A Lesson To Myself

.... in which I give myself a bit of a good talking to!

Weigh in day a few weeks ago I'd lost 2 pounds - which ordinarily would have been wonderful but with a wedding dress not to fall out of was a bit scary! I redressed the balance the following week not only with advice from Claire (Very Nice Consultant), but also by eating KFC, drinking wine and having an accident with some (lots of) chicken skin and a curly wurly..... oh and another unrelated accident with some jelly babies! I still lost 1/2 pound somehow - which was great but still a little worrying!

Last week I supplemented my SW food with a portion of fish and chips, some very nice cheesy pizza and garlic bread as well as a "World Cup Supper" cooked by eldest son and his girlfriend in honour of the Cup Final.... think curly fries, chicken dippers, hot dogs and tacos with cheese and salsa - not surprisingly I maintained this week.... which is Slimming World for "didn't lose any weight but managed somehow to not put any on" Now I could tell you a tell of woe about how it was the time of the month.... or that I had to take some medication that makes you retain fluid - but I can read what I've just told you I put in my mouth last week, so I won't!

Today started well - a Mullerlight yoghurt and a banana for breakfast - it's not rocketed straight downhill since but enough to get back to basics. I cooked a roast chicken to have cold as snacks and in stir-fries etc. Last time I did this I ended up (accidentally) inhaling/absorbing by magic the chicken skin.... yes - that's right all of the chicken skin that I'm not supposed to eat! I didn't even like it very much but I kept on going! So really I should have known that trying it a second time wasn't going to be much better but try again I did! This time I only ate half the skin before giving up but I can't help thinking that I just can't do this again - it's far too much temptation for me. We're lucky that The Meatman (local wholesale butcher) does a really good deal on chicken breasts so long as you buy in bulk - which is what I will go and buy tomorrow. If I take a cool bag and the pram I should get an hours walking in too.

I've got 12 days till the big day and 3 days left at work. I've got 40 minutes between finishing work tonight and going out - I've already decided that I'll have a quick chicken, mushroom and noodle mash up so I'm not tempted by McDonalds when we go there later (prerequisite of DS1 doing the driving!). The rest of the week will be planned to within an inch of its life (bar a few drinks and snacks with work friends on Saturday evening). I need some lunches in the freezer that I can throw in the microwave in a few minutes and I need to ditch the roasts for a bit....then I think I'll be back on track - so long as I just listen to myself rather than the sabotage monster on my shoulder!

It works!

It's six weeks since I joined Slimming World ~ I'm now 7.5 pounds down and haven't felt deprived or hungry at all. It could have been a bigger loss but I'm having to eat more than I'd really like to so that my wedding dress stays where it should! Mrs Nogbad suggested wine and doughnuts to slow the progress but Claire (Lovely Slimming World Consultant) had some healthier options! It feels odd trying not to lose weight after joining a slimming group but for the sanity of everyone attending the wedding that's the way it has to be.....for at least the next 2.5 weeks <<eek>>

So what's it all about then? 
Are you sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin.....

I heard someone recently  say that if it comes in a box you probably shouldn't be eating it. It's a bit of an overgeneralisation -Linda McCartney's Rosemary and Onion sausages come in a box after all, but they had a point! The more processed the food, the more likely it is to have added fillers, added sugars, added water and let's just not get into what might or might not be in processed meat and fish! Slimming World's Extra Easy plan isn't a traditional "diet plan" it's just a way of eating more healthily for ever. Nothing is banned but it's all about making good choices: so have a piece of birthday cake and enjoy it..... Just don't have three! If you're really craving chocolate (more about girl hormones another time) then choose to have chocolate but make it a fudge, a curly wurly or a Freddo rather than a family bar of Fruit n Nut << to share? Hahahahahaha! >>

I actually really enjoy cooking from scratch, I wish I had more time and an unlimited budget but on the whole I enjoy cooking. What I really dislike is the incessant "what shall we have for tea tonight" problem. Joining Slimming World has given me access to lots of tried, tested and tasty recipes, they've all been filling, scrumptious and not like any other "diet". There are six of us and the recipes are for four so I've been doubling everything up and there's usually enough left over to freeze for lunches for myself and the Minions (I'm a Registered Childminder and I've found that the small people I share my day with are also really enjoying Slimming World recipes). 

There is so much choice! Lean meat, fruit, vegetables, rice, pasta, potatoes, yoghurt (some are free to eat and some you have to count but plenty of variety). 

Go and read Mr Nogbad's blog for more info about all of this - he's a Slimming World Guru and says it so much better than I could. He's now nearly at target and his VSO has been there for 12 months. That is where I want to be by next summer! "I can and I will" (said a Little Red Engine, once upon a very long time ago).