Wolf's SW Journey to lose 8 stone (2st gone)

[Wolf]

It's cold and wintery today, I have totm approaching and I'm happy that I've lost weight this week so I've decided I'm having a comfort food day and am going to blow all my syns (something I don't normally do). Might be a bit sparse on the speed foods today but it will still be on plan.

Here's todays food:

Breakfast:
Oats porridge with almond milk, fruit and honey (2 syns for milk, 2.5 syns for honey)

Lunch:
SW chips with chilli sauce (2 syns)

Dinner:
Hashbrown pizza with sausages (2.5 syns), bacon, mushrooms, pizza sauce (2 syns), mozzarella (HeA), parmesan (3 syns). Grated potato and egg for base. - http://www.slimmingeats.com/blog/syn-free-hash-brown-waffle-pizza

Snacks:
Fruit

Total syns: 14

 

[Wolf]

Food for today:

Breakfast:
Smoothie: Bananas, cocoa (1 syn) and almond milk (HeA)

Lunch:
Banana and egg pancakes with some honey (2.5 syns)

Dinner:
Friday night fakeaway: Homemade beef burger on wholemeal roll (HeB) with SW chips and salad (2 syns for marg, 2 syns for chilli sauce)

Snacks:
Fruit

Total syns: 7.5


Tomorrow is going to be off plan, unfortunately. Picking up a moving van first thing in the morning then straight off to my daughters to help her move. She's moving an hour or so away so the loading, driving, unloading and sorting will probably take most of the day. Not a clue what to do about food just yet.

 

[jules1981]

You are doing so well xxx

 

[Wolf]

Thank you Jules. My philosophy is just to take one day at a time. Slip-ups happen but it's the not giving up that counts.

And speaking of slip-ups, this weekend was a write off, as expected. The house move took WAY longer than we expected. Daughter was still packing on Saturday morning. Half her stuff was in bin bags and shopping bags rather than boxes and omg she has so much stuff for a 19 year old! We finally left at around 2pm for the hour drive to her new place. Off-loading, thankfully, was much quicker. Once there, I helped her and her BF organise and unpack while OH was put to work plumbing the washing machine. Then taking them to Homebase for some fence panels to make the garden dog-proof. Lunch was a sandwich at the services. Dinner, at 9pm, was KFC because we were exhausted and I didn't give a damn by that point lol. Sunday ended up being just as crazy. We had to go pick up daughters dogs at the kennels and take them to the new house. Whilst they settled into the house, OH was put to work again, this time putting the fence up in the garden. After that, it was off to buy some curtains and towels whilst I pup-sat. Then OH ended up putting up shelves too. Lunch was a sushi pack. Dinner was a quick thincrust oven pizza grabbed on the way home.

I feel fine though. I knew this weekend was going to be iffy but life happens and there is no point in fretting about it. I was straight back on plan yesterday morning. Will see what happens on weighing day. I'd be happy even with a maintain.

Forgot to add yesterdays food so I'll do that now.

Yesterday's food:

Breakfast:
Oats porridge (HeB) with almond milk (HeA), fruit and honey (2.5 syns)

Lunch:
Skipped it. Felt really ill all morning.

Dinner:
SW Pasticcio (3 syns)

Snacks:
Fruit, herbal tea with honey (2 syns)

Total syns: 7.5




Food for today:

Breakfast:
Smoothie: Oats (half HeB), hazelnuts (half HeB), banana, cocoa (1 syn) and almond milk (HeA)

Lunch:
Leftover pasticcio (2 syns)

Dinner:
Cod fillets, new potatoes & mixed veg with homemade white sauce (6 syns - it's a treat that I just can't give up when it comes to fish)

Snacks:
Fruit, herbal tea with honey (2 syns)

Total syns: 11

 

[Wolf]

Food for today:

Breakfast:
Oats porridge (HeB) with milk (HeA), fruit and honey (2.5 syns)

Lunch:
Skipped as breakfast was late and still not feeling 100%

Dinner:
Blackened chicken and spicy potato wedges (6 syns for mayo)

Snacks:
Fruit

Total syns: 8.5

 

[Wolf]

Weigh-in this week: 1.5lb gain

Aaargh. I was really hoping for a maintain but that goes to show what a weekend off plan can do. I know from experience that one "bad" meal a week (even a takeaway) doesn't effect my losses too much but a whole weekend? Ain't no one getting away with that!

Nevermind. Onwards and downwards!

Food for today:

Breakfast:
Smoothie: Oats (half HeB), hazelnuts (half HeB), banana, cocoa (1 syn) and almond milk (half HeA)

Lunch:
Chicken pasta salad from leftover blackened chicken (3 syns for sweet chilli sauce)

Dinner:
Carbonara with parmesan (half HeA)

Snacks:
Fruit, herbal tea with honey (2 syns)

Total syns: 6

 

[Wolf]

TOTM hit last night, a few days late but definitely why I've been feeling so sick and bloated the last week. Probably didn't help with my weight gain yesterday either. I already feel less bloated, it's funny how that happens almost straight away.

Food for today:

Breakfast:
Smoothie: Bananas, cocoa (1 syn) and almond milk (HeA)

Lunch:
Banana and egg pancakes with some honey (2.5 syns)

Dinner:
Friday night fakeaway: Homemade beef burger on wholemeal roll (HeB) with SW chips and salad (2 syns for marg, 2 syns for chilli sauce)

Snacks:
Fruit

Total syns: 7.5

 

[Wolf]

Weight loss this week: 2 lbs

Pleased with that. I've actually been really sick over the last couple of weeks. It wasn't just TOTM like I thought. At first I thought it might be a bug but then I realised I'd been suffering from bad gas and nausea on and off for the last few months really. The penny dropped for my OH first, and he suggested that I might have become lactose intolerant. At first I brushed that off. I love cheese and my treats of milky coffees but doubted that it could make me sick. But then sat down and really thought about it and realised that it could actually be a very real possibility.

So. Since Monday I have lactose free and I already feel TONS better. Bloating has gone down, nausea has gone (I usually had a least a little bit of nausea every day) and gas is getting better. Currently this is just an experiment to see if lactose IS the culprit but it's looking likely. The suggestion is to do at least 3 to 4 weeks lactose free to be sure.

I'm now facing having to re-structure my meals to make them lactose-free. Milk isn't too much of an issue. I already drink a lot of almond milk as I love the taste. Unfortunately, it tends to curdle in hot drinks so I'll have to figure out something there if I ever want coffee again. I "think" I've found an alternative for creme frais (which I currently use in loads of my pasta dishes). Unfortunately, most dairy free stuff won't be free so it's going to have to cut into my syns when I use it. Urgh.

My plan is to go lactose-free for at least 3 weeks, see how I'm feeling and then probably get to the doctors for an official diagnosis, either way.

 

[Jenny_b]

well done on losing 2lbs. sorry to hear you might be lactose intolerant x x

 

[Wolf]

Hello. Still here and pottering along. I am almost completely lactose free at the moment (still eating dairy but the lacto-reduced/free brands) and I'm feeling a lot better for it. I am still not a 100% sure that's what was causing me to be unwell but I have a doctors appointment next Friday to hopefully start the ball rolling on an official diagnosis. Until then I'll keep playing it safe. OH did come home with cheesecake a few weeks ago (he bought it without thinking) and I gave in and had half of it. Spent the next day throwing up. So, it FEELS like it's lactose intolerance but then I'd also googled my symptoms (stupid. STUPID!) and so now also have about 6 different types of cancer . . .. sigh.

As far as SW goes, I'm not following it religously but I am keeping an eye on what I'm eating. Avoiding lactose is forcing me to eat healthier actually, since I can't have any of the creamy pasta dishes I used to have (still working on finding lactose free alternatives for lots of things like creme frais). Also, no pizzas, which is something OH and I would probably have a couple of times a month. I'm eating more basic food on the occassions we've eaten out too (ie. no more huge plates of cheesy nachos!) so my weight is staying pretty stable. Christmas week will be iffy as we're going to our daughters for a couple of days and she's a pastry chef . But, at home, no big tins of chocolates, no bottles of Baileys etc. I'm going to make a few lacto-free treats for OH and I, so we do have at least SOME nice munchies of Christmas but I'll be making it all from scratch so hopefully I can make it semi-SW friendly or at least lower calorie than shop bought.

 

[Charlie86]

Ah never google things! I am the worst at that as well, and would have died 10 times over already if it was for google!

Good luck over xmas, looks like it will be iffy for all of us x

 

[itsGCbaby]

Hi Wolf! Hope you are doing okay! Not been around for a long while due to things I've mentioned in my thread, but I thought I would come and see how you were doing Sorry to hear you think you may be lactose intolerant That really sucks. I don't think I could live without Cheese!!! haha xxx

 

[Wolf]

Oh hey! Great to see you're back.

I'm pottering along. Not really losing but holding a steady maintain, which is something. Trying to get my head back in it so I can start losing again!

 

[Ponytales]

Hi Wolf

Just been having a nosey on your thread. You have similar motivations to me. I'm very focused right now as I'm off to Peru in 5 weeks....

So if you are struggling to get your head in the zone maybe it's time to book a trip?

 

[jules1981]

Hi hunny I am back on the sw wagon xxx

 

[Wolf]

Okay, doing Slimming World when lactose intolerant is NOT that easy but I think I finally have a handle on it.

The Bad News: HeA - none of my lactose free products can be used as HeA, according to the SW website. I imagine this is because they do not come in low-fat versions but I have emailed SW for some confirmation. This means that every single time I have cheese, I have to syn it. A lot of my syns from now on will be cheese! Currently, my only known option for my HeA is almond milk or lacto free cow milk. This is fine on days I have a smoothie or porridge for breakfast but on days I don't, I'm at a bit of a loss. I might just have to have a glass of milk as a drink on those days. SW does NOT seem to be food-intolerance friendly!

The Good(ish) News: Pretty much ALL my previous trigger foods are now banned unless I want to spend the next day throwing up! You honestly would not believe what things have dairy (milk powders etc) in them! Most cheeses, chocolates, biscuits, cakes and even Pringles (would you believe it!) are now no-go. Previously, I was very guilty of often grabbing either a supermarket pizza or even takeaway pizza as an easy meal but now I can't eat any of them! I can have pizza but I have to make it at home and it's time-consuming so only do it every couple of months or so. Eating out has become a pain and no fun because I look at the menu and all the cheesy/creamy things I want aren't allowed and I have to stick to the crappy vegan meals. So basically, there are no easy cheat meals or snacks that I can eat now. I have to either source special vegan/dairy free stuff or make it myself. Whilst this does annoy me and make me a bit sad, it's also good for helping me stick to SW!

Summary: I'm going to be using more syns than before, possibly most of them, every day, as all lacto-free stuff is full-fat, doesn't count as HeA and I NEED cheese to stay sane!!!

---------------------------------------------------------------

Right, so I've been back on plan (mostly) for the last week and it's been going well. I'm resigned to using most of my syns on "quality of life" things like cheese. I'm mostly getting my head around it now and have only had a couple of slip-ups.

I won't list all my meals for the week but here was yesterdays:

Breakfast:
Smoothie: Oats (half HeB), hazelnuts (half HeB), banana, cocoa (1 syn) and almond milk (HeA)

Lunch:
Chicken pasta salad (3 syns for sweet chilli sauce)

Dinner:
Homemade turkey meatballs with pasta and passata sauce.

Snacks & Drinks:
Fruit, 4 x herbal tea with honey (4 syns)

Total syns: 8


Today was weighing day and it went pretty well, considering my couple of slip-ups. I've put on about a third of a stone in the last 6 months of being off-plan so I really want that gone.

Weigh-in this week: 2.5lb loss

Food for today:

Breakfast:
Smoothie: Oats (half HeB), hazelnuts (half HeB), banana, cocoa (1 syn) and almond milk (HeA)

Lunch:
Omelette with lacto free cream cheese (5 syns)

Dinner:
Homemade chicken korma curry with rice (3 syns for lacto free yogurt)

Snacks:
Fruit, 4 x herbal tea with honey (4 syns)

Total syns: 13

 

[Wolf]

Forgot to mention that I've also bought myself a treadmill. Not super fancy but it's electric and is great for walking or (as if) slow jogging. I have it in the living room where I can either turn it towards the TV or outside so I can look at the view of the river. Of course, I only had it a week before we started messing with the layout of our living room and getting some new bits of furniture in so the whole room looks like a furniture store exploded and the treadmill is currently folded up against a wall!

Food for today:

Breakfast:
Missed it. Woke up late and just wasn't hungry.

Lunch:
Pasta salad with lean chopped bacon (2 syns for mayo)

Dinner:
Friday night fakeaway: Homemade beefburger on wholemeal roll (HeB) with SW fries and salad (4 sys for ketchup/chilli sauce)

Snacks:
Fruit, 2 x herbal tea with honey (2 syns), hot chocolate (HeA and 2 syns for cocoa)

Total syns: 10

 

[Wolf]

Spent a lovely weekend pottering about in the garden. OH mowed and trimmed the hedge and the garden looks a bit more presentable now (we plan to landscape it later this year). It's so much nicer sitting outside in a neat garden! Not to mention that our garden is always on show as we live next to the river so everyone going past in a boat can see it so I always feel a bit stressed when it's not tidy. Only problem is that warm, sunny weekends are my downfall when it comes to syns! Improvements have been made though! Previously, I would have been out in the garden with a cider or few (at a whopping 13 syns each!!). This weekend I stuck to southern comfort and diet lemonade at 3 syns each. I still went slightly over my syns but nowhere near as bad as it would have been if I'd been on the cider! Enough that I can make up for it with my syns from the rest of the week.

The good news is that I went through syns online a few more times and found a lacto-free cheese that can be used at a HeA. Yay!

Food for Saturday:

Breakfast:
Fruit

Lunch:
Wholemeal roll (HeB) with smoked salmon and lacto-free cream cheese (5 syns)

Dinner:
Homemade chilli with potato wedges and grated lacto-free cheddar (HeA)

Snacks:
Fruit, 2 x herbal tea with honey (2 syns), 4 x southern comforts and lemonade (12 syns. Oops)

Total syns: 19

--------------------------------------

Food for Sunday:

Breakfast:
Smoothie: Almond milk (HeA), banana and cocoa (1 syn)

Lunch:
Wholemeal roll with grilled lean bacon and fried egg (2 syns for marg)

Dinner:
Indoor BBQ: Chicken, mushroom & pepper skewers, salad (2 syns for dressing) and baked potato (4 syns for marg)

Snacks:
Fruit, 1 x herbal tea with honey (1 syn), 3 x southern comforts and lemonade (9 syns)

Total syns: 18

----------------------------------------------

Food for today:

Breakfast:
Smoothie: Oats (half HeB), hazelnuts (half HeB), banana, cocoa (1 syn) and almond milk (HeA)

Lunch:
Leftover chilli

Dinner:
Homemade fish pie (3 syns for milk and cornflour)

Snacks:
Fruit, 4 x herbal tea with honey (4 syns)

Total syns: 8

 

[buffy3256]

nice to see you back! So good to read you've found all your trigger foods. i am sure that will make a massive difference to your life, including the scales

 

[Wolf]

Thanks!

Food for today:

Breakfast:
Smoothie: Oats (half HeB), hazelnuts (half HeB), banana, cocoa (1 syn) and almond milk (HeA)

Lunch:
Cold chicken & veg skewer kabab

Dinner:
Pork schnitzel, potatoes and sauerkraut (11 syns for breadcrumbs and marg)

Snacks:
Fruit, 1 x herbal tea with honey (1 syn)

Total syns: 13