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

Wolf

Slimming for a better lifestyle
Hey guys, I'm Lisa, I'm 39 and I'm a South African who now lives in Cambridgeshire. I have a daughter who is a pastry chef (!!!), which has always made eating healthy a real challenge. She has recently moved out and now that I have full control of my kitchen cupboards and fridge, I'm trying again!

I'm a serial dieter and have been most of my life. I had a mother who loved to cook/bake (it runs in the family) and honestly believed that food = love and a father who was sporty and didn't want a tubby kid. The result being that I was seriously overweight by age 6 and enrolled in my first slimming club by age 10. So yes, my body and metabolism are REALLY messed up nowdays! :rolleyes:

I've done group SW before. A few years ago I lost a lot of weight for a Florida holiday but then post-holiday motivation loss combined with really not getting along with the group leader meant that I just stopped going to groups. I'm now having a moment of panic as I'm getting married at some point in the next few years so figured I better sort myself out!

Anyway, I started SW Online a week ago. I'm clearly an absolute sucker for punishment as, not only have I started less than two months before Christmas, but I've also done so whilst in the middle of my period AND going cold turkey on both coffee and sugar! I'm also cutting down on carbs, especially bread.

So yeah, I don't feel great currently! :p

I'm one of those people who needs constant goals to focus on when I lose weight (otherwise my motivation evaporates!) so I've made myself some short term and long term goals. I'm not setting specific weight goals, just to lose as much as possible before each event. Now that our daughter has moved out, OH and I want to do as much world traveling as we can. Aiming for one overseas holiday a year. I honestly think that will be huge motivator for me. I have a history of losing weight for a big holiday and then putting it all on again afterwards. If we are having "big" holidays every year then I'll know I can't lose control of my eating again. :)


Starting weight is 18st4lb / 116kg / 258lbs

Goal weight is 10st / 63kg / 140lbs
 
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First week has gone really well. I've lost 8lbs and I'm pretty sure most of that is due to 1) cutting out bread pretty much completely and 2) actually drinking water (I didn't, at all, previously).

When I last did SW my main problem area was lunches. I work from home but still got irritated with having to actually cook food in the middle of the day. This time around I'm preparing in advance. When I make stews etc, I make extra to freeze. I've also been making some nice SW soups to freeze. I think this has made lunches much easier so I'm less likely to go off plan. :)
 
Almost through week 2 and so far so good. OH is being fantastically supportive as always (even though he has the metabolism of a ferrari and could live on doughnuts and takeaway without putting on weight!).

I've bought myself a slow-cooker and have been having the most amazing stews and casseroles for dinner. It's so nice to be able to get dinner on in the morning when I'm actually motivated to do stuff, rather than the in evening when OH gets home and all I want to do is chill out. I've been making extra each time too, which gives me plenty of nice lunches for the week (lunches are definitely my problem area as I never want to cook in the middle of the day).

I've been able to stick with cutting down on processed carbs. I don't have any bread during the week at all and limit myself to one brown roll with lunch on weekends. I've also cut down on pasta as that bloats me almost as much as bread and now we have only two pasta dishes a week. Most of my carbs are currently oats with breakfast and either potato or rice with dinner. Feeling a lot better for it too.

Meals at the moment are looking something like this:

Breakfast:
Oats (HeB), fruit (varies) and almond milk (HeA)

Lunch:
Left over stew/casserole (usually carb-free)

Dinner:
Stew or casserole with rice or potatoes, grilled fish & veg or pasta dish.

Drinks:
Water, sometimes small glass of syned apple juice or a herbal tea with a teaspoon of honey.

Snacks:
Fruit

I'm not finding that I'm using many of my syns currently but I like knowing they are there if I want them. Most syns are going on practical things like cornflour for thickening a stew or a bit of honey for a herbal tea.

Lastly, my water intake has increased loads! Before SW I lived on sugary, milky coffees and fruit juice mixed with diet lemonade. Now I'm drinking at least 2 litres of water a day. I bought myself a HydrateM8 water bottle which is good for reminding me to drink! ( https://hydratem8.co.uk/ ). I've cut out coffee and fizzy drinks completely (even diet ones) and I think that's helped with bloat too.
 
End of week 2 and I have lost 4.5lbs! I'm very happy with that. If I can keep it up I'll get my 1 stone award on week 3!
 
YOU are doing so well. LOVE SW. xxxx
 
Thanks Jules. :)

Friday's are fakeaway nights in my house. Yay!

Breakfast:
Oats (3 syns), almond milk (HeA), cocoa powder (1 syn) & banana* smoothy

Lunch:
SW Cajun chicken & veg soup

Dinner:
Homemade beef burger on wholemeal roll (HeB) with spicy wedges and salad (2 syns for mayo for wedges, 1 syn for chilli sauce for burger)


I'm still not feeling hungry enough to need snacks between meals so my daily syns are staying between 5 and 10 a day.

My water intake has been a bit bad the last couple of days but I'm back on it today. I also need to plan dinners for the next week as my OH does a food shop on Friday after work. Thinking lots more nice slow-cooker recipes, with extra for lunches.



*I know mashed fruit should be syn'd but I tend to use logic an common sense . . . if the amount of fruit I'm having mashed is exactly what I'd normally have whole (ie: sliced banana on oat porridge vs oat, milk, banana smoothie) then I don't syn it. So far that works for me just fine (I only have a couple of smoothies a week anyway).
 
Oh I mash my banana in my porridge and never think to syn.

xxxxx
 
hiya hun you seem to be really on track :) well done on the loss so fa
love love love my slow cooker too, easy peasy and ready for when you walk through the door
good luck x
 
Thanks Jules. :)

Friday's are fakeaway nights in my house. Yay!

Breakfast:
Oats (3 syns), almond milk (HeA), cocoa powder (1 syn) & banana* smoothy

Lunch:
SW Cajun chicken & veg soup

Dinner:
Homemade beef burger on wholemeal roll (HeB) with spicy wedges and salad (2 syns for mayo for wedges, 1 syn for chilli sauce for burger)


I'm still not feeling hungry enough to need snacks between meals so my daily syns are staying between 5 and 10 a day.

My water intake has been a bit bad the last couple of days but I'm back on it today. I also need to plan dinners for the next week as my OH does a food shop on Friday after work. Thinking lots more nice slow-cooker recipes, with extra for lunches.



*I know mashed fruit should be syn'd but I tend to use logic an common sense . . . if the amount of fruit I'm having mashed is exactly what I'd normally have whole (ie: sliced banana on oat porridge vs oat, milk, banana smoothie) then I don't syn it. So far that works for me just fine (I only have a couple of smoothies a week anyway).

Hi Wolf, you're doing really well and your meals look lovely. Gonna check out the Cajun soup, like the sound of that x
 
Thanks guys :) Weekend went well, I even splurged on a chocolate for 9 syns and felt totally decadent lol.

Today is going a little something like this:

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

Lunch:
Leftover chicken curry

Dinner:
Chicken and bacon casserole with lots of speed veg (cornflour - 1 syn)

Snacks:
Fruit

Syns:
Apple juice (4 syns)
 
Today I've been trying to decide how to handle Christmas and all that comes with it. :eek:

In my house we've always gone a bit crazy with food and drink. We don't go out much (proper home bodies, us) but we do tend to go a bit overboard. Between my pastry chef daughter baking all sorts of things to all the boozy drinks that my OH and I love . . . it's a minefield. Christmas in our house usually starts at the beginning of December with bottles of Baileys and mulled wine, cheese and biscuits, chocolate, crisps, homemade sausage rolls etc and we're usually still eating that way into mid-January!

Not this year, I have informed everyone! I've decided that I will take 3 days of flexible syns (24th, 25th and 26th) as that way we can relax a little but I'm still in control and we're not eating crap for a full month and a half! We will only buy a fraction of the amount of food and drink we normally get, just enough for a few nice nibbles and drinks over those days. I'm also mentally prepared for a gain that week as I think that is more mentally healthy than being in denial, feeling guilt at eating anything and then getting depressed about a gain.
 
Week 3 and lost 1.5lb. I figured the loss had to slow down at some point though and I'm happy because it got me my 1 stone award! Also, I really can't complain about losing 1 stone in 3 weeks. :)
 
Wow. congratulations on losing 1st in 3 weeks! I think your approach to Christmas is a good one. I might have to do the same and only indulge for 2 or 3 days and prepare for a small gain.
 
Well done on your amazing progress :) You've inspired me to do the same thing over Christmas RE flexisyns 24th-26th - I guess we've got to think long term and although December is where a lot of people tend to eat too much, that just won't work when trying to lose weight! I suppose we've got to take back control and not let food rule our lives!
 
I realised yesterday that I've slipped into a VERY bad habit . . . skipping meals.

I'm not doing it on purpose, it's just me losing track of time! I get up in the morning, mess about getting dressed, feeding the cats, putting the dishwasher on, loading the washing machine etc. Then I have to take my daughter to work (she lives next door to me). When I get back I go check on her dogs to make sure they are calm and not destroying the house then I go back to mine, check on my rabbits (they live in a shed/aviary outside) and go inside and make a drink. At that point it's usually about 11am and one of two things then happens. I either think "It's almost lunch time so I might as well wait until then to eat" or I make my breakfast and eat at around 11:30am and then never get round to having lunch.

Having done SW in the past, I know that not eating enough is almost as bad as eating too much when it comes to weight loss, so I'm now making a concerted effort to make sure I eat 3 times a day!

Today's food:

Breakfast:
Banana pancakes with honey (4 syns for banana and 3.5 syns for honey)

Lunch:
Smoked salmon and Philadelphia cheese (HeA) on a brown roll (HeB) with salad

Dinner:
Chicken and mushroom casserole with new potatoes and speed veg

Snacks:
Fruit, apple juice (4 syns)


My OH told me last night that he is absolutely loving the SW food we've been having, particularly all the stews, casseroles and nice lunches on weekends. So that's good! :)
 
I had your exact lunch for breakfast today! And nice one with the approval from the OH, that makes things so much easier - maybe he can learn the ropes and cook for you soon too ;)
 
Slightly bumpy night last night. :oops:

OH and I went to a Christmas lights show at a national trust property. I'd been perfectly on plan all day but ended up having a hot doughnut and mulled wine while we were there! The doughnut WAS planned (I'd checked what food/snacks they'd have beforehand and saved syns accordingly) but the mulled wine wasn't but we were just so bloody freezing by that point lol. :rolleyes:

It probably put me about 8 syns over I think. I don't really do weekly syns but I'm going to keep my syns lowish over the next few days anyway, to try and make up for it.
 
1.5lb loss this week. I don't really feel like I deserve it, with skipping meals last week and definitely not eating enough speed foods. Still, it's a loss and I'm happy!

Here's what today is looking like:

Breakfast:

Smoothie - Banana, almond milk (HeA), oats (half HeB), hazelnuts (half HeB) and cocoa powder (1 syn)

Lunch:
Leftover chicken casserole and veg

Dinner:
Slow-cooked beef stew packed full of veg and potatoes (1 syn for cornflour)

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