Weekend veg creations

Hello everyone, hope you've all had lovely weekends. Mine has been great and I seem to have managed to stay on track which is most unusual for me of a weekend. I could grow to love this pro points plan (well I am loving it anyway, but until I lose weight, I am reserving judgement). 

Friday, I managed to go to the pub at lunch time and not order anything other than a pint of soda water (I know you're probably thinking I've been kidnapped by aliens or something). I knew we'd be eating out later and I wanted to keep as many of my points for that as I could. We had a lovely meal at our favourite local restaurant on Friday night (salmon for starter, amazing pork chop for main) and a fair few glasses of vino which saw me use 22 of my weekly points.

Yesterday morning I was up bright and early and opted for a healthy cooked breakfast, 1 slice of bacon, an egg, loads of mushrooms and tomatoes. Amazing for 2 points.

I've been trying to get  creative with our Abel and Cole box as we suddenly found ourselves with an abundance of vegetables - I was out every night this week so hadn't used any and we had another delivery on Friday. Veg overload! 

My first offering was some Kale Chips - I'd read about these on the lovely Laura's blog so I thought I'd have a go. I literally sprayed some torn Kale with oil, chucked on a load of salt and popped them in the oven for about 10 mins. These were surprisingly good!

For lunch I cooked a tasty Vegetable curry - Onions, Courgettes, Red Peppers, Leeks, Mushrooms, more Kale and tinned Tomatoes with some Curry Powder - so simple. I had mine with a tiny sliver of Matt's pitta bread (he had chicken in with his curry, but I didn't want to use any points).

Last night we went round to see our friends Sarah and Chris for dinner and stayed over at theirs. They'd cooked a lovely meal - Ciabatta with Salami's, Sundried Tomatoes, Roasted Peppers and Olives to start followed by Coq au Vin with new potatoes and vegetables and an amazing Gu Chocolate Tarte for dessert. All washed down with more wine. My guesstimate see's me finishing off the remaining 27 of my weekly points allowance. Perfect!

Today we've had a really lazy day. We were meant to go to Masterchef Live, but actually couldn't be bothered. That's fairly lazy (and not to mention £20 wasted) and instead spent the day watching films and last night's X Factor. Sometimes you just need to do bugger all. 

For lunch I cooked some chicken breasts in the oven and served them with Cheesy Cabbage and Leeks. Doesn't look overly impressive here, but it tasted bloody good. 

I made the sauce with skimmed milk and sauce flour, a bay leaf, salt and pepper and some Low Low Cheese.  Very tasty - my portion worked out at 4 points. 

I've still got a load of Vegetables left for the rest of the week, so I should manage to get my 5 a day in fairly easily, if I could just work out what the heck to do with a Kohl Rabi.... 

I am so optimistic about losing a bit of weight this week, but I don't want to jinx myself. I know I will be bitterly disappointed if I don't shift a couple of pounds, so I need to try and get myself out of this mindset. I definitely feel a lot happier for being back on track. Let's hope it continues for the rest of the week. 

Finding my feet

I don't really know why I am complaining, but... yesterday I couldn't eat all of my pro points. I seem to be getting a lot more food - or perhaps I've just refocussed and am now making better choices. Either way, I shall reserve judgement until next Tuesday.

Food yesterday went as follows:

Breakfast

• 50g Aldi Raisin and Cranberry Porridge with water (5)
• 1 Satsuma (0)
• 1 Apple (0)
• Skinny Latte (3)

Lunch

• Mixed leaves - Spinach, Kale, Pak Choi (0)
• 1 Chicken Drumstick (skin on) (3)
• 1/4 tub Asda Good for You Cottage Cheese with Onion (2)
• 1/4 tub Asda Creamy Coleslaw (2)

Mid Afternoon

• Graze Wasapeas - Wasabi Peas (4)

Dinner (went to my friends house for dinner, but she had kindly kept the packets for me to point)

• Toad in the hole made with 3 meaty sausages (7) and 1 cauldron sausage (2)
• Yorkshire Pudding batter (4)
• Mashed Potato and Celeraic with butter (1 scoop) (2)
• Bisto Vegetarian Gravy (2)
• Carrots
• Oil (3)

Grand total of 39/41 and I most certainly wasn't hungry. I think I could grow to like this diet (if it works!).

This morning I got the train into work as I am out tonight with work. I thought I'd pop into M&S at the station to get myself something tasty for lunch. Now, here is where I think I will struggle. Before, I would simply grab one of the Count on Us meals or look at the Calories and Saturated Fat to determine my best options.... now I've not got a clue! I looked at the "Fuller for longer" range, as I think they are high protein and balanced carbs, but it's really difficult to work out easily what the best options are. I've bought the new calculator, but it's not the easiest process standing in the shop trying to work out what the heck is what. In the end I went for a Cod Mornay and Mash which works out at 8 points. 

Anyway, so far so good for me (after 1 day!). I am trying very hard to forget everything I ever knew about WW as the old points don't correlate in anyway with the new system. 

I've left myself with 24 points for tonight, so in theory I should be able to manage with that and not need to dip into my extras. We are off to Jamie's. Here again is where I have a problem. Italian would have once meant pasta with tomato sauce was the best option... now I am not so sure. Am I better off with a steak and salad or do I stick to my pasta?? Decisions, decisions.

Alcohol will be limited to Vodka and Soda, but I need to decide what to eat before I know how much I can drink... 

Anyway, I will get there I am sure. I am quite enjoying feeling back in control. Long may it continue.

Peter Kay and Pro Points (and a mammoth gain)....

Well, I was hopeful that this new WW plan would help motivate me and get me back on the straight and narrow - but actually, the 6.5 pound gain last night seems to have done the trick. In a perverse way, I am glad I had a big gain, because quite frankly, the way I have been going, if I'd not have gained, I'd have carried on trying to get away with it.

Monday night at Peter Kay was absolutely amazing, he was supported by Rick Astley, which was just bloody brilliant. Big girlie screams from me. Peter was hilarious, I can honestly say I have never laughed so much in my life. I was almost choking!

Anyway, I digress. So, last night I was expecting a gain, but not quite the 6.5 pounds I was met with. It's really made me think about what I have been doing of late and has helped me to reassess what I am trying to achieve. This year I have achieved precisely zero on the weight loss front. I've been playing around with the same stone since December last year. Utterly ridiculous.

I stayed for the meeting to try and get a better understanding of the new plan. It seems to make sense, and all of the clerks at the meeting who have been trialling it have had excellent results.

So basically, I get a shed load more points than I used to, but these don't in anyway correlate to the old points system. Gone are calories and saturated fat, in their place we have Protein, Carbs, Fat and Fibre. Most things work out to be more points (wine is particularly impacted) but some things have come out of it ok (think cheese and bacon... lovely!). It's slightly annoying that all of my old cook books, eating out guide etc. are no longer valid, but WW have provided some conversions for the books, so I guess it's not all bad. Fruit is now zero points, but we were advised not to go mad on the fruit front as it still obviously contains calories.

At the meeting, we were given an example of 2 breakfasts of 300 calories each. One was 2 slices of bacon, a poached egg, mushrooms, tomatoes and a slice of toast. The other was a muffin with butter and jam. The cooked breakfast comes out at 8 pro points whereas the muffin is 9. I know what I'd rather have. Apparently the theory now is that protein takes longer to digest and you can burn up to 25% more energy trying to digest it. So - protein rich foods come out better in the new Pro Points plan.

I now get a massive allowance of 41 pro points a day (that's gone up a point thanks to my mammoth gain) plus the extra 49 per week that I can dip into. You cannot carry over any daily points, so if you don't use them, you lose them, and you can earn a maximum of 6 activity points per day. In theory, you can therefore have an extra 91 points a week on top of your daily allowance. Seems a lot of food.

Here is an example of a daily allowance of 29 points (the minimum you can ever have).

Source: Daily Mail

I can't see how I can go hungry on this, but similarly, I get another 12 points on top of that and it just seems like a lot. Anyway, I am willing to give it my all this week and see how I get on. I have a fair few night's out to negotiate, but I suppose I will just have to guestimate as best I can.

I actually feel excited at the prospect of getting my arse back into gear. Once the eating is back under control, I might even tackle my exercise demons.

Legoland and ProPoints

Good morning people and what a miserable day it is. Thankfully I am working from home today, so I've not had to venture out into the wilderness, but tonight we are off to the O2 to see the legend that is Peter Kay, so I think I'll have to brace myself for the onslaught of the elements. Very much looking forward to seeing him, I've heard a rumour that his warm up act is Rick Astley! How cool??? (just me then?!)

I've had a lovely weekend with my nieces, but goodness me, children are exhausting. Hat's off to anyone who manages to look after them full time. A weekend with them and I need a week off to recuperate! I think my sister and her hubby enjoyed the break as they went into London on Saturday to see a show and have dinner. Nice for them to have a child free day.

Legoland was good, but it was so ridiculously busy on Saturday due to the Fireworks. All of the rides had at least an hour's wait, which was somewhat disappointing, but the girls seemed to enjoy it all the same. We walked their little legs off - mine were aching by the end of the day, so I can understand why they both fell fast asleep in the car on the way home. I managed to get them both straight to bed from the car without waking them up, so me and Matt could have a Curry and some Wine in peace. I slept very well on Saturday night, I can tell you.

They were very excited to see a mini Angel of the North - something they are quite familiar with being little Geordies!

Lovely day, but Legoland is so expensive. If you go - take food and drinks with you or you'll be bankrupt!

Once again I have not pointed this weekend, but I don't think my eating has been too out of control. Yesterday we went for Sunday lunch, then me and my sister took the girls for a walk along the river to the park while the boys came home to watch the footy, so more exercise of sorts. 

Last night, after we had reclaimed the flat, Matt and I went to the Cinema to see Red. A very enjoyable end to the weekend.

This morning I've logged onto the WW website to see  the new ProPoints plan. I now get 40 points per day (it was 26) and 49 extra points a week to spend. It all seems fairly straight forward, I just need to get my head round the new way of working out points and try to forget the old points system as everything is now much higher since it also takes into account protein, fibre and carbohydrates and no calories. You also can't carry over points daily, but can dip into the extra weekly allowance. I am feeling fairly positive about the changes and hope that it will be the kick I need to get me back on the straight and narrow. 

Baby steps

After my admission of my struggle yesterday, things didn't really improve. I opted for a low point soup for lunch, which left me feeling completely dissatisfied. Purely mental as I wasn't at all hungry or in anyway in need of any further sustenance. I managed to convince myself that the only way to rid myself of this dissatisfaction was to eat a packet of Ready Salted McCoys and some Galaxy chocolate. Clever Linz, very clever. So the evening continued in pretty much the same vein. I ate too much for dinner (albeit fairly healthy) and I drank some wine and then some Glayva. I then cried at Matt and told him I was completely losing the plot (bloody hormones). 

So, a little cry and an admission to my darling boyf that I am in danger of piling the lard back on, seems to have done the trick. I woke up this morning feeling annoyed with myself (not to mention a bit hungover), it seems to have spurred me on a bit. I am still not completely in control, but I am not snacking needlessly and I have been a lot more mindful of what I am shovelling in my gob today. Baby steps I think. I got weighed in Boots at lunchtime in a bid to shock myself into action - and it seems I am still the same weight. Maybe I am being far too hard on myself. 

Tomorrow I am working from home, but have major distractions descending on me. My middle sister, her hubby and my 2 gorgeous nieces are coming to stay. I'm very much looking forward to seeing them, but somewhat stressed by the logistics of fitting 4 extra people, plus luggage in my tiny car and our not so big 2 bedroomed flat. Ah well, it will be cosy if nothing else. 

My sister and her hubby are off into London on Saturday to see a show, so Matt and I are taking the girls to Legoland. I think they are fit to burst with excitement, I've had numerous phone calls seeking assurance that we are definitely going. Bless them. I'm secretly very excited too - but don't tell anyone.

So, one step at a time for me on the diet front. I have convinced myself that the new WW plan from next week will be my saving grace. I am going to stop beating myself up over the next few days and just take it one step at a time. 

 I'll probably be fairly quiet over the weekend given I won't have a minute to myself, so have a fab time y'all.

Positivity will return next week. I promise. 

Help me before I burst...

Somebody stop me. I have no idea what is wrong with me at the moment, but I am just not in control. I am craving crap, I am trying to stop myself from eating aforementioned crap, but most of the time I am failing. I am in danger of resembling Miss Piggy by Xmas if I am not careful.

My diet this week has been pretty much a bread fest. We didn't get our usual Veggie box delivery at the weekend since we were up in Edinburgh, so I have embraced that as an excuse to live off rubbish. Sandwiches mainly, with a token bit of salad thrown in and the odd apple here and there. It's just not good enough.

Last night we saw Jimmy Carr live in Reading (so no WI). He was hilarious and extremely controversial as usual. I really enjoy live Comedy and we are lucky here that we get a lot of the big name comedians every year. Beforehand we went for dinner in Giraffe. The menu has some perfectly healthy options, but I went for a bloody burger. I didn't eat most of it and I didn't really enjoy it overly - so why did I do it? Because I am a pig. That is why.

Today I convinced myself I would be better. I made myself breakfast before leaving the house, packed my lunch, a few healthy snacks and that should have been it. So can someone please tell me, why at 11am, my lunch and all my snacks for the day have gone?

Today I have consumed already:

• Mushroom Omelette
• 2 mini baby bel lights
• Cherry Infused Raisins
• An apple
• Roast beef, onion and salad sandwich.

Seriously, WTF is that all about?? 

Clearly I won't be able to manage until dinner without anything else, so I am going to have to try and just stick to soup and fruit until then. It's like I am on a suicide mission.

I am severely hoping that the new WW Pro Points Plan which begins next week will help me rediscover my mojo. It has to. If not, then I am considering locking myself away in a padded room for the foreseeable future. 

Ok, rant over. I think perhaps confessing to being out of control is the first step in addressing the issue. Here's hoping anyway.

Sorry people, normal service will resume tomorrow, when I will hopefully be a paragon of virtue.

Oh Edinburgh, how I love thee

Hello dear people, hope you all had a lovely weekend. Mine was fab, we had a great weekend in Edinburgh, it's about the 5th time I have been, but I had forgotten quite how much I love the place. We stayed with friends and their hospitality was amazing. I can't say I've been overly mindful of the diet situation, but we walked so much my legs are blooming killing me today, so I am hopeful there has been some sort of counteraction. 

I forgot to take my camera, but snapped a couple of shots on my phone. Below is the castle which we walked up to. We were so lucky with the weather, whilst it was cold, the sun shone the whole weekend. 

On Saturday evening we went to a Chinese Restaurant, but I have discovered a new diet aid in the form of skinny jeans. I could barely eat due to the tightness of said jeans - has to be a winner I think. 

On Sunday we went up to South Queensferry and had brunch in an amazing restaurant overlooking the Forth Estuary and the bridges. A view from our table whilst we tucked into a full Scottish breakfast below. I totally recommend a little trip out here if you are ever in Edinburgh. Lovely.

After a fairly hearty breakfast we went for a long walk along the sea. I am hopeful that burnt off a few of the calories consumed.I am wearing about 40 layers here, so I look a bit Michelin Man-esque, but it was bloody freezing despite the sun.

So once again, my weekend seems to have thrown me off track. We have so much on of late, I am seriously struggling to stay in control of pointing. I know the WW diet plan is changing this month, maybe that will be the kick I need to get me back into the swing of things. 

I can't make WI tomorrow as we have tickets to see Jimmy Carr so I am going to have to try another class or a Boots WI and hope that the hearty Scottish fayre I consumed at the weekend hasn't caused me too much trauma.