My Personal Weight Loss Journey
- Thread starter FlicG
- Start date
purpleflower
Full Member
Wow www and well deserved too! Excellent !
angelupnorth
Gold Member
Soooo, sat morning weigh in and guess what?!
-7lbs!
thats just over 2 1/2st down now, and into the next stone too - exciting times! Deffo makes up for the teeny loss last week!
Hope you're all having a good weekend!
That's fantastic FlickG, well done my lovely, that truly is a amazing loss, well done
I bet you are super thrilled x x x
Willpowerwoman!
Silver Member
Soooo, sat morning weigh in and guess what?! -7lbs!
Fantastic loss flic well done
xSent from my iPhone using MiniMins
FlicG
Silver Member
Morning all,
thanks for your comments - I really was pleased, especially after last week. Glad I had a good loss as after WI, I went to visit my little brother at Uni as it was his birthday. My parents came too and decided on Pizza Hut for lunch. I sat there with a sparkling water. 1) because I actually wasn't hungry and 2) because there was nothing conceivable to eat off their menu on SS. Sunday morning, OH's dad invited us to this charity breakfast. I sat there with a glass of water and a cup of tea! Again, nothing that I wanted, or needed. I did have an SS+ meal of spinach and poached eggs for dinner last night as a Sunday treat, but I won't have anything else this week.
Anyway, back to it this morning. I've got a skirt on that I haven't worn for about a year since it didn't fit!
Hope you all have a great week!
xx
thanks for your comments - I really was pleased, especially after last week. Glad I had a good loss as after WI, I went to visit my little brother at Uni as it was his birthday. My parents came too and decided on Pizza Hut for lunch. I sat there with a sparkling water. 1) because I actually wasn't hungry and 2) because there was nothing conceivable to eat off their menu on SS. Sunday morning, OH's dad invited us to this charity breakfast. I sat there with a glass of water and a cup of tea! Again, nothing that I wanted, or needed. I did have an SS+ meal of spinach and poached eggs for dinner last night as a Sunday treat, but I won't have anything else this week.
Anyway, back to it this morning. I've got a skirt on that I haven't worn for about a year since it didn't fit!
Hope you all have a great week!
xx
Willpowerwoman!
Silver Member
Morning all, thanks for your comments - I really was pleased, especially after last week. Glad I had a good loss as after WI, I went to visit my little brother at Uni as it was his birthday. My parents came too and decided on Pizza Hut for lunch. I sat there with a sparkling water. 1) because I actually wasn't hungry and 2) because there was nothing conceivable to eat off their menu on SS. Sunday morning, OH's dad invited us to this charity breakfast. I sat there with a glass of water and a cup of tea! Again, nothing that I wanted, or needed. I did have an SS+ meal of spinach and poached eggs for dinner last night as a Sunday treat, but I won't have anything else this week. Anyway, back to it this morning. I've got a skirt on that I haven't worn for about a year since it didn't fit!
Hey flic, that's great that you are wearing the skirt also that's amazing that you could sit in Pizza Hut and not cave!!! I bow down to your amazingness!!! Xx
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FlicG
Silver Member
Do you know what WPW, the thought of having to go through ketosis again is the thing keeping me on the straight and narrow. I could cave and eat, but i'd only be cheating myself ultimately. Plus, I had such a good weigh in on Saturday, I wanted to keep it up! I'm deffo in the zone at the moment and learning so much about myself, which will hopefully stand me in good stead moving forward.
Old me would have:
- had my fair share of the nachos and sharing platter we ordered for a starter.
- probably do two salad bowls, with minimal salad and lots of pasta/cous cous and dressing
- had a pizza to myself - probabyl a biggish one, and if I couldn't finish it, I would have taken it home and snaffled it later, at night, once OH had gone to bed.
- probably discussed sharing a pudding?
- Cut and ate a piece of lovely homemade birthday cake I made for my brother, making sure I had the biggest piece. (oh, and I would have finished the leftover buttercream which is currently in the fridge.)
I am becoming so much more aware of these little secret snaffles and portion behaviour which all add up to why I was in the position I was in. I think it's because I was just greedy, essentially. I craved (and still do I guess) cheesy, fatty things - pizza, pork pies, sausage rolls... Anything that's bad for me really. I have identified this now, and hope that moving forward, I can make sensible choices.
So, if I was in maintenance, I would have eaten:
- No starter - unnecessary cals.
- a 500cal pizza (which they had on their menu)
- a GREEN salad - no dressing - and only one bowl!
- maybe a small bit of cake, but probably not as not needed.
I actually NEED to do this which is the difference from just saying it. As mentioned, I will be adopting a 5 good days, 2 treat days (where I am allowed a treat meal - only one though!) moving into maintenance. The more I look at step 5, the more I think it's perfectly do-able as the new way I will eat, other than the treat days...
Sorry - big ramble! xx
Old me would have:
- had my fair share of the nachos and sharing platter we ordered for a starter.
- probably do two salad bowls, with minimal salad and lots of pasta/cous cous and dressing
- had a pizza to myself - probabyl a biggish one, and if I couldn't finish it, I would have taken it home and snaffled it later, at night, once OH had gone to bed.
- probably discussed sharing a pudding?
- Cut and ate a piece of lovely homemade birthday cake I made for my brother, making sure I had the biggest piece. (oh, and I would have finished the leftover buttercream which is currently in the fridge.)
I am becoming so much more aware of these little secret snaffles and portion behaviour which all add up to why I was in the position I was in. I think it's because I was just greedy, essentially. I craved (and still do I guess) cheesy, fatty things - pizza, pork pies, sausage rolls... Anything that's bad for me really. I have identified this now, and hope that moving forward, I can make sensible choices.
So, if I was in maintenance, I would have eaten:
- No starter - unnecessary cals.
- a 500cal pizza (which they had on their menu)
- a GREEN salad - no dressing - and only one bowl!
- maybe a small bit of cake, but probably not as not needed.
I actually NEED to do this which is the difference from just saying it. As mentioned, I will be adopting a 5 good days, 2 treat days (where I am allowed a treat meal - only one though!) moving into maintenance. The more I look at step 5, the more I think it's perfectly do-able as the new way I will eat, other than the treat days...
Sorry - big ramble! xx
Willpowerwoman!
Silver Member
Your not rambling it all makes super sense. Wow you must have saved your self at least a lbs worth of cals there. I just couldn't go into Pizza Hut (hope I don't have to any time soon) without being tempted. But your right it's just not worth it. Takes a lot off inner strength tho so well done
xx<TTStyledTextFrame: 0x5834ca80>
angelupnorth
Gold Member
Well done with the willpower.
It's great to plan ahead and your doing fab with picturing your new habits and how to work things in social occasions such as yesterday. I do feel the best way ahead is adopting traits which work for us and its good to get things clear in your head so your one step ahead x x x
It's great to plan ahead and your doing fab with picturing your new habits and how to work things in social occasions such as yesterday. I do feel the best way ahead is adopting traits which work for us and its good to get things clear in your head so your one step ahead
x x x
FlicG
Silver Member
Thanks lovely ones! Hope I can be of some help/inspiration to others, as you have been for me.
I am by no means perfect - I am here to start with, let's not forget - but I am hoping this is the last time I have to do this, and if that means lots of forward planning, that's what I will do.
xx
I am by no means perfect - I am here to start with, let's not forget - but I am hoping this is the last time I have to do this, and if that means lots of forward planning, that's what I will do.
xx
FlicG
Silver Member
SOOOOO, I started rambling away on Angel's log, and thought i'd better ramble on my own log! haha.
So, today's ramble is on: The availability of snack/crap food.
I mentioned that my CDC is convinced that the world has transpired to make us all fat. What with the snacks kicking about all over the place - at tills, at petrol stations - there is always an offer on cakes and chocolate.
If I was shopping on my own, I would...
- get a drink from the convenience section, and maybe a sandwich too - for the way home
- as I was doing my shopping, I would perhaps pick up some pork pies/sausage rolls - especially if there was some on offer/reduced - I am a sucker for the reduced section
- Probably get a pack of two cream cakes/cheesecake slices
- a pack of nuts is perfectly acceptable. Ooh, the value bag is bigger and better value than the small bag - i'll get that.
- Milkybar. Big one. Only £1. Rude not to!
Then, I would pay for my shopping, putting all of these things in a "things to eat on the way home" bag. And I would proceed to eat the sandwich/wrap (wraps are easier to eat whilst driving, and less likely to have bits fall out) then, I would open the cheesecake/cream cakes. Have one, maybe a sausage roll, some nuts, and leave the milkybar in the car for tomorrow. I probably would have finished the wrap and both pieces of cake before getting home and disposed of the rubbish in the recycling bin hastily before I entered the house. I would be so excited because getting in the car the following morning, there would be chocolate and nuts/treats waiting for me, all that would either be eaten on the way to work, or at least finished on the way home that day.
Oh, and don't think that this binging wouldn't have meant I would have no dinner, because i would of course go home and eat the larger of the two portions I would have plated up for supper.
A regular occurrance. Really. I have always been a secret eater. I mean, I used to buy my lunch for work, along with an extra snack - pasty, crisps, cake - to eat on the way to work, then pull into a layby before I got to work to eat it!
Also, so - after my first weigh in from CDC, which was Saturday, I decided to start the Monday. This was in part because on the Friday, I bought a reduced bag of sausage rolls and mini scotch eggs and two pork pies, and l had eaten some of them on Friday night, before going home and having dinner, and wanted to eat them all on Saturday. I actually only ate some of them - they were not worth it, as were all dry, so I finished the chocolate bar I had bought instead.
I also, if I was on my own, go and buy a sandwich/salad for lunch, and an extra wrap/ sushi to eat in the car. The office is 5 minutes tops away from work, and I can eat a whole wrap before pulling in to the office carpark.
Petrol stations are even worse. I like to buy a selection of snacks so it looks like i'm buying them for not just me. I also used to have a standing "routine" with the sales staff in one petrol station that sold this cheap, not even that nice, but cheap, chocolate. It was 50p for a large bar (remember, the world is transpiring to make us fat?!) and I would buy 4 bars and say - you know, this chocolate is great to cook with! It was, but it was better to eat in the car!
Evenings were bad times for me too - if OH went to bed, the kitchen was fair game. And if OH went out!! I am a dab hand at being able to make a microwave chocolate cake, a quick ganache (chocolate and double cream) and toffee sauce to coat popcorn with.
If nobody can see me eat it, then it doesn't exist. The feeling of self loathing afterwards is my own fault, but I wouldn't dare tell anyone about the sneaky eating...
All of this is really ridiculous and un-necessary behaviour - this was all in addition to what I was eating "normally" which explains why and how I got to be as big as I was. On paper, I eat well, I am careful...in secret - I was not. It is quite cathartic to put it all down, and i'm sure i'm not alone being doing this secret eating. I have realised in doing this diet that snacks are not needed at all. All of these secret "treats" are not doing me any favours, and I am only kidding myself in the long run.
I have found this great strength from doing this diet. Like the whole pizza hut thing the other day. I would have felt like i'd missed out on a treat before - being good-ish on the face of things, but, like I mentioned, eating the takeaway pizza when I got home. This time, I felt that actually, I wasn't hungry for it, and actually, I didn't want it. Yes, that cheesey pepperoni mass looked great but the thought of those old habits! I CAN resist now, and I should be able to resist in the future too. I don't need to get excited about secret eating - I don't need to do it at all!
When I can eat again - on the steps, and in maintenance, it will be a shared experience with others - it won't be a hidden thing, it will be a pleasure. Treats will be treats that are shared and enjoyed, but with my eye on the goal - to have it as a treat and not as a mainstay.
This has been an epic ramble of me blurting out "secrets" - I just want to have this down to look back on. I don't want to think of myself as getting into those old habits - in fact, eating in the car is something that is "banned" post CWP and during. Plus, it makes a bloody mess!
xx
So, today's ramble is on: The availability of snack/crap food.
I mentioned that my CDC is convinced that the world has transpired to make us all fat. What with the snacks kicking about all over the place - at tills, at petrol stations - there is always an offer on cakes and chocolate.
If I was shopping on my own, I would...
- get a drink from the convenience section, and maybe a sandwich too - for the way home
- as I was doing my shopping, I would perhaps pick up some pork pies/sausage rolls - especially if there was some on offer/reduced - I am a sucker for the reduced section
- Probably get a pack of two cream cakes/cheesecake slices
- a pack of nuts is perfectly acceptable. Ooh, the value bag is bigger and better value than the small bag - i'll get that.
- Milkybar. Big one. Only £1. Rude not to!
Then, I would pay for my shopping, putting all of these things in a "things to eat on the way home" bag. And I would proceed to eat the sandwich/wrap (wraps are easier to eat whilst driving, and less likely to have bits fall out) then, I would open the cheesecake/cream cakes. Have one, maybe a sausage roll, some nuts, and leave the milkybar in the car for tomorrow. I probably would have finished the wrap and both pieces of cake before getting home and disposed of the rubbish in the recycling bin hastily before I entered the house. I would be so excited because getting in the car the following morning, there would be chocolate and nuts/treats waiting for me, all that would either be eaten on the way to work, or at least finished on the way home that day.
Oh, and don't think that this binging wouldn't have meant I would have no dinner, because i would of course go home and eat the larger of the two portions I would have plated up for supper.
A regular occurrance. Really. I have always been a secret eater. I mean, I used to buy my lunch for work, along with an extra snack - pasty, crisps, cake - to eat on the way to work, then pull into a layby before I got to work to eat it!
Also, so - after my first weigh in from CDC, which was Saturday, I decided to start the Monday. This was in part because on the Friday, I bought a reduced bag of sausage rolls and mini scotch eggs and two pork pies, and l had eaten some of them on Friday night, before going home and having dinner, and wanted to eat them all on Saturday. I actually only ate some of them - they were not worth it, as were all dry, so I finished the chocolate bar I had bought instead.
I also, if I was on my own, go and buy a sandwich/salad for lunch, and an extra wrap/ sushi to eat in the car. The office is 5 minutes tops away from work, and I can eat a whole wrap before pulling in to the office carpark.
Petrol stations are even worse. I like to buy a selection of snacks so it looks like i'm buying them for not just me. I also used to have a standing "routine" with the sales staff in one petrol station that sold this cheap, not even that nice, but cheap, chocolate. It was 50p for a large bar (remember, the world is transpiring to make us fat?!) and I would buy 4 bars and say - you know, this chocolate is great to cook with! It was, but it was better to eat in the car!
Evenings were bad times for me too - if OH went to bed, the kitchen was fair game. And if OH went out!! I am a dab hand at being able to make a microwave chocolate cake, a quick ganache (chocolate and double cream) and toffee sauce to coat popcorn with.
If nobody can see me eat it, then it doesn't exist. The feeling of self loathing afterwards is my own fault, but I wouldn't dare tell anyone about the sneaky eating...
All of this is really ridiculous and un-necessary behaviour - this was all in addition to what I was eating "normally" which explains why and how I got to be as big as I was. On paper, I eat well, I am careful...in secret - I was not. It is quite cathartic to put it all down, and i'm sure i'm not alone being doing this secret eating. I have realised in doing this diet that snacks are not needed at all. All of these secret "treats" are not doing me any favours, and I am only kidding myself in the long run.
I have found this great strength from doing this diet. Like the whole pizza hut thing the other day. I would have felt like i'd missed out on a treat before - being good-ish on the face of things, but, like I mentioned, eating the takeaway pizza when I got home. This time, I felt that actually, I wasn't hungry for it, and actually, I didn't want it. Yes, that cheesey pepperoni mass looked great but the thought of those old habits! I CAN resist now, and I should be able to resist in the future too. I don't need to get excited about secret eating - I don't need to do it at all!
When I can eat again - on the steps, and in maintenance, it will be a shared experience with others - it won't be a hidden thing, it will be a pleasure. Treats will be treats that are shared and enjoyed, but with my eye on the goal - to have it as a treat and not as a mainstay.
This has been an epic ramble of me blurting out "secrets" - I just want to have this down to look back on. I don't want to think of myself as getting into those old habits - in fact, eating in the car is something that is "banned" post CWP and during. Plus, it makes a bloody mess!
xx
Willpowerwoman!
Silver Member
Oh flic I relate sooooo much to what you have just said you are not alone. I used to binge eat in secret every day.
At work (I sometimes work over night) I would pop to a petrol station / convenience store before starting work and fill an entire carrier bag of crap food and eat it during the evening and night.
When I had a break in the day I would fill it by doing the same and also when I left work. id go back to petrol station etc and do the same thing and munch on rubbish all the way home. Just because I could because I was alone and no one would know
At family parties I would always try and help out in the kitchen to sneak the equivalent of a plate full of buffet food in my mouth during preparation stages before eating more with everyone else and going back for seconds.
Even at school I used to buy chocolate bars to eat on the way home then quickly make cheese on toast before mum got home and then have the tea she'd made that evening.
When I lived alone for the first time and when ex boyfriend was out for the eve id eat all sorts of rubbish just because I could!
I won't go on I'll leave it there but you r not alone and although we all have to take responsibility for are actions these convenience stores certainly make it pretty easy for us! Xx
Sent from my iPhone using MiniMins
At work (I sometimes work over night) I would pop to a petrol station / convenience store before starting work and fill an entire carrier bag of crap food and eat it during the evening and night.
When I had a break in the day I would fill it by doing the same and also when I left work. id go back to petrol station etc and do the same thing and munch on rubbish all the way home. Just because I could because I was alone and no one would know
At family parties I would always try and help out in the kitchen to sneak the equivalent of a plate full of buffet food in my mouth during preparation stages before eating more with everyone else and going back for seconds.
Even at school I used to buy chocolate bars to eat on the way home then quickly make cheese on toast before mum got home and then have the tea she'd made that evening.
When I lived alone for the first time and when ex boyfriend was out for the eve id eat all sorts of rubbish just because I could!
I won't go on I'll leave it there but you r not alone and although we all have to take responsibility for are actions these convenience stores certainly make it pretty easy for us! Xx
Sent from my iPhone using MiniMins
FlicG
Silver Member
Oh, WPW - carry on! I'm sat here reading like "yep, done that...yep - oh, buffets, forgot about them!" - it's all these little traps and techniques we develop that we really have to get out of the habit of doing. I felt really down about it but CDC was really positive about identifying them, and moving forward from them. I think it's common with us overweight ones because we know we shouldn't be having it, so we hide it because then we don't have to "declare" it.
I once bought two bars of fudge as "presents" from where I used to work. Ate them both on my hour car journey in 20 mins. Stopped at a shop and got crisps, a pastie and a drink as I felt so full of sickly stuff and got to my destination and ate a full lunch! When you think about all those extra secret calories, it does explain why we're here!
OH ALSO,
I forgot to mention that due to this week's weigh in, CDC got her little chart out, and I am now no longer classified as OBESE, just OVERWEIGHT on the BMI scale!
xx
I once bought two bars of fudge as "presents" from where I used to work. Ate them both on my hour car journey in 20 mins. Stopped at a shop and got crisps, a pastie and a drink as I felt so full of sickly stuff and got to my destination and ate a full lunch! When you think about all those extra secret calories, it does explain why we're here!
OH ALSO,
I forgot to mention that due to this week's weigh in, CDC got her little chart out, and I am now no longer classified as OBESE, just OVERWEIGHT on the BMI scale!
xx
Willpowerwoman!
Silver Member
Oh, WPW - carry on! I'm sat here reading like "yep, done that...yep - oh, buffets, forgot about them!" - it's all these little traps and techniques we develop that we really have to get out of the habit of doing. I felt really down about it but CDC was really positive about identifying them, and moving forward from them. I think it's common with us overweight ones because we know we shouldn't be having it, so we hide it because then we don't have to "declare" it. I once bought two bars of fudge as "presents" from where I used to work. Ate them both on my hour car journey in 20 mins. Stopped at a shop and got crisps, a pastie and a drink as I felt so full of sickly stuff and got to my destination and ate a full lunch! When you think about all those extra secret calories, it does explain why we're here! OH ALSO, I forgot to mention that due to this week's weigh in, CDC got her little chart out, and I am now no longer classified as OBESE, just OVERWEIGHT on the BMI scale!
Also I've lost count of the amount of Easter eggs I bought as gifts and ended up having to replace!! And then Easter eggs I bought knowing dam well there not gifts but trying to convince the check out person that they were. Again those self service check outs have made the 'guilt' of buying crap easier unfortunately!
Anyway...Yay! That's a fab milestone!
xxSent from my iPhone using MiniMins
angelupnorth
Gold Member
I can also relate to so much of that FlickG, I guess that's why we end up here, we certainly don't get here because we eat " normally "
I have ate in secret at times but I don't always go out of my way to do it. Myself & hubby work opposite, he's early & I'm late's I often get home anywhere from 11.30pm to 0200 everyone is in bed and I have always been able to eat a hell of a lot more than if there were others in the room. I was in 7th heaven when my daughter was pregnant as she would wait up and we would have " treats " together, thankfully she's a nice size 12 even with a 6 month old
My hubby is a very big eater but he has a very active job ( bin man ) his idea of a takeaway is enough for 3 people, I like a takeaway but not as much as he does. Picky bits are my downfall, crisps, pasties & pies etc so I fully get your description of a trip to the supermarket as it sounded just like me, that's the old me !
I'm pleased we can all be very honest & open here, it's a kind of therapy in itself
I have ate in secret at times but I don't always go out of my way to do it. Myself & hubby work opposite, he's early & I'm late's I often get home anywhere from 11.30pm to 0200 everyone is in bed and I have always been able to eat a hell of a lot more than if there were others in the room. I was in 7th heaven when my daughter was pregnant as she would wait up and we would have " treats " together, thankfully she's a nice size 12 even with a 6 month old
My hubby is a very big eater but he has a very active job ( bin man ) his idea of a takeaway is enough for 3 people, I like a takeaway but not as much as he does. Picky bits are my downfall, crisps, pasties & pies etc so I fully get your description of a trip to the supermarket as it sounded just like me, that's the old me !
I'm pleased we can all be very honest & open here, it's a kind of therapy in itself
FlicG
Silver Member
Thanks all for your lovely comments - makes me feel a little more "normal" - if you were doing the same things. I mentioned to OH about secret snacks last night and he looked at me like I was mad. He has such a different, and healthy attitude to food in comparison to me...I am doing lots of watching him and asking about food - I think he's starting to tire of me now!
Hope you're all having a lovely day!
xx
Hope you're all having a lovely day!
xx
angelupnorth
Gold Member
The difference for me is my hubby has a HUGE apatite but luckily for him he's always been quite active ( he's a bin man ) he burns off more in a day than I ever could so things like you mentioned yesterday would be a " normal " day off work together for us, all food & snacks but like I say hubby is able to do it and get away with it. Don't get me wrong he's not slim but he's a Phil Mitchell look a like type " bloke " Which is what I like
I'm going of track but my point was you & your hubby may have a different way of looking at food and it was very brave of you to open up to him where as I don't have that as hubby is like I say a big eater like me.
You may find it makes it easier for you to adapt to new ways once your back on food ?
My hubby will in no uncertain terms be told he can eat what I eat or he can cook for himself.
Sorry if my response was all me but I hope the points I was trying to make came across x x x
FlicG
Silver Member
Your response was great Angel! CDC reckons my OH will be a godsend in maintenance because he is very clear-cut. If he's full, he stops eating. If he's had a big lunch, he'll have a small dinner - or even none at all! So completely the opposite of all my family/how i've been brought up, but I think that's a good thing.
Cooking a big meal for friends tonight. I am really excited as it's a proper "recipe from a magazine" one! I might have some of the spring greens i'm cooking with it, and a poached egg...and try a little of the beef. I haven't decided yet. I am soooo craving salads and veg - can't stand the soups anymore and the shakes and bars do all get a little sickly...
Anyway, it also seems like I now have super-strength smell! One of the blokes in the office eats his lunch at his desk - I am a good three metres away from him, but can identify what he has! Today was lettuce and cucumber - it smelled GREAT! I guess craving salads is much better than craving macdonalds!
Hope you all have a lovely evening.
xx
Cooking a big meal for friends tonight. I am really excited as it's a proper "recipe from a magazine" one! I might have some of the spring greens i'm cooking with it, and a poached egg...and try a little of the beef. I haven't decided yet. I am soooo craving salads and veg - can't stand the soups anymore and the shakes and bars do all get a little sickly...
Anyway, it also seems like I now have super-strength smell! One of the blokes in the office eats his lunch at his desk - I am a good three metres away from him, but can identify what he has! Today was lettuce and cucumber - it smelled GREAT! I guess craving salads is much better than craving macdonalds!
Hope you all have a lovely evening.
xx
rach6288
Full Member
well hello there!! that 7lb loss was amazing!!
oooh secret eating... or in my case not really secret. being a single mummy i have noone around to judge me... so takeaways were mine down fall. would order loads (because you have to order £10+ to get free delivery- therefore its not my fault i have to eat this much, it would only go to waste otherwise...) i could be good all day, then by evening time it all went wrong. would buy 2 "too share" size packet of chocs and eat them all throughout the night. portion size was crazy (all recipes are for 2, but i was only cooking for me and a 3 year old... and there would be none left!). And just stupid habits, like HAVING to eat lunch and dinner... or example i could eat lunch's calories in healthy snacks throughout mid morning (and a normal person would think, right, i dont need to eat again until im hungry) but as soon as it hits 12-1pm...gotta eat. Not hungry? doesnt matter, its lunch time!
But also for me, shifts were hard. And where i work is hard. When women have babies and they are happy with their midwives... they supply chocolate, or cake, or bikkies! and normally a vast amount. Now i will often work a 14 hour shift, on my feet with no breaks, and you run into the staff room for a drink and grab whatever there is to give you energy. And then you get home at around 10pm and realise you havent eaten properly all day, but are too knackered too cook, so order a takeaway!
Oh and shopping! would never write a list or plan meals because thats not how i want to spend my time off (errr takes like 10 mins rach!), so would just go to the shop, 3 year old in tow, and get round as fast as i can before she has an epic meltdown! i would have to go down every isle because otherwise i would likely forget something i need, however what mainly happened is i would pick up lots of stuff i didnt need! I'd normally go when im starving as well (the motivation to go shopping would be 'oh dear, we have literally run out of everything!')
But its just about learning new habits! none of the above mentioned things are reasonable excuses. Ive been thinking about how to combat them and have come up with a few things:
* have a supply of healthy ready meals, then if im knackered and dont want to cook, there is no need to order a takeaway
*stay away from chocolate! now this may not be realistic, but i dont need to buy chocolate as a snack. maybe a treat pudding with a meal out once in a while, but no snacking chocolate
* Buy some freezer bags and tupperware, and if i have made too big a portion of something, freeze it as another meal for me or jazz
* if i HAVE to eat lunch and dinner, i dont need to be snacking in between!
*take in healthy, easy to grab food for shifts, and continue to stay away from the cake!
*at some point, make a list of lovely recipes i want to make my staple dishes. then, from this, create 3 weeks worth of meals. split these in to 1 week meal plans and write a shopping list for each week. laminate them and then i always have a shopping list to grab!
*start online shopping!!
And another one, get a slow cooker cause these things look amazing! Flic your a foodie, do you have a slow cooker?? xxx
oooh secret eating... or in my case not really secret. being a single mummy i have noone around to judge me... so takeaways were mine down fall. would order loads (because you have to order £10+ to get free delivery- therefore its not my fault i have to eat this much, it would only go to waste otherwise
...) i could be good all day, then by evening time it all went wrong. would buy 2 "too share" size packet of chocs and eat them all throughout the night. portion size was crazy (all recipes are for 2, but i was only cooking for me and a 3 year old... and there would be none left!). And just stupid habits, like HAVING to eat lunch and dinner... or example i could eat lunch's calories in healthy snacks throughout mid morning (and a normal person would think, right, i dont need to eat again until im hungry) but as soon as it hits 12-1pm...gotta eat. Not hungry? doesnt matter, its lunch time! But also for me, shifts were hard. And where i work is hard. When women have babies and they are happy with their midwives... they supply chocolate, or cake, or bikkies! and normally a vast amount. Now i will often work a 14 hour shift, on my feet with no breaks, and you run into the staff room for a drink and grab whatever there is to give you energy. And then you get home at around 10pm and realise you havent eaten properly all day, but are too knackered too cook, so order a takeaway!
Oh and shopping! would never write a list or plan meals because thats not how i want to spend my time off (errr takes like 10 mins rach!), so would just go to the shop, 3 year old in tow, and get round as fast as i can before she has an epic meltdown! i would have to go down every isle because otherwise i would likely forget something i need, however what mainly happened is i would pick up lots of stuff i didnt need! I'd normally go when im starving as well (the motivation to go shopping would be 'oh dear, we have literally run out of everything!')
But its just about learning new habits! none of the above mentioned things are reasonable excuses. Ive been thinking about how to combat them and have come up with a few things:
* have a supply of healthy ready meals, then if im knackered and dont want to cook, there is no need to order a takeaway
*stay away from chocolate! now this may not be realistic, but i dont need to buy chocolate as a snack. maybe a treat pudding with a meal out once in a while, but no snacking chocolate
* Buy some freezer bags and tupperware, and if i have made too big a portion of something, freeze it as another meal for me or jazz
* if i HAVE to eat lunch and dinner, i dont need to be snacking in between!
*take in healthy, easy to grab food for shifts, and continue to stay away from the cake!
*at some point, make a list of lovely recipes i want to make my staple dishes. then, from this, create 3 weeks worth of meals. split these in to 1 week meal plans and write a shopping list for each week. laminate them and then i always have a shopping list to grab!
*start online shopping!!
And another one, get a slow cooker cause these things look amazing! Flic your a foodie, do you have a slow cooker?? xxx
FlicG
Silver Member
Hey Rach,
Thanks for your post - there is a lot there that I can totally see as things I have done. When I lived on my own, I was terrible - I could eat whatever, whenever...and I did! I do always try and do a meal plan...I mainly stick to it Monday-Wednesday and then after that, it all goes a little awry!
Coming from a big family I always batch cook. This was one thing which truly is a saviour. The problem is getting the portion size right for one! Guess what I had an abundance of? The plastic containers takeaways come in (no guesses for where I got these from...) These are ideal for freezer storage, and you can just take one out when needed.
Top meals I freeze - for OH at the moment, but I will eventually be making/keeping things I can grab and go in the freezer too:
- bolognese/chilli/cottage pie mix. using multiple packs of mince and the same base for all three means you can make a massive batch into these three meals by just adding different elements to each pan when you separate them out.
- pepper and tomato pasta sauce. Takes half an hour to cook, batch freeze it and you can use it for a multitude of things.
- cheese sauce. Definitely not diet friendly, but OH likes macaroni and i can just defrost a sauce at a time that way.
- sausage casserole/sausage pasta (a JO recipe)
- blanched green beans from the garden. If I'm on the mood, I tend to do a batch of things - then when I can't be bothered, I can just look in the freezer!
I rarely cook and freeze chicken as I don't like the texture of it once defrosted, but that's personal preference.
I find keeping prawns in the freezer are really handy (and will be for a quick meal when on step 2) I'm a big egg fan, the ultimate easy food! I also keep frozen brocolli and spinach in the freezer as they are so handy if you've run out of veg.
I do indeed have a slow cooker Rach. Don't use it as much as I should probably but beef stews, bolognesey type things, and chicken dishes - using bone in meat all work well. The benefit is you can do a little prep the night before and if the kitchen's not too hot, leave it in the slow cooker turned off, crank it up when you wake up the following day and come home to a delicious smelling meal!
Last night was the dinner party with some of my closest, most wonderful friends. I tried some of the amazing oxtail I had been cooking for several days - just the tiniest bit, and had a meal of 80g beans/brocolli/asparagus and two poached eggs. None of the lovely starter OH had prepared (salamis and italian nibbles - my favourite!) and none of the pudding either. I felt totally in control. Today it's back to just simple SS, and I know that a little meal has not, and will not, derail me!
Hope you're all having a fantastic day! I am wearing one of my favourite dresses, minus the usual "hold it all in mega pants" and it is almost too big!
xx
Thanks for your post - there is a lot there that I can totally see as things I have done. When I lived on my own, I was terrible - I could eat whatever, whenever...and I did! I do always try and do a meal plan...I mainly stick to it Monday-Wednesday and then after that, it all goes a little awry!
Coming from a big family I always batch cook. This was one thing which truly is a saviour. The problem is getting the portion size right for one! Guess what I had an abundance of? The plastic containers takeaways come in (no guesses for where I got these from...) These are ideal for freezer storage, and you can just take one out when needed.
Top meals I freeze - for OH at the moment, but I will eventually be making/keeping things I can grab and go in the freezer too:
- bolognese/chilli/cottage pie mix. using multiple packs of mince and the same base for all three means you can make a massive batch into these three meals by just adding different elements to each pan when you separate them out.
- pepper and tomato pasta sauce. Takes half an hour to cook, batch freeze it and you can use it for a multitude of things.
- cheese sauce. Definitely not diet friendly, but OH likes macaroni and i can just defrost a sauce at a time that way.
- sausage casserole/sausage pasta (a JO recipe)
- blanched green beans from the garden. If I'm on the mood, I tend to do a batch of things - then when I can't be bothered, I can just look in the freezer!
I rarely cook and freeze chicken as I don't like the texture of it once defrosted, but that's personal preference.
I find keeping prawns in the freezer are really handy (and will be for a quick meal when on step 2) I'm a big egg fan, the ultimate easy food! I also keep frozen brocolli and spinach in the freezer as they are so handy if you've run out of veg.
I do indeed have a slow cooker Rach. Don't use it as much as I should probably but beef stews, bolognesey type things, and chicken dishes - using bone in meat all work well. The benefit is you can do a little prep the night before and if the kitchen's not too hot, leave it in the slow cooker turned off, crank it up when you wake up the following day and come home to a delicious smelling meal!
Last night was the dinner party with some of my closest, most wonderful friends. I tried some of the amazing oxtail I had been cooking for several days - just the tiniest bit, and had a meal of 80g beans/brocolli/asparagus and two poached eggs. None of the lovely starter OH had prepared (salamis and italian nibbles - my favourite!) and none of the pudding either. I felt totally in control.
Today it's back to just simple SS, and I know that a little meal has not, and will not, derail me!Hope you're all having a fantastic day! I am wearing one of my favourite dresses, minus the usual "hold it all in mega pants" and it is almost too big!
xx
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