Look around, it's amazing!

30^th June 2011

Friendship is like a bank account. You can't continue to draw on it without making deposits.

What an absolutely gorgeous day, it wasn’t until we finally arrived at the park 40 minutes after leaving the house that I realised I hadn’t really been paying attention to where we’d been walking, it actually took me a few minutes to remember the route Alfie had taken me because we always go different ways.  Usually I’m very aware and mindful of my surroundings I was quite surprised, but wherever my head had been it was almost meditative. 

Do you walk round in a daze, are you letting your life pass you by and missing the small stuff.  I try to notice the small stuff, especially when I’m walking in the morning because it is so peaceful and quiet, the photos are just some of the beauty I noticed this morning in the half hour after I came back to the moment, and became totally aware of where we were going again! 

 
Isn’t the world a beautiful place when you pay attention to the things that matter and stop focusing on the doom and gloom?  That’s why I don’t read the papers or watch the news, it’s much too depressing.

Here’s a tasty new breakfast idea - mix 50g extra light Philadelphia cheese with 1 teaspoon honey, spread over a warm WW bagel then top with sliced banana 6pp but very tasty and filling, and doesn’t have to be eaten only at breakfast time!

 

Another idea for a dessert, get a WW toffee bar, chocolate orange or caramel whip bar and chop into small pieces then pop into the freezer.  Make up a packet of Weight Watcher Strawberry whip (or angel delight type dessert of any make).  Add the frozen chocolate piece and pile high with banana slices.  Alternatively make the banana ice cream to add the chocolate pieces too or freeze the whip as well.  Mmm, the options are never ending, if only you let your imagination take over.

More members to goal yesterday, well done Lynsey and Debbie, just fantastic to see all these happy ladies walking out with their gold envelopes.  Remember it's the journey not just the goal that matter, a huge well done to Debbie last night for reaching her 8 stone weight loss - how absolutely amazing is that !! Whether you've lost 8lb or 8stone you all ROCK!  Never forget that. x

Yesterday I came across a very moving and powerful poem, written by Laura Nation 'This one is for you' is a powerful farewell to an eating disorder. Now if you know me at all, you know  I think it's more important to love yourself and your body whatever its size than to obsess about your weight to the extent that it makes you unhappy. Listen to it and realise YOU ARE GORGEOUS whatever you weigh. xx

http://youtu.be/qFa5JNfCvIU

I made the crispy potato and meatballs again yesterday, then last night had chicken in sweet chilli mayo, today I think I’m going to make cauliflower cheese of some kind, think I’ll try and get creative ‘-D   Ooo I luvs eating I do. Xx

Busy day so better get on my way. 

Enjoy this glorious morning. xx

Chocolate Bananas!!

29^th June 2011
He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else. Benjamin Franklin

What a glorious morning, me and Alfie have just had a really long walk and unfortunately it hasn’t worn him out and he’s being a little nightmare ;) it’s not easy to write a blog when your dogs throwing toilet rolls and you and growling!

Why is tracking important? Think about it have you had a few nibbles that you didn’t track? These little bites can add up quickly! Tracking helps you be aware and stay accountable. Also studies show that keeping track of food intake can help with weight-loss successEveryone tracks in different ways, .  I’ve started taking photos of my meals if I haven’t got my tracker book to hand so that when I do write it down I can remember EXACTLY what it was I had, not just the bits that suit me to remember.  I’m also being accountable by sharing my tracker via facebook with another leader to keep me in check, when you have to show someone else what you’re eating as you eat it, wow does it make you think twice!

I was being creative in the kitchen yesterday, had bought a cooked chicken the day before and wanted to do something with it so had it with sweet chilli mayonnaise really nice, just added a bit of sweet chilli sauce to some low fat mayo and it made it very tasty indeed especially as it had gone a bit dry, I had it with sunblushed tomatoes, olives, brocolli, and a bit of grated cheese on top, not everyones cup of tea but I liked it.  the chicken would be great in a pitta bread or a wrap for a quick lunch.

Couldn’t decide what to have for my main meal yesterday so just started dicing veggies, eventually this is what I ended up having and it really was a delicious huge portion too, served it on a bed of spinach. 

Linguine with Boursin & Parmesan

Serves 3 at 16pp or 4 at 12pp

300 g Pasta, White, Dried, linguine or spaghetti
50ml vermouth (or dry white wine)
1 small Onion, All Types, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 courgette, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
50g Peas, frozen, or shelled fresh peas
100 g Fromage Frais, Low Fat, Plain
100 g boursin herbs (or any soft cheese)
4 tablespoons skimmed milk
finely grated rind of 1 lemon,
2 tablespoons Cheese, Parmesan, finely grated
1 pinch Salt, and black pepper, freshly ground

Cook the linguine or spaghetti in plenty of boiling, lightly salted water for 10-12 minutes, or according to pack instructions, until just tender.  Meanwhile, warm large frying pan and add finely chopped vegetables, peas and vermouth, heat until cooked, add water if necessary to stop drying out.  When cooked stir in the fromage frais, soft cheese, milk, lemon rind and grated Parmesan. Heat gently, stirring, for 2-3 minutes. Season.  Drain the linguine or spaghetti well, then add to the sauce and stir gently. Transfer to four warmed plates and serve.

A member suggested this desert too;

Chocolate bananas!
Take one banana and cut in half lengthwise
Take a WW caramel whip bar (2ppts) and slice into 5 or six pieces
Place the pieces on one half of the banana and cover with the other half - to form a "sandwich" of sorts. Wrap in tin foil and bake in the over for 15 mins
Even more delicious served with a pot of reduced fat custard or a scoop of lf ice cream (remember to add the ppts)

Two members achieved their goal weight last night and joined the exclusive Weight Watchers gold club, well done Joanne and Julie, you both look fabulous xx

Have a great day xx

Zero icecream!

28^th June 2011

An old man once said, "There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad, and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living.

Normally a lover of the sun, I have to admit I was glad it rained last night and it’s cooler today, must be my age ;D

But if the sun should return here are two recipes to help cool you down the first one is zero propoints!

banana ice cream

This is a great recipe for using up bananas past their best. Supermarkets often sell off spotted bananas cheaply so snap them up and make this amazingly simple ice cream. It contains no cream or sugar so is really good for you too.  Peel 8 ripe bananas, wrap in cling film and freeze overnight.  Allow to soften for 20 minutes then put into a food processor and whiz until thick and creamy. Serve immediately or refreeze.

Make a quick 4pp pud

Instant strawberry ice: Tip 200g frozen strawberries (you can freeze your own for this) into a food processor with 1 large banana, a 100g pot strawberry fromage frais (3pp) and a sprinkling sugar (1pp). Blend until smooth and eat straight away.

Last night in the meeting we were talking about holidays and coping with them without damaging your diet too much and some members actually don’t gain weight on holiday believe it or not because they’ve changed their habits so much they actually don’t want to overindulge as they no longer enjoy or need to do it.  I could see from the smile on one ladies face that she was in that place and I have to admit I was a little envious, it’s a great place to be when your that focused, so far she’s lost two and a half stone and I’m sure she’ll go all the way to goal because she’s enjoying it. 

That’s really the most important thing about weight loss, if you’re not enjoying the journey then the final destination is pointless because you won’t be able to maintain it.  It’s no good eating salad and fish for lunch everyday if you don’t actually like the taste!  Even though I still battle with that last ½ stone of mine because I have changed my eating patterns along the way and no aim for “healthy and happy” rather than “slim and surly” I don’t gain weight, I’ve maintained within 5lb of 11 stone for 2 years now, it may not be my official goal, but it’s a weight I’m happy with and one I can obviously maintain.  I do this by eating foods I enjoy and by allowing myself to indulge ‘just enough’, I rarely eat for emotional reasons these days, I more often than not because I like food and good food at that.

I’ve just had a conversation with my sister at the gate, she’s the same we enjoy the art of eating, if there’s a new food in the shop, we want to try it, we enjoy cooking and there’s nothing wrong with that, I however have made a choice to attempt to keep that love in balance with my love of being comfortable and healthy in my body, my sister decided she prefers the food and beggar the scales.

The most important thing it to find a situation that you’re happy with and for each of us that’s different, I can live in my body as it is right now and I love it, if you can’t and don’t feel the same way about your own body, then you need to make chances to get you where you want to be. Xx

Here’s to becoming the ‘YOU’ you want to be. 

Here comes the sunshine & salads

27^th June 2011

The control centre of your life is attitude. Anonymous

Just got back from walking Alfie, it’s still very warm, can’t believe it went from the rain Saturday to that heat yesterday, although being Britain I shouldn’t really be surprised by the weather.

I’ve not tracked all weekend and I’m hoping for a stayed the same on the scales, I didn’t eat a great deal yesterday, I had a very lazy day, had a sandwich for lunch and an afternoon snooze, the weather wasn’t agreeing with my at all.  Today I’ve already got my bottles of water lined up and my meals planned, back on track, going to have a good week, saving my weekly allowance as of out for lunch on Friday.  Have a cheap week too as it’s my last week as a self-employed person, I start being an employee from Sunday which means I have to last until the end August with no wages!  This is going to be interesting, so I’m feeling beans on toast will be high on the menu, but don’t panic I’ve got my supply of wine tucked under the stairs.

I am putting together some recipes that don’t cost much to make, so if you have any suggestions please email them over, info@happyowls.co.uk and I’ll put together another Bev’s Bites, our charity at the moment is The Teenage Cancer Trust, we’ve raised £60 so far.

According to the facebook page, some of you did manage to stay on track which is brilliant, Lindsay opted for a trip over Cannock Chase instead of a BBQ, and Tammy had earnt 33pp since Wednesday – go girls!

If you have a monthly pass, did you know you can reset where you are, so if you’re on week 8 and you want to start from scratch you can go back and start at week 1, it then sends emails relating to that week, as if you’re starting afresh.  If you haven’t already invested in a monthly pass, please give it a go, buy one in your meeting this week for £12.95, that’ll give you a month to decide if it’s the better option for you.  Not only does it save you money but it also gives you so much more support outside of your weekly meeting, you can track online, build recipes, there’s a ProPoints calculator too.  I use mine daily to find out the ProPoints in anything, I even have an app on my phone so I can track when I’m out and about. 

So if you don’t have a monthly pass, make this the week to try it.

It certainly is salad weather today, and that’s a great way to save ProPoints, some cooked meat, loads of salad, there are also plenty of low fat dressings out there, I’m partial to balsamic vinegar too.  Don’t be fooled all salads are low in ProPoints though, this delicious recipe off the Weight Watchers esource proves that’s not the case;

Salmon and Butterbean Salad

ProPoints® Value: 13 Servings: 1 Preparation Time: 10 min Cooking Time: 15 min Level of Difficulty: Easy

If you or the man in your life thinks salads are for softies, think again. This scrumptious salad ticks all the boxes when it comes to satisfaction.

Ingredients

	100 g Fish, Salmon, Grilled, flaked
	50 g Beans, Butter, Cooked or Canned
	100 g Sweet Potato, boiled or baked, cubed
	20 g Walnut Halves, chopped (as purchased)
	50 g Broccoli, Green, Boiled in Unsalted Water, cooked and cooled
	1 bag(s) Florette Mixed Salad
	2 tablespoons Lemon Juice

Instructions

    Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, drizzle with the lemon juice and season to taste.

Everything that’s green isn’t low in ProPoints, remember that ;D

Enjoy the sunshine xx

Learning from the little people...

26^th June 2011 

Beauty is more than a pretty face and no amount of money can buy a beautiful soul.

Yesterday I had fun, after the Summer Fete at the school, where I did a spot of one of my favourite pastimes of people watching, and that always makes for interesting viewing.  It’s no secret that I adore having children in my Weight Watcher meetings ;D, heck I even supply lollies, so yesterday I watched lots of the little people running round a school yard, even when it poured down with rain they were oblivious to it all, one little girl stood devouring a cup cake, focusing on it so intently as if it was the only thing in world at that moment, she took little mouthfuls and chewed them completely whilst looking at the cake in anticipation on the next bite, but not eating it greedily, she was taking her time and all the time she was getting soaking wet, she hadn’t got a coat on but she didn’t care.  That’s called ‘mindfulness’ and we could all do with practicing some of it in our lives.  We can learn a lot from these little people, mindfulness being only one thing, the next time you indulge in a cup cake or something equally delicious give it that amount of attention, because I watched grown ups eating those same cakes yesterday and they didn’t even taste it because they continued walking round, talking and doing other things at the same time. 

Yes we had lots of fun, Lynne drove over with her husband and their two kids to keep me company and we had fun, face painting, henna designs on the hands, bouncy castles -  this is just the kids and I was sooooooo jealous, I wanted to go on the bouncy castle, I wanted my face painted and if it hadn’t of been raining so much at the end of the day I would have had my hand painted with henna, but we’d already waited 20 minutes in the rain for Jen to get hers done and she was getting soaked.  So instead we’ve ordered some henna from ebay and Jen’s gonna paint my hands for me in the holiday, that’ll be fun – I’ll post photos ;D

Well I don’t believe I’m writing this but after the fete we went to the Wacky Warehouse!  Yes I coped again, I’m not a fan though, I still don’t understand why you can’t check the kids in at the door and go sit in the restaurant next door till their down!  When we finally did get to go eat, we had a a real good giggle, Jen practiced some designs ready for when the henna arrived and she also drew me a picture which is on my wall in my office now.  Me and Will shared dessert – OMG - it was a little bit big and it beat us, we couldn’t finish it. 

So I left with belly ache not from overindulging but from laughing, did you know that humans and apes are the only animals with the capacity for laughter.  Why waste such a precious gift?  A good laugh can make us healthier, happier, more productive, more at ease and shared laughter forges friendships even with the little people!   Here’s a random bit of info for you, someone calculated that if you laughed uproariously for an hour, you’d burn more calories than in an hour of walking!  So if you needed a reason to have a good laugh, there’s one, it also tones 15 facial muscles so it’s a natural cosmetic surgery. 

Laughter really is good for you and kids really know how to do it unreservedly, you can learn a lot from them, they don’t care who’s watching them and whether they’re embarrassing themselves they just laugh and have fun.  So stop being so self aware, let go a little and have a giggle. 

Really tiny babies can teach us a thing or two also!  In my meeting on Thursday was the tiniest baby, 5 days old,  as you can imagine it got a lot of attention. Have you ever watched a baby when their sitting on the floor in their nappies.   All babies usually have plenty of baby fat, and they couldn’t care less. They are happy and joyful; they has no feelings of shame towards their body. They just sat there, smiled and play with those belly rolls.  I wonder at what point that shame kicks in. For almost all of us, it eventually does. Maybe it’s when kids tease us for being fat in school. Or maybe it’s we’re dumped in favour of the pretty one. Or maybe it’s when we look in magazines and see the impossibly airbrushed bodies.

Clearly, shame is not something with which we are born, a babies behaviour is proof of that. We need to learn to dislike our human bodies – and it’s an art that we hone finely.  It’s easy to point fingers at the media or the culture around us, however we also need to share the responsibility; we can want to create a healthier body without hating or disliking the one we already have. You can lose weight whilst loving what is at the same time. (That’s the point of my website www.happyowls.co.uk)

Loving our bodies as they are today is natural – and possible. Turns out, we can learn a lot from a baby. 

Having said all this, I still don’t want any of my own ;D I’m happy to borrow from time to time and watch the really small ones from afar.

If you have a child, why don’t you go have fun with them today, it doesn’t have to cost money, it’s just a case of bringing yourself down to their level and having fun.  We ate yesterday but I never once thought about food, I was too busy having fun.

xx

Building a food mountain!

25^th June 2011  
An education system isn't worth a great deal if it teaches people how to make a living but doesn't teach them how to make a life.

Yesterday I had a 'me day' and took myself out to lunch, I went for a carvery at The Toby pub at Norton Canes roundabout, it was delicious (the meal not the roundabout!) and the gammon was to die for. I was seated not far from the serving counter and it really did make for interesting viewing - watching people try and get as much on their plate as possible was amusing to say the least. One man picked up his Yorkshire pudding and used his mash as a base to stick it back on to, which he had filled with carrots and peas. Most people have two roasters but I worked out that was only because physically they couldn't balance another one onto the plate and unless your canny and realise that after getting your meat you need to start at the other end of the server, then your stuffed so to speak because the good stuffs at the end! What was frightening was the women were having the same size portions as the men with them who were twice their size and we wonder why we have weight problems!

The only people who weren't piling their plates to the ceiling were the oap's, they've obviously got to a point in their lives where they've accepted you can't eat everything on the planet before you die!!!!! The rest of us are apparently still not convinced and still trying to do just that!

Our interaction with food is complicated, we overeat, undereat, we’re obese, we’re anorexic, we’re obsessed.  It’s only to be expected that we have these complicated relationships with food.  Think about it, most human beings that have ever lived have lived with the uncertainty that they will have enough to eat.

We’re programmed, we’re hardwired to be obsessed with food because we’re animals and all animals are obsessed with food.  We have to be!  It’s just that we live out that obsession with complicated ways forced on us by modern life and faced with a new problem, one our ancestors never had, we know we’ll never go hungry unless we choose to, there are no natural limits to our appetites so we have to learn limits, we have to learn when to stop.  We need to teach ourselves when enough is enough!  Isn’t that easier said than done, but I’ll continue teaching myself that lesson for as long as it takes, will you?

Today I'm off to Wodensfield Primary School Summer Fete, (Wednesfield WV11 1PW) if you’re in the area why not pop in and have a natter, it's your chance to get some one on one time as I’ll be there from 11am-1pm, I’m hoping it’s gonna be indoors after all this rain!

I had a lovely card given to me by my boss yesterday which had a copy of an email in it that had been sent in by a member, it was lovely and really nice to be acknowledged. I love my job, it’s the best in the world. Have you ever thought you could do it? Weight Watchers are always on the lookout for inspiring leaders, why not take a look at the recruitment info on their website, you don't have to be like me, and they need different personalities for different members.

http://www.weightwatchers.co.uk/job/MeetingPositions.aspx

Well I better go get ready for 2 hours surrounded by kids!  I must be crazy ;D

Enjoy your day xx  remember when the universe throws rain at you – play in the puddles. xx

I'm taking some time alone with someone wonderful! xx

June 24^th 2011

I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward. Thomas Alva Edison

I’m in slow motion this morning, me and Alfie have aimlessly walked round for 90 minutes and I’ve just enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of Greek Yogurt, banana and honey, it cost me 6pp but it was delicious and light and I’m after energy foods today.  When I’ve wrote this and done my paperwork, I’m going to have an hour in the bath too, I’m making today all about me, I have a few errands I have to do but the rest of the day is for me.  After my bath, I’m going to do a meal plan for the week, maybe cook a meal and as my final treat I have a massage booked, the first this month!

I bought me a book the other week from a gift show and it was called ‘take time alone’ the gift of being with yourself.  It was saying how our lives are so busy. Full of people and things to do. Our days are chaotic and confusing trying to get it all done. We know we need our own personal space. We ache to get away.  The book is about taking time to be with your self. It explains it can be more important to be with your own self than to be with others. It is as important to be in "your world" as it is to be in "the world".  But it is hard to take time alone. We feel we are wasting time. There are parts of our lives we would rather not think about, so we keep busy.  By taking time alone we can look at unresolved problems and be in touch with our sadness.  By being with all the different parts of ourselves, we will grow and become more whole.  What we find within ourselves, when we take time alone, is enormous. We can rediscover who we really are. We look within and see the things that are precious and meaningful to our lives. We realize our hopes and dreams. We are nourished by just "being". We find a sense of calm that renews us.  It then goes on to tell you all the reasons it’s good to be alone.  How true, so today I’m going to find me a bit of that alone time.

I believe spending time alone is a great way to clear your mind and rejuvenate your thinking. Some people do not like to be alone whereas others love it. Either way, if you want to be as happy as possible, it's important to rejuvenate your mind regularly and "balance" your thinking.

While there are many ways to achieve this (like meditation or exercise, for example) one thing everyone can do is to spend some time alone, just reflecting on life, appreciating beauty, prioritising activities, and just being present in the moment.

Many people - even those who like spending time alone - use the excuse that there's just no time for it. These are the people who need it most and must make the time. Importantly, like a great financial investment, the time you "invest" in being alone - even for just a few minutes - will reap significant benefits by making you more productive the rest of the time.

Here are some simple ideas for spending time alone.

• Take a walk around the park or along a beach
• Go somewhere and watch a sunset from start to finish
• Walk or drive around your neighbourhood
• Go to the gym
• Stroll through a public garden
• Lock yourself in a room with headphones on and listen to music
• Meditate
• Take a nap
• Read a book

Think of your own "best way" to "get away" and spend time alone. It doesn't matter how you do it, it's just important that you do it ... and do it regularly. You will almost certainly get something from it.

I’m going to use some time alone to help me get back on track with my diet, one of my members (thanks Sue) suggested that if you were struggling you should put yourself first and remember your reasons, so that’s what I’m going to do, I’m going to sit down with all my books and have a few hours in my office working on ME ;D, I’m going to put the ‘do not disturb’ sign on my facebook and office door, I’m going to turn my phone on silent and I’m going to have a few hours taking care of me.  I feel better already!

I hope each day will bring you time alone with someone wonderful... you!

I can see a rainbow...

23^rd June 2011

I always see better with my heart.

 

My members never cease to amaze and inspire me, you truly are all incredible.  Yesterday in my morning meeting Sue reached her 4 ½ stone which in itself is stunning, she’s had a few bad weeks then this week lost 4lb which was brilliant, when I asked what she’d done differently this week, her reply, “I put myself first”, that was also her advice for anyone who’s struggling, remember your reasons for wanting to lose weight?  Stop for a second now and answer the question, “Why do you want to lose weight?”  Some of the reasons posted on the facebook wall yesterday were;

“I want to lose weight for health reasons and because I want to be around for a long time to come yet to annoy people x”

 “I want the old me to come back!! I have had 3 children in the last 3yrs and its taken its toll on my figure lol I've never been small but I've never been this big either!!! I want my confidence back and to be able to wear nice clothes again!! And also I want to be around for my babies and see them all grow up into young men! I wanna be a yummy mummy ;D xx”

“When I look in the mirror I don't see me. I see the wife & mother not Sharon & I want her back!”

"I want to be healthy!”

"I want to be active and not embarrassed when I put on my swimming costume when I take my kids swimming”

 “I want to look and feel sexy, enjoy the complements that others give, enjoy buying normal size clothes x”

"I don't wanna be the fat mom at the school gates! i wanna be able to feel confident wherever i go and my kids to live a healthy life because of what i show them x”

"I want a makeover when I get to goal ! Ready for the confident .....Me...!”

"I just want to see something nice in mirror!!”

All good reasons, although I’d like to say you’re all already sexy, that’s more a state of mind than a physical appearance thing, and you can decide to be confident right now, I’ve been two stone lighter than I am now but wasn’t as confident, now I love what I see in the mirror and if someone else doesn’t like what they see, they can always look the other way. Xx

One of my members was insulted via facebook yesterday by someone she didn’t know, they judged her on her size, this is a reflection on her not my member, when someone says hurtful things it’s really difficult not to take offence and be upset by those words, however you can choose to ignore them, remember no one can hurt you without your permission.  And this person didn’t know my member, I do and she’s gorgeous, intelligent, funny and kind so that girls missed out on a fantastic opportunity to make a new friend, her loss.

The other question I asked on facebook yesterday was, “What advice would you give to a struggling member, a few answers were;

“Keep trying and stay focused, iv gained the past 2 weeks even though i did lots of activity and tracked, not feelin confident about wi but I will be there tonight, iv hit a wall but I will eventually climb over it!! Everything worth achieving takes time.”

“Never give up and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Just cuz you've on weightwatchers for a while doesn’t mean you remember everything said to you, if you don’t wanna ask for help, then stay after meeting for the new member talk :)”

“Don’t lie to yourself! write everything down you eat and i mean everything.... I do! even when i pick off the kids plates, I write it down, sometimes probably more points than what it is, but I know I’m covered...and never give up...we all have bad wks. i know i have...but keep head up and carry on, if u make a mistake try to forget it and carry on the next day. we can do it!!!”

“Keep at it - & I know it's boring but WEIGH EVERYTHING!”

I think we all agree it’s worth the struggle, worth sticking out until the end because you’re worth it.

I saw a rainbow this morning, there’s always a pot of gold at the end of those too. xx

The Amber Light

22^nd June 2011

SMILE and be happy, the day is brand new. This is the day the universe made for YOU!

Two of my members – Lynne and Gemma - achieved their goal weights yesterday and went home with the exclusive gold membership pack and Alison achieved her 50lb certificate, a total of 229lb lost yesterday at Willenhall, which shows that the weight loss continues.

Do you have or have you ever suffered from the BUT Syndrome?  It’s a terrible affliction and one I see quite often at the scales, if I’m attempting to help a member at the scales find a solution to their weight loss problem and I hear the word ‘BUT’ or ‘HOWEVER’ I automatically know they have either not listened to me, don’t agree with what I’ve said or is going to ignore completely what I’ve just said!  Think about this, I can only make suggestions for solutions, the only person who knows the real solution is you, so say to yourself, okay this is my problem, how do I solve it?  You won’t say ‘BUT’ to yourself or maybe you will!    

Are you guilty of being able to think of more excuses and reasons not to be able to lose weight, than solutions and reasons to lose weight?  How important is weight loss to you?  There have been times in my life when it was all that mattered and there have been times when I didn’t give two hoots about how much I weighed.  I have to say neither extreme made me happy, but this middle ground I’ve discovered works just fine and keeps me smiling, I want to be healthy and a reasonable weight but it’s not the only thing that matters in my life, good friends, good company, good food, fine wine and a walk in the park with my dog are just as important.  If you don’t find a balance you’ll never be happy, obsessing constantly about your weight and getting upset over it is just as unhealthy as eating as much as possible and gaining.   

Our weight doesn’t make us unhappy, we do, remember it’s a choice, that’s why you can go from happy to miserable or angry or any other emotion in a split second, that’s why someone can walk towards my scales smiling and as soon as they’ve seen the numbers on the scales they get upset, they’re weight didn’t change in that moment, its just that their minds have suddenly chose to acknowledge the fact and get upset about it.  I missed one particular member yesterday, she didn’t come to get weighed (you know who you are) and I had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before she missed a meeting because she was giving the scales and those numbers too much power over her, it was all about the numbers (and lets be honest it is for the majority of us, even me at times).  Unfortunately if you give them that much power, they can take over, instead focus on eating healthy and feeling better and then the weight loss is a side effect and a very nice one too.

It’s not just weight, it’s anything that happens in your life, for example as I’m typing my internets gone down, now I could get really stressed about that because if it doesn’t come back on I’m not going to be able to post my blog before I go to work, or I can just continue typing and believe it will come back on and if that’s not before I leave for work, then I’ll post the blog later.

If you’re an emotional eater that situation might send you to the kitchen looking for something to pre-occupy you, heading to the kitchen strikes quite often for a lot of us, especially in the evenings when you’re sat in front of the tv, maybe you’re bored or tired or lonely or even happy because you’ve had a fabulous day.  It’s often suggested that when that moment strikes you distract yourself by finding something else to do, this is one option but it does avoid facing the problem.  Why not try ‘The Amber Light’ idea, we know red is for stop and green is for go, but Amber is that moment in-between. 

When you reach that moment when you suddenly want something and you know you’re not hungry, you can choose to have something to eat or you can take a moment to try and break that automatic response by thinking about why you want it.  Firstly acknowledge the urge to eat has been caused by something other than hunger, and decide (on this occasion, just once) to wait for a short time.  Make a decision how long we are willing to wait with whatever is causing your craving to eat, even if it’s only a minute, it’ll give you time to think.  Time it on your watch or using the clock on the mantel piece and for that time, experience your feelings and any emotions that may come up. Notice any physical sensations you may have or any thoughts.  Finally promise yourself that if we still want to eat it you can but acknowledge it won’t make any difference to how you’re feeling at that time.  Who knows it might be all you need to stop you on that occasion.

xx

Get stuffed!!!

21^st June 2011

 A habit is something you can do without thinking - which is why most of us have so many of them.

Decided instead of going to my meeting last night because both my friends were on holiday and my meeting ran over, plus I had to give my tea lady a lift home, I got weighed by my clerk and I took Alfie for a walk instead, more exercise, so extra bonus ProPoints earned, a whooping total for the day of 10.

So I didn’t lose but as I said yesterday, I’m in no rush, I love me already and I can wait a while for the weight loss, there’s no rush, I’m not going anywhere.   After my comment yesterday about being a ‘lifer’ one of my members rejoined last night and made me smile when she said “if you’re a lifer, I must be a serial offender”, she rejoins every summer, so this year, I’m getting her to goal and she’s going to stay there!

Mmm stuffed peppers were on the menu yesterday and they were scrumptious and if I’m honest the tastiest thing I’d eaten since Friday besides cheese on toast!  Why oh why don’t I cook everyday because I really enjoy the food so much more than instant junk.

So here’s how I made my 3pp each stuffed peppers;

6 peppers (red or orange) (cut top off, scoop middle out and roast in oven until cooked)

80g smoked dry cured streaky bacon lardons (had mine from Morrisons)

Chorizo (weighed 2pp worth)
1 courgette – diced
1 carrot – diced
200g mushrooms – chopped
1 yellow pepper – diced
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Glug of Worcestershire sauce
3 glugs of Mushroom ketchup (bought mine from Waitrose)
6pp total of cheese
1 garlic clove chopped
Garlic salt

Fry all ingredients together until cooked, spoon into cooked peppers, sprinkle with cheese and grill. Delicious, had two and was very filling.

 I didn’t have the best start to the week with my daily ProPoints intake yesterday and I was going to wipe the slate clean this morning and start again, instead I’ve sat down and worked out the total was 53, five and a half biscuits cost me 10pp, what a waste! 

 Why did I do it?  That’s the million dollar question isn’t it for any of us when we overeat isn’t it, I could say I just ‘couldn’t help myself’ OR ‘I just fancied the biscuits’ OR ‘they were just there so I ate them’ OR ‘I’m hormonal’ OR ‘I was hungry’, on this occasion I couldn’t blame it on the weather or the fact I’d had a bad day or anything negative as I was in a good mood.  So I’ll say it could’ve been more than one of those options, I am hormonal, there were just there so I ate them, but the real reason was ‘I CHOOSE TO OVEREAT’, that doesn’t make me or you or anyone a bad person for doing it, it’s just a decision we make sometimes, did I enjoy them?  At the time yes, are they work gaining weight for – NO, not for me personally anyway, so this week I now only have 25 weekly ProPoints left, I’m going to do my best to not use any of my activity ProPoints too because I would like a loss next week when the girls get back from their holidays.

Here’s to a ‘within allowance’ day, hopefully you’re with me. xx