My countdown to the big 3-0 starts here!

I’m a bit new to this so not really sure where to start but here goes.

I started SW back in November and my weightloss has been a bit up and down since then – I’ve lost one week and put on the next since I started. Now that we’re into the new year, it’s time to for me to get serious about it. The last few weeks have been pretty hard, obviously we’ve had Christmas and New Year but on top of that I’ve had birthdays and leaving parties as well. All l in all, I suppose I should be pretty happy with my total weightloss so far.

It’s taken me until now to decide on my target and now I’ve got 2! I turn the big 3-0 in July and I’d love to have lost 2st by then. I’ve also got a trip to Florida to look forward to in October and if I can lose a further ½ stone by then I’d be over the moon. Last time I was there was back in 2004 and I’m pretty sure I was about 11st so it would be great to be about the same again.

I know I can lose the weight, I’ve done it before and this time I’ve got even more motivation. I did Scottish Slimmers at home about 7 years ago and lost about 2st but gradually I’ve put it back on, plus a little extra! This time, I’ve got my two targets to work toward plus I’m going to classes with my sister and so that’s a big help.

Wish me luck...

Hey good luck! Im just starting properly and im determined this time! 3stone by titp in july hopefully!! Xx

Well I've just done my first weekly shop of the year. I'm always on a bit of a budget so do most of it in Aldi and then pick up any extras I can't get from Asda/Tesco. I'm loving the new SW mobile site and walked around Aldi with it up and running, checking anything I wasn't sure about and I managed to pick up a few things I would usually have bypassed. I got mainly fresh fruit & veg (I could barely get the fridge door shut!) some cereal bars which can be used as HexB, some cup-noodle things (kind of like MugShots), some syn-free yogurts and a few other basics.

So my food for today has been:

Breakfast 50g Choco Hoops - 10 syns (I know I'm such a child but I really don't like 'normal' cereal!) with semi skimmed milk (HexA) and a banana.
Mid-morning 2 small apples
Lunch Homemade pea and mint soup with a 60g wholemeal roll (HexB)
Dinner Baked potato with baked beans and 30g cheddar (HexA), and a side salad of leafy greens, cucumber and tomato. I got a bit peckish waiting on the potato baking (it took an eternity!) so I had the noodles I'd picked up in Aldi which are syn-free.
Evening I'll probably have a slice of wholemeal toast (HexB) with banana later on.

The chocolate orange cereal bars from aldi are lovely and two for hexb! Your diary looks good.. I couldn't spend 10syns on cereal (as lovely as it is) as I couldn't stick to 5 for the rest of the day lol x

I know I'm crazy for using 10 on cereal! Once the box is used up I'll maybe look at some better cereal options, I'm just so fussy. It's the choc orange bars I've bought, can wait to try them.

I'm not a fan of cereal except porridge I tend to have a cereal bar and coffee if I'm at uni and something hot if I'm at home x

Sounds like you're right on track now! Isn't it amazing how much fruit and veg you can get through? I'm finding that it's
quite hard to do on a tight budget if you want lots of variety. I've swapped from chicken breasts to boneless skinless thighs (tesco sent them as a substitution) which is actually a good saving and a little tastier I think. Might see where my nearest Aldi is too!

Is there a lot if meat on that chicken? I'm always a bit scared to buy it! I eat a million times more veg than I used to, and I love fruit but I can't seem to make myself eat it when it's cold, except the odd strawberry x

Well today has been a bit of an emotional day. My best friend since high school has moved over to the other side of the country. It is only an hour and half away so we'll definitely still see each other and we'll never be off the phone but it just won't be the same. We had a good chat before she left though and she pointed out that in some ways it will be good for me too... We were always out for lunch, dinner or drinks so cutting down on this will do wonders for my weightloss mission and my bank balance! Although I'm gutted for myself, I am so happy for her, she has moved with her lovely partner and they both have wonderful new jobs and the fresh start they have been longing for. I just hope she doesn't forget about us back home as she takes her life in this new direction... :(

Anyway, back to the plan. I have managed to stick to it today even though my mind has been elsewhere:

Breakfast Wholemeal toast (HexB), grilled tomato, grilled mushrooms, scrambled egg and baked beans
Lunch 60g wholemeal roll (HexB) with 30g cheddar (HexA), mixed salad leaves, cucumber and tomato
Dinner Vegetable & nut roast (10.5 syns - naughty but nice!), baby potatoes, carrot and a corn on the cob

I've got plenty of fresh fruit and free yogurt to have if I get peckish later.

Awww Bev! I'm sure you'll stay besties. I've moved from London to Bristol, Bristol to Surrey and now around the corner from my closest friend and gone through a million dramas (and we've both been through a horrendous relationship) and I still know I can count on her no matter what. It's great that you managed to stick to plan though.

Weemissnaughty - the chicken thighs have lots of meat but they do have 'browner' meat if that makes sense? They get a bit less dry than chicken breasts though and are much better in the slow cooker.

Thanks Emma. As it turns out, she's just phoned to see what my plans are for Saturday night because she's coming for a visit :) Didn't think I'd see her back quite so soon!!

I didn't post yesterday but stuck to the plan really well having plenty of superfree and free and using my HexA and B. Even counting the chocolate bar that I couldn't resist after dinner, I stuck to 11½ syns. All good.

I've slipped up a bit tonight though. I've stuck to the plan so well all week, having plenty of superfree, some free, my HexA and Bs and sticking to around 10ish syns per day. I knew I had some friends coming round tonight and had already dug out the lovely biscuits I got for Christmas and checked the syn values so I knew which were my best options for me. Some of the girls brought nibbles with them though and, not wanting to seem rude, or go on about how I'm on SW (nothing worse than a diet bore when you're not dieting!!), I thought I'd be fine to have just a few. We had a good old girly gossip and before I knew it I'd had loads without even realising. I've gone waaaaaaay over my syns for today, oops! I'm a bit frustrated with myself for my lack of control (that's a me thing, not just when it comes to SW!) but I know it's not the end of the world and tomorrow will be here soon enough...

So I'll confess to what I've actually had (or at least my best guess)

Breakfast Baked beans on 1 slice wholemeal toast (HexB) and an apple
Mid morning Satsuma
Lunch Lentil and carrot soup and a wholemeal roll (HexB) with 30g cheddar (HexA), salad leaves, tomato and cucumber
Mid afternoon Pear
Dinner Batchelor's cheese & broccoli pasta sauce using 125ml milk from HexA (I'd usually make something nicer but was in a rush to prepare for my visitors)
Evening 50g Thai Sweet Chilli Sensations (13 syns), 25g pack Walkers Salt & Vinegar crisps (6½ syns) some Asda mixed dips (approx. 10 syns) = 29½
syns - eek!!!

Definitely back on track tomorrow before WI on Wednesday.

So good to have a place to 'confess'! I'm so guilty of eating and not even knowing I'm doing it, especially if it is 'on the run' or while dinner is cooking. My new trick is to tidy as I go whilst I'm cooking, which has double bonuses, distracts me from eating anything in sight and means I don't have a sinkful of pans to sort out after I've eaten.

I'm also a sucker for crisps and dips! In the past I've eaten a whole sharing bag and almost all of those trays with 4 dips in. Mmmmmm crisps *dreams*

Crisps have always been my downfall. I can have loads of chocolate in the house and it doesn't bother me but crisps don't last 10 minutes so I've stopped buying them. Weirdly, I haven't even really missed them but I think the temptation of having them there in front of me last night was just too much. I could easily get through a share bag or multi-pack given the chance!! Hopefully I won't see the results of my synful night on the scales tomorrow....

I'm sure you'll be fine. Do you have some time to up the exercise today to make up for it?