Category Archives: Weight Loss

Tuesday & Wednesday Round Up AND Weigh In Wednesday

Posted in Daily Thoughts, Food Diary & Photos, Weight Loss by

Hi guys,

Sorry these posts are late! My cough has gone a lot worse so I’ve been nursing a severe headache, chest and abdomen along with my cough 😦 It has also meant that I’m succumbing to snacks here and there which are a bit “syn-ful”.

Tuesday Meals

Midnight snack: 2 x Haribo treat bags (9) (not pictured!)

2014-11-13 12.49.362014-11-13 12.50.17
Breakfast: bacon x3, 2 fried eggs, spinach, mushrooms, spicy beans

Snack: boiled egg

Lunch HM lasagne (HEA & 1 syn)

Snack: pear, 2x miniature heroes (5)

Pre-College: 2 slices of 400g wholemeal bread with ham, beetroot, pickled cucumber, tomatoes, cucumber

College: coffee with milk (1 syn) and a bag of 55g skittles (11 syns) – no photo as my friend binned it before I could get a chance to get a snap!

Post-college: leftover roast lamb shank with SW roast potatoes, swede, broccoli, carrots and mint sauce (1 syn)

Total Syns: 28
Remaining: 24

Wednesday Meals

2014-11-13 12.47.36

Breakfast: 2 fried eggs, spinach, mushrooms, Heck chicken burger (1 syn) and spicy spaghetti strands

Lunch: chicken & sweetcorn soup (0.5 syn) with two of the three boiled eggs

Dinner: chicken shish kebab (6 syns for oil) with salad and a pita bread (10 syns)

Total syns: 17.5

Remaining: 6.5

So I went along to weigh in on Wednesday. I didn’t manage to each much during the day as I was so busy with work but because of my cough I was drinking so much water (I think I went through 3 or 4 litres) all the way up to weigh in so I think some of that may be water retention! Anyhow, I weighed in at 15 stone 7.5 lbs – 3 lbs off! So close to my first half stone certificate (1/2 lb) so even though I’m in London this weekend, I really really hope that I can get that next week 🙂

Thoughts on this week: Food-wise it’s not been that bad. I seemed to struggle in the couple of days before weigh in and really randomly just craved sweets so bad! I don’t normally have too much of a sweet tooth so it was a bit weird! I think being ill hasn’t made this week as successful as it could have been as I succumbed a few times (though always within my syns) but I’m hoping it’ll clear up soon as I’m sat here feeling like utter rubbish! I think next week may be a struggle with being away from home for three days but I will be doing flexi-syns again this week and hopefully I’ll be able to minimise the damage!

Until next time.. x

Meal Plan Mon – Wed

Posted in Daily Thoughts, Meal Plans by

Hi guys,

So I’ve meal planned until Sunday and here’s what I think I shall be having until weigh in.

Monday
Breakfast: 2 slices of 400g wholemeal toast (HEB) with spaghetti hoops, 2 fried eggs, a muller light
Lunch: chicken and sweetcorn soup (0.5 syn) with leftover lamb shank with broccoli, swede, sprouts with a teeny bit of mint sauce (0.5 syn)
Dinner: Homemade lasagne with 5% beef mince, spinach, onions, mushrooms, carrots & celery with wholemeal pasta sheets and a mix of red leicester & mature cheddar and a white sauce using cauliflower and 3 dairylea light triangles so pretty much works out at 1 syn & 1 HEA per portion
Snacks: seafood sticks, 2 clementines, 4 boiled eggs

Tuesday
Breakfast: beans, mushrooms, 2 rashers of bacon, 2 fried eggs, banana
Lunch: HM lasagne (1 syn & HEA)
Pre-college meal: ham sandwich (HEB) with cucumber, tomatoes, pickled cucumber & beetroot with pineapple
Post-college snack: spinach salad with mussels, tomatoes, cucumber, beetroot and low fat dressing (not sure which ones, will update syn value in my daily log)
Snacks: 2 clementines, 2 boiled eggs, banana

Wednesday
Breakfast: Oat-so-simple multigrain porridge fruit muesli (HEB & HEA)
Lunch: chicken & sweetcorn soup (0.5 syn), muller light, banana, clementine
Dinner: HM chicken kebab marinated in 0% fat yoghurt and spices with a spinach salad, tomatoes, cucumber, beetroot, low fat dressing
Snacks: 4 boiled eggs, muller light, pear

Total approx syns: around 9, depending on salad dressing
Total used in the week (approx): 52.5
Average: 7.5 syns/day

Ok guys so that’s the plan. I’m really really hoping for a loss on the scales. I’m drinking so much water and tea at the moment and almost constantly running to the loo which is annoying. Along with my cough, tiredness, body aches due to the coughing – it’s been a rough week! I may add a few more syns here and there as I’ve used about half but it depends how I feel as it is running up to weigh in day and I’m notorious for maintaining.

My daily food updates will be coming as usual. I’m definitely feeling better for logging all my food and taking photos (even for my midnight snacks!). My next non-food diary blog will probably be Wednesday after weigh in (though it will probably have the first half of my meal plan in it as I’ll probably do a little shop Wednesday or Thursday).

Until next time.. x

The After Weekend Post

Posted in Daily Thoughts, Food Diary & Photos, Weight Loss by

Hi guys,

I think I’m beginning to get the hang of this SW thing. The last couple of days have been much easier. Plus, I feel a tiny bit skinnier – my ring fits less snug than it used to 🙂

Food Log for Sunday
B/L – onion & cheese (HEA) omelette with 200g tin of spaghetti & sausage (2.5) and 1 orange
D – Salmon marinated in soy, fish sauce, sweetener, 1 tbsp chilli sauce (2), rice, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli
Snacks – Propercorn Fiery Worcester & Sundried Tomato (4.5), frozen grapes, muller light cappuccino
Syns – 9

Food Log for Monday
B – 3 poached eggs on wholemeal toast (HEB) with mushrooms and tomatoes (at F&B’s so 5 syns for oil)
L – SW mini quiche with carrot fries & some SW chilli con carne with rice
D – had dinner at a Thai restaurant so went with spicy rice noodles in tom yum soup (10?)
Snacks – SW mini quiche
Syns – about 15

Food Log Plan for Tuesday
B – onion & cheese omelette with mushrooms and beans
L – SW chili con carne with rice
D – Asda reduced fat sausages (4.5), mash (4) and veggies
Snacks – SW mini quiche, nectarine x2, orange, cherry tomatoes
Syns – 8.5

I’m actually looking forward to weigh in now. On Friday I was freaking out that I wasn’t getting the hang of it & that I’d be gaining on the first week but I’m feeling quite optimistic. Another plus is that my skin has cleared up quite a bit which I’m super happy about. Couldn’t of come at a better time as it is mine & OH’s five year anniversary this weekend as well as a friend’s wedding. It’s amazing how a few days can totally change your attitude.

Until next time.. x

The Start Over

Posted in Daily Thoughts, Weight Loss by

Hey guys,

Sorry I seemed to fall off the wagon with everything. I say seemed – I did. I unfortunately tore a muscle in my foot which lay me off for a few weeks on Doctor’s orders. 

However, I have hoisted myself back up on the weight loss wagon. On Wednesday I rejoined Slimming World and yesterday I managed my first bike ride to work in around six months. I thoroughly forgot how much I hate to sweat. I have eczema so on a bad day, my face stings so bad  😦

So food log for yesterday (day 3 of SW):

B – eggs, mushrooms, bacon (2), beans, watermelon

L – macaroni, Dairylea light (half HEA), carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, Asda 40% less fat cumberland sausages (3)

D – breaded haddock (HEB), milk (half HEA – to bread the haddock), SW chips, beans, courgette, carrots

Snacks – Muller light cappuccino, apple, more watermelon, rice & soy, nectarine

Syns – bacon (2), sausage (3), 2 crisps (1), 2 M&Ms (1)

I think it was an OK day today. I think I have to be more prepared with snacks as at the moment I’m stuffing my face with fruit & I don’t think all the sugar is going to help all that much. Then again, in this heat, cold fruit is absolute heaven & stops me from making nutella shakes to cool off instead. 

I am really nervous about my first weigh in. I’ve been trying to food optimise as much as possible but I think I went a bit over on my first couple of days. As soon as I try and focus myself on a diet, it just highlights how many times throughout the day I want to just stuff my face. Yeah.. need to get a handle on that. 

Anyhow I shall try and update relatively frequently. Not really got any plans for tomorrow but maybe I’ll go for a walk during the day after tidying the house. 

Until next time.. x

Day One

Posted in Daily Thoughts, Exercise Log, Weight Loss by

Hi guys,

So today was the start of something new. A brand new way of life.

I woke up feeling sick and then fell down the stairs so not a great start! Food wise, I did alright. Not perfect with a slip up or two but not too crazy.

  • Breakfast: 2 apricots, 1/2 flapjack square (103 kcals)
  • Lunch: Roast pork on a white bap with apple sauce and stuffing (bad I know!) (425 kcals)
  • Snack: Toasted olive bread with 1tsp Lurpak butter (363 kcals)
  • Dinner: Honey and soy roasted salmon and sweet potato (488 kcals)
  • Snack: 1 big chocolate button, 2 medium carrot’s worth of batons, 1/7 pot of hoummas (240 kcals)
  • Total: 1618 kcals; Carbs: 39%, Fat: 45%, Protein: 16%

It’s actually been ok. I need to be a bit prepared with meals as if I don’t, I tend to snack on whatever is near me and what with working in a supermarket, there’s a lot of unhealthy stuff out there! Think I may need to bring the protein up and fat down – we shall see how it goes!

I also had my personal fitness consultation today. My trainer is called Steph and she is just lovely. We had a chat about what I want to get out of the sessions and I was pretty happy with trying all the equipment and exercises. I did tell her that my fitness levels were pretty much at zero. We had a mini session within the consultation and I nearly died twice. I think I was extremely keen to try and keep up with the level she set which meant I had two dizzy spells. The final one was a bit scary as I think my blood sugar levels dipped and my vision went blurry which was terrifying! I think the level of exercise is way higher than I have done in so long my body was just in a state of shock.

  • Rowing machine: 500m @ level 5 resistance
  • “Arm bike”: 45s horizontal @ level 5; 30s rest @ level 2; 45s horizontal @ level 5; 30s rest @ level 2; 45s vertical @ level 5; 30s rest @ level 2; 45s vertical @ level 5; 30s rest @ level 2
  • Recumbent cycle: 5 minutes @ level 4; 1 min 30 secs @ level 2
  • Stretches

After coming home and having a nap and a bath before going to a business appointment I had, I felt much better. I have my first proper session tomorrow which I am dreading slightly as today’s “mini” session nearly killed me. However, I think Steph will try and push and motivate me as much as possible yet she was so understanding when having a break after my first dizzy spell, I did say it was hard to not be able to do as much as I know I could do previously (even though it’s been a few years since I last went to the gym properly!). I know I won’t be at that level for a while but it’s so frustrating mentally to see how far I’ve fallen!

I’m actually looking forward to seeing what other exercises I can try. I know that my body will feel so much better and my sleep will improve so I can’t wait to put in the hard work in so I can begin to reap the benefits. The possibility of just collapsing at the gym is a scary one but I’m sure Steph will be keeping an extra eye on me tomorrow and making sure I have my breaks. I think the hardest thing for her is to see where my breaking point is as when I’m on the equipment, I feel fine. It’s when I stand up is the problem! Today has definitely been a lesson in exercise don’ts.

Well, I think that’s all for today. I’ve just been finishing some bits for a friend’s website and caught up with Great British Menu (I love my food shows! Which could be part of the problem!) so I’m ready to hit the sack and see what tomorrow brings 🙂

Until next time.. x

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