. However, I am significantly smaller than I was 18 months ago, so I am hoping I won't resemble Gloria from Madagascar in a Bridesmaids dress. Fingers crossed. Thankfully she's chosen black, so at least I won't be all trussed up in some unforgiving sausage coloured satin number.

Food is still very hit and miss. Last night I pulled it back and managed to remain within points. Today, I am in full on eat everything mode. I'm not going to stress over it too much, after all, it's done already. I feel sick as I've eaten too much so that might stop me shovelling much more down my gob. I'm out with work tonight, but I'll just be drinking Vodka. If you're reading this Joe, please make sure I do that. (Yes, a colleague found my blog, good job I don't write about how much I love him and stuff. Ha.)

Busy weekend ahead again, we've Matt's mad brother and his new girlfriend (when I say new, I think I perhaps mean first) coming to stay. It will be strange to see him with a lady, he's not the most sociable of people. This will involve much eating and drinking. I think we can safely say the scales will not be cooperating next week.

No work tomorrow, I'm allowed some time off in lieu of all the overtime I have done of late. Not sure what I will do with myself, but I feel fairly stressed at work at the moment since it's mega busy so it will be nice to have a bit of time off.

And I think that's me for now. There was other stuff that I wanted to offload, but since I've been found, I may save that for when he is bored of my dull daily food posts.

Have a good weekend people if I don't check in before.

Not much to report

As predicted I didn't make WI last night. I *probably* could have gotten there at a push, but I'd worn jeans and one cannot possibly get weighed in such a heavy item of clothing. It gave me the green light yesterday afternoon however to eat chocolate and I don't even bloody like the stuff. Clever.

So, I am trying my best to be in control again. I had a slice of toast and some cottage cheese for breakfast - and then for some inexplicable reason, I allowed myself to be seduced by the French Market at lunch time and I had a portion of Tartiflette. Bloody gorgeous, but not really WW friendly (perhaps as unfriendly as you can get). Thankfully, Matt is in Milan at the moment, so I can east dust for dinner without too many other distractions. I so wish I wasn't obsessed by food.

I am going to attempt to exercise in the morning. I say attempt as I am permanently on 8am starts at the moment, which means I need to be up and out of the house by 0615am to exercise. That's not overly easy when it's persisting down and pitch black outside. I think I perhaps need revisit Jillian.

Wish me luck with that.

Weekend round up

Where did you come from so quickly Monday morning? I can't say I am over the moon to see you on this grey and miserable day.

The weekend was lovely, my eating was a bit hit and miss. I seem to get lazy with my tracking over the weekend. This was compounded by the knowledge that I can't make WI this week. Bad attitude, Linz!

Friday night turned into a bit of a boozy affair. We went off to Henley for dinner and drinks with friends, but it ended up with me deciding I was a pole dancing Beyonce who should stay out until the early hours. I got home at 3am, well I say home, Matt had left at 11pm (he turns into a pumpkin if he stays out past midnight) with my keys, so I ended up staying at Alex's house down the road. Woke up at 0630am with a banging head and massive confusion as to my whereabouts.

My friend Suzy was coming over to see me with her 3 year old Daughter Katie on Saturday morning so I had to pull myself together fairly sharpish. We went out for lunch and I tried to make a good choice, but I was scuppered by the chef feeling the need to cover my pasta with cream. Ah well.

Saturday night no alcohol passed my lips, we went to see the hilariously funny Sarah Millican in Reading, so much laughing took place and only Diet Coke was consumed.

Yesterday was another boozy day. Not intentional at all - we had planned to go to the cinema, but a bottle of Prosecco was cracked open with lunch and that was the end of that.

So, a quick rough calculation see's me finishing the weekend with an 11 point defecit. Not the end of the world, I can probably make that up over the next couple of days.

My only nemesis at the moment is pictured below. I seem to be fighting a losing battle with Warburtons. They have kindly started to make my favourite bread and it's even more kindly on offer in Iceland at the moment.

We have 2 loaves at the moment which I am doing my best to ignore. Wish me luck!