Groundhog Day

Do you ever have them days where it seems as if you are just reliving a previous day? I'm not talking about a case of deja vu , I'm talking about those days you wake up and just know what the day will bring ? Like you are doing a previous day all over again? Well that's what Saturday was like for me. Not because of some spooky time warp or some cosmic, divine intervention, but just simply because it was a day that I had done so many times before.

You see Saturday is weigh in day for me. Although I should probably use the past tense for that sentence. It "was" weigh in day for me. But given the fact that I seem to have dropped off of the weight watchers wagon all together , Saturdays seemed to just become Saturdays again. So this weekend saw me returning to my meeting. It was my day one all over again.. My fresh start day. Most people only seem to have one "day 1" all over again. I seem to have had far too many that I care to remember. I must seem like the queen of excuses just lately as this year there has been something happening in my life to test me at each and every single turn. The minute I feel like I am overcoming one hurdle, another one is waiting for me around the corner, much more bigger and difficult to handle than the last. But everyone has difficult times right? Everyone experiences heart aches and hardships in their lives so why do I constantly use any stress in my life as an excuse to over indulge and forget about my weight watchers journey all together?

For far too long now I have been intent on beating myself up and dwelling on the fact that I am the same weight that I was last year. So what?! I'm not back where I started, I haven't put all that weight back on and I haven't given up and quit weight watchers all together. No one judged me when I went to my first meeting and tipped the scales at almost 20 stone so why on earth should I believe that people are going to judge me for losing weight more slowly than others or achieving a lesser result every week. I have done amazing (tooting my own horn here) to lose 5 stone so far. Recent holidays have swerved that more to the 4 stone mark now but who cares? I seem to have well and truly woken up and smelt the coffee. It doesn't matter how long it takes me to get to my destination. What matters most Is that I don't stop my journey.

So this is me.. Starting again and getting back into that place I love. Where I felt happy because it 't truly didn't feel like dieting. This is me getting back into that healthier lifestyle and making wonderfully filling and healthy meals again as opposed to grabbing a quick snack. This is me realizing again that nothing tastes as good as losing weight feels.

So Saturday may well have been my groundhog day but I am in the right mindset now that it is not going to repeat itself anytime soon. Here is to a wonderful week of smart food choices, tracking and enjoying weight watchers once more...

Corned Beef Bolognese - Princes Recipe Challenge

I was recently contacted by the wonderful people at Princes who were looking for bloggers to take part in a recipe challenge. As a mum I am always on the look out for quick and simple meal ideas which are equally affordable yet healthy. I was eager to take part and received some samples of Princes 3 new corned beef flavors that are now available. Corned beef with Chilli , mustard and onions. Typically when cooking with corned beef, people usually do a corned beef hash or stew so I was eager to try something different. The rules were simple, to cook up a quick and tasty dish using only the corned beef samples and other ingredients costing only £5 or less and it had to be done in 20 minutes or less.

So I decided I was going to make a super simple corned beef bolognese. Yes, different I know and not what you would normally associate corned beef with but if you never try new things you will never know if you like them!

So I went with the corned beef with chilli as I like a little kick to my meals. Here are my other ingredients used:

I make that a grand total of just £2.14 (loose onion cost 20 pence) for all the extra ingredients.. Even the seasoning!! 

Method:

Start by gently frying the chopped onion and a few crushed garlic cloves.

When they start to soften and brown, add in the corned beef (roughly diced)

Gently fry the ingredients until the corned beef starts to soften and cook.

Add in the chopped tomatoes and a dash of herbs and leave simmering for 10-15 mins stirring once or twice.

After 10 minutes add spaghetti to a pan of already boiling water.

Once pasta is cooked drain and serve immediately with the bolognese mixture on top.

Then simply enjoy!

This meal was a big hit with my fussy eater and has been requested for dinner again and given that it cost so little I will gladly oblige! 

All these new flavors will are now available in Sainsburys stores nationwide at £1.99 rrp.

*I was sent a sample pack including various flavors and a gift card for the purpose of purchasing ingredients. All thoughts and recipe ideas are 100% honest and my own.

Speedy Spaghetti Carbonara *Weight Watchers Friendly Recipe*

This is taken from the Weight Watchers 20 minute meals book but this super quick and easy  meal isn't just for the weight watchers, this tasty and satisfying meal can be enjoyed by the whole family.
Propoints per recipe 38 - Propoints per serving 10
Serves 4 - If cooking for less people divide the ingredients as required.

Ingredients:
250g Spaghetti or linguine
Bunch of spring onions
150g Button mushrooms
Cooking spray or oil
1 Large garlic clove
1 Large egg
200g Low fat soft cheese
150ml Skimmed milk
15g Grated parmesan cheese - Or another cheese if preferred 
100g Ham
Black pepper
Parsley to garnish.

Method:

1. Put the spaghetti or linguine into the saucepan and cover with plenty of boiling water from the kettle. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until just tender.
2. Meanwhile, thinly slice the spring onions and mushrooms. Heat the frying pan and spray or add oil. Add the spring onions and mushrooms to the pan with a peeled and halved garlic clove and cook gently for 5 minutes until softened. Then discard the garlic clove (it is only added into the cooking to give flavor to the finished dish)
3. Beat the soft cheese and egg together in a mixing bowl, then add the skimmed milk and half the cheese. Add the parsley (chopped/dried) and season with black pepper.
4. Keep 2 tablespoons of the boiling water before draining the pasta into a colander. Return the pasta to the saucepan with the 2 tablespoons of water and stir in the egg mixture. Once mixed add in the mushrooms and onions and gently mix. Finally add in the chopped ham, return to a gentle heat for 5 minutes mixing occasionally.
5. Serve with the remaining cheese sprinkled on top and some parsley if you wish.

Time For Fatty To Face The Music

 

It is Thursday tomorrow which means one thing... "Weigh In"! Normally I am not bothered by the thought of the scales, even if I think I'm due a small gain or maintain, I take it in my stride because I know I can work it off just as quick. So why is this week so different? Well I'll tell you why. Its because I haven't tracked anything for about 2 weeks. To be fair, I have been inhaling my food like a gannet so fast lately that I wouldn't even have the time to track it beforehand. I just dont know whats wrong with me lately.

I went to Blackpool last week and even though I was only going for 3 days, I knew I was going to miss weigh in so gave myself a week off of weight watchers. Doing this instantly gave me free reign to eat what I wanted whenever I wanted. Starting with the full english breakfasts at the hotel to the bags of donuts on the pier. I was an eating machine. The more I ate the more I felt crap about eating it in the first place, so what was the solution? Eat some more! Don't get me wrong I wouldn't change my time away as we had a lovely time and some lovely meals out and I always said I wasn't going to go away and be pointing but "Hello"! .. I am not on holiday anymore, so why can't I get rid of this greedy voice in my head thats always telling me I will start afresh tomorrow?

Anyway this is what has led to me sitting here on the night before weigh in venting and fretting about my 6+ lb weight gain I am convinced I am getting tomorrow. But lets face it, the fear doesn't seem to be doing the tick as I have just polished off pop corn and Cadbury cookies prior to starting this post! So maybe I need that gain to kick start my journey again?

But lets look at it from another perspective. So I gain x amount tomorrow. Will it stay forever? Can I never get rid of it? Hell no! I'll be working my ass off getting rid of it by the next week so why should I let myself get so angry with the thought of a gain? It's because I am angry with myself for letting those bad habits and old ways sneak back in and without realising it, eating like I was before I joined Weight Watchers. I am great at giving people advice and pep talks about how to not let it ruin your goals and move onwards and upwards when you have a set back but taking my own advice? Now thats a harder pill to swallow.

Well what can I do? I cant change the fact that I am getting weighed and I cant erase all the crap I have eaten these past few weeks so I need to face them scales head on and take whatever result I get. The fact is this isn't a quick fix its a lifestyle change and one of the longest and hardest journeys I will make in my life and I have already achieved so much since last year. I wont let it beat me, I will just come back more determined to lose this weight!

Until tomorrow.....

Tortilla Wrap Pizza - Weight Watcher Friendly

This is a must for all you pizza lovers! Pizza is not the best thing when you are counting points, but you can still enjoy the a delicious pizza with this recipe!

What you'll need:

1 Tortilla Wrap (3 pro points)
1-2 Tea spoons of tomato purée/pizza topping (0 pro points)
30g Grated Mozzarella Cheese (2 pro points)
3 Salami pieces (1 prop point)

**The above pro point values are dependant on size/brand used.

Method:

Take your wrap and lay flat.
Spread the purée thinly over the wrap with the back of the spoon. Make sure the entire wrap surface is covered.
Sprinkle the cheese over the wrap evenly and then finish by adding the salami pieces.
Place under a grill or in the oven for 5-10 minutes. 
Cut up in quarters and enjoy!

**Cooking times may vary so keep an eye on you wrap pizza as they cook quickly due to the thin base.

This is a fantastic little recipe and one that you can tweak to your own personal tastes. Add a bit of anything you like to the top of the pizza!

The Fabulous 50

As most of you that follow me know, I have been on a weight loss journey with Weight Watchers since October last year. A journey which I was hugely sceptical about and one that I didn't hold out any hope of getting anywhere with. In fact if it wasn't for a friend of mine posting a status about considering joining herself, I would have probably never even joined. So here's to her (She knows who she is)

I'm so glad that I did decide to join as I have had such good results and find it so easy to follow. Its not a diet for me and is more of a lifestyle change which is even better as it has a positive impact of Aalliyahs health and lifestyle as well as my own. I am always cooking from scratch now as opposed to bunging anything in the oven. I eat truck loads of fruit and vegetables now (as does Aalliyah) and because I am not buying any high calorie or sugary snacks, Aalliyah is eating much more balanced and healthy snacks every day. On top of all the healthy food choices, I am getting so much more exercise now than I ever did before. I try to walk anywhere and everywhere (within reason), do regular workouts at home and play all kinds of energetic dance games with Aalliyah (xbox). Aalliyah has always had masses of energy so she welcomes any excuse to come along for walks now which in turn is making her more fit and healthy, and has helped her asthma massively  to the point where she was easily able to take part in cross country trials earlier this year.

So why have I named this the fabulous 50? I hear you say. No, I haven't reached that golden age just yet, although the grey hairs indicate I'm not far off! I was actually presented with a certificate at one of my weekly meetings a few weeks back. It was to mark my achievement of losing 50lbs. A massive milestone and one I never imagined I would lose. I still think to myself , why didn't I do something sooner? I have been unhappy with my weight for the best part of my life so could have made a change a long time ago. But that doesn't matter. What matters is I made the decision to change what I wasn't happy about and with determination and a positive, can do attitude I am seeing the results!

I have managed to meet (online) lots of people who are also on a weight loss journey and weather it is through blog posts, Facebook, or even Instagram pictures, I have found each and everyone of them to be a great support.

So thank you to everyone who takes the time to stay updated on how I am getting on and for all of you who let me share in your weight loss journey too!

Here's to the next 50!!!!

Do you have Instagram? If so I welcome new followers. Click the following badge to be taken to my IG profile where you can follow me and I'll glady follow you too.

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I regularly post my weight watchers related updates using IG. Through self portraits to meal photos. So if you would like some support on your journey then please get in touch by any means.

Long Time No Type..

Every week I have been saying the same thing.. "I must get back on the blog bandwagon", and yet every week something seems to take priority and I seem to forget all about it for another week. Apologies for not posting sooner, but I'm back (better late than never).

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New year. I had a lovely quiet family Christmas where I indulged far too much! Whoops!

The weight watching is still going well. I had a small gain over Christmas but now back on track. Hopefully give you a more detailed update on the weight loss side of things soon.

So for now, A big and long overdue shout out to everyone and I look forward to speaking with you all again soon :-)

Overdue Catch Up..

Well it has been a while since my last blog post. Sorry about that. Things just kept on taking priority and always had no time left at the end of the day to blog... But I'm back now :-)

In one of my earlier posts, you will remember I had been to my initial meeting at Weight Watchers. My 4th weigh in is on Thursday! Time sure does fly doesn't it?

Here is a quick breakdown of my weight loss:

Week one: 6lb Weight loss
Week two: 3.5lb Weight loss (Silver 7 Awarded)
Week Three: 2.5lb Weight loss

I am just two small pounds away from a one stone weight loss and over the moon! I never thought I would have so much success with weight watchers, and I am hoping after my initial stone weight loss, I will continue to lose a little each time gradually getting closer to my ideal weight and size :-)

I have found myself eating so much healthier since being on weight watchers. My portion sizes are smaller, and I am trying so many new foods. I have become a massive fan of couscous, something which I rarely ate before and I also have a new found love of Quorn sausages. I am yet to try any other products from the Quorn range, but I am hoping they will be just as tasty.

I haven't had as much exercise as I would have liked to these past few weeks, plus with it being so cold and rainy, totally lack motivation to go out in it! Will be popping into town in the week, so will pick up an exercise DVD. At least I can physical with the heating on, warm and dry :-)

Would love to hear any recommendations on a good DVD to try if anyone has any?

I will keep you all informed on the weight loss.. Until the next weigh in.. Ta Ta for now :-)

Early Days..

OK, So I am on day 3 of my new Weight Watchers Pro Points plan. I am really surprised at how easy it is to follow. I am still tediously looking up "everything" in my handy little point checker book, but as time goes on, I guess things will stick with me and I will automatically know point values for certain items I eat more frequently. I must admit, when I first went to the meeting and the group leader was explaining about how to count points and that everything must be weighed before hand, so to calculate the right number of points, I just thought "Oh god, I'm going to be spending half my life weighing food". When it comes down to it, it literally takes no more than 5 seconds to pop some rice or a potato onto the scales. So there really is no excuse for not weighing anything before hand. There are even some fantastic little hints for when you are dining out and cant just pull some scales out of your pocket. Such things like how to use your fist to use as a size comparison for a potato or how one portion of spaghetti (pasta) would fill a five pence coin. So even when you are out, you kind of get an understanding of how big your portions are and how to calculate the points.

I wont lie, I am a "big" eater! If I wasn't then I wouldn't be at weight watchers ;-) so the portion sizes are very different to what I would normally have. For instance, they say a portion of mashed potato would be similar to the size of a lime. Well in that case I have been having around 8 portions on my plate up to now. I would easily have a mountain of mash with my Sunday dinner. So with the portion sizes being so different to what I am used to, Im learning to eat things that will keep me fuller for longer so I am not starving within a few hours.

I love the fact that you have zero heroes. Besides a few, every fruit and vegetable is 0 pro points, which is fantastic as you can have plenty with your dinner and not rack up any extra points. I personally love fruit and vegetables so this is great for me, and I have probably had more fruit and veg in the past few days than I have in the past week! The pro points plan is definitely changing my eating habits, and getting me making much healthier meals,which is great!

I am a night snacker! Most definitely. I would snack on things at night time. Biscuits, tea and cake, crisps.. all the naughty things. I thought "No way can I give these up" But I have found much tastier alternatives, and if I want to I can still enjoy some biscuits or piece of cake. That's the great thing, its all about moderation and portion size as opposed to what you can or can't eat! When I fancy something sweet, I have been having a meringue nest filled with fresh strawberry's with lot of sprinklings of sweetener (Tate and Lyle granulated sugar substitute- The best sweetener out there if you love your sugar)

There are also plenty of chocolate or cake bars out there in the Weight Watchers range. I have some myself. They are very tasty and only a couple of points each :-)

I am really looking forward to going back next week..Hoping I have lost a little. Id be happy with a pound even! Just something to show its working.

As I said before, I will keep you updated. If there are any fellow weight watchers out there or anyone who blogs any tasty healthy recipes I would love to hear form you, leave me a comment/follow :-)