Thread: Seacrest's Tide Turning diary

I've been following SW since January this year in an attempt to get back to the target weight I acheived with SW back in the late '90's. It's been going so-so, fairly slow as it's punctuated with a lot of travel on which I invariably go off plan. I don't have a huge amount to lose (as I said, I'm getting back to target - I originally lost a lot more, but have just let about a stone creep back on over time), but I do want to lose it again.

I'm doing this alone as I live in Switzerland, so no groups, but using this forum as an invaluable source of info & support.

I just got back from 2 weeks holiday & during that period put 8 pounds of my loss since January back on again! So, I'm going to publish a diary with the aim of staying on the straight-&-narrow and getting to my target weight of 10 stone.

Please comment, support, criticise or whatever. Any help or support gratefully received, and I will try to return the favour.

Monday 30 July: Red day.

Breakfast:
35g Blueberry Wheats (HEX B)
Soya milk (HEX A)
Blueberries

Lunch:
Ham, Large mixed salad
0% yogurt
1 x choc blueberry = 2 syns

Snacks:
Banana / Nectarine
Jerky
Hi-fi bar (HEX B)
Velvet Crunch = 4

Dinner:
Beef stew, Green vegetables (leek / broccoli / beans)
Strawberries, Raspberries, 0% natural yogurt

Syns: Total 6

3 x Green Tea :-)

Tuesday 31 July
Started off well, but deteriorated when I got home from work. It was the eve of National Day here in Switzerland, and I was going to go into the city to watch the fireworks, so hadn't really planned evening meal properly. In the end I didn't go, but by then I compromised heavily on the food planning & ended up over synning.....

Red day.

Breakfast:
42g All bran (HEX B)
Soya milk (HEX A)
Raspberries, strawberries

Lunch:
Tuna
Large mixed salad

Snacks:
Banana, Peach, Pear
Alpen light bar (3 syns)

Dinner:
Wholemeal bread (HEX B), 85g RF cheddar (HEX A) + 6 syns
Nectarine
60ml Whisky (6 syns)

Syns: Total 15

3 x Green Tea :-)

Wednesday 1 Aug.
National Day here - bank holiday, searing temperatures and a great day off! Went out into Germany, had a really nice day, lunch out with my OH - lovely! However, a bad day for the diet... Here goes:

Breakfast:
Croissant & Jam (11.5 syns)
42g All bran (HEX B), strawberries
Soya milk (HEX A)

Lunch:
Chicken & mixed salad / greek salad
300ml sparkling cidre (not sure of syn value)

Dinner:
Tortellini (13.5 syns), pesto (3.5 syns), peppers, mushrooms
0% strawberry yogurt

Total syns in excess of 30.....

So, Day 2 bad, day 3 worse. This is why its taking so long to get back to target.....

Thurs 2nd Aug

OK, back on track today....

E/E day

Breakfast:
30g Weetabix choc mini's (HEX B)
Strawberries
Soya Milk (HEX A)

Lunch:
Falafel (6 syns), large salad
Pear

Dinner:
Barbequed chicken & prawns, salad
0% cherry yogurt

Snacks:
Banana, nectarines, fig
Alpen light bar (3 syns)

3 x green tea :-)

Syns: Total 9

Friday 3rd Aug

Weighed this morning (normal WI is Saturday, but I'm away for the weekend) & lost 3lbs! This is good news, even though I know its holiday weight coming off, which shouldnt have been there in the first place etc etc. Why oh why is it so much easier & faster to put on than take off again? Still, pleased to have lost some anyway :-)

However, the challenge now is how to ensure that I'm good over the weekend... So far:

Breakfast:
42g All Bran (HEX B), nectarine
Soya milk (HEX A)

Snack:
Banana

Lunch:
Tuna, large salad
Pear, plums
0% blueberry yogurt

I have a flight later - I will try to not eat the in-flight snack (shouldnt be too hard), but then I've got a 3 hour journey the other end & probably some food over which I have no influence at the other end. Hmm, and then the rest of the weekend to deal with. I'll just do my best....

Ok, so time to update following the weekend....

Friday was looking good when I left - I'd done OK, stayed on plan & decided I could probably keep on track despite the travelling etc for friday at least. And then I got upgraded on the flight... which meant instead of getting a bag of snacks (which I could easily not eat), I got a meal - oh & then champagne also. Now I know that with a small amount of will-power I could have just enjoyed the bigger seat & kept to my plan of not eating on the flight, but I guess lack of will-power is one of the reasons why I'm here in the first place. So I ate the meal, and drank the champagne, all of which certainly put me over my syns on friday.

Saturday was not too bad - I controlled what I ate, and stayed on plan - overall pretty good. Won't list it here, because overall for the weekend saturday is a drop in the ocean... My syns were one ryvita multigrain, one tuc biscuit & an unmeasured whisky ;-)

Sunday - started well,
Breakfast was all bran & grapefruit & an activia snack pot.
Lunch: ham & chicken salad, followed by strawberries & pineapple & then a tablespoon of summer fruit crumble & full fat yogurt.
Dinner: (This is where it began to go really wrong, again). Tuna niscoisse salad without dressing - so far, so good, BUT then my flight got delayed & I began to eat & drink in the lounge. So, 4 glasses of champagne (yes this is a serial weakness of mine, I just cannot refuse it), 2 greek salad sandwiches, 1.5 bags of kettle chips, small (tiny, but I had to try it) helping of veg curry & rice, and then 2 chocolate biscuits on the flight. And yes, I know that if it hadn't been for the champagne I wouldn't have had the munchies, but I did and then it was all downhill.

So, when I leapt on the scales this morning, I'd gained 1.5 lbs since Friday, and you can see where it came from. Bad bad bad. Back on plan today, but its birthday week this week, so again it's going to be damage limitation only I think.

Hmm, well, the week is going as I thought it would, but for sure, if I ever need to work out why I'm not losing weight, this diary is a great reminder.

So...

Monday 6 Aug
Red day

Breakfast:
30g All Bran pepites (not sure what the UK name is, but 30g is an HEX B)
Soya milk (HEX A)
Banana

Lunch:
Ham, large mixed salad
0% mocha yogurt
Chocolate blueberry (2 syns)

Dinner:
Beef stew, green vegetables
Martini (3.5 syns)

Snacks:
2 figs
3 x cheese biscuits (6 syns)
Brie (HEX A)

Total syns: 11.5

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::


Tuesday 7 Aug
Green day

Breakfast:
42g All Bran ( HEX B)
Soya milk (HEX A)
Banana, blueberries

Lunch:
6 falafels (3 syns), large mixed salad
0% cherry yogurt
Chocolate blueberry (2 syns)

Dinner:
Quorn sausages (2 syns), mashed potato, mushy peas, gravy (2 syns) with onions & mushrooms

Snacks:
1 tuc biscuit (2 syns?)
2 full fat babybel (HEX A)
½ bottle of champagne (14.5 syns)
Chocolate truffle (4 syns)

Total syns: 29.5

Wednesday was birthday, so I think best to draw a line under that, it just consolidated what was already becoming the pattern this week... Still, I had a brilliant day so I'm certainly not complaining.

Thursday 9 Aug:

Green day?

Breakfast:
2 chocolate weetabix (HEX B + 2 syns)
Soya milk (HEX A)
Blueberries

Lunch:
SW quiche, large mixed salad
0% mokka yogurt
Chocolate truffle (4 syns)

Dinner:
Cheese on toast: wholemeal bread (HEX B), RF Cheese (HEX A)
Whisky (5 syns)

Snacks:
Banana, pear, nectarines, plums

Total syns: 11

Friday 10 Aug

Red day

Breakfast:
30 All Bran pepites (HEX B)
Soya milk (HEX A)
Blueberries

Lunch:
SW quiche, large mixed salad
0% choc yogurt
Chocolate truffle (4 syns)

Dinner:
Tuna nicoisse salad

Snacks:
Banana, pear, nectarines, plums
Ryvita mini's (HEX B)
Whisky (5 syns)
2 small biscuits (4 syns)


Total syns: 13

Well, lost a pound at WI on saturday, which was totally, completely underserved, and I am sure I am going to pay for it this week. I fully expect a gain, even if I behave like a saint all week.

And on that note, I am drawing a line under the weekend also.

Weekend
____________

and starting anew today.

Ok, new week, new resolve...

So, Monday 13 Aug

Red day

Breakfast:
30 weekabix chocolate mini’s (HEX B)
Soya milk (HEX A)
Blueberries

Lunch:
SW quiche, large mixed salad, small spoon of hoummous (1 syn)
0% cherry yogurt
Chocolate truffle (4 syns)

Dinner:
Steak, salad
Raspberries, 0% natual yogurt

Snacks:
Banana, nectarines, plums
Kellogs hi fi bar (HEX B)


Total syns: 5

_______________________________

Tuesday 14 Aug

Disappointed today, was in a meeting all day, which had lunch provided, but it was entirely filled rolls, of which none looked healthy. I made the best choice I could, but not good.

Green day

Breakfast:
30 All Bran choc pepites (HEX B)
Soya milk (HEX A)

Lunch:
1 wholemeal roll with cheese & salad (HEX A, HEX B + ?syns)
1 brioche roll with ham & cheese (???? Syns)

Dinner:
Pasta ‘n’ sauce, canned sweetcorn, mushrooms
Strawberries & 0% natural yogurt


Snacks:
2 x Banana


Total syns: ????

Wednesday 15 Aug
Red day

Breakfast:
30 All Bran pepites (HEX B)
Soya milk (HEX A)
Banana, pear

Lunch:
Bacon & Avocado, large mixed salad
0% strawberry yogurt
Chocolate truffle (4 syns)

Dinner:
Pork & pepper kebabs, mixed salad
Figs with 0% natural yogurt
250 ml white wine (8 syns)

Snacks:
Nectarines, plums, 2 x babybel (HEX A), rvita minis (HEX B)

Total syns = 12

Ok, so, Thursday and Friday happened, and then the weekend, under which yet another line should be drawn. I got an STS at weigh-in, which after last week's undeserved loss was a positive outcome.

Onwards & upwards into this week....

Monday 20 Aug
E/E

Breakfast:
30 All Bran pepites (HEX B)
Soya milk (HEX A)
Banana

Lunch:
Prawns, large mixed salad
0% pineapple yogurt
1 piece fry’s chocolate (2 syns)

Dinner:
Pork & pepper kebabs, vegetables, cous cous
Strawberries with 0% natural yogurt

Snacks:
Plums
Total syns = 2

******
Tuesday 21 Aug

Breakfast:
35g Apricot Wheats (HEX B)
Soya milk (HEX A)
Banana

Lunch:
Ham, large mixed salad
0% Strawberry yogurt
1 piece fry’s chocolate (2 syns)

Dinner:
Pork with moroccan sauce (7syns), vegetables, cous cous (? Syns)

Snacks:
Pear
Total syns = >10

******
Wednesday 22 Aug

Breakfast:
30 All Bran pepites (HEX B)
Soya milk (HEX A)
Banana

Lunch:
Tuna, large mixed salad

Dinner:
3 x scan bran (1.5 syns), 30g Philly chocolate (4 syns)
Strawberries, fig
Snacks:
3 x babybel light (HEX A), SW hi fi bar
Total syns = 5.5

******

Thursday 23 Aug
Red day

Breakfast:
30 Chocolate weetabix minis (HEX B)
Soya milk (HEX A)
Banana

Lunch:
Ham, large mixed salad
0% Cherry yogurt

Dinner:
5 x scan bran (HEX B), 30g Philly chocolate (4 syns), 28g cheese (HEX A)
Whisky (3.5 syns)

Snacks:
Pear, jerky
Total syns = 7.5

******
Friday 24 Aug
Red day

Breakfast:
30 All bran pepites (HEX B)
Soya milk (HEX A)
Banana

Lunch:
Ham, large mixed salad
0% Blueberry yogurt

Dinner:

Snacks: