Learning to stay Thin Inside and Out

[thin_inside]

TI sounds like you are doing fabulous! Well done. I agree with the chicken vs prawns! I love them, and salmon!

Yes, the salmon was delicious and is second favourite . Must try smoked sometime, but concerned it is higher cals and carbs due to the added sugar.

Big challenge tonight as I am eating out with my mum and uncle. I hope the restaurant will be happy to do a plain and simple request for baked or grilled fish and plain salad leaves. I really don't want to resort to a bar.

 

[Morticia]

Oh TI, well done on the running. I'm just about to head out today for another run and the weather here looks lovely which always makes it nicer.

As far as the meal goes, you just have to be super assertive. If they bring fish with a dressing/sauce etc just send it back but I'm sure you'll be fine. Enjoy...

 

[Sean(JSF)]

Going well TI & I echo Morticia's advice - I was a right pain at times in RTM and didn't take anything that wasn't as I'd ordered.

I'm sure you'll have a great meal & it's a real pleasure to be able to take part fully in social 'eating' again

 

[katalena]

Is it a right pain in the arse or is it the case that had they listened to what you asked for in the first place it wouldn't have had to go back?

On Tuesday night I ordered lettuce, tomato, cucumber with prawns and flaked tuna. I specifically asked for no dressings, no oil, no mayo, no beetroot, onion, sweetcorn etc.. (you get the picture) out it came with a sprinkling of red onion across the top! lol

More often than not people just do not listen properly.

Kat xx

 

[thin_inside]

Week 1 Day 5

I can't believe how the time is flying!

Thanks for all your wisdom guys. Much appreciated. Tonight I ate restaurant quality food, in a lovely local restaurant, for the first time in almost 11 months.

I had the most delicious trout fillet topped with king prawns and tarragon and baked in a paper parcel, accompanied by a mixed leaf salad with balsamic vinegar dressing on the side. It did look a large serving, but since I was chatting it took quite a while to eat and I feel comfortably full.

Who'd have thought it would have been so easy. I simply had to ask the chef to bake the trout plain instead of with the butter and wine he normally adds. No problem. The green leafy salad did come with cucumber and spring onion, but it was easy enough to leave those bits on the plate. Very pleased with myself. I drank a litre of sparkling water and finished with a black coffee.

Already planning to eat out there again .

 

[Jezebella]

Sounds fabulous hunni!!

So glad you enjoyed it - back to life hey

Jez
xx

 

[thin_inside]

- back to life hey

Racing headlong back into life - but watching where I put my feet .

 

[thin_inside]

Week 1 Day 6

Good learning into practice day today with some interesting thoughts of lapses, but no follow up.

Hot vanilla shake for breakfast followed by a lemon bar at 11am. I was feeling in need of something but recognised it may lead to me wanting something else for lunch and still needing my late evening fix after my meal.

I did consider having a soup at lunch time, but got involved with work and finished up reaching mid afternoon before I thought about food again. By then I recognised I was starting to feel peckish, but decided I would wait for my tea.

I made a quick puff pastry pizza for the family tea followed by a plum and apple crumble and custard. Note here - A crumble and custard 'was' my all time favourite pudding.

My tea was quite simple comprising the remaining marinaded chicken (about 20g), 150g of cottage cheese and 40g of mixed salad leaves with a dash of balsamic. Very enjoyable and better that I was sitting with the rest of the family eating together and chatting about the day.

I have noted that I don't feel satisfied straight after eating, it takes an hour or so for the message to reach my brain. In that hour I must have thought about reaching for the remaining crumble and custard about 400 times. Just a small taste you understand. Well it was a battle, but finally I made a cup of tea and walked away just at the point my brain started to acknowledge I had actually eaten sufficient and any more would lead to discomfort.

Now I still have my much looked forward to evening hot banana pack. Just knowing I have another pack to eat within my days allowance helps me feel calm and in control. I can choose whether I actually eat it or not. Currently I don't feel I need it at all, but come 9-10pm I know I probably will start feeling a little peckish - and that crumble is still there, lurking in the fridge.

I have already bought some sf jelly pots for next week and will get some more fish, salad and yoghurt over the weekend. Hurrah. All going well within RTM boundaries this week.

 

[daisydoll]

you are doing good - well done for not having the pud!
daisy x

 

[Jezebella]

Well done for holding off on that crumble in just a week or 2 you can have cooked fruit, and if you sprinkle it with a peanut bar it is just like crumble, pour on some hot thick vanilla shake and bob's your uncle!!

Jez
xx

 

[wooster]

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

 

[Morticia]

Well done TI, you should give yourself a pat on the back...

 

[thin_inside]

Definitely learnt something about myself today .

 

[Gibby]

Well done TI. You really have thought this through and are doing fab. Really honest account of your thoughts on RTM issues. Thank you. x

 

[thin_inside]

Week 1 Day 7

Wow - the whole week has flown by. I am enjoying the food a lot, and it seems to have slotted into life quite well, although I have a big dilemma every day over which pack to drop - I had got into such a routine and like the regular packs so much it's a tough call.

Anyway, today started early with coffee and a hot vanilla pack. At 10.30 I offered the kids and my uncle a drink and biscuit and was feeling quite peckish myself so decided to have a bar at the same time. Took my uncle to the airport and as his flight was delayed I stayed to keep him company and had another coffee. On the way home I stopped by the supermarket and stocked up on some prawns, salad ingredients, quark, Yeo Valley and sf jelly but was feeling quite hungry by this stage. I doubt it could have been real hunger but it could have been an emotional response to actually food shopping for me.

At home by mid afternoon and I tucked into a chilli con carne pack. That was a mistake really - I should have gone for part of a soup pack. I recognised I did need something, but a cup of hot soup would have sufficed.

Tea was lamb chops marinaded in various herbs and olive oil and lemon, with diced pan fried potatoes and steamed mixed veggies followed by poached pears with cinnamon and toffee sauce topped with a dollop of vanilla yoghurt. Oh wait... that was for the kids. My tea actually comprised a mixed salad of rocket, watercress and spinach leaves topped with 90g king prawns, a spoonful of cottage cheese, plenty ground black pepper and a smidgeon of fat free thousand island dressing. Lovely strong salad flavours and I'm really enjoying the texture and flavour of prawns.

So far so good. Week 2 starts tomorrow.. so it was a bit of an oops when I tucked into a sf yoghurt and spoonful of yeo valley about 30 mins ago. About 12 hours too early. It was that need for something sweet that I get about 9pm. I'd already had my packs for the day but decided to go ahead and have a 'snack' a day early. I don't regret my action, only had a small amount and have not gone back for more, so I'm content with that.

Week 2 starts for real tomorrow.

 

[Jezebella]

Well done on all the great choices hun, and don't worry about the jelly a little early, it really is no biggie as you will soon discover, it is about making grown up decisions about what and when, rather a sf jelly a day early than a big fat old binge. BTW we had the most gorgeous apple and berry crumble on the menu tonight and omg the temptation, I am soooo with you on the temptation of crumble!! I wanted to eat one. Pity it had all that sugar in it or I just might have had some!

Jez
xx

 

[thin_inside]

Week 2 - Day 1

Back home very late last night, so no time to catch up with my log. Just time for one day now.

Sunday was a long drive day, but I went prepared. Had a shake and coffee for breakfast before leaving. Stopped for a coffee and a bar around lunch time. Plenty of water on the drive.

Got to my sister's house mid afternoon where I got lots of great positive strokes. I had some more coffee, a muller light yoghurt and 1/3 of a soup pack - enough for a mugful to satistfy me until we headed out for a meal.

OMG - we went out to Loch Fyne and it was divine! I avoided the fresh aromatic bread placed on the table and drank lots of water while my sister tucked into her lovely smelling pate starter. Then the mains arrived. Wow. I went for the seafood platter - a large prawn, small fillet of salmon, bream and two scallops. All done on the griddle with fresh herbs, but without oil as per my request. It did come with a little bit of cooked spinach, but I had swapped the other accompaniments for a green salad with balsamic vinegar on the side. Yum, yum, yum. OK - I had cooked spinach before I am allowed, but I don't think it's a big deal.

The plateful look huge and took me ages to eat - this time my sister had to watch me eat as she had finished hers quite quickly. I did think maybe I should leave some, but it was far too good (is this going to be a future problem?). I didn't feel full, but was definitely satisfied. Finished with a really nice coffee.

Back to sisters house to find it was almost 10pm. Where had the time gone??? To round the evening off I did have a hot banana shake with yet another coffee before retiring. I could have lived without the shake, but again wanted something a little bit sweet to finish.

About 770 cals for the day so feeling OK about that. Bought some veggies for snacks tomorrow.

 

[daisydoll]

sounds lovely!
(and no, i don't think the cooked spinach will have done you any harm at all!)
daisy x

 

[thin_inside]

Week 2 Day 2

Up early as had an hours drive to get to the venue for a whole day meeting. Had a hot vanilla shake and coffee for breakfast and set off in the car. Arrived early so more coffee .

Mid morning I had a third of a soup pack to drink in the meeting and keep me going til lunch time. For lunch I had my veggie snacks (about 100g of broccoli and cauliflower florets and mange tout) dipped in the 0% greek yoghurt, then ate the rest of the yoghurt with a half pack of jelly. Felt more like a full lunch than a snack. No need for a pack as fully sated. Passed on the pastries, sandwiches and cakes provided for the meeting lunch. Not really tempted by them either as I did enjoy my own picnic.

However, arriving at the hotel around 5.30pm I was ravenous - not a good feeling. Dinner with my colleagues was not going to be until 8pm, so I had a coffee and a bar, followed by a third of a soup pack in my room.

Meeting in the bar at 7pm I was still hungry, but ordered a large bottle of water and focused on that. Eventually we got to the table to order. I decided I would order a starter which was the prawn cocktail without the sauce. The plain prawns were sat on some finely diced celery and accompanied by a mixed undressed salad which was all fine. I added some of the no fat thousand island dressing I brought with me. Interestingly, celery is something I would have avoided like the plague in the past, but I was rather ambivalent to it this time and ate quite a bit, but not all. Also ordered another litre of water.

My main course was grilled salmon on a green garden salad. This was supposed to come as mixed leaves with spring onion and tomatoes but instead came as mixed leaves with peppers and red onion, so I just moved the onion to the side. I had to send the first plate back as the salmon was definitely panfried in oil and overcooked to boot. Still, the wait was worthwhile and I enjoyed the food when it was cooked as requested. Added a bit of balsamic vinegar to the salad. Really liking that flavour. Coffee to finish while the guys all had puddings. I was definitely full, but not uncomfortable.

Finally headed back to my room and decided to do a bit of work. I had some jelly ready for that sweet need I get late evening. At least I didn't have a full pack.

Total for the day - 2 and 2/3 packs, 100g veg snack, 150g greek yoghurt, sf jelly and a starter and main meal. Total cals for the day quite high around 870.

I'm thinking I should avoid having two course meals for the time being.

 

[thin_inside]

Week 2 Day 3

Yesterday planning went awry. Another lesson was learned.

It all started well with a muller light yoghurt and jelly for breakfast instead of my normal shake pack. But then, while visiting site with colleagues, I felt a need to eat a bar during the coffee break while they were all munching on biscuits. That set me wrong for the rest of the day as I had planned to save my bar for the long drive home. I didn't need the bar at that time.

We finished at site by lunchtime so I headed to my sisters house for lunch. Unfortunately flooding meant a couple of serious detours and it was two hours later by the time I arrived. Tucked straight into a bowl of raw veggies with a too large serving of <1% fat thousand island dressing. Followed this with a pot of muller light vanilla with jelly. Not too bad, but already an extra yoghurt in the day which I hadn't planned. I wish they did smaller pot sizes as the 200g ones are more than I need, but I finish them.

Said goodbyes to sis mid afternoon with the intention to set off on the 7 hour drive and stop somewhere after 3-4 hours for a meal. However, traffic was very heavy and the weather conditions were awful so I made very slow progress leading to me feeling both stressed and bored. Within two hours I ate a bar! I should have left it in the boot, but I'd put it to hand 'just in case'. Bah, didn't even enjoy it.

I pulled off the road an hour later for a coffee in an Asda and as I was running late on the travel plans I decided to buy something for my meal that I could eat in the car. I made poor selections - a 300g tub of cottage cheese with peppers and a ready made sf jelly. Back on the road I ate both and drunk the coffee whilst driving. Again, I wasn't properly able to pay attention to the fact I was eating. This is a very bad habit I must avoid. Me time. I didn't make time for me.

The journey was diverted again due to road closures and the sleet started, then the driving snow. I stopped at the last point I knew I would get hot water and made up half a soup pack, again for consumption in the car. Eating and drinking on the fly is what led to much weight gain in the first place.

Crawled along in the heavy snow which required intense concentration to stay on the road. I finally arrived home in the wee small hours, almost 10 hours after I set off. I could happily have eaten as a means to wind down, but was pleased that I didn't.

2 bars and a half pack of soup, two 200g yoghurts, 300g of cottage cheese (too much), three lots of jelly, 100g of veggies and a large dollop of dressing. Everything eaten is allowed on week 2 and I only had 2.5 packs of the three on plan, but I didn't have a proper meal.

Total cals for day about 1040. Way, way too high for week 2. Shows how even healthy 'snacks' can up the calorie intake significantly.

A pledge to myself - I must make time to stop and properly sit down to eat a meal. I am important enough to do this.