28th February 2011

 Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamond! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!

Tuesday 8th March is Pancake Day and this week’s copy of ‘YOUR WEEK’ tells you how to enjoy them and stay on track, there’s a basic pancake batter recipe and also some suggestions on how to make them even tastier, mmm four cheese pancakes for 8pp, or chocolate and cherry pancakes for 10pp. There’s also a scrumptious recipe for hot chocolate and banana brownies for 1pp each which I made yesterday and they went down very well! I made them because I thought they’d be tiny, but was pleasantly surprised they were a fair size for 1pp, about 2” square, or two would be the size of my iphone ;)

Also this week is the last week the selection boxes are on offer at £3, and the humbugs for £1 - stock up whilst you can. The new Weight Watcher magazines arrived too and it’s full of some great reading.

I made stuffed mushrooms and onion gratin too yesterday and served it with spinach, my brother turned up just at the right time which meant we didn’t have too big portions because he stayed for lunch. I love this recipe and could eat it every week, yesterday I used blue cheese instead of the gruyere mmm. I also used soured cream because I hadn’t got any crème fraîche and it tasted fine and save ProPoints, crème fraîche is 3pp per tbsp, soured cream is 1pp per tbsp, or you could try low fat crème fraîche which is 1pp per tbsp also. Here’s the recipe

Onion Gratin

Serves 4, 6pp each, or 2, 13pp each

4 medium red onions, peeled, quartered, and separated
Tbsp olive oil (4pp) or 2 pumps from WW oil spray (2pp)
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
8 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
A small wineglass of white wine (175ml) (3pp)
4 tablespoons crème fraîche (7pp)
50g gruyere cheese, grated (5pp)
50g parmesan, grated (6pp)

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Break the onion quarters apart to give you little ‘petals’. Place these in a A4 sized dish or earthenware oven dish. Drizzle with a tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss in your thyme and garlic. Mix up well, add your white wine, cover with a double layer of tinfoil, wrap tightly and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the dish from the oven, take the tinfoil off and pop the dish back in the oven for 15 mins to start caramelizing. Once the onion is looking lightly golden, stir in your crème fraiche and sprinkle over your gruyere and parmesan. Turn the oven down to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4 and let the gratin tick away for about 15 minutes or until golden and gorgeous. You can eat this straight away, or cool it down and flash it under the grill later.

However your weekend went decide to have a fabulous week, I’m hoping I’ve lost some of that weight I gained last weekend in London, I’ve probably been 90% good, although I have used all my allowances – daily, weekly and activity so wish me luck.

xx

27th February 2011

No one will manufacture a lock without a key. Similarly, you won’t receive problems without solutions. So defeat your problems with great confidence.

Had a brilliant day yesterday and wanted to cook more than I could eat so went for a second walk with Alfie instead ;) which earned me a total of 6pp for the day. I’m going to do a meal planner for the week so I can include all the recipes I keep finding that I want to try but still stick within my ProPoints allowance. I’m away next weekend and normally a weekend with Chantel would end with a weight gain but I’m going to cook so hopefully will save a few ProPoints, unfortunately we haven’t found a way of saving ProPoints on the red wine yet! I made a beef and ale casserole yesterday and have to say and it was amazing! I could’ve happily eaten it all, I served mine with a huge portion of purple sprouting for zero ProPoints but you could serve it with mash or chips or bread for extra ProPoints.

My beef and ale casserole

preparation time 30 mins, cooking time over 2 hours

Serves 6, 8pp each

2 tbsp vegetable oil (8pp)
1kg/2lb 3oz braising steak, cut large pieces (35pp)
2 sticks celery
12 Chantenay carrots, or 2 carrots
6-8 shallots or 2 large onions
3 cloves garlic (plus
1 heaped tsp tomato purée
1 tbsp plain flour (2pp)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ litre/17fl oz real ale or bitter (6pp) (I used Old Embers from Waitrose, a dark ale made in Walsall!)
200ml/7fl oz dark beef stock
1 BULB of garlic, broken into cloves but NOT peeled just remove papery outer

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F/Gas 2. Heat a large casserole on the hob. Add some of the vegetable oil and, when hot, add some of the beef in a single layer and cook over a high heat until browned. When browned, remove the beef to a bowl, before adding the next batch and browning. Don't crowd the pan. Remove the last batch of meat and place in a bowl.
2. Roughly chop the celery. Add the last bit of oil to the casserole and add the celery.
3. Roughly chop the carrots and onions and add to the casserole.
4. Slice the garlic and add to the casserole. Stir all the vegetables thoroughly and allow them to brown gently, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan as you go.
5. Once the vegetables are coloured, add the tomato purée and stir. Add the flour and stir together well until the flour is incorporated. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Throw in the whole UNPEELED garlic cloves, when cooked these aren’t strong like peeled garlic they are just soft tasty deliciousness ;)
6. Add the ale to the casserole, followed by the beef stock.
7. Bring up to the simmer and return the browned beef to the casserole.
8. Cover the casserole with a lid and place in the preheated oven to cook for 2½-3 hours, or until cooked, when the beef is done, it should fall apart to the touch.

If that doesn’t warm you up and make you feel full of comfort – nothing will ;-D

Enjoy your Sunday xx

26th February 2011

Tomorrow never comes and when it does it’s today! (Dreadzone)

Yay I had a lie in, 6am, now I’m refreshed and ready for my day, I’ve got lots of ‘me’ things I want to do, I’m planning a bit beef & ale stew, I may even attempt dumplings on the top too. I’m also going to cook Trout with Watercress Sauce it’s all done in the microwave in a few minutes – cool! Shall have it with some nice fresh veggies and maybe rice, here’s the recipe;

Serves 2, 9pp each

1 small bunch watercress, washed and trimmed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 X 90 g (3 1/2 oz) fillets rainbow trout
50 ml (2 fl oz) dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon made mustard
150 ml (5 fl oz) soured cream

1. Reserve a few sprigs of watercress for decoration. Place remainder in a bowl with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of water. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 1/2 minutes.

2. Place the fish in a dish in a single layer, pour over the wine. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 minutes. Leave to stand while making the sauce.

3. Puree the watercress together with the mustard and cream. Add the cooking liquid from the fish, pour into a jug and cook on HIGH for 1 minute. Serve with trout, new potatoes and broccoli. Garnish with reserved watercress.

Timings are for a 600 watt microwave oven.

Hope whatever you’ve got planned for today you enjoy it, I know I’m going to, after cooking I’m going to read my book and watch some tv, today is all about enjoying and relaxing no stressing or rushing.

Let it rain, I don’t mind I can enjoy today indoors.

Have a great day xx

25th February 2011

Are you humbly grateful? Or grumbly hateful? Pastor Roland Smith
Thought we’d take about self love today, get you all to give yourself a hug! (although it’s a long read!)

I honestly believe that people really do want to love themselves, however they may not be sure how to go about doing it. Most people are very aware of the fact that self-love can be a challenge. Faced with all sorts of external influences and internal pressures, it’s way easy not to love ourselves. But, deep down, most of us really want to. We want to believe that we’re worthwhile, that our lives have value, and that we are deserving of our own love. But that's much easier said than done.

So here’s the ABCs of loving yourself with the hope that you will read these words and realise that you truly are deserving of your own love. I hope that when you read it, you will recognise that the path to self-love isn’t an easy one - but there are so many ways to get started down that road right now. Here are 26 ideas to help you get started:

Accept your body. Sure, there are things you can change about your body, you can lose weight and make it smaller, but, for the most part, you've got to work with what you've got. Remember: you are who you are. You should love yourself no matter what shape or size you are. You are awesome. You are beautiful. You are YOU. Don't ever forget that!

Be who you are. You are not your body. The essence of you comes from within - from your mind, your personality, your heart. We often find it hard to remember that we are not what we look like, but, if you remind yourself of this, you can realise there is so much more to you than appearance.

Cultivate a healthy environment. Put yourself in a healthier place. Keeping fresh fruits and veggies around, eating healthy and exercising are great ways to love your body (and yourself!). And don't forget to take care of your mental health. Consider meditation to get your mind in a calmer, happier place. 
 


Dive into self love. Okay, so you're having trouble loving yourself. You look in the mirror and think, "YUCK!" Try looking into self-help books or blogs that encourage positive thinking about life and, more specifically, about body image. Sometimes reading up on loving yourself can really help you put it into action.

Embrace what you're good at and spend more time indulging in these activities. Think about what you do well. Your body is only a part of who you are. You might be a great writer, a great athlete, an amazing parent. No matter what you are, there is more to you than your appearance. Embrace what you're good at and spend more time indulging in these activities.


Forget about comparisons. Stop comparing yourself to others. No matter what you do, you probably will not ever look like Heidi Klum or Brad Pitt. But that's okay! You are beautiful in your own way and you will always and forever be you. Accept yourself, love yourself, and stop looking to others to see what you "should" look like.
 


Get moving! I don't know about you, but when I get in a not-loving-myself funk, I don't want to do anything. I just want to lay around and think about how pathetic it is that I'm not doing anything by laying around. Break the cycle. Get off the couch and use that awesome bod!

Have hope. Even if you're struggling with self-love, don't give up hope. It might be hard right now, but the more effort and time you put into it, the more you will learn to love yourself. Hope is crucial when it comes to learning to love yourself. Believe in your own ability to achieve self-love.

Indulge in what you love. Every so often let yourself eat or do whatever you wouldn't normally. I'm sure you've read this a million times, but if you completely cut yourself off from something, you're more likely to go nuts the next time it comes along so let yourself indulge every once and awhile.

Join something fun. Joining a group (or even starting a blog, which feels like joining something) can really help you with your image of yourself. Meet new people. Try new things. Being happy in general can make you happier with how you look so check out some groups you can join.

Keep thinking positively. Ah, my favourite! Keep thinking positively - no matter what. So you gained 5 pounds. So you got a terrible haircut. So what. Keep thinking positively! No matter how bad you feel about yourself, there is always something good. Focus on the good, the positive, and push the negative from your mind.
Let go of your past. You were a size ten in school. Sure, that's great, but you're not in school anymore. Remind yourself that this is where you are now. You may have been something else in the past - thinner, prettier, more muscular - but here you are now. In the present. Love who you are right now.

Motivate yourself. You are the best motivational tool you have. Other people might encourage you, but only YOU can really motivate yourself. Do whatever you have to to remind yourself how great you are. Read books. Get off the couch. Talk to friends. Do whatever you have to, to motivate your inner desire for self love.

Never say never. You're looking in the mirror moaning, "I will never lose this weight." You know what? You're right. With that attitude, you won't make any changes at all. You'll settle, thinking there's no hope, and you'll be unhappy. If you believe you can change something, you can. Never say never.

Open up to new ideas. Try something different. If you're not in love with your look, try something new. New clothes. New makeup. New workout routine. Experimenting with new things isn't going to solve your body image issues (that comes from within), but you can give yourself a little boost by trying out something new.

Put on your best outfit. Sometimes just a change of clothes can change your perspective. Don't stay in sweatpants all day. Don't settle for average or blah or you will feel average and blah. Dress up. Put in the effort and you'll feel a lot better about yourself.

Question your perception. You look in the mirror. You see ugly, fat, tired. But is that what's really there? As I talked about in my last post, your mind can really distort your thoughts. Sometimes what we see isn't what's really there. Keep the positive thoughts in the forefront. Avoid looking for the bad and try to keep a positive outlook.

Remember what you love. You hate your stomach, but your love your eyes. You hate your arms, but you love your thighs. Focus on the good parts of you. We often spend so much time obsessing about what we don't like about ourselves that we forget to spend time thinking about what we do love. Make a list of your favorite parts of you (including those that aren't physical!).

Stop judging. You are your worst critic. You are judging yourself much, much more harshly than anyone around you is. Stop it. Stop it right now. There is absolutely no good reason to critique yourself in a harsh or demeaning manner. Love yourself first and the world will love you too.
 


Take time for you. Your body is the only one you have. Take time to pamper yourself. Do whatever you have to do to get some quality alone time. Take a bath. Take a walk. Take a vacation. Whatever you do, take some time to be alone with yourself, to rejuvenate your body and your mind.
 


Understand your needs. What do you really need? What makes your body happy? When you exercise and eat healthy foods, does your body feel better? When you get plenty of rest, do you wake up refreshed? Think about what your body asks for and give it what it needs. The better your body feels, the better you will feel about it.


Vacate your mind. Sometimes we become prisoners in our own minds. Sometimes we obsess about our looks and our appearance to the point that it's unhealthy. If you're doing this, stop. Get out of your mind and free yourself.
 


Watch what you say. Are you always saying to your friends, "Ugh, I look terrible." or "This make me look fat?"? If so, think about what you're saying. The more negative things you say about yourself, the more you will start to really believe what you're saying (and others might too). Try, just once, saying, "Wow, I look great!”

X-ray your desires. Think about - I mean, really think about - why you want that piece of chocolate cake or that new handbag. Will external things make you feel better? You bet! But the feel-good feelings are only temporary. Lasting happiness comes from within so give some thought to what you really want.

 


Yank yourself out of a routine. Routines can be deadly. They set us in patterns that feel old and tired, that make us feel as if we are old and tired. Some routines are good and necessary, but what routines do you have in your life that aren't good? What can you do to change them, to make them more positive experiences?


Zap any negative thoughts. Last but certainly not least! Getting rid of negative thoughts about yourself and your body is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. Whatever you need to do to do this, do it. Read books. Go on a retreat. Get rid of negative people in your life. Whatever you do, be positive about you!
 


As so many of us know, self-love is a hard thing to master. Too often, we have issues about our appearance and body that hinder us from thinking positively about ourselves. It is essential that we rid our lives of negative self-talk and, instead, focus on what is wonderful about the people we are. If you aren't doing so right now, start loving yourself. It is the first and most important step to living a positive, present life.

xx

24th February 2011

Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write one!

Well I made the balsamic strawberries again yesterday but this time I used artificial sweetener, the powder variety instead of sugar and I couldn’t tell the difference so they were zero ProPoints and I served them with warm cooked chicken and I really enjoyed it, and mom did, so I’m not the only freaky eater in my house!

I also made a lamb tagine yesterday which was ok, nothing special the lamb would’ve been delicious but Alfie kept begging so I got the olives and he got the lamb!

Lots of people including myself write “TO DO” lists, but I’ve discovered since I’ve started cooking more and paying attention to the importance of enjoying what I eat, that I’m now writing “TO EAT” lists, and I love them, on the top of my list at the moment is Crunchy Nut Cornflakes! Not exactly exquisite food I know, but I had them last weekend in London and really enjoyed them, then thought to myself I must get me some of those. I’ve bought a box and usually I would’ve had a bowl by now but I’d already planned the last few day’s meals and not had the ProPoints left to include them, and there’s no rush is there. I’ll probably have them tonight for my tea, after 5 meetings I’m usually shattered so a huge bowl of Crunchy Nut will no doubt make me smile, plus I’ll have lots of ProPoints which means a very big bowl! One thing I’ve realised over the last few years is as much as I’d like to, and as hard as I’ve tried to in the past, I can’t eat everything, it’s impossible and not very good for me either ;) So now I’m happy to wait until I have space in my meal plan and I know when I do eat them, they will be amazing.

I’ve started sending texts out to my members and it’s lovely to get the responses and find out how you’re doing during the week, so if you’re not already receiving them, text me on 07739 968678 with your name and the meeting your attend, i.e. “Beverley Longsden Monday am” and I will add you, you can also remove yourself at anytime by replying stop to any of them.

Over the last few days, two of my closest friends have had it rough with one thing or another, the one, bless her feels like the whole worlds against her and the people she loves at the moment, and I think we’ve all been there at one time, you’re staring at the mountain in your life, and you're not only wondering how you can get over it, but why you even have to face it in the first place.

It made me think, "I don't know why if there is a god he allows war or let's good people get cancer. I do know that if I focus on all the bad things, I'll just be unhappy all the time, and I'm very protective of my happiness."

A great comediennes quip is that, from the moment we're born, people are trying to steal our joy. It's true, and that's why I absolutely refuse to let some things get me down. I can't, because I know that if I give worry a minute, she'll take my whole day. So I insist on enjoying myself even when things aren't going right. I listen to music, go for a walk or find that one sliver of humour in a bad situation. I don't even hang out with constantly negative people. It's become an act of will - a militant resistance against the forces that seek to steal my joy. Operation Happiness... by any means necessary.

So if you've been struggling to hold on to happiness, I've got good news for you. Are you ready?

You can be happy. Yes, you. Happy. Right now. And better yet, you can stay happy if you'd like to. You may have to dig deep to find it, and when you have it, you'll need to protect it. It sounds like work, and it is, but remember that your joy is precious. It's a gift, and it's worth the fight.

So think about it, what makes you happy? In a gloomy day, where you do you find your sunshine? Why not post it on our wall and let’s make everyone else smile today. You may not be the weight you want to be right now, but being positive and happy will help you get there quicker!

23 February 2011

Do you know why a cars' windshield is so large & the rear view mirror is so small? Because our past is not as important as our future. Look ahead and move on!
The rain woke me up at 4am this morning and when I looked out of the window one of the poor stray cats is on the fence across the road, he’s just so timid and its so sad, he won’t go in the cat kennel I had made, the other one loves it but he likes to be high up. So I couldn’t go back to sleep because I feel bad for the cat, so here I am typing.

I had a fab day on track yesterday, made Strawberries in balsamic vinegar they were delicious and I would recommend them, I’m going to make them again and have them with a cooked chicken, which might sound wierd to a few of you but I quite like mixing flavours ;D

I smiled to myself last night as I listened to two gorgeous members talking to each other, it’s not very often I get a lull when I’m weighing so I don’t really get to hear what’s happening before I start my talk. So it was lovely to overhear these two talking about their success at the scales that week and how neither of them had expected it because they’d been out on the razzle that weekend. They both had agreed before getting weighed that they hadn’t regretted going out and having a great time and would take any gain on the chin, because they realised that this was a lifestyle change not a short term solution. Hearing that really made my day, especially as they were both young so they’ve obviously learnt it much quicker than I did!

I really do feel that I have the best job in the world, it’s wonderful when I see the light come on in people, it’s fabulous when I see members get to their goal weight, we had two yesterday become gold members and that’s always wonderful. There’s also their stories outside Weight Watchers, one member was telling me last night that she’s been promoted thanks to her weight loss, her boss told her that she’s come on in leaps and bounds because with her weight loss she’s gained confidence. All these things are so wonderful to witness.

Writing that has just made me this of a story, in his book, The Star Thrower, Loren E. Eiseley talks of the day when he was walking along a sandy beach where thousands of starfish had been washed up on the shore. He noticed a boy picking up the starfish one by one and throwing them back into the ocean. Eiseley observed the boy for a few minutes and then asked what he was doing. The boy replied that he was returning the starfish to the sea otherwise they would die.

Eiseley then asked how saving a few, when so many were doomed, would make any difference whatsoever? The boy picked up a starfish and as he threw it back said "It's going to make a lot of difference to this one!"

Eiseley left the boy and went home to continue writing, only to find he could not type a single word. He returned to the beach and spent the rest of the day helping the boy throw starfish into the sea.

How you live your life and what you do with it shapes not only your own future but that of the world.
That’s what makes my job fabulous, I get to make a difference, and I truly believe that’s made a difference to my life, I’m much happier now. It’s good to be a contributor, try it, I don’t mean become a Weight Watcher leader, but why not, I mean be involved and in love with life and all the possibilities of what it means to be human.

Each of us will define and measure success differently. Some will place more emphasis on the economic scorecard than others. No matter what your choice, if you are to succeed, you must understand that your rewards in life will be in direct proportion to the contribution you make, that includes to yourself and others!

So each night, before you go to sleep, ask yourself two simple questions:

Did I today, in some way, grow as a human being?
Did I today, in anyway, make the world a better place in which to live?

Simple questions sure enough. When you can answer yes to these questions more often than not, you are winning - you are successful. Life’s not all about your weight, you’re so much more than what you read on the scales.

xx

22nd February 2011

WORRYING does not take away tomorrows' TROUBLES, it takes away todays' PEACE!

As expected I gained yesterday after my lovely weekend away, I was a little surprised to see it was 2.5lb though! Hey ho, it’ll be gone this week, it’s what I like to call jelly fat and I’ll get it off before it sets. Luckily my members were having more success than me yesterday losing well over 125lb.

I was pleased to say I managed to get right back on track after my weekend and had a really good day yesterday, I can honestly say I think I’ve gone off MacDonalds, I remember thinking when I was eating it on the train, this is nothing special, I realised I only enjoy the fries if I dunk them in sweet and sour sauce which actually means I like the sauce not the fries and the burger seemed a bit boring after some of the meals I’ve been cooking lately – I can’t believe I’ve just said that! I used to worship the big mac.

Yesterday I sliced some courgette thinly using a potato peeler, popped a bit of boursin light (or philidelphia light) on one slice, then added another couple of slices and a bit of cut up sun dried tomato, then rolled them and roasted for 20 minutes, they were delicious. I also had sweet potato mash with spring onions, for speed I microwaved the potato and because the skins thicker than an ordinary potato the middle scooped out really easily.

Today I’m going to do something with Salmon but not sure yet, need to get on the Weight Watchers esource and see what suggestions they have. I’m also going to be making Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar, we’re talking about fruit this week and this was a suggestion on the train Sunday from a friend of mine, below is a recipe I found online. I know it sounds odd but apparently its divine.

Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar, Serves 6, 1pp each serving

This is a unique, gourmet way to serve this fantastic summer fruit! The balsamic vinegar brings out the berries' beautiful colour and truly enhances their flavour. Great served by themselves, or over vanilla ice cream for extra ProPoints.

450 g fresh strawberries, hulled and large berries cut in half
30ml balsamic vinegar
50g white sugar (6pp)
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Place strawberries in a bowl. Drizzle vinegar over strawberries, and sprinkle with sugar. Stir gently to combine. Cover, and let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour but not more than 4 hours. Just before serving, grind pepper over berries.

Well that’s my morning started perfectly, ‘talking about food’, have a great day everyone and remember, weight loss isn’t a fad thing, it’s a forever thing. xx

21st February 2011

Laughter is inner jogging. Norman Cousins
Well I had the best weekend in London, we went to see Russell Howard at the 02 and he’s a very, very funny man who kept us laughing for a good two hours. I did manage to send an email to you all on the train on the way back, but I’ve noticed that the emails I send don’t always arrive in your inbox! I copy all the emails I send to my blog www.wwbevsworld.blogspot.com and to the discussion board on my facebook group wall so if yours doesn’t arrive that’s where you can go to look.

I won’t be losing weight this morning mainly due to MacDonalds, Pizza Express and a Travelodge Buffet breakfast, but it was Vicky’s birthday weekend and that’s where she wanted to eat, although I think Maccy’s might have been my idea and I enjoyed it, although Pizza Express I wasn’t impressed and left some on my plate – I’m actually getting better at that and also with the buffet not stuffing myself silly. It’s impossible to ignore eating out when you’re away and to be honest would you want to as it’s part of the fun. It doesn’t have to be evil to your ProPoints allowance though, having looked the pizza in Pizza Express the highest one is 29 and we shared a starter of dough ball between 3 or us, I skipped dessert although I did have a liqueur coffee instead!

So whatever happens at the scales today, I’m back on track already and I had the best weekend so it’s all good. Hopefully everyone’s on track with me too.

I need to buy some frozen berries this week so I can start making smoothies again, I miss them and they’re so filling and quick. Smoothies are not only deliciously tasty but they’re also perfect to have for breakfast, as they’re full of goodness. Adding oats and nuts to them is great, because it helps slow down the absorption of the sugar from the fruit into your bloodstream, which gives you more energy for longer. The great thing about frozen fruit is that it’s been picked at it’s best, at the right time, and hasn’t been forced to grow out of season, like so much of the ‘fresh’ fruit on offer these days. It’s also cheaper and far more convenient – it will happily keep in your freezer for months on end, so any time you fancy a smoothie, you can have one!

Here’s a Jamie Oliver recipe for a frozen fruit smoothie

Makes 2 glasses – 4pp each without honey, 6pp each with honey

1 ripe banana
1 glass of frozen fruit of your choice: mango, blackcurrants or strawberries
2 heaped tablespoons natural yoghurt
1 small handful of oats
1 small handful of mixed nuts
1 glass of skimmed milk

Optional: runny honey to taste

Peel and slice your banana and put it into liquidizer with your frozen fruit and the yogurt. Whizz it up and ad the oats and nuts. Add the milk and whizz again, until nice and smooth. If it’s a bit too thick for you, just add more milk and whizz again. Give it a good stir, then have a taste, if it needs extra sweetness you could add a little honey to taste.

If you’ve made a smoothie and it was superdooper, let me know what ingredients you used so we can share the ideas.

Have a marvellous Monday and a wonderful week xx

20th February 2011

Food is such an important part of our lives isn't it! This weekend whilst in London some of the most important decisions we made were where shall we eat and what shall we have. It's part of the weekend. Hell no sooner had we left Wolverhampton than we agrees we were on our holiday so should start in MacDonalds! On the train on the way home I listened to a lady on the phone telling the person on the other end her plans and they mainly involved eating out and a nice long, big breakfast at the hotel. Before we even got on the train I watched as people bought food and drink for the journey even my mate bought something ignoring the fact it'd been less than 2hrs since breakfast and the journey was only gonna last 2hrs but we've got that "I might get hungry" mentality, it's a inbuilt survival thing, especially for those of us with a weight problem :D


We opted for a buffet breakfast at the travelodge for £7.95 cos compared to most of London that was cheap and in the past I would have ensured I "got my monies worth" but this time I didn't I had what I fancied which was still more than i needed, so I skipped lunch to rectify the ProPoints balance.

We most definitely went over our weekly allowance this weekend but at the same time we had the best time ever so the weightless can wait another week, afterall it was V's birthday.

Hope yr weekend went well xx

19th February 2011

I’m off to London today, so I’m in a bit of a hurry as I haven’t yet packed an overnight bag, and you may not get your email tomorrow as I’ll be waking up in a Travelodge!
Yesterday I was so busy I didn’t finish my paperwork until the afternoon and forgot to eat, only had a bit of fruit all day until 6ish, I honestly hadn’t thought about food all day and didn’t feel hungry, but when I did eat, oh dear I ate too much! Letting yourself get over hungry is not a good thing ;(

I can’t believe we’re heading towards the last week in February already, so what happened to those New Year resolutions we all made. The years keep flying by and what did you accomplish last year? Did you make those little changes you kept talking about, or did you watch time slip away, all the while wishing and hoping something, somehow would change, if only...

If only you'd get up a half hour earlier, think of what could be done? A quick early morning workout perhaps or time for a real breakfast? I now get up an hour early and go for a walk each day; I credit that happen with helping me have more energy to cope with the day.

If you're like me, you start every New Year with the same hope and promise and by February you're thinking, "What happened?" This year can be different. Think, "This is a good time to start eating better, exercising more, being nicer to ... (fill in the blank).

The more you let yourself get carried away during the colder months, the more difficult it may seem be to get back on track, but you can, even if it takes you nine months like happened to me last year. Yes, last year it was September before I'd taken back off my winter weight,

and then here was a new winter looming. But take it off I did, and keep it off by not going so crazy that winter.

In other words, you may cycle from being on-track to off-track but at least you're still walking, and that's okay.

If you're accustom to eating lots of junky foods (chips, snacks) and eating on the run (eating quickly, in the car perhaps?), and you aren't consistent with exercise (it doesn't have to be a lot, but it does need to be consistent), you're going to get sluggish and tired, not feel like exercising, you'll want to snack so you'll feel better, and the cycle restarts.

This is not to discourage you but rather encourage you to see it's the small changes you make, day after day that count. Over the long haul it's by adopting a new lifestyle that you'll make the changes you want and never turn back. I ate everything I wanted this Christmas, yet I didn't put as much weight on as usual and it didn’t take me as long to get back on track, instead of 8 months, it took just January.

If you've been eating goodies for the last several weeks or months, it's now time to take stock and clean up that leftover thinking. It's not like you'll never get to eat these things again, but eating food only because you don't want to throw it away isn't wise, especially not if you want to gain better health and lose those pounds.

Some of the stuff has probably gone stale, toss it out. Let go of leftovers, be brave and get it out of the house, or at the very least out of sight (use that freezer). Later you can enjoy some for an indulgence now and then.

That's how I stop myself from gaining back all of the 50lb I lost. I indulge myself but not more often than I eat a healthy diet. I still enjoy my wine but by the glass now not the bottle!. The trick is making the plan work for you, adapting it to include the things you enjoy. Remember, this is a process, we're never finished until we're dead so don't be in any hurry to get there!
If you just can’t throw away leftovers then you need to calculate them into your ProPoints allowance. Having said that, I’ve just frozen last night’s bolognaise and can have it when I get back from London.

Have a fabulous weekend. xx


Almost forgot


Going to the gym or starting exercising can be so daunting and sometimes you need some help to get it right, so a good place to start is with one-on-one sessions, Leon has opened his own studio in Bloxwich and is offering my members an introductory offer of 10 person training sessions for £120

Here is his website http://www.www.lefx.co.uk/

And his contact details

Unit 2 Pinfold Industrial Estate
BLOXWICH,
Walsall
WS3 3JS
United Kingdom
Tel: 07767 438 785


He also holds circuit training classes on Tuesdays & Thursdays 7.30pm

He’s also running Kids fitness programmes, something to do with them over the halfterm! Give him a call or drop in.

18th February 2011

Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer. Denis Waitley
Filling in my tracker this morning, I realised that I’m still eating what I like eating I’ve just adjusted the quantity I’m eating, which is all about the portion size which we discussed this week. I’m sure you’ll agree from the examples we looked at how easy it is to be a couple of ProPoints out here and there and they soon add up over teh week, which is why ‘weighing’ your food really is essential for a good weight loss, the Weight Watcher kitchen scales really are a worthwhile addition to your kitchen.

Other ways of keeping your portion sizes under control include buying smaller plates, using a ladle for cooked pasta, if you work out the ProPoints for on ladle then it’ll be the same everytime. Always use the same breakfast bowl for your cereal so you know how far to fill it. A 5pp portion of cheese is about the size of a matchbox, the small one not the cook one! You could buy individual portions such as cereal boxes, porridge in sachets, small bottles of wine!!! Or bag up and seal your favourite munchies into small food bags. You’re less likely to eat ten individual servings but it’s easy to get through a large bag. Take a look at pages 43 – 46 in the pocket guide for the more portion size suggestions.

I still enjoy large meals, so I tend to bulk out my plate with Filling & Healthy foods, such as zero ProPoints value vegetables. I fill up on fruit too these days. Another trick I’ve learnt is when I cook, I either make just what I need or if I make a recipe for 4, I immediately put two portions on plates and the other to in food containers to make sure I’m only having a quarter of the dish, and I put the lids on the other two to stop me eating those too, I either pop them in the fridge or freezer for another day.

We all know I like the odd glass of red wine, but remember that alcohol can lower any steadfast weight loss resolves, so being careful of how much you drink could really help you to stay in control of your food choices and portions.

We all agreed this week, it can be all too easy to eat more than you need, or misjudge your portions, especially when you’re dining out or surrounded by unfamiliar foods. So make sure you know your portions, whether you want to continue losing weight, maintain your current weight, or are on holiday and want to start afresh with your weight loss once you're back home - being aware of your portions can help you stay in control. So, start by making sure you’re portion savvy:

- Spend some time measuring out your portions, so you get used to what a sensible serving looks like.

- Using familiar objects to estimate your portions against to begin to develop an eye for the sensible serving amount and getting familiar with their ProPoints values. For more on this see the Portions Planner on Weight Watchers esource.

And we all know what you are served when you’re eating out is not always going to be a sensible portion. Over the last 20 years food and drinks in both shops and restaurants have increased in size – one study found that burgers have doubled in size and alarmingly pasta servings are five times larger1. To keep your portions in check and make healthy choices, try to eat regularly when you’re out and about to keep hunger at bay. Use the satisfaction scale to judge when you’re hungry or full. Choose sensibly at the buffet restaurants and base your meals on Filling & Healthy foods.

And if you look for healthier options on the menu such as those that are boiled or grilled rather than fried you will find them and these can make the difference between the 20pp lunch I had last Friday or the 56pp lunch I had Sunday!

So today when you go to eat something ask yourself – “is that the proper portion?”

17th February 2010

A smile enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give.

Thursday already can’t believe how fast the weeks are going and I love that everyone’s doing so well in my meetings with the new ProPoints plan, last night at Ashmore Park 150lb lost, my meeting yesterday morning 51lb, Tuesday at Willenhall 310lb and Monday 165.5lb – just fabulous, all these members putting themselves first and taking care of them! It’s fantastic to see all those smiles on all those gorgeous faces xx

I made a delicious onion gratin yesterday out of a Jamie book and used Weight Watchers crème fraiche which is lower in ProPoints, and also used the WW oil spray which saved 8pp of olive oil! And it was delicious still.

I’ve noticed a lot of people have booked their summer holidays already which is an added incentive for losing weight, everyone has different reasons for slimming down and it’s important to know what yours are, mine include I want to feel better healthwise as my back tends to hurt a little less when it’s carrying a little less, and also I like to be a good example that the plan works to my members. You may want to lose to look better, feel better, to get into a wedding dress or for another event, but whatever your reason, remember it when you start to waver.

Why not visualise yourself succeeding, I like the saying, “whatever you believe, you can achieve”, I hear so many members say, “I’ll try” as they walk away from my scales, when saying, “I’ll triumph” would put them in a completely different frame of mind for the week ahead. Numerous sports stars have used visualisation to help them win – a technique that is applicable to all sports and to all aspects of life. So how do you do it? You close your eyes and use your imagination, picture yourself at your goal weight going into changing rooms and trying on new clothes, or walking in a restaurant and ordering something healthy off the menu. The more you imagine yourself doing it, the more likely you are to behave that way when the real situation occurs. Think about it, it’s not different to when you were learning to drive and running through the highway code, or the ‘mirror, signal, manoeuvre’ in your head.
So today imagine yourself making one good choice after another, and let’s have an absolutely amazing day, think about it, life’s always better when you’re happy and from my experience you are all happy when you’re losing weight.

Have a great day xx

16th February 2011

"We love: that's why life is full of so many wonderful gifts". Rumi

Check me out, yesterday I made parmesan and sun dried tomato bread rolls, they worked out at two for 9pp but they were delicious especially warm out of the oven. They were my first attempt at bread so next on the list is pizza base, but not this week and I’m away the weekend so it’ll go on the to do list.

Do you miss fish and chips from the chippy, remember you can make your own version and they’ll probably taste better, for crispy coated fish, dip fish fillets into beaten egg white, season with garlic, mustard powder or chopped herbs and the dip them into brushed breadcrumbs. Bake for about 20 minutes until the topping is crisp. For chunky chips peel some big potatoes and cut lengthways into wedges. Par-boil for a minute or two, drain and spritz with WW oil spray. Bake for about 30 minutes until brown and crispy and you have a healthy version of the chippy takeaway.

Another quick supper is quick chicken, remove the skin from the chicken portions, roll each piece in a mixture of breadcrumbs, chilli, black pepper and finely grated parmesan and bake in a hot oven for around 45 minutes.

If you’re hungry when you get in from work or collecting the kids from school but dinners a few hours away, have healthy snacks to hand, low fat yogurt, fruit, veg sticks, cherry tomatoes, crackers and wafer thin ham or if you do want something with chocolate make sure it’s within your allowance, a Weight Watcher bar for 2pp or the new cookie bites for 1pp, curly wurly 4pp, crème egg 6pp!

Lunch time can be a problem for a lot of you, so if you do go to a sandwich counter near you, tell them exactly what you want on the sandwich and watch them make it in front of you! If you’re making your own go for low fat spreads, use a really strong cheese as you won’t need as much. Bulk out the sandwich with lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, beetroot or any salads and always use lean cuts of meat on or cut the fat off. Of course your still allowed a treat in your lunch box, again make sure it’s within your allowance, and why not earn a few activity ProPoints by going to the gym before or after work, maybe parking as far away from the office as possible, or nipping out for a stroll in your lunch hour. Even little tweaks like standing up whilst on the phone, using the toilet that’s furthest from your desk or filling your water at the cooler on the other side of the office all help towards you ‘moving more’ and if you’re wearing a Weight Watchers pedometer you can watch those steps clocking up and enjoy seeing them turn into activity ProPoints.

Old habits don’t disappear without some effort and they need to be replaced with new habits, the habit I’ve been working on for the last three weeks is cooking at lunchtime, as soon as I get back from my meeting I put everything down and go to the kitchen to decide what to have for my lunch and dinner and I get that sorted before I go to do my paperwork, because I’m as important as my members and if I’m not taking care of myself, why should I expect my members to put themselves first either?

So make today, “take care of you” day! They seem to have days for everything else so why not. Let me know what you’re going to do today to take care of you, write it on our facebook wall and have a caring day xx

15th February 2011 facebook email

Let the beauty of what you love, be what you do. Rumi
Well I got weighed yesterday and I lost 1.5lb in my second week back on the plan. This is my tracker for last week if you’re interested http://wwbevsworld.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-propoints-tracker-monday-feb-7th.html

I always find the second week the most difficult for some reason, I think it’s because I throw myself back into it 100% which is easy to do for a week, then real life returns and you can’t quite find the extra time to take the dog for the 2nd walk, or you start your monthlies so you want to eat the world, or maybe you’re just a bit stressed, lots of little things made last week more difficult, one simply being temptation of mom’s crisps being in the cupboard and also eating out twice. However I made it through and am now on week 3 and 8.5lb away from my goal weight and as long as I’m losing, I don’t mind how long it take, 1/2lb a week will do me.

Hopefully a few of you got some loving last night, what with it being Valentine’s day! So I thought today you’ll probably be tired and not really in the mood to spend time in the kitchen so below is a recipe for a store cupboard supper, real feel good comfort food that the whole family will eat and not as high on the ProPoints as you’d expect, it’s also good on the purse strings.

Corned beef and sweetcorn hash.
Serves 4 = 13pp each, costs approx £1.33 per person

Takes 10 Minutes to make, 25 Minutes To cook
Replace the tinned sweetcorn with frozen peas, if you like.

2½ tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, sliced into thin wedges
Knob of butter
400g waxy potatoes (such as charlotte), cut into 2cm chunks
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 tsp dried thyme
300g tin corned beef, cut into chunks
120g tin sweetcorn, drained and rinsed
4 large free-range eggs

Add 1 tbsp of the oil to a large frying pan and gently fry the onion over a low heat for 6 minutes to soften. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Add another splash of oil and the butter to the pan, increase the heat to medium-high and fry the potatoes for 10 minutes until beginning to crisp and turn golden. Stir in the chilli flakes

and dried thyme, fry for another minute or so, then add the corned beef. Season

Continue frying the corned beef, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until starting to crisp. Stir in the sweetcorn and return the cooked onion to the pan. Cook for a couple more minutes to warm through.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in another large frying pan, crack the eggs into the pan and fry until the white has just set. Serve the corned beef and sweetcorn hash on warmed plates and top each serving with a fried egg.

I plan to make that sometime this week, yesterday I made the following, I used a Nigella recipe as my basic idea but hers had 2 tablespoons of olive oil (8pp) and 1 tablespoon of butter (2pp) in it, which I replaced with pancetta and chorizo which is tastier than oil and butter and the fat out of them helped to cook the onions, I served mine with fishcakes but you could easily have double quantity and have it as the main dish on its own.

Butternut Squash Scrumptious

ProPoints® Value: 4
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 20 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
1 butternut squash, peeled & diced into 2cm cubes
2 onion diced
70g diced pancetta
¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
30g chorizo sausage, sliced
3 tablespoons sherry
125 ml Water
75g Saint Agur blue cheese

Add onion and pancetta to a large frying pan and cook for a few minutes, then add chorizo followed by paprika. Next add sherry & water, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until squash is cooked. Break the cheese into pieces and mix into the pan, serve.

Here’s to a day of simplicity and scrumptiousness x

My ProPoints™ Tracker Monday Feb 7th - Sunday 13th

Monday, February 07, 2011

Breakfast
banana, apple, grapes, 3 plums -  0
smoothie - 0

Lunch

buttermilk chicken, veg tart and giant couscous - 15

Dinner

speedy spicy rice - 8
white wine -  6

Food ProPoints values total used 29
Food ProPoints values remaining 0

Activity pedometer ProPoints values earned 7

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Breakfast
1 medium Banana 0
Plums 0
1/4 pint(s) Milk, Skimmed for tea 1

Lunch

Creamy mustard chicken, spicy rice and carrots - 13

Dinner

 

savoury cheesecake, olives, cottage cheese and salad - 9
wine -  6

Food ProPoints values total used 29
Food ProPoints values remaining 0
Activity Pedometer ProPoints values earned 6

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Breakfast
1 medium Banana 0
few strawberries -  0

Lunch

creamy mustard pot pie - 10
roasted veg - 0

Dinner
Large portion Smash Original 4 mixed in 39 g Cheese, Cheddar 4 and chorizo - 3
looked awful, tasted lush.
Subtotal 11

Any Time
WW Strawberry Tart Yogurt - 1
milk in tea -  3
1 serving(s) Pineapple cottage cheese 2
3 small crackers - 2
red wine -  6
Subtotal 14

Food ProPoints values total used 35
Food ProPoints values remaining 0
Activity pedometer ProPoints values earned 10

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Breakfast
bananas x 2 -  0
1 medium Apple 0
Subtotal 0

Lunch

- I was home for less than an hour all day and managed to knock up a delicious lunch, quite proud of myself.
omelette - 10
bread and cheese triangle - 3
Subtotal 13

Dinner 3 individual Dark Rye Crispbread 3
1 bag(s) Cheese and Onion Flavour Crisps 3
14 individual Olives, in Brine 1
1/2 pot(s) Guacamole 3
Subtotal 10

Any Time 250 ml Wine, Red 6
Ww choc bite - Quick-added food 1
Subtotal 7

Food ProPoints values total used 30
Food ProPoints values remaining 0
Activity pedometer ProPoints values earned 6

Friday, February 11, 2011

Breakfast 3 pickled Egg, 5  (I eat weird I know!)
Subtotal 5

Lunch

Lunch with the ladies at the boat - liver & bacon with carrots and brocolli - 20
1 serving(s) Milk, Skimmed in tea 1
Subtotal 21

Dinner 2 ryvita 1
15 individual Olives, in Brine 1
guacamole - 3
handful twiglets -  1
cottage cheese -  2
Subtotal 8

Any Time red wine - 19
Food ProPoints values total used 53
Food ProPoints values remaining 0
Activity pedometer ProPoints values earned 3

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Lunch















chicken and cheese cob - 12

Dinner





















chicken dinner - 13

Any Time
220 ml Bianco Vermouth 10

Food ProPoints values total used 35
Food ProPoints values remaining 0
Activity pedometer ProPoints values earned 3

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Breakfast 3 medium Plums 0
1 medium Mango 0
1 1/2 bowl(s) Puffed Wheat 3
1 serving(s) Milk, Skimmed 1
Subtotal 4

Lunch















Frankie and Benny's Manhattan Burger this is what 56 ProPoints looks like!

I left half and replaced later with bottle of red wine, much nicer!

Subtotal 56
Any Time
red wine already accounted for,
Food ProPoints values total used 60
Food ProPoints values remaining 0

Activity Pedometer ProPoints values earned 3 

14th February 2011

 If I love myself I love you. If I love you I love myself. Rumi

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone xx

Whether you’re in love or not today is about love and self love is just as important if not more so, therefore why not treat yourself to a bunch of flowers or somethings scrumptious for your dinner, I bought the Sainsbury’s meal deal, we haven’t eaten all three courses at once, but with the 49 you could do, the fishcake starters were 8pp for portion, the big Chicken and chorizo main was 12pp, and the side was about 8 too I think, didn’t work out the dessert as mom will eat that ;0), but at least it shows you can still lead a normal life and don’t have to sit there with a Weight Watcher meal tonight feeling sorry for yourself xx

Yesterday when I was getting ready to go for my burger at Frankie and Benny's I found myself comparing what I could be spending the 56pp on instead of a Manhattan burger and whether it was going be worth it as I’d had to forgo my wine on Saturday night, before I even arrived at the restaurant I’d decided I’d enjoy it but it wasn’t going to taste better than chicken chow mein and a bottle of red wine for under 40pp or big mac and fries and bottle of red wine for 45pp, or my favourite recipe at the moment 40 clove garlic chicken which is only 13pp, I could have that with mashed potatoes made with butter and still have a bottle of white wine for less than this damn burger was going to cost me. I have to say I expected the plate to be huge with loads of chips on it but it wasn’t it was an ordinary oval dinner plate with the equivalent of a MacDonalds large portion of fries, 3 onion rings, a little bit of sauce and this mammoth burger that had 2 6oz burgers in it and a bun, I have to say compared to a big mac for me it didn’t compare, it was too greasy, I took one of the burgers home and even Alfie didn’t want it!

So I realised yesterday ProPoints are like currency, in my mind I thanked Lindsay for her fb comment the other week as it reminded me to think of the lbs not the £'s! When you go clothes shopping you might see an amazing outfit, look at the price tag and realise it’s £300, this makes you think it’s gorgeous but for £300 I could fill my wardrobe with a few things, so you decide again it. The same goes for food, something may look delicious but when you weigh up how many ProPoints it’s going to cost you and how long it will take to eat you might decide it’s not worth it, and you’ll have something else just as delicious and lose the pound on the scales.

So think about it, you have 49pp to last you the week, are you going to blow them on one thing or spread them out at make them last, neither is the wrong decision as long as you think about it and make the choice that’s right for you.

Weigh day for me today, fingers crossed, the second week on the plan is always harder for me than the first and I’ve found this week a real test because of the meal out yesterday, normally I’d enjoy my nightly glass of wine but couldn’t do that this week, however I made it through and hope for a loss. Hope you’ve all made it through another week, and if you haven’t and you slipped, don’t panic or stress about it, start afresh today.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone xx

13th February 2011

To create a masterpiece takes time, and remember you’re working on a masterpiece – YOU!

I went shopping yesterday and you can’t help but notice all the ‘Valentine’ things instore so when I came back sticking with the theme of love we watched the movie Valentine on Sky which was a feel good film for the weekend. So sticking with the theme of love, lets work on the self love, the being kind to yourself, and encouraging yourself and telling yourself how fabulous you are ;-) Because YOU ARE AMAZING you just don’t always realise it.

Driving back from the shop I heard Pinks new song ‘Perfect’ on the radio so I thought I’d let her lyrics do the work this morning, because as she sings and she’s so true, “don't you ever ever feel, Like you're less than, less than perfect”. The entire lyrics are below, read them, she’s so right and if you can start to see your perfect your body and mind starts to agree with you and weight loss gets easier – honest.

Well today’s Frankie & Benny day, but I have to go walk Alfie first as he allowed me to have a bit of a lie in this morning, but is now crying at my feet!

Enjoy your day xx

Perfect

Made a wrong turn, once or twice
Dug my way out, blood and fire
Bad decisions, that's alright
Welcome to my silly life
Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood
Miss 'No way, it's all good', it didn't slow me down
Mistaken, always second guessing, underestimated
Look, I'm still around

Pretty pretty please, don't you ever ever feel
Like you're less than, less than perfect
Pretty pretty please, if you ever ever feel like you're nothing
You are perfect to me!
You're so mean, when you talk about yourself, you were wrong
Change the voices in your head, make them like you instead
So complicated, look happy, you'll make it!
Filled with so much hatred, such a tired game
It's enough! I've done all I can think of
Chased down all my demons, I've seen you do the same


Oh, pretty pretty please, don't you ever ever feel
Like you're less than, less than perfect
Pretty pretty please, if you ever ever feel like you're nothing
You are perfect to me

The whole world's scared so I swallow the fear
The only thing I should be drinking is an ice cold beer
So cool in line, and we try try try, but we try too hard and it's a waste of my time
Done looking for the critics, cause they're everywhere
They dont like my jeans, they don't get my hair
Exchange ourselves, and we do it all the time
Why do we do that? Why do I do that?


Why do I do that?
Yeah, oh, oh baby, pretty baby!
Pretty pretty please, don't you ever ever feel
Like you're less than, less than perfect
Pretty pretty please, if you ever ever feel
Like you're nothing, you are perfect to me
You're perfect, you're perfect to me!
Pretty pretty please, if you ever ever feel like you're nothing
You are perfect to me

12th February 2011

A habit is like a comfortable bed, easy to get into but harder to get out of.

How true is the above comment! It’s not easy to change your habits, which is why you shouldn’t beat yourself up when you don’t do it immediately! If you’re trying your best to stay focused and on track but occasionally slip because of ingrained old bad habits you can hardly give yourself a hard time for not being perfect. When a child’s trying to learn to ride a bike or walk if the fall over, do you shout at them? I hope not, so don’t shout at yourself either. Change is difficult for most of us and I’m sure we will all find it easier if we are nice to ourselves, rather than beating ourselves up.

I ate out yesterday with 3 other leaders, we’re supporting each other and we all ignored the bread basket and ProPointed our meals and had a really good afternoon, which shows you can with a little effort have a great time and stay on track.

I’m typing this on my new pc, and I was amazed yesterday at how easy it was to set up! I can’t believe apart from the cost, one of the main reasons I’ve put off buying a replacement desktop pc for so long is because I was dreading setting it up! I’ve put up with my old pc which has been a nightmare for the last 12 months because of the fear of change and how difficult it would be to choose and set up a new one. I think lots of us are like this with losing weight too, we think it’s going to be more difficult than it is. Change is much easier if we embrace it rather than dread it. Choose to see the change as good and then you can enjoy it. For example I used to dread the idea of having to go and decide and prepare what I was going to have for my dinner and now I take great pleasure in sitting watching tv at the weekend and looking through my Weight Watcher magazines and cook books looking for new recipes to try. I have to admit, I’ve never enjoyed cooking and eating so much in all my life and I’m losing weight so it’s all good.

The same goes for exercise, you can’t expect yourself to suddenly go from doing nothing to doing 4 or 5 hour long sessions at the gym each week! The most important thing to do is to find an activity you enjoy doing, this might take some experimenting, go try different classes, if you don’t like them don’t go back! I now really enjoy walking Alfie each morning come rain or shine, that has built up gradually since we had him, at first he could only be walked for 5 minutes and if it was raining or I was busy I didn’t want to go. Now come 7am or whatever time it starts to lighten up we’re both ready to go. I enjoy the quiet time, whereas others like to do something more energetic like zumba, or something entertaining, why not try belly dancing, apparently it’s great fun.

I’ve not made any plans for the weekend apart from lunch at Frankie & Benny’s tomorrow, think I need to do a little housework, looking round my office, I can’t see the floor anymore, so maybe earn a few activity ProPoints doing that. Whatever you have planned, enjoy yourself and don’t give yourself a hard time, it’s all about the love xx

February 11th 2011 todays email

We either make ourselves happy or miserable. The amount of work is the same. Carlos Castaneda
Well I didn’t stop yesterday, I had about an hour in the house from 7.30am-8pm, and I somehow managed to use it wisely and make myself an omelette for lunch, how I managed to stop myself overindulging yesterday is beyond me, but I did and I’m very pleased with myself. Let’s hope I’m rewarded on the scales on Monday. I’ve got a busy weekend planned work though not play and I’m hoping this will help me stay on track, setting up a computer doesn’t thrill me I have to say but it’s got to be done! Then I have a mammoth work task to do, hey ho, I’m also getting to have lunch with the ladies and I’m out Sunday for lunch too so there’s some rest in the too.

Finally worked out the ProPoints in a Donor Kebab yesterday and the ones from the chippy on Stubby Lane work out to approximately 30pp including pitta but not including sauces, a chicken meat kebab is approximately 16pp and their chips for a regular portion was 38pp. Mmm not sure if I’d eat those anymore, I think I’d personally rather have a Big Mac for 13pp and a large portion of French fries for 13pp, 26pp total is a better option for me than a Donor Kebab and chips for 68pp!

If you would like to receive motivational texts from me make sure that your mobile number is on your membership card in the meeting next week.

I’ve received my copy of the new Weight Watchers cookbook “Oriental Express” which is due in meetings soon, as you can imagine there’s some fabulous alternatives to your Weigh Day Take Away in there, such as plum & sweet chilli beef kebabs, chicken and vegetable samosas, Thai burgers, spicy beef and lots more, so to get you in the mood here’s a chow mein recipe to save you pounds from your purse and pounds on the scales!

Simplified Chicken Chow Mein – serves 4
(35 total) 9pp per serving

150g (5oz) cooked chicken (cut into thin strips) (5pp)
1 tbsp oil (4pp)
¼ tsp white pepper
¼ tsp chopped garlic
½ lb dried egg noodles (25pp)
Bean sprouts (1 handful)
½ small onion (sliced)
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil (1pp)

Cook noodles by soaking in boiling water for 5-10 minutes or until soft to touch. Clean wok, heat wok until hot and slightly smoky. Add 2 tablespoons oil. Add the chicken and onions and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Turn to low heat and add the garlic and stir-fry for another 15 seconds.

Now add the bean sprouts and noodles. Stir-fry for 4-5 minutes or until the noodles are soft.

Add the salt, dark soy sauce and light soy sauce.

Stir-fry for another minute. Finally add the pepper and sesame oil and stir in.


So I’ve got to get on, lots to do before lunch with the ladies xx

My Tracker - Wednesday, February 09, 2011

used 6 of my weekly ProPoints today, first time this week though, I got a little stressed over my computer problems slowing me down!  Really enjoyed my super quick dinner though even if it didn't look good on the plate, hence no photo ;)

Breakfast
1 medium Banana 0
few strawberries - Quick-added food 0

Lunch
creamy mustard pot pie - 10
roasted veg - 0

Dinner 1 1/2 serving(s) Smash Original 4
35g Cheese, Cheddar 4
chorizo - 3
Subtotal 11








Any Time
WW Strawberry Tart Yogurt - 1
milk in tea -  3
1 serving(s) Pineapple cottage cheese 2
3 small crackers -  2
red wine - 6
Subtotal 14

Food ProPoints values total used 35
Activity pedometer ProPoints values earned 10
(2 really good walks with Alfie, hour on morning, 45 minutes on afternoon)

10th February 2011

Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so Love the people who treat you right. Pray for those who don't.

How I managed to stay on track yesterday I will never know as the day wasn’t easy with my pc playing up, I ended up writing everything by hand and shouting a lot, and my back and knee were absolutely killing me. But instead of raiding the new cookie bites that had been delivered I had a couple of crackers, some pineapple cottage cheese and a Weight Watcher Strawberry tart yogurt for a total of 5pp, so I managed to hold it together – just! The yogurt was lush too!

To try and get me back on a calm balance, I took Alfie for a good long walk to try and take my mind of it all, my thought pattern was it’s going to take me forever to get everything done so why not take an hour out first, and it helped. If you’ve read your copy of YOUR WEEK you will see that in the 3 things to try this week, it suggests planning a walk with your loved ones to earn activity ProPoints while you catch up on their news. Go on try it, or if like me you needed to get away from it all, go alone and enjoy the calm and quiet.

I had comfort food for my tea, I made up some smash and mixed it with a bit of cheese and chorizo and it was scrumptious even Alfie enjoyed it, 11pp well spent, sometimes creating tasty food can take minutes, it didn’t look fab on the plate but it tasted divine.

I’ve noticed a few of you have signed up for the race for life, have you considered running instead of walking, last weeks YOUR WEEK gives you a run plan on page 8 to ensure you do it safely and take you from walking to running in five weeks – worth a try maybe. If you’re already making excuses not to, then you need to read the week before copy which covers, “What’s your excuse?” when it comes to being active. Remember as we discussed in the meetings, even as little as ten minutes here and there can make all the difference, it doesn’t have to be no pain no gain!

So one more day to get through on this failing fast machine and then I’ll probably spend the entire weekend trying to work out what wire goes where ;-) but hopefully will get there in time for next week.

Finding it hard to believe it’s Thursday already, this weeks gone so quickly, I’m on day 11 of my totally tracking run and I can definitely feel the difference – I even left food on my plate yesterday because I was full, that doesn’t happen often ;)

Remember whether you had a good day yesterday or a bad day, whether you got a loss this week or not, what you’re trying to achieve following the ProPoints Plan is a positive thing with long term positive results, it may not happen overnight but it will be worth it. Be 100% honest with yourself, track and ProPoint everything, if you don’t know how many PP in something because you don’t have the nutritional information guestimate it, that’s better than writing nothing, if you want to be over accurate guess how much you think it would weigh and ProPoint it as sugar or butter, you don’t get higher in value that those really!

Tremendous Tracking Thursday all round everyone xx

My ProPoints Tracker 8th February 2011

Breakfast

1 medium Banana 0
4 small Plums  0
1/4 pint(s) Milk, Skimmed for drinks 1
Subtotal 1

Lunch
Creamy mustard chicken, spicy rice and carrots - 13

Dinner

Dinner
savoury cheesecake, olives, cottage cheese and salad - 9
white wine - 6


Food ProPoints values total used 29
Food ProPoints values remaining 0

Activity  ProPoints pedometer - 6

Trying to save weeklies and acitivites as I'm off out for lunch Friday and off to Frankie and Benny's sunday!

9th February 2011

In the pursuit of happiness, the difficulty lies in knowing when you have caught up. R.H. Grenville

Damn PC, its taking so long just to log on and do anything but I’m now smiling and cringing at the same time because in the last 45 minutes I’ve spent £460 on a new one which will be with me by the weekend ;) I can’t believe I was just getting control over my credit card after Christmas and I’ve had to add that – hence the cringing. I can’t handle my system being so slow though, I use it everyday for my job so needs must.

So I had another good day yesterday as did lots of my members, the weight losses are still fabulous 339.5lb yesterday – WOW how great are we ;)

I make shortcrust pastry for the first time since I left school I think, I’ve never seen so much flour go in so many directions, a very funny experience for me, and I really must learn to read the instructions properly, it said to use parchment and “baking beans” to cook the pastry blind for ten minutes, I hadn’t got any ‘baking beans’ so used a bag of grey peas I had, didn’t read correctly and put the parchment between the tin and the pastry instead of the pastry and the peas and after ten minutes it took me another ten minutes to pick the peas out of the pastry case ;0) it ended up edible at the end so it wasn’t a problem and it go me away from the pc for a while!

I did make a fabulous mustard chicken dish from Jamie 30 minute cook book and I just have to share that recipe with you as its scrumptious;

Mustard Chicken with leeks = total 28pp, 8pp each

a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
4 x180g chicken breasts, skin off (18pp)
4 teaspoons Colman’s mustard powder
3 baby leeks or 1 large leek (trimmed, halved lengthways & finely sliced)
4 cloves of garlic (crushed)
100ml White Wine (2pp)
75ml single cream (4pp)
1 heaped teaspoon wholegrain mustard

Tbsp olive oil = (4pp) (best to use the Weight Watcher oil spray for maximum coverage & you’ll save PP)

Turn the heat under the trying pan up to medium. Pick and finely chop the leaves from the rosemary sprigs and sprinkle them into the pack of chicken. Sprinkle l teaspoon of mustard powder over each breast, then season and drizzle some olive oil over the chicken and into the frying pan. Massage and rub these flavours all over the meat. Put the chicken breasts in the pan, skin side down. Wash your hands well. Use a fish slice to press down on the chicken to help it cook. lt should take around 18 minutes in total – mine took longer as they were big breasts!.

Add leeks to one side of pan. Add garlic to pan of chicken, flip the chicken breasts, then press down again. Stir in the leeks and the white wine.

Check the chicken is cooked through, and then pour 75ml of cream into the frying pan. Transfer the chicken breasts to a board and slice into uneven pieces. Stir 1-heaped teaspoon of wholegrain mustard into the sauce, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Spoon the sauce onto the plates and put the sliced chicken on top. Serve.

I had mine with some rice and julienne carrots and it was very filling.

Well I’ve got to get on as this has took 30 minutes longer than it usually does because of the pc, have a fabulous ‘on track’ day. xx

Tracker 7th February 2011

Breakfast = 0pp
Banana
Apple
3 plums
grapes
and a glass of zero pointed smoothie made with sugar free squash and mixed berries

Lunch = 15pp

2 buttermilk chicken drumsticks

vegetable tart made with puff pastry

sundried tomato giant couscous

Because I'm not a big snacker, sometimes I have my fruit for breakfast which means I can have a larger lunch.







Dinner

Speedy spicy rice 8pp = tea in ten minutes

 I didn't measure veggies used chopped onions, 1 sliced orange pepper, sliced mushrooms. 5pp worth of chorizo (weighed on WW scales), 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, clove of garlic crushed, splash of sherry then added 2 minutemicrowave  rice (Thai chilli flavour I think). It has a real kick and was v v filling. That was half the pan.

served with a glass of white wine = 7pp



Total ProPoints used today = 29
Activity ProPoints earned on Pedometer = 7pp
I drank boiled water all day rather than tea or coffee, I do actually enjoy it!

8th February 2011 facebook email

When you're happy you look nice, when you're sad you don’t!
I’m having computer problems, word keeps freezing and it’s taking twice as long to do anything so I think I’m going to have to replace mine, can’t complain I suppose I’ve had it almost 6 years, it’s just the nightmare of choosing the right one, hey ho such is life.

Well the good news is I lost 3lb yesterday when I got weighed, I was thrilled, first week back on track this year, especially as I haven’t felt like I was on a diet as such, I’ve cooked some delicious food, and still managed to drink my wine by doing plenty of walking using my pedometer. If you’re interested to see what I spent all my ProPoints on last week, here’s a link to my tracker;

http://wwbevsworld.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-tracker-january-31st-february-6th.html

Today I’m hoping to cook Jamie Olivers Mustard Chicken which will use those leeks I mentioned yesterday and also I going to have a bash at a savoury cheesecake! It caught my eye as I was going through some old Weight Watcher cookbooks, sounds different and will be the first time I’ve made pastry since I was at school probably! Here’s the recipe if you fancy having a go yourself.

Red pepper and basil cheesecake

27 Pro Points per recipe
Takes 35 minutes to prepare, 20 minutes to cook + 10 minutes cooling.

Serves 6 - 5pp each, or serves 4 – 7pp each
Freezeable

Not all Cheesecakes have to be sweet, try this savoury version and you’ll be hooked!

For the pastry:
100 g (31/2 oz) plain white flour plus 2 3 teaspoons for rolling
1 tablespoon cornflour
50 g (13/4 oz) polyunsaturated margarine
a pinch of salt


For the filling:
3 red peppers, de-seeded and halved
350g (12oz) low fat plain cottage cheese
2 eggs
2 tablespoons torn fresh basil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

l. To make the pastry, mix the flour and cornflour together in a bowl. Rub in the margarine with your fingertips, under the mixture resembles line breadcrumbs. Add the salt and then stir in enough cold water to make a soft dough.

2. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5/ l 90°C/fan oven l70°C. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry so it is big enough to line the base and sides of a 20 cm (8 inch) fluted loose-bottomed flan tin.

3. Lift the pastry into the tin and prick the base with a fork Line with non-stick baking parchment and baking beans. Bake blind for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and the beans and return the pastry to the oven for 10 minutes.

4.Meanwhile, grill the peppers under a high heat, skin side up until the skins blacken and blister. Transfer the peppers to polythene bag and seal. When they are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and roughly chop the flesh.

5. Place the peppers, cottage cheese, eggs, basil and seasoning in a food processor and blend until smooth. Remove the pastry flan case from the oven and spoon in the pepper filling.

6. Return the flan to the oven for 20 minutes, until the filling has set and is firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing into wedges to serve.

Tip: if you don’t have a food processor, chop the red pepper very finely and push the cottage cheese through a sieve. Mix them together with the eggs, seasoning and basil as in step 5 before spooning into the flan case.

Have a fabulous day xx