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.

Wednesday evening, 09-10-24 and oooops!!

Good evening morning,everyone!  

Confession time - slightly busy day, made busier because I kept sneaking in time to work on a rather addictive (at the moment) crochet project.  Ooops.  And then I was out in the evening for a meeting and when I got in I was just too tired . . .

So here I am this morning and there's no 'Extra Bit' at the end.  I will finish it and add it to this evenings blog post.

What I ate today

The usual fruit, yogurt and seeds.

Two syns for quite a lot of mixed seeds.

Later, I had a couple of easy peelers.

Main meal at lunchtime - salmon, bulgur wheat and mixed roasted veg - it was lovely.

Four syns for evoo in the roasted veg.

Later on I had an apple.

I had a school governors' meeting at six (which is why I had my main at lunchtime) and there were biscuits.  I had - ooops - three.

That was a mistake - I KNOW high sugar, ultra processed stuff like that sets me off.

So when I got home I went bonkers with the cheese and then with some raw mixed nuts.

However - time was when I would have gone straight over the road to Morrisons after the meeting ended and bought all sorts of junk to scoff until late.
I didn't - I didn't even want to.  And apart from the biscuits, it was relatively 'good for me' stuff.

This morning, I decided to be brave and work out the damage.

The biscuits were four syns each - twelve syns (I thought they would have been more).

The bread was a B - that was OK.

The cheese - probably three As - actually, that is within maintenance as I can have an extra A or B each day if I want.

One and a half syns for chutney

I truly have no idea of the nuts but you know what - I'm calling yesterday one of the two days to have double syns.  That makes me feel a lot better.

Summary:

three healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

up to thirty syns.

So no guilt, no self recriminations, no punishing myself.  It is what it is and it was OK.  And did I enjoy the food - well, my insides may feel a bit 'heavy' this morning (the nuts, I suspect) but, yes, I did.  

My meal plans for tomorrow today:

B:  fruit, yogurt and seeds

L: crustless quiche, tomatoes, mushrooms; fruit

D:  puy lentils with sweet potato and goat's cheese; fruit

Exercise: a walk

Tuesday evening, 08-10-24 and tip 2 - plan, plan, plan

Good evening, everyone!  

What I ate today

I decided to turn the breakfast ingredients into a smoothie using 0% Greek yogurt, 20g oats, some frozen peach and nectarine slices, one banana, some seeds and some 'sprinkle' topping.

Chia seeds were blended with the yogurt, the fruit and the oats and some skinny syrup and then I popped the smoothie into the fridge.  After a short while it thickened really nicely.  When I was ready, I added the mixed seeds and the sprinkle.

One healthy extra B for oats and seeds and half a syn for the sprinkle (it's probably not even that but, to be on the safe side . . .

Later on, I had an apple.

Now that's a better colour!  Quiche from the freezer and a lovely mixed salad.

Half a healthy extra A for cheese in the quiche and four syns for some salad dressing;

Later afternoon I enjoyed a plum and a pear

And finally, for dinner, a penne arrabbiata using one of the portions of sausage casserole with some added yellow pepper and mushrooms plus some chilli flakes for a pleasant, tickle-on-the-tongue hum of chilli.

Then I had a pear - after remaining rock hard for over a week, they're all going soft together - you know what pears are like!  They're not all that tasty either - maybe stewing them with a bit of spice might make them a bit nicer.  What do you think?

One healthy extra A, three syns for the casserole and two syns for evoo.

Summary:

one and a half healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

nine and a half syns

My meal plans for tomorrow:

B:  fruit, yogurt and seeds 

L:   salmon, bulgur wheat and salad; fruit

D:  cheese and chutney toastie and salad

Exercise: Circuits (instead of Monday which I had to miss - personal training is on Friday)

The Extra Bit

The second tip that helped me because I am that sort of person is . . .

2.  Plan, plan, plan (and prep)!

I was a teacher for most of my adult life apart from a break to start a family.  In that time I must have spent the equivalent of years producing lesson plans, medium term plans, long term plans, assessment plans - you name it, we had to plan for it in the last ten years or so of my career.

And then I did a bit of after school private tuition and, yes, I planned for that in considerable detail; because that's what I was used to.

So, when I started Slimming World, it came naturally to me to plan.  We were expected to at first and hand in our diaries so Jen could see where (or if) we were misunderstanding anything.

At first I created very detailed weekly plans, based my shopping list on what |I needed for those plans and generally had everything totally stitched up.
Not everyone's cuppa diet coke, I know, but it worked.  Believe me - it worked!!

As I got to know the plan, I did ease off after a while, but I still have a general idea of what I'm having each day from Saturday to the following Friday (group meets on Friday) and I still write my shopping list after I have planned.  That little habit has saved me a small fortune over the past few years.

I keep a planning sheet template on my PC.  Works for me.

After all, you know that saying . . . 

IF YOU FAIL TO PLAN, YOU PLAN TO FAIL

Running along side of that is preparation.
Because I know what I'm eating for the day and because I'm an early bird, I spend the first fifteen minutes or so of each day prepping as much as I can, getting stuff out of the freezer, etc., because I know that if the food is ready and as prepped as possible, that's what I will have.  I won't take any diversions into less healthy byways.

I know this level of detail is not for everyone and I do have flexibility too but I do think that, if you want to win at this weight loss/healthy lifestyle game, some sort of planning is essential.  Make it work for you and it's one of the best tools anyone could have.  

A confession - I still have bad dreams about being observed by Senior Management or OFSTED and I HAVEN'T PLANNED MY LESSON!! - sad, isn't it?  😆😁😉

No, it never happened in Real Life - thank goodness.

Monday evening, 07-10-24, my first tip and a personal story

Good evening, everyone!  

Sadly, I missed circuits this morning as I needed to stay in to sign for a delivery.  Of course, it didn't come till the afternoon which is typical but I'm glad I didn't take the risk.

Happily, Lindsey said come to the Wednesday one instead.  So that's all good.

What I ate today

Fruit from the freezer with some yogurt - delicious.

One syn for the chia seeds.

Some of the broccoli and butterbean soup I made yesterday, to which I added some cheese spread for an A and some mixed seeds.

It was lovely and very filling too.

One healthy extra A and one syn.

Later on I had a plum and an orange. 

Dinner was the usual carbonara but with broad beans and mushrooms.  It was very tasty.

One healthy extra A for Italian hard cheese and I had some nuts afterwards so nine syns and a B.

Summary:

two healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

eleven syns

My meal plans for tomorrow:

B:  fruit, yogurt and seeds

L:  quiche (from the freezer) with either tomatoes and mushrooms or a salad, depending on how I feel; fruit

D:  penne arrabbiata using one of the portions of sausage casserole from the freezer; fruit

Exercise: Groove class plus the walk there and back

The Extra Bit

Yesterday, I posted Dr Anna Pleet's top tips for succeeding on a diet.

Mine are a little different, worked for me and are still working while I walk through the undiscovered country of maintaining a weight loss.

I totally get that they wouldn't necessarily suit everyone - this is a very individual thing and leans very heavily on individual character and personality.

This part of my blog is getting longer and longer (sorry) so what I will do is cover one tip each day (do I hear cheers? )

So . . . here is number one and a personal story.

1.  Know why you're doing this and keep it to the forefront of your mind and environment.  What is your goal?  How will you know you have achieved it?  What then?

 There's lots of reasons why.  It could be health, it could be a holiday, a wedding, another occasion, vanity, others relying on you - oh, there are so many reasons why one wants to lose some weight but they don't all necessarily lead to an ongoing lifestyle change.

Short term diets tend to bring short term results.  Once the reason is over, the motivation can vanish.  Not always, I hasten to add, but sometimes.

Long term lifestyle changes are harder (I think) and involve a determination (or necessity) to make changes to all sorts of thing - for ever.

I've been very lucky.  Despite being very very overweight for most of my adult life, apart from the unfitness and generally feeling of bleugh that one gets from eating unhealthy foods, I've not had a lot of medical issues.

I had dodgy ankles that kept turning over, not helped by the weight they had to carry.  That wasn't enough.

I had a breast lump in my fifties that was initially thought to be malignant but turned out to be an intracystic papilloma.  It was removed, the doctor said it wasn't diet related and that was that.  Worrying times but it wasn't enough.

I had high blood pressure as I neared my sixties which I was remarkably careless about and which really didn't bother me nearly as much as it should have done and no-one at my GPs pointed out that some weight loss and a change of diet could help significantly.  So that wasn't enough either.

Then, just as I was getting into retirement , I was ambulanced to hospital with suspected heart problems, pain and a really worrying raise (rise???) in blood pressure (two hundred and something over one hundred and something).
Turned out my heart was absolutely fine, very strong, but I had an internal infection caused by gall stones plus blood clotting issues - the first sample they took clotted before it got to the lab.  So I was admitted, put on a drip, blood thinners, strong antibiotics and meds to lower my blood pressure.
Five days later, I came home feeling a fair bit better and with dietary advice.

It gave my family quite a scare and I felt very bad about that.
I did a fair bit of Googling and found plenty of sensible, reliable advice there too and I also found in the following weeks that if I stepped out of line, food-wise, it really hurt - oh, my word, how it hurt.

Was that enough?  For sure.  I was put on the waiting list for an op and the surgeon told me to follow a very specific and rigid diet he provided and to lose 10% of my body weight.
THAT was my initial motivation and I lost a good four stone or so in six months.

Once the op was done and dusted and things settled down a bit, the weight started coming back a bit and that is when I joined Slimming World after a good chat to a friend, Mel, who had lost lots of weight on SW herself.  I just didn't want all the pain and the rigidity of diet to be wasted.

That was one of the best things I ever did.  The other was deciding to contact Lindsey Abbott regarding some personal training sessions.

And I haven't looked back since.  My motivation is to be fit and healthy.  That includes being a healthy weight, having healthy eating patterns as well as remaining fit and maintaining muscle mass plus keeping my mind engaged and active.  A whole lifestyle, in fact.

My blood pressure is now normal - not normal for someone my age, properly normal-normal (with the meds, but I might want to have a conversation with my GP about that at some point).

The remaining issue is the cholesterol as anyone who follows this blog knows.  That was the motivation for slanting my eating towards the Mediterranean way and I'm loving it.  It's a change that will last me as long as I can live an independent life.

So - work out what your motivation is and never, ever let it fade.

Sunday evening, 06-10-24, some mentions and five tips for making a diet work

Good evening, everyone!  

I just want to mention a few people.
Firstly, the lovely Stephanie, whose husband is pretty unwell and present.  Hoping things improve very quickly and the right decisions are made, Stephanie.

Congratulations to my friend, Roe, who has done so very well with her weight loss this month.  She is so lovely and supportive, she deserves great results.  I hope your hand is better soon, Roe, and thanks so much for the mention of this blog in your latest video on YouTube.

And then there's Nicky and Jo.  They're both really looking forward to holidays in the next little while.  Hope the packing and other preparations are going well and remember - you don't have to go into holiday eating mode quite yet (grin, duck and run)

What I ate today

Breakfast - smoked haddock, mushrooms and tomatoes plus an apple and a couple of plums - lovely!

One syn for some spray evoo.

A roast dinner, hardly Mediterranean but nice, all the same.  The slow cooked pork was delicious.

One syn for a bit of chutney and that's it really.

Later on, I had an orange and some melon.

There was quite a bit of broccoli left over so I shoved it all into Thermione, added a tin of butterbeans, aquafaba and all, left over gravy, some garlic and onion granules and some chicken stock, boiled it up and blended it and that's my lunch tomorrow sorted.  It looks like sludge but it tastes great!

Inside the toastie there's some caramelised onion chutney, some cheddar and some roast pork and it was so, so good.

One and a half healthy extra As, one healthy extra B, two syns for spray oil and, in the salad, one syn for mixed seeds and four syns for dressing.

I was stuffed!!

Summary:

one and a half healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

nine syns, mostly for evoo

My meal plans for tomorrow:

B:  fruit yogurt and seeds

L:  broccoli and butterbean soup with cheesy; fruit

D:   mushroom and broad bean carbonara; fruit

Exercise:  circuits, hopefully.

The Extra Bit

Five easy ways to make any diet work.

Sounds good, doesn't it?  It's the title of a YouTube video I watched yesterday from Dr Anna Pleet, to whose channel I subscribe.

It's not quite so straightforward, of course - we all know that.  If it were, we would all be as slim as we want to be.  
Having said that, I thought it was helpful so here's the main points with my own comments and a link to the video at the end.

It assumes that you have a goal - a reason for losing some weight.  Perhaps, as in my case, there were health reasons, perhaps you need to lose weight for a specific purpose, perhaps you have just had enough!!
So - assuming you have a goal (e.g. to lower blood pressure) and also that you want to do it in a healthy and sensible way (which looks different to every individual, of course) to make it a lifelong change . . .

1.  Clear out the clutter.

Have a food spring clean to eliminate the temptation that comes with that little voice that says 'go on, one won't hurt'.  It isn't simple if everytime we open the cupboard or fridge, we are faced with old temptations.
Give stuff away, donate or just chuck, depending on what it is and replace with healthier options that will support your choice of plan.

I really don't like food waste but, sometimes, it is the most helpful way to make a fresh start.

2.  Start with what you can control.

Anna talks about the difficulty in eating healthily in the workplace and suggests that you start with your home based meals, the meals you have most control over, specifically breakfast because if you have a good, filling, nourishing start to the day, the rest of the day is more likely to follow suit.
I also think it helps to pinpoint one habit or thing you can change at a time.  It stops the whole thing from feeling just too much.

So, pinpoint those areas that you can change for the better and focus on them, remembering to celebrate achievement and success.

3,  Address your eating environment.

If you and where you are eating isn't helpful, change it.  If you find you eat mindlessly because you are focusing on the s creen in some way, stop.  If you eat on your own and find that boring, change the environment - set the table nicely, maybe have flowers, best china, etc.

My particular trick is to set out my food nicely as much as I can.  I arrange it, I don't just slop it on.  I add colour when I can, I garnish with a bit of parsley, I have started using my nice china at times and I have bought just a couple of plates that I really liked (they didn't cost much at all).  For me, it turns the meal into a visual pleasure not just a gastronomical one - I changed my environment.

4.  Prioritise the healthy food.

Sounds a bit obvious, doesn't it, but more and more I have found that if I try to include certain elements in each meal (what Dr Anna calls the 'healthy trifecta), it is more filling and satisfying and also it slows sugar spikes and insulin spikes and aids healthy digestion.
These are protein, healthy fats and fibre and, while it isn't always going to be possible, it usually is.  I try to consider these elements when planning my meals.

5.  Try cooking at home as much as possible.
This one really links to point 2.  You have so much more control over ingredients, cooking methods, what you actually put into your body.
I would say also work to eliminate as much ultra processed food as you possibly can (if you have cleared out the clutter, the temptation won't be there so much anyway).

Cooking at home doesn't have to be complicated, says Dr Anna, and I agree with her.  It is about the quality of the food, not how complex and fancy it is.   Anyone can cook basic meals - I truly believe that.  You just need to want to - mindset!
If you have to eat at work (and, let's face it, most people do), can you take your own lunch with you?
The other thing I find supports cooking at home is knowing what you are going to have in the evening and prepping as much as you can beforehand.  It's hard to come home, tired and hungry, and have to start a meal from scratch, but if it is already almost there, just needs reheating or is bubbling away gently in the slow cooker, it makes it so much easier.

Here's the link to the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqoWg7gSzjE

Saturday evening, 05-10-24, a freezer sort out and omega 3 fatty acids.

Good evening, everyone!  

Update to the wine thingy - no, I didn't get the migraine reaction but I didn't sleep terribly well either.  Maybe or maybe not but I intend going carefully, all the same.

Can you see my halo?  😇  I sorted out all the meat and fish in the freezer yesterday and now I have an up to date definitive list.  I was especially pleased that I have plenty of fish seeing as I am supposed to be eating more of it now.
I must just plan it in . . .

What I ate today

A yummy breakfast!  I just spread a bit of yogurt and a bit of 'jam' on each penny pancake (or pancake penny!), rolled it up and scoffed it!

Half a healthy extra B for oats and one syn for chia seeds plus one and a half syns for a little bit of evoo

Lunch was very simple.  I mixed together mixed beans, olives and feta, added some hummus dressing and spooned it all on to some leaves.

The dressing was some home made hummus, some lime juice, a bit of Dijon mustard and some water.  I think I added a bit too much water and added a bit of peanut butter powder to try to compensate.  It worked really well and was tasty.

One and a half syns for olives, one healthy extra A for feta and two and a half syns for the hummus dressing.

I had an easy peeler and some melon later on.

Fasolia gigantes means (says the recipe book) giant baked beans.  It's tomatoes, onion, cinnamon, cumin, oregano and butter beans and I added some chorizo, some evoo and some cheese on top.  It was really delish.

Dessert was some cherry fro yo.

Three syns for the evoo, two for the chorizo and one healthy extra A.  I don't syn blended fruit.

Summary:

two healthy extra As

half a healthy extra B

eleven and a half syns

My meal plans for tomorrow:

B: smoked haddock, tomatoes and mushrooms

L:   roast pork dinner; fruit

Beth and Alex are round and I plan to use the slow cooker.  Nothing posh, I just like very tender pork.  

D:  pork toastie, salad; fruit

Gotta use up leftovers!

Exercise:   gardening

The Extra Bit

As I go into the benefits of different aspects of the Mediterranean way of eating, I come across familiar terms that I realise I know absolutely nothing about.
For example 'omega 3 fatty acids'.  Not a very attractive name but they are supposed to be a Very Good Thing and I wondered why.

(some of the terminology/vocabulary I have copied and pasted to make sure it is accurate.  Half of it I can't even pronounce, let alone spell correctly!)

OK, so they are fats that naturally occur in plants and fish and they are good for cell membranes and help with growth, vision and immune function.
Possible health benefits (research is ongoing) include heart health, lowering risk of cancer and reducing inflammation

There are three main types and this is where I start copying . . .

The three main types of omega-3s that are important for your health are:

Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA): mostly found in plant foods.

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA): mostly found in fish.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA): mostly found in fish.

ALA is a long-chain fatty acid, and EPA and DHA are very-long-chain fatty acids. Experts consider EPA and DHA to be the most important omega-3s for health.

So now you know - you really wanted to read that, didn't you!

More copying . . .

The omega-3 ALA — which is mostly found in plant foods — is an essential fatty acid, meaning your body can’t make it. This means that food is the only way to get it.

Your body can convert ALA into the two other main omega-3 types, EPA and DHA, but only in small amounts. So, eating foods with EPA and DHA is the best way to get these important fatty acids, which are often found in fatty fish.

You can buy supplements that contain all three plus some that are suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

The best sources of omega 3 fatty acids are . . .

Anchovies

Herring

Mackerel

Trout

Salmon

Oysters

Flaxseed oil

Chia seeds

Walnuts

Flaxseed

Canola oil

Soybean oil

So now I know - and so do you!!

Friday evening, 04-10-24 - Eat-Your-Syns-Friday and melba toast

Good evening, everyone!  

I was absolutely delighted to find that I have maintained this week so I am still just one pound above the bottom of my Happy Zone with a nice 'gain cushion' when I go to Center Parcs soon.

Just in case - you know!

I'm not sure if this is good news or bad but I bought a little bottle of red wine, drank it with my dinner and . . . no reaction whatsoever - not of the migraine kind, anyway.  So it must have been a dental issue.
I'm still going to more or less keep off it though, just because that is better for my health.  

What I ate today

The usual breakfast - the fruit was melon and red grape.

Half a syn for the chia seeds in the jam and one syn for the mixed seeds on top.

I also scoffed some mixed nuts which I didn't weigh (bad me) so have no idea of the syns.  Thank goodness it is EYSF.

(I think I said that last week too, didn't I?)

I found this recipe for hummus and made it up in half quantity.

https://www.inspiredtaste.net/15938/easy-and-smooth-hummus-recipe/

All I can say is wow, so delicious.  Half amounts came to eleven syns, six for the evoo, five for the tahini and one syn for some peanut butter powder (not in the recipe, I just like it), the rest being free food.  It is in no way SW-adapted and, making enough for three good portions, I am calling it four syns per portion.  It does have healthy heart-oils though.

The melba toast was also home made and really is very easy - I will describe what I did in The Extra Bit.

Four syns for the hummus and one healthy extra B for the melba toast.

To make the sausage casserole, I browned three Cumberland sausages from Morrisons (three syns each) and softened some sliced onion, cut the sausages into pieces and then put them all in the slow cooker with a can of chopped tomatoes, the other half can of chickpeas, some roasted red pepper from a jar, some garlic, chilli flakes, liquid smoke and Italiah All-Rounder (from Just Spices).  Because I left it a bit late, I kept the slow cooker on high for around four hours.

It made one good portion and two smaller portions to which I could add extra protein or veg.  They

will be going into the freezer tomorrow morning.

I had it with mixed puy lentils and quinoa, both from pouches so they may carry a few syns.  I'm not going to worry about it because both have made three portions (into the freezer!)

So . . .  nine syns for the sausages, two syns for some oil and the rest is all speed/free, divided into three uneven portions so I am going to say five today and three for each of the two smaller portions.

Plus one healthy extra A for some grated goat's cheese.

And the red wine was seven syns

Summary:

one healthy extra A

one healthy extra B

seventeen and a half syns plus the nuts

Given that it is a double syns day (if I want them), that is perfectly OK, even with the nuts

My meal plans for tomorrow:

B:  penny pancakes, chia jam and yogurt

L:  feta and bean salad with hummus dressing; fruit

D:  fasolia gigantes (with added chorizo and grated cheese); fruit

Exercise: 

The Extra Bit

Melba toast at home.

You need

slices of bread, not too thick, crusts removed (use them to make breadcrumbs)

 And that's all.

Method.

Lightly toast the bread.  Carefully cut across to separate the top of the slice from the bottom, creating two very thin slices.

Cut each thin slice into pieces the size you want.

Pop them under the grill, untoasted side up and brown very carefully until the toast is brown and crunchy.  It tends to curl up so don't put the tray too close to the heat source.

Alternatively, pop them in the oven on an oven tray until done or in a toaster (I don't recommend this last if your pieces are small).

I find they fly about in an air fryer unless you can secure them under a wire rack.

However you do it, keep an eye on them because they can go from perfect to burnt offering quite quickly.  You get a kind of rustic look, nothing like the packs of Melba toast you can get in the crackers section near to the Ryvita, etc.

Use wholemeal and you can call it your healthy extra B

Thursday evening, 03-10-24, fingers crossed for me and about apples.

Good evening, everyone!  

Weigh day tomorrow - it always surprises me how quickly they come around.  And weigh day means Eat-Your-Syns-Friday too.  It's rather nice thinking and planning what I really want to have.

Cross your fingers for me.  I am going to see whether those migraine/neuralgia type one sided headaches I started getting earlier in the year were down to undeniable tooth issues which have now been resolved or whether it really is an intolerance that has nothing to do with any dental problems.  I said then that when the tooth was sorted, I would try again and I think the time has come.

I'm sticking to the Mediterranean vibe though and getting one of those mini bottles of a red, probably Merlot which I really like.  And I have plenty of pain killers, just in case.

What I ate today

A very nice breakfast of yogurt and seeds with an apple to dunk in.  

One and a half syns for seeds.

Lunch and dinner were both exactly the same because - leftovers.

I also have two portions of quiche in the freezer.  Not huge portions but perfect for lunch.

One healthy extra A (I used three As and it made six portions  -Val had seconds), one syn for oil to make the quiche, one syn for oil for the roasties, two syns for seeds and four syns for dressing.

(for both meals not each meal)

Summary:

one healthy extra A

no healthy extra Bs

nine and a half syns

Not great with the healthy extras today but OK with the evoo.

My meal plans for tomorrow:

B:  fruit, yogurt and seeds

L: hummus, various dippy things, salad; fruit

D:  I've really dithered about this because it is Eat-Your-Syns-Friday and what do I really want?  I've gone for some kind of sausage casserole.  I have some nice sausages in the freezer and I think I will have more of the puy lentil and quinoa mix with it because it was so, so tasty!

Exercise:  rest day so just what I get round to doing at home.

The Extra Bit

About apples.

I eat a whole load of apples, one way and another.  It's usually my snack of choice and always what I have if I feel I need to up my energy before a fitness class.

I thought I would find out a bit about apples as I do eat loads of them, one way and another.

Apples are so very good for us.  They contain key nutrients, including fiber and antioxidants and they may offer health benefits, including lowering blood sugar levels and benefitting heart health.

(note - it says 'may' like so much of this sort of info).

Although they have high sugar/carb content, their glycemic index is pretty low so they don't impact significantly/negatively on blood sugar levels.

They are rich in fibre, both soluble and insoluble.  

Apples are not particularly rich in vitamins and minerals. However, they contain decent amounts of both vitamin C and potassium.  They are a good source of several antioxidants, including quercetin, catechin, and chlorogenic acid (don't ask me, it's what it says!!) and these plant compounds are responsible for many of apples’ benefits.

Some evidence suggests that apples can help lower blood sugar levels and protect against diabetes, reduce total cholesterol levels and improve overall blood flow but they don't really have much impact on blood pressure levels.

(All these benefits need to be understood in the context of a generally healthy lifestyle - apples are no kind of magical solution.)

It is best not to peel apples as most of the goodness is just below the skin, like a number of other fruit and veg.

They are tasty, not terribly expensive, there's a good variety of different types and they really do support a healthy lifestyle.

I'm so glad I really love apples.

Wednesday evening, 02-10-24, pondering on jam, a book and Nicky in a Vlog

Good evening, everyone!  

Seeing as I now have some frozen peach and nectarine slices, I decided to thaw some out and have a go at using them for chia jam.  
I've now tried raspberry, strawberry, cherry and plum and apple and they were all delicious although the raspberry was too seedy for me - I prefer seedless jams.

I'm also considering blackberry and apple although I would sieve out most of the blackberry seeds (but I still wouldn't syn).

And, nearer to Christmas, perhaps something with an orange and mixed spice vibe.  Or cranberry - now there's an idea.

Plenty of options anyway!

See what arrived yesterday.

A big thank you to Eloise for mentioning this to me.

I got it from World of Books, a second hand book selling site

World of Books

It was described as in very good condition and it certainly is.  A hard back, originally priced at £16.99, looking as if it had hardly been opened - that will change now!! - and under £4.00.

OK, so it is meals from Mediterranean countries rather than conforming to the Mediterranean 'diet' principles but if I have learnt one thing while doing SW, it is how to adapt a recipe and I have a lovely long list of recipes to adapt.  Use some evoo, chuck in a few seeds, up the veg if necessary and Bob's your uncle!!

What I ate today

A delicious breakfast of strawberry chia jam yogurt, mixed fruit (raspberries, kiwi, peach and nectarine slices and an apple) and some mixed seeds on top.

Two syns in total for the syns.

I was lucky enough to get some whole kale yesterday, not all chopped up with the hard stem part still included.  SO, today, I cut out the hard vein from a leaf, sprayed it with a bit of evoo, added some ras el hanout and air fried it to make some very satisfying crispy kale.  It was nice - obviously I like some kinds of kale.

One syn for the evoo.

Lunch.

Oh.  My.  Gosh.  How delicious was this!  I stuck pretty much to the recipe, roughly reduced down to one.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/halloumi-salad-orange-mint

So, so good!  I will be making this again - maybe as a starter when I have guests - it would be perfect for that in smaller amounts.

A bit SW heavy, mind you.

60g halloumi was two healthy extra As

15g walnuts (plus on straight in the mouth) was one healthy extra B

four syns for 10mls evoo

It's been such a delicious day.  Dinner was also absolutely lovely and very 'healthy' too.

This recipe is also on the wonderful BBC Good Food site  

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/spicy-cajun-chicken-quinoa

Luckily, I had a pouch of puy lentils; the only changes I made were that I used frozen peach slices as I didn't have any dried apricots and I didn't add any leaf coriander, yucky stuff!  Oh, and I used half a boneless chicken fillet - I always cut them in half to freeze them - half is more than enough for me.

I had some melon slices for afters.

Two syns for some evoo and I think that's it as far as SW is concerned.

I think I might use the basic mixture of quinoa, lentils and onion to go with the sausage casserole I plan to make on Friday.  I really liked the flavours and the textures.

Summary:

two healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

eleven syns, two for seeds and evoo accounted for the rest.

My meal plans for tomorrow:

B:  fruit - just fruit as it's a busy morning and I will be eating lunch earlier than usual;.

L:   I have a friend round and am planning to make a crustless quiche, a few air fryer chips and a nice choppy salad followed by fruit (of course).  

D:  Spanish omelette, tomatoes and mushrooms; fruit

Edit - not an omelette, there will be leftovers of quiche!

Exercise:   SET class online

The Extra Bit

I want to give a shout out to Nicky's vlog today.  It's called Nicky in a Vlog and it's a sort of weight loss/family/recipes/general life/holidays sort of vlog, really lovely to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/@nickyinavlog/videos

Nicky's on a weight loss 'journey' and has used a variety of plans and structures over the years.  Recently, having tired of constant weighing and measuring to count calories, she changed to Slimming World and is doing really well.
In a couple of weeks, she is off to the USA on holiday (to Disney) and I'm really looking forward to seeing what she and her family get up to there.

Something else I'm looking forward to is some air fryer recipes/ideas as she won an air fryer in another YouTuber's video yesterday.  Big congratulations, Nicky.

She's also in our lovely Slim Win group.

Do pop over, take a look and like/subscribe if you like what you see.