The issue: I've been trying to shift some weight for about a year now and it's gone up and down and up down and up and up and up! *oops :sigh: I always used to be one of those annoying people where it didn't matter what I ate as my job was quite active but since starting my current job, where I'm sat down ALL DAY, I've been piling on the pounds and I ended up 3 stone heavier than normal.
The start of the solution: As with a lot of people, my weight loss started again properly in the form of a new year’s resolution. As I’d loads of success with South Beach last year (I got back down to just a stone away from my target weight) I decided to try this again. However, I wasn’t enjoying all salads and sugar free jelly that I'd been eating last year and didn't stick to it as well as I had in the summer months. It was time to try something different.
Restarting the solution aka slimming world: I've been doing slimming world from home for a couple of weeks now, but not sticking to it entirely - especially at weekends! I'm hoping that a public diary of what I actually shovel in to my face might help me stick to it and that this site will help with inspiration and support!!
FOOD DIARY:
Weekend I ate lots of bad, naughty, awful things. Pizza, chicken baguettes, doughnuts and quite a bit of wine. In fact, I stopped counting my syns all together and said the dreaded words “Diet starts on Monday”
Monday – Original Day
Breakfast - Cereal & milk (HEA)
Snack – Half a chicken sandwich ( 1 slice brown bread ½ HEB, chicken free, mayo 2syns)
Dinner Chicken Wraps Chicken FREE Salad FREE Light Mayo 6 SYNS Deli Wheat and White Wraps x 2 14 SYNS
SYNS TOTAL 29
I think the problem was eating before checking syn values... bad move. I assumed wheat and white wraps would either count as my healthy extra B or be low syns. Not the case... Oh well, now I know for future.
I didn’t do amazing yesterday, but better than I would have ate if not on a diet (I’m making excuses now aren’t I?!)
I’m trying really hard to have a syn free day today, and not going to let the past few days get me down!!
You need to check how many you can have but Asda wholemeal pitta bread is now a hexb, you could swap this for a wrap.
Or - you could make a liver pate & keep in the fridge for snacking with carrots or 6 finn crisps, ryvita, 3 krisprolls all hexb.
Or - keep some fish sticks in the fridge for snacks.
You can have treats, I find it easier if I write down all my syns, for example the other saturday I had 70 syns in one night But I made a point of making a note & I still lost that week.
ooo I could definitely have pittas instead of wraps. We don't have an Asda near here though. I'll stick some ryvitas and stuff on my tesco order (just doing it now!)
Thanks for your tips hopefully I'll get the hang of it soon!
Lunch Chicken Sandwiches Bread roll 7 syns Bread roll 7 syns Chicken - free Salad - free
Snack Banana Muller Yoghurt
Dinner Spag Bol Mince - free Veg - free Sauce - free Spaghetti - HEB
Dessert Muller Yoghurt (frozen! - got the idea from a thread on here and it is really nice!! seems to fill you up more as it takes longer to eat as well!
SYNS TOTAL 14
I think I did a lot better yesterday even though I had planned for no syns and ended up with 14 (better than 20 odd like the days before) The bread ruined it for me staying away from sandwiches from now on, I love them, but they're evil!!
I was aiming for no syns as I'd had over 20 on each of the previous days (eek) so was trying to balance it out. Going to ignore the previous days syn totals now though and start focussing on each day one at a time. Learn from my mistakes and not dwell on them!!
Using todays syns for a few vodkas with sugar free lemon and lime tonight. Doing well so far!
Oh i see!! I thought you meant that you were trying to have no syns everyday!! Sorry still try to stick with lowering to 5 syns or your body will cling to what you have already had thinking you have gone into 'starvation'
You are doing really well! Like i said the commentary is really good - its nice to hear what someone is thinking/feeling after each day to reflect on what they've done.
Keep up the good work - i'll be watching for updates
12 weeks and 1 day until holiday! (and not fit for a bikini as yet!!)
Yesterday's food:
Green Day - Thursday 25/03/2010
Breakfast Banana
Snack Carrot Sticks
All FREE so far.
Lunch Spag Bol Mince HEB Wholegrain Spaghetti Sauce Salad
Snack Half a chicken on brown bread sandwich - 9 syns
Dinner Creamy bacon pasta Bacon - HEB Pasta Cream - 5 syns Onion and garlic
SYNS TOTAL 14
Not so bad....
BUT
I had 4 - 5 vodkas :cry:
I was planning on saving ALL my sins so I could have a few drinks with the girls, but I had a 1/2 a chicken sandwich hoping that I could make that in to my healthy ex B (1 slice of brown bread, very small amount of chicken) but then I had bacon in my pasta so had to use my HEB for that.
I also wanted to make the creamy pasta using quark / low fat fromage frais, but my local supermarket didn't have it
Luckily my food shopping is being delivered from tesco tonight and I've ordered lots of free foods and ingredients to make free food meals off the slimming world website and some recipes I have off here. Going to be trying that out over the weekend!
A poor workman blames his tools. Well, I'm blaming my supermarket!
I noticed that you have only done red and green, have you tried EE? It might be something to think about as from looking at your menus you do have salad and fruit and veges and your syns are coming from having meat on a green day or carbs on a red? for instance yesterdays menu...
Breakfast Banana FREE on EE
Snack Carrot Sticks FREE on EE
Lunch Spag Bol Mince FREE on EE (as long as its extra lean) Wholegrain Spaghetti FREE on EE Sauce FREE on EE (depending on how its made) Salad(1/3 of your plate) FREE on EE
Snack Half a chicken FREE on EE on brown bread sandwich HEX B (as long as wholemeal 400g loaf) Put salad in to make 1/3 free!!
Dinner Creamy bacon pasta Bacon FREE on EE Pasta FREE on EE Cream - 5 syns Onion and garlic FREE on EE Have salad or veges with as 1/3 free
SYNS TOTAL 5!!!
Sorry if you think im being a nosey parker just thought id point this out! That way you would have had 5 syns and your 4/5 vodkas would be ok
Thanks so much for your reply and advice. Sorry I haven't responded, haven't been online over the weekend.
This extra easy thing sounds much better and seems that I wasn't being as bad as I thought! I bought some old books off a friend and they don't have any of the exrta easy info in there which is why I hadn't tried it. Am I right in thinking, eat any free green or free red food, with 1 HEA and 1HEB? And same syns? I tried Saturday following these rules and found it a lot simpler! off to write up my weekend food diary now actually!
That's okay i rarely have access over the weekend 2.
The extra easy only came in about a year ago and only this year have the books been amended properly!
You have the basics right...
1. Any free food from the Red or Green days are free!!
2. Where possible you should aim to have 1/3 of every meal as SUPER free foods (the ones free on both red and green - all fruit and veg) I think these are on the yellow pages in the old books.
3. You have one A choice and 1 B choice healthy extras everyday
4.Enjoy between 5-15 syns
Try to have your snacks as super free foods to boost your weight loss.
Glad i could help!! Let me know if you have any questions
11 weeks and 5 days until holiday.... Tick, tock, tick, tock.
Haven’t been online for the last 3 days so here’s how I got on over the weekend:
Friday. 26th March Original Day
Breakfast : Cereal (HEB) Milk (HEA) Snack : Carrot Sticks (FREE) Lunch : Spag Bol – Spaghetti (HEB) Mince (FREE) Sauce (FREE) Salad (FREE) Snack : X Dinner : Cheat Meal Pizza Chips Doughnut (**LOTS OF SYNS**) (Awful day at work, I know I shouldn’t turn to food but I did!)
TOTAL – LOTS OF SYNS
Rubbish start to the weekend but think I make up for it over the next few days, sometimes you really need a good comfort eat and a good film!! AND it could’ve been worse, I could’ve ordered £30 worth of dominoes for £15 (stupid offer they have on at the moment which is generous but MEAN) But instead I got a Pizza from co op and oven chips. I know at the same time I could’ve been better and made SW chips and SW pizza but hey ho what can ya do.
Saturday 27th March Trying an extra easy day for the first time...
Breakfast : Cereal (HEB) Milk (HEA) Snack : X Lunch : Bachelors Pasta n Sauce (FREE) Snack : X Dinner : Chicken Wrapped in Bacon with veg (All free except 2 syns for philli stuffing) Evening Treat : 5 vodkas with sugar free lemon-lime
TOTAL – 14.5 SYNS
Again saving syns for Vodka – It’s the weekend J !!! Hope I was doing the extra easy day correctly as I’d not tried it before!
Sunday 28th March Original Day
Breakfast : Fry Up (FREE) Snack : X Lunch : Chicken Wrap – Chicken (FREE) Wrap 7 Syns Snack : X Dinner : Spag Bol – Spaghetti (HEB) Mince (FREE) Sauce (FREE) Salad (FREE)
TOTAL – 7 SYNS
Getting better at this and feeling really pleased with myself for 2 good days in a row (especially at the weekend coz I have been known to get takeaways or baguettes every day!!!)
I start exercising this week so hoping the weight will start to drop off. And weighing myself tomorrow morning too so let’s see!!!
That doesn't seem very complicated at all. Think I might have to add some of those days in. I suppose I can see how I go in the day and change as I go? Choose whichever plan lands on less syns!! Thank you so much for all your help!!! I promise I'm getting better hehe.
Are there any rules about how long you can do extra easy for do you know? Someone at work has said they think it is mainly for beginners?
I did slimming world for a year doing red and green and have just started again this year doing EE for a change.
I know people at group that have done it for a year and are still having good losses. Its not just for beginners, i think people that were there before EE dont want to change as they feel comfortable with the plans they know inside out. You can do EE all week every week or mix it up as much as you like - same as red and green.
Your menu for your EE day is good maybe just try to have a salad or veges with the batchelors - you could mix some in to get your 1/3rd free.
Oh that's good then. A bit more variation is always good! And good thinking with the pasta, would probably have been nice with some actual broccoli in it! Or a side salad. I keep forgetting to add veg as my boyfriend is doing it too and he doesn't have salad at all and only like certain veg. Think I might have to force feed him it!
You should start a diary I like seeing what I've eaten and the progress (if any!) - it's easy to forget you had a naughty snack and then have another but your more aware if you know ou're gonn have to write it down. And some one might have some advice for you like you have for me!! Our holiday dates are quite close too! xx
My OH is the same, he doesnt need to lose any weight and can eat as much rubbish as he wants - and so does lol.
Sunday is my hardest day as we spend all day together at his and so its a real test to be good lol
Ive got a diary that i write for myself in note book that i carry everywhere but have been a bit slack writing in it recently, at least if i put it on here then i know people can advise me when im doing something wrong and can give me a kick up the backside if im being blantently naughty lol. Its called Pesty's Slimmer for Summer Diary, if you fancy having a look ever
I'm lucky enough to have a fella who does the cooking all the time (only cause he'd rather that than the borinf housework ) but that also means I eat what he cooks. So I have to keep telling him off when he gives me the same as him! Luckily he is trying to lose a few pounds too so it's getting better!