Thursday morning, 17-10-24

Good morning, everyone!  

 

Sooze made a very helpful and sensible comment on yesterday's post which I have coped and pasted:

It all looks scrumptious, and you're balancing out the calories by having your usual super-healthy breakfast. It's unrealistic to expect to be saints food-wise on holiday anyway - it's not like it's a regular occurrence! Enjoy.

She's right, so please read today's and tomorrow's posts with that in mind.  😈

What I ate yesterday.

Breakfast was toast - good, home made, wholemeal and seeded toast - and marmalade from one of those baby pots.   Delicious but no photo, sorry.

Lunch was half healthy, half not.  I had some of the leftover gammon with salad and various bits and bobs.  Again, no photo.  It was family time and we were chatting a lot.

For dinner, we ate out for the first and last time this week.  We went to Hucks, that being Alex's choice, and had a lovely meal.  Beth and Al went for burgers while I had chicken fajitas.

Isn't it funny how one can feel totally stuffed one minute and yet find a little sweet space for dessert.  

Ooops!

My meal plans for today:

B:  I'm going for the usual fruit, yogurt and seeds.  The toast yesterday was really nice but I missed the fruit.

L:   Salad with bits and bobs - cheese and crackers, etc.

D:  there were some veg left over from Tuesday which we popped in the freezer so we're going to add to that with whatever we have as leftovers, pop cheese on top and bake it all until bubbly.  We have a bottle of Nosecco so we'll finish that between the three of us, I guess.  And fruit for afters.

Exercise:   walk and swim - oh, and we have a bowling session booked.  And packing - how sad.

Wednesday morning, 16-10-24

Good morning, everyone!  

Day 2 has started (don't count travelling days really) and yesterday started well but finished - er - not so well as far as healthy eating is concerned.  In every other was, it was brilliant and I'm really not that fussed.  It's holiday!

What I ate yesterday

A lovely, healthy start to the day with my usual fruit, yogurt and chia and mixed seeds.

One syn for the seeds.

But . . .  ooops.

Oh, it was so delicious and one scoop, not two!

Lunch - leftovers.  I had started eating before I remembered to take a photo.  

Half a B for some bread, half an A for some feta, I have no idea of the M&S salads but I didn't have loads, and a pile of fresh salad veg with seeds (one syn).

It went a bit downhill from then on.

Beth cooked up a storm.  It was a sort of celebration meal and so delicious.

Very little of this was super healthy but it was so good.

We finished with profiteroles and we won't mention the nibbles, OK.

How did I do?  Well, obviously not brilliantly but it was better than Monday.

We had a good swim and two quite long walks so it wasn't all bad news by a long way.  The second was in the dark after dinner and it was lovely!

My meal plans for today:

B:  toast and marmalade, fruit

L:   leftovers and salad

D:  eating out at Huck's .

Exercise:   lots of walking and a good swim.

Monday evening, 14-10-24

Good evening morning, everyone!  

I think it is far more likely that this will be a morning blog this week.  The evenings are likely to be . . .

. . . like this . . .

. . . but, hopefully, not like this.

It's holiday!

As of now, I will look upon this as a chance to practise common sense amidst temptations!  :-)

I want to.  No one is making me, no plan is restraining me, I just don't feel 100% on top form after yesterday's indulgences and I want to feel my best so . . .  here we go!

I have brought salad fruit, chia and mixed seeds with me so I can do this.

However, I can't 100% guarantee so, if you think it might trigger you, I promise I will be right back on the Med/Slimming World meals on Saturday.

What I ate today  yesterday:

There aren't many photos as yesterday, travel day, was a bit chaotic and disorganised but. , ,

Breakfast at home was yogurt and fruit as usual.  No chia seeds though - I didn't want any repercussions while driving and one of the fruits was kiwi anyway.  The other fruits were an apple and an easy peeler.

I didn't really have lunch as such but, sadly, Beth had brought 'goodies' with her and we all dived in.  

Dinner.  Not exactly fine dining, is it?  Beth and Alex prepared pizza, garlic bread, sort of spicy cheesy ball things and various salady pots, all from M&S and it was very nice.

Oh - and wine.

No summaries this week - it will be too tricky, I think.

My meal plans for tomorrow:

B:  yogurt and fruit

L:  we have leftovers.  There is some proper salad bits as well and the creamy mixtures so I can be sensible - and I WANT to be sensible too.

D:  a roast dinner (Beth's making it)

Exercise:  swimming and a walk

Sunday evening, 13-10-24

Good evening, everyone!  

What I ate today

Breakfast - an apple, a kiwi, a plum and an easy peeler

two syns for seeds, chia and mixed.

This may not be super Med but it was lovely and I took every bit of fat off the pork.

Three syns for evoo and one and a half for chutney.

I found some crumpet thins in the freezer and decided to call two of them a B (it really isn't but . . .), toast them, melt over some cheese and top with scrambled egg.

It was lovely.

One and a half As and sort of one B.

My meal plans for tomorrow:

B:   fruit, seeds and yogurt

L: Really not sure - I'll probably take a look in the Parc Market.

D:  pizza, salad; fruit
At Center Parcs - Beth's providing it and it's all nicely pre packaged and easy.

Exercise:  circuits and a good swim

Saturday evening, 12-10-24 and no extras!

Good evening, everyone!  

Here I am, home again after a day at the Ally Pally at a knitting and stitching show.  If  this doesn't appear until tomorrow morning, it is because the internet has just gone down and is refusing to come back up again, annoyingly.

Is it stretching things too far to say here's my strategy for keeping my mind and fingers occupied of an evening and out of the biscuit barrel (if I had a biscuit barrel, which I don't but you know what I mean)?

I forgot to tell you that I had a gaintain of one pound yesterday - still under my target so I'm fine with that.

What I ate today

It was all very muddled and mixed up today.  No SW values - I don't have a clue.

Breakfast was an apple (the core is hiding behind the easy peeler) and an easy peeler plus a most welcome coffee.

I didn't photo lunch because I was watching a tutorial thingy at the same time.  it was a cheese and chutney sandwich and a nutty bar kind of thing.

I was also all sugared out with mint humbugs.

Dinner at home and very nice it was too.

Proper back on track tomorrow after a few days of self indulgence.

My meal plans for tomorrow:

B:  fruit, yogurt and seeds

L:  posk steak, roasties and veg

D:  scrambled eggs on toast, side salad

Exercise: Plenty of up and down stairs, etc.

Friday evening, 11-10-24 and tip 4: enjoy your journey

Good evening, everyone!  

Sorry this is a sleep too late.  I was so very tired yesterday evening.

And I am out all day so there may or may not be one this evening.  I'll try but it depends on how tired I am.  :-)

What I ate today

This is what I took to taster - or, more accurately, this is what I brought home from taster and scoffed!!

They were lovely, as was all the other stuff people brought along.  I was very full . . .

No idea of syns so this will be an Eat-Your-Syns day -  has to be.

Below - a close up.

For lunch I made Eloise's parsnip and apple soup and it was delicious.  I used chicken stock, one shallot, one parsnip and one onion and seasoning was simple - salt and pepper with nutmeg grated on top.

One to do again and it was so, so simple.

Home made focaccia on the side.

The soup was syn free and the focaccia was most of a B.

I was so very tired come the evening (no idea why) that I just grabbed some fruit and a few (just a few) nuts and didn't take a photo.  

My meal plans for tomorrow:  I'm out all day on a coach trip so it's all a bit fingers crossed really.

B:  fruit

L:   cheese and chutney sandwich, some sort of bar; fruit

D:  something from the freezer.

Exercise: I'll be doing an awful lorra walking

The Extra Bit

Tip 4:  Enjoy your journey.

Just that.

It shouldn't be a trial or a tribulation.  If it is, you won't stick to it for long.  It's not about what you can't have, it is about all the amazing, delicious foods that you can have.

Again, it is personal.  It has been down to me to make my journey fun.  How?  Well . . . 

• SW group became a social occasion for me.  Lots of fun, lots of laughs.  I joined the social team and helped out - that was fun too and ensured that I went after a bad week.
• Starting to get fitter was fun - yes, it was, truly.  Lindsey makes things very enjoyable amidst all the puffing and panting.
• Cooking became fun because I researched recipes for my favourite ingredients, I quickly started a list of SW friendly recipes and meals that I really loved and I made sure that when I was planning, I only included things that gave me a sort of 'buzz'.  I used loads of colour, started setting my plate out attractively to make it look nicer, learned to change plans if, when it came to it, I wasn't particularly enthusiastic about a planned meal.  So my meals became enjoyable times, not sessions to get through quickly.
• I learned to look upon any perceived 'failure' and a learning opportunity and  the precursor to success.
• And I learned which foods really were not good for me; the foods that took me into a binge, the foods that I just had more and more of without feeling satisfied.  And - surprise, surprise, they turned out to almost exclusively be ultra processed foods.
• And I read up about things that helped (I love reading).  So, for example, after I read 'Ultra Processed People' I lost most of my liking for that sort of stuff because of what it was doing inside of me.  Suddenly, it lost its hold on me and I quickly learned to just not buy that sort of stuff and just use what was useful to me.  So I still use some bottled sauces, sweeteners, that sort of thing, but in small amounts.

I could go on but I'm sure you get the idea.  MAKE it fun, MAKE it enjoyable and you will want to continue.

Thursday evening, 10-10-24 and tip 3: recognise the need for change and be willing to change.

Good evening, everyone!  

I used up the last of a jar of beetroot this evening and was just about to chuck the vinegar away when I thought - would this make a nice salad dressing?
It would certainly make a very pink salad dressing but I haven't chucked the pickling vinegar as I usually so and I'm going to try making a small amount with evoo in the usual way and see.

Do you think that will work?

What I ate today:

Breakfast ended up as an apple, a pear and an easy peeler, eated on the run between coffee at a friends and going into town.  No photo, no syns!

The last of the quiche from last week,  I must make this again; feta is lovely in a quiche.

An easy peeler for dessert.

Half a healthy extra A

How I made this was . . .

I made a simple salad with leaves, tomato and yellow pepper with some of my salad dressing.
I roasted a small sweet potato in the air fryer, adding some shallot wedges half way through.

I had thawed a pot of mixed quinoa and puy lentils so I heated that up with some beetroot, added the roasted veg when it was done, mixed it all and tipped it onto the salad.  Finally, I added some bits of soft goat's cheese which went lovely and melty in the heat.

And that was that.  It was so good.

Afters was an apple.

Four syns for evoo in the dressing, two syns for evoo for roasting and one and a half healthy extra As (although, strictly speaking, soft goat's cheese is not an A, only hard goat's cheese)

Summary:

two healthy extra As

no healthy extra Bs

six syns

My meal plans for tomorrow:  It is Eat-Your-Syns- Friday but I think maybe I had that on Wednesday.  At the moment, I feel inclined to stick to plan so I'll see how I feel when the time comes.

B:  it's a taster at group so no idea.  I am taking pancake pennies with yogurt and strawberries to have on top.

L:  apple and parsnip soup, bread for dunking; fruit

D:  Not sure - perhaps steak, salad and chips.  I really fancy a steak.  Then either fruit or Fro Yo

Exercise:   personal training

The Extra Bit

Tip 3.  Be prepared FOR change and be willing TO change:

Someone once said something like:

If you always do what you've always done

You'll always get what you've always got.

I Googled it but it's not sure where it came from - the link to Henry Ford doesn't bear scrutiny, it seems, so who knows?

Anyway, whoever first said it in that way, isn't it just so very true?

Sometimes it seems to me that a considerable amount of weight loss success relies on our willingness to accept that change is necessary and that relies on us being honest with ourselves and reflective about who we are and what is holding us back and could be changed.

Assuming that we really want to - which takes us back to my previous tip regarding motivation.

It's also a journey in itself.  A decade or so ago, when change was ongoing in education, I was sent on a course entitled 'managing change'.  I can't remember many specifics now but I think I applied principles from it when I started me weight loss adventure.

First, analyse.  What is it that needs changing and why?  What is the problem/issue.  Be very specific, not general.  
Then select, prioritise.  What is most important right now.  You can't do it all at once (usually).

Thirdly, where do you want to get to - what do you want to achieve?  Identify your goal.

And then, the biggie - how?  Consider a strategy.  It might involve a bit of research - how did we manage before Google?

After a while, review.  Is it matching your lifestyle and environment?  Is it getting you where you want to be on your weight loss journey?  Is it working for you or are you working for it?   Are you satisfied?

Here's a personal example . . .

A while ago, I identified evening nibbling as a big issue that was damaging my weight loss.  

It wasn't that I was hungry exactly, it was an 'emotional habit'.  I 'needed' something sweet or savoury, high calorie and low nutrition each evening because that was what I was used to and I really wanted to break this habit more than any other eating behaviours that were bothering me

Coincidentally, I watched a podcast about Intermittent Fasting and was able to put the two together, realising that if it did the one, the other would stop.  I researched a bit more and was convinced that this was a healthy and helpful way for me to go.

So I started the 16-8 - that's sixteen hours of fasting and eight hours of eating window.  Because it was new, because I was convinced about it, the other stopped.  I started breakfast around eleven and finished my dinner by seven and that was that.  Something about the act of 'closing the window' satisfied me, finished my day and that broke the evening nibbling habit.
I still do it now, whenever it fits in with what I'm doing (which is almost always).  I'm happy with where it has taken me.

Anyway, the bottom line is that it really helps to firstly recognise and accept that some things need to change and secondly that change is down to you, it's your responsibility.
And mine . . . because . . .

If I always do what I've always done

I'll always get what I've always got.