Showing posts with label carvery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label carvery. Show all posts

Wednesday, 12 December 2012

No longer a baker's dozen!

It has been a week of "being good" food-wise. I've had the odd chocolate, the odd *cough* Toby Carvery, a teeny tiny takeaway and, oh yeah, a complete Finnish Christmas dinner! For the uninitiated, a Finnish Christmas dinner is a joy to behold, and a joy to consume - we had Christmas ham, herrings, smoked salmon, potato bake, swede bake, carrot bake, red cabbage, *covers Flo's ears* reindeer, mushroom pie, mushroom salad, beetroot and apple salad and COPIOUS amounts of red wine.

Throughout my time with Weightwatchers I've not felt like I was on a diet. I've cut down on the alcohol, stopped buying daily chocolate bars, stopped sitting with a bowl of kettle chips whilst watching a film, and just thought a little more about the choices I make on an hour-to-hour, day-to-day basis. I don't feel deprived, I don't stand out like a sore thumb when eating with friends and family (ie I don't have a huge plate of salad when I eat out) and I still keep losing weight. It really goes to show how just a few small changes can make all the difference.

Would I like to sit eating a big bar of Dairy Milk? Yes! Would I enjoy it at the time? Undoubtedly! Would I beat myself up afterwards for wasting a week's worth of bonus points on a moment of idiocy? Damn right! I know I can have a small amount of chocolate, enjoy it, and then carry on with my day guilt-free. Feeling guilty about food is so unhealthy, as you inevitably start to either resent the diet, resent the forbidden food, or worse, resent the people around you who are, perhaps unwittingly, tempting you to eat. Nobody forces me to eat chocolate, crisps or KFC - I choose to. I know I can balance my diet by easing off in other areas. That's just how it works for me.

So, here's the great bit of news for this week - I've lost 2.5lb this week, which brings my weight down to 12st 13lb - yes, that's right! I'm under 13stone! This was my goal by Christmas, so I feel I've really achieved something this week. My total weightloss is now 25lb (in-meeting is 22.5lb) which is the most I've ever lost with Weightwatchers. Before I got married I lost 21lb but that took me down to 10st 2lb and a size 12. This time I'm thinking I ought to aim for 11.5-12st which would be a loss of around 3stone.

Another really positive note for the week - I've bumped into a few people I know who I've not seen for a while, and they've noticed a change in me. For some it's purely a size thing, but others have noticed a greater vitality, and more of the "old" Jeanie back. This is a combination of the weight loss and my new job, both of which are giving me the confidence to face the world with a smile.

Once again, thank you all for your support and encouragement. Hopefully will have some photos for you soon x

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!