Diary of my last half stone to target (Gwella)

Hi Gwella, hope you're doing well. I've been off sick, so just getting round to catching up now x
 
Hi there coughdrops/Niamh! Just got back from holidays so will update soon. Hope you're feeling better now.
 
It's the last day of my fortnight off-plan and I'm 'celebrating' with an enormous rum and diet coke.

I had a lovely holiday with lots of sunshine and time to clear my head and think. I really feel more on top of life and my goals now, including making my life simpler and also moving on to develop my friendships and career, as well as building a super healthy lifestyle long-term.

Food-wise, it wasn't too bad. I managed to eat only when I was hungry, generally stopped before I was really stuffed, and just generally didn't go crazy. It was hard to get enough fruit and veg in Spain as they don't really seem to go in for it, and also their salads come drenched in mayonnaise. But I did my best and focused on filling up on lots of fish and healthy olive oil. I also ate bread at most meals, but I stuck to small portions and had it instead of Free carbs like pasta and potato.

The booze was a different matter! Three drinks most days, but it was worth it.

I did a decent amount of exercise - three lots of 100 lengths of the very small pool, and two good swims in the sea, though not much walking as it was very hot and it's not really a walking sort of area.

Have to say that even though I felt a little bloated by the end of the week, it was an absolutely fantastic feeling to be able to a) put on a bikini and stroll along the beach and feel that I looked good and be proud of how I looked and b) glance at myself in a shop window wearing a sundress and not see a big bulging stomach - still surprises me every time!

Overall, I think I gained 2-3lb, though it's hard to tell as I have my period which brings water weight. I'll find out on Tuesday evening. Overall I think I still have 4lb to lose til I'm happy. I've decided my ultimate goal is to be 10 st 7lb on my home scales naked in the morning. that's 3lb below the top of my healthy BMI band, which gives me some leeway for holidays and so on. I'm going to change my goals on here so that they reflect this and the point where I started on my own scales, not SW's in the evening.

Back on plan tomorrow with an eggy bread breakfast, fish for lunch, lentil salad for dinner and lots of fruit :)
 
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Monday (EE)

Breakfast: 2 Alpen lights (hexB), Mullerlight (didn't get time for the superfree fruit but dinner is nearly all superfree)
Lunch: Seabass, SW chips, sprouts
Dinner: Fennel, beetroot, watercress, 52.5g goat's cheese (hexA+2 syns - soft goat's cheese is actually only a hex on Green, but I got confused, never mind)
Snacks/treats: Strawberries, palmier biscuit (5 syns), calamari, double mojito (8 syns)

Total: 15 syns.

Exercise: Cycled to work (17 mins) then got a flat so just some walking (15 mins) later.

Feels good to be back on plan, though my stomach is REALLY not liking the sudden introduction of sprouts - ouch. It's amazing how a fortnight of lower-than-usual veg has increased my tolerance for oils and reduced my tolerance for fibre. I think the former is good (ultimately SW is slightly too low in fats to be an entirely balanced diet for me) but I need to learn to tolerate veg again ASAP!

Feeling ok about weigh in tomorrow. Expecting to be about 11 st 12, but we'll see. I'm drinking lots of water to clear my system a bit.

I am NOT loving being back at work...
 
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Glad you had a good holiday Gwella, you sound much more positive. A rest can do wonders!

I've been pretty sick, but feeling much better today, and it's putting me into a better frame of mind for achieving my goals. One day at a time!

Hope work isn't too hard on you today :)
 
Yesterday (EE)
Breakfast: eggy bread (hexB), raspberries, sugar (1 syn)
Lunch: Fennel, beetroot, watercress, 70g goat's cheese (hexA+4.8 syns)
Snacks: Mango, melon, strawberries; 2 babybels (6 syns); 2 mini milks (3 syns)
Dinner: Monggo guisado: onion, tomatoes, spinach, mung beans, prawns, rice

Total syns: 14.8

Exercise: Only walking to the bus (10mins) as bike still isn't mended. Grrr. Therefore didn't make it to group either.

Today (EE):
Breakfast: Nakd bar (7.3 syns), 2 babybels (hexA)
Lunch: salmon, potatoes, broccoli, salad (they used some oil in cooking so will count it as hexB). Half a mini pot of tiramisu (4 syns?)
Snacks: Mango, melon
Dinner: Monggo guisado: onion, tomatoes, spinach, mung beans, prawns, rice

Total syns: 11.3, plus maybe a bit more for the oil and tiramisu but not sure.

Exercise: Walking to station, conference, station, home (with heavy bags for last bit) (total 30-40mins?)

Annoyed as I walked out of the house without my cereal bars, hence the syns at breakfast... There might've been a bit more oil in the lunch but never mind.

Weighed in at 10st10 on my scales this morning, which would be 10st12 at group the previous evening. So I've lost 1/2 a lb in three weeks, which I'm fine with as I was on holiday for one of those weeks and with family for another. Three days on plan now so am feeling chuffed. My boyfriend is coming to stay tomorrow night before our long weekend in Bath. I'll try to be on plan tomorrow (allowing for an evening lager), then be 'sensible' in Bath, and hopefully do lots of walking.
 
I had a lovely time in Bath - a really pretty, romantic city with everything in easy reach for a relaxed weekend. We wandered around the streets and gardens, visited the Roman Baths and abbey, went in the spa, and saw the Jane Austen Centre. Yesterday was a Georgian day - but Georgian as in the country, not the historical period, as you might expect in Bath! We learnt some traditional songs and dance and had a 'supra' meal with wine. Plus the trains and B&B were 'free' because it was my bf's Christmas and bday present from his family - so we had a bit more to spend while there.

Food since Thursday hasn't been as slimming-friendly as I might like but oh well. I'm nearly at target and I'm happy to maintain some weeks now - then I know I can do it! And if I gain a bit one week I can lose it the next. We did do a reasonable amount of walking and climb the abbey tower so maybe that will help...!

I didn't count syns but here's what I had. I find that noting it down helps me remember where I made good and bad choices and things I can improve in the future.
Thursday I stuck to plan til the evening, when we had a veggie/avocado/quinoa/halloumi salad (SW-friendly), some biscuits and booze - lager, cider and G&T (not SW-friendly!)
Friday: eggy bread for breakfast, AMT milkshake and welshcakes (on the train - oops), leftover quinoa salad, a pasty (oops again - but I was hungry before we went into the spa), a small salmon nicoise salad and a very small pannacotta, plus two glasses of white wine.
Saturday: yogurt and cereal bars for breakfast, afternoon tea (had to be done!- salmon/creamcheese sandwich on wholemeal, scone and clotted cream, slice of fruitcake), 2 tiny biscuits, a three-course Italian dinner (shared mozzarella/veg salad, crab/tomato linguine, affogato - AMAZING food), a glass of wine, a glass of cava, and 2 cocktails (oops!).
Sunday: cereal bars for breakfast, quite a few biscuits (can't resist fig rolls..), Georgian food and wine (lots of veggies plus some olive oil and walnut sauce and some cornbread), bubble tea with fruit. Dinner was 4 stolen chips from my bf, a bar of chocolate and a babybel (bit of an odd mixture really - we were travelling!).

Back on plan (ish) today, though we got home late last night and I didn't get time to make my lunch, so I had to guess at what was best from M&S:

Monday (Green):
Breakfast: 2 fruity Ryvita (hexB), yogurt, berries
Lunch: M&S rainbow veg salad with dressing (7 syns) and feta pasta salad (3.5 syns + 0.5hexA)
Snacks: Yogurt, melon
Dinner: Salad of quinoa, onion, mushroom, courgette, pepper, spinach, 63g light halloumi (hexB + 0.4hexA), about 50g avocado (4.8 syns)

Total syns: 15.3 (not bad given I had to buy my lunch).
Exercise: Cycling to work, choir, home (total 72 mins), walking to M&S and back (total 15 mins).

So if I carry on tomorrow I'll have had 3 days on plan this week, plus most of Thursday. We'll see what happens at the Tuesday weigh-in...
 
Tuesday (Green):
Breakfast: Ryvitas (hexB) with mushroom/quark pate
Lunch: pasta salad with spring onion, pepper, cucumber, cucumber, capers, olives (1 syn), feta (hexA+0.7 syns), pine nuts (hexB), dressing of lemon/mustard (1.5 syns)/oil (hexB)
Snack: melon, pineapple, yogurt
Dinner: giant couscous with roast onion, squash, celery, courgette, chickpeas, pomegranate and mint

Total syns: 3.2, plus any treats (G&T?) later
*Edits* Oh dear, bit of a binge. Had 3 hifi bars after group (18syns) plus a rum&coke (8 syns). That's 29.2 today. Got the week off to a bad start really. :(

Exercise: Cycling to meeting, office, home, group, home (total 1hr 32).

I know there are three hexBs here, but I'm going to substitute one of them for the second hexA. I am happy to mess about with the plan in this way as I think I could use a bit of extra healthy oil, rather than extra cheese (saturated fat) - I had calcium in the quark as well as the feta. Based on what I learnt on my nutrition course this is one of the adaptations I will probably make as I transition into maintenance.
 
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I've no qualifications or anything in nutrition, but I reckon that using oil as an extra Hex "A" is preferable to, say, having another carby hex B.

I get plenty of calcium from milk and yogurt, that I don't need my 2nd Hex A some days. I syn my milk because I don't use enough for a full hex. I don't want to be eating cheese for the sake of it.
 
Not having a great few days, slimming wise.
At group on Tuesday evening I was 10 st 13.5, so a gain. I'm not quite sure what I am on my home scales because I realised they show completely different figures depending on where on the bathroom floor I put them... confusing!

I had a bit of a 'binge' after weigh-in - 3 caramel hifi bars (18 syns) and a small G&T (2.8). Had had syns already that day...
Then yesterday I realised I'd bought a whole load of mozarella for my dinner, and it would go off... so I ate all 250g of it! Shocking behaviour worthy of my 'fat' days!
Then tonight I've been drinking wine to celebrate the end of a stressful few days at work.

To be fair on myself I'm just trying to adjust to the new circumstances of living on my own, which feels odd. And I'm falling into the classic error of cooking for two, as well - need to amend that quickly.

I'm trying to keep things in control but feeling a bit wobbly. Will just do my best until things settle down. I don't want to make excuses but no point being hard on myself.
 
I've edited Tuesday's post to take account of my little post-weigh binge...

Time to face up to the damage on the other days too:

Wednesday (Green)
Breakfast: Ryvitas (hexB) with mushroom/quark pate
Lunch: pasta salad with spring onion, pepper, cucumber, cucumber, capers, olives (1 syn), feta (hexA+0.7 syns), pine nuts (6 syns), dressing of lemon/mustard (1.5 syns)/oil (hexB)
Snacks: melon/pineapple
Dinner: spaghetti with onion, tomato, lemon, chilli, garlic, 250g mozarella (hexA+28.7 syns), 10g Parmesan (2 syns)
Drinks: small G&T (2.9 syns)

Total syns: 42.8
Exercise: cycled to and from work (total 34 mins)

Thursday (EE)
Breakfast: cheese toastie with mushroom/jalapeno (hexA and hexB)
Lunch: giant couscous with roast onion, squash, celery, courgette, chickpeas, pomegranate and mint
Snacks: Mullerlight, raspberries, 3 biscuits (3+2+4?)
Dinner: salmon with tandoori paste (2.5 syns), rice, yogurt, cucumber, pepper - probably not quite 1/3 superfree tbh
Drinks: half a bottle of white wine (13.5 syns)

Total syns: 25
Exercise: cycled to and from work (total 34 mins)

Friday (Green)

Breakfast: eggy bread (hexB) with berries and molasses (1 syn)
Lunch: giant couscous with roast onion, squash, celery, courgette, chickpeas, pomegranate and mint, with feta (2HexAs + 1.4 syns)
Snacks: Mullerlight, raspberries, hifi (hexB)
Dinner: Ratatouille - onion, aubergine, courgette, pepper, tomatoes, potato, with a bit of leftover rice, and olives (1 syn) - masses of superfree to make up for yesterday!
Drinks: half a bottle of white wine (13.5 syns), a G&T (4 syns), extra hifi (6 syns)

Total syns: 26.9
Exercise: cycled to and from work (total 34 mins)

So aside from the alcohol and biscuits, it was all reasonably healthy stuff, if you count cheese as healthy. Just... whoops.
 
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Oh Lord. Still on my mini-binge-spree.
I'm telling myself it's so, so much better than it would've been before SW... but that doesn't mean I won't gain weight (just that I'll gain more slowly), and I def won't get to target if this carries on. We moved my bf's stuff out yesterday and had a pub lunch, then I went back to his parents' for dinner, then we went to the pub together for some alone time. Then I had a picnic lunch out with a friend today.

Saturday (EE)
Breakfast/elevenses: 2 hifis (2Hexes - I know this is two hexBs but as per the other day, I'm being more flexible about hexes just to try and give myself some chance at the moment)
Lunch: salmon and potato cakes with hollandaise sauce and watercress (it didn't say hollandaise sauce on the menu so I thought I was going low-syn! But it was tasty...)
Dinner: rice noodles, stirfried veggies with blackbean sauce and a little oil, 3 boreks
Snacks: pack of Wotsits (at the pub)
Drinks: pint of lager, medium glass white wine

Haven't worked out the syns but lots...
Exercise: shifting boxes

Sunday (Green)
Breakfast: 2 hifis (2HexBs) (was going to have my strawberries but bf's dad ate them as a midnight snack!)
Picnic lunch: spanish omelette, ratatouille (0.3 syns for the olives), orzo salad with olives (1 plus 6 for oil), a mini roll (6), 2 chocolate macaroons (18?), 250ml prosecco (9), strawberries and blueberries
Dinner: gnocchi (6 syns) with ratatouille sauce (0.3 syns for the olives), 35g parmesan (1 and a bit hexAs), white wine (8.6 syns)

Total syns: 55.2
Exercise: 20 mins brisk walking

Sigh. I feel quite fat and bloated, too. Weird how perceptions change, that now I can feel fat at about 11stone! But it's a blessing in a way because I know I really need to get back on plan.

I'm going to go and write a full plan for the next few days.

I know what the obstacles are: being on my own in the evenings feeling a bit weird, stress at work (should ease this week), cooking too much now I'm on my own, and not knowing in advance what I'll eat at weekends due to visiting bf's family. Hopefully being aware of this will make it easier to prepare...
 
Ugh, I just remembered two other things I ate yesterday - a frappe coffee (sugarfree syrup, but milky) and a piece of bread...

I feel more motivated to stick to it at the moment. Feeling unhealthy and bloated has given me a kick up the bottom.

Thinking of buying a mini-freezer, so that I can batch cook and freeze extra things and don't end up eating the same thing day after day. It's cheaper and quicker. At the moment all I have is a little freezer shelf in the fridge so just about room for some broccoli/peas and ice cubes! It'd have to go on the kitchen counter though (I have a very little flat). Will have to wait til after payday though.
 
Today's food (Green)

Breakfast: Cheese toastie with mushroom (hexA and hexB)
Lunch: Ratatouille: onion, aubergine, courgette, pepper, tomato, potato, olives (1 syn at most)
Snacks: hifi (hexB), Freddo (4.8 syns), Mullerlight with strawberries
Dinner: Spanish omelette: onion, pepper, potato, egg; with asparagus on the side

Exercise: cycling to work, choir, home (total 72 mins)

I'm going to try not to have any other syns on top of the 5.8 here - will have some diet drink and put on music to relax tonight after choir. Loads of superfree today.
 
I stuck to it yesterday! Yay, finally a day on plan. I had a hobnob (3.5syns) and my second hexA of cheese and some beetroot and yogurt on top of what I already recorded. I feel like I ate a lot and was eating for the sake of it, but it was free food so that's progress.

Hopefully on track for a repeat today.

Tuesday (Green)

Breakfast: Spanish omelette: egg, potato, onion, pepper, cheese (hexA) - not quite 1/3 so will have superfree snacks instead of yogurt etc
Lunch: More ratatouille (last portion! 1 syn for olives), hifi (hexB)
Dinner: Stroganoff: onion, mushroom, spinach, rice, yogurt
Snacks: Not sure yet, but it's taster night so probably a couple of scanbran Ferrero Rocher at group!

Exercise: cycling to work and group, total 54 mins

Really need to get some exercise beyond cycling this week. I want to join the gym up the road from work. It's all shiny and new, and they do half-hour classes every lunchtime. It's only £16.99 a month with no contract. But there's a £20 joining fee and I'm a bit skint...

Not looking forward to weigh in. I fully expect another gain, maybe a big one. I will probably be back up into the 11s on their scales, and might lose my 2stone award. But I need to face it and then plan based on that so that I can finally get to target before July is out.
 
A miracle! Somehow, I lost 2lb! 10 st 11.5 on SW scales, which probably means 10 st 9.5 on my scales tomorrow morning, but I'll alter here if necessary. I think maybe I had a lot of bloating last week - I did feel fatter than expected after Bath. And maybe all that ratatouille helped, as it meant some of my meals were a very large proportion superfree.

Switched my plans for this evening - realised I'd had just one hexA and one hexB and was craving some protein so I added prawns to my dinner for an EE day. Instead of stroganoff it was shallots, celery, mushroom and prawns cooked with garlic, mustard, coriander leaf and vermouth, with yogurt stirred in at the end. Mum used to make this but with cream, and I really enjoyed my lighter version.

Revised syns for today:

1 for olives in the lunchtime ratatouille
About 10 for carrot cake brought in by a colleague - I can often resist cake but that sour icing just does it for me
0.6 for the vermouth and 0.3 for the mustard in dinner
Less than 1 syn for some jelly stuff I had at taster night

Total: 12.9 syns woohoooo!

I'm off to finalise my food plans for the next week. I feel like I've been given a reprieve and a chance to finally get to target, so am feeling determined. My goals:
- 1.5lb off this week to get me to official SW target - though this may be hard as I will be premenstrual next week
- STS the week after (period is due)
- 1lb off the following week to get me to my own final target. I might actually lose more if I'm good as I usually do after hormones clear off!

I think the real key now is some more exercise. I still cycle most days but it's just part of my routine. My belly feels flabbier than it did when I was doing gym/DVDs more often. I've decided I am going to join the gym this week even if it means getting some money out of my savings til payday.
 
Today went ok.

Wednesday (EE)
Breakfast: cheese toastie (hexA&hexB) with mushroom
Lunch: shallots, celery, mushroom, coriander leaf, and prawns with garlic, mustard (0.3 syns) and vermouth (0.6 syns), with yogurt and rice
Snacks: fruit pastilles (9.1 syns), yogurt, salmon/edamame/seaweed pot, fatfree frozen yogurt with fruit and chocolatey thingies - looking at the menu they were probably chocolate honeycomb, about the size of a treatsize Crunchie tops so let's say 4 syns!
Dinner: trout, SW chips, broccoli

Total syns: 14
Exercise: Cycled to and from work (total 34 mins)

A little bit low on the superfree today. I ran out of the office to my laser appointment and left my mangetout snack behind in the fridge so ended up buying two low-syn but rather indulgent snacks...
Also had a big sweetie craving earlier, hence the pastilles... unusual for me as it's usually chocolate I go for.

I went a bit mad in Morrisons buying millions of yogurts - most free, some low-syn. Think I'm trying to avoid sweets etc by trying out lots of new flavours instead!
 
Ate quite a lot of dinner last night (had to add extra broccoli to the leftovers for lunch!), but still on plan. I suppose picking at free foods is better than picking at sugary stuff and booze. Baby steps...

I'm reading Beyond Temptation which is about addressing why we overeat. They're very anti-diet - including anti-SW - which seems a little unfair given that I think SW has gone further than anything to help me with the mindset as well as the food. But I think there could be some useful tips in there.

Looking forward to joining the gym after work. Sort of ;)
 
*edited for final roundup of Thursday*

Thursday's food (EE)

Breakfast: eggy bread (hexB) with berries and sugar (1 syn)
Snack: mangetout and baby corn
Lunch: seabass, SW chips, broccoli
Snack: nectarine, Danio yogurt (1.5 syns)
Dinner: Kenyan curry: onion, carrot, celery, spinach, tomato, coriander, tuna, rice
Drinks: Vanilla milk (hexA+5.2 syns) 350ml red wine (12 syns)

Total syns: 19.7. Oops.

Exercise: cycled to and from work (34 mins), 30 minute abs class at gym, a few arm weights and stretches

Rather over on the syns but had loads of superfree and finally got back to exercise so don't feel too bad. I was going to have chocolate before the gym, but remembered I fancied some wine, so gave the chocolate to my colleagues instead. I didn't plan the vanilla milk, but was craving something milky (unusual) and generally when that happens I figure it's my body telling me something. After the gym it was just SO good. Overdid the wine which is what pushed my syns over though.
 
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*edited at end of Friday*
Friday (EE)


Breakfast: cheese toastie (hexA+hexB) with mushrooms
Lunch: Kenyan curry: onion, carrot, celery, spinach, tomato, coriander, tuna, rice, yogurt
Snack: Yogurt, 2 jaffa cakes (5 syns)
Dinner: Mushroom stroganoff and potatoes (I think all Free), little bit of mango drink (1.3 syns), 2 Lindt Lindor caramel chocolates (8 syns??)

Total syns: 14.3
Exercise: just a 10 min walk to the bus stop

Posting a lot lately but I find that when I really get a bit obsessed with minimins my eating stays closer to plan! Wine last night was a blip but not one I can't recover, so still feeling positive.
 
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