A peak into my food diary.

What I love about Weight Watchers is that it has taught me to take the time out to prepare meals, and think about what is going in them.

This week I have eaten lots of nice things; discovering cottage cheese for one, I've had it for lunch for the past 4 days - I might be a little bit addicted! It's so low in points and yummy! And you can get it with lots of different flavors - a favourite of mine is with onion & chive. I've been having it with tuna salad for work. Fabulously low in points!

Another point saver I have found this week to curb those afternoon sweet tooth cravings is sugar free jelly! Why I haven't thought of this before I will never know. But it's great especially in the late afternoon in work.

One of my favourite meals I've cooked this week (I've actually made it 3 times!!) is Thai red curry. Thai food is notoriously high in points because of the coconut milk. But it is possible to make is quite low in points.

Recipe 

This serves 1. But you could adapt it to however many you are cooking for.
Propoints - 8.

1/3 can coconut milk light
Red thai paste - I used Sainsburys own
Onion
Mushroom
Babycorn
Greenbeans
Broccoli
Red pepper
Courgette
40g (dried) wholegrain brown basmati rice (or whatever rice you fancy)
you can put in what ever veg you like!

Put the rice on to boil - I tend to do this about 5 minutes before I start the curry so it's all ready at the same time.
Put the paste in a sauce pan and add the coconut milk.
Allow this to warm and then add the veg - if you wanted to increase the propoints you could add some chicken or prawns works well.
Allow this to cook through for about 15 minutes.
And this is what my finished result looked like:

And tasted utterly scrumptious!!

If you follow me on twitter or instagram you've probably already seen these as I've gone a bit crazy lately with posting what I'm eating.

This week had been really good on track wise until last night and the wine kept on flowing, I'm also out for an Indian tonight - although I've pre ordered what I'm having; Prawn Saag & Pilau Rice 28 points. It means I've used some of my activity points this week but hopefully WI on Tuesday will be OK.

I did do my last long run on Wednesday before the Bath Half Marathon next Sunday!! The 10 miles on Wednesday were hard, but I pushed through and felt good afterwards! I'm running for The Meningitis Research Foundation if you want to take a look at my just giving page it can be found  here.

Hope you are all having good weeks & enjoying your weekends!

Lots of love

xxxxxx

Enjoy running?

Yesterday whilst talking to someone about my upcoming half marathon they asked me if I enjoyed running.

Now this got me thinking. Most days I have to talk myself into going running; an that talk usually takes me a while. Sometimes the little voice in my head telling me I can't run wins, but most of the time the one telling me that it'll be a good idea wins.

Which has made me think I don't necessarily enjoy running - but I do love and enjoy what it gives me.
As well as the obvious gaining exercise points, it tones my legs, gives me more energy, de stresses me as we'll as a whole host of other health benefits.

But most of all it gives me a sense of achievement - I've never been good at anything; and to some I may not be good at running; but I try- I've run a half marathon and will be running another 4 this year. I go out and run even when I don't want to. But crossing that finish line has got me hooked onto that sense of achievement and satisfaction.

So if there's any one out there who's thinking of starting to run I'd recommend it :)

As a treat after weigh in today - of which I lost 2.5lbs I treated myself to some new running gear. Better than food :)

Love as always
Xxxx

Weigh in one - stronger than ever.

So weigh in on Tuesday was a massive shock - a good shock - I actually got on and off the scales a good few times before I believed what I saw. I'd lost 7.7 lbs!!! I didn't even know that was possible. 
It also shows my head is more in the game than it has been in a long while, I've wanted to be on plan and I've loved being on track which has resulted in this weight loss!!
I'm now back to just 3lbs above what I was at my lowest before I went AWOL.

I've also got an impending half marathon coming up, in just 3 weeks time to be exact so running should be high on my agenda... but it's not. I'm running about twice a week....distance wise I know I can do it. But it would be better if I was a lot stronger, an I know I was in a bit better shape for my last half. Either way I'll be doing it even if it kills me. Today I had been telling myself all day in work I had to run, I was not going to talk myself out of it. 

I got home, sat down and found myself trying to talk myself out of it. So I went on good old Instagram for some motivation, chucked on my running gear and got out the front door. Ended up having one of my strongest runs for a while. I ran the whole 4.1 miles and for the first time didn't feel like I was going to die! 

This week is going well on track so far, I did succumb to the vending machine in work on Tuesday. I could blame the fact I was ill, tired and having a shit day, but you know sometime you just need chocolate. And that is what is so fabulous about WeightWatchers and weekly points as some lovely friends pointed out on twitter; that is what they are there for. For life to be lived & to eat chocolate if you want it. And boy was the twix worth every single 8 propoints!!!

Love as always

xxxxxx

Week 1 - fully back on the wagon.

This week I've got to say I've fully embraced the plan, more so than I ever have. When I rejoined last week a friend of mine said to me that I seemed more confident than before hand, and I think that's true. The last 6 months or so there has been so much going on in my life that it's been hard to gain focus on my weight.

I'm pretty proud that this week I've pointed and weighed everything that crossed my lips. Haven't deprived myself one little bit. I've been out for dinner twice with friends. The difference this time is that I looked at the menu before hand giving myself a couple of lower pointed choices than I would normally have gone for.

I've also tried changing up my foods a little bit; I tried sweet potato for the first time - how have I not discovered this before?!!

I also realised planning is key. There were many times this week when I was tired after work and just wanted to go to bed knowing I wouldn't get up that extra little bit early in the morning to make breakfast and lunch for work; which would have resulted in me getting a high propoints lunch from work. But I made the effort to make breakfast and lunch for work the night before. Fingers crossed it pays off.

Here's a couple of snippets of my week in pictures.
I would be a lot more excited for WI tomorrow if I wasn't curled up on the sofa in crippling pain with what I suspect is a kidney infection...roll on having to pay £7 for a prescription tomorrow!

 
I re-organised my fridge...what a difference it makes.

Tried stuffed peppers for the first time. Yummy

I even weighed my cream and chocolate buttons for my hot chocolate....weightwatchters angel and all that!

Dinner at Wagamamas...it's what weeklies are for!

Ensuring I was prepared for work was key this week.

I even squeezed in a night out this week. Although I dedicated myself as driver so a) I didn't waste points on alcohol and b) so I could get up and run the day after.

And I pushed out a 7.7 mile run....I definatley wouldn't have done that if I'd drunk!



And this is how the week has ended. 27 propoints for day 7. 4 weeklies remaining. 9 activity points earned for the week.

Here's to WI tomorrow....


Lots of love
xxxx

I'm back!!!!

It clicked this morning; what ever that thing is in your head that tells you it's time.
I got up and stood on the scales as was slightly horrified. I weighed in at 11st 10lbs.

I've re subscribed to Weight Watchers online, I can't get to a regular meeting with my shifts at work & online works. I know weight watchers works; and to be honest don't know why I left in the first place.

I am SO excited about reading about the new 360 approach and getting back into the swing of things. I know the first couple of days are going to be the toughest for me but I can do it!!

I'm going to be tweeting what I eat as well as another way of keeping my eye on it. So feel free to go over and follow me at ElinorGM.

This was breakfast this morning:
5 Propoints of yumminess!




A big thank you for all your encouraging words and support lately!

Much love
xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Losing weight isn't just a physical thing.

I'm going to be completely honest with you guys, I haven't stepped on the scales since the 1st January; not because I know it's going to be bad - I sort of know by the way I feel I'm around the 11st 4lbs I was then - my clothes arn't too tight and I don't feel "heavy". But I became so obsessive over losing weight; this last stone - which has been the last stone for about 5 months has been the hardest of them all. It got to the stage where everything I'd eat....even fruit & veg and all that goodness I'd be worrying.

I needed to take time out from it all; this coincided with my head not being in the right place either. Losing weight is not simply about the number on the scale; or your clothes size decreasing - it is such a psychological thing. I'm not sure whether it's because I'm slowly learning to like my body - the body that I have created - or whether I'm more aware of it now than when I was almost 17 st but I think about it all the time; and it seems like it gets me down way more than the old body did. I know it shouldn't but when I look in the mirror I don't see a size 12 person; I see the size 22 old me; and this seems to be getting worse the closer to goal I get. I mean yes I've lost 84 lbs and I know we'll always have flaws but the worse thing that gets me down is the lose skin. This is getting better thanks to my Jillian Michaels workouts; and I know it won't happen over night, and it takes time to get better, but the thought of anyone else seeing me like this scares me.

I mean I used to look at my friends who have always been slim thinking that a size 12 was tiny; and impossible to achieve, I never thought I'd see the day where my wardrobe would consist of size 10-12's and I could borrow my friends clothes. And I still don't believe that I'm an actual size 12.

Today for example I wore some uniform to work - it was a size 18 and literally like a dress on me. Why do I even still have this in my wardrobe? It is somewhere I don't want to go back to.

This is turning into me just waffling on. Any way what I'm trying to say is taking this 3 weeks out; I haven't binged or anything - I've been making wise choices, and exercising. But I'm trying to not to focus on the scale. I've decided come 1st Feb I will weigh and take my measurements, and hopefully by then I will be back in the right mindset to start tracking and get fully back on the wagon. I mean I've lost 84 lbs surely I can kick butt and lose these last pesky 13lbs!!

"you haven't failed until you quit trying" and I sure as hell haven't given up yet!!!

Love as always
xxxxxx

No one said it would be easy

On twitter the other day I was having a conversation when someone said " you can't undo a lifetime of self image over night" This is completely true. When I look in the mirror I still see that almost 17st body, rather than the 11st one I have, and the one I've worked damn hard for. But it's so easy to forget where you've come from and focus to much on where you have to go.

If I'm honest I've been plateauing for about 6 months, I've cancelled my weightwatchers membership and changed to myfitnesspal in the hope a shake up would help, it did but now I'm struggling with that, I'm running, but not as much as I should do ( I mean it takes me a good hour to convince myself to go!!) but the biggest issue is my head is not in the game right now. And I'm worried I'm slipping back into bad habits.

I haven't put on any weight I've remained between 11st 2lbs - 11st 4lbs. But I *feel* bigger. How do you go from losing almost 6 stone and then lose all motivation? I mean I can do it and this is only a blip but sometimes I think maybe I'm not destined to get to goal?

Thinking a kick up the ass is just what I need - so if any of you have a magic wand or a very strong right kick that would be fabulous!

Much love
Elle
xxx