Fell at the third...

Was it too much to ask for a third loss in a row? Apparently so, but that's what I get for eating too much ice cream and having a takeaway.

We've put up new stars in group to mark our progress towards target. Mine is at the 1 stone mark when the best award on my book is 2.5 stone. That's pretty depressing to say the least.

I will do my best to stick to plan this week - I need to go into my holiday on a high because i will have very little control over what is on the menu when I am away.

I need to exercise more and make use of the freezer for multiple portions of sync free meals.

Staying to group for the second week in a row - hoping that will inspire me.

Show me the mojo...

3.5lb off this week. So chuffed! That puts me back at 1.5 stone lost in total and is the first time in ages I've lost weight two weeks in a row - here's hoping for the hatrick next week!

I think it was partly down to having a good start last week - that loss wasn't as much as I'd hoped for, but combining the 2 weeks gives me something to build on. I also felt I did well at the two garden parties I went to at the weekend - at one I was BBQ chef so avoided picking at food (and my fab wife bought me some chicken kebabs so I could avoid sausages and burgers), and at the other I avoided sausage rolls, samosas and garlic bread, instead opting for rice, chilli and kedgeree (although I did have a few bits of dessert!).

Keeping the plan somewhere near my mind, rather than locked away at the back, meant that I paid more attention to what I was eating - I made a massive batch of cabbage and leek soup which I've been eating every day since I made it, and experimented with some other new recipes - I think I'm beginning to rediscover my SW mojo!

I stayed to group for the first time in a while and people were genuinely pleased to see me - at first I was staying because my arm was forefully held behind my back, but I'm glad I did it and will do so more often in future. We've got such a friendly group that it's about time I started giving them the support they've given me - thanks folks!

After group, I got home and made some turkey pasta (sorry - we ate it that quickly that I didn't get a chance to take a pic!) and some SW quiche (that I was planning on lasting a few days for lunch, but which I've had half of already!). Food optimising has never tasted so good!

I've got a couple of social occasions coming up that could make it difficult to stick to plan, so I'm aiming to stick to it the rest of the week and minimise the effect of those occasions. Tune in next week to find out how I did!

Recipe: leeks and cabbage soup

Take a look at this gorgeous soup. Eating one portion now, 5 in freezer and another in fridge.

Syns
Free on EE

Ingredients
3 leeks, chopped into 1/2 inch slices
1 cabbage, roughly diced
3 veg stock cubes
Handful of frozen sprouts
Couple of handfuls of frozen casserole mix
Pearl barley

Method

1. Make up loads of stock with the stock cubes, bring to boil.
2. Add all of the other ingredients and cook until tender.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Baby steps...

When I used to run regularly (believe it or not I completed two half marathons when I was younger), I used to use the approach of taking "baby steps" to get to the top of particularly difficult hills, or when my energgy was running low.
At weigh in this week I'd lost 1/2lb - a baby step on the hill towards my ultimate goal.
The running analogy is quite fitting because, in an effort to kick start my weight loss and get some new awards under my belt (since it could be quite some time until I get my next weight based award of 3 stone!), I went out for a run twice last week. I didn't get particularly far (less than a mile), which at the time was quite disheartening, but I know I have it in me to run as far as I used to. At one point I tried to power up a hill, but ended up struggling and deciding to walk the rest of the way. Transferring that to weight loss, as much as it's frustrating I know that the best way is to lose a little and keep it off, so every week that I have a 1/2lb loss is another 1/2lb closer to target.

I think I might struggle slightly this week - I'm at two parties at the weekend and helped a friend celebrate her birthday last night. Hopefully the good work I've done the rest of the time, along with the cumulation from last week will help me to stay on track, or at least not fall too far away from it.

One of the ladies from our group got to target last week, and has quite often only lost little bits at a time. She's probably not aware, but she's an inspiration to those of us who are plodding along.

Recipe: Scrambled beans

SynsFree on EE if using cheese as HE

Ingredients
Cheese, grated
Eggs, beaten
Baked beans

Method

1. Put all ingredients in a pan and cook until it resembles scrambled eggs

Resisting temptation...

This is what I was faced with in our office kitchen on more than one occasion this week. Fortunately I resisted!!

Recipe: Scampi and onion rings

SynsFree on EE if using wholemeal bread as HE

Ingredients
King prawns, cooked
Onion, sliced into rings
Fine breadcrumbs from wholemeal bread
An egg or two, beaten
Peri spices
Fry light

Method

1. Mix the breadcrumbs and peri spices
2. Dip the onions and prawns into the egg then coat them with the breadcrumb mixture
3. Put onto a baking tray and cook in the oven (200 degrees C) until golden

Recipe: Mushroom korma, prawn jalfrezi, and lentil and sweetcorn curry

Syns
Free on EE

Ingredients
Peppers, chopped
Onion granules
Garlic granules
Ginger
Korma curry powder
Jalfrezi curry powder
Madras curry powder
Fat free greek yoghurt
King pawns
Mushrooms
Sweetcorn
Chopped tomatoes
Can of lentils
Chopped spinach
Fry light


Method
Mushroom korma

1. Fry the peppers and mushrooms with onion granules, korma curry powder, garlic granules and ginger
2. Add the greek yoghurt and mix well

Prawn jalfrezi

1. Fry the peppers with onion granules, jalfrezi curry powder, garlic granules and ginger
2. Add the prawns and tomoatoes and cook to reduce the liquid
3. Add the greek yoghurt and mix well

Lentil and sweetcorn curry

1. Fry the peppers with onion granules, madras curry powder, garlic granules and ginger
2. Add the spinach, lentils and swetcorn and cook until hot

Too many cookies spoil the cook...

I put on 3.5lb this week, so now am 0.5lb off the heaviest I've been this year.

That's a big number, but is easily explained when you see just a sample of my intake for the week:

• Chinese takeaway
• Indian takeaway
• pizza
• cakes
• cookies
• alcohol
• shortbread
• sandwiches

I keep telling myself that I keep going along to weigh in because it helps me to keep track of where I am even if I have put on - that it keeps me in control. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm kidding myself and would be in the same position if I didn't get weighed every week, but feeling a bit less guilty because I wouldn't be quantifying it.

I decided not to stay to group tonight because I felt that had I done so I would've become emotional and taken the time and attention from those who deserve the support.

When I started this journey over a year ago, my aim was to lose weight for my wedding. Now my aim is just to lose weight - for nobody other than myself. I think that might be the problem. I know that losing weight would be good for my health and general well being, but since I'm loved by a wonderful woman I no longer need to lose weight for my self esteem or confidence.

Do I still want to lose weight? Yes
Do I have the tools and support I need to lose weight? Absolutely!
Will my love of food get in the way? Most likely

This week I was told of a detox diet where the least weight anyone had lost in a week was 11lb. As tempting as that is, I know that it wouldn't work for me in the long term. For me to be successful in losing weight and keeping it off I need to permanently change the way I eat. When I was really into SW last year the weight dropped off and stayed off. Now that I'm on and off plan my weight is fluctuating a lot, but I am still lighter than I was when I started this journey, so something has stuck.

I'm off on holiday in just over 4 weeks, so maybe that gives me something to go for. To get back to 1.5 stone off I need to lose 4lb. To get back to my lowest weight this year I need to lose 8.5lb. To get back to 2 stone off I need to lose 11lb. I reckon (hope??) at least one of those is achievable. Wish me luck!

As I mentioned in my last post I'm no longer on Facebook. I hope that doesn't stop my friends from group in offering their support or asking for mine - together we can all get to where we want to, and I will be staying to group next week.

On the subject of friends, that reminds me - I've not had any responses to my previous post. Please, please, please comment and offer your suggestions - I could really use all the inspiration you can offer at the moment.

A fortnight lighter...

I was away last week, so had to miss weigh in, which usually means that bad habits creep in unabated. Queuing for weigh in this week I was expecting to have put on weight and gone into the next stone up. I had convinced myself that would be the case and had decided that I would accept what the scales decided then move on with shifting the gain the next week. Imagine my surprise when the scales showed I'd actually lost 1.5lb! Looking back I can see that there were times I've been very good and stuck to plan, and others where I've forgotten what the plan looks like, so I'm not sure what to attribute the loss to.

Rather than deciding to continue as I have for the last 2 weeks and hoping that I continue to lose weight, I am getting back onto plan - I know that works, so we will see how it goes.

Another thing that might help a bit is that I am likely to be less sedentary on an evening - I've left Facebook since I was spending every second each evening pressing refresh to see what was going on in the world. This is another step in my taking control of my life, which I hope will help my weight loss as well as my general wellbeing (some stuff that I used to read on there got me fuming, so my stress levels should decline as a result of not reading it anymore!). There is one drawback, however - by not being on Facebook it's harder to get the support, ideas and recipes of my group if I'm going through a rough patch. I hope to ease that difficulty somewhat by staying for IMAGE Therapy more often and I guess if I have any trouble between meetings I'll post on here and hope someone can gee me up!