A Gazillion ProPoints but Loads of Fun!

On Saturday, I went to my final festival of the summer - The Big Feastival. It was a food and music festival in the Cotswolds, set up by Alex James and Jamie Oliver. It had loads of amazing food outlets with a myriad of goodies to sample, local crafts and great music. The highlight, apart from the free Green and Blacks chocolate, was Fat Boy Slim, who did an incredible 90 minute set. I danced my way to all his greats, mixed up with classic hits and new, bass heavy tracks.

I knew this one would be difficult, diet-wise. I had a choice to make. Put off starting Weight Watchers until after or accept that I may gain weight this week. I went for the second option! It's very hard to work out exactly how many points I went through but I've had a good guess:

B: fruit and low fat yog (1)

L: paella (18)

D: Higgety Chicken Pie (20!) cheesy mash (8) churros (18)

Drinks: (6)

Freebies: (15)

Total: 86 points!! 

Luckily, I had saved my weekly 49 points, plus the 38 I had for the day, so:

(49+38) - 86 = +1

It looks like I might be off the hook! 

That's not including the exercise points earned from walking and dancing. 

In other news, I'm back to work tomorrow (boo!) but it does make planning, eating and exercising a lot easier. 

Weigh-In Day!

                                      

I've just returned from my weekly weigh-in and I lost 1.5lbs. I'm really pleased with that considering what a tricky week this has been. I knew this week would be hard and at the back of my mind, I keep thinking that maybe I should have waited to join WW but I guess I wouldn't be 8.5lbs lighter and would probably have put on another stone in that time! 

I've decided to move from Filling and Healthy to just doing Propoints. The reason being, I eat a lot of foods that aren't on the lists and because I'm not very good at portion control. I completely understand the Filling and Healthy plan and would definitely recommend it to others but as I eat mostly whole foods, cooked from scratch anyway, it doesn't really make that much difference to me. 

The next week is also a difficult one. I have a food festival on Saturday and I'll be staying at my sister's house (although she is on WW too). I'm going to try and save all 49 weekly Propoints for then so I can enjoy all the treats on offer! I'm back to work on Monday, which has pros and cons. The pros are that I'll be active and busy (so less time for thinking about food) but the cons are that I'll be around biscuits and cakes in the staffroom and I'm very tired when I get in. This has, previously, led to grabbing a takeaway when I get home. I'm going to make sure I have some ready made meals in the freezer for those times!

Festival Madness

This weekend I went to a music festival with a group of friends. It was amazing! Great music, great location and great times with people I enjoy spending time with. I knew it would be tough keeping to my diet over the two days but I've tracked everything this weekend and I don't think I've done too bad. Actually, I'm quite proud of myself! 

The food choices there were not healthy but I think I chose well, considering. I avoided too much bread and only had one pint of lager on Saturday. On Sunday, I bought some cooked chicken and wholemeal pittas with me and took them in so didn't have to buy food from the stalls. I didn't drink alcohol at all on Sunday either and drank lots of diet coke and water. I also did more exercise in those two days than I have done in the last 2 months! Saturday, I walked (slowly) the 40 min journey there and back after it finished and Sunday I walked back. I walked (again, slowly) all day, especially Saturday and even danced! 

My ankles and knees are killing me today, but that's not surprising considering they've been holding up 17stone for the last two days! I need to be very good all week as have another festival on Saturday and this one has a food focus! I'll be driving to this one and back so will have to dance, lots! 

Prawn Soup

Some food experiments work, some are a disaster! Luckily, tonight's experiment culminated in a rich, low fat, filling and tasty soup that I will definitely make again.

Ingredients:

* 1 red onion, diced

* 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

* 1 medium carrot, diced

* 1/2 red pepper, chopped

* 1/3 red chilli, deseeded

* 1 mug of passata

* 1 small squeeze of tomato purée

* 1/2 tsp fennel seeds

* 1/2 tsp shrimp paste or 1 fish stock cube

* 150-200g prawns (I used the cheap, tiny ones)

Method:

1) Sweat down the onion and garlic until softened

2) Stir in the carrot, chilli and red pepper with the tomato purée and fennel

3) After about 2 minutes, add in the passata and 2 mugs of water. Combine well and add the stock cube or shrimp paste

4) Leave to gently simmer for 6 minutes

5) Add in the prawns and allow to gently cook for another 6 minutes

6) Remove from heat and blitz with a hand 'gobbler' 

I had it on its own but could serve with croutons, fresh bread, grilled 'posh' prawns, a swirl of creme fraiche or chilli oil or with some fresh coriander.

1 propoint per big batch (enough for 3 big bowls) on Filling and Healthy.

Tricky Times

Wednesday saw the start of a tricky couple of weeks for me. I had Ma to stay, have two weekend festivals to go to and I have to go back to work. The last couple of days have been filled with delicious food but I've tracked it all as best I can. I lost 2.5lbs when I weighed in on Weds which means a total of 7lbs. Am really pleased! Just got to get through the next week and a half without blowing it.

I'm really enjoying eating fresh, 'clean' food again and making new recipes which fit the plan. I'm especially enjoying all the fesh fruit and vegetables, in particular local raspberries and strawberries.

I've also made a Thai prawn curry using my original Thai curry paste recipe and Chinese pork balls. Not sure what I'll eat at the first festival this weekend. I will probably try and avoid bread to help and I won't be drinking. Just got to make sure I dance lots to earn some activity points!

Things I'm Looking Forward To....

A post on the WW community got me thinking. I love a bit of goal setting so here's the list of things I'm looking forward to about losing weight:

* being comfortable enough to volunteer in a hot country. Fat+heat+physical work does not mix!
* hopefully being able to sleep without my CPAP machine
* being able to wear smaller clothes (size 14 sounds amazing)
* enjoying fashion again
* feeling confident in my own skin again
* being able to have my photo taken without the fear engulfing me
* feeling fitter and being able to walk up a particular hill without stopping
* my PCOS symptoms decreasing
* not being everyone's fat friend
* getting positive comments from others
* being able to wear a cute play suit in a reasonable size (<16)
* sending off my details for WW magazine
* walking through obstacles without first assessing whether I will fit
* completing the 30day shred
* my joints feeling less achy
* being able to buy bras from shops rather than online
* not having a fat line down my forehead
* wearing heels
* wearing swimwear with confidence
* telling people how much I've lost and seeing their reaction
* being lighter than my younger sister
* being obese, then over weight, then healthy

I may add to this list over my journey, but that's it for now!

Portion Control

I'm still going well on the WW plan. I'm doing Filling and Healthy plus my 49 points over the week. It feels a bit wrong not weighing and measuring food before I put them into my mouth and it's got me thinking about portion sizes and portion control. Apart from the fact I've spent the last two months having two takeaways per week, I do eat quite well. I cook meals from scratch, use mostly fresh, unprocessed ingredients and love vegetables. However, my portion control is completely lacking!

My dinner plates, used for everything, not just dinner, measure 28cm in diameter and don't have that little inner lip thing. I would fill that plate! My pasta bowls, used for everything 'saucy' measure 20cm in diameter and are deep. The temptation to fill them is just too much. I think it may be time to buy some new, healthy-living-friendly ones.

I like these!

Healthy Stuffed Mushrooms

I get so bored of eating sandwiches and salads for lunch! Here's a really easy recipe that can be adapted to contain whatever takes your fancy.

Ingredients:

2 large mushrooms
2 slices of low cal brown bread
1 spring onion
2 rashers of bacon medallions
Handful of fresh parsley
30g low fat cheese
Salt and pepper

Method:

1. In a food processor, add the mushroom stalks, bread, roughly chopped spring onion, parsley, chopped bacon and salt and pepper. Blitz until the consistency of stuffing.
2. Stuff the mushrooms with the mixture and place the cheese, grated, on top.
3. Grill under a medium grill for 10 mins.

Changes

Today has been all about changes. For nearly 5 days I've not left the house, spoken to another human being or gotten any fresh air. My apartment is a mess. No, 'mess' isn't the right word. I'm living in a self-destructing bubble that involves wearing my dirty PJs while super glued to the sofa. The filth has built up in my home and even the flies are trying to escape. Getting into my (unmade, dusty) bed is a feat only a hill climber would contemplate and the bathroom, well... Depression sucks. I've actually found myself wanting to be back at work, that should say it all. It should come as no surprise. I mean, if I can't look after my health and body, then why should I have looked after my home? Reading this story http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Vincent made me worry about people finding me in my filth!

Well, today I decided to change. I got up, showered and dressed in clean clothes (amazingly there were some). I faced the stinky bin head-on and left the apartment. I went for a walk down to the harbour where I live, breathed in fresh air and had coffee and fruit. Since then, I've felt motivated enough to get stuck in on the home of horrors! 

So far I've cleared all the washing up, cleaned the bathroom to within an inch of its life and done 2 loads of washing. By the time I go to bed, I will have a clean kitchen and tidy living space. There'll still be lots to do, so here's the plan:

Friday- Hoover living area, clean inside fridge, wash bedding, tidy 100 things in bedroom.

Sat - wash floors in kitchen, living room, hallway and bathroom, finish tidying bedroom, take all bags of rubbish out, Hoover bedroom.

Sun- Dust throughout, wash windows and glass, wash living room curtains, clean oven.

I'm feeling good, motivated and healthy! Still ticking to my WW plan and loving living in a clean(er) space.

Before Pictures

I always get very motivated by seeing people's before and after pictures, especially from those who have lost a lot of weight. I've taken all my measurements too and recording them on the FitJourney app. I'm also going to take photos every half stone - face, full front and full side. I'm not comfortable showing my face yet, so excuse the white blanks! Eeek, they're bad!

Getting Healthy

One of the major reasons I want to lose weight, is to get healthy. In the previous 3 months, I've become completely inactive, moving only from my sofa to my work place. I was eating at least 2 takeaways per week and wasn't cooking my meals properly. My health is becoming more of an issue. I have been diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and have very weak knees. I know I must be teetering on the edge of Type II Diabetes and I have a family history of heart problems and breast cancer.

At 34, it's time to sort myself out before I get really ill. At the moment my most hated ailments are the oily, acne ridden skin as a result of the PCOS and the Sleep Apnoea. There's no guarantee that weight loss will cure either of these conditions but I know they will make them better. 

I can't face exercise at the moment but I know from past experience that after a few losses on the scales, I'll be motivated to get fit! 

Had a positive day, food wise. Nothing special but healthy and on-plan.

Fat, frumpy, unhealthy and sad

So I've stepped back onto the scales at Weight Watchers today. In many ways it goes against everything I believe in but the truth is, I just can't seem to lose weight on my own. I'm horribly over weight and need to lose 7 stone 10lbs to be in my 'healthy' category. I have numerous health complaints that would be solved or at least minimised by losing weight and I just want to feel comfortable again. I'm setting my goal for 11 stone 10lbs which means I need to lose 6 stone. I can do this! I really, really want to spend next summer volunteering in Africa or India and a significant weight loss would make this soooo much easier. 

This blog will still be about food and recipes but will also document my weight loss. I'm doing the Simple Start programme at least for the first week. I don't think I'll be able to stick to it beyond a week as it's quite restrictive but it's very healthy and will do my body some good!