4 1/4 pounds off - although annoyingly SW won't allow me to register that 1/4 pound. So we shall say 4 and be over the moon at that.
Yesterday was a good diet day, lots of fruit and veg in a bid to fight off this odd earache/ sore throat combination. I slept a lot and did scarcely any work, which means I've a lot to get on with today although I still feel somewhat under the weather (I've not had earache since I was a kid and I don't like it much). I was meant to go out for dinner last night with friends, but that got scuppered so I had to make a random dinner from the contents of the fridge - cabbage, mushrooms, onions and new potatoes, dry fried with bacon pieces and a fried egg (without oil). Surprisingly tasty and satisfying.
I've now got fairly busy few days coming up which I could probably do without. I'm visiting a friend tonight in Twickenham and staying over there. Tomorrow I am meeting another friend in London after work and on Friday I have Take That at Wembley. I'm not sure how easy it will be to be SW friendly the whole time, but I'll give it my best shot.
The loss at the scales this week has spurred me on. I'm currently weighing up if I can manage a small sliver of chocolate cake or if I should just be happy with my fat free yoghurt.... somehow I think that is unlikely....
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Lurgy and murderous thoughts....
The diet went a little bit awry at the weekend, I tried very hard to make Slimming World friendly choices, but it's not always so easy when you are the mercy of someone else's hospitality and you are a lover of all things bad (fried food and cake, I am looking at you).
The train journey up to Hull wasn't too bad, for some reason, it was cheaper for me to travel First Class as far as Doncaster (this makes no sense at all) so I got a lot of room (while everyone else sat in the corridors) and free drinks and snacks. I'd made my dinner (we'd decided I'd arrive too late for a Chinese) so I politely refused the offers of Shortbread, Crisps and Sandwiches from the very helpful man with the trolley and ate my Creamy Pork and Mushroom Pasta (this was delicious - Pork, Mushrooms, Onions and Spinach, dry fried and then simmered in Chicken Stock with a couple of Dairylea light triangles stirred in and mixed with pasta - all free or healthy extra). So far, so good.
The rest of the weekend was, perhaps, not quite so restrained. I've never been to Hull before so my friends showed me around, we went to a market in Beverly where I sampled lots of little tidbits of food at the many stalls - not clever. I had my first Pattie (we have these in the North East - Cheese or Corned Beef with Mash and Onion dipped in batter and fried - the Hull ones were Mash with Sage dipped in batter and fried - not sure I can pass that off as SW friendly), tucked into a Hot Roast Beef Sandwich, sampled some Yorkshire Curd Tart and ate Pizza for dinner (in my defence it was a very authentic Italian Pizza which was not at all greasy, but still) and drank a fair amount of alcohol. Sunday was better, a SW friendly breakfast of Bacon and Eggs, Lunch was a Roast Pork Bap with Salad (on wholemeal of course) and then I had some Chicken Fajita Salad upon my return.
The train back on Sunday was fairly hideous. Hull to Manchester, no issues, Manchester to Reading... Hell on Earth. The train was packed, the air con was on full blast (which was great given it was roasting outside) so I had to try and fashion some form of blanket from my scarf and we spent about an hour just sitting outside of Stoke, there was also a lot of Body Odour - which was not overly nice. I got home late, tired and very grumpy and somewhat exhausted from little sleep. My friends have 2 children, so late to bed for us after watching Glastonbury til the early hours and early to rise for the kids meant I managed about 10 hours sleep all weekend.
Yesterday was a good day diet wise, although I wasn't feeling the greatest due to sleep deprivation and a sore throat. I met a friend for lunch and opted for a Salad, all of which was free of part of my Healthy Extras. For dinner I cooked a risotto with Broad Beans, Asparagus (Seren - Morrison's still had some English Asparagus available) Spinach, Watercress, Red Onion and Bacon and then decided to have an early night as I was feeling a bit under the weather.
My dear fiancé clearly decided that I didn't need to sleep. He was out at Windsor races with some recruitment firm who are clearly trying to butter him and his best mate up (they are both Accountants). I sent him a text around 930pm to say I was off to bed and to let me know he was ok and what time he'd be home. Imagine my delight when I woke at 11pm and there was no response from him.... now I know he is a grown man, but he hates being out late (especially when he is flying off to Germany at 7am this morning) and he is a nightmare when he is drunk. By 12, I called him to check he was still alive (my imagination when I am tired is ridiculously over active) - no answer. By 1245, his best mate (who he was out with) was calling his other phone which he'd left in the spare room to find out where he was..... His mate was so drunk he failed to realise I wasn't Matt for at least 5 minutes. That was an interesting conversation.
So, then I started to panic. He still wasn't answering his phone, his mate had lost him (and we live about 500 yards from him so you'd expect they'd come home together) and I was feeling pretty rough and not to mention bloody knackered. He eventually calls me at 0140 to say he is almost home. I was livid. In he stumbles at 0200, gets himself into bed and promptly starts to snore. The wedding was very nearly off at that point.
So today, as well as being exhausted, I am the proud owner of a sore throat and ear ache and a very sheepish and apologetic fiancé who, thankfully, is in Germany until Friday otherwise I'd be likely to murder him. I'm filling up on Fruit and Veg (although it seems to have done me no favours in fighting off this lurgy) and think I'm going to head back home to work from bed.
I should have weighed in this morning, but I completely forgot, so tomorrow morning I will find out if a) I've understood Slimming World and b) if my Saturday off the rails has had an impact.
Hopefully, I will be less of a mardy cow tomorrow.... a good night's sleep can have that effect.
The rest of the weekend was, perhaps, not quite so restrained. I've never been to Hull before so my friends showed me around, we went to a market in Beverly where I sampled lots of little tidbits of food at the many stalls - not clever. I had my first Pattie (we have these in the North East - Cheese or Corned Beef with Mash and Onion dipped in batter and fried - the Hull ones were Mash with Sage dipped in batter and fried - not sure I can pass that off as SW friendly), tucked into a Hot Roast Beef Sandwich, sampled some Yorkshire Curd Tart and ate Pizza for dinner (in my defence it was a very authentic Italian Pizza which was not at all greasy, but still) and drank a fair amount of alcohol. Sunday was better, a SW friendly breakfast of Bacon and Eggs, Lunch was a Roast Pork Bap with Salad (on wholemeal of course) and then I had some Chicken Fajita Salad upon my return.
The train back on Sunday was fairly hideous. Hull to Manchester, no issues, Manchester to Reading... Hell on Earth. The train was packed, the air con was on full blast (which was great given it was roasting outside) so I had to try and fashion some form of blanket from my scarf and we spent about an hour just sitting outside of Stoke, there was also a lot of Body Odour - which was not overly nice. I got home late, tired and very grumpy and somewhat exhausted from little sleep. My friends have 2 children, so late to bed for us after watching Glastonbury til the early hours and early to rise for the kids meant I managed about 10 hours sleep all weekend.
Yesterday was a good day diet wise, although I wasn't feeling the greatest due to sleep deprivation and a sore throat. I met a friend for lunch and opted for a Salad, all of which was free of part of my Healthy Extras. For dinner I cooked a risotto with Broad Beans, Asparagus (Seren - Morrison's still had some English Asparagus available) Spinach, Watercress, Red Onion and Bacon and then decided to have an early night as I was feeling a bit under the weather.
My dear fiancé clearly decided that I didn't need to sleep. He was out at Windsor races with some recruitment firm who are clearly trying to butter him and his best mate up (they are both Accountants). I sent him a text around 930pm to say I was off to bed and to let me know he was ok and what time he'd be home. Imagine my delight when I woke at 11pm and there was no response from him.... now I know he is a grown man, but he hates being out late (especially when he is flying off to Germany at 7am this morning) and he is a nightmare when he is drunk. By 12, I called him to check he was still alive (my imagination when I am tired is ridiculously over active) - no answer. By 1245, his best mate (who he was out with) was calling his other phone which he'd left in the spare room to find out where he was..... His mate was so drunk he failed to realise I wasn't Matt for at least 5 minutes. That was an interesting conversation.
So, then I started to panic. He still wasn't answering his phone, his mate had lost him (and we live about 500 yards from him so you'd expect they'd come home together) and I was feeling pretty rough and not to mention bloody knackered. He eventually calls me at 0140 to say he is almost home. I was livid. In he stumbles at 0200, gets himself into bed and promptly starts to snore. The wedding was very nearly off at that point.
So today, as well as being exhausted, I am the proud owner of a sore throat and ear ache and a very sheepish and apologetic fiancé who, thankfully, is in Germany until Friday otherwise I'd be likely to murder him. I'm filling up on Fruit and Veg (although it seems to have done me no favours in fighting off this lurgy) and think I'm going to head back home to work from bed.
I should have weighed in this morning, but I completely forgot, so tomorrow morning I will find out if a) I've understood Slimming World and b) if my Saturday off the rails has had an impact.
Hopefully, I will be less of a mardy cow tomorrow.... a good night's sleep can have that effect.
Thursday, 23 June 2011
Slimming World - we could be friends
So far, so good. I actually like this plan because it really encourages me to make much better, more healthy choices. I've decided to stick to the Extra Easy days for the foreseeable as it just seems a little bit easier to follow. I like the fact some food is not restricted, last night I felt hungry when I got in from work - with WW, I would have had a packet of crisps, if I had the points, or a WW bar... with SW, I chose to eat a handful of prawns. Bizarre choice maybe, but slightly better for me than manufactured rubbish. We also went to the pub and I drank Diet Coke. I didn't want to waste any Syns on a glass of wine (but bizarrely with WW, I would have had no problem using some points - maybe the fact they are called Syns is playing on my mind!).
Of course, it's very early days. I'm only on day 3, so there is time for me to eff this up. I've discovered with SW that alcohol, sugar and flour are the work of evil - which is good really as I'd be prone to have a few glasses of wine of an evening and I was eating a lot of bread. Sugar doesn't really fuss me, I can leave chocolate for weeks untouched, but show me a loaf of bread and butter and I'm in heaven.
Yesterday, food was good. Cereal for breakfast with Blueberries, Apricots and a Clementine - I had this with Fat Free Natural Yoghurt to cleverly save my Healthy Extra Choice A for later on.
Lunch was a massive salad with roast beef and a teaspoon of mustard (1/2 syn) mixed with vinegar and 2 mini babybel lights (my A choice) For dinner, a huge juicy steak (all fat removed of course) served with Leeks, Mushrooms, Onions and Spinach all simmered in Stock. Matt had his with SW friendly chips (just potato baked in the oven with Spray oil and Seasoning) but I was full with just the Steak and Veg.
Today is shaping up to be ok too. A Bacon & Tomato sandwich on wholemeal bread for breakfast (B choice for the bread) - the cereal was not something I could face this morning. Snacks of Blueberries and Clementines. For lunch I've made a massive Fritatta of Leeks, Onions, Spinach, Potatoes and Mushrooms made with 3 Eggs and cooked with spray oil.
Tonight we are using a Groupon Voucher at a local restaurant where we get a 3 course meal - I am almost loathe to go out given it's so early in my diet week, but the voucher expires soon and Matt is away pretty much all of next week. I've checked the menu and I am opting for Salmon Gravadlax followed by Bavette of Beef (this comes with chips, so I will have to either see if they can be swapped for a salad or Syn them) and then the dessert is proving problematic. I may just skip it altogether.
I'm working from home tomorrow, breakfast will be bacon, eggs, tomatoes and mushrooms and lunch will be a jacket potato with beans and a massive salad. Tomorrow night I am embarking on a 5 hour train journey to Hull. I've planned to have my Sweet Onion Ryvita and Dairlylea light (5 of them!) for the journey (A&B choices) as I know I will want to snack and I don't arrive Ooop North til 2130. My friend is ordering Chinese for my arrival. Boiled Rice is Free and Chicken and Mushrooms is 5.5 syns - that's my day sorted. I might even have a cheeky glass of wine. Obviously the rest of the weekend is a bit of a black hole - but I am hopeful I can make decent choices!
So, watch this space...
Of course, it's very early days. I'm only on day 3, so there is time for me to eff this up. I've discovered with SW that alcohol, sugar and flour are the work of evil - which is good really as I'd be prone to have a few glasses of wine of an evening and I was eating a lot of bread. Sugar doesn't really fuss me, I can leave chocolate for weeks untouched, but show me a loaf of bread and butter and I'm in heaven.
Yesterday, food was good. Cereal for breakfast with Blueberries, Apricots and a Clementine - I had this with Fat Free Natural Yoghurt to cleverly save my Healthy Extra Choice A for later on.
Lunch was a massive salad with roast beef and a teaspoon of mustard (1/2 syn) mixed with vinegar and 2 mini babybel lights (my A choice) For dinner, a huge juicy steak (all fat removed of course) served with Leeks, Mushrooms, Onions and Spinach all simmered in Stock. Matt had his with SW friendly chips (just potato baked in the oven with Spray oil and Seasoning) but I was full with just the Steak and Veg.
Today is shaping up to be ok too. A Bacon & Tomato sandwich on wholemeal bread for breakfast (B choice for the bread) - the cereal was not something I could face this morning. Snacks of Blueberries and Clementines. For lunch I've made a massive Fritatta of Leeks, Onions, Spinach, Potatoes and Mushrooms made with 3 Eggs and cooked with spray oil.
Tonight we are using a Groupon Voucher at a local restaurant where we get a 3 course meal - I am almost loathe to go out given it's so early in my diet week, but the voucher expires soon and Matt is away pretty much all of next week. I've checked the menu and I am opting for Salmon Gravadlax followed by Bavette of Beef (this comes with chips, so I will have to either see if they can be swapped for a salad or Syn them) and then the dessert is proving problematic. I may just skip it altogether.
I'm working from home tomorrow, breakfast will be bacon, eggs, tomatoes and mushrooms and lunch will be a jacket potato with beans and a massive salad. Tomorrow night I am embarking on a 5 hour train journey to Hull. I've planned to have my Sweet Onion Ryvita and Dairlylea light (5 of them!) for the journey (A&B choices) as I know I will want to snack and I don't arrive Ooop North til 2130. My friend is ordering Chinese for my arrival. Boiled Rice is Free and Chicken and Mushrooms is 5.5 syns - that's my day sorted. I might even have a cheeky glass of wine. Obviously the rest of the weekend is a bit of a black hole - but I am hopeful I can make decent choices!
So, watch this space...
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Bluntness
Yesterday, a colleague (female) asked me over lunch "Are you planning to lose any weight before your wedding?"
Now in her defence, she is Austrian, so perhaps slightly more blunt than us Brits... but at what point would you presume that's a good thing to ask someone?!
Fortunately, I was able to laugh and tell her I had no firm plans (although I clearly do with the latest diet du jour) as I was pretty happy with myself and therefore didn't feel the need....
But Jeez Louise... how to make someone a little bit paranoid. Good job I am quite fond of myself or I'd have been sobbing over my Spinach.
Now in her defence, she is Austrian, so perhaps slightly more blunt than us Brits... but at what point would you presume that's a good thing to ask someone?!
Fortunately, I was able to laugh and tell her I had no firm plans (although I clearly do with the latest diet du jour) as I was pretty happy with myself and therefore didn't feel the need....
But Jeez Louise... how to make someone a little bit paranoid. Good job I am quite fond of myself or I'd have been sobbing over my Spinach.
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Slimming World - really?
Spurred on by 'Embarrassing Fat Bodies' last night, I have bitten the bullet and signed up for Slimming World online. This is not a cheap option, so I need to bloody well stick to it for the next 3 months or risk wasting yet more money on another diet I cannot be arsed to follow. The only class anywhere near me is on a Friday night - so realistically, I will struggle to make that most weeks. I am going to have Matt weigh me every week so I cannot pretend I've lost when I haven't.
As usual with a new diet plan, I am very enthusiastic this morning. I am however, struggling a bit to understand how the heck I can lose any weight. I've tried SW before - many moons ago when you had your Red and Green Days. There is now something else thrown into the mix - 'Orange' days - or Extra Easy. Apparently on an EE day, I can eat as much as I like of the following:
Matt has decided he is going to follow the plan with me but he is also a little sceptical as to how we can eat like this and still lose weight. I guess we will find out!
So today's plan is:
Breakfast:
28g of Quaker Oat Crisp (tastes like cardboard, to be replaced with an edible cereal soon) with 175ml of skimmed Milk. This is my 'b' selection and half of my 'a'.
2 apricots - free
1 clementine - free
Lunch
Spinach, watercress, mixed peppers, cherry tomatoes, spring onions - all of which are 'Super free' and therefore should make up at least a 1/3 of my meal.
200g of cooked smoked Salmon - free
Handful of King Prawns - free
Fat Free Vinaigrette - free
Pickled Onions - free
Dinner
Lamb Chilli
Extra Lean Lamb Mince - free
Tinned Tomatoes - super free
Mushrooms - super free
Onions - super free
Spinach - super free
1/2 Packet of Schwartz Chilli Mix - 3 Syns (in future I will just use spices to avoid Syns)
Kidney Beans - free
Rice - free
21g of Reduced fat Cheddar - the other half of my 'a' selection
Mixed Fruit (cherries, apricots, clementine and nectarines) with fat free natural yoghurt.
This doesn't overly feel restrictive to me - I am eating the kind of things I really enjoy, I'm just worried that I have got it all wrong and I should be eating matchbox sized portions of everything. Can any Slimming Worlders please enlighten me?
I got on the scales this morning and was somewhat horrified - so this is definitely spurring me on to stick to this. Since last May, I have managed to put back on a colossal 37 pounds. That is just disgusting. Instead of having lost 52 pounds - I have now lost a paltry 15. I suppose I should be thankful that I'm still lower than my all time fat high. I have most definitely been burying my head in the sand this past year and I am bloody annoyed with myself for letting things get so bad again.
So - watch this space. I am away for the weekend visiting a friend in Hull, but I am hopeful I can still stick to this diet. If I have one flexible Syns day (as we will be out drinking), hopefully I won't do myself too much damage. I should be able to fit most other things around the diet... here's hoping anyway.
As usual with a new diet plan, I am very enthusiastic this morning. I am however, struggling a bit to understand how the heck I can lose any weight. I've tried SW before - many moons ago when you had your Red and Green Days. There is now something else thrown into the mix - 'Orange' days - or Extra Easy. Apparently on an EE day, I can eat as much as I like of the following:
- Lean Meat
- Fish
- Pasta
- Rice & Grains
- Fruit
- Veg
- Starchy Veg and Pulses - i.e. Potatoes and Beans
- Fat Free Dressing
- Eggs
- Fat Free Dairy (Quark, Cottage Cheese, Natural Yoghurt)
I am also allowed one extra selection of Dairy per day and one of something Fibrous (Cereal or Wholemeal bread - something of that ilk). These are my 'a' & 'b' selections or Healthy Extras. On top of this I am encouraged to eat 5-15 'Syns' per day - i.e. the crap stuff. I can also have a day where I am flexible with my Syns - i.e. eat more than I am allowed and not worry about it overly. Surely I have this wrong??
So today's plan is:
Breakfast:
28g of Quaker Oat Crisp (tastes like cardboard, to be replaced with an edible cereal soon) with 175ml of skimmed Milk. This is my 'b' selection and half of my 'a'.
2 apricots - free
1 clementine - free
Lunch
Spinach, watercress, mixed peppers, cherry tomatoes, spring onions - all of which are 'Super free' and therefore should make up at least a 1/3 of my meal.
200g of cooked smoked Salmon - free
Handful of King Prawns - free
Fat Free Vinaigrette - free
Pickled Onions - free
Dinner
Lamb Chilli
Extra Lean Lamb Mince - free
Tinned Tomatoes - super free
Mushrooms - super free
Onions - super free
Spinach - super free
1/2 Packet of Schwartz Chilli Mix - 3 Syns (in future I will just use spices to avoid Syns)
Kidney Beans - free
Rice - free
21g of Reduced fat Cheddar - the other half of my 'a' selection
Mixed Fruit (cherries, apricots, clementine and nectarines) with fat free natural yoghurt.
This doesn't overly feel restrictive to me - I am eating the kind of things I really enjoy, I'm just worried that I have got it all wrong and I should be eating matchbox sized portions of everything. Can any Slimming Worlders please enlighten me?
I got on the scales this morning and was somewhat horrified - so this is definitely spurring me on to stick to this. Since last May, I have managed to put back on a colossal 37 pounds. That is just disgusting. Instead of having lost 52 pounds - I have now lost a paltry 15. I suppose I should be thankful that I'm still lower than my all time fat high. I have most definitely been burying my head in the sand this past year and I am bloody annoyed with myself for letting things get so bad again.
So - watch this space. I am away for the weekend visiting a friend in Hull, but I am hopeful I can still stick to this diet. If I have one flexible Syns day (as we will be out drinking), hopefully I won't do myself too much damage. I should be able to fit most other things around the diet... here's hoping anyway.
Monday, 20 June 2011
I survived
I am back from the week in Tenerife with the family and it went surprisingly well.
The night before we flew off, Matt took me for a birthday dinner at Adam Simmonds. Being food lovers (a little bit too much of love going on there), we opted for the Tasting Menu since we had the 2 for 1 offer. The food was lovely and the hotel is set in gorgeous surroundings - a lovely start to our holiday.
So back to Tenerife - surprisingly there were no major tantrums, no falling's out and only a little bit of moaning and the odd bit of tension. I'd love to say I feel completely relaxed, but that is not quite true. I've spent most of the week running around with my nieces, washing up after others and generally trying to keep everyone happy all of the time. Despite this, it was lovely - nice for my Mother to have us all in one place and lovely for me to spend time with the family since I only see them every few months. The weather was also amazing, it's somewhat depressing to be back to miserable English weather.
My eating hasn't been as bad as expected - but I am bound to have put on a fair few pounds due to excessive Vodka consumption and the odd pint of Lager and Lime. I can't say I was particularly familiar with Fruit and Veg over the last week or so either, so I am actually craving it this week. Back to basics.
I'm thinking I might bite the bullet and join Slimming World. I've been trying to go it alone since I gave up on WW and I've come to realise that I actually need the rigidity of a plan. I've 10 weeks til my next holiday (I know, I am never here...) and I would like to get at least a stone off by then. As much as I try and go it alone, I don't appear to have the willpower to stick to anything for more than a few days at a time. I am in danger of being the size of a Zeppelin before long.
Back to the gym this week too - I can't say that's something I am overly excited about, but needs must I guess.
Thursday, 9 June 2011
I'm off....
Thank you all for your comments on my last post, you are all amazing as always. I'm actually now really looking forward to getting away and I shall let any form of bickering or high maintenance pass me by :) The weather for Tenerife looks amazing, so I am going to make the most of my week in the sun.
I've been a bit all over the place the last few days as work has been fairly mental, plus I had an Osteopath appointment and a visit to a friend to fit in, along with general household chores and getting ready for a holiday. Last night I managed to half blind myself with eyelash dye, wimp out of waxing after one application (I learnt it's not easy to back out once the wax is applied) and paint half of my toes as well as my toenails. I am not overly good at this girly stuff.
Food yesterday was a bit off. I had fruit and yoghurt for breakfast, followed by a nectarine, for lunch I had left over Cheesy Vegetable bake (carrots, cabbage, onions, broccoli and jersey yoyals steamed and then baked in the oven with a low fat cheesy sauce made from skimmed milk and water, sauce flour and low fat cheese). By the time I got home from work, did a bit of housework, packed (unpacked and repacked x4) and did a bit of housework so we don't come home to a hovel, I couldn't be arsed to cook - so more Cheesy Vegetable Bake it was.
Do you see the issue here? Fruit and Veg overload... it doesn't agree with me (seriously not good for my tummy). Matt had been away with work so when he came back from the airport, he came with McDonalds. Lesson learnt - fruit and veg needs to be accompanied by something other than itself or you will eat crap late at night (cheeseburger and a few chicken nuggets). Harumph.
Tomorrow is my birthday (35 - yuck), so we are off for dinner tonight to some swanky Michelin Star place in Marlow. I have a Taste Card - which means we get a special 2for1 offer on this place and I am fairly sure they won't stay part of the scheme for long given they've just won their Star so it makes sense to get ourselves down there quick smart! I managed to get the card for £29 (code FRIEND if it still works) and I've already saved at least double that on 2 meals out. Oh I do love a bargain. I am starving myself today in preparation (ok, that's not strictly true....)
So, that's me I think for another week or so. I'm going to try and be sensible while we are away and a bit of exercise will feature, but obviously since I am holiday - well it'd be rude not to indulge in the odd cocktail :)
Have fun y'all
I've been a bit all over the place the last few days as work has been fairly mental, plus I had an Osteopath appointment and a visit to a friend to fit in, along with general household chores and getting ready for a holiday. Last night I managed to half blind myself with eyelash dye, wimp out of waxing after one application (I learnt it's not easy to back out once the wax is applied) and paint half of my toes as well as my toenails. I am not overly good at this girly stuff.
Food yesterday was a bit off. I had fruit and yoghurt for breakfast, followed by a nectarine, for lunch I had left over Cheesy Vegetable bake (carrots, cabbage, onions, broccoli and jersey yoyals steamed and then baked in the oven with a low fat cheesy sauce made from skimmed milk and water, sauce flour and low fat cheese). By the time I got home from work, did a bit of housework, packed (unpacked and repacked x4) and did a bit of housework so we don't come home to a hovel, I couldn't be arsed to cook - so more Cheesy Vegetable Bake it was.
Do you see the issue here? Fruit and Veg overload... it doesn't agree with me (seriously not good for my tummy). Matt had been away with work so when he came back from the airport, he came with McDonalds. Lesson learnt - fruit and veg needs to be accompanied by something other than itself or you will eat crap late at night (cheeseburger and a few chicken nuggets). Harumph.
Tomorrow is my birthday (35 - yuck), so we are off for dinner tonight to some swanky Michelin Star place in Marlow. I have a Taste Card - which means we get a special 2for1 offer on this place and I am fairly sure they won't stay part of the scheme for long given they've just won their Star so it makes sense to get ourselves down there quick smart! I managed to get the card for £29 (code FRIEND if it still works) and I've already saved at least double that on 2 meals out. Oh I do love a bargain. I am starving myself today in preparation (ok, that's not strictly true....)
So, that's me I think for another week or so. I'm going to try and be sensible while we are away and a bit of exercise will feature, but obviously since I am holiday - well it'd be rude not to indulge in the odd cocktail :)
Have fun y'all
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Holiday coping strategy
As I touched on briefly in my last post, on Friday, we are flying out to Tenerife to holiday with my parents, my 2 sisters and brothers in law and my 2 nieces. We had been discussing having a family holiday for a while and since we know someone with a Villa in Tenerife that conveniently sleeps 10 people (at a push) we thought why the heck not.
Now, don't get me wrong, I love my family very much. My parents are amazing and have a very young outlook. I'm just slightly concerned that spending a week in close confines with everyone, will somewhat test my patience. My 2 sisters are quite high maintenance as are my brothers in law.
My sisters are very thin - my middle sister in particular seems to have a massive phobia of being fat - perhaps having an older, fat sister has scarred her for life. My little sister has modelled in the past and her husband looks like an Action Man. Both of my sisters also have boob jobs (the one thing I got that they didn't, they both went and bought). I imagine it will be somewhat exhausting, all the preening and posing and moaning and general high maintenance.
Regular readers of my bletherings will know that I don't really have a negative self image. I actually quite like myself - despite being obese (possibly one of the reasons I struggle to lose weight). I am fairly confident and tend to adopt a f*ck it attitude - if you don't like me, don't look. But.... I can't help but feel a little bit inadequate when I am around my sisters. I don't know what it is. I actually have more confidence than both of them really, but they somehow just make me feel - well, plain.
I also feel somewhat responsible for everyone having a good time. After all, it's our friend's Villa. We've been a few times and know the area, so we know what to expect - but my family don't. My middle brother in law seems to think he is Rockafella these days, so I am worried the Villa won't live up to his standards, he'll make snide comments or what have you and my patience will run out. Matt's tolerance for such will also be low.
My little sister and her husband are already complaining. They were the last to book - so they get the sofa bed. Something they have expressed their disdain for. I'm already worrying about keeping everyone happy and we aren't even there yet.
I am hopeful that my worries will be unfounded. Perhaps it will be the lovely relaxing week in the Sun I am hoping for. If not, we are hiring a car so me and Matt will make ourselves scarce if need be....
Now, don't get me wrong, I love my family very much. My parents are amazing and have a very young outlook. I'm just slightly concerned that spending a week in close confines with everyone, will somewhat test my patience. My 2 sisters are quite high maintenance as are my brothers in law.
My sisters are very thin - my middle sister in particular seems to have a massive phobia of being fat - perhaps having an older, fat sister has scarred her for life. My little sister has modelled in the past and her husband looks like an Action Man. Both of my sisters also have boob jobs (the one thing I got that they didn't, they both went and bought). I imagine it will be somewhat exhausting, all the preening and posing and moaning and general high maintenance.
Regular readers of my bletherings will know that I don't really have a negative self image. I actually quite like myself - despite being obese (possibly one of the reasons I struggle to lose weight). I am fairly confident and tend to adopt a f*ck it attitude - if you don't like me, don't look. But.... I can't help but feel a little bit inadequate when I am around my sisters. I don't know what it is. I actually have more confidence than both of them really, but they somehow just make me feel - well, plain.
I also feel somewhat responsible for everyone having a good time. After all, it's our friend's Villa. We've been a few times and know the area, so we know what to expect - but my family don't. My middle brother in law seems to think he is Rockafella these days, so I am worried the Villa won't live up to his standards, he'll make snide comments or what have you and my patience will run out. Matt's tolerance for such will also be low.
My little sister and her husband are already complaining. They were the last to book - so they get the sofa bed. Something they have expressed their disdain for. I'm already worrying about keeping everyone happy and we aren't even there yet.
I am hopeful that my worries will be unfounded. Perhaps it will be the lovely relaxing week in the Sun I am hoping for. If not, we are hiring a car so me and Matt will make ourselves scarce if need be....
Monday, 6 June 2011
Miserable Monday
I'd love it if we actually got more than one day at a time that vaguely resembled summer. I was all set for a lazy weekend on the new 'love sofa' in the garden, enjoying the sunshine (which I am fairly sure we were promised), but it wasn't overly to be.
Food has been ok really. Saturday for brunch (Matt rarely gets up before 11am on a weekend) I made Bubble and Squeak (Mash, Kale, Onions, Carrot & Cabbage) with dry fried egg, grilled bacon and mushrooms. Delicious and very filling. This kept me going for a good few hours.
All of a sudden on Saturday evening - we were greeted with this sign - Sun. A rarity at the moment. Off came the cover from the sofa and the BBQ and I jumped outside to make the most of it.
I had a couple of these (I told you the Sun makes me want to drink Cider):
Food has been ok really. Saturday for brunch (Matt rarely gets up before 11am on a weekend) I made Bubble and Squeak (Mash, Kale, Onions, Carrot & Cabbage) with dry fried egg, grilled bacon and mushrooms. Delicious and very filling. This kept me going for a good few hours.
All of a sudden on Saturday evening - we were greeted with this sign - Sun. A rarity at the moment. Off came the cover from the sofa and the BBQ and I jumped outside to make the most of it.
I had a couple of these (I told you the Sun makes me want to drink Cider):
Followed by this - Tesco Finest Lamb and Mint Burger (in bread - I couldn't resist it any longer), Tesco Finest Caramelised Onion Sausage, a few Potato Wedges, Reduced Fat Coleslaw and some pickled onions.
Delicious.
Yesterday, I had a couple of left over sausages for breakfast and then Curry mid afternoon - none of which I pictured! All within my calorie allowance for the day, however.
Today I am feeling really achy. I went to the gym, once again despite my protestations, and did 22 minutes on the Cross Trainer - I've found listening to my own music definitely helps with this. After 3 minutes I was feeling like I had lead legs and ready to give up, but once a bit of Flo Rida kicked in, I was off. This was followed up with 10 minutes furious peddling on the bike and then some leg and arm weights. I actually cannot move my arms very freely today - that has to be a good sign right? I'm still nowhere near the level of fitness I had when I was spinning on a weekly basis, but I am trying to get back there.
Have a fair few things on this week. Tomorrow I'm off to visit a friend after work and then Thursday, me and Matt are off out for dinner. Friday is my birthday and we fly to Tenerife for a week at our friends Villa with my ENTIRE family. Gulp. More on that later...
Friday, 3 June 2011
Sunny disposition
Oh what a beautiful day - I love the UK when the weather is amazing - makes me all happy, it does also however, make me want to drink Cider in the sun.
I've been a bit lapse on the photos this week, must try harder, but my food is pretty much ok. My friend did me proud on Wednesday night with a bowl of pasta with a home made tomato sauce all made with ingredients from her garden - amazing. This was very simple, but completely delicious. I shall definitely be trying it myself (Cherry tomatoes, garlic, basil, red pepper and chilli).
Yesterday was yet more fruit and yoghurt for breakfast, which was tasty and filling (still no bread, thanks for your suggestions Miss Spoon and Starfish, I am going to get more organised next week).
I missed lunch as I had a hospital appointment for my 6 month check after my minor procedure back in Jan. There seems to be a theme here as I seem to eat KFC every time I go to the hospital - only the one piece yesterday, snaffled from Matt with a bit of gravy - very restrained by me. Not the healthiest of things, but bloody tasty all the same,
Since it was such a lovely evening we decided to head out and make the most of the sunshine and headed to a pub about 6 miles from where we live and sat in the beer garden with a lovely view of greenery. My dodgy photo does it no justice.
I ordered a Lamb and Spring Vegetable Pie - which sounds a lot more unhealthy than it actually was - look at all that lovely Veg. This was absolutely amazing and only a little bit of very thin pastry. Has to be fairly good for me - right?!
This weekend I actually have very little planned for once. I am hoping the weather is set to stay lovely so I can make the most of the new outdoor sofa we purchased back in March, which has been sat on all of twice. I'm planning a couple of gym trips, once for Cardio and once for a swim and I might even get myself out for a walk in the sun.
Have a fantastic weekend everyone.
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Food photos
One day back on track - so far so good. I have to confess that I didn't go to the gym last night as I'd planned because I was barely capable of movement as the day progressed. Maybe a bit of exercise would have helped loosen things up a bit, I'm clearly not there yet in terms of embracing my old friend Gym, but I will definitely get myself there tomorrow and at the weekend. Promise.
Breakfast yesterday was mixed Raspberries and Strawberries with an Activia Fruit Layer Yoghurt. I'm not usually a fan of sweet breakfasts, but since I am trying to stay off the bread, I struggle to come up with alternatives I can have at my desk. Fairly filling all the same.
Lunch was a Salad of Baby Gem, Carrot, Cucumber, Cherry Tomatoes and some sort of Bean Sprouts that came in my Veg Box with left over Roast Chicken and some Light Salad Cream.
Dinner last night was a taste sensation... I was inspired by a Nasi Goreng Recipe I saw on Mrs. M's blog. Clearly mine is nothing like that, but I got it into my head I fancied some form of curried rice/prawn/veg affair. So this is dry fried Mushrooms, Onions, Courgettes and Kale stir fried with Brown Rice, King Prawns and some Mayflower Curry Paste and a bit of water. Proper delicious. I could have eaten twice this amount but controlling the old portion sizes is something I'm also trying to sort. I followed this with a banana microwaved with a teaspoon of nutella (I nearly had toast until I remembered my bread ban). Lovely!
So far today I've had the same breakfast as yesterday and left over Prawn Rice concoction for lunch. Not sure what dinner will be as I am visiting a friend straight from work, but that's the only thing I'm not in control of this week.
I might even treat myself to some dried strawberries and banana from my Graze Box. Do you think my halo is shining quite brightly?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)