We're in this together...

This week I put on 1lb. It wasn't supposed to happen since we were at home for the weekend so had control over what we ate. It happened because we were decorating so neither of us could be bothered to cook or clear enough space in the kitchen to do so, so ended up having a couple of takeaways.
Other things that happened during the week meant resorting to synful comfort foods, so in all a 1lb gain probably isn't that bad.

I would dearly love to weigh less at the end of the year than I have done all year, so to kick start that I have set a target of 4lb loss this week. In past weeks I've gone for 1lb loss just to get something, but have decided that the only way to do it this week is to target a big loss and really go for it. How am I going to do that? Well, firstly my wife and I will be doing "the scan bran challenge" (if you've not heard of this, it's using scan bran [5 a day]) as your HE), we went for a "big shop" yesterday and bought loads of yummy free and superfree foods, and we're both in "the zone". We got back from a fantastic group on Tuesday and were going to have 1 last takeaway before kicking on with the week since we fancied some chips. Instead I made some SW chips, which we had with Joe's pepper steak, roasted butternut wedges and curried veg. It was gorgeous and more satisfying than a takeaway since it was syn free!

Last night we had salmon, noodles and stir fry veg. I usually use prawn, crabstick or chicken when I cook a stir fry, but the salmon was fab - will be making that again. Inspired by a conversation on my SW group's facebook page I made sweet chilli rice pudding (pic and recipe to follow). My wife couldn't stand it, but I really enjoyed it so will be doing that again!

More decorating this weekend, so more body magic. At the minute I'm hoping for good things this week. I'm in a good place SW wise, so fingers crossed!!

Thank you for being a friend...

I managed to lose 1lb this week. On reflection I'm pretty happy with that.

Friday started off as a really bad day - I got myself into a foul mood for various reasons and indulged in a breakfast baguette. I was ready to descend into synning the rest of the day away until the members of my SW group all offered words of support which helped me get back on track.

Group was fab last night too - so supportive and friendly with plenty of laughs. It was a marked contrast to a meeting I was at today, when people were distinctly indifferent to offering any kind of support to some things that would benefit the community. It's times like that when I realise how lucky I am to have the support of my SW group. You are all awesome!!

I overdid my syns a bit today - I had a training session at work with lunch provided and since I was hungry and hadn't brought anything in I had to indulge in the sandwiches. Tea was completely syn free and delicious - beans, Joe's sausages and bubble and squeak.

I've decided that I would like to lose on averag 1/2lb a week between now and Christmas. If I achieve that then I will be back at the weight I was last Christmas, and the lowest I have been this year. Wish me luck!!

We are not alone...

I read this article about childhood obesity on the BBC website today. Reading the stories of some of the people who contributed reminds me of some of the experiences I had in my younger (and not so younger) years:

• I seem to be one of the few people who enjoyed school dinners and quite often had seconds, especially of pudding!
• I received a lot of verbal relating to my size whilst I was at school, and that led to me being extremely miserable. I enjoyed my education, by hated some of the people I had to share it with.
• Once I got to university I discovered alcohol as a way to help me interact socially (believe it or not I've always been quite shy) and indulged frequently in fast food (the Pizza Hut buffet challenge was at least a termly outing).
• I left home to move down south for work and continued where I left off from uni in terms of my alcohol intake. I resorted to food as a comfort when I felt low or homesick, or simply had nothing else to do.
• I moved to a flat in Leeds and on 2 separate occasions was verbally abused in the street. On each occasion I was by myself whilst the offenders were with a gang of friends so had strength in numbers. I took comfort in the fact that I coudl lose weight, whereas they would always be morons.
• I had no reason to lose weight until I met my wife. Once we got together I had a reason to live and began enjoying my life again. I lost 1 stone in the year before I joined SW by changing my eating habits (in particular making sure I had breakfast every day and having a jacket potato for lunch).
• We joined SW to lose some weight for our wedding and I managed to shed 2.5stone.
• I slipped back a bit up to the end of the year, then started this blog and have fluctuated around the same weight for most of this year.

I know that I have issues with food - I resort to it as a comfort when I'm down or a friend when I've nothing to do. If I can shake that habit and get back into the swing of being a food optimiser then I'm sure the next chapter will see me at target weight living life to the full.

Gotta get through this...

I put on 1lb this week, due to takeaways and cake.

I have a pretty impressive knack of ordering the lowest syn stuff (e.g. boiled rice and foo yung), but then eating everything else that's put in front of me.  The even more frustrating thing is that I can make low or zero syn versions of a lot of the stuff I have from takeaway, but because of the convenience we order in.

Perhaps by planning in advance I might be able to avoid some of this, but having done so before it never works out that way.

For the next 3 or 4 weekends I'm not going anywhere, so maybe that'll help get control over food - planning to do a "big shop" tomorrow night, so might dig out my favourite recipes.

My wife lost 2lb this week - I'm so proud of her! She keeps telling me I need to do more (or at least some!) exercise, but I never seem to find the time - it's getting dark when I get home from work and I don't have time in the morning. I figured I could invest in some exercise equipment and remembered enjoying using cross trainers, but on looking at them online I've found that I need to lose at least a stone before I get below the maximum weight to use them. :-(

Think

Think (Think) think (Think) think (Think) think (Think)
You think (Think) think (Think) think about it (Think)
You better think (Think), think about eating one third super free
Yeah think (Think, think), fill the other two with free
Lets go back, lets go back, lets go way on back when
I hadn't started slimming so I weighed an extra stone or ten (Just go on)
I ain't no psychiatrist, I ain't no doctor with a degree
It don't take too much high iq's to see what food did to me
You better think (Think) think about eating one third super free
Yeah think (Think, think), fill the other two with free
Oh free food (Free food), free food (Free food), free food, yeah free food (Free food)
Oh now free food (Free food), free food (Free food), free food, oh free food (Free food)
Oh, right now
Hey, think about it
You, think about it
There ain't nothing I'd refuse when my synful hunger wins (it wins)
I want to change but I won't if I keep eating lots of syns
Hey (Think) think about eating one third super free (eating one third super free)
Baby, think (Think), let your scales go, fill yourself with free
I was walking around everyday, eating foods that made me grow
Now I want to shift some weight and get down to a healthy low
Yeah think (Think) think about eating one third super free
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (Think, think), let your scales go, fill yourself with free
You need group (Need group) and they need you (Don't you know?)
Without each other there ain't nothing people can do
Yeah yeah, think about free (eating one third super free)
'Till the fall of the night, think about it right now
Oh free food (Free  food), free food (Free food), free food, yeah free food (Free food)
Free food (Free food), free food (Free food), free food, free food (Free food)
Right now
Hey, you, think about it
There ain't nothing I'd refuse when my synful hunger wins (it wins)
And I want to change but I won't if I keep eating lots of syns
Hey think (Think), think about eating one third super free (eating one third super free)
Baby, think (Think), let your scales go, fill yourself with free
You need group (Need group) and they need you (Don't you know)
Without each other there ain't nothing people can do
Yeah yeah, think about free (eating one third super free)
'Till the fall of the night, think about it baby, right now
(Think about a weight loss) To keep me
(Think about a weight loss) Baby
(Think about a weight loss, think about it)
(Think about a weight loss) a weight loss
(Think about a weight loss) Right now
(Think about a weight loss, think about it) Think about
(Think about a weight loss) Baby
(Think about a weight loss)
(Think about a weight loss, think about it) Think about it
Think about (Think about a weight loss) a weight loss
(Think about a weight loss) a weight loss
(Think about a weight loss, think about it) Don't even reach for syns, pick up free
You had better stop and think before you think
Think

21st century boy...

My last post took the total views on this blog to over 2,000, so I wanted to record a few thanks:

• To all of those who have read the blog and made me want to carry on writing it;
• To all of those who have commented and kept me motivated;
• To my SW group for the support and inspiration they have given me throughout my SW journey; and
• Most importantly, to my wife who has supported me throughout and who loves me whether I put on, maintain or gain.

To you all, thanks for making this journey worthwhile!

High maintenance...

I maintained this week, which is pretty good after having had an afternoon tea, a couple of bits of wedding cake and a couple of individual garlic flatbreads. The rest of the time I was v good - salads or leftover free foods for lunches and loads of fruit as snacks.

I think, however, I may be eating too much fruit.  At work we get baskets of fruit delivered every Monday and Wednesday and every time I walk past them I pick out a bit of fruit and eat it. I think I'm doing it more out of force of habit than actually eating it because I am hungry, so wonder if that's having an adverse affect on my weight loss.

I've been thinking (which some would tell me is a dangerous thing to attempt)... when I first started on this journey I had a reason to lose weight - to feel confident and comfortable in my wedding suit and to llok my best for our big day. Now I don't seem to have a reason - I'm just trying to lose weight because I want to. Except that as much as I want to I still can't avoid temptation on a regular enough basis to sustain a loss, instead fluctuating around the same weight for months on end. I need to find something to aim for, something that will get me truly motivated again and help me get over my love of all of the wrong food. If I can't manage that then I don't know whether I will get any further with my weight loss and could just as easily give in and go back to eating foods that I like all the time without worrying about the consequences. I know that's not the right thing to do, and I sincerely doubt I will do it, but sometimes I do feel like jacking it all in. At group we are now in teams, with each team being awarded points based on pounds lost and awards achieved by its members. Hopefully that will spur me on, since I don't want to let my team down. Let's see how competitive I get after a few weeks of this.

Next weigh in marks the start of a new month, so I'm going to set myself a mini target: to lose weight at more weigh ins than I put on weight. Wish me luck!!