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I'm back and this time I'm going to hit goal! I was 187 pounds this morning, so I haven't put all my weight back on, but a fair chunk that I'm trying to shift now. 20 pounds more than I was when I was last posting. Now using slimfast, LL packs and counting calories. Combined with lots of...

Raisins have cost me 2.75 pounds this week....time to start logging every last mouthful of food. Reality check - just because it's on the approved list, doesn't mean you can stuff your face with it! Doesn't help that my gym is closed this week so that's 5 less workouts and probably 3,000 less...

Yes I've only ever done it with normal oats. The LL porridge would probably be a bit too fine. You need good old fashioned oats!

I used to make a quick porridge cookie like this: Add porridge to a bowl and use enough soya milk so that is is just about absorbed by the porridge (or normal milk, water, fruit juice etc). You can then add any of the following - banana and date, apple and cinammon, raisins, cranberries, etc...

I had a great trip to the local famr shop and got loads of lovely fruit and veg for the week. I made a tomato based caserole with aubergine, sprouts, carrots, sweet potato and lots of herbs and spices. This will keep me going for a few lunches and quick evening meals. Pudding was rhubarb...

Jez - thanks for answering first as I'm not renowned for holding back on my sarcasm :)

I use frozen fruit as it's a lot cheaper than fresh. Also canned fruit is sometimes in syrup or juice. I love the boxing after just one lesson! Definitely gets the adrenaline flowing.

I use the unsweetened stuff and that really keeps the calories down. I use a variety of fruit - blueberries, mango, raspberries etc. Most supermarkets have a good variety. I've been boxing at the gym near work as one of the trainers specialises in boxing. Can't wait for my next session.

Your root veg gateau sounds amazing. I love including as many colours as possible. Lunch was quinoa with beetroot, carrot, sweetcorn and celery with balsamic - colourful, crunchy and really flavoursome. I've stocked up on Tofu so might try something out of my '101 ways with tofu' book...

oooh - which flavour skinny cow??

For smoothies I tend to use any frozen fruit and soya milk. Just blitz it and the frozen fruit makes it nice and thick. The soya milk is so low cal that a pint comes in at about 120 cals. Also great with a banana. Or the naughty version can have coconut milk! Or peanut butter of course...

Yes, I've seen a few pancake recipes, and some using cottage cheese as well. They do need some sort of flour/oats but will try with the porridge packs as a substitute. I'm try to veer away from the cheesecake recipes and trying to find something a bit healthier! Might start by putting some...

Most supermarkets do Cauldron tofu which is in the veggie section near the tofu. You can also get the silken tofu (mainly used for puddings) in the oriental food section. Most health food shops do it as well. The best option though is to go to a Chinese supermarket as it seems much better...

I skived off my LL mtg last night as the weather was awful and I had lots to do at home. The scales said STS and I've got loads of packs at home so didn't see it as a problem. I made a BBQ stew with sweet potatoes, quorn mince, brussels and carrots alongside a vat of carrot and sweet potato...

Daisy - I made tofu baked with cranberry, sage, onion and balsamic and it was lovely so I might have that for Xmas. I tried to incorporate Xmassy flavours. Maybe some orange zest would be nice as well. For starter, I'll probably do a small squash stuffed with roasted veggies or cottage...

OMG - just remembered the Skinny Cow ice cream - it's divine! I remember the ice cream 'sandwiches' as well and they are only 92 cals I think. Reckon I was on about 4 a day though...

Spicy Soup Version 2! I've just had the latest version of my soup and used squash this time instead of the sweet potatoes as suggested. Garam masala instead of cumin. Mainly because I couldn't find it - I'm sure Delia does the same sort of thing... I then added some quinoa that was lurking...

I've always peeled butternut squash so will definitely try it with the skins on - it's usually the part that has all the nutrients. I love pumpkin, sweet potato and squash. A great addition is low fat coconut milk. I've also done the same sort of idea as a curry with lentils, or made the...

Soup Sensation Yesterday I think I made the best soup I've ever concocted: 1 large sweet potato 3 carrots onion marigold coriander cumin lots of ginger turmeric Boil it all up and then blitz in the blender. Blowing my own trumpet now, but it was awesome!! The ginger gave it a real kick...

I've just been shopping and bought the most inappropriate pair of knee high boots. If I wear them out I'm going to have to be carried everywhere as they are so high. Either that or I take up pole dancing as a career. The first time that a knee high pair of boots have got over my cankles...

I am paying attention - honestly :)

Now that is willpower!! Well done on not demolishing the crumble - I very much doubt I could have resisted!

I'm stuffed - loved the compote!! What have you got planned for the weekend then Ken??

Joining the Compote Club I'm having a lovely chilled out Friday night on the sofa so thought I'd post a few updates. Had my weigh in on Wednesday night and stayed the same. Ok with that as it's TOTM and my home scales hadn't gone down at all. Still feel I want to lose some more weight...

Even though prawns and all things fishy are pretty much my 'bush tucker trial' your meal did sound lovely ;-)

It's not been without its' problems! Just had about a gallon of jelly which I think is totally going against everything we've been taught. Even now I'm absolutely stuffed but wondering what I could grab from the fridge to nibble on. Madness. Yes, the gym is the basic swipecard one - no...

Think week 4 is cooked veg - you can have low fat sauces in week 3 but no cooked veggies yet so I didn't really see the point to that. I hit week 5 on Thursday and it's a welcome return to olives, sweet potatoes and carrots.

Apparently the peanut skins have some good nutrients in them so try and get the ones in their rawest form. Walnut butter with cinammon on apples is just lush!

I was finding food and the preparation of it a major hassle and pining for the no brainer days of food packs. However I guess we need to adjust ourselves back to the real world of food. However tough it is! I was never much of a planner with food - just troughed whatever was to hand or in...

I've joined the gym next to Asda - it's like the Easyjet of gyms! Cheap and basic but does the job. Some hilarious 'muscle marys' to laugh at while you work out ;-) They do more strutting than working out!! I'm also a member of a gym near home which I use at weekends and sometimes in the...

I've always found shop bought too sugary so prefer home made. Whole Foods let you make you own if you can get to one to try it. Much cheaper to DIY though.

How about making your own? Just put any nuts in a food processor (with skins if possible) and blitz them. That way you have no added sugar, fat, E numbers etc... Then you can have almond butter on apples, cashew butter on celery, walnut butter on porridge. Nut butter could count as yet...

So where do you train Ken? I've joined a gym in Hounslow for my lunchtime workouts and I think that you live around there. Flurry of activity when I got home yesterday. I did a huge BBQ / veggie stew which I'll live off for the rest of the week. Forgot how nice brussels sprouts are. Really...

Hiya, sorry I've been busy wallowing in self pity! I think because I was so flipping good at abstinence, that any blips I've had on RTM have made me feel like I was throwing all the hard work away. Anyway, I've not put any weight on, and I haven't deviated from the food lists, just portion...

Thanks for the suggestions for the Tofu paper - I found that one with green onions and it sounds great. I get cooked veg tonight so going to have a lovely Tofu stirfry. I might try the paper as noodles on Friday. As for the rice paper - all through abstinence I have been craving some...

What about trying Psyillium Husks? You can sprinkle in the shakes and it makes them thicker, or take them in tablet form. A lot more gentle way of getting things moving!

I've used Dulcolax and found even one to have a 'dynamite' type effect. I think it could just be your system reacting to the Dulcolax. If you think about it, imagine your bowels all blocked up, and then the drugs working their magic - that's a lot going on in your body. I'm clearly no doctor...

I'm absolutely knackered. Every evening is spent sorting out food for the next day, gym kit etc. If I do anything in the evenings (kickboxing, tennis, shopping etc) then I've got about half an hour to myself before I need to crash out and inevitably end up going to bed late and therefore even...

Hiya Jez. Have you ever cooked with Tofu skin / paper? I thought that if anyone on here knows what to do with it, then you are that person! ;-)

Just had a dig around on Google and I think the Tofu paper is the same as Tofu skin, also known as yuba. Think I'll wait until cooked veg is ok to eat (4 days and counting!) and then wrap some veg in it and maybe steam them. Wow I'm getting adventurous!

Ooh, not a fan of orange with chocolate so might give that one a wide berth! Just had quorn fillets with WW tomato sauce over them. I usually avoid shop bought sauces but this was ok. Pudding was cottage cheese with blueberries. Lovely. I came home from work via Chinatown so fully stocked...

Great - look forward to having them. Hopefully I can get some nice fresh ones. Now, do I have the last tub of jelly before I go to bed?...

Ooh wow - where did you find those?? I had a look at flavoured tofu but the calories were almost double the regular kind. I was doing cartwheels when I got jelly, so the thought of soups, stews, curries etc from Thursday is making steam come out of my ears with excitement. I've got my nori...

I've got a belly full of jelly (for a change ;-) )and off to soak in a bubble bath! Got the Sunday night off to work tomorrow blues. Bleurgh............

Just found it on Amazon for a good price: Kenwood Smoothie To Go SB055 Smoothie Maker: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home

Best tofu ever!! Ok, it's now an obsession... I marinated it as usual but then decided to bake it to see if I could get it crispy. Worked a treat. I let the tofu go cold and then had it in a salad and it was a lot firmer than usual. The 'omelette' is a distant memory! Same again tonight...

I've seen it in Sainsburys and Tesco, but I think Argos were doing an offer recently. It's about £20.

Smoothie 2 Go - got me through abstinence with some lovely shakes. Crushes ice as well and great for frozen fruit / soya milk smoothies.

Ok, so I experimented tonight. Big time... I thought I'd settled on doing an omelette tonight but I've been going off the idea of eggs recently. A lot of the recipes I've been looking up have been from Vegan websites and I think that I really want to cut down on dairy wherever possible. I...

Thanks for the recipe Kat. Which Kenwood did you go for? I went for the Kenwood Multi Pro FP920. Seemed to do much the same as the one £30 less but I had vouchers so thought I'd splash out! My latest discovery / way to avoid doing anything constructive at work is supercook.com Love the way...

How could I forget about my George?! It's been so long since I cooked anything that all my gadgets are literally gathering dust in the cupboards. Hopefully my turbo charged food processor will arrive this weekend so my crudites are going to be julienned to perfection.

Have you got a griddle pan? If not then TK Maxx have got loads from £5 upwards. Maybe just marinate it in soy sauce, ginger, garlic etc or maybe some chinese or thai spices. Then griddle it until it goes brown. Make sure that you squeeze as much water out of it as possible - stick it between...

Woo hoo!! How are you having it? Oh I hope you are not disappointed after the huge PR campaign I've instigated for it!

Great minds think alike as I was going to get some eggs today and do some sort of omelette / frittata type thing tonight. It will be so much nicer when I can add cooked spring onions and mushrooms next week but well worth trying tonight I reckon. I was also going to add an egg to some...

I love it but a lot of non-veggies turn their nose up at it. It does resemble pale blancmange in it's basic state so you have to add herbs, spices etc to liven it up. Unfortunately my favourite way of having it was deep fried and with yellow bean sauce! Now I'm loving all the recipes I've...

I think I get to do the infamous fruit compote next week when I can finally cook some stuff. Handy hint for people starting LL - time it so that you can do RTM in Summer, that way all the salads and cold stuff is a lot more palatable. I've got no heating at home or in the office and I just...

Look at you star pupil!! I'm impressed that your LLC has advised you to stop early though as surely that is not financially advantageous for her? I put on .75 pound at weigh in last night which is my first weight gain for 6 months. Tried not to have too much of a public breakdown over this...

It's in my diary. Never been to Westfields so sounds like a great idea!

I've been bulk buying Sweet n Low jelly direct from their website. You get the equivalent of 5 litres of jelly for about £5. It's the only veggie sugar free one I've found. Nope, just remembered about the WW packets. My mind is still a sieve... The Hartleys ones are great and only 10 cals!

RTM is a bit of a struggle for me to be honest. I'm an 'all or nothing' girl so that's why I found abstinence relatively easy. Give me a bit of leeway and that's where I flounder. I've been plodding on though and probably just overindulging a bit on the sugar free jelly and cottage cheese...

Keeping everything crossed and hoping for good news later today. xx

Bargain alert!!!! Just been to Asda and they have got frozen Quorn pieces and mince for only £1. Just a shame that my freezer compartment is so small it can barely take an ice cube tray.

I used to work in Chiswick - where about do you work there. Love Chiswick as great shopping there.

No, not quite at Heathrow - in Hounslow. I get the joys of being on the tube every day amongst all the suitcases on the way to the airport. It's always chaos. Grin and bear it and pray for a new job!

Oh great - i'll pop by there next week and check it out. How far out west are you? I'm practically at Heathrow at the moment. God I miss working in the West End! Still thinking about olives...

I work in West London but live in SE London and travel back home through central london - nice long commute! Where is this shop and I'm sure I can make a detour past it? I tried the bacon and it was ok. Will add it to an omelette or over a salad. I was at a cafe the other day and they had...

Sorry Jez - cross posting. I'm only in week 2 so no cooking yet. Can't wait to get stuck into some soups, roasted veg etc. I've only just discovered balsamic but love it. Can't use Worcestershire sauce though because of the anchovies. Yes, I commute to London every day so handy for a lot of...

Thanks for that suggestion. I didn't have any chill but added ginger instead for a bit of a kick. I'll have it tomorrow night so will report back. Dips and crudites all sorted for work tomorrow and next 3 nights' meals are marinating. Never been so organised!

I haven't had that in ages so I'll give it a go. Thanks for the suggestion. Think I'll use mainly tofu now. I have got a fridge full of it after my Chinatown trip. The scrambled tofu last night was nothing short of lush! Thinking of what marinates to use on the 3 bits of tofu I've got...

It is quite good fun and I think the stepper and the hula hoop games are definitely the way forward for burning calories. I liked the boxing but it gets a bit repetitive after a while. I've heard very good reports about the EA Sports Active game for a cracking workout though. At least I...

Ok, on the menu today.... I as getting very excited about doing a veggie coronation chicken, but it was a bit of a let down. I marinated 2 quorn fillets with garam masala, turmeric and yoghurt. I then grilled these, chpped them up and added a bit more yoghurt. I had it on a salad of mixed...

Finally got it out of it's wrapper and gave it a go this afternoon. What a let down! I did 40 mins and tried out all the new games and barrely broke into a sweat. So I really don't think this will do anything for my fitness campaign. Has anyone else used this? I'd love to know the best way...

Rik sounds amazing! Does he have a single brother going spare?? ;-) Love the ring. It's gorgeous.

Hi Kat. Yes I've been reading all your posts. However because I'm reading so many different posts of people on their various stages I keep forgetting who is at what stage. Also, I'm turning into a right space cadet at the moment - went out tonight with my purse left at home. Was all tarted...

Thanks Kat. I'm playing tennis for a few hours this afternoon so will happily be burning calories just in case I've overdone the cottage cheese. Thinking about it, it's not as if I've been binging on deep fried pizza! Have to say that it's great having more energy to exercise now that I'm...

Thanks for your advice everyone. I'm going to read back over my books to ensure that everything actually went in and that I can now put it into practise. I haven't lost any weight this week, in fact I am 2 pounds heavier than this time last week so this is a very new experience after 6 months...

Thanks for your useful advice as always! I think I’ll stick to the 0% Total yoghurt and then just add fruit as and when I can have it. I’ve never had it before but looks like a great option. I made a speedy dip last night with that, BBQ seasoning and spring onions for my snack today. Seems...

Hiya, it's all down to personal taste so just keep experimenting! I loved the shakes made thick with hot water, a bit of shake in porridge to add some flavour, the fruits of the forest in porridge, chocolate made with peppermint tea etc. Also your tastes change as I hated the porridge when I...

I couldn't find any Kraft dips so will just rustle something up tonight. It will only take 5 mins so I'll just have to make time for that. No excuses! Completely forgot to mention - lost 2.25 pounds last night so very pleased with that loss. Quick question - what sort of yoghurt are we...

Quick update from me. I've managed to survive week one ok although there are hints that my old habits might creep back in. However, I'm trying to identify them and take a 'step back' and confront them head on. So far, the marinated tofu has been lovely. I love the cottage cheese with...

Jo - I had exactly the same anti-climax when I had my first meal. I am now starting to panic a bit about my portion sizes as I've nearly completed a week of RTM. To be honest, abstinence was a breeze compared to this for me as there was not thinking involved. Great analogy about like being at...

Gosh you must be feeling so excited (and no doubt a bit scared - I know I was)! Have you planned your shopping and what you are going to have tomorrow??

A great accompainment to fresh fruit is cinammon mixed with honey and drizzled over the fruit. Not quite week one fare though! I ended up having the Thai tofu tonight which was nice, but not as good as the Chinese version the other night. Total overdose on garlic and ginger as well! Cottage...

Try googling couch to 5k as I think I remember that being a good program. It's a case of taking it slowly and doing run/walk and gradually increasing the running part. I think you are only supposed to increase your distances by 10% each week. If you book in a charity 5k in a few months time...

I'm not too good at weighing or measuring ingredients and it was a bit of an experiment so I'd say about 2 tbl cottage cheese, a few drops of vanilla and 1/3 tsp of splenda. Maybe some more vanilla would have worked better. Reckon it will be great when fruit gets on the menu as this with some...

I look forward to being a cottage cheese connoisseur! I've got Sainsbury's and Asda in the fridge at the moment. I googled some recipes for cottage cheese and there are some absolute corkers out there. It's great that by having your ingredients restricted, that you have to come out with some...

Oh dear, for my first dinner I had a quorn fillet with a bit of cottage cheese - did I mess up on my first meal?!

I've rediscovered running whilst on LL. Was amazed the first time I tried it and how even a few stone off made a huge difference. I love the way that you can track your progress really easily with it and pretty much (as a newbie to running) you can improve your time or distance every time you...

Thanks mini. I don't usually repeat myself so much ;-)

Ooh yes I've had those in the past - 10 cals I think. Assumed I might be having jelly as a mainstay in my diet so thought I'd bulk buy! I've got some ramekin dishes for the jelly as I know that portion control will be a factor for me. Will ensure that I don't make up too many to take away...

Lost my post! grrrrrr...... Did my Sainsbury's shop and I've currently got 3 lost of tofu marinating in thai spices, chinese spices and a curry extravaganza. Lots of garlic! Can't wait to try one of them for tea tonight. I did find the Sainsbury's BGTY salad dressings that are less than...

Just doing a test as none of my posts are appearing...

Thanks for the advice Jez. Just got back from Sainsbury's and I've got a lovely full fridge for the first time in 6 months! I've got 3 lots of tofu marinading - one in a thai style, one chinese and one indian. All with lots of garlic and herbs. The kitchen smells lovely! A few discoveries...

Hi Jo. Finding a healthy veggie option has always been a struggle. Restaurants seem to think that any veggie option needs to come in pastry or with a couple of pounds of cheese on it. My gym has just launched a new menu and there is absolutely nothing on there I will eat when I have finished...

Well, what an anti-climax! Not sure if I expected a fanfare or a chorus of angels but would rather have had a porridge. I poached a quorn fillet in marigold and a bit of tabasco, with some cottage cheese on the side. Very bland and in need of some more herbs and spices. Bring on day 3 when I...

It's for cooking with - I've seen a recipe for slices of Tofu topped with Soy sauce and powdered sweetener and it sounds delicious. Maybe I'll just experiement with a few. I want to keep away from too many artificial flavourings and ingredients but I guess some can't really be avoided unless I...

Ooh now the pressure is on to come up with some edible recipes! I'm off to Chinatown tonight to stock up on Tofu, but tonight will just be 2 quorn fillets poached in Marigold. The night in is planned and I might even light some candles to mark the occasion! I'm going to get myself a new food...

Hi all I've been lurking on here for long enough now, taking all the great advice, that I thought it was about time I contributed! Tomorrow I start RTM, so thought it might help some of the veggies out there to see what you can have. The story so far... started 3rd June and have now lost 6...