Aaaargh!

Doing this for all of us


So I really fell off the wagon.

• Will I ever be thin?
  
• Will I ever be able to have the willpower not to binge on food I know full well is bad for me?
  
• Will I always be the fat mum and make my children embarrassed?
• Will I ever just be able to eat a simple balanced diet?

Honestly I have no idea but I am going to try again. I don't lack support, I don't lack incentive, I don't lack knowledge I just lack something.. here's hoping I find it

Did you hear that thud?

That was the huge sound of me falling off the wagon. I could give you million excuses that I gave myself for falling off it, work pressure, time, stress, being on holiday etc but the fact of the matter is it really does not matter.

What does matter is that I've dusted myself off and climbed back on the darn thing. I've had a wonderful holiday eaten some wonderful food and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Thank goodness the fine weather has finally arrived as I need all the motivation I can get. Grilled meat and salad only really appeal when the sun is shining. I will make the most of it an get back on track.

Eating with the eyes

I always find that if food is presented well it tastes nicer, it can also fool you into thinking that you are eating more than you really are. Take the picture above it is just 2 tomatoes cut thinly and arranged on a plate with some shavings of lowfat cheese, I use a potato peeler to do this. The tomatoes are dressed with balsamic vinegar, sea salt, black pepper and a few flakes of dried chilli. The points value was low at 1 pt per serving but serving it this way meant that it seemed like a lot more. If I had grabbed a tomato and a chunk of cheese as I sometimes do it would not have felt as satisfying.

There is a lot to be said for the psychological effects of eating with a knife and fork. I really did feel that I'd had a meal rather than a snack.

Chocolate

Sometimes only chocolate will do so I wanted to give you all a list of low point chocolate treats. These are all 4 point and under.

Cadbury

Freddo - 2 pts

Crunchie - 3.5 pts

Flake - 4 pts

Chocolate Buttons - 3.5 pts

Fudge - 2 pts

Chomp - 2.5 pts

Taz - 2 pts

Spira - 4 pts

Ruffle - 2.5 pts

Time Out - 4 pts

Frys Chocolate Cream (all flavours)- 4 pts

Creme Egg 3.5 pts

Mars

Mars Egg - 4 pts

Flyte - 3.5 pts

Revels - 3.5 pts

Ripple - 3.5 pts

Minstrels - 4 pts

Tracker - 3.5 pts

Magic Stars - 4 pts

Harry Potter Honeydukes Best Chocolate - 2 pts

Milky Way - 2 pts

Nestle

Milkybar - 1.5 pts

Rolo Egg - 3.5 pts

Caramac - 4 pts

Milybar Buttons 3.5 pts

Mint Aero Egg - 3 pts
Walnut Whip - 3.5 pts
2 Finger Kit Kat - 2.5 pts
Nestle Double Cream Egg - 3.5 pts
Nestle White Chocolate Crunch Bar - 3.5 pts

Home Sweet Home

Well back to Earth with a bump is an understatement. We had the most wonderful holiday in Tunisia. Port el Kantaoiu is a wonderful resort. Clean, spacious yet cosy and very child friendly. The Tunisian people we met could not have been more helpful or more friendly. Be warned though they adore children and you will be constantly stopped and your children admired, especially if they are boys. Imagine the fuss they made of my two rogues!

One of the best feelings was being confident enough to wear a swimsuit in public. I may not be at target but at least I felt that I could romp in the pool with my boys without feeling too self conscious. I even feel I can post a few pics (not full length yet though LOL)

Going on holiday

We're all going on a summer holiday! The boys and I are off to Tunisia for a week of fun in the sun. The hotel looks lovely and we have heard good things about the resort which pleases me as I was not keen on Tunisia the first time we went. Port el Kantaoui is a purpose built resort in a traditional Moorish style, not the most authentic and back to basics holiday but with small children you have to be careful.

See you after a week of over indulging as it is an all inclusive holiday.

I intend to bring back lots of spices including harissa and tabil to add more interest to my cooking.

Sheffield Children's Hospital

We had a wonderful family day out yesterday at Oakwell Football Stadium in Barnsley. A charity match had been arranged to support our local children's hospital charity and we went along with our friends and there children. That made no less than 4 over excited boys (6 counting the dads) and two mums enjoying every minute of it.

Even the rain could not spoil what was a thoroughly enjoyable day out and lots of money was raised for a cause very dear to my heart - without Sheffield Children's Hospital I would not have my second son Leo.

All the celebrities gave their time freely and spent ages signing autographs and chatting to the hoards of children that descended on them. It gave me a wonderful warm feeling and the atmosphere was unbelievable!

Saving points

I have had a lot of social occasion to attend this weekend with it being a bank holiday. On Saturday evening we were invited out to a barbecue at a friends house and I knew that the wine would be flowing and the food tempting.

I made leek and potato bake, just cooked in chicken stock cubes - see my "Tasty Tatties" post under side dishes, I also added courgette which did not work as well the skin on the courgette was stringy and the texture just was not right. I think I may be tempted to try it with carrot or swede next time as they will soften beautifully. It could also be made with vegetable stock and would taste great.

3 pts worth of potato, free veg and served with 3 smoked bacon medallions at 1.5 points each. It was very filling for 4.5 pts.

Toast and Pate

I absolutely love pate and in my pre-Weightwatchers days I would eat half a tub with butter spread thickly onto a baguette. Can you imagine how many points in that?!

ASDA is not my usual supermarket but I called in their today on my way home from work and discovered that they have low fat pate in individual sized portions. These are 3 points each and well worth it in my opinion. The Weightwatchers one is a little too dry for my taste but this one have the lovely creamy pate texture.

My treat tonight - pate and hot toast. The Weightwatchers Malted Danish is ideal for this as it toasts quickly and is crisp.

Low Point Treats

My favourite low point treats

Sweet
Weightwatchers Toffee or Vanilla Yoghurts 0.5 pts each
Pink and Whites 0.5 points each
Tesco Healthy Living mini fruit lollies 0.5 pts each
Caramel Jumbo Snack-a-Jacks 0.5 pts each
Weightwatchers carrot cake slices 1 pt each
Weightwatchers lemon cake slices 1 pt each
Weightwatchers cranberry and orange cookies 1.5 pts for 2
Weightwatchers double chocolate cookies 1.5 pts for 2
Skinny cow ice lollies 1.5 pts each

Savoury
Snack-a-Jacks salted popcorn 0.5 pts per bag
Cheese Jumbo Snack-a-Jacks 0.5 pts each
Laughing Cow Light cheese triangles 0.5 pts each
Plain Rice Cakes 1pt for 3
Walkers French Fries (from multi-pack) 1 pts per bag
Walkers Quavers (from multi-pack) 1.5 pts per bag
Walkers Potato Heads (from multi-pack) 1.5 pts per bag

Summer Eating

Now that the weather is finally getting warmer and the evenings are light I find myself wanting salads again. My cravings for soups, stews and mashed potato are vanishing and my thoughts are turning to barbecues and picnics. The problem for me is not the food but the associated drink that goes with these events. I love a barbecue but one glass of wine soon leads to another (and another) until I am dangerously low on points.

Last night we had a barbecue and the food we cooked were

Low fat sausages
Low fat burgers
Chicken breasts
Lamb steaks

These were served with lots of salad and new potatoes dry roasted with chilli and garlic.

Damage Limitation

Easter is here again and like so many religious events it is associated with food. Easter eggs abound and for some reason seem to get cheaper every year. Then there is the hot cross buns spicy little treats that are delicious especially toasted and dripping with butter! It is a terrible time of year for those of us on a diet. My top tips are

1. Buy one pack of Healthy Living or mini Hot Cross Buns. They are only supposed to be eaten on Good Friday anyway.
2. Buy yourself a special treat instead of scoffing the kid's Easter Eggs. We have treated ourselves to a box of Lindor - far too good for the kids and so rich that you cannot eat too many at a time.
3. It's a holiday so spend the time wisely, the weather is excellent this year why not go for a long walk and feed the ducks this is always a popular activity with my boys.

Have a great Easter and be good

Having a break

I'm having a break from dieting this week. I shall be being careful but not pointing. I think that after six plus months I could do with a break and we have loads of things planned this week as it's the Easter holidays. Keeping your motivation is important and after my week off I will be back on the Weightwatchers wagon with all the zeal and enthusiasm of a new starter.

Happy Easter to you all from me and the boys!

Mother's Day

The third Sunday in Lent is always Mothering Sunday in the UK. It is supposed to refer to the "mother church" but has become a celebration of motherhood in general and a chance to say thankyou to our mother's and to generally acknowledge what they do for us.

Now I am a mother I really appreciate the meaning of mother's day and it's not about cards and presents although they are nice it's about knowing that you have done a good job in raising your children in such a way that they do not take you for granted.

I must admit I was spoilt rotten today cards both shop bought and handmade, perfume, taken out for lunch and I have not lifted a finger. My 2 year old picked my prefume "Curious" by Britney Spears I assume because of the pretty colours but actually I like the smell. (To be honest I would have worn it if it smelled terrible as he picked it)

Then to top the day off it has been snowing on and off all day and I love the snow.

What is the point(s)?

For those that don't know Weightwatchers assigns every food a point. You then have a points allowance per day to spend as you wish. Non-starchy vegetables are free and can be eaten without counting the exceptions are potatoes (both standard and sweet) peas, sweetcorn) To calculate how many points you are allocated you need to take this quiz

This is the list of questions that when answered, will tell you how many points you're allowed.
These are the questions-

Are you:
Female = Score 3
Male = Score 9

Are you a breastfeeding mother?
No = Score 0
Yes, breastfeeding exclusively = Score 10
Yes, supplementing breastfeeding with solid foods = Score 5

How old are you?
16 - 20 = Score 5
21 - 35 = Score 4
36 - 50 = Score 3
51 - 65 = Score 2
Over 65 = Score 1

How many stones do you weigh? Ignore the lb, the number of stones is your score for this question. Someone who weights 12st 4lb will score 12

How tall are you?
Under 5ft 4ins = Score 1
5ft 4ins or above = Score 2

In your day to day life are you:
Sitting down most of the time = Score 0
Occasionally sitting, but mainly standing = Score 2
Walking most of the time = Score 4
Doing physically hard work most of the time = Score 6

You should retake this quiz if you drop down to the next stone bracket
or if you have a birthday which takes you to the next age bracket.

Packed lunch

One of the difficulties in dieting is having to grab a quick sandwich. If you buy a ready made one they are usually stuffed with mayo and butter and have lots of hidden points. Even the local sandwich shop can be a no-no as their rolls etc tend to be large and you have no way to weigh. That sandwich that you guesstimated at 5 pts could easily be double that. Then there is the other temptations crisps, sausage rolls and buns all designed to make you buy on impulse and regret at leisure.

The solution is to plan in advance, go to Subway or another shop where can check the points before you visit. If you know that you are going for a reduced fat tuna roll and stick to it you will not go wrong it's when you look around for something to tempt you that the trouble starts.

I tend to take a packed lunch to eliminate the risk of impulse lunches. I have no access to cooking facilities or microwave etc just a kettle and a fridge so I have a cold lunch. I think it's important to vary what you have as plain old sandwiches soon become booooooooooring.

Here are a few of my favourite packed lunches

Ham and mustard on malted WW danish bread
Tuna and coleslaw wrap
1/2 WW pizza with salad (see picture)
Tuna or Prawn and pasta salad
Coronation chicken wraps
Cold chicken with rice and peppers
Ham and mushroom tortilla (like a cold omelette)with salad
Humous with pitta bread
Greek salad with pitta
Low fat chicken Caesar salad
Spicy sausage (I use the Bowyers 95%fat free Mediterranean ones) with couscous

Motivation

A few tips to help keep you motivated - thanks to everyone who contributed, I told you I was going to pinch them for my blog

Try to remember what made you start in the first place

Try http://www.mvm.com/ to make a model of yourself at your target weight you'll be amazed how good you look

I write my blog and knowing that other people visit sort of makes me not want to let them down by gaining

Book a holiday even if it's just overnight in a cheap B&B - set yourself a target to get to before you go

Buy something one size smaller don't go mad and buy a size zero you need victories along the way.

Change your diet routine. Have a large meal at lunchtime instead of in the evening.

Don't be too hard on yourself it's not a race and it will take time it took you the whole of your life to put the weight on - it will take LESS to lose it LOL

Get rid of all your clothes the minute that they become too big for you. This gets rid of your safety net and either makes you feel good if you give them to charidee or can help you buy new ones if you sell them on ebay.

Don't think about the full amount you have to lose as that can seem quite daunting. Its easier to set smaller goals such as a stone at time or the next 10% of your body weight.

When you get to goal dont get obsessed with that magic target weight- its not possible to stay exactly at it.

Hang your target outfit on your wardrobe so it reminds you daily.

Use your friends, on weigh day send your mates loss/gain text and tell them you expect a barrage of texts if they didnt.

Put pics on your fridge, not just fat pics but ones you like as the weight moves, you'll find that seeing yourself looking and feeling great will help keep you going.

For each lb you lose link a paper clip to the next one. Keep one colour for one stone and another for the next stone and so one. Its great to see the chain grow....

Take a piece of paper and split it down the middle on one side write why you want to lose weigh for the wedding ie want to wear nice clothes, bikini on holiday, get healthier etc and on the other write the against ones ie cant be bothered, dont have time etc. When its in black and white you see theres not really anything to stop you.

But the most important thing is, don't be too hard on yourself if things go awry...that's life. The main thing is not to get so down you think, oh sod it, I'll eat the whole house then. You have to get straight back on the wagon, and I find if I do, there's no or little difference to my progress, and I feel better about myself. Don't let a slip up turn into a binge

10 reasons why I love Weightwatchers full choice

1. I feel less guilty about food - nothing is forbidden if I have the points I can have it
2. I am learning portion control - I hate throwing food away and always feel I have to eat everything on my plate
3. I am experimenting with food more
4. I don't feel deprived I can have a treat everyday if I want one
5. It works - I am losing weight
6. It means that I can eat the same food as my children
7. It's about choices - I don't pick certain foods as they are too "expensive" in terms of points this means that empty calories are avoided and I can save myself for the good stuff
8. I can save my points and have a bit of a blow out
9. I have no problems eating out
10. I can eat bread!

But most of all I feel so much more postive about myself

Ooops that's 11!

Six Months On

Can you spot the difference? I can't believe how much better we look. It's taken us 6 months and I still have a long way to go, but I know that I can do it. I feel so much better and am absolutely commited to getting to target.

So very proud

My husband is at target, he has lost 5 stone 4lb in less than six months check out his pictures. He is my rock and my inspiration and I admire him so much.

What a hunk! Love you darling