Day one of three done and dusted

It is always in three's with me. For me this works this way.  It takes three days to be back in control with eating . Three weeks non smoking to kick it for good.  Three weeks slimming to see a noticeable difference. So yesterday, day one, successfully achieved.

I am not doing a strict SW plan this time, I am kind of counting calories as I go.  I worked for a slimming group in the 90's (3 years) and it was based on calorie counting. 1250-1500 each day depending on how much weight you needed to lose.  Awareness has made me extremely careful with SW plan as it would be so easy to overdose on free foods.  Reading WLB account on this subject confirmed what had been niggling me.  Dinner followed by rice pudding for example.  Calorie wise it's equivalent to two main meals.  I know it works for lots of people but moderation is key.  I feel sad when I see newcomers to FB slimming pages who post pics of their free food dinners and not a superfree in sight.  It's sad because it took me a while to cotton on to the 1/3rd SF rules and that was nothing to do with attending class it was to do with reading blogs! Also I would like to point out, its those who do use their superfree are the super losers!

 Breakfast. Two soft boiled eggs and a slice of toast scraped with light butter.

Dinner       Beef casserole, with white cabbage, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and new potatoes.

Dessert one crumbled meringue nest, strawberries and 2 tbps elmlea light

Two glasses of white wine 220 cals total.

I also had a cup of hot chocolate 40 cals which is amazing when you fancy something chocolatey, my favourite is Galaxy bubbles 40 cals. 

 

Had to have an early night as Sean had to be at the hospital for 7am.  He rang to say he was going down to theatre first and to warn me he would be going straight to intensive care.  He wanted to warn me so that when I phone to see how he is, I wouldn't pass out.  So as I type my stomach is churning with worry.

I slept really badly last night, I went to bed too early.  I spent at least 2 hours on the kindle reading blogs, which is always good for motivation. By 05:30 I had given up hope of getting any sleep.  How does KM do her shifts and long hours, mind boggling and i am impressed.  I have lost count how many times I counted my calorie intake for the day.  I think I finally made it 1250 ish for the day.

 

Hope everyone is doing well.

 

Love Carol xx

 

 

 



I simply do not get it or get me!

Fact of the matter is I do not understand how a healthy eating plan (lets call if that) works , neither do I understand how I work. 
"I simply do not get it", then I recall back in the late 60's when our English teacher drilled into us, how you should never use the word "get" into any sentence ever. "There is no such verb as "Got!""  Lesson learnt and remembered. 
On 7th May I was 13st 7lb and this morning I am 13st 9 1/4lbs.  A gain of 2 1/4lbs.  I read blogs every day and comments from other SW friendly FB sites.  I see ladies gain many pounds after a few slip ups.  So this is where I do not get it.  I have had umpteen glasses of wine every day (not good I know), not a single yoghurt, melon, kiwi fruit. Hard to comprehend so I am going to attempt to list my eating yesterday - which is fairly indicative of the past 2 months.

Breakfast - nothing.
2 cups of coffee - semi skimmed milk

Lunch - 1/3rd of a large pork pie, cooked in frying pan with water two oxo beef cubes. (Odd I know but it softens up the pastry and heats it through) 1/3rd can baked beans.
Two slices of toast buttered (Lurpak light)

Dinner - Homemade lasagna, made with 1lb ex lean mince, Dolmio onion and garlic pasta sauce, homemade white sauce (milk, 1 hpd tbsp butter, 1 hpd tbsp plain flour, 1.5pts milk, nutmeg) Salad and 2 tbps ex.lite mayo.

Dessert - 1/2 banana, few strawberries, 3 tbps Elmea single cream.

Syns - 1/2 bar of Guinness flavour chocolate, 4 mikados.

Wine - 2 x 175mls glasses Sauvignon blanc.

I would say that yesterday was a typical day of eating. No planning, but by writing this down I can see where I could really have turned this into a better way of eating. Maybe the thyroid is under control and working effectively now - its been a few months since I was diagnosed with under active thyroid. This is where I go wrong. Each and every time, year in year out. What I do not seem to grasp is that I could also be 1/2 stone lighter minimum. 

I lie in bed every morning and read FB and emails before I get out of bed.  Each morning after reading Slimmer Bloggers page and fab ladies who inspire us all, I climb out of bed and think "Yes I will start again"  How can I make this morning any different? As I am doing this solo at home, I have the advantage where I don't have to wait until group meeting, I can do it now.  I can weigh in now.
So I have and I have written my blog in the hope it will continue.  However, I am aware that I said so only a few weeks ago and it obviously did not work. What will happen next if I don not get my head around this, is another two months will slip past, just like that !!!!

With no photos of food yesterday (it was hardly jaw dropping food!) I will leave one of me and Sean on the day we were leaving to go and see Rod Stewart. June 1sty this year.  The evening where I felt really confident and confident enough to jump up and down trying to attract Rod's attention.  I did by the way, attract attention,  as the other photos show.   No doubt at all we had eye contact.  If I am ever to be a threat to Penny Lancaster I must keep up the good work,.  (Only joking I wouldn't swap my George Clooney lookalike for anyone - well I think he's a bit George Clooney!)

Quite apprehensive as I write this, as Sean is going to hospital tomorrow to have a small lump removed from his chest - behind windpipe.  Tricky and awkward spot to have one, but it has been decided to try keyhole rather than open surgery. Hope that works, really worried but hopeful it will be removed successfully.  It is a benign lump that has grown v slowly over 5 years. 7mm to 28mm. A petit pois to a small strawberry is how I explained the metric size to my mum!  In any case it has to come out, it can't be left to grow.

Just about to start planning todays food.  I have lean beef out of freezer, so a beef casseroley thingy is on the menu for later.  Salad for lunch, will boil eggs right now!!

Will blog later...

Love Carol xxxx

Tis good to be back

I decided to re-start my plan before I spiral out of control. I noticed that I wasn't buying yoghurts. No quark purchased since 16th May (last blog) I noticed I was buying more bread.  Jacobs Club biscuits had replaced Alpen light.   Breakfast routine was OK, lunch was probably ok too (eg. boiled eggs) Dinner was fine. I weighed every week as before and my last weigh in on Wednesday morning showed a 2lb gain since May 7th.
Q. Where did 2lb gain come from ?
A. Wine.
A few glasses of wine EACH day has become the norm.  This is what I will have difficulty cutting out or down. 


Breakfast  Strawberries, slice of melon, banana and 0% yoghurt Lemon and Lime. No sign of Molly this morning at breakfast time. I think she has forgotten the old routine, as its been a few weeks since I had fruit and yoghurt. She did put in an appearance, but it was too late, I had eaten it all.

Lunch  Tin salmon and salad. Loads of the usual salad ingredients, which are plentiful and tasty at this time of the year.  I just cannot see how some people love salads so much.  I simply do not like them.  I only eat salad as its simple to prepare, but taste wise, it does not do anything for me, never has.  My favourite salad ingredient is beetroot, then cucumber, then spring onions.  Maybe I could concoct a salsa with these ingredients.

 

Dinner  Boiled gammon, with steamed cauli/broccoli and new potatoes.  I made a small amount of cheese sauce.

Dessert. Eton mess thingy.  Crumbled meringue nest with strawberries and stirred a lemon/lime 0% yoghurt through.

 

 

So it looks like I survived the wine o'clock time in this household.  This occurs between 5.30pm and 7pm.  Once I made it to 7pm without a glass of wine, I knew I wouldn't want one after this time.  It seems a struggle at the moment, possibly because I have not been on plan. 

I always knew I had to go like the clappers, to keep to the plan, because summer has always been a diet buster for me.  As soon as the sun shines I want BBQ, wine, cider.  All I know is how much better I feel with 24.5bs off, last summers clothes fit better, some have been recycled as they are too big. I still have 28lbs to lose, so I must keep going. 

 

 

HEXA - 250ml semi skimmed milk (for coffee)

HEXB - Terrible to note that its 8pm and I haven't had any!  I didn't realise.

 

Syns

Cheese sauce - 5 ish

meringue nest - 5 (its a biggish one)

Evap milk - 1.5

 

Total 10.5 syns

 

 

Got to shape up a little Carol, I have not been as on the ball as I used to be, namely with Healthy extras.  Been fine with Superfree and Free.  Always a tough day - day one after being off plan.

 

Hope everyone else is OK.

 

Love Carol xx

 

 



 

 

 

TEMPUS FUGIT-Carpe Diem

"Time Flies - Enjoy the day" one of my favourite Latin phrases.

I just noticed my last blog was 2nd May. Two weeks ago, so decided to do a quick update.
Lee's back is OK now. We did get to take our caravan to Holbeach so that James and Marie could enjoy a break, 3 nights turning into 4. I don't blame them, the weather was so good.  We went on the Tuesday (arrived15:30) for two nights and ended up staying only one.  Worsening weather - high winds on the Fens towing a 1500kg caravan = a nervous wreck (me!) A caravan site stating Dogs Welcome but in fact they weren't, was an off putter too. So by 09:25 we were rolling out of the park homeward bound.  One huge plus was James and Marie had completely valeted our caravan!!

Weight loss is still on the downward slope. To date it is 26.5lbs lost - one and a half pounds to go to the 2 stone loss marker.
I have been ok'ish, which is not good enough to lose weight. Since the caravan trip, glasses of wine  are creeping into my daily syn allowance.  Not measuring properly, not blogging daily etc. I put a 1/4lb on this week, which is not a good sign. With this in mind I have to come back to the blogging.
I do enjoy it, but as usual clever arse Carol, thought she had this under control.  I know deep down I don't at all.  Dylan's little box of haribo - I have been sneaking them out when no-one is looking.
The glass of wine, is not a 125ml measure - I don't have to get the measure out to know that!
Virgin media broadband has been off for almost a week, so I have been using my dongle which is not as effective.  Excuses over. Camera at the ready, please let me lose 1.5lbs this week. I so want to be two stone lighter.
Great to see so many fellow bloggers doing so well. Some milestones are being smashed! 

Paddy and Molly - have had their first dog grooming session by me.  Not too bad, considering its my first attempt. My BF Marilyn is coming over soon to tidy up the 'corners' as she put it. Sean stood next to the grooming table, keeping them as stress free as possible.  I wish Sean would not keep saying "That's enough now Caz, they'll be ok at that!"  Oh yeah?  I had only done one side of the face.  Think he was worried when I had the clippers around the more sensitive parts of Paddy and Molly's anatomy. 
One other little totally un-slimming news snippet.  When I was a teenager in the seventies. I was in love with Andy Fairweatherlow.  Lead singer with Amen Corner. (If paradise is half as nice) Sean ribs me about this all the time (probably jealous lol). I sneaked a look on google, found he has a website with tour dates.  AND...tada....he is appearing at our local village hall in November.  Sean thought this was hilarious.  He would !! his favourite bands being the type who pack out all the Arena's, Wembley's etc.  Pink Floyd, The Who, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Rolling Stones.
So whats on my food plan today - well, as at this precise moment - Nada-nothing-rien..Great start Carol. Get your sodding head in gear and PLAN!!!

Love Carol xx

Non Scale Victories, Dogs and Food

Non scale victories.  I had never heard that expression until recently. Once weight starts to come off regularly, it soon becomes clear that physically you can start to see the difference.  In my case although I still have 4lbs to my 2 stone award.  Clothes fit now.  I am wearing the same clothes and they fit better. I have only ditched a pair of croppers that I tried on as the weather started to get warmer, they almost fell off and looked stupid. After dog walk today I changed into croppers and vest. Same vests as I had on last summer.  I know they hang better as they aren't cutting me in half.  I hope to go in the attic soon to get down 2 blacks sacks I put up there in the autumn with summer clothes that would no way fit me.  As they still had tags on I decided to hang onto them. Thank God.!!  Not like me to do this, normally I would throw in the charity shop bag, but something told me I could not go through another summer like the last.  Bursting out of my clothes, huffing and puffing, sweating profusely.  Last year I struggled down to a beach in Norfolk, we had the Airedales, and a picnic.  It was sweltering, so I wore a white ra-ra skirt with white vest, white sandals.  The beach was stony and packed.  My ankle went over on a stone, and down I went.  Nothing was hurt (apart from my pride)  Once I had reached the sanctuary of a big space, I looked at knees and I hadn't half grazed them!  I said to Sean, "Christ Sean I looked like a beached whale with the skirt billowing around me"  He said," Actually Caz, more like Moby Dick".  We both laughed when he explained that Moby Dick was a WHITE whale. 
So plenty more NSV to look forward to.  No going back.
Airedales do not shed their fur, they do not moult, they grow their fur and require trimming about four times a year.  My best friend is their dog groomer and I get mates rates. £40 the pair.  This is cheap compared to what a grooming parlour would charge.  Both dogs stress terribly during the grooming session, so I decided I would bite the bullet and to save them from further stress, have a go myself.  I already have the grooming table and overhead arm.  Marilyn (my BF) long term loaned me her spare pair of clippers, two blades and scissors.  I was all set to go. She offered to stand over me and show me the tricky bits, but I decided to do it this morning, solo.  Paddy was first.  It took me 2 hours and the first attempt is perfectly acceptable.  I panicked around his nether regions and went a bit short on his rump, but he was less stressed. So that made me happy. Molly skedaddled when she realised what was going on, but I will save her until the weekend. This took me nicely to lunch time.
So glad we saved the meatballs and pasta, a little side of salad and it was lovely.


Breakfast.  Green grapes, melon and raspberries, with 0% blueberry yoghurt.  Paddy came to see why Molly is forever hanging at breakfast (as you know).  I put this pic on because you will see Paddy before his haircut.




Lunch. Left overs - 3 meatballs and pasta, salad.









Dinner - Gammon with  new potatoes, broccoli, carrots and cauliflower (all steamed) I did a cheese sauce (packet) made with half pint milk.  Decided to do it this way as normally I would use a small amount of butter, tbsp flour then milk and added grated cheese.  I think it is more SW friendly to use the packet route. Forgot to take a photo.

Dessert - the remaining Cherry Bakewell cake, with 2 tbps evap milk (light)







Have syns left so will have my choc drink and mikados later..

Hex A - Parmesan in meatballs + coffee milk
Hex B - Alpen light - will have later

Syns
Cheese sauce 1/3rd packet made with semi sk mil - 4
Hot choc orange - 2
8 mikados - 4
2 Tbps light evap milk - 1.5

Syns total = 11.5


Really happy that a few FB friends are putting disappointments well behind them and forging ahead with renewed enthusiasm. What a lovely friendly lot we are! Just wish we all lived closer.


Love Carol xx

No wavering on weigh day!

It is a strange feeling on weigh in day.   If any day I feel tempted to stray, it's this one.  Thankfully and I don't know why, I don't do it.  I think I do not want to start a trend, so keep away from those thoughts. Years ago, I ran a successful slimming club and members admitted that their treat was the chippie.  I had asked them if anyone sneaked off after class to the chippie.  I was staggered so many did.  They were laughing their heads off.  Then I said, "You know it's not funny really, I used to do that for years after slimming class - I never lost the weight. It's only when I stopped it that I got to target"  I fear if I go down that route I won't get back on. Perhaps as my confidence grows with the plan, I will have a treat now and again.  That's the beauty of reaching target, that's what is driving me.
I have 3 3/4 lbs to go to my 2 stone.  (my scales have quarter pounds!)  It seems slow progress this time,  but as Karen M says, 'look not at where you want to be, rather where you started! '
We can blame anything for slowing weight losses, regular readers here know my thoughts on this.  However, a casual comment from my hairdresser (who is a SW member and doing well) last time I visited her, "Did you know how many calories are in mug shots?" I didn't, but when she told me I was staggered.  Guess how many I have had since I left her salon?  Now the same applies to Pasta and Sauce for me. They are going to have the same treatment.  The whole point here is I think we never stop learning, we never stop thought processes, we are continually looking for new ideas, new recipes.  Which brings me to my cake I baked today.
I had a couple of packets of scan bran, well one scan the other oat bran.  Years ago I did a cake, so I searched for one and found Cherry Bakewell. It seemed simple to do, soaking 5 scan bran till softened, add two eggs, 3T sweetener, 2 capfuls almond essence, carton 0% activia cherry yoghurt, mix well, pour into cake tin (loaf tin for me) bake 180 deg 30-40 mins.  The aroma was definitely cherry bakewell. . So I carefully cut it in half lengthwise.  Mixed half tub quark and another yoghurt - cherry again. Spread it in the middle and on top. You can read the verdict at the end when I get to the dessert bit. lol..

Breakfast - same, fruit pineapple, raspberries defrosted, 0% cherry yoghurt (just realised that's three I used today) although only eaten one whole one - the other in the dream cake factory, as I ate a quarter of the cake, that is another 1/2 tub, so not too bad.




Lunch - Sean said,"You fancy beans on toast Caz?", I said yes that would be fine, then..."Oh you see to yours I am having 2 eggs and mushrooms with mine"  If I had said yes I know it would not have filled me up, but the eggs and mushrooms did.  Looking back I should have had tomatoes as they are superfree, beans aren't.  I do try and make sure we all eat the same as far as possible, but the men here are not as keen on canned toms as me, so I sometimes get fed up of all the extra pans and food not getting used up. there's some" Moshi shape pasta "in it too (Dylans)

Dinner - Sean made one of my favourite meals.  Meatballs using Parmesan in a chili tomato sauce.
We had it with pasta.  I said "Do extra pasta, so I can have it for lunch Thursday"  So we have some left over, actually there are enough meatballs too.  A pound of mince made 18 meatballs and six were left.  So we must have had six each.  That to me is acceptable as three each for lunch Thursday.



Dessert - Ta dah !!!  The verdict on my quarter of Cherry Bakewell.  Too much almond essence (I will use one capful next time) Replace cherry yoghurt with vanilla for the topping and filling.

Points for taste 6/10 (too much almond)
Points for presentation 3/10 (not exactly Donna  Roper (aren't her presentations marvellous))

Sean is yet to try it, a bit fell off he said it tasted nice, but he had an apple strudel.  Sean has lost almost 3 stone so he can afford to relax it slightly.  He only needs to lose another stone and he's done!  I still need to lose a fair bit.



Hex A - Parmesan in meatballs + coffee milk
Hex B - Scan bran

Syns
White thick slice Bread -5
Hot choc orange - 2
8 mikados - 4
brown sauce - 1

Syns total = 12

Aakela noted I perhaps do not have enough syns sometimes..Thank you for noticing this.
It is such a help when comments are made, its so much better than bowling along in oblivion.  As I am doing this home alone, I can only draw on past SW knowledge, (I kept all books etc) and the lovely ladies on FB.

Lee has slightly improved, I saw him almost straighten up.  A doctor called him, I could hear only Lee's side of the conversation.  It was clear he was getting nowhere, I could hear him say, "Well just leave it you obviously can't help me, you won't prescribe stronger painkillers even though I am telling you I am not sleeping due to pain, I cannot sit, I cannot come to the surgery, just leave it!"  If I hadn't been wandering around upstairs, in bra and pants (I was getting changed to go shopping !)I would have grabbed the bloody phone and given him what for.  Anyway whether he touched the GP conscience or not, he rang two hours later and said, "I am writing a prescription for Amitrip something, can someone collect it"  If one of my dogs was in this much pain, you know what, by now they would have been x'rayed, scanned, treated, perhaps even a home visit.  I know what I am coming back as !

Love Carol xx

Tuesdays blog with Wednesdays WI result!

I left the blog until this morning so I could share my WI news. I lost 1lb.  Not going to bother  mentioning certain bodily functions as it gets boring after a while.
I take the pound. If you wonder why I am not ecstatic, its because I have been 100% on plan, not one naughty thing has crossed my lips.  What if I had a sneaky takeaway? a syn or two over the odds, would that equal a gain?  I am not being ungrateful here, I guess many would grab this with enthusiasm.
Dylan is being hand delivered to us on Friday morning, so no more trying to juggle! Phew.  Looking at Lee, I cannot see him driving this week or next.  Our kitchen door swung open, cracked him across his nose and down he went.  Just what you do not want to do with severe back pain. Anyway with Dylan taken care of this means we can now take our caravan Friday afternoon, set it up and leave James, Marie and their two beautiful yellow Labradors to enjoy a well earned break in Little Holland (close to Spalding). 
We did our dog walk today with the Airedales.  It was lovely to walk without the strong winds battering us.  I was sick to death of the howling noise as we headed into the wind. Of course all talk was of tomorrows weigh in.  I am never confident at this time of the week. I feel heavier and I do not know why this happens every damn week.  I did measurements this morning, in spite of me promising myself I wouldn't do it for at least 4 weeks as it doesn't show that quickly on me. Wish I hadn't as they were the same as 18 April. Damn! 

Breakfast - pineapple, melon, raspberries, 0% greek yoghurt.

Lunch - same as yesterday only missed out the ham and used Lidl country veg pasta and sauce.  What's the betting this has syns.!!  I know we shouldn't check calories on food intake, but the packet i had was 160 cals per half packet, whereas the cheese and broccoli was over 230 per half packet.  I really struggle to get the gist of how food optimising works, even with 1/3rd superfree. I ate the whole packet with loads of veggies.  I guess in the scheme of things 320 cals per meal is not bad going for a substantial lunch.

Dinner - Stir fry. Every veggie imaginable, wtih Quorn chicken.

Dessert - fresh fruit, yoghurt and Alpen light bar.

I don't know why but I went to download pics and they aren't on my camera, so no photos today.
Pretty much the same as yesterday.
So here's one of Paddy for a change.  Taken just before the dog walk a few weeks ago.

Not happy with our Doctors this morning.  Lee just taken a phone call from our surgery.  She said, can you come in to the surgery. Lee said "No, I can't - I am sorry but I couldn't get into the car"  She said "Well, you have to come here!" Lee replied, "The last time I was able to leave the house was Saturday with the aid of gas and air" She said  "well, its up to the doctor, they'll phone after 4pm"
Truth is, Lee is really worrying me, I am wondering if it is something more than a muscle tear.  Depending on the outcome of the next phone call, I think I will write to someone.  I know they are trying to protect the surgery from time wasters. But surely they should check records to see if the person making such a request has done so before?  Apart from asthma checks, with the nurse, Lee hasn't been near the place. And, we have lived here 11 years.

Hex A - Milk in coffee 250ml semi skimmed
Hex B - Alpen light

Syns
Evap milk - 1.5

I have decided on reflection to not have anymore Pasta n sauce packets.  Instead I will cook my own pasta. I had two this week, Monday and Tuesday.  As I said before, the calorie content is bloody high in my opinion.  I looked at my SW book and noted Pasta and sauce is 1.5 syn per 100g cooked. Dried pasta is free.  If there is a syn value, why is it considered free food?  Sure to be an answer. Similar to mug shots et al.  During the past 3-4 years I attended two different SW classes, 18mth for one and 12 mth the other, I don't recall this ever being mentioned. I always stayed to classes too.

Good luck to everyone, as they say, next weeks weight loss has already started!

Love Carol xx