Extra Easy SW - 128 Days to be bikini ready!

[Poppet12]

Hi Heather!
Here to follow and cheer you on and tell you off if needed!
Your meals look good! I know what you mean about struggling when eating out- just try to remember the basics of what is 'free' and what you might need to syn, so if you can get a jacket potato and beans, ask for no butter and a side salad and you're on to a winner. Or, you can deduct 6 syns from a packet sandwich if you haven't already used your hexb.
When you don't know how food is prepared it makes it all the trickier, but lots of places are happy to advise, especially with the increase in food intolerances.
For your tortilla chips, just like any food with no 'free' allowance, a good rule of thumb is 20 calories= 1 syn. I use this for chocolate bars/crisps/ice cream etc when I can see the packaging.
It's brill that you're losing regardless, but my only advice would be to increase your 'speed' or superfree as it used to be called. Instead of going for a muller or a mugshot if you're peckish between meals, try and get fruit or veg first. To make it more interesting, try freezing some fruit (e.g. grapes) or have some chopped veg with a homemade hummus dip. If you're still hungry after that, by all means move on to free food- it's better than syns!

 

[Hev_Sparrow]

Hi RosiePops! Thanks, I need telling off quite regularly We really need to stop eating out anyway cuz we can't afford it so that would help on two fronts! I very much doubt I've lost this week with the gazillion calories consumed over the weekend, but if I can maintain again I'll be happy. Been at the gym a whole lot more so hoping that goes a way towards balancing it out!

I've heard people mention 'speed' foods but I don't really know what they are? I've heard that not all fruit and veg are? I find it hard to eat any more fruit when I've had salad for lunch etc, it makes my belly gurgly lol. And I stick with the Mug Shots/ Muller cuz they're basically the only two things I know of that are free!

Yesterday was much better food-wise, still a bit higher syn-wise than I'd like but still better.

Breakfast
Oat So Simple Porridge (HexB) with 180ml Semi Skimmed Milk (HexA) & Apricot Jam (1 tbsp - 2 syns)

Lunch
Salad - Tomato, Cucumer & Red Pepper with Coucous & BBQ Chicken Chunks

Dinner
Spaghetti Bolognese with a sprinkling of cheese (don't know whether to syn this as it was less than 30g and I didn't have my full 250ml milk allowance on HexA?)

Snacks
Banana
Thai Noodle Mug Shot
Strawberry Mini Roll (6 syns)
Cherry Underlayer Muller LIght (1.5 syns)
2 Chocolate Snack A Jacks (5 syns)

Total = 14.5 syns

 

[Poppet12]

It is costly to eat out lots!
Well I'm old school and still call it superfree
But speed is some fruits and vegetables that supposedly speed up your losses. It seems a bit random which ones are and aren't! Maybe someone on the main forum has a list?! I always assume most berries (could try frozen ones in your porridge?) and avoid things like bananas, sweetcorn/peas (I think of them as 'starchy'!).
There's loads of free foods you can snack on! Examples off the top of my head: Veg sticks (carrot/celery/peppers) with free hummus- blended chickpeas with a little lemon juice/garlic/fat free yoghurt. Eggs- hard boiled in the fridge are handy to grab and surprisingly filling. Pickled stuff- beetroot/gherkins if you like that kind of thing. Snack on any cooked lean meat- I know some people keep chicken drumsticks etc in for this. Mix some fruit in with your yoghurt and ditch the mugshot?
If you find that you're snacking a lot and reaching for the sweet stuff for a boost, maybe your lunch isn't substantial enough?
I know I couldn't manage on a salad could you add some cooked pasta/new potatoes? Or even roasted veg/sweet potato? Oh I snack on that too! Roast mixed veg with balsamic vinegar and Italian herbs, keep it cold in the fridge.
You can also split your hexes if you need to. E.g. have half your milk allowance and half your cheese. It is important to measure though- this is where I fell down a lot with SW because you really do have more than you think (I'm naughty for not counting milk in coffee but by the time you've had four throughout the day it really adds up!).

 

[Hev_Sparrow]

So I need to not eat this weekend. I've fallen back into old bad habits this week I'm afraid - "It's only one chocolate shortbread" "it's only a drink, I've been good all day"... To be fair it's still better than I used to be but it's still not amazing.

Did I mention RosiePops that I'm a really fussy eater with an egg allergy? Lol! I'm trying to try new fruits and vegetables but it's a slow process. I'm very much a boredom eater, like yesterday at work I didn't have the Snack a Jacks or anything mid afternoon because I was so busy, but on quieter days all I want to do is eat! I'm trying to change the mindset from "I want a bag of crisps" to "I want carrot sticks" but it's just not happening :-(

Thursday

Breakfast
Oat So Simple Porride (HexB) with 180ml Semi Skimmed Milk (Half-ish HexA) & Apricot Jam (2 syns)

Lunch
Salad - Tomato, Cucumber & Red Pepper with Couscous & BBQ Chicken Chunks

Dinner
Jacket Potatoes with Beans, 1 Teaspoon Butter (2.5 syns) and 30g Cheddar Cheese (part HexA, part syns?)

Snacks
Banana
Chicken & Sweetcorn Noodle Mug Shot
Cherry Underlayer Muller Light (1.5syns)
Caramel Shortbread (Starbucks) - 17 syns?
Marshmallow S'more Drink Starbucks (10 syns?)

Total = 33 syns

Trying again today....

 

[beauty is...]

Here to follow!
You sound lots like me...I can polish off a pack of biscuits in the blink of an eye if I'm not careful! I think I've got it under control now but still have the odd binge day. I just kind of clicked all of a sudden but I'm painfully conscious of what I'm eating now and sometimes get frustrated that I can't just have what I want!

I too am doing SW from home alone so sometimes struggle with free foods, meal ideas and syn values. I think as long as you've got to grips with the basics, the rest will fall I to place.

Stick with it and you'll soon see fabulous results. I've somehow managed to lose 32 lb on this plan so it does work! Good luck and feel free to jump on and have a look at my diary. It's called 'the brutal truth' x

 

[Hev_Sparrow]

Thanks beauty is... It's bad habits I need to break but unfortunately they've formed over 29 years and so it's very difficult! I'm trying very hard today, work is very stressful and I keep thinking "I really want a chocolate bar" but I'm resisting and telling myself I'll relax at Yoga later and it will be better. And I didn't get an ice cream from the shop because it's supposed to be beautiful on Sunday so I'll probably have one then. Baby steps.

 

[Poppet12]

Baby steps indeed! Habits are tough to break- especially if you're having a low moment and think a chocolate bar will help!
If it's boredom eating, try and switch to doing something else? So instead of 'I want chocolate' to 'I want carrot' you could just bypass it altogether and do something instead- have a glass of water and try to move past it. If you don't snack when you're at work that's great- shows you're not actually hungry and eating for the sake of it; realising this is a massive step on its own!
It's difficult but once you get the buzz knowing you've resisted temptation, it can spur you on. And you're showing you do have control- saving your ice cream for Sunday is a big deal in itself- planning ahead.
For me, I struggle with eating snacky things then trying to tot up the syns eg. I'm bad for eating peanut butter from the jar :-o but it can be hard to calculate the syns for that. Once I get into the mindset, I stop eating things I can't syn! But getting there is hard- after following SW for around 3 years I still fluctuate.

 

[Hev_Sparrow]

For me, I struggle with eating snacky things then trying to tot up the syns eg. I'm bad for eating peanut butter from the jar :-o but it can be hard to calculate the syns for that. Once I get into the mindset, I stop eating things I can't syn! But getting there is hard- after following SW for around 3 years I still fluctuate.

Thanks RosiePops Yeah I can be a bit bad for eating something "it's only a little bit of jam" or whatever but when you actually work out the syns even roughly the amount you think you had it can be quite scary!

I need to get out of "weekend mode" as well, the thought process of "treat yourself, it's the weekend" needs to go!

 

[Poppet12]

God I hear you on that one.
Weekends have been my awful downfall for at least the last 6 months, which is why I've been generally maintaining. For me, to succeed at weekends I must prepare- even if it's just meal plan: 'I am having X for tea on Saturday'. It takes out the thought processes of what to have then inevitably either getting a takeaway as I'm too tired to cook, shoving something in the oven or talking myself into something bad! Even better if I cook it on Thurs/Fri and just have to reheat.
All the little bits do add up, and especially as you get closer to target it's those bits you have to be careful with..

 

[Hev_Sparrow]

I can plan to my heart's content and I still will have takeaway lol. Saturday weigh in shows a gain on 1lb, but considering how badly I ate, I feel quite good about that! Weekend didn't go brilliantly, but not AS badly as previous....

Friday

Breakfast
2 x Weetabix & 200ml Semi Skimmed Milk (HexA &B)

Lunch
Salad - Tomato, Cucumber, Red Pepper, Couscous & BBQ Chicken Chunks

Dinner
Went out (I'm a sucker for a free dinner! lol). Did well in terms of no starter or pudding. But have no idea of syns in the sauce/gravy on the meat! And do J2Os have a syn value?

Snacks
Banana
Chicken & Sweetcorn Mugshot
Handful of Revels (4 syns)
Orange & Dark Chocolate Muller Light
Chunky Kit Kat (13.5syns)
Chocolate Snack a Jack (3 syns)

Total = At least 20.5 but there must have been a few at least in dinner

Saturday

Breakfast
60g Alpen Museli (No Added Sugar) & 200ml Semi Skimmed Milk (10 syns + HexA)

Lunch
Salad - Tomato, Cucumber & Red Pepper & Couscous

Dinner
Slimming World Sweet & Sour Chicken & Noodles (delicious & free! Let me know if you want the recipe)

Snacks
Half a pick and mix - 10(ish) syns - this is an achievement in itself, normally we would have a whole large one each, but we're sharing a small one now so baby steps again!)
Snickers Multipack bar (10syns)

Total = 30 syns

Sunday

Breakfast/Lunch (it was 12.30 by the time we ate!)
Scrambled egg (Milk = HexA)
Bacon (no fat, but cooked in oil - so add a syn for that...)
Tomatoes
Beans
Wholemeal toast (HexB)
2 teaspoons Butter (4 syns)

Dinner
2 x Birdseye Burgers (6 syns each) in wholemeal baps (6.5 syns each)
100g Oven Chips (5 syns)
Salad - Tomato, Cucumber, Lettuce

Snacks
Mr Whippy Ice Cream with Flake (at least 10 syns??)
Sharing bag of Malteasers (not whole bag, but a lot!)

Total = At least 50 but probably more.

So, back on it AGAIN today. I need to start writing things down on the weekend too because otherwise I'm trying to remember and I probably had more than that!

 

[Poppet12]

Ah sorry I thought planning might help!
It sounds like you've been pretty restrained over the weekend tbh- baby steps all the way. J20 does have syns- about 6 I think depending on flavour? Gravy won't have had much though so I bet your dinner wasn't bad at all. Well done on resisting pudding- when I go out to eat I tend to go ALL out lol.
I'd LOVE your recipe for sweet and sour chicken if you don't mind- haven't made it for ages!

 

[Hev_Sparrow]

I know, planning should help but depending on my mood it really doesn't lol. We were supposed to have Spag Bol Friday night for dinner, but I got home and my other half went "I thought we could go out, I'll pay" so out we went and the Spag Bol went in the freezer!

I struggle with what to drink when we're out (I had 2 Orange & Passionfruit J2Os) because I don't like anything fizzy so soda water etc is out. No i don't think dinner would have been too bad, I had slow cooked pork, cut all the fat off, with green beans, mash & cabbage, with like mustard and something gravy. But yeah, resisting pudding is a major achievement not a baby step at all! I normally eat everything in sight when we're out!

I'll put the Sweet & Sour chicken recipe up when I get home - it was the first time I made it but I am thoroughly impressed! Going to make a batch this week and freeze it for future use.

 

[Hev_Sparrow]

As promised, sweet and sour chicken recipe:

To serve 4, free on extra easy.

Ingredients
6 skinless chicken breast fillets, very thinly sliced
6 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
2 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped
3 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp sweetner
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
100ml passata
Low cal cooking spray
Salt & pepper

Instructions
1) Place chicken, spring onions, garlic & light soy sauce in shallow ceramic dish, season well, mix and marinate in the fridge for 30 min
2) Spray pan with cooking spray over a high heat and cook chicken mixture for 5-6 mins
3) Add dark soy sauce, sweetner, vinegar, paprika, 5 spice and passata. Stir well and bring to boil
4) reduce heat and cook gently for 3-4 mins or until chicken is cooked all through

I'm making a batch tomorrow to live off, it's delicious!

 

[Poppet12]

Oh that's super! Thank you so much, I want to try it with some pork medallions I've got inthe freezer so will let you know how I get on Just need to pick up some sweetener!
Batch cooking is such a saviour! Hope you're enjoying this lovely weather x

 

[Hev_Sparrow]

Ooh yeah it does say it works with pork so do let me know! It doesn't say in my book that it's "freezer friendly" but I don't see why it wouldn't be. It's going in mine lol. I am enjoying the lovely weather, we go for a lot of walks (calorie burning!) but it means I'm very prone to an ice cream! I hope you've been making the most of it too, it's looking set to disappear again

Yesterday was a better day, still over on syns but not as dramatically, and I wouldn't have been if I hadn't been bored and had a late Snack a Jack.

Breakfast
2 x Weetabix with 200ml Semi Skimmed Milk

Lunch
Salad - Tomato, Cucumber & Red Pepper with Couscous & BBQ Chicken Chunks

Dinner
Spaghetti Bolognese with a sprinkling of cheese (rest of HexA as allowed 250ml milk + a couple of syns to be on the safe side)

Snacks
3 Chocolate Snack a Jacks (8 syns)
Solero Ice Cream (5 syns - very chuffed to find this out! I thought it would be loads more!)
Vanilla Muller Light
Thai Noodle Mug Shot

Total = 17 syns

Today I have already used 16syns on a muffin so not boding well....

 

[Poppet12]

Yesterday looks good! Spag bol is one of my fav sw meals- as long as I can say no to garlic bread
There's quite a few ice lollies that are lower than you think so it won't spoil your walk! I think a fab is only 4.5 syns, fruit pastille lolly is around 3, twisters are 4 and a standard 99 is 8 (add 5 for flake and sauce). So not massive really!
Happy freezing- I can't see why you wouldn't beable to, just be careful to defrost and heat thoroughly!

 

[Hev_Sparrow]

Well that's what I thought! It's in the freezer as we speak, so I'll let you know when I have it again if I discover why SW don't think it's freezer friendly!

Yesterday wasn't brilliant, I let myself down at work by succumbing to a Chocolate Chip Muffin because I was bored and everyone else had one.

Tuesday

Breakfast
2 x Weetabix with 200ml Semi Skimmed Milk (HexA&B)

Lunch
Salad - Tomato, Cucumber, Red Pepper, BBQ Steak Chunks

Dinner
SW Sweet and Sour Chicken & Noodles

Snacks
Banana
Chocolate Snack a Jack x2 (6syns)
Thai Noodle Mugshot
Vanilla Muller Light
Chocolate Chip Muffin (16.5 syns)
Banana & Custard Muller Light

Total = 22.5syns

 

[Hev_Sparrow]

So yesterday was supposed to be better but then we got stuck in traffic for an hour and a half so were late getting home and ended up at McDonald's.... But I did do swimming last night which apparently burns more calories than were in my meal so hoping it evens out a bit....

Wednesday

Breakfast
2 Weetabix with 200ml Semi Skimmed Milk (HexA&B)

Lunch
Salad - Tomato, Cucumber & Red Pepper with Couscous & BBQ Steak Chunks

Dinner
Hamburger Happy Meal with Strawberry Milkshake (29.5 syns)

Snacks
Banana
Thai Noodle Mugshot
Vanilla Muller Light
Snack a Jack (3 syns)
Most of a box of chocolate fingers (approx 27 syns)

Total = 59.5 syns

 

[Hev_Sparrow]

Much much better day yesterday, proud of myself for actually sticking to it for once!

Thursday

Breakfast
Oat so Simple Porridge with 180ml Semi Skimmed Milk & 1 Tablespoon Apricot Jam (HexA,B & 2 syns)

Lunch
Salad - Tomato, Cucumber, Red Pepper, Couscous & BBQ Chicken Chunks

Dinner
SW Chicken Tikka Masala

Snacks
Banana
Thai Noodle Mug Shot
Banana & Custard Muller Light
2 x Chocolate Snack a Jacks (6 syns)

Total = 8 syns

 

[Hev_Sparrow]

So I actually had a really good weekend this weekend! Still over on syns, but nowhere near as drastically as a normal weekend. And I lost 1lb on Saturday morning weigh in, which is something of a miracle considering how I'd been eating!

Friday

Breakfast
Oat-so Simple Porridge with 180ml Semi Skimmed Milk & 1tbsp Jam (Hex A, B & 2 syns)

Lunch
Salad - Cucumber, Tomato, Red Pepper, Couscous, BBQ Chicken Chunks

Dinner
Spaghetti Bolognese with a teeny tiny sprinkle of cheese (well, i was 70ml off my full HexA)

Snacks
Banana
Chicken & Sweetcorn Mugshot
Cherry Muller Light
Chocolate Snack a Jack (3)
Freddo (5)

Total = 10 syns

Saturday

Breakfast
2 Weetabix & 200ml Semi Skimmed Milk (HexA & B)

Lunch
Jacket Potato with Beans & 1 tsp Butter (2.5 syns)

Dinner
Salmon with Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash Mash

Snacks
12.5g Dark Choc (3)
2 Toblerone Triangles (6)
Banana & 100g Ambrosia Light Custard (3.5)
Chocolate Snack a Jack (3)

Total = 18 syns

Sunday

Breakfast
Bacon, Beans, Tomatoes, Scrambled Egg (Hex A + 2.5 for butter)
Toast with Butter (HexB + 2.5 Butter)

Lunch
Thai Noodle Mugshot

Dinner
Mushroom Risotto with 2 Heck Chicken Sausages (1 syn)

Snacks
3 Toblerone Triangles (9)
Banana with 100g Custard (3.5)

Total = 18.5