Facebook Slimming Help

As i spend alot of time on facebook (come on who doesn't) i've joined a few different pages like Slimming World which is full of very supportive people at different stages of their slimming journey. Someone i'm following is Diet Momma and her page is great as it has all sorts of useful things and shes friendly too which is great and i may send you over there every now and then. Another person i follow that's also doing the slimming world plan is Diet Geezer who it turns out i went to school with. They are useful for tips and full of friendly people so they are well worth a look.

Anyway its sunday night and i can't eat anything now until about 10am tomorrow as i have to have a fasting blood test first thing in the morning so until then its nothing but water and i'm drinking loads at the moment. When i get the results i'll post here as i think it will be what i'm thinking and i don't really want to explain it until i really have to.

This week is pay week so i have made my fortnights menu plan and the shopping list to make it all. All the recipes i'll use i have got from magazines, online and the odd recipe book i have lying around but with those i have adapted for the plan. So here is my menu for the fortnight starting from wednesday

Diet Coke Chicken

Sausage and Mash

Lamb Bolognese

Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta

Balti Mushrooms in a Creamy Garlic Sauce

Scandinavian style Meatballs

Chilli Crab and Mango Salad

Stuffed Courgettes

Beetroot Risotto

Homity Pie

Coronation Chicken and Pasta Salad

Mushroom and Sweet Onion Pasta

Deluxe Macaroni Cheese

Spaghetti Bolognese

Now just because they are in that order doesn't mean that i'm going to have them that way because once i have the ingredients i can eat them anytime i like. I can honestly say that i'm looking forward to everything on this list. I will also be having a go at syn free ice-cream and nearly syn free cake and once i try them i'll post the recipes here. It will be nice to be able know i can still enjoy yummy puddings but without all the syns.

I did do some cooking this weekend but nothing really exciting. I'll be having my main meal at lunch time tomorrow and it is already cooking in my slow cooker. It's a vegetable stew and my bff will be having some with me and if we both enjoy it i'll post here tomorrow night. But there is one recipe that i can share with you tonight. I like Deviled Eggs but i've never really known how to do them, it's not that i thought they were hard to do i just never really thought about it. When i came across a syn free recipe for them i just knew that i had to give them a go. I did play about with the one i found so this is my version which is very yummy if i do say so myself

Deviled Eggs

Makes 24

12 hard boiled eggs

3 tbsps fat free natural yogurt

1 tsp mild curry powder

salt and pepper

1 tomato, sliced

2 spring onions, sliced finely

1 red chilli, sliced finely

coriander, chopped (optional)

1) Peel and halve the 12 boiled eggs, scoop out the yolks and place in a bowl.

2) Mash the yolk with a fork and mix in the curry powder, spring onions, chilli, tomato and natural yogurt. Season and spoon the mixture back into the eggs.

3) Sprinkle with the coriander (if using) to garnish.

I've already had a couple and put the rest in the fridge for syn free snacks over the next few days. It was really nice and there was a little left so i decided to have it in a sandwich with a slice of gammon and it was so worth trying that i think i'll being doing that again really soon.

That's all for tonight as i'm getting hungry with the smell of my lunch for tomorrow cooking and i can't have anything.

So take care and happy slimming

Another yummy dinner

Tonight i had another very yummy dinner it was Rich Hungarian Beef Goulash. This was the first time that i had ever had it and i really enjoyed it and it was the first time i'd ever tried it. I got this from my BFF's weight watchers cook book.

Serves 2

2 syns per serving

Fry light

300g (10 1/2oz) lean braising steak, cut into chunks

2 tsps paprika

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced

1 red pepper, de-seeded and chopped

400g can chopped tomatoes

150ml (5fl oz) beef stock

1 tbsp cornflour

salt and freshly ground black pepper

20g (3/4oz) low fat creme fraiche to serve

chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

1) Heat a large non-stick saucepan and spray with fry light. Add the beef a handful at a time, and cook for about 2-3 minutes over a high heat until sealed and browned

2) Add the paprika, onion and garlic and cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes then add the carrot, pepper, tomatoes and stock. Cover and cook over a very low heat for 1 1/2hours or until the meat is very tender. Check the liquid occasionally, adding a little water if needed.

3) Blend the cornflour with 2 tbsp of cold water then add to the goulash and stir until thickened. Season to taste.

4) Serve the goulash with two teaspoons of creme fraiche per portion, garnished with the chopped parsley

I had mash potato with mine and i really enjoyed. With the mash i spooned fromage frais into it and it was creamy. The last time i did mash i used mayonnaise which was syns so this time it was syn free.

I hope you enjoy this as much as i did

Take care and happy slimming

Sausage and Pear Hot Pot

Last night for my dinner i had Sausage and Pear hot pot which was very yummy and one thing that i will be cooking regularly. So do you want to try it? I got this recipe from my bff and her weight watchers cook book.

Serves 2

4 syns per serving

Fry light

4 reduced fat Cumberland sausages, each sliced into 4

1 large onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

225g (8oz) butternut squash

1 tbsp plain flour

400ml (14fl oz) vegetable stock

1 pear, cored and cut into bite size pieces

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1) Heat a large non-stick saucepan over a medium heat and then spray with fry light. Add the sausages and cook for 6 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned. Remove from the pan, cover and set aside

2) Add the onion to the pan, spray with fry light and cook for 6 minutes, covered until softened. add the garlic, thyme, fennel seeds, squash and carrots. Cook stirring for another minute

3) Add the flour and cook stirring continuously for a further minute. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil then reduce the heat. Add the pear and sausages and simmer over a low heat stirring occasionally for 20 minutes until the stock has reduced and the squash is tender. Season and stir in the mustard.

4) Serve

This is very filling but i added new potatoes to it (put them in at the same time as the pear and sausage)

I hope you enjoy it as much as we both did.

Take care and happy slimming

Weekly Weigh in

So as today is tuesday it was time to go to group and see how much if anything i had lost this week. It was really busy there tonight and lots of new members joining. I went with the aim to get just the minimum of 1/2lb to get my 1/2 stone award but when when i stepped on the scales i had 3 1/2lbs which so far is the most that i've lost in one week. That means in 4 weeks i've lost 10lbs which is 4lbs of my first stone and 17lbs from my club 10 (10% of my start weight). Tonight i got slimmer of the week which is the 3rd week in a row and i also got slimmer of the month i was a little embarrassed but at the same time it made me feel really good. I will see if i can get it again next week but one of the other ladies there said that shes after it next week so we'll see how it goes.

I'm still not sure how i managed to do so well this week but i'm just going to carry on. I'm cooking everything from scratch and hardly using and syns which can't be a bad thing really and i'm places instead of getting the bus or a taxi. I have an xbox kinnect and i really must start playing it as i have a dance game which should be good, i'll post how i get on with it as soon as i've played it a couple of times.

Before i went to group tonight i thought that i'd cook my dinner as i don't get back till 9. On the menu slimming world syn free chilli which was yummy even if a little spicey and very filling. I got it of the website but here it is anyway

Chilli Con Carne

Serves 4

Fry light, for spraying

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 fresh chillies, deseeded and chopped

2 tsps ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika

A pinch of cayenne pepper

1 x 397g (14oz) can chopped tomatoes

284ml (1/2pt) stock

salt and ground black pepper

454g (1lb) extra lean beef mince

1 x 198g (7oz) red kidney beans

1 level tbsp tomato puree

chopped fresh coriander leaves

1) Spray a large saucepan with fry light and fry the onion gently over a low heat for 6-8 minutes, until softened and golden

2) Add the garlic, chillies and all the spices and continue frying for 2-3 minutes. Add the mince stirring until it begins to brown.

3) Add the canned tomatoes, tomato puree and stock. Stir well and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20minutes, until the liquid is slightly reduced.

4) Season with salt and pepper and add the drained kidney beans. Heat through gently for about 5 minutes.

5) Serve hot, sprinkled with chopped coriander leaves, with some plain boiled rice or jacket potato.

Tip:- A dollop of fat free natural yogurt (I used fat free fromage frais) on the top is extremely tasty and if you've gone overboard on the chilli it's a great way to cool it down

Hope you enjoy it as much as i did and i have lots left so i'll be freezing a portion or two.

That's enough for tonight so take care and happy slimming

Yummy Roast Chicken Dinner

Tonight i had a roast chicken and it very yummy but the main thing was that it was syn free which is really good. I did have roast potatoes and roast parsnips. How i hear you asking, well i cooked them in fry light so it was really dry roasting which is how i have always done my chicken. But today i sprayed some fry light over the chicken and as i type this i'm cooking chicken stock from the carcass which i'll use for a couple of my dinners this week instead of using stock cubes. I've never done this before but i've seen my bff do it when i've stayed at hers so i thought that i'd give it a go as it doesn't cost anything to do.

Now i don't normally do a roast that often but when i was doing my menu for this fortnight i had just been staying at my bff's for the weekend and they always have one on a sunday so i thought why not. There was a lot of chicken left over but i have plans for it during the week like a chicken, lemon and garlic casserole tomorrow and curry or stew on tuesday.

Cooking all my meals from scratch means that i know everything that's in them so i can count the amount of syns that is in everything that i eat. I'm the first to admit that i was a big ready meal junkie and i'd eat a couple of them a week and even polish off a whole 12inch pizza by myself. Doing that at least once a week isn't really a good idea is it but i enjoyed it so i thought why not. But my biggest weakness has to be ice cream, i just can't get a enough of the stuff and really doesn't last long as i'll eat it as soon as possible and then spend a couple of days regretting it. So i've spent some time online looking at the slimming world website and it has a syn free ice cream recipe which i can't wait to try. That wasn't the only recipe that i found on there and to be honest there was loads and i will be trying them. The casserole that i'm having tomorrow is from there. Not that that is the only place that i've got recipes from, i've got several from weight watchers recipe books which i have worked out for their syn value which is quite good. My favourite so far has to be the sausage and pear hotpot which was so yummy and only 4 syns per serving. Next time i have it i'll post the recipe.

That's enough for tonight so take care and happy slimming

Tips for success

I got to thinking about what we all do to loose weight successfully and what do we see as our down falls. As everyone is different these things differ from person to person so you may not agree with everything i put here but here is just a few anyway as i find any more i'll add them.

For success

1) Write a shopping list and stick to it

2) Write a menu for a week or fortnight

3) Measure out your daily milk

4) Always wear the same thing to get weighed in

5) Try new recipes

6) Buy the magazines

7) Stay to group

8) Have lots of free food ready to snack on

9) Don't go food shopping hungry

10) Use a cooking spray like fry light instead cooking oils

11) Count everything that you eat

12) Use level spoonfuls not heaped

13) Make the most of herbs and spices

That's enough for now. Do i do all these? The answer to that is yes i do.

Is it easy? Well at the moment i'm not finding it too bad but that could always change further down the line but i hope not as this is the start of a very long journey.

That's enough for tonight so i'll be back soon. Take care and happy slimming.

Time for a change

So after years of being large or as the doctor would put it morbidly obese i decided that it was time to change and do something about it.

About a month ago i met up with my bff and went a local slimming world group and it was good. We sat and had the newbie talk with the leader (who's great) and then it was time for the meeting and finding out how much everyone had done that week. Then it was time for the weigh in which in a way i was dreading but also knowing that this would be the last time that i would ever be this heavy so the membership and weekly fees were paid and it was time to stand on the scales and as i watched the numbers slow and finally stop it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be. I was 19 stone 6 and a half pounds which isn't good but not as bad as it could have been.

The first week was a little strange as i wanted to get rid of some of the bad food that i had in the house which was a whole 12 inch cheese pizza and enigma ice creams. So i did then only thing i could i ate them, yes i know i could have put them in the bin but i had paid good money for them and i wasn't going to waste it. When it came time to go to group i met up with my bff as she had said that she would come with me each week for support. I walked into group and stepped on the scales and i had lost 3lbs. This was great as it was also my time of the month so it could have been worse and any loss is good. After group i did my food shopping for the next fortnight so it was lots of fruit and veg and nothing unhealthy.

I felt that i had a good week and was happy when it was time to go to group and see how well i had done. This time i lost 1 1/2 lbs which isn't bad and i also got slimmer of the week which came with a certificate and a magnet with a saying on it that's meant to inspire and they are now stuck to the front of my fridge.

The start of week 3 and things were going well and i haven't been hungry and not always using up my syns. This time at group i went on my own and i lost 2lbs which is now a total of 6 1/2lbs so nearly at my half a stone and i also got slimmer of the week again. Time also to do my food shop after group for the coming fortnight and armed with a list which i stuck to and i got lots of herbs, spices and stocks. When i was unpacking the shopping i noticed that it didn't all fit in the fridge which is not good but i manged to put it all away and it has never looked so healthy.

So after this amount of time i'm feeling good about how well i'm doing and can only keep it up. I have worked out what i want my PAT (personal achievement target) will be and that's 9 and a half stone which is a total loss of 9st 13 1/2lbs. I know it's a whole other person and that's scary (if only it could be turned into a clone to do the jobs i hate doing lol). I know that this will take some time and there maybe weeks that i don't lose or even weeks i gain so baring that in mind it could take at least two years or just eighteen months.

This blog will record my highs and lows along the way which i may post daily or just weekly after i've been to group on a Tuesday. There may be the odd food post where i share with you the food that i'm enjoying. It may just be a post about what i'm thinking and anything else that comes to mind.

I look forward to sharing this journey with you. Take care and happy slimming