Small steps

[watchandwait]

Well I've put on 2 pounds this week, but considering I've just got back from holiday I'm quite happy with that! The aim for the next week is to see the back of them. I've also set myself a few mini goals to help keep me motivated, which basically consist of losing 7 pounds per calendar month. Hopefully my 2 pound gain won't set me back too much for this month.

I may start a food diary at some point, but for now I'm going to attempt to eat at least 10 different speed foods each day. Which should be interesting...! Today I've had:

Raspberries
Apple
Satsuma
Aubergine
Onion
Tomatoes
Mixed salad leaves/spinach
Mandarin
Carrots
Mushrooms
Broccoli

I feel like listing satsumas and mandarins separately is a little bit of a cheat (I mean come on, they're practically the same thing!), but seeing as I made it to 11 it doesn't really matter anway.

Haven't counted my syns today - I'm mostly winging it and hoping for the best really. Seems to be working so far, but I might join sw online once pay day comes around and start doing it properly. Then again, if the pounds are still dropping off nicely I might not bother. I'm following one of FitnessBlenders exercise plans at the moment and I definitely think that's helping, so I think I'll just see how things stand at the end of the month. If the scales say 14st 1lb or less I'll be happy!

 

[watchandwait]

Here's today's list of speed food:

1. Mushrooms
2. Yellow pepper
3. Apple
4. Carrots
5. Broccoli
6. Onions
7. Mandarin
8. Aubergine
9. Spinach
10. Tomatoes
11. Melon
12. Satsuma

I did the satsuma/mandarin double again today. No idea why I bought both!

 

[watchandwait]

I was away on holiday last week so I did a fair bit of batch cooking the week before, portioned it all up and bunged it in the freezer - I knew I wouldn't feel much like cooking when I got back. I'm glad I did as I would have happily stuffed my face with any old rubbish today, but ended up with stir fry veg with noodles for lunch, then cauliflower and lentil curry for tea, no cooking necessary (just a bit of re-heating). I'm going to try and make a big pan of something once a week to keep the freezer stocked up.

Had a major sugar craving this afternoon and would have happily chain-eaten a good dozen biscuits if they were on hand. This is why I can't have them in the house! My will power only works in the shops - I can resist buying them, but I can't resist eating a "normal" amount if I do buy them. I'm afraid cold turkey is the only way for me.

Lots of lovely veg on my speed food list today, mostly thanks to the stir fry I had for lunch:

1. Melon
2. Raspberries
3. Apple
4. Peppers
5. Carrots
6. Broccoli
7. Cabbage
8. Mange tout
9. Mushrooms
10. Baby sweetcorn
11. Onions
12. Bean sprouts
13. Satsuma
14. Cauliflower
15. Spinach
16. Strawberries

Still playing it by ear and not really counting my syns. Might have to knuckle down and start doing things properly soon though!

 

[watchandwait]

I went on a rare trip to Asda after work today and was reminded why I don't go very often. I spent the whole time I was there chunnering to myself about how much I hate it. Plus I ended up at the self check-out (seeing as they only seem to open 2 of the 25 tills that are operated by actual humans) which was as traumatic as always. I used to love Asda, but I think it's time for us to break it off completely now.

By the time I walked home (carrying my 3 bags of shopping) I didn't really feel like exercising, but in the end I persuaded myself and did a nice sweaty cardio workout followed by half an hour-ish of stretching. I've got quite a lot of social events and meals out in the next few weeks so I'm making a conscious effort not to ditch my exercise plans too often. Hopefully it will help offset the extra calories I will no doubt be consuming!

Anyway, here's today's speed food list:

1. Tomatoes
2. Mixed salad leaves
3. Yellow pepper
4. Apple
5. Melon
6. Strawberries
7. Carrots
8. Courgette
9. Onion
10. Spinach
11. Mushrooms
12. Mandarin

I had garlic too, but I'm not going to count it as it's such a small amount. Fingers crossed all this speed food will help shift this extra holiday weight.

 

[watchandwait]

I had a bad day today. Got up late and it all went downhill from there. Didn't make it to 10 speed foods and ditched my workout. I've not been getting enough sleep and feel completely knackered at the moment.

I've got a busy day tomorrow too - hairdressers in the morning, out for a 40th birthday in the afternoon, then I'm babysitting in the evening. I'll have to try and squeeze all the other bits and bobs I've got to do in-between, but not sure how I'm going to get my workout in. Might have to be an extra early get up for me. Either that or sneak it in once the sproglets are tucked up in bed.

Speed food list for today:

1. Melon
2. Strawberries
3. Aubergine
4. Tomatoes
5. Onion
6. Mixed salad leaves
7. Cucumber

And that's it! Was going to bump it up with some broccoli, carrots and courgettes with my tea, but ended up just having a mushroom cup-a-soup instead. Planning on a veg heavy breakfast tomorrow to help make up for it. Off to bed for me now! X

 

[watchandwait]

Yesterday started off well (albeit very early!) Was going to do a veg omelette for breakfast, but seeing as I had some left over brown rice in the fridge I chucked it in a pan with some spring onions, mushrooms, yellow pepper, grated carrots and courgettes and made egg fried rice instead. Might have to do that more often - was yummy! Unfortunately it all went downhill after that. Had lunch/afternoon tea out then didn't have anything proper, just all kinds of snacks when I was babysitting. So I ended up having crisps, cake, biscuits, scones with butter and jam, chocolate, more crisps and some cheese. Also, by the time I got the little ones off to bed all I wanted to do was try not to fall asleep in front of the TV so exercise was a non starter. On the plus side, I did enjoy myself and I had quite a good day non-diet wise!

Today started off with good intentions again - an omelette with onion, an orange pepper (don't see too many of those about), tomatoes and a little bit of cheese. Went off the rails in the middle though - crisps and chocolate and biscuits and cake... I find it hard to stay on track when I'm not at home. No exercise today either. Got home this afternoon and ended up having a 3 hour nap instead!!! Still feeling really tired so I must have needed it. For tea I tried to pull it back a bit, so had some aubergine and cannellini bean casserole with a load of broccoli. Only made it to 5 speed foods (haven't had any fruit at all today - oops!) Must get back on it tomorrow.

Sunday is weigh-in day for me and I've only lost a pound this week, so still got an extra holiday pound to shift. Can't say I'm surprised following the weekend I've had. I think the best thing to do is draw a line under it all and get back on it tomorrow. I've got a meal out planned for Friday and I really don't want this weekend blip to turn into a week long binge!

 

[watchandwait]

Got up late again today and had to go for the quickest breakfast option - a slice of wholemeal toast with peanut butter and half a banana sliced on top - so it was sadly lacking in speed food. Mostly snacked on fruit today though so I think I made up for it. My full speed food list for today is:

1. Apple
2. Strawberries
3. Carrots
4. Leek
5. Satsuma
6. Tomatoes
7. Onions
8. Spinach
9. Courgette
10. Broccoli
11. Cucumber

I'm fairly happy with that. Still didn't feel like exercising, but managed to do a bit of light cardio and some stretching. Think I need to be a bit more organised so I've packed myself a snack box for work tomorrow - a boiled egg, carrot sticks and cucumber slices - and I'll take some fruit too. Hopefully that will help me resist the lure of the biscuit tin!

 

[watchandwait]

Here's my list for today:

1. Cucumber
2. Carrots
3. Strawberries
4. Leek
5. Tomatoes
6. Mixed salad leaves
7. Courgette
8. Onion
9. Spinach
10. Apple
11. Mushrooms

We're having a Macmillan coffee morning at work tomorrow and I'm not planning on eating any cake, but I have made a nutella cheesecake to take along. Hopefully someone else can enjoy it, although this is the first time I've ever made it and I'm slightly worried it's going to turn out like a GBBO style disaster and collapse into a big puddle as soon as I take it out of the tin... I used some ferrero rochers to decorate it, but didn't use the full box and ended up eating the rest. Oh dear.

On a more positive note, I had a short pilates workout planned for today followed by some light stretching, but as I was in the mood I also did a quick bit of cardio to start off with. Was only an extra 10 minutes, but I suppose every jump squat counts!

 

[littlemissnaughty]

I love your idea of eating atleast 10 different speed foods a day. I love a challenge so might try that as I struggle to have 10 a day.

I hope your cheesecake made it in one piece, it sounds lush.

 

[watchandwait]

My speed food list has been a bit samey these last few days, but I'm going shopping tomorrow (payday! ) so should be able to mix it up a bit. My stash of freezer meals has pretty much run out now too, so I need to plan some batch cooking for the weekend. Maybe a big pan of soup and something I can throw in the slow cooker.

Today's speed food:

1. Strawberries
2. Cucumber
3. Carrots
4. Leek
5. Satsuma
6. Cauliflower
7. Spinach
8. Onion
9. Tomatoes
10. Mixed salad leaves
11. Apple

I took lots of healthy snacks to work today, but about 4pm I eventually caved into temptation and had some millionaire's shortbread from the Macmillan coffee morning/afternoon (well, it was for charity!) It was soooooo good! Might have to do an extra sweaty workout to make up for it tomorrow - only managed a bit of stretching today, but it's better than nothing! x

 

[watchandwait]

I love your idea of eating atleast 10 different speed foods a day. I love a challenge so might try that as I struggle to have 10 a day.

I hope your cheesecake made it in one piece, it sounds lush.

Thanks! Yes, I don't always make it to 10, but I definitely think having a target in mind helps.

The cheesecake made it intact, although it was a bit "rustic" looking by the time I wrestled it out of the tin! It all got eaten, and someone asked me for the recipe so it must have tasted ok

Good luck with the speedy 10!

 

[littlemissnaughty]

Well done on keeping the tin in tact!
I also gave in yesterday and had a charity cupcake.

I tried doing your speed challenge yesterday and actually did quite well. I managed 9. I thought I had done 10 but must have miscounted some where. Hopefully I will manage 10 different ones today. I thought it would be easy but it is actually a lot harder than I thought it would be. I am going to stick with it though as I never eat enough normally so this will hopefully help the scales move in the right direction for me

 

[watchandwait]

Really went for it with the speed food today seeing as I'm eating out tomorrow night. Damage limitation!

1. Strawberries
2. Apple
3. Cucumber
4. Carrots
5. Tomatoes
6. Courgette
7. Mixed salad leaves
8. Onions
9. Spinach
10. Satsuma
11. Mushrooms
12. Peppers
13. Raspberries
14. Peach

Well done on keeping the tin in tact!
I also gave in yesterday and had a charity cupcake.

I tried doing your speed challenge yesterday and actually did quite well. I managed 9. I thought I had done 10 but must have miscounted some where. Hopefully I will manage 10 different ones today. I thought it would be easy but it is actually a lot harder than I thought it would be. I am going to stick with it though as I never eat enough normally so this will hopefully help the scales move in the right direction for me

9 is a great start, well done! It can be quite difficult - if you're anything like me, I tend to eat the same things (I'm surprised I don't actually look like a carrot yet!) so it's a good way to mix it up a bit. Hope the speed works it's magic for you

 

[littlemissnaughty]

Really went for it with the speed food today seeing as I'm eating out tomorrow night. Damage limitation!

1. Strawberries
2. Apple
3. Cucumber
4. Carrots
5. Tomatoes
6. Courgette
7. Mixed salad leaves
8. Onions
9. Spinach
10. Satsuma
11. Mushrooms
12. Peppers
13. Raspberries
14. Peach



9 is a great start, well done! It can be quite difficult - if you're anything like me, I tend to eat the same things (I'm surprised I don't actually look like a carrot yet!) so it's a good way to mix it up a bit. Hope the speed works it's magic for you

Wow....14 that's a lot!!
I managed 8 yesterday. It's so hard getting upto 10! Hopefully today I'll manage 10.
Yes I always tend to have the same things. I take fruit into work but it's always the same 3 or 4 things. I think I'm struggling as I don't really eat a lot of salads. I'm sure it would be easy if I had a big salad every day.

 

[watchandwait]

Wow....14 that's a lot!!
I managed 8 yesterday. It's so hard getting upto 10! Hopefully today I'll manage 10.
Yes I always tend to have the same things. I take fruit into work but it's always the same 3 or 4 things. I think I'm struggling as I don't really eat a lot of salads. I'm sure it would be easy if I had a big salad every day.

Yes, 14 is quite a lot, but I knew it was all going to go out of the window last night so I was trying to be super extra good I had A LOT of prosecco last night! Plus a fancy 6 course meal BUT... It's not every day, I had a VERY good time, and I still got up for work this morning!!! I even managed to eat a decent amount of speed food so I have no regrets! Here's the list:

1. Raspberries
2. Strawberries
3. Apple
4. Spinach
5. Tomatoes
6. Cucumber
7. Satsuma
8. Beetroot
9. Cauliflower
10. Kale
11. Cabbage
12. Carrots

I'm not normally a big meat eater, so I do eat quite a lot of veg based meals anyway, which makes it a bit easier for me to get my speed food in. I tend to make a lot of one-pot dishes, so I've been adding loads of extra veg to them, or having a side salad with them (or both!) Homemade soup is also handy as it's easy to get 3 or 4 different veggies eaten all in one go. I usually make a big pan and freeze individual portions so it's easy to grab one to take to work for lunch. Fruit salad would be quite good too, but I'm a bit weird about that - I prefer to eat my fruit on its own, or with just one other fruit. Once you get 3 or 4 different fruits chopped up together it really doesn't appeal to me. No idea why!

Good luck for today. And let's hope all our efforts are worth it come weigh-in day! x

 

[littlemissnaughty]

Thanks hun,
I had 8 yesterday, so not too bad. So far today I've had non but I'm having a big dinner tonight so will have about 6 in there.
I agree it is easy when you make one pot meals. I think I might have to start making soups and stews again, that should help. I love fruit salad but cannot be bothered chopping it all up as it is so fiddly.
It sounds like you had a great night, you only live once so have to enjoy the odd treat

 

[watchandwait]

Thanks hun,
I had 8 yesterday, so not too bad. So far today I've had non but I'm having a big dinner tonight so will have about 6 in there.
I agree it is easy when you make one pot meals. I think I might have to start making soups and stews again, that should help. I love fruit salad but cannot be bothered chopping it all up as it is so fiddly.
It sounds like you had a great night, you only live once so have to enjoy the odd treat

8 is great! Every bit of speed food counts and I think the longer you do it the more it becomes a habit. Which can only be a good thing. And now we're getting to the time of year when stews and soups are just the thing you want to fill your tummy and warm you up. I'm off to the shops to stock up on veg then I'm getting the slow cooker on the go! x

 

[watchandwait]

I struggled a bit on Saturday, but made it to 10 by the skin of my teeth. Went something like this:

1. Apple
2. Raspberries
3. Cucumber
4. Carrots
5. Spinach
6. Tomatoes
7. Satsuma
8. Onion
9. Peach
10. Strawberries

And then yesterday:

1. Raspberries
2. Strawberries
3. Spring onion
4. Kale
5. Broccoli
6. Clementine
7. Carrots
8. Aubergine
9. Tomatoes
10. Apple

Sunday is also weigh in day for me and somehow I lost 2 pounds... what??!?? I mean, it's a pound short of where I wanted to be at this point, but given the week I've had I will happily take it! I think the moral of the story here is: eat your speed food. I really need to stick with it though, just in case the last week decides to catch up with me. And I'd love to get my 1 stone award this week (only 1 pound to go!!!) so bring on the cabbage!

 

[littlemissnaughty]

Well done hun, 2lb off is fab

It looks like the speed is working!
Stick with it and I'm sure you'll get your 1 stone award next week.

I've been doing ok but I'm still struggling to get up to 10 a day. I'm going shopping tomorrow so will have a good look in the fruit and veg aisle and see what I can add to my normal selection.

 

[watchandwait]

Well done hun, 2lb off is fab

It looks like the speed is working!
Stick with it and I'm sure you'll get your 1 stone award next week.

I've been doing ok but I'm still struggling to get up to 10 a day. I'm going shopping tomorrow so will have a good look in the fruit and veg aisle and see what I can add to my normal selection.

Thanks! Can't wait to get that first stone off.

I didn't make it to 10 today either (even though it seems like I'm at the shops buying veg nearly every day!) But I suppose the point of the challenge is just to increase the amount of speed food we eat and let it work its magic. I reckon anything over 5 is pretty good. Hope you find something interesting in the fruit and veg aisle - it's nice to try new things sometimes. Kale was a new one for me this week. Still not sure if I like it or not though!

Today's speed list:

1. Raspberries
2. Strawberries
3. Aubergine
4. Onion
5. Tomatoes
6. Kale
7. Broccoli
8. Satsuma
9. Apple

Might do a big veg stir fry one day this week to bump things up a bit.