Monday, 15-09-25

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys. I'm now around my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

Four days down in the SW week

Three days well in plan

One day well out of plan - oh, well!

Three days to go.

What I ate today:

The inside of the quesadilla was a bit dry - I should have added some sauce - brown, sweet chilli, something like that.  The SW wrap was OK, nothing special and quite thin.

One and a half syns for chutney, one healthy extra A, one healthy extra B and two syns for salad cream in the coleslaw.

For afters I had some skyr baked apple yogurt with some added chis seeds - one and a half syns for the seeds and half for the yogurt.

Today's fruit was an apple and two nectarines.

The meat fests pasta was really nice.  Looking at the recipe, it is more or less how I would make it but I wouldn't get such a mixture of meats.  I added my other half A of hard Italian cheese, the rest of the coleslaw I made earlier (one syn for salad cream) and some tomatoes.  The only think I would change is have wholewheat pasta rather than white.

Afters was the rest of the baked apple yogurt with chia seeds for two syns in total.

I spooned some of the pasta into a bowl and will have it for lunch tomorrow with extra veg and some chicken from the Sunday roast,

Summary:

two healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

seven syns

Tomorrow's plans:

L:  leftovers of the meat feast pasta with added veg and chicken because I can.  Also grated cheese and maybe some hm garlic toast to get my healthy extra B in.

D:  Korean chicken and rice, mixed vegetables; fruit

Exercise:  Groove and the walk there and back

Sunday, 14-09-25

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys. I'm now around my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

three days into this SW week.

one day definitely not on plan

two days in plan

four days to go!

Already, I can see that the problem with this week is where to have my healthy extras.  I will need to look for opportunities to work them in.

What I ate today:

In the morning, I had an apple and a nectarine, both speed fruit.

My roast dinner.  Chicken, broccoli, runner beans, roasted carrots and roast potatoes plus some blueberry sauce, not in the photo and which I won't syn because I used sweetener and don't syn cooked fruit.

Afters was some yogurt and I added some chia seeds - I haven't had chia seeds for ages, have I?

The red berry coulis on top was one and a half syns and the chia seeds go towards my healthy extra B.

Later in the afternoon, I had an orange.

Now, this was something else entirely!

I stir-fried onion, pepper, mushroom, mange tout, baby corn, a chilli from the garden and some mixed seeds in toasted sesame oil.  I added the leftovers from yesterday, mostly noodles and sauce.  I stirred in one tbsp ketjap manis and finally sprinkled some very un-Asian feta cheese around the outside.

And

It

Was

Delicious!

The toasted sesame oil way three syns and the ketjap manis was one and a half syns.  The feta was an A

That was it.  I was full so nothing else needed.

Summary:

one heathy extra A

most of a healthy extra B (chia seeds and mixed seeds)

six syns

Tomorrow's plans:

L:  No SW meal leftovers today so I'm going to have chicken quesadillas which will get in my B and most of my As too.  I'll use one of the SW wraps and I'll let you know what I think.  Then fruit.

D:  meat feast pasta, grated cheese on top if I have any A left, side salad; fruit

Exercise:  Monday is circuits day!  :-)

Saturday, 13-09-25

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys. I'm now around my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

Two days done.

One out of plan, one in plan

Five to go!

I went to Food Warehouse and now I have seven meals tucked away in the freezer (the eighth is in my tummy now).

I got:

Thai green curry

Oriental duck noodles

Meat feast pasta

Chicken tikka balti

Beef tagliatelle

Chicken in black bean sauce

Korean chicken and rice

and what I had this evening, Singapore-style noodles.

I also got some SW wraps (a new venture for SW) and a chicken, nothing to do with SW but for my roast dinner tomorrow.

All in all, with the Iceland offers and the SW discount, I 'saved' nearly £10.  

What I ate today:

The pizza toast was delicious.  I used a bit of Mutti pizza sauce (SW free), 30g cheese (one A), the bread was one B and on it I put onion, mushroom and pepper.  The salad cream was one syn.  I really enjoyed it.

Later on, I had some fresh pineapple and a nectarine that needed using up.

The Singapore-style noodles were rather tasty.  Not quite what I have had from the takeaway but good, all the same.  The only thing that let it down was that some of the sugar snap peas were fibrous so not very nice.

There was loads so I ate all the meat and some of the noodles and veg.  Tomorrow I plan to stir fry some veg - I have loads - and add some chicken from the roast and that will be my evening meal.

This meal was SW free.

I had an apple for afters and then a kvarg for half a syn.

Summary:

one healthy extra A

one healthy extra B

one and a half syns

I think I can safely say today was well in plan!

Tomorrow's plans:

L:  roast chicken dinner - chicken, roasties, vegetables and I might make some blueberry sauce.  Then fruit

D:  leftovers of the Singapore-style boodles with added chicken, bean sprouts, mange tout, baby corn, pepper and mushroom.  Loadsa speed!

Exercise:  rest day

Friday, 12-09-25

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys. I'm now around my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

Weigh in this morning and . . . to my huge relief, one and a half pounds off.

But it was NOT a good idea to celebrate with an off plan evening.  Oh, well . .   
One day down and off plan

Six to go!

My plan for this coming week, starting tomorrow if possible, is that I'm going to make use of the offers for Slimming World members in Food Warehouse at the moment and try (and review in my own simple way) some of the more recent frozen meals.

What I ate today:

OK, so it looks terribly beige and very orange indeed but be assured that I did also have plenty of speed fruit between my meals - possibly too much although SW might say you can't have too much speed!
So sunglasses at the ready and . . .

Beans on toast for lunch.  I like this photo, it makes me think of those fiendishly difficult bean jigsaw puzzles!

The toast was my healthy extra B and I had fruit for afters.

Mid afternoon, I had nibbles of cheese - well, quite a lot of cheese, in fact - for both my healthy extras.

I also munched on some granola for twelve syns.

More orangeness for dinner.

I had planned to have a salad but there were beans left over as Alex couldn't come after all so I used them up.  The steak was quite small but I bashed it out and that splodge next to it is Dijon mustard which is now a SW free condiment.  I also had some salad cream to dip the chips in for one and a half syns.

Afters was more fruit.

I had a few drinks in the evening which took me way out of my syns allowance so I am starting the new SW week with an off plan day.  Ooops!

I really MUST have plenty of vegetables tomorrow and Sunday.  I really don't want to turn orange . . . it is really not a good look.  lol

Summary:

two healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

way too many syns!

Tomorrow's plans:

L:  either pizza toast with a salad or, maybe, pizza waffle with ditto; fruit

D:  a SW meal, not sure which one until I have bought them, extra veg; fruit

Exercise:  a walk.

Thursday, 11-09-25

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys. I'm now around my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

The week is done.  Seven days.  One sort of on plan and six properly on plan.

Weigh in tomorrow morning and, if the scales are still static, at least I know beyond any doubt it's not anything I have 'done wrong'.

Plus I have really, really enjoyed my meals this week.  Home cooked, mostly from scratch, reasonable frugal . . . I'm happy with that!

What I ate today:

I had a nectarine before SET class.

The filling of these lunch quesadillas was softened onion, mixed beans, garlic, herbs, fajita spice, all heated together and mashed, with chutney and cheese.  
One and a half syns for oil, one and a half for the chutney, one A for cheese and one B for the wrap.

I could only eat one of the triangles so I saved the other for dinner and had it with more salad and some crumbled feta for my other A.  One syn for salad cream.

Afters was some fruit and some coconut yoghurt for three syns

I think I can honestly say I have been in plan today but haven't eaten enough.  I wasn't that hungry so that's OK as long as it is only once in a while.

I did get my healthy extras though.

Summary:

two healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

seven syns

Tomorrow's plans:

L:  Alex is here and I think I am going to do good old beans on toast.  Then fruit, if wanted, although I often leave the lunch fruit until later in the afternoon.

D:  I think I fancy steak and chips with pineapple for afters.

Exercise:  Maybe a walk.  It really depends on the weather.

Wednesday, 10-09-25

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys. I'm now around my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

Six days down this week

One sort of in plan.

Five definitely in plan.

One more day to go!

What I ate today:

I had a nectarine before Groove this morning.

A wrap, lined with egg and filled with bacon, sausage and tomato.

Two syns for the sausage and one B

Afters was peaches and an apple

I cut the spaghetti - runner beans were enough - and I melted Seriously Lighter to make a sauce.

One and a bit healthy As (for the sauce and a bit of cheese in the meatballs) and three syns for oil.

Afters was a couple of kiwi fruit.

Summary:

one healthy extra A

one healthy extra B

five syns

Tomorrow's plans:

L:  I have a friend here and I am doing smashed bean quesadillas with salad; fruit

D:  chicken casserole and veg; fruit

Exercise:  SET online

Tuesday, 09-09-25

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys. I'm now around my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

More than half way through my Slimming World week.  

Five days down, one sort of within plan, four totally in plan and two more to go.

And I didn't get on the scales!  :-)

A bit of a show off.  I really think I'm getting the hang of sourdough now.  

These are both for other people and the house smells amazing!

Same dough, just shaped differently)

What I ate today:

I had a banana before Groove (felt I needed some energy) and a nectarine afterwards

Hearty lentil soup with seeds on the top followed by an apple and an orange.

One syn for the soup (it said so on the freezer container) and one for the seeds

I added grated carrot to the burger mixture for some added flavour to go with the pork mince, veggie sausage, onion, garlic and grated parmesan.

Two healthy As for feta (some in the wrap and some to nibble), one healthy extra B and one syn for some grated parmesan in the burger mixture and one syn for the salad cream I spread over the wrap.  It was lovely and I was too full to have any afters.

Summary:

two healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

four syns

Tomorrow's plans:

L:  bacon and sausage sandwich (or roll, wrap, bagel, crumpet), side salad; fruit

Very breakfast-y!

D:  spaghetti meatballs, runner beans; fruit

The meatballs are made with the ither half of the burger mix and I might get a sauce from the freezer or I might use some Seriously lighter for an A

Exercise:  I'm doing an online Groove and later on it is Personal Training.

Monday, 08-09-25

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys. I'm now around my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

I must stop weighing every day - it's getting me down, especially as the numbers are going up, not down, and I don't know why.  Grrrr.

So - mini target for this week - don't get on those scales at home!
 
On a happier note:

Four days down, three 100% on plan, one sort of and three to go!

('On' plan really means 'not over plan')

What I ate today:

I had an apple before Circuits class.

My first ever attempt at ramen, using just what I had.  It was nice and so filling.  I didn't eat the chilli, it's just there for a splash of colour.

Syn free.

I had a peach and a plum for afters.

A rather sloppy bowlful of coleslaw mixed with tuna plus a jacket potato with cheese and some tomatoes. Afters was another peach and a Lindahls kvarg.

One healthy extra A, three syns for salad cream and half a syn for the kvarg.

Summary:

one healthy extra As

no healthy extra B

three and a half syns

Tomorrow's plans:

L:  lentil loaded soup; fruit

D:  burger wrap thingy - it was a thing a while ago,  rolling a wrap around its centre rather than across so it ends up like a triangle.  I saw someone do it with a burger, some pickles, some salad and some cheese and it looked great.  I'll probably have it with a few chips and some salad.  Then fruit.

No, you aren't experiencing deja vue while reading the above, I said I was having this today (Monday) but read my plans wrong and started defrosting a cooked jacket potato so I just swapped the meals around.

Exercise:  Groove and the walk there and back.

Sunday, 07-09-25

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys. I'm now around my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

Three days down, two 100% on plan, one sort of on plan, four more to go.

What I ate today:

Neither meal is terribly well plated today, sorry.

A sort of breakfast-y lunch.  The bagel was one B and I used three syns' worth of garlic infused evoo to cook the tomatoes and  mushrooms.  Afters was fruit salad.

I hadn't planned my healthy As so I had 60g cheese at around four o'clock.

A tasty roast dinner.  I have some pork left of the ramen tomorrow.

Syn free as I don't syn cooked fruit just because it is cooked!

Summary:

two healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

Three syns.

Tomorrow's plans:

L:  ramen (SW mag p w22); fruit

I've never made this before but you see it all over the place so why not?  

D:  burger wrap thingy - it was a thing a while ago,  rolling a wrap around its centre rather than across so it ends up like a triangle.  I saw someone do it with a burger, some pickles, some salad and some cheese and it looked great.  I'll probably have it with a few chips and some salad.  Then fruit.

Exercise:  circuits class.

Saturday, 06-09-25

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys. I'm now around my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

Two days down this week, one sort of on plan, one definitely on plan, five to go.  Fingers crossed . . .

What I ate today:
I had a thoroughly tasteless plum half way through this morning.  I hope the others in the punnet are better.

Lunch was nice.  One healthy extra B and three syns for some coconut milk in the soup.

Delicious!  The chilli had mellowed and I added some Seriously Lighter to 'cream' the sauce.  That, with the grated cheese, made both my As.

Dessert was some baked apple yogurt (half a syn) with garden raspberries.

I also bought a bottle of Schloer pink 'bubbly'.  Nice but nothing special and not so different from their zero drinks.  Not worth seven and a half syns really.

Summary:

two healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

eleven syns

Tomorrow's plans:

L:  roast pork fillet, roasted veg, steamed veg, apple sauce; fruit

D:  toasted bagel with scrambled egg and smoked salmon with tomatoes and mushrooms on the side; fruit

Exercise:  rest day, I think.  

Friday, 05-09-25

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys. I'm now around my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

Well, that was a disappointment!  After a pretty much perfect week . . . I maintained!  Unexpected too.

I was sorely tempted to say 'blow it' and have a blow out but I managed to shut that thought down.  

And then my usual cheery nature re-exerted itself and I decided to, yes, eat more than I had planned, but make it wholesome, relatively healthy stuff - which I did!

So we plod on in hopes that it will all catch up next week and I am very proud that I controlled the food and didn't let it control me.  That was the game changer.

How do you feel when something like that happens?  Something unexpected and unwanted?

So that is one day down in the new week, one day sort of on plan and six to go!

What I ate today:

Lunch was with Alex and I didn't take a photo.  It was a cheese and chutney toastie, one A, one B and one syn.

I made the fish cakes from the new SW magazine.  They were . . . OK.  I found them a bit stodgy and lacking in flavour - they'd maybe have been nicer with smoked fish or salmon.  I felt I would rather have used pretty much the same ingredients for fish and chips with an egg and I won't be making them again.

Syn free and one A for extra cheese that I added - didn't really help!

I also had grapes, blueberries, yogurt and granola (for 10 syns),frozen fruit foam to use up an egg white (the yolk went in the fish cakes) and which was free because I don't syn blended fruit, and a wodge of cheese which I didn't measure.  I wasn't huge but I'm saying it's taken me to the top of my syns.

Summary:

two healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

fifteen syns, maybe into flexi-syns.

Did I stay on plan.  Sort of, I think.  It was all controlled and, apart from the last cheese, measured out if necessary.  I'm saying 'sort of' anyway.

Tomorrow's plans:
I have leftover canned tomato and leftover bean chilli in the fridge so I am having . . .

L:  tomato, red pepper and lentil soup with crunchy sourdough fingers; fruit

D:  loaded chilli fries with cheese and pickle topping, side salad; fruit

Exercise:  gardening, weather permitting!

Thursday, 04-09-25

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys. I'm now around my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

Seven days down, all 100% on plan apart from a few missing healthy extras, weigh day tomorrow.
Whatever the outcome, I am so pleased to have eaten so well and healthily all week.

What I ate today:

For lunch, I spray fried onion, pepper, mushroom and chicken with some Baharat spice mix and lime juice, spread some mayo on a wrap and piled the filling on.
I forgot to add cheese that I had defrosted but there was some chicken mix left so I had that in a bowl afterwards with the cheese.

Very nice and very filling.

Afters was an apple.

One healthy extra A, one B and one syn.

In the afternoon, I had an orange and my other healthy extra A in cheese.

Dinner was a fairly standard arrabbiata except that I used a garden chilli.  They say hot food increases your metabolism.  If that's true, mine is up there with the best right now - it was lovely with some cooling yogurt on top.

I have the other half of the arrabbiata itself for another day so that's going into the freezer for now.

Syn free and loaded with speed!

Summary:

two healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

one syn

Tomorrow's plans:

L:  Not sure - I want to ask Alex what he fancies.

D:  fish cakes with egg on top, tomatoes and maybe mushrooms; fruit

Exercise:  walking

Wednesday, 03-09-25

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys. I'm now around my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

Six days down, 100% on plan apart from missing a few healthy extras, one day to go before weigh in

What I ate today:
It was a really hungry day today, not feeling 100% and a fair old struggle.  I used my B and another ten syns on some granola to nibble and had two apples, one banana and an orange.  All speed/free and on plan but maybe too much

Lunch was a jacket potato with cheese and beans and with tomatoes on the side.

One and a half syns for the salad cream I HAVE to have with a jacket potato and two healthy extra As for an abundance of cheese!

Dinner was sloppy Joe pasta from the most recent SW magazine - very tasty and very filling - and syn free.

Summary:

two healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

eleven and a half syns

Tomorrow's plans:

L:  chicken fajita wrap, salad; fruit

D:  bean pasta arrabbiata, ? side salad; fruit

Exercise:  rest day  

Tuesday, 02-09-25

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys. I'm now around my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

Five days down, 100% on plan (apart from missing some healthy extras), two days to go before the next weigh in.

What I ate today:

I had an apple before Groove and a peach afterwards.

This is a link to the plant based veg nests Beth and I had for lunch - I thought mine was delicious and will definitely be getting them again when I am next shopping in Aldi.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/product/plant-menu-indian-inspired-vegetable-nests-000000000600162001

Beth decided beans and both egg and cheese and it worked a treat.

One healthy extra A and seven and a half syns (but less than 200 calories) for the nest.  Go figure!

Later on I had an apple and a banana

Dinner was a feta and butterbean burger from the freezer, topped with onion chutney and with plain new potatoes and some runner beans.

Half a healthy extra A for the burger and one and a half syns for the chutney.

Summary:

one and a half healthy extra As

no healthy extra Bs (ooops)

nine syns

Tomorrow's plans:

L:  jacket potato with baked beans (leftovers from today) and cheese, side salad; fruit

D:  sloppy Joe pasta (from the new SW magazine), maybe side salad; fruit

Exercise:  personal training

Monday, 01-09-25

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys. I'm now around my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

Four days down, all on plan, three to go.

What I ate today:

I had an apple before circuits this morning.

I thought I had feta but I didn't so I changed my plans somewhat.  I mashed some chickpeas and kidney beans with some caramelised onion chutney, split a pitta across into two slices, layered cheese, bean mash, tomato slices, cheese on one side, covered it with the other and heated it up in a pan - like a quesadilla but with pitta bread.  It was really nice with a salad.

One and a half As for the cheese and one B for the pitta plus one syn for mixed seeds, one and a half for dressing and one and a half for the chutney.

During the afternoon, I had a peach and an orange.

I had a fake away for dinner.  The Indian meatballs were free, the curry sauce was one and a half syns, the dahl was one syn and the rice was half a syn.

Afters was some yogurt plus seeds (one syn), red berry coulis (one and a half syns) and three raspberries.

I also had a bit of bread from the end of the loaf I baked today - I'm calling it half a B because then I have had three healthy extras altogether - which is fine.

Summary:

one and a half healthy extra As

one and a half healthy extra Bs

eight syns

Tomorrow's plans:

L:  vegetable nest with an egg on top and salad.

This is a Plant Menu thing and, as Beth is here for lunch and there's two in the box, I thought we should test it together.  Looking at the list of ingredients and the calories, I have no idea why it should be so high in syns but there you go

D:  feta burger, vegetables, new potatoes; fruit

Exercise:  Groove - in class!  Yay.