Sunday, 15-10-23

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to my maintaining on Slimming World blog where I talk about the meals I enjoy while maintaining my target weight and keeping a healthy balanced diet.

As I have stayed within target range, I've been thinking again about my healthy diet strategies going forward - I'm thinking out loud here so, please, bear with me as I develop an eating journey that is healthy and works for me.

• syns:  I'm going to continue using syns to enhance my meals, rather than as snacky extras that would tend to be highly processed, addictive, unhealthy . . . etc!  I'm thinking of what SW calls 'savvy syns' -  olive oil, avocado, etc - and keeping them to ten or less per day.  I know the plan allows for more but this is how I want to go, personally, just at the moment.
• healthy extras: I'm going to have either one more healthy A or B per day - I could have two more but not right now and, again, if I want it/need it, not because I must.
• weekly meal planning: this continues, not because I'm paranoid or obsessive (I hope not, anyway) but because it's the best way to keep a handle on getting a good varied diet through the week, using up what I already have in and not wasting food because it has gone off or is surplus to requirement - as much budget/environmental as 'diet'.  Also because I like to get things ready, set up, thawing or whatever at the beginning of each day which means I need to know what those meals will be.
• intermittent fasting:  I've got used to this now and am comfortable about continuing (when it works) each day.  So, some days I have an exercise class around 9:00 and have an apple before the class for energy so I have broken my fast earlier.  Another day, I might have a friend round so have breakfast later so have a shorter eating window.  Usually, though, breakfast is around eleven, lunch around two and I finish eating for the day at seven and this is how it has been for a while.  A 16:8 window seems to work best for me.
• finally, the one treat/cheat per week,  if I want one, avoiding the so-called 'treats' that are highly processed rubbish.

What do you think?

Yesterday's meal photos:

Waffles, yogurt and fruit for breakfast.  The waffles should have been taken out one minute earlier - they were just starting to catch, although they didn't taste scorched in the least.
The pink is some softened apple and raspberry with yogurt folded in and I ate it like scones - spooning the fruit mixture on a waffle and eating it with fingers.  Really lovely on a sunny morning.

These carrot, halloumi and dill patties were so, so good (recipe link in yesterday's blog).  I spent another one and a half syns on some green tomato chutney which went so well with them.

I'm definitely putting this one in the 'make again' file.

And I must remember that halloumi has a great flavour in what is essentially fritters.

Later on, I had a couple of plums, two diddy little easy peelers and - ooops a daisy - a nibble of cheese.

I'm quite cross that I forgot to take a photo of the sweet potato fishcakes because they were really nice; essentially very simple when you don't make the feta and red pepper salsa it came with ( I already had some tomato/veg sort of topping so used that) and adaptable to whatever you want to add to the two potato mash really.  Bacon, bits of ham, chicken shreds, chorizo, corned beef - I think they would all work. 

I will have them again because the mixture made enough to give me extras for the freezer.  I'm happy about that.
As with most potato based patties, they were difficult to turn without mushing the shape rather - next time, I might do them in Nellie and see if that makes any difference.

One more observation that I have just thought of - they would be nice with a bit of cheese in the middle.  I might reshape the ones in the freezer when they have thawed!

A successful day's food with two more recipes to add to my 'do again' collection.

Today's meal plans:

B:  cooked breakfast - bacon, egg, mushrooms and tomatoes

Yummy!!

SW:  syn free

L:  roast chicken leg joint, roasted veg, stuffing balls, green veg; fruit
I plan to make the stuffing ball with a rosemary and red onion sausage with some grated apple and crumbled chestnuts - squidge it all together, shape and bake.

SW:  one syn for chestnuts and I think the rest will be syn free

D:  halloumi fajitas; fruit/yogurt

I found this recipe on the Olive site and, as I so enjoyed the chicken fajitas last week, I thought I would give this a go.

https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/vegetarian/halloumi-fajitas/

I have some ready mixed fajita spice, I will use Greek yogurt rather than soured cream and I will cut the coriander totally, horrid stuff!  I might also make a mild salsa and some smashed avocado.

I have some 'lighter' halloumi so I will give that a try - I have no idea how it will be but may as well - I don't ever have to buy it again if it's not nice!
SW:  one healthy extra B for mini wraps (bit of a cheat), up to two As for halloumi, two syns for a tsp olive oil and two and a half syns for avocado

Exercise:  rest day

Summary:

two healthy extra As

one healthy extra B - well, not really but that's what I am calling it!

five and a half syns

For information:

The Slimming World structure:

While following the plan, you can have . . .

Any amount of speed and free food - BUT try to have a third of your plate as speed food as a sub for free food, NOT as well as . . .  Eat to satisfaction, not to stuffed-ness!

Two healthy extra As (calcium) and one healthy extra B (fibre) - details in the SW pack and on the SW web site/app.

Between five and fifteen syns-worth of synned food - again, details in the pack, site and app.  They are a limit to stay within, not a target to hit.

As a target member, I can also have . . .

Another two healthy extras each day
Another fifteen syns up to three times each week

BUT - only if I need/want to.  It's a limit, not a target

. . . with the ultimate aim of not needing to count healthy extras, syns, etc at all but just knowing and eating well instinctively.