Saturday, 09-12-23: Christmas Challenge

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.
Through December, I am going to try to incorporate as much Christmas themed food as possible while still following SW guidelines (mostly) and remaining within my target range.

I was so pleased at weigh in yesterday.  Yes, I had gained from a fortnight ago but I didn't weigh last week because I knew it would be bad so, in fact, I lost a bit.  Best of all, I'm still in target range - just!  Phew.

So that's another shiny star on the Christmas Tree.

Yesterday's meal photos:

Breakfast was just fruit so no photos - I don't see the point really.

Things were a bit complicated for much of the morning and early afternoon so when I finally got home, I needed something quick and easy so just had beans on toast and it was lovely.
Mind you - have you noticed and there seems to be more sauce than beans nowadays.  Maybe it is just the Sainsbury's ones.  I must get some Morrisons ones and see if there's any difference.

The steak for dinner wasn't the nicest one I have ever had - you don't expect a fillet steak to be chewy, do you - but the crumbled Stilton on top was delicious and I must do that again.

Later on . . .

Some nibbles and a few drinks during a four way Messenger Christmas get-together put me well above syns but that's no problem, I'm back on it today.

Today's meal plans:

B:  fruit

I'm carrying on with this breakfast strategy as it suits me really well.

SW:  syn free

L:  Christmas toastie 🎄, salad; fruit

Yes, again.  I still have cooked turkey and ham to use up and I love, love, love it!  I can't use brie because that's all gone but I do have Stilton so - another cheat because Stilton isn't an A choice really.

SW:  one healthy extra A (sort of), one B and two syns for cranberry sauce unless I make my own in which case it will be no syns.

D: turkey cranberry burger, roasted veg, sprouts; fruit

This is a Pinch of Nom recipe.  I went onto the site, put 'Christmas' in the search box and up popped several festive themed ideas/recipes.

Here's the link.  https://pinchofnom.com/recipes/turkey-cranberry-burgers/  Just scroll down past all the adverts . . .

I will make a few changes:  using wholemeal breadcrumbs instead of panko ones for a start, using 100g turkey mince because that's how it is frozen and adjusting the other amounts, etc.  Also, I will just make the burger(s), not add a bun, mayo, cranberry sauce, etc - although I might do that another day.
I hope it tastes as nice as it sounds - because it sounds delish.

SW:  the dried cranberries will be one and a half syns, the breadcrumbs are one syn, some cheese in the middle will be part of an A, and I believe the rest is all speed and free.

Exercise:   just houseworky type exercise.

Summary:

up to two healthy extra As (sort of)

one healthy extra B

four and a half syns (I think)

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.