After last week's telling off at Weight Watchers I could easily have gone either way - I could have become the militant, hardcore Weight Watcher, always with a 1point snack at the ready should temptation come my way, constantly munching on fruit and turning my nose up at the slightest whiff of vino or, dare I say it, cake... or I could become the "hang-it-all, I'm quitting" type, having a major binge whilst blowing raspberries and sticking my fingers up at my tracker...
Not me! I focused on making lovely home-made soups, bulking up on vegetables and choosing leaner cuts of meat and fish. My salmon and vegetable soup last week saw me through a couple of work lunches, then I opted for freshly-made sandwiches with simple fillings from the convenience store up the road.
At the weekend I took Flo to Southampton. This, in itself, is not a major event, granted, but it could have turned into a foodfest easily! The thing with it being just the two of us for a change, is that there is less pressure (perceived or otherwise) to eat crap. We walked from our home to the ferry (about a mile), took the little train up the pier, then the ferry across the water to Town Quay, where we picked up a free bus to take us to West Quay. Perfect! In true "ladies that lunch" style, we went to Marks and Spencer for a pot of tea and a babycino. We had no cake as we had eaten lunch before we left (Strike one to Jeanie!). After a bit of window shopping and picking up a few basics, we went to Asda and chose a quick snack - cooked chicken skewers (only 1 point per 2 skewers) and some fruit, then headed home. So no MacDonalds, no Pizza Hut, and no oh-so-sneaky Fat Jackets (they sound as though they should be healthy, but you really don't want to know!).
That's half of the week done, easy peasy! Throw into the equation a family birthday party on Sunday, though, and you can start to panic... it's days like Sunday that I'm glad I don't dip into my bonus points on a regular basis. I had a biscuit (that I'd made, I might add), some nachos, dips, chilli with rice, CHOCOLATE CAKE and other nibbles. This I could probably get away with on any good week. This week, though, I took my parents home after the party, around 6.30-7pm, driving past a MacDonalds and KFC. When I say driving past, I actually mean, driving into and ordering an eat-in family bucket with extra crispy strips. My part in this calamity cost me 20 points. Maybe 25 with the popcorn chicken of doom I accidentally "helped" Flo with.
Monday I did a big weekly shop, stocking up on fresh fruit and veg. This makes my life SO much easier from a diet perspective, as most fruit and veg are "free" on WW, so I tend to fill 3/4 of my plate with veg, with small amounts of meat and potato. Sounds dull, but I love veg, and I don't feel at all deprived.
Enough of that! I shouldn't polish my halo TOO much - I've been less than angelic food-wise. Tell that to the scales, though, because today I weighed in 3.5lb LESS than last week! This takes my overall weight loss to 1st 2.5lb, and my WW weight loss to 1stone exactly. I reckon I can lose another half stone at least by Christmas, so here is my pledge - to weigh 12stone-something by my final weigh-in on 19th December. I know I can do it, with or with out Colonel Sanders!
Yet again, thank you all so much for the support - I love your comments after my posts :D
Wednesday 24 October 2012
Wednesday 17 October 2012
Blame Toby
I think I got off lightly this week - I was fully expecting Katie at WW to say "You've put on two pounds!" so was very relieved to have stayed the same. Here's why...
First: I didn't track. This is one of the fundamentals of Weight Watchers - you have to track. Keeping tabs on the food you've eaten during the day not only allows you to reward yourself on low-point days but also means you have an accurate idea of how many "bonus" points you can use if you happen to go out for a meal.
Second: I baked biscuits. I'm usually pretty good with this, as I can restrict myself to one or two. I took half of them to my mum's as my brother, sister-in-law and niece were all there for the afternoon. Of course I had to try a couple more while I was there. What I didn't need was the extra 4 or 5 when I got home. For that I look to my next issue...
Third: Scott was away most of the weekend. Being the wife of a very successful and busy photographer has its perks, don't get me wrong (I can get as wrinkly as a prune and he magically smooths away the lines on any photos of me in Photoshop!) but one thing I find difficult is the amount of time he's away from home, particularly at weekends. I usually end up either not making much of a meal for myself, concentrating on Flo, or I say "stuff it!" and eat like a pig. It's daft really, as it is SO counter-productive, but I can't tell myself that at the time.
Fourth: I went out for the day with mum and nan. This is always a positive thing - I get to spend some quality time on a four-generation day out. What makes it slightly awkward is the fact that occasionally we want to celebrate, and this week nan was adamant that we would celebrate my new job by stuffing ourselves silly at the Toby Carvery at Christchurch. In and of itself this wouldn't really have been a problem, as I restricted my potatoes to three, and went for turkey rather than beef and positively HEAPED my plate with veg. What really did it for me was the afternoon tea at Stewart's garden centre - a sharing plate of sandwiches, scones, fairy cakes and shortbread. It's one of those "too good to miss" type deals, and I think for all of us it cost around £10. I didn't need it though, and I should have said to mum and nan to just get themselves a cream tea and I'd have some fruit salad. The fact that I didn't is purely my fault. I'd still like to blame Toby though.
Fifth: I haven't been shopping since last week. I'm out of my favourite fruits, I've got very little in the stock cupboard, and I'm all out of home-made soup. Unfortunately, until I get paid at the end of the week, this situation is not going to change. Having to wait an extra ten days after my usual payday is actually fairly crippling financially.
At my WW group this evening, only a few women had lost weight. Many had stayed the same, and some had put on. This led to quite an interesting discussion on our lack of self-control. One woman suggested that over-eating actually IS a form of control - we CHOOSE to eat more, whether we feel worthless in ourselves, or, worse, to SPITE someone else. I feel both apply to me this week. I am perfectly capable of saying no to food, it's just that this week I chose not to. I said I'd be honest and open in this blog, so there you are. I haven't failed, but I'm not impressed with myself. Next week will be better. Scott is away all weekend again, but I'm going to try and keep busy and make sure the fruit bowl is full of tasty treats. The cap of resolve is firmly in place - woe betide any who try to knock it off!
First: I didn't track. This is one of the fundamentals of Weight Watchers - you have to track. Keeping tabs on the food you've eaten during the day not only allows you to reward yourself on low-point days but also means you have an accurate idea of how many "bonus" points you can use if you happen to go out for a meal.
Second: I baked biscuits. I'm usually pretty good with this, as I can restrict myself to one or two. I took half of them to my mum's as my brother, sister-in-law and niece were all there for the afternoon. Of course I had to try a couple more while I was there. What I didn't need was the extra 4 or 5 when I got home. For that I look to my next issue...
Third: Scott was away most of the weekend. Being the wife of a very successful and busy photographer has its perks, don't get me wrong (I can get as wrinkly as a prune and he magically smooths away the lines on any photos of me in Photoshop!) but one thing I find difficult is the amount of time he's away from home, particularly at weekends. I usually end up either not making much of a meal for myself, concentrating on Flo, or I say "stuff it!" and eat like a pig. It's daft really, as it is SO counter-productive, but I can't tell myself that at the time.
Fourth: I went out for the day with mum and nan. This is always a positive thing - I get to spend some quality time on a four-generation day out. What makes it slightly awkward is the fact that occasionally we want to celebrate, and this week nan was adamant that we would celebrate my new job by stuffing ourselves silly at the Toby Carvery at Christchurch. In and of itself this wouldn't really have been a problem, as I restricted my potatoes to three, and went for turkey rather than beef and positively HEAPED my plate with veg. What really did it for me was the afternoon tea at Stewart's garden centre - a sharing plate of sandwiches, scones, fairy cakes and shortbread. It's one of those "too good to miss" type deals, and I think for all of us it cost around £10. I didn't need it though, and I should have said to mum and nan to just get themselves a cream tea and I'd have some fruit salad. The fact that I didn't is purely my fault. I'd still like to blame Toby though.
Fifth: I haven't been shopping since last week. I'm out of my favourite fruits, I've got very little in the stock cupboard, and I'm all out of home-made soup. Unfortunately, until I get paid at the end of the week, this situation is not going to change. Having to wait an extra ten days after my usual payday is actually fairly crippling financially.
At my WW group this evening, only a few women had lost weight. Many had stayed the same, and some had put on. This led to quite an interesting discussion on our lack of self-control. One woman suggested that over-eating actually IS a form of control - we CHOOSE to eat more, whether we feel worthless in ourselves, or, worse, to SPITE someone else. I feel both apply to me this week. I am perfectly capable of saying no to food, it's just that this week I chose not to. I said I'd be honest and open in this blog, so there you are. I haven't failed, but I'm not impressed with myself. Next week will be better. Scott is away all weekend again, but I'm going to try and keep busy and make sure the fruit bowl is full of tasty treats. The cap of resolve is firmly in place - woe betide any who try to knock it off!
Wednesday 10 October 2012
It's ok to be naughty, as long as you track it!
Some weeks I can walk into my Weight Watchers meeting feeling virtuous, knowing I've "behaved" and avoided over-indulging. This is NOT that kind of week. I walked into the meeting feeling anything BUT virtuous. I have to blame my best friend Kirsty for this. Yes, that's right, I'm taking no part in this where blame is concerned. Here's why:
Eleven days ago I baked delicious chocolate biscuits. 16 of them to be precise. These were 3 points each, so I was careful and limited myself to a couple. However, on the way to visit Kirsty ten days ago I felt that my chocolate biscuits might not be entirely to the liking of our little monkeys, so I picked up a tube of Cadbury chunks and a BIG tube of Smarties (you know, the Christmas ones). We had a lovely time, ate lunch, ate a few biscuits and then looked at the sweets. Kirsty was dubious about keeping both tubes, so I opted to take the Smarties home with me. Flo LOVES Smarties, right?
WRONG!
On the revelation that Flo doesn't like Smarties I steadfastly decided that I could resist them. Unfortunately I put them on a shelf right above the coffee machine, right in my line of sight all day. I managed to ignore the tube for a week, but then the weekend hit. Scott was on shoots all day Sunday so I was a bit down, and sought solace in the little pellets of loveliness. In handfuls. Till they were gone. Granted, this ended up spread over 3 days, but still, a lot of points for not a lot of point, if you see my point. I tracked the tube, using my bonus points, and resolved to be extra good for the rest of the week.
So yes, I blame Kirsty. I love you really, Kirsty, but never ever let me take chocolate home with me.
To make up for my chocolate dalliance, I decided to make a huge vat of soup - always good for a bowl of soup, me. I'd picked up a side of salmon from the bargain shelf in Tesco, so I went for salmon and vegetable. I made enough for 14 individual portions (only used a tiny bit of salmon though - cut the rest up for other meals). Last time I made soup I thought it would be a good idea to batch up two bowls at a time in takeaway tubs, because in my head I always sit to eat a meal with Mr C. Sadly we don't always eat together, particularly at lunchtime, which is traditionally my soup time. Needless to say, my last soup was in double quantities, with me eating two portions for 5points rather than one portion for 2 points. I would not make this mistake again. My salmon soup I portioned into little Ikea freezer bags (the press-seal ones) using 4 ladles per bag. Each portion - 1 point :D
Ok, so a little bit of penance, a little bit of making amends... but still had to walk into Weight Watchers feeling as though there was evidence of my Smartie-related wrong-doing all over my face. Incredibly I managed to lose a further 1.5lb this week, proving that it's OK to be naughty, as long as you track it!
So, overall weight loss is now 13.5lb (WW official weightloss is 10.5lb). I weigh 13st 11lb, so I'm getting there, slowly. I think I'd like to aim for 13 stone by Christmas. I'm sure I can do it - 1lb a week consistently from now on should just about get me there. My leader asked me about my blog at the meeting this week, so if any of my lovely Marchwood ladies read this, please say hello on the comments. Thank you for reading xxx
Eleven days ago I baked delicious chocolate biscuits. 16 of them to be precise. These were 3 points each, so I was careful and limited myself to a couple. However, on the way to visit Kirsty ten days ago I felt that my chocolate biscuits might not be entirely to the liking of our little monkeys, so I picked up a tube of Cadbury chunks and a BIG tube of Smarties (you know, the Christmas ones). We had a lovely time, ate lunch, ate a few biscuits and then looked at the sweets. Kirsty was dubious about keeping both tubes, so I opted to take the Smarties home with me. Flo LOVES Smarties, right?
WRONG!
On the revelation that Flo doesn't like Smarties I steadfastly decided that I could resist them. Unfortunately I put them on a shelf right above the coffee machine, right in my line of sight all day. I managed to ignore the tube for a week, but then the weekend hit. Scott was on shoots all day Sunday so I was a bit down, and sought solace in the little pellets of loveliness. In handfuls. Till they were gone. Granted, this ended up spread over 3 days, but still, a lot of points for not a lot of point, if you see my point. I tracked the tube, using my bonus points, and resolved to be extra good for the rest of the week.
So yes, I blame Kirsty. I love you really, Kirsty, but never ever let me take chocolate home with me.
To make up for my chocolate dalliance, I decided to make a huge vat of soup - always good for a bowl of soup, me. I'd picked up a side of salmon from the bargain shelf in Tesco, so I went for salmon and vegetable. I made enough for 14 individual portions (only used a tiny bit of salmon though - cut the rest up for other meals). Last time I made soup I thought it would be a good idea to batch up two bowls at a time in takeaway tubs, because in my head I always sit to eat a meal with Mr C. Sadly we don't always eat together, particularly at lunchtime, which is traditionally my soup time. Needless to say, my last soup was in double quantities, with me eating two portions for 5points rather than one portion for 2 points. I would not make this mistake again. My salmon soup I portioned into little Ikea freezer bags (the press-seal ones) using 4 ladles per bag. Each portion - 1 point :D
Ok, so a little bit of penance, a little bit of making amends... but still had to walk into Weight Watchers feeling as though there was evidence of my Smartie-related wrong-doing all over my face. Incredibly I managed to lose a further 1.5lb this week, proving that it's OK to be naughty, as long as you track it!
So, overall weight loss is now 13.5lb (WW official weightloss is 10.5lb). I weigh 13st 11lb, so I'm getting there, slowly. I think I'd like to aim for 13 stone by Christmas. I'm sure I can do it - 1lb a week consistently from now on should just about get me there. My leader asked me about my blog at the meeting this week, so if any of my lovely Marchwood ladies read this, please say hello on the comments. Thank you for reading xxx
Wednesday 3 October 2012
New job, new dress size, new goals!
It would appear I had a rather good end to September/start to October. Last Friday I completed my final shift as a bra fitter and this week I've been training for my new job. It's strange. Over the years I've had many different jobs, and have left for all sorts of different reasons - end of contract, move to permanent role elsewhere, to go and do something "worthwhile", to have a baby etc. This time was different again.
Working in retail is fairly straight-forward. I'll never say it's easy, as you're on your feet most of the day, face to face with the public who often have a very set (and perhaps not terribly accurate) idea of the sort of person they are going to be served by, all the while smiling, staying positive and making the best of what you do. It is not a job I disliked by any means, but it was certainly not fulfilling all that I seek from a career.
The key objective for me in leaving was to move into a business where working part-time hours doesn't automatically put you on the back foot. Banking seems to match this objective really well. I'm not allowed to say where I work (some of you may know already), as we've been told emphatically that we cannot publicise this in case someone uses the information to make us commit fraud, or to blackmail or bribe us. Sounds pretty drastic, but I can see their point. Anyway, suffice to say, I now work for one of the UK's leading financial institutions, and will be seeking to progress from a cashier to an adviser as soon as I am qualified. Because I can progress. The phrase used in my interview was "part-time hours, full-time mentality".
So this week, training has well and truly begun. I'm working Mon-Fri for the first time in 3 years, which has been a culture shock to say the least! Granted, I've not had to travel too far, as my training is in Southampton, whereas my fellow trainees have traveled from South Cornwall, South Wales, West Sussex and Hertfordshire. Unfortunately temptations are many when you are training, particularly with a chap delivering sandwiches, crisps, hot food, chocolate and other tasty treats every lunchtime. I've averted diet disaster by taking in a flask of hot soup, purchasing a salad, and today taking in more soup, this time for microwaving in the training department.
So, what is the outcome of this tumultuous week in terms of my Weight Watchers diet? A loss of 2.5lb, taking my total loss to 11.5lb and my official WW lost to 9lb. I also wore my size 16 smart trousers today for the first time this year (couldn't do them up before!) so I'm definitely heading in the right direction. My current weight stands at 13st 12.5lb. My 5% goal is 13st 12lb, so I'm now looking at my new goal of 13st 3lb, which would be a 10% drop from my start weight of 14st 10.5. Not bad, eh?
I'm feeling pretty good about how quickly this is happening. I'm not hungry, I don't feel deprived, as I'm still eating occasional chocolate and snacks, and tonight I've had one of my favourite meals as a real (high in points!) treat - home made lasagne with garlic bread. Yum! So, onwards and upwards (or downwards might be more apt!). Thanks once again for all the support. I love to hear that you've read my blog, and even more when you comment. It really means a lot and makes the whole journey much easier.
Working in retail is fairly straight-forward. I'll never say it's easy, as you're on your feet most of the day, face to face with the public who often have a very set (and perhaps not terribly accurate) idea of the sort of person they are going to be served by, all the while smiling, staying positive and making the best of what you do. It is not a job I disliked by any means, but it was certainly not fulfilling all that I seek from a career.
The key objective for me in leaving was to move into a business where working part-time hours doesn't automatically put you on the back foot. Banking seems to match this objective really well. I'm not allowed to say where I work (some of you may know already), as we've been told emphatically that we cannot publicise this in case someone uses the information to make us commit fraud, or to blackmail or bribe us. Sounds pretty drastic, but I can see their point. Anyway, suffice to say, I now work for one of the UK's leading financial institutions, and will be seeking to progress from a cashier to an adviser as soon as I am qualified. Because I can progress. The phrase used in my interview was "part-time hours, full-time mentality".
So this week, training has well and truly begun. I'm working Mon-Fri for the first time in 3 years, which has been a culture shock to say the least! Granted, I've not had to travel too far, as my training is in Southampton, whereas my fellow trainees have traveled from South Cornwall, South Wales, West Sussex and Hertfordshire. Unfortunately temptations are many when you are training, particularly with a chap delivering sandwiches, crisps, hot food, chocolate and other tasty treats every lunchtime. I've averted diet disaster by taking in a flask of hot soup, purchasing a salad, and today taking in more soup, this time for microwaving in the training department.
So, what is the outcome of this tumultuous week in terms of my Weight Watchers diet? A loss of 2.5lb, taking my total loss to 11.5lb and my official WW lost to 9lb. I also wore my size 16 smart trousers today for the first time this year (couldn't do them up before!) so I'm definitely heading in the right direction. My current weight stands at 13st 12.5lb. My 5% goal is 13st 12lb, so I'm now looking at my new goal of 13st 3lb, which would be a 10% drop from my start weight of 14st 10.5. Not bad, eh?
I'm feeling pretty good about how quickly this is happening. I'm not hungry, I don't feel deprived, as I'm still eating occasional chocolate and snacks, and tonight I've had one of my favourite meals as a real (high in points!) treat - home made lasagne with garlic bread. Yum! So, onwards and upwards (or downwards might be more apt!). Thanks once again for all the support. I love to hear that you've read my blog, and even more when you comment. It really means a lot and makes the whole journey much easier.
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