As the title suggests, we are in the final countdown of the year, so yes this post is about the run-up to Christmas, but sung in a very cheesy American karaoke voice with optional (compulsory?) air guitar...
Last week I did not blog. "Boo hiss!" I hear you cry... Well, I was feeling pretty let down (by myself) as I put on a pound last week. A well-earned pound, but a pound all the same. I knew it before getting on the scales, and short of turning up to Weightwatchers in a bikini and flip flops, nothing was going to tell the scales otherwise. And yes, before you ask, I HAD shaved my legs and cut my toenails - all to no avail! So no, I didn't blog, and yes, I did feel guilty about it all week.
Failure at the scales did not affect my mood, however, and I had a stonkingly good week at work, hit the shops at the weekend (being paid does make that a better experience!) and did still more Christmas shopping yesterday. I've even started wrapping (yes, wrapping) in November - ME! I've bought lovely crafty bits for Flo and I to make - going for full-on Kirsty Allsop status this year. I bought real meat from a real butchers, and have been eating sensibly, even going for the jacket potato with tuna yesterday rather than the all day breakfast (which was definitely calling to me with its cholesterol-laden voice).
You will, then, forgive me for being rather smug tonight. As not only did I lose the pound I'd put on last week, but an extra 2lb into the bargain, taking my weight to 13st 1lb. I'm nearly there!!! I've officially lost 10% of my body weight based on my WW start weight, which is an official 20.5lb. With the extra 2.5lb I lost between first getting on mum's scales and my first weigh-in, that's 23lb. One and a half stone (and a bit)!!! Tonight I received my 10% keyring at the meeting, and it made me feel even more motivated to keep this going.
Did I mention going shopping? Ooh, yes... shopping when you're losing weight - herein lies the problem. Do you buy clothes as you lose weight (because everything's getting a bit baggy and shapeless) or do you wait it out, see if you can drop another dress size? I'm split on this. I bought a size 16 coat early on in the autumn, and it was a snug but not tight fit. Seeing my reflection whilst wearing it the other day I felt (and looked) older than I am. Much older. Scott reckons it would be better if I put the fake fur hood trim back on, but the shapeless nature of the coat will never make me feel anything other than frumpy in it. Yesterday I found the solution - a gorgeous navy blue (work colour!) fitted hip-length duffle coat with furry hood trim and twiddly toggles. I loved it immediately, bought it as an early Christmas present to myself, and have since shown anyone who'll listen (and many who won't) that it is a size 14! Yippeeeeeeeeeee!
Definitely one of my smuggest blogs yet, but, hell, I think I deserve it! *smug face*
Yet again, thanks for the awesome support, the encouraging comments, and the recipe requests - it makes this process seem even easier knowing you're all behind me :D
Wednesday 28 November 2012
Wednesday 14 November 2012
Not feeling 100%
I'm not feeling 100% today. D'ya wanna know why? Do ya? It's because I've lost 10% of my body weight, so I'm now only 90% of the old me!!!! Wahoooooooooooooo!
Can you tell I'm pleased? I've now lost a stone and a half, and losing 10% of your bodyweight if you're obese (as I am) gives many health benefits, for example reduced cholesterol, improved blood pressure, less chance of having type 2 diabetes and more. I lost 1.5lb this week, taking me to 13st 3lb. 13st by Christmas doesn't look too difficult now... maybe even by the first week of December!
I didn't look at my BMI (Body Mass Index) when I started, but have calculated it now. When I started the WW plan 72 days ago my BMI was 34.2, so I was well and truly in the OBESE category. Now my BMI is 30.7, so I am edging closer to being just "overweight".
I'm going to put my success this week down to eating the sort of food that I love in quantities I never would have been content with. Many of you who are friends with me on Facebook will have read POTATOGATE. For those of you who are not, here it is... "Dinner tonight was roast chicken, roast potatoes, cauliflower and carrots. Due to my weight watching, I went for masses of veg, one chicken breast and just one, very crisp, perfectly formed roast potato. This is my treat, you see. I don't resent this, it's how I choose to make my diet work for me. What I DO resent is saving my ONE potato till near the end of the meal, at which point a certain small person looks longingly at the potato, then lovingly at me to say, "Mummy, can I have just one more potato? Please?" before swiping said potato off my plate with her fork."
I can easily give up roast potatoes in the sort of quantities I used to eat - easily 6-8 potatoes with my roast - but to lose my only potato right at the end of my meal did make me irrationally upset. I made a chocolate and ginger cheesecake at the weekend to eat with friends after dinner (my friend Steve cooked a wonderful chicken casserole with buttery mash and greens). I had a small slice (and may actually calculate the entire recipe in terms of points if I ever make it again) and loved the indulgence of it, the naughtiness of it, and the fact I had 4 days to reign it all back in again in time for my weigh-in. That for me is key - I can indulge, as long as I then get back on track.
My other way of coping with "the diet" is by making soups. I am currently working my way through a batch of zero point vegetable soup - ingredients below. One of my colleagues at work commented today that the soup smelled of "farts". Lovely! And I won't deny, there are some breezy side-effects associated with eating so many vegetables... but if I eat a lovely tasty soup with zero points for lunch, I can then eat a normal dinner with my family, side effects or no.
Once again, I thank you all for your comments, messages and support. Only a few more weeks until Christmas, so maybe I'll get a photoshoot with my lovely man then...
Warming cabbage soup
Half a white cabbage, shredded
One butternut squash, diced
3 large carrots, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 onion
1tsp oil
1 tablespoon of flour
1 chicken stock cube in 3 pints of water
Paprika
Coriander (ground and leaf)
Black pepper
Fry onion in oil. Remove from heat, then stir in flour. Add stock gradually, stirring to make a roux sauce (but without the milk). When all the stock is combined, return to the heat, add vegetables and stir until you reach boiling point, then leave to simmer until all vegetables are soft. Add spices to taste (I used about 1tsp of paprika, 1/2 tsp of each type of coriander and a good pinch of black pepper. Keep tasting until you're happy with it. Nutmeg works well with this soup - just use what you have.
Can you tell I'm pleased? I've now lost a stone and a half, and losing 10% of your bodyweight if you're obese (as I am) gives many health benefits, for example reduced cholesterol, improved blood pressure, less chance of having type 2 diabetes and more. I lost 1.5lb this week, taking me to 13st 3lb. 13st by Christmas doesn't look too difficult now... maybe even by the first week of December!
I didn't look at my BMI (Body Mass Index) when I started, but have calculated it now. When I started the WW plan 72 days ago my BMI was 34.2, so I was well and truly in the OBESE category. Now my BMI is 30.7, so I am edging closer to being just "overweight".
I'm going to put my success this week down to eating the sort of food that I love in quantities I never would have been content with. Many of you who are friends with me on Facebook will have read POTATOGATE. For those of you who are not, here it is... "Dinner tonight was roast chicken, roast potatoes, cauliflower and carrots. Due to my weight watching, I went for masses of veg, one chicken breast and just one, very crisp, perfectly formed roast potato. This is my treat, you see. I don't resent this, it's how I choose to make my diet work for me. What I DO resent is saving my ONE potato till near the end of the meal, at which point a certain small person looks longingly at the potato, then lovingly at me to say, "Mummy, can I have just one more potato? Please?" before swiping said potato off my plate with her fork."
I can easily give up roast potatoes in the sort of quantities I used to eat - easily 6-8 potatoes with my roast - but to lose my only potato right at the end of my meal did make me irrationally upset. I made a chocolate and ginger cheesecake at the weekend to eat with friends after dinner (my friend Steve cooked a wonderful chicken casserole with buttery mash and greens). I had a small slice (and may actually calculate the entire recipe in terms of points if I ever make it again) and loved the indulgence of it, the naughtiness of it, and the fact I had 4 days to reign it all back in again in time for my weigh-in. That for me is key - I can indulge, as long as I then get back on track.
My other way of coping with "the diet" is by making soups. I am currently working my way through a batch of zero point vegetable soup - ingredients below. One of my colleagues at work commented today that the soup smelled of "farts". Lovely! And I won't deny, there are some breezy side-effects associated with eating so many vegetables... but if I eat a lovely tasty soup with zero points for lunch, I can then eat a normal dinner with my family, side effects or no.
Once again, I thank you all for your comments, messages and support. Only a few more weeks until Christmas, so maybe I'll get a photoshoot with my lovely man then...
Warming cabbage soup
Half a white cabbage, shredded
One butternut squash, diced
3 large carrots, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 onion
1tsp oil
1 tablespoon of flour
1 chicken stock cube in 3 pints of water
Paprika
Coriander (ground and leaf)
Black pepper
Fry onion in oil. Remove from heat, then stir in flour. Add stock gradually, stirring to make a roux sauce (but without the milk). When all the stock is combined, return to the heat, add vegetables and stir until you reach boiling point, then leave to simmer until all vegetables are soft. Add spices to taste (I used about 1tsp of paprika, 1/2 tsp of each type of coriander and a good pinch of black pepper. Keep tasting until you're happy with it. Nutmeg works well with this soup - just use what you have.
Wednesday 7 November 2012
Eating out, Eating in, Eating Everywhere!
Ok, hands up who noticed I didn't blog last week? Or were you (like me) too busy thinking of the poor little mites dressed in skimpy little Halloween costumes, dishing out sweeties to the ones who braved the cold snap and rain and then polishing off the leftovers... not that I did that... much...
I have to admit, I love the autumn - it's a time of year where it's acceptable to dress from head-to-toe in snuggly knitwear, to spend time indoors baking, and to eat delicious hearty soups. Put another way, it's a time when you are more likely to catch a glimpse in a shop window or store mirror whilst wearing said knitwear, plus a huge coat, scarf and hat, and think, "My word, I look big!" It pays to remember that underneath all those layers there is a very different shape, and that everyone else (if they're sensible) is equally wrapped-up and couldn't care less how lumpy you feel. The baking thing, though, can get dangerous. I've found myself baking more biscuits (which I have to eat whilst warm, of course) and this week I've made a huge batch of chutney. Not eating it all is a challenge, so I'm giving things away - it's the cooking I enjoy, not the extra weight when I eat it.
I've had a few "challenging" days in the past fortnight. Days in which, had I let myself, I could have EASILY eaten a full week's worth of points in one meal.
My colleagues and I went out for a Chinese meal last week, all paid for by the company. This in itself is risky - you mean, I can eat what I like and don't have to pay? *Claps hands in delight!* I will at this point admit that the starter platters were very tempting, but my appetite is thankfully less than it once was, and I stuck with the non-battered dishes (mostly) and far fewer items overall. When the crispy duck with Hoi Sin and pancakes came round I asked if I could have hot and sour soup. Not a problem. And boy, was I relieved this evening when I asked my WW leader about my choice - duck pancakes work out at 9points each, and you can easily eat 3 or 4. Hot and sour soup - 4points! Winner!
A good friend of ours came round for a curry just two days after the Chinese meal, and I'm afraid I just had my usual curry, rice, popadoms and naan bread... so I really deserved to put on weight - surely? Well, considering the Chinese was taken up by one week's bonus points, and the Indian meal used the following week's bonus points, I just ate sensibly the rest of the week, bulking up on veg and fruit, keeping alcohol to a minimum and just taking it easy.
Imagine my surprise (and joy!) to find this week that I've lost another 3lbs. This takes my total weight loss to 19.5lb - 1st 5.5lb (official WW loss is 17lb - 1st 3lb). Not bad for 9 weeks. At this rate I should get to my 13st target by Christmas - only 5 more weigh-ins to go and only 4.5lb to lose!
Right, that'll do for now - thanks for the support everyone, and fellow Weight Watchers - hang in there!
I have to admit, I love the autumn - it's a time of year where it's acceptable to dress from head-to-toe in snuggly knitwear, to spend time indoors baking, and to eat delicious hearty soups. Put another way, it's a time when you are more likely to catch a glimpse in a shop window or store mirror whilst wearing said knitwear, plus a huge coat, scarf and hat, and think, "My word, I look big!" It pays to remember that underneath all those layers there is a very different shape, and that everyone else (if they're sensible) is equally wrapped-up and couldn't care less how lumpy you feel. The baking thing, though, can get dangerous. I've found myself baking more biscuits (which I have to eat whilst warm, of course) and this week I've made a huge batch of chutney. Not eating it all is a challenge, so I'm giving things away - it's the cooking I enjoy, not the extra weight when I eat it.
I've had a few "challenging" days in the past fortnight. Days in which, had I let myself, I could have EASILY eaten a full week's worth of points in one meal.
My colleagues and I went out for a Chinese meal last week, all paid for by the company. This in itself is risky - you mean, I can eat what I like and don't have to pay? *Claps hands in delight!* I will at this point admit that the starter platters were very tempting, but my appetite is thankfully less than it once was, and I stuck with the non-battered dishes (mostly) and far fewer items overall. When the crispy duck with Hoi Sin and pancakes came round I asked if I could have hot and sour soup. Not a problem. And boy, was I relieved this evening when I asked my WW leader about my choice - duck pancakes work out at 9points each, and you can easily eat 3 or 4. Hot and sour soup - 4points! Winner!
A good friend of ours came round for a curry just two days after the Chinese meal, and I'm afraid I just had my usual curry, rice, popadoms and naan bread... so I really deserved to put on weight - surely? Well, considering the Chinese was taken up by one week's bonus points, and the Indian meal used the following week's bonus points, I just ate sensibly the rest of the week, bulking up on veg and fruit, keeping alcohol to a minimum and just taking it easy.
Imagine my surprise (and joy!) to find this week that I've lost another 3lbs. This takes my total weight loss to 19.5lb - 1st 5.5lb (official WW loss is 17lb - 1st 3lb). Not bad for 9 weeks. At this rate I should get to my 13st target by Christmas - only 5 more weigh-ins to go and only 4.5lb to lose!
Right, that'll do for now - thanks for the support everyone, and fellow Weight Watchers - hang in there!
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