Chloe's Crusade to Slim

[CloBow]

Evening All!

Hope everyone has had good weeks so far - how are we at Thursday again already?! The weeks just seem to be going so quickly at the moment, before we know it we'll be at Christmas again!

Just wanted to give you a quick update on my night last night and today so you can make sure I'm keeping on the straight and narrow :angel09:...

Yesterday was a long old day at work so by the time I came home I just whipped up something quick and easy. I hadn't eaten much at work (a mug shot and a Kelloggs fibre bar) so I made sure I had a good balance of super food, free food and a couple of sins to top my day off. I was home alone as the other half was working so I made a tomato and shallot psta with salad, voila:

Today I've mostly been at work so as usual the diet consisted of fruit, veg and a mugshot for lunch. My appetite is really small in the day so this grazing approach suits me down to the gound. When I get home however, the first thing I do is hit the kitchen! I'm home alone again tonight so I tried to use up as many odd bits from the fridge as I could. In the end I settled on grilled chicken (marinated with salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper and lemon juice) in a pan with spring onions, vine tomatoes and red pepper. I let it all cook up and added a drizzle of balsamic vinegar to the reduced concoction:

I cook up some potatoes (roughed up in the pan afterwards with a pinch of rock salt) and crisp brocolli to make sure I got my 1/3 super free! Here's what it looked like:

Do you think my servings are huge? I've never thought about it but these pics make the plate look pretty full! Do you other Slimming Worlders watch your portion control, even with free food? I know we don't have too but I'd imagine it helps the slimming process?

Anyhoo luverlies, I'm going to sign off now as I need to clean up my mess before the lovely boyf gets home so we can chillax with a movie :atthemovies:.

Have fabulous Fridays and I'll check in with you tomorrow,

Cx

 

[leelea]

Mmmm food looks delicious!
Well I got a shock this morning! Yesterday my bf text me asking me to pick up a Sun newspaper because there might be a team photo in it (He's in Bulgaria playing football) So I did and was only expecting a small photo. Well did I get a shock when I turned the page and saw a huge photo of my boyfriend playing football against the Bulgarian Prime Minister. How very random! I feel like such a WAG now haha.
Just thought I would share that with you because I'm just a little bit too excited sorry x

 

[Hathor]

wooo leelea!! cool.

Chloe, lovely pics of your food. I think I'll post some of mine onto my food diary, sometimes I'm proud of things I've made.

Well done

 

[CloBow]

Afternoon All,

Again, my apologies for being so slack - I've not written all weekend but again it was a busy one and I was barely at home, let alone on the net! Hope everyone had great weekends and is set for great losses this week!

Nothing overly exciting has happened in my world this weekend - although I did have my first enjoyable clothes shopping experience for a while! My Mum and I went to Milton Keynes and I wasn't really looking for anything in particular, but my Mum loves to go in as many shops as possible. We were in Miss Selfridge - a shop that although sells lovely things, I've never ventured into before because not only do they not go up past a 14, they come up small anyway - I used to avoid it like the plague! Whilst in there though, I spotted a gorgeous black dress with red rose patterns on it, in fact, it's this one here:

But I didn't even bother to go over to the rack to see if they had my size, I'd made myself miserable doing that before. It was my Mum who grabbed the last size 14 dress and called me into the changing room. Despite me telling her there was absolutely no way it was going to go round me, she got me to try it on and I kid you not, I actually had a little cry. The zipper went up no problem, there were no lumps and bumps, and for the first time in as long as I can remember, I felt pretty. My tears set my Mum off and we must have looked a right state, but it really was such a happy moment for me, after years of leaving changing rooms with tears in my eyes because I couldn't cram into pretty things, I was finally in them! The icing on the cake was that whilst I was putting my clothes back on, my Mum took the dress and paid for it as a 'congratulations for doing so well' present - I was so grateful and absolutely buzzing.

I think people who are fortunate enough to have never had issues with their weight, being able to just grab something of the rack and know it will fit, would never be able to understand how great you actually feel when you reach a landmark like that. It's not fitting into that dress for everyone, for some it's getting active again, being more confident at work and with friends, or just having that sense of total innner happiness. It's only people who have been on, or who are going through, the same journey who truly understand what a special moment it is and how absolutely brilliant you feel for making it.

Anyhoos - I'll get off my soap box now (I can only really vent myself here as I'd bore my friends to death with it!). :soapbox:

I'm off for a different group session and weigh in tonight (eeeeeek it's only been 6 days not a whole week!) as I won't be able to make my usual one tomorrow. I'm the same as last week in that I don't think I've lost anything this week, despite being pretty good (not 100% - I won't lie) but even half a pound will do me this week - I'd get my new shiny! I've been really bad and not eaten much today in the vain hope it helps the scales (even though I know it makes no odds!). Fingers crossed for me that I'll get that 2.5stone sticker and am able to tick off my next milestone!

Mmmm food looks delicious!

Well I got a shock this morning! Yesterday my bf text me asking me to pick up a Sun newspaper because there might be a team photo in it (He's in Bulgaria playing football) So I did and was only expecting a small photo. Well did I get a shock when I turned the page and saw a huge photo of my boyfriend playing football against the Bulgarian Prime Minister. How very random! I feel like such a WAG now haha.
Just thought I would share that with you because I'm just a little bit too excited sorry x

Oh my gosh!!!! That is so unbelievably brilliant Leelea! You must be so proud! Have you kept it and framed it?! Surely can't be long till he's home now is it? Check you out Miss WAG - you'll be giving Cheryl a run for her money soon

wooo leelea!! cool.

Chloe, lovely pics of your food. I think I'll post some of mine onto my food diary, sometimes I'm proud of things I've made.

Well done

Thanks Hathor! I always feel a bit daft taking photos of what I'm eating but it's great when you feel proud of what you've made (or just how good you've been!) so definately stick them up!

Speak soon all, (and fingers crossed)

Cxx

 

[Louise24]

Oh my word - that dress is GORGEOUS, I love, love, love LOVE it. Your story meant so much to me, I've a lot further to go (currently getting excited about getting into size 20s) but it's great to know other people understand x

 

[CloBow]

Morning Lovelies,

Hope everyone is having a good start to the week!

So I went to a different group last night for a 6 day weigh in as I normally would go tonight but can't make it. I thought I had STS as my home scales match my normal group scales, but when I got there I had put on a pound!!

I was really shocked as I had been so good this week, I genuinely don't know what happened which is very frustrating! I'm wondering if it's a difference in scales as at home I was 11.3.5 and its always the same as normal group, but there I was 11.4.5!!! Damnit. So now I've got 1.5 to loose to get to my 2.5stone sticker :sigh: Not to worry though, I'm going to keep a food diary this week to make sure I don't make any mistakes and hit it this week! I'm also going to try and fit in some exercise this week too as it always helps!

Oh my word - that dress is GORGEOUS, I love, love, love LOVE it. Your story meant so much to me, I've a lot further to go (currently getting excited about getting into size 20s) but it's great to know other people understand x

I'm glad you like the dress Louise - I'll try and get a nice pic of me and the boyf when I wear it! You're right about other people understanding too - it doesn't matter what size your aiming for - it's the same state of mind - you WILL do it lovely, just keep your eyes on the prize and you'll get there in no time :hug99:

Cxx

 

[CloBow]

Mornin' All!

Thought I'd swing by and give you my mid-week update on how things are going this week so far.

Since my weigh in on Monday I've been a bit dis-heartened but I've been really good, stuck to plan 100% and not used more than 5 syns a day. I'm falling into that nasty trap of hopping on the scales each morning but I'm going to stop that as it doesn't help!

Yesterday was a fairly standard day - busy at work (Christmas plans being finalised already!) so my lunch was a minestrone mug shot followed by a muller light and lots of fruit throughout the day. Last night I got home to a big box of figs straight from my Mums garden and I kid you not...I couldn't stop! I ate 12! They were so delicious I just couldn't help myself! Needless to say I was pretty full after that so about 9pm I made a small portion of SW chips (covered in vinegar) - which felt so indulgent! I know it wasn't strictly an EE meal, but I figured that my starter of so many figs makes up for my 1/3 super free food?!

Today is much the same at work (I wish I had the motivation to make nice things to bring in!) but tonight we are cooking for my boyfriends parents as it's both their birthdays this week! The whole menu is SW recipes so I'm looking forward to seeing if they enjoy them. We're going with our favourite Beef Goulash for the main course which I'm looking forward to - I'll take pics to let you see how it goes!

Hope everyone is having good weeks - update again tomorrow!

Cx

 

[leelea]

Hello lovely, hope you're well.
I didn't get my shiny this week either..only lost half so still half away. I was a little bit gutted and angry at myself. I think I got a bit complacent thinking I only needed a pound. I went off track and didn't write anything down or count syns. Naughty! Anyway I'm back on it 100% this week! Wanted to lose a stone by the time me and my bf go to see my family in Wales which is next Friday so I need to shift this half lb.
I'm sure we'll get our shiny next week x

 

[leelea]

Oh forgot to ask how did the meal go for your bf parents? x

 

[CloBow]

Afternoon All,

Feels like I haven't been here for ages - even though it's only been 5 days! Hope everyone is doing well and little losses again this week all round!

So I guess I should do a quick update on how I've been since my last disheartening weigh in..

The birthday meal for my boyfriends parents went really well - they enjoyed the goodies we cooked up for them! We made (what is definitely our favourite) Beef Goulash served with mash potato (using fat-free fromage frais and herbs to make it extra creamy) and mixed vegetables. For dessert I whipped up the plum and vanilla bake that's in the latest SW magazine. Oh, my, giddy, aunt. If you haven't made this yet, I would HIGHLY recommend it - it's glorious! It's so easy and quick to make too, barely any ingredients needed!

Since then nothing overly exciting happened last week - nothing major to overcome food-wise.

At the weekend we went out for a suprise birthday meal for my boyfriend (his parents are away for his actual birthday this week so I organised for 10 of his family to be at the restaurant without him knowing) which was really lovely. We had a great night and the food was awesome. I was such an 80's gal and ordered a prawn cocktail to start (no oil or marie rose sauce) and a steak for my main course with a large mixed salad. I also managed to avoid dessert AND home made chocolate birthday cake which I was really pleased about! I was feeling great as it was the first time I have ever worn a dress out for the evening (that's not been to a formal occasion) and it felt really weird, but very liberating at the same time! When I uploaded the picture of myself my boyfriend took from that night, I compared it to an image of me on holiday last year and I couldn't believe the difference. I tell you ladies, if you ever feel low or losing motivation, you should definately take snaps of your progress because it helps so much! Here's me a year ago on holiday (eeek ):

and here is me in my frock from Saturday night:

I can't wait to wear it again on holiday in a couple of weeks time, I feel so girly in it!

So I had weigh in last night....and I lost 1.5lbs which got me to.....my 2.5 stone shiny!!!!! :bliss:

At last! It's been a slog the last few weeks to get there but I'm so pleased I finally made it! Now all I've got to do is enjoy it and aim for the next one, the big 3! I think I'm going to have to up the exercise to start shedding the pounds now as food alone is proving harder to do - I'm going to try and do 100 star jumps a night as I've heard that's a guaranteed 1lb loss per week!

Anyhoos, I'm off for now as work to be done before I head home. Tonights menu is pasta carbonara (my own variation with fromage frais, bacon and herbs) as I'm home alone so want something quick and easy...

Hope everyone is having good weeks,

Cx

 

[CAPRICORN]

Wow -what a difference :happy036:...
Do you know the biggest difference? your smile...on the 1st one you are doing the classic "ok I will smile -but god I wish you would put that camera away before I have to hit you with it":giggle: -I recognise that from my own snaps (what few there are) ......and in the 2nd you are doing a really genuine and relaxed happy smile :clap:. You look great !!!!!!!
You have given me hope as I have legs like a russian shot putter -and I can see such a difference in your legs on the 2 pics ...don't you have teeny tiny pins :happy036: ....so there IS hope that my calf muscles will get smaller :cross:

Well done on your loss and getting your new shiney :happy096:
Keep up the great work Mrs

 

[Hathor]

AMAZING !!!!!! Well done! That is an amazing difference in the photos, you look fantastic.

How tall are you?

Would you please post the carbonara recipe? xx

 

[CloBow]

Morning All!

Hope everyone is having good weeks, how have we got to Thursday again already?! It's fast approaching the weekend and then it's going to be WI again - ahh!

Tomorrow night we're out with a big group of friends for my boyfriends birthday celebrations, which I'm really looking forward too. We're headed out to a local Thai restaurant and then out for drinks afterwards. It will be great as there will be a few friends there I haven't seen for a while so it will be amazing to catch up. I'm going to be the driver which is a double whammy bonus as it means not only will I be saving the pennies, I'll be saving the syns on alcohol too! I need to do some research into what are good/bad Thai choices though as they aren't in my FO book - if anyone knows please feel free to share the knowledge!

Wow -what a difference :happy036:...
Do you know the biggest difference? your smile...on the 1st one you are doing the classic "ok I will smile -but god I wish you would put that camera away before I have to hit you with it":giggle: -I recognise that from my own snaps (what few there are) ......and in the 2nd you are doing a really genuine and relaxed happy smile :clap:. You look great !!!!!!!
You have given me hope as I have legs like a russian shot putter -and I can see such a difference in your legs on the 2 pics ...don't you have teeny tiny pins :happy036: ....so there IS hope that my calf muscles will get smaller :cross:

Well done on your loss and getting your new shiney :happy096:
Keep up the great work Mrs

Thanks Capricorn, you're always full of lovely things to say :hug99: D'ya know I hadn't even noticed that, but now you've pointed it out it's glaringly obvious! I really do look uncomfortable in the first pic (all I originally saw when I looked at is was how big my arms and legs were!) and I do look much happier in the second, that's because I genuinely am - all thanks to Slimming World (and MiniMins support of course!). You're legs will definately shrink too lady, fear not! It's weird because I don't think anyone ever notices slimming down anywhere other than your middle...For example, I didn't think my face/fingers/arms etc had really shrunk, but when I put on rings, or look at older pics I can see they have, so don't worry, with how great you're doing you'll be getting you legs out soon enough! xx

AMAZING !!!!!! Well done! That is an amazing difference in the photos, you look fantastic.

How tall are you?

Would you please post the carbonara recipe? xx

Thanks Hathor - I love looking at how well others on here are doing by their before, in progress and after pics so I wanted to do the same!

I'm 5ft 3' (but only just) - in the second pic I do have fairly high heels on so it bumps me up a bit

The carbonara recipe is a variation on one I found and it goes like this:

You will need:
4 rashers bacon, trimmed into small bitesize pieces
3 eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp low fat natural fromage frais (although you can use natural yoghurt or creme fraiche if you prefer)
2 level tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
2 tsp dried tarragon (one for the mix, and one for the garnish)
397g/14oz cooked spaghetti

Cooking:

Start by cooking your bacon for 2-3 minutes until it's nice and crispy, then set it to one side.

Lightly beat the eggs, season to taste and add the fromage frais and 1 tbsp of Parmesan. Add 1tsp of tarragon to the mixture, and stir in well.

Add the spaghetti and egg mixture to the bacon in the pan and stir gently over a low heat until the egg starts to set.

Serve sprinkled with the remaining teaspoon of Parmesan and tarragon.

It's not quite as great as a really cheesy carbonara, but it's pretty tasty all the same!

Anyhoos, must be off, have lovely Thursdays everyone and speak soon,

Cx

 

[Hathor]

Oh thank you! that looks like a lovely recipe! xxx

 

[CloBow]

Happy Friday!!!

So I'm in a good mood this morning as it's Friday (which is always a reason to celebrate) and we're off out tonight for my lovely boyfriends birthday with a big group of friends which I'm really looking forward to!arty0023:

I've also found some great information on the SW site about eating out at Thai restaurants, so I'm a bit more prepared on what to choose this evening:

Eating in a Thai restaurant is an experience in itself with attentive waiters and ornately
decorated food.

Get your tongue Thai’d with these tasty dishes! Food Optimising-friendly options include:

Starters orders – avoid deep fried, pastry-packaged spring rolls and samosas, go for broths such as Poh taek (mixed seafood soup) - a fantastic Original choice. Som Tum (spicy vegetable salad) is hot stuff for a Green choice.

Main event – green or red curry are the most well-known Thai dishes, (with those names you’d think they’d be Food Optimising-friendly!) However, the dishes are made with rich Syn-filled sauces. Healthier menu items include fish and meat that are described as steamed or grilled. These include Hor neung mok pla (hot & sour steamed fish) this tastes and looks pretty impressive – packaged in a banana leaf! Pat gaprao gai (minced chicken with chillies and lime leaves) is another of the healthier Original options. Although it’s a stir-fry dish, it’s made up of Free basic ingredients and there’s no creamy sauce. For a Green choice, pad thai jay is a veggie version of the classic stir fried noodle dish (although the Syns in the oil will need to be taken into account). Khao Suey (Thai fragrant rice) is delicately flavoured steamed rice and gorgeous for a Green day.

Watch out for... many Thai dishes take their flavours from coconut milk, peanut oil and carefully blended curry pastes. These are the high-Syn dishes to avoid or enjoy occasionally using Flexible Syns.

I'll let you know what I go for and try and get some snaps if I remember!

Have fabulous Friday's everyone and I'll check in with you at some point over the weekend!

Cx

 

[leelea]

Lost 1.5lbs last night and got my stone shiny and a little present from my boyfriend for 'sticking to it and not giving up' we're heading down to see my family in Wales today for an engagement party then going to stay with my boyfriends family for the weekend. Hope you have a lovely night. Post pictures of what you wear and Ill try to aswell

 

[CloBow]

Lost 1.5lbs last night and got my stone shiny and a little present from my boyfriend for 'sticking to it and not giving up' we're heading down to see my family in Wales today for an engagement party then going to stay with my boyfriends family for the weekend. Hope you have a lovely night. Post pictures of what you wear and Ill try to aswell

Yaaaaaaaaay!!! :banana dancer:Check you Miss!!! Fab job lady, I bet you're dead chuffed!! What a sweetie you're boyfriend is too - doesn't it make it so much easier when you've got that support at home?!

Oooh that sounds like a fab weekend away - have a lovely time and let me know how it all goes.

It's a deal on the snaps

Cxx

 

[CloBow]

Morning All,

Hope everyone had fab weekends and isn't suffering from the Monday Blues too much! I wanted to swing by and do a weekend update before it gets round to tomorrow and I'm heading to WI again already!

Friday night I was out with my boyfriend and a big group of friends for my boyfriends birthday - it was a great night! We went out for Thai food first of all and the restaurant was absolutely fabulous! There was so much choice but I opted to not have a starter (I find this really works for me when eating out!) and as a main I chose a ginger chicken stir fry with steamed rice. I don't know how many syns were in this dish but I think it was relatively low as it was stir fry and wasn't oily or have a creamy sauce so I figured it was ok! After dinner we hit a cocktail bar, followed by a club where I danced the night away until 2am - combined with being the designated driver, I think this really helped burn off the dinner! It was a fab night and I really enjoyed myself but didn't have any of the guilt that normally comes with a mad night out - perfect! Here's me and my BFF in the cocktail bar:

Saturday afternoon we went for lunch with some friends (we eat out a lot I know!) - but mainly because a posh new restaurant near us was offering free main courses for everyone to promote the launch of their new chef and Autumn/Winter menu! Our plan was to go along, have our free main course and a coke - voila! Cheeky I know Well, when we got there we were greeted by the manager who told us that their meat supplier had not turned up, so out of the usual selection of 8 main courses to choose from, there were only 3 that were available. However, to make up for it, we could also have a starter on the house too - we couldn't believe our luck!!

The new menu was absolutely mouth-watering. All of the starters had elements of dessert in them, for example fois gras with caramel crumble (which my BFF had) and celeriac soup with caramelized apple (which my boyfriend had). I however opted for seared fillet of beef with hazelnut icecream... It sounds odd, it looked odd, but the taste sensation was absolutely incredible!! It wasn't brilliant for syns but it was only a tiny bit of ice-cream, and it was worth every single one!!! Here's a pic:

For my main I opted for the grilled Turbot with salted grapes and sorrel - again, absolutely beautiful (and I think fairly low on synnage):

Saturday evening was spent curled up on the sofa (with a few sweeties - eek!) and watching movies with a SW spag bol for tea.

Yesterday we went shopping and then over to see my grandparents in the afternoon for a SW friendly roast, so pretty good day overall too!

And that brings me round to Monday, today. I started work early this morning so I'm finishing at 1pm - weather permitting we're off for a bike ride in the vain hope that my weekend of food will not affect the scales tomorrow night!

Hope everyone has great Mondays, speak soon,

Cxx

 

[Louise24]

Looking good hun, love the dress. Also - salted grapes.... I'm intrigued to try these, hmm, bet they're strange but lovely, but like beef and icecream? hehe xx

 

[leelea]

Had a lovely weekend tho probably not good syn wise. But did play badminton for 2 hours so that might have helped. I'm feeling abit rubbish today, think its a chest infection so I've made a big batch of chicken noodle soup
it ended up taking 5 hours to get to Wales so we were only at the party for about 2 hours but we danced the whole time no body remembered a camera so the photos from my phone and my mum chopped my boyfriends head off the photo ha. Your photos look lovely. Yummy food and lovely dress
Hope you're ok lovely x