Mixed emotions

It's been a while since I last posted on here, for which I apologise.

I've put on 1/2lb in each of the last 2 weeks (leaing me with a total loss of 1.5stone, a full stone heavier than at my lightest on SW), and have come off the scales feeling completely different each time.

Last week I came away from weigh in confused as to how it happened. As soon as I got in the car it all came flooding back - funny how you think you've stuck well to plan because you have selective memory!

This week I was expecting a sizeable gain - 2 bottles of wine, a few cakes and a few meals out would've warranted it - but was pleasantly surprised with the small gain. That's not to say I wouldn't have preferred a loss - of course I would, but in the circumstances I got off lightly.

I have been drafting a post with some tips for how to make inspired food on SW, but given my gains in the last few weeks I don't feel in a position to offer advice to anyone. Instead, I will try to get back on the wagon and get some losses under (or away from!) my belt before I publish it - that way I will feel less of a fraud.

For me, weekends are the killer - where possible I can food optimise during the week, but at weekends it's difficult to always make the right choice when eating out and very hard to tell people who cater for me that I'd rather eat something more SW friendly. Any tips?

Don't look back in anger...

At weigh in tonight I put on 1.5lbs - the amount I lost last week, which takes my total loss back down to 1st 8lb, or 3lb off in total since I started this blog just over a month ago.

Am I surprised? No - after a week in which I had: pizza; chocolates; a curry with my wife and some friends; a chinese takeaway; and several cupcakes, I expected a gain.

Am I disappointed? Absolutely not - because it was expected and I was aware of what I was doing, it's not hit me like some gains have done. That's definitely a good thing, since it means that I'll not get into the spiral of guilt and I'll not go to such extremes that I become a control freak and stress myself out over my eating.

At the end of the day (and I've said this many times before), following the SW plan is all about making long term changes to the way I eat. I proved to myself last year that I could lose weight in doing so, and I'm confident it will happen again. I've still got a lot of weight to lose and the best way to keep it off is to lose it slowly and steadily.

Here's to a step back in the right direction next week. Scan bran challenge anyone?

A great way to end the weekend

SW potato and sweet potato chips, Joe's sausages, mushy peas and SW curry sauce (courtesy of this blog: http://zoe79.blogspot.com/2008/08/chip-shop-curry-sauce.html , but made with quark rather than fromage frais)

Absolutely delicious!!

Recipe: SW breakfast noodles

Syns
Free on EE if using cheese as HE

Ingredients
Noodles
Cherry tomatoes
Bacon, fat removed, cut into strips
Samphire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samphire)
Mushrooms
Spring onion, chopped
Baked beans
Parmesan (from HE)

Method

1. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions.
2. Cook the beans according to the instructions.
3. Fry the bacon until cooked.
4. Add the mushrooms and fry until cooked.
5. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until they start breaking up.
6. Add the samphire and spring onion and fry for 1 minute.
7. Mix the noodles with the bacon mixture.
8. Serve with beans and a few spoons of grated parmesan.

Recipe: Fish cake medley

Syns
Syn free on EE

Ingredients
Salmon chunks
Smoked haddock chunks
Haddock chunks
(I got all 3 of the above in a fish pie mix)
Tin of crabmeat, drained
5 or 6 Potatoes, peeled and quartered
Chopped dill
Chopped parsley
Lime juice
Teaspoon of dried chillis
Lemongrass
Chives
4 eggs, beaten
Fry light
Teaspoon of mustard powder
A spring onion, chopped
Ground ginger

Method

1. Put the potatoes in a pan of boiling water and cook until it starts breaking up.
2. Drain the potatoes and mash well (no need to add anything other than salt and pepper)
3. Steam the fish (salmon, haddock and smoked haddock - separately) until cooked (a minute or 2 in a microwaveable bowl covered in clingfilm will probably be enough)
4. Flake the fish and crab into separate bowls (we'll be making 4 lots of fishcakes)
5. Add 1/4 of the mashed potato (assuming you have the same amount of each type of fish) to each bowl and mix well
6. Add ingredients to each bowl as follows:
• Salmon: dill, parsley, 1 egg
• Haddock: dill, parsley, 1 egg
• Smoked haddock: dill, parsley, 1 egg, mustard powder
• Crab: lemongrass, spring onion, chillis, ginger, chives, 1 egg
7. Mix well
8. Put fry light in a hot frying pan, then add the mixtures a spoonful at a time, flattening down to create patties.
9. Turn after a few minutes and cook until brown on both sides
10. Serve with stir fry veg and cherry tomatoes and enjoy!

A kick start

I started another new food optimising week by checking my progress on the SW website. According to the predicted weight loss chart I should achieve my initial target weight in time for my 1st anniversary. I'm hoping to do so sooner, but would be delighted if I do manage to get (initial) target by then, since the wedding and the support of my wife is what kick-started this whole journey in the first place.

I've got off on the right footing this week - breakfast consisted of:

• A banana;
• A fat free toffee yoghurt;
• 4 apples; and
• A strawberry Oatibix bar

All syn free, with the Oatibix bar being my HE for the day.

Planning to have a syn free mugshot (or 2) for lunch, and we've got plenty of low syn/syn free food in the fridge, freezer and cupboards, so hoping to have a good week this week. Some of the stuff we've got was bought especially to try out/create some new recipes, so watch this space!

The only thing that could scupper that slightly is a curry on Saturday night, but I'll just need to save up some syns; have a flexi syn day; or pick something food optimising.

Wish me luck!

Don't know how I did it!

Very pleased to lose 1.5lb this week - it takes my total loss to 1st 9.5lb.

I'm still trying to fathom out how it actually happened though! Syns over the weekend consisted of sharing two large pizzas with my wife, a bowl full of mayo laden salad, a milky hot chocolate, half a bag of minstrels, and wee dram of fab scotch whisky!
Plus points for this week include discovering low syn pancakes (and having a massive batch of them!), loads of fruit, more nice low syn meals and finding mugshots, which could be my new lunchtime staple.
Shovelling snow and another walk with the dog also helped.

A couple of weeks ago I was disappointed at having a gain, since it meant I'd lost less than 1lb per week, but I had a word with myself and quickly realised that if I kept up that rate I'd lose nearly 4 stones over a year, which would get me easily past my current target and the steady loss should make it easier to keep it off. Watch this space to see if I can make it - here's hoping!

Recipe: super chicken noodles

Syns
Syn free on EE if using cheese as HE

Ingredients
Chicken and herb light Super Noodles
Mushrooms, quartered
1 onion, diced
Sweetcorn
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Fry light
Cooked chicken pieces
Philadelphia light (HE)

Method

1. Cook the noodles and sweetcorn according to the noodle packet instructions
2. Fry the onions and mushrooms in fry light until softened
3. Add the chicken and continue to fry
4. Add the noodles and tomatoes to the onions and mix thoroughly. Enjoy!

Recipe: chicken and tomato pasta

Syns
Syn free on EE if using cheese as HE

Ingredients
Pasta
1 onion, diced
Mushrooms, halved or quartered
1 yellow pepper, diced
Chicken, cubed
Parmesan cheese (HE)
2 garlic cloves, diced
6 Tomatoes, quartered
Fry light

Method

1. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
2. Fry the onions, garlic and pepper in fry light until softened.
3. Add the chicken and fry until browned
4. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes and fry until the tomatoes have broken down and create a bit of a sauce
5. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce and stir well
6. Serve covered in parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Recipe: Tuna and onion smash pizza

Syns
Free on EE if using cheese as HE

Ingredients
Cheese, grated
Passata
Onion, diced
Tuna flakes
Dried mashed potato mix

Method

1. Make up a packet of mashed potato with half the amount of water specified on the packet, so it forms a thick mixture (I find it mixes better if you pour the packet into the water rather than the other way round)
2. Spray a baking tray with fry light, then put in the mash - pack it together and flatten it so it's fairly thin.
3. Spray with fry light and bake in preheated oven (200C) until golden (around 15 mins I think), then turn over and do the same to the other side
4. Once the base is cooked, spread with passata, diced onion and tuna, then top with grated cheese
5. Put back in the oven and cook until the cheese is bubbling

 

Now that's how to start a day!

I woke up very early this morning (one of the not so joyous things associated with having a new puppy!). Instead off going back to bed I figured I may as well start the day and get into worked early.
Before I did, though, I made myself some SW pancakes. They tasted great, although they didn't stay in one piece. That was either down to my inability to cook pancakes (the same happens with regular ones), not soaking the oats in the yoghurt for long enough, or needing and extra egg.
This is one recipe I will be trying to perfect!
As a bonus, I was first into the office - not often that happens!