SW Sweeties ..

Just come back from an amazing gym session, feeling great. I extended my treadmill PB to 11 mins of running in 30 mins, I nearly died after it, haha, but now I feel great, even got some cycling, rowing, weights and cross trainer in this evening!

 

Been having a bad couple of days of snacking, only myself to blame, no self control. Today also I was making a chocolate cake for a friend and there was some chocolate left that just had to be eaten. But, I am starting a fresh, I've written out a meal plan which I haven't done in a while and I'm looking forward to next weeks meals.

 

Also today I tried a recipe I stumbled across when I was browsing the Internet. Jelly Sweets, an extremely easy recipe I thought, not to mention I already had the ingredients in.

 

Ingredients:

Sugar free jelly crystals (11.5g pouch)

3 tbsp gelatin powder

1/2 pt boiling water

 

1. Put the crystals in a jug with the boiling water and stir. Next stir in the gelatin until all is dissolved.

2. Pour into trays (I used ice cube trays) and put in fridge to set.

They have the same consistency of gummi bears with the jelly flavour. The mixture made enough for 2 ice cube trays and the whole lot is only 2 syns. You can have them as a treat, or maybe take them to the cinema to snack on, or if you have a 5 year old you can leave them on the side for him to steal. As you can tell by the pictures the kids love them!

Back To The Gym ..

I have never been so happy to see a gym in my life. It was the first session back after Christmas and New Year. I took it slow but I'm glad of what I achieved. I could feel though it had been a while since the last time I had any excise, not too mention the very heavy night of alcohol on NYE. It was all weighing me down so I'm glad that I had a salad today as well.

 

I'm back on it and hoping a high syn, mixed drinks night didn't do too much damage but the results will show next week.

 

Tomorrow is chili day, quite looking forward to it, I know, quite sad but I do love that meal.

Busy and Hard Week ..

So just come back from last minute workout before weigh in. Me and Gareth did 40 lengths in the pool. Feel quite good about it as well today. Before that I had a simple ham and cheese salad getting my Healthy A in there. I am now just munching on an after body workout snack of a Hi-Fi bar, getting my Healthy B in.

 

This week is a busy Christmas week for Gareth and I, we have 3 meals out so it's going to be hard to get a loss in next week. We're going to try really hard all the other days and get lots of body magic in to try and make up for it, we now have something going on every day up to Thursday next week. Not to mention I'm going to see him everyday until Thursday next week, that's a lot of Gareth. Haha.

 

Today was Swimming getting our body magic in.

Tomorrow, I'll be at my son's Christmas play in the morning, then in the evening is weigh in. But tomorrow is a special weigh in, because straight after is our SW Christmas meal. I am very excited to have a great meal with great people. I think there is about 30 of us out of our group going. I've already chosen my meal of Tomato and Basil soup, Traditional Turkey dinner and for desert Raspberry Blondie.

On Wednesday we will be shopping then off to the gym, that day will be a food good day, of pasta or salad!

Thursday is London day, we're going down to London for a spot of shopping, meal out and into Winter Wonderland (if you want to know about Winter Wonderland, it's on Gareths blog here). This will be a hard day of hot chocolates, Harrod's cake's and a Mexican meal at Chiquito's. I'm going to try and choose good in the restaurant and restrain myself from the delicious cakes, but I'm not that strong!

On Friday it's gym day, trying to burn off what I ate in London.

Saturday is another day out. This one in York, where there will be a lot of walking around which I hope will help but will consist of a meal at Lendall Cellars which is a gorgeous restaurant in the centre of York.

Sunday is damage control once again by going to the gym, I'm going to really push myself to try for if anything a maintain!

Monday is back to Swimming, a last chance body magic session, and then we come round to Tuesday once again and weigh in, where we will learn our fate of the week.

Wednesday will be gym, depending on the results of the night before weigh in, it could be just a normal work out or pushing it to lose the gain!

 

So you see a hectic week of up and down food, I am actually optimistic that I can control this and not get that much of  gain. I use the in between days of meals as body magic days and eat syn free or very low syn foods such at pasta, salads or jacket potatoes. Also trying always to get my fruit and veg in (superfree foods). One things for sure is there is no bad snacking and no bread. I am cutting them out this week. I am in the zone!

Chicken Goujons ..

Just come back from an hours workout at the gym, getting ready for another great week. Didn't majorly push myself this evening, it was just a good workout. And I feel great for it.

 

Before that I had an easy meal of chicken goujons, SW chips and peas.

 

Ingredients:

4 portions of mini chicken fillets (about 16 pieces)

1 egg, beaten

25g golden breadcrumbs

A few potatoes, cut into chips

Fry Light

 

1. Preheat oven to 190c.

2. Spray a baking tray with Fry Light, place chips on baking tray and lightly spray again over the top.

3. Dip each mini fillet in the beaten egg and lightly coat with the breadcrumbs, place on another baking tray sprayed with Fry Light and pop both in oven for 30 mins turning once halfway through.

4. Serve with veg or a crisp salad.

 

This recipe serves 4, and is 1.5 syns each serving.

I have worked out that 25g of golden breadcrumbs is 4.5, so this dived by for and rounded up would be 1.5. If you want it syn free you can use wholemeal bread blitz in a food processor to make breadcrumbs and use this as your Healthy B choice.



On It Like A Car Bonnet ..

Just come back from a great work out at the gym with Gareth, broke a personal best! I go on the treadmill for 30 min's at the start and my record has been 8 minutes of collective running, today I did 9, and couldn't be prouder of myself, ha ha. I seriously had to push myself and get motivated but I did it. After that it was bike and cross trainer then onto the weights, we called it a night after that, feeling much better for what we had done!

 

Also food intake has been brilliant today. For lunch I had leftover chicken curry on a jacket potato, fruit for afters and for dinner I had gorgeous cheese salad, getting my Healthy A in. Now I'm just going for an after workout snack of a Hi-fi bar to get my Healthy B in. My head is really in it this week. I have completely changed my attitude and I'm ready for the scales next week.

SW Works Without You Knowing It ..

 

I am on it this week, went to the gym yesterday evening to get my body magic in, tread mill, bike, cross trainer and weights. really felt it last night as well, I always feel better when I feel it. I think that I've actually made a difference then.

My son was off school for teacher training day so I got my body magic in today as well. From racing home from the shops with him to dancing to Gangnam Style around the house, now that dance is a workout!

 

To quench my appetite after dancing I made spaghetti cabonara, the easiest one I have ever made. I'm not lying it literally took 15 mins, and tasted amazing, not to mention so filling and syn free.

 

 

Ingredients:

400g dried spaghetti

Fry Light

400g back bacon, all visible fat removed, cut into short strips

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

120g Parmesan, finely grated

seasoning

A small hand full of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, to garnish

 

1. Cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions. Drain and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile place a large deep frying pan sprayed with Fry Light over a medium-high heat. Stir-fry the bacon for 2-3 mins, or until lightly golden. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then remove from heat.

3. Add the spaghetti, beaten eggs and half the Parmesan, season and toss well (the heat from the spaghetti will partially cook the egg, but still leave it moist and creamy).

4. Divide the carbonara out, sprinkle with parsley and the remaining Parmesan and serve.

 

This recipe serves 4 and is syn free if using the cheese as your healthy extra. I also put about 200g of thinly sliced mushrooms to mine to bump it up a bit, and it was just as gorgeous.

 

 

Also an inspirational story today, my mother has been dieting as long as I have, but she sticks to the diet of calorie counting since it has been successful for her. She's just recently got to a nice weight she is okay with and decided to take a break a couple of weeks ago, in this time I have been cooking more meals for the household so my mum has hardly had any of her own meals.

She informed this morning that without even trying she has lost 5 pounds, there is nothing different about her lifestyle except for the one fact that shes been dining on Slimming World low syn or syn free meals. If there is any need for proof that Slimming World works, this is definitely it!

If my mother can lose 5 pounds with out even trying or knowing, I can definitely lose the 2 pounds I have put down for next week! Congrats to my mum!



Weigh In (Insert Sad Face) ..

Weigh in was last night, and it did not go well for me at all. I gained 1 1/2 pounds. Obviously I'm not happy about it. Nothing much has changed over this week food wise. The only thing I can think of is the extra gym training I did Sunday afternoon. I've been feeling aching and my muscle are really hard from the circuit training I did. So I am hoping its that and I've got some water retention, which would mean that it all comes off next week! 

 

Since Gemma had me doing circuit training, I am blaming her. Ha ha. The question is now though do I keep doing some sort of circuit training every week and make my body get used to it, or just scrap it all together. Gemma just put up a great little home exercise as well for toning, be sure to go check that out here. Looks like a great little work out that you don't even need to leave the house for!

 

So today is the start of a new week, I have my meal plan that I will stick to. Tonight on the menu is Tuna Pasta Salad, quick, easy and completely syn free, might even have a Weight Watchers petit pan for my Healthy B as a side. My head is completely in it this week. Nothing is going to stop me and I will get my Christmas target of 3.5 stone weight loss!

Aching & Cheesecake ..

Ow. I am in some pain, on my legs and stomach. Gemma had me and Gareth doing circuit training in the gym yesterday afternoon and I can feel it. I mean it was a great workout, I was panting by the end of it but my god I hurt today. I've just come back from doing a few lengths in the pool to maybe ease my muscles, it helped a little.

Last night I made vanilla & chocolate cheesecake so it would be ready for lunch today. The dish serves 10 and each slice is 6 syns. Not bad for a lovely dessert. Here's how its made.

 

 

Ingredients:

10 digestive biscuits, finely crushed

50g low fat spread (suitable for baking), melted

50g dark chocolate

2 level tbsp powdered gelatine

3 x 165g pots Müllerlight New York Style Cheesecake yoghurts

100g quark

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 tbsp sweetener

 

1. Mix the biscuits with the spread in a bowl, then spoon into a 20cm diameter, non-stick, loose-bottom cake tin. Flatten with the back of a fork, cover and chill in the fridge for about 30 mins.

2. Meanwhile melt the chocolate and allow to cool a little.

3. Sprinkle the gelatine into 75ml of boiling water and stir to dissolve. Put the Müllerlight, quark, extract, sweetener and gelatine mixture in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour in the mixture of the biscuit base and swirl in the melted chocolate. Cover and chill in the fridge overnight.

4. Serve by cutting into 10 slices, try adding some raspberry to add a little fruit.

 

 

 

 

Before I went out swimming I made Grilled Lamb Cutlets with sautéed Rosemary Potatoes. Absolutely delicious and syn free.

 

Ingredients:

1lb 5oz potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5cm cubes

seasoning

Fry Light

1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

12 lean lamb cutlets or chops, all visible fat removed

 

1. Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil and add the potatoes. Boil for 8-10 mins or until just tender. Drain thoroughly.

2. Spray a large, non-stick frying pan with Fry Light. Add the rosemary, garlic and potatoes. Stir-fry over a medium heat, turning the potatoes regularly for 6-8 mins or until golden.

3. Meanwhile mix together the Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce and brush over the lamb. Season well on both sides and place under a medium-hot grill. Cook for 5 mins on each side or until cooked to your liking. Remove from the grill and serve with the sautéed potatoes and vegetables.



Achievement Unlocked ..

So today's meal was a simple but tasty syn free steak and chips. I made the SW syn free chips, grilled the steak and served with dry fried mushrooms and peas. Lovely.

 

Also this evening I went to the gym with fellow slimmer Gareth and Joanne, started off on the treadmill and did 30 mins on there. I ran today a collective number of 7.5 mins, that's 30 seconds more than I have ever done so that is an achievement to me! Then moved onto the bikes and rowing machine and once again ended on the weights.

 

Always feel much better after going to the gym and now its time to write my meal plan for the coming week.

Back To The Gym ..

 

 

It was back to the gym tonight with Gareth, I've missed a whole week of exercise so it was slow going tonight, plus the stitch didn't help. Tonight I only did 2 and a half mins of running, 30 mins on treadmill, 10 mins on cross trainer. Then I went onto the bikes and rowing machine. Lastly we finished up with some weight and ten mins of hilarity of Gareth trying to sit ups with the weight ball. He succeeded in the end but the trying was amusing. I feel better now I've been to the gym, feel like I have actually done something to help with my weight loss and can't wait to get back there on Friday evening.

 

Before I went out I had cooked home made lasagne. Just 1 and a half syns per serving. I put mine with chips and peas.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

397g/14oz extra lean minced beef

2 onions, peeled and finely chopped

200g mushrooms, roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

400g can chopped tomatoes

397g/14oz passata with herbs and garlic

2 tsp dried mixed herbs

seasoning

511g/1lb 2oz fat free natural yoghurt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

a pinch of nutmeg

Fry Light

12 dried lasagne sheets

4 level tbsp grated Parmesan

 

1. Place a large, non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Add the mince, onion, mushroom, and garlic and stir-fry for 6-8 mins. Add the tomatoes, passata and dried herbs, season well and cook for 12-15 mins, stirring often.

2. Meanwhile mix together the yoghurt, eggs and nutmeg until smooth. Season well.

3. Preheat oven to 200c/Gas 6. Spray a medium-sized lasagne dish with Fry Light. Spoon half the mince mixture into the base and top with half the lasagne sheets. Spread over half of the yoghurt mixture and top with the remaining mince mixture. Top with the remaining lasagne sheets, spread over the remaining yoghurt mix and sprinkle over the Parmesan.

4. Bake in the oven for 25-30 mins or until the top is golden. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

 

You can also build up the superfree by adding courgettes or peppers, or to give it a kick some chili's.

Now the lasagne is beautiful but the yoghurt topping didn't really go with my taste palette, so I have been looking at alternatives. Tesco white lasagne sauce is 11 syns for 200g, this divided by 4 servings is 3 syns, so all in all a serving with jar of white sauce on top will be 4.5 syns. This I am still happy with and I believe it will taste creamier. Also I have to point out that with this recipe I added 500g of mince to bulk up the meat, and I could actually serve 6, so the lasagne was actually 1 syn each serving.

 



Beetroot Salad ..

Tonight was just a quick beetroot salad, just thrown together. Also did my next week meal plan today.

I unfortunately won't be getting lots of body magic in this week, went to the gym last night and got an hour and half in. I'm hoping this will be enough for the week.

Quick Gym Sesh ..

 

Had a quick gym session this afternoon, and even though it was only 50 mins long, I feel better for having it. We usually stay for over an hour but time was restricted today. Started on the treadmill to warm up, I did 30 mins on there, while running collectively for 7 mins, moved over to bikes then finished off with some weight trainer, where I learn every time I have no upper body strength.

 

For dinner tonight I cooked Hunters BBQ Chicken with Paprika Wedges. Syn free meal as I use the cheese as my Healthy A. Also I don't like BBQ sauce so I leave that off.

 



 

 

If you don't know what it entails it's real easy. Cook a chicken fillet off, add a rasher of bacon on top, and cook that, then add cheese and melt. The wedges were sprinkling with paprika or some sort of spice, spraying them with Fry Light and cooking in oven for about 30-35 mins turning a couple of times. Add with some veg or a nice crisp salad.

Body Magic? ..

 

 

Today was meant to be a body fitness day, gym and swimming.

Unfortunately things went wrong, 40 mins into the gym session I was feeling sick, maybe I had done too much already or not had enough water. I think mostly though it was because we went early and I hadn't eaten. This is my downfall, no breakfast. Admittedly I have never had breakfast, it is not something that sits well with me, but now I'm being active more and having longer days maybe I should invest in it?

 

So that was the gym cut short but then we went forward onto the swimming pool, unfortunately that did not go as planned either, only half of the pool was open so we couldn't really do lengths or for Gareth's sadness we couldn't go on the flumes. So all in all a pretty poor day for body magic, but I know I'll get 50 lengths in at the pool on Monday so looking forward to that.

 

When I got back it was time for dinner, not really planned anything today so it was pretty much throw something together. I decided on ham pasta salad with a jacket potato, I haven't had Healthy A today so I used that on cheese for JP. Sometimes its just really easy to throw a salad together for dinner, can be really filling and depending on what your vital ingredient is can be really flavourful. And don't forget completely syn free!

 



Pushing It In The Gym ..

I've just got back from the gym, my arms are quite tied but I'll try and get through typing this!

Me and Gareth did an hour work out tonight, mainly cardio with 10 mins of weights at the end. We both want 2lbs, I want it to get in my new number and to get a new award.

 

I think I pushed harder at the gym tonight. Anyone who knows me, knows I am not a runner, but tonight I ran for a collective 6 minutes. I know it doesn't sound like much but it was for me. An achievement almost. Before that it was 10 minutes to warm up, then after 15 cycling. I also like to get some rowing in there as well, I can always feel it on my arms. Then the weights to try and built some muscle since I have no strength at all.

 

I got through it and now I feel much better for it. Before going to do any sort of exercise I have this internal groan and question if I really have to, but as soon as I'm working out the rush of adrenaline gets to me and I feel amazing afterwards!

 

Before I went out I made dinner. This is what I would call a nice stomach warmer; Rich Banger and Bean Casserole. This is the first try for me and I can definitely say I will be having it again and not because there is leftovers in the freezer. ha ha.

No its really nice and just completely warms you up. Easy to make, all in one pot. As you can tell by now I love my one pot recipes, so easy but so flavourful!

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Fry Light

8 Quorn Sausages

6 large shallots, peeled and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage leaves

500g pumpkin flesh, cut into large bite-sized pieces

1tbsp white wine vinegar

400g can chopped tomatoes

400g can cannellini beans

300ml vegetable stock

salt and pepper

4 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

 

1. Preheat oven 180c/Gas 4.

2. Spay a large casserole dish with Fry Light and place over a medium heat. Stir-fry the sausages for 4-5 mins or until golden brown all over.

3. Add the shallots, garlic, sage and pumpkin and fry for 3-4 mins.

4. Increase heat to high and add the white wine vinegar, tomatoes, beans and stock and season to taste.

5. Bring the mixture to the boil then transfer the casserole dish to the oven and cook for 1 hour, or until the sausages are cooked through and the pumpkin is tender.

6. Serve sprinkled with the flat-leaf parsley.

 

Great meal, really easy and only 2 syns per serving (serves 4). I just boiled up some carrots and green beans that I had left over to put some more superfree in there. Also I didn't have pumpkin so I substituted it with potatoes and it worked just as good. You could also have low fat pork sausages instead of quorn, just remember to syn them correctly.

New Me .. New Blog

My friend Joanne had started dieting and joined a group; Slimming World.

 

I've always been sceptical of slimming groups, thinking it some sort of con, they get your money and not really help you. You have to eat their products and do it exactly their own specially branded way. But I'd seen for myself it had worked for her, in just a short space of time she had an amazing weight loss. My friend Gareth was thinking about joining, and I had to seriously think would this be good for me. My friends were in the group, I would have support from the consultant and other members, I would have to get weighed in front of people so they were no ways to cut corners.

 

So they were the pros, but I was still sceptical of the paying for weight loss, would it be worth the money? So me and Gareth paid for one session to get the information, and to see what there diet consisted of. We sat down with our consultant (Mandy) and she relayed to us the important points of the diet. It sounded extremely easy, it was in the style of calorie counting, but instead of calories you count 'Syns', it was advised you have between 5 - 15 syns a day, didn't seem that much until Mandy explained that your fruit and veg, meat, poultry, egg, fish, pasta and rices are syn free. This meaning you could make your own meals and not have to buy their products, this diet was sounding better as we went on.

 

After the 'induction' it was time to get weighed, I hadn't been on the scales in a couple of years and was quite dreading it. I was now a size 20 bottoms and size 18 top, I was thinking definitely in the top teens, but was actually surprised to learn my starting weight was 16st 7 1/2 lbs. Now I was not happy with this, it was the heaviest I'd ever been but I'm glad I wasn't in the 18/19's like I thought I was.

 

After this we were referred to the circle of chairs and took our place while Mandy started the meeting, stated peoples weight loses around the room and asking if they felt if they had a good week. As this was going on I reflected whether this was a good move for me or not, looking around this room at people who were the same as me, who were in the same situation, it had clearly worked for them. The diet seemed easy but would it still be easy after a couple of weeks of doing it?

 

So they're I was in the first week of Slimming World diet and finding it extremely easy and comfortable to get on with. I was back to writing down my intake but now synning. I never could get close to the higher end of the syns a day but I was full and satisfied. I couldn't tell any difference or tell if it was working until I went back to weigh in the week after. I got on the scales cautiously waiting to see the number come on the screen. My weight was now 15st 13lbs, I had lost 8 and a half pounds, I was overjoyed. Not only had a lost over half a stone on my first week, I had got into a new number and got my first Slimming World certificate for losing half a stone.

 

It hasn't stopped there, over 19 weeks I've lost 2st 4lbs, I've re-joined the gym and now swim 50 lengths once a week. My lifestyle is healthier and I am loving it. Slimming world is just amazing, I'm now at a weight that I haven't been at for years, I've met some wonderful people and tried so many new recipes. I've only ever put a little weight on twice and with good reasons, a weekend in York and Leeds, but the weight soon came off the next week!