Smile in the sunshine...

4^th September 2012

When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that is in itself a choice.

Feeling good this morning, actually heard mom singing yesterday which was a sound I hadn’t heard for a week, the anti-sickness tablets seem to be helping enormously, and the doctors now sending her for blood tests too, so all good on the taking care of mom front.  She had me sawing branches up the garden yesterday; I’ve even got me a blister on my finger as evidence!  I was extremely grateful when my brother turned up and took over bless him, I’m not one for manual labour these days I have to say, I’ve got arthritic hands that really don’t appreciate it.

Not being dramatic at all my mom, she asked me if I’d wash her bedding yesterday morning because if she dies she’d like it to be in a clean bed!  She’s not going to be dying this week but I do love the seriousness on her face bless her.  I’m betting that line will be used a lot over the next few weeks, ‘Bev can you do some gardening for me, if I die I want the ambulance to pull onto a tidy drive”, or “Bev can you hoover, if I fall and die I want it to be on a clean floor”.  Oh yes I can imagine it now ;-)

Although I know she has no plans to go anywhere because she’s talking about cutting out the junk she eats, and getting plenty fruit and veg and proper food inside her, now she’s lost half stone accidentally she’s up for keeping it off, she quite likes being lighter than her Weight Watcher leader daughter!

The chopped salad is keeping well the fridge, day 3 yesterday and still tasted fine, had it with mackerel in mustard sauce (7pp) for my lunch and had mushrooms on a muffin spread with extra light Philadelphia for my breakfast – very nice both were.  For my tea I had the chicken and rice casserole 10pp (recipe on yesterday’s blog).  Mom just had a chicken sandwich with some salad for lunch then a corned beef sandwich for tea, so much for chicken noodle soup for the soul, her response was, “Oh not I don’t want proper food, I’ll just have a sandwich” I can’t believe she’s lost half a stone in a week, I’m having to remind her to eat and almost making her! 

I definitely don’t need to shop for food, normally I would’ve done a biggish shop by now but because I bothered to look in the freezer and see what I’d got I realised I have food left from my last shop and the one before which needs to be consumed.  I can’t decide whether to shop online or not, I’m working on a shopping list but I actually do like the walking round the shop, I think I’ve said before I find it quite therapeutic and with mom not being 100% it’s an hours break for me without going too far away, although I might suggest she comes with me when I do go to get her out of the house.

My meal list is still a work in progress, I’ve got enough planned for the week, I keep getting distracted, I was going to sit and do it last night but my brother turned up so that stopped that idea, hey ho, no rush I have a cupboard full of food and a week planned already.

Loving this weeks meeting talk and I’m already thinking of things I can change after discussing it in my meeting yesterday morning, it’s amazing how the bad habits can slip back in.

Lastly before I get ready for work, there’s often confusion about jacket potatoes and how to ProPoint them, here’s some info I’ve copied from the Weight Watcher website that will hopefully help it make sense.

Clearing up any confusion about Jacket Potatoes on the ProPoints plan

Written by susiewilkinson on 09/06/2011 12:14

As we’ve had some member queries regarding the ProPoints value of jacket potatoes on the ProPoints plan I thought it would be helpful to discuss this in my blog this week...

The below table shows the ProPoints value of potatoes, raw and cooked:

Food ProPoints value (per 50g)

Raw Potato 1
Bolied Potato 1
Baked Potato 2

So, why does a baked potato have a higher ProPoints value than a boiled or raw potato? The answer is simple; when you bake a potato there is a change in the overall weight and composition of the potato. Baking a potato results in water loss through evaporation and that loss results in the potato becoming lighter in weight; but it still contains the same number of calories.

In other words, the energy density of baked potato increases as its weight goes down. Water doesn't evaporate from potato when it is boiled, so its energy density stays the same as when it was raw.

This means that you should choose 'Baked' potato instead of 'Raw' or 'Boiled' potato to calculate the ProPoints value of a potato that has been cooked by baking (for example if you are eating out).

If you are a meetings member, remember you can refer to p49 of the Pocket GUIDE you received in your ProPoints plan folder.

Enjoy those spuds!