Sarah83's New Diary

[sarah83]

Hi

Well I promised that after having a month pretty much off-plan I am starting afresh TODAY.

My month off-plan was largely due to being told I'm being made redundant at the end of next year, then proceeding to use this as an excuse to eat whatever I liked!! To be fair I did have a weeks holiday and a camping weekend, but I don't really have any excuse for the inbetween...

I admit I have deliberately been eating quite a bit of crap in the last week in an attempt to get my metabolism started again... but I am determined to stick at it 100% and get that great first week feeling all over again.

I'm also going to be using the EA Active for the Wii and aim to do at least 5 sessions a week.

I would love to lose about 2stone by Christmas. I know this is pushing it a bit (especially with the slower losses I've had so far) but I know if I'm motivated enough and stick to the plan, then I can do it!

Hope to get all my old diary friends back, and maybe some new ones to listen to my blabbering!

 

[sarah83]

Saturday 18th September - EE

Breakfast: Omelette made with 2 eggs with red pepper and spring onion (1/3 plate)

Lunch: Spaghetti with garlic, mushrooms, passatta and chilli.

Dinner: Burger made from EL mince and spices. WM roll (HEXB), lean bacon, 'fried' mushrooms, SW chips

Snacks: 5 Mikados (2.5syns)

Drinks: 4 coffees with milk (2syns), SF squash, diet coke

Total syns: 5.5syns

Exercise: 1.5hrs walking round town, 30mins housework

 

[kibou1]

Good luck for your new start Sarah!
Your menu looks lovely, makes me want a burger too!

 

[prawnchopSuey]

Can't get rid of me that easily !!

Glad to read you're back on track - you can do it!!

 

[sarah83]

Yay - I definitely feel back on track - had a good day yesterday plus bought loads of fruit and veg from a local greengrocers, with more coming tomorrow with our Tesco order!
I've also been really sad and written up a chart on MS Word for all my meals and snacks for the week... should be easier to keep on track then.

I did my first workout on the Wii EA Active this morning - was really good, definitely worked up a sweat and I can feel the muscles I worked already! Did just over 20mins of running, boxing, skating and stretches like lunges and squats.
Going to do 5 a week, and it's 100% better than the Wii fit, feels like a proper workout

 

[sarah83]

Your menu looks lovely, makes me want a burger too!

Burger was yum yum yummy! Pinched the idea really from Emma Louise from a while back. Seasoned the EL mince with cumin, garlic salt, beef oxo, lots of pepper, chilli powder and chopped spring onions. I shaped them and chilled them in the morning so they held their shape well.

Was saying to DH - I love the fact that on the first day back on my diet I can have burger and chips!!
Trouble is I was too full to eat any salad!!

 

[sarah83]

Sunday 19th September - EE

Breakfast: Half a huge wedge of watermelon. S&S Mugshot

Lunch: WM Toast (HexB) with a topping of HEXA cheese, spring onion, tomato, EL salad cream (1syn). Then still hungry so had some LF supernoodles with spring onion, peppers, sweet chilli sauce (1.5syns)

Dinner: Lancashire hotpot out of the comfort foods supplement (1syn). With broccoli and cauliflower

Snacks: SF jelly with strawberries - 1/4 pack (0.5syns), Kitkat (5.5syns), mini choc twister (2syns)

Drinks: 1 coffee with milk (0.5syns), SF squash

Total Syns: 12.5syns

Exercise: 20mins EA Active workout

 

[sarah83]

OMG the Lancashire Hotpot was amazing last night!!

Basically layers of:
Sliced potatoes
Lamb chunks
Sliced onions (I used leeks)
Sliced carrots
More potatoes

All layered with fresh tyme, salt and pepper, and stock.

It was stunning!!

I've also made some soup for work lunches - Britmum's spicy tomato and lentil soup

I didn't add puree so is syn free. Tasted really good yesterday when I cooked it so looking forward to eating it today, plus DH liked it too which is always a bonus!!

Yay to trying new recipes!! arty0049:

 

[sarah83]

Monday 20th September - EE

Breakfast: Sauteed mushrooms (near enough 1/3 of the plate) and 2 Quorn sausages on WM toast (HEXB) with bertolli light (2syns)

Lunch: Spicy tomato and lentil soup (SF definately 1/3)

Dinner: SF beef curry from the freezer and rice. With broccoli and cauli to make up the 1/3 superfree.

Snacks: 2xmini bags Haribo (eek - Naughty sweeties in work) - guessing at 6syns, Watermelon and strawberries
Had a bad tummy today - v.bloated with painful trapped wind. Got better late evening so munchies kicked in: WM Toast (3syns) with fried egg and half tbsp brown sauce (0.5syns), small packet mini-stars (3.5syns)

Drinks: 3 coffees with milk (HEXA), 2x750ml bottle water, SF squash

Total Syns: 15 - eek cutting it fine!!

Exercise: 1hr walking around town

 

[Katerpillar]

Yoo hoo!!!

Congratulations on getting focused! It's hard to get out of the bad habits once they start but then when something clicks in your head you know you need to ghet back on it - and it certainly looks like you have done that!!

The hotpot sounds devine!.....and quite easy to make (??) so will have to give that a go!!

Your diary sounds impeccable so far so am hopefully going to be following in your footsteps!! x x

 

[sarah83]

Aw thanks honey!! The hotpot was shockingly easy!! And cheap - I think the lamb was about £3.80 from the butchers, then I only used 1 baking potato, 1 carrot and half a leek! Dead cheap but so so good...

I am trying to be good but did stumble a bit with those sweeties at work this morning. Just need to make sure I'm good tonight!

 

[kibou1]

I had earmarked the Lancashire hotpot too but my husband doesn't like lamb...I wonder if I could try with beef instead?
Anyway, well done for being so focused.

 

[sarah83]

I'm sure beef would work - as long as you use nice braising beef so it's meltingly tender after slow cooking. TBH we rarely eat lamb so was really nice for a change!

 

[sarah83]

Very happy as Tesco shopping came last night, so I've got loads of treats to try including Cadbury Light mousses (3.5syns I believe), Milkyway mini-stars (3.5syns a bag), Quark to make the half syn roulade, 0% Greek yog and Options, Quavers & French Fries, Oatibix bars, light babybells, plus loads of yummy fresh fruit.

A full fridge is a happy fridge!!

Cut my syns a bit fine yesterday - a round 15!! Trouble is I had a terrible stomach all afternoon and evening - felt really bloated and very painful trapped wind. So I had a bath to ease it in the evening then mega munchies kicked in (along with the fact we actually had food in the house!!).

Going to curb my munchies tonight by having 0% Greek yoghurt mixed with white choc options, with strawberries to dip in :drool:

 

[sarah83]

Tuesday 21st September - EE

Breakfast: WM Toast (HEXB) with bacon and tinned tomatoes. With 1tsp bertolli light (1syn)

Lunch: The last of the spicy tomato and lentil soup

Dinner: Carvery - beef, turkey, new potatoes, swede, carrots, peas, mint sauce and gravy (3syns?)

Snacks: Fruit salad: 1 orange, 1 apple, handful grapes & strawbs, 3 syn mini bag haribo (grrr couldn't resist again), Muller, mini babybell light (part HEXA)

Drinks: 2 coffees with milk from HEXA, 3x750ml bottle water, glass of wine with dinner - 6 syns

Total Syns: 13

 

[Katerpillar]

Going to curb my munchies tonight by having 0% Greek yoghurt mixed with white choc options, with strawberries to dip in :drool:

Hmmmmmm! Sounds lurveeely! I've got a real sweet tooth at the minute - weird as I don't normally! Do you just put it in the yoghurt as it is - does it melt in OK??

 

[sarah83]

I was a bit dubious until I heard lots of people on here recommending...
You literally just mix the options into the yoghurt really well and it disperses well. Have had it with white choc (my fave), Belgian choc (bit easier to see if it's mixed due to the colour!) and hazelnut which I found a bit overpowering for me.

It really fills you up too - surprising for a yoghurt!! Great for a sweet treat...

 

[sarah83]

Well I never got round to having my planned egg fried rice as we went to the carvery after work.

Yum yum yum - I love carveries - they are so SW friendly!!

So I had lots of beef and turkey, with new potatoes, swede, peas and carrots. Piled my plate high and was STUFFED!

Oh and I treated myself to a glass of wine with it too

But still stuck within my syns - yay!

 

[sarah83]

Wednesday 22nd September - Green

Breakfast: WM toast (HEXB1) with tinned tomatoes

Lunch: SF quiche - sauteed red onion, red peppers and mushrooms, topped with a mix of about 200g FF cottage cheese and 3 eggs, oh and some marmite (thanks to Ellebear!).
I blitzed the eggs and cottage cheese with my new hand blender thanks to a tip on here, so hopefully won't fall apart as much as it has done previously.

Dinner: I changed to a Green day as I wanted a carb-fest.
Had a pile of SW chips, topped with both HEXA's of melted cheese with baked beans. Yum yum yum. Felt so indulgent yet completely within plan!!
Had a tbsp BBQ sauce with it (1syn)

Snacks: Fruit salad - apple, orange, grapes, strawbs; a banana, carrot sticks, Weetabix White choc oaty bar (HEXB2)
Yay I resisted the sweeties today!!

Drinks: 2 coffees with milk (1 syn), 2x750ml bottle water

Total Syns: 2!! Yet I felt so naughty after my dinner!!

 

[sarah83]

Hmm... well my quiche didn't turn out very good :cry:

It's perfectly edible but looks horrible! It's breaking apart and quite watery. Not sure if maybe it's because I put mushrooms in it as they give off quite a lot of liquid

Anyway it doesn't look as though blitzing the cottage cheese and eggs made a difference, if anything it's made it worse!

Next time I'll try without any mushrooms and with less filling, as maybe that didn't help...

Edit - actually it wasn't that edible. Texture just wasn't right so I only ate half grrr