Thread: Going it alone...Trying to get it right.

Hello
I'm new to all this and trying really hard to get it right, but not going to group due to financial constraints. The same financial constraints which are making this whole thing so much harder.

So tomorrow 'should' be day one. I say should as Sundays very rarely go to plan for us and I haven't yet so surviving on what we have in. So I'm hoping that some of you more experienced folk can help me out and point me in the right direction when I need it or when I get something wrong. I'm going to be following Extra Easy, and hope it will be easier than confusing myself with red days and green days.

This is what I have so far for our meal plan for the week, I am on a late shift Monday to Friday which is 11.30am-8pm so evening meal needs to be something not too heavy and simple enough for my OH to make.
Sunday Breakfast - 2x Wheat Bisks (HEB) with Skimmed Milk (HEA)
Sunday Evening Meal - SlimmingWorld Curry (FREE)with Steamed Rice (FREE) and Garlic & Coriander Mini Naan (8syns)
Monday - Friday Breakfasts I am still struggling with so any suggestions for a quick easy breakfast would be great
Snacks at work will be carrot sticks, banana or apple and FruitSlice Biscuits (9 syns) or Yog & Fruit Forest Fruits Slices (10.5 syns)
Monday Evening Meal JacketPotato (FREE) with Beans (FREE)
Tuesday Evening Meal Omelette& Salad
Wednesday Evening Meal GrilledChicken & Steamed Veg
Thursday Evening Meal - No idea
Friday Evening Meal - Not a clue
Saturday I am out for lunch time with a friend who is also on SW so will follow her lead. Evening meal needs to be something quick, easy and light as out at a gig with the same friend an night so need to save syns for a couple of drinks.

So I realise that I have rambled on enough for a first post, but am very welcoming to lots of advice and ideas around my meal plan for the week, and just for some extra info i have almost every kitchen gadget going so cooking is not a difficult task, and my food budget is roughly £130 a month at an absolute stretch.

Welcome to my food diary

xxxxx

OK so today has been a success and looks a little bit like this
I skipped breakfast as I rarely have it on a Sunday and just wasn't hungry, OH had 2x Wheat Bisks (B) and Skimmed Milk (A)
Lunch we had a Carvery which came in at 12 syns (Possibly slightly over estimated but better to be over than under)
Dinner has just been Slimming World recipe chicken curry (minus the naan that was planned) followed by Fresh Pineapple (OH had fat free natural yoghurt with his, mine was plain)
Drinks have been diet coke with lunch at the pub, sugar free cranberry & raspberry from the SodaStream and water so all free drinks today.
OH is chuffed that he has been full all day and is amazed by the amount he is able to eat, but the proof of the pudding will be how he goes on on a work day as he has a manual job so usually eats alot.
All in all a good day, I am happy with how its gone.

Originally Posted by lizzie_b

Hello
I'm new to all this and trying really hard to get it right, but not going to group due to financial constraints. The same financial constraints which are making this whole thing so much harder.

So tomorrow 'should' be day one. I say should as Sundays very rarely go to plan for us and I haven't yet so surviving on what we have in. So I'm hoping that some of you more experienced folk can help me out and point me in the right direction when I need it or when I get something wrong. I'm going to be following Extra Easy, and hope it will be easier than confusing myself with red days and green days.

This is what I have so far for our meal plan for the week, I am on a late shift Monday to Friday which is 11.30am-8pm so evening meal needs to be something not too heavy and simple enough for my OH to make.
Sunday Breakfast - 2x Wheat Bisks (HEB) with Skimmed Milk (HEA)
Sunday Evening Meal - SlimmingWorld Curry (FREE)with Steamed Rice (FREE) and Garlic & Coriander Mini Naan (8syns)
Monday - Friday Breakfasts I am still struggling with so any suggestions for a quick easy breakfast would be great
Snacks at work will be carrot sticks, banana or apple and FruitSlice Biscuits (9 syns) or Yog & Fruit Forest Fruits Slices (10.5 syns)
Monday Evening Meal JacketPotato (FREE) with Beans (FREE)
Tuesday Evening Meal Omelette& Salad
Wednesday Evening Meal GrilledChicken & Steamed Veg
Thursday Evening Meal - No idea
Friday Evening Meal - Not a clue
Saturday I am out for lunch time with a friend who is also on SW so will follow her lead. Evening meal needs to be something quick, easy and light as out at a gig with the same friend an night so need to save syns for a couple of drinks.

So I realise that I have rambled on enough for a first post, but am very welcoming to lots of advice and ideas around my meal plan for the week, and just for some extra info i have almost every kitchen gadget going so cooking is not a difficult task, and my food budget is roughly £130 a month at an absolute stretch.

Welcome to my food diary

xxxxx

Well done on being so orgainised! Check out other diaries for inspiration. I find shopping at Aldi helps with the budget but I need to top up at Asda/morrisons for quark and fromaige frais. I like wheat biscuits for brekkie too and often have a banana as well to fill me up further. Good luck Becky xxx

I find Aldi is the only way for us to shop at the moment, and Farmfoods is a godsend too, stocked up on frozen veggies today that can be steamed from frozen
Trying to plan even further ahead now for next week, its the only way I think we will stay on track and on budget is for me to be 100% organised.
Thanks for reading...We can all do this xxx

We can indeed. I definitely need to be more organised and I have the time to do it!

Yes I also found being organised was one of the biggest helps with this week. I'm going to plan this weeks meals today ready for the start of my new week tomorrow. I also struggle with breakfast ideas I've basically had the same everyday just adding some bacon this weekend but as long as I'm enjoying what I'm eating I'm not going to change it. I tend to shop around too as I don't drive I struggle getting to aldi but I tend to shop at tesco, lidl and at the new farm foods that opened the other day

Hi! Good start to your journey! Love your meal ideas. I have just started this weekend and today I have had a massive cookathon(if that's even a word!) I have made the quiche for my lunches, just had 1/2 potato, 1carrot, spring onions pepper and eggs...that would easily do you both 3days of lunch and salad. I have made the pasta sauce for my teas which has red onions and tinned toms and herbs in...you could double base recipe and add mince ( not sure how EE works)(I had made prawn cakes but these were awful). I am also getting into stir fry as well. Can't advise you on budget shopping I'm afraid as I am in Australia. Is online shopping worth it then you only buy what's on your list, or are you good with that anyway?

How's your day been? Did you stick to your menu? xxx

Hi Beck, we certainly did, and it was even waiting for me when i got home from work at 8.15pm breakfast has been the same as Sunday and will be all week, Thurs and Fri evening meal we are repeating Monday & Tuesday.
I'm quite impressed with OH that he's sticking to it, but stranger things have happened.
In other news, just applied for another job so fingers crossed for being out of hell by my birthday as well as being a stone lighter
How was your day? xxx

Well done Lizzie on sticking to your menu and staying on plan. Fingers crossed on the new job too it cannot be good working somewhere you hate. I am lucky I love my job but unfortunately I have been signed off for another six weeks. Hopefully though this week I will find out if I can have the op I need a d if so this will happen in the next few weeks. Being Ill has affected my weight loss as one of the tablets I took causes weight gain too, I have gradually weaned myself off them so hopefully I will start to loose now. Meant to say your other half is good at helping you to stay on plan. I am trying to get my oh too, he needs to loose weight too and it doesn't help when he sits there eating something naughty! I must admit my will power is strong at the moment and hopefully will stay that way, it's my nephews first birthday today and my sis is doing a birthday tea so I need to resist naughty nibbles. Hope you have a good day today. Love Beck xxx

Yesterday was a good day, totally on plan again :-) the first use of the omelette maker we bought months ago was a total success, and OH successfully went to the shop for tomatoes and came back without cheesecake which must have been a challenge for him. He still cant come out with only what he went in for but at least yesterday it was a pineapple and a melon that came home with the tomatoes :-)
It is really helping having him on board to be honest, because if he was eating all the naughty stuff I'd have no chance of avoiding it. But this is working because he can still eat loads and as he's filling up on plenty of fruit and salad and veggies he's not going hungry.
Hope you get the op you need Beck, I envy you for having a job you love, I used to have one of those but it was only seasonal and didn't pay anywhere near enough :-( it's my mission to get back into that company one day though xxx

Today I have used up what I expect to be the rest of my syn allowance for the week in a piece of chocolate cake. I only had a small piece and decided that by having it I was removing the possibility of it turning into a massive craving and ending up in a binge. Everything else is 100% on plan and also free if I skip my afternoon biscuit :-) so I'm not disappointed as the way I see it if I have a little then get straight back on plan I won't crave the bad stuff. I also had a sneaky peak on the scales this morning and am 4lb down since Sunday so something is going right xxx

Hey well done to you. I think that is definately the trick, I used to eat something and then think I have blown it now and would then just binge for the rest of the day. I was quite pleased with myself that even though I ate some party food I didn't go mad and then when I came home I don't binge! Hopefully then we will crack this together! Find out about op tomorrow so crossing everything!! Beck x

Apart from the cake I have been completely on plan, and skipped the afternoon biscuit to save on syns, will do the same tomorrow to average out the cake! Planning an off plan day for Tuesday too as we're having a buffet at work as one of the girls is leaving. I know for a fact I won't be able to resist so instead of trying to count syns and getting in a stress over it and feeling like I've failed I figure I will just an a day off and get straight back on it on Wednesday. Taking OH to see iron man 3 on the same day so he'll want a subway when we're there, just need to be strong and skip the popcorn xxx

Another brill day, and totally on plan, did have a can of diet coke today but that is all that isn't listed I think. Tea was jacket potato and beans followed by a piece of melon :-) skipped the afternoon biscuit so that I don't go over my syns for the week thanks to yesterday's cake. Pleased with how well we've done this week, I even had a walk to town in the sunshine this morning :-) xxx