Yesterday afternoon was so relaxing...

31st July 2016

Be happy for this moment.  This moment is your life.  Omar Khayyam

I had a lovely relaxing day yesterday, downloaded me the book "beside myself" by Ann Morgan, not my usual read, let's be honest I don't have a usual read and I don't read that often but just felt like losing myself in a book and having an almost day off.  It was only 99p on Kindle but then it offered me the audio version for £2.99 and I thought yeah why not.  I sat with my colouring book all afternoon listening to the book, I'm half way through already, it's one of those books I need to know how it turns out.

At the meeting on the morning we had good chat, as always there were giggles, Kaj showed us the correct way to use weigh scales;

Plus there was Weight Watcher friendly cake, Julies Lemon and lime crunch cake (5sp a slice), mom confirms this is particularly nice with a little pot of custard on top, a good treat for controlled Smart Points.  I really liked the biscotti biscuits (3sp each) Tina made, to me they tasted like grown up Farley's rusks and rusks are on my fav food list!    Lisa was very clever in her thinking, she did fruit skewers with strawberries, pineapple, grapes, blueberries and they looked so pretty and zero Smart Points is always a winner.  I can see me buying myself some skewers as I think that would make me want to eat them, I eat with my eyes for sure.

I might have that Weight Watcher chicken lemon risotto meal out of the freezer for my dinner today, I want to try and finish my book so I won't be doing much else, although can I say the first thing I did when I got out of bed this morning was clean my bedroom window!  Alfie sits up there and makes a mess of the window and I finally thought, it's that time, they really need doing, you've been saying it for a week and if you don't do it now, you'll forget again until you wake up in the morning!  So that's today's housework ;)  no I'm going to do a bit especially as I've got my book on audio, I can do the two things at the same time.  This may be the future, housework book listening!

This week in meetings I've asked members to answer this question;

"In order to lose weight next week, what could I....

Stop doing

Start doing

Change

Continue to do

We've then spent some time discussing our responses, it's always interesting that we agree on so many of the things we write or that we get ideas for what we could have written.   What would I write, mmm...  Before you read on if you missed you're meeting this week, write yours down first so you're not influenced by mine!

I said, Stop panicking!  Occasionally when I look at a menu, I get all excited, no I always get excited at menus, I just occasionally panic when I start reading some of the things and because I'm excited over the choices, I panic because I know I'm likely to go crazy and order loads.  I think as members we sometimes see certain ingredients and think NOOOO!  For example on Monday when I went to Weston Park and noticed the delicious vegetarian burger, I thought mmmm, carrot, herb and cashew burger, but as soon as I read 'cashew' I was ooo nuts, they're really high, that'll be mega points, blah, blah, blah.  Then I realised what I was doing and reminded myself it wasn't a handful of cashew nuts in a veggie burger that was at the root of my weight gain, it was the constant overeating of crap, the endless meals that had no thought put into them at all.  I ordered it, even when it came out with the bowl of chips (small bowl btw) I thought that's okay, it's a balanced meal and it's okay to enjoy.  I lost weight too remember so I was right to enjoy that meal.

What could I start doing, mmm, I'm going to start shopping for a family of 2 and a dog, not a family of 4 or 6.  In other words, stop overbuying, stop getting excited in the supermarket.  I really don't need that much food.   

I'm going to continue to walk with mom and Alfie, it's really made a difference to my steps but also making me take an hour out of my day at least instead of working straight through, that's important!  It's also helping me get my vitamin D.  Oh and I'm still getting everything that MUST be done, done!

What can I change, this was the one most people struggled with, this one's probably easy for me to answer, I'm going to change some of my mid week evening glasses of wine for alcohol free lager or water, or maybe a cup of tea!   Notice I said "some", I'm being realistic, drinking wine is something I enjoy doing and if I stop, it won't last, I know it won't.  I've lost weight whilst drinking wine and I know I can do it again, it's all about balance!

Right I'm off, I've got a book to get back too ;) I want to know what happens!  Here's to a fantastic day, I do hope we get more sunshine than cloud today, it wasn't the best yesterday, and sitting outside reading is more fun than sitting inside! 

I do believe I'm improving!

30th July 2016

Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail,  Charles F Kettering

It's only bloomin Saturday and the last one in July already!  On my days, where has this month gone, it's just whizzed by.  I tried but didn't win the Workweek Hustle on the fitbit challenge, I've either come second or third, but I'm really proud because I did over 60,000 on the week, I haven't been doing that many over 7 days for months let alone 5 days.  We've started a weekend one now which might encourage me to get more active today and tomorrow rather than sitting on my behind, although I do fancy doing some sitting down, I'm a bit shattered to be honest!

Oh I almost forgot mom lost 1/2lb so only 1lb off her 100lb award and I lost 2lb, I was really pleased with that, especially as I'd eaten out twice last week and had chippy for tea Thursday, just shows doesn't it, you don't have to be perfect.  We went for a carvery for lunch yesterday, it was the worst I've ever had and I only ate the meat and yorkshire, so at least that saved me some Smart Points!

Cracking meeting last night too, now and again you get that gem of a member who makes everyone smile, and we most certainly have one of those at Essington, she had us all in stitches last night, apparently if you hold 2 digestives together, it's only 1 biscuit!

I'm going to do a bit of baking this weekend too, we've been baking Weight Watcher friendly cakes and asking for donations in the meeting to raise money for church and we're doing quite well, we all like cake but we don't want to bake lots because we'll eat lots!

A handful of us also agreed to do a paper tracker, our names have been written on them so we can't cheat and I will do it now I've made that commitment, here's to an awesome week I say, if I lose a pound I'll be in the next stone bracket, I've nearly been in that bracket a few times this year then had a bad week or month, so it's about time I did it and stopped messing about! 

The walking is definitely helping, even if we're not going very fast, its good to get a bit of fresh air none the less. 

I actually need to think about meals today because I haven't got anything planned, there is a joint of beef in the fridge actually, I might put that in the oven on really low and do a roast dinner, it's got to be better than what was served to us yesterday!  It can't be worse that's for sure.

Right let's start my day, got another cracking meeting this morning followed by a day with mom, not sure on our plans might try and get to Weston Park today or tomorrow to see how the archaeologists have got on with the cave.  I also want to cut down some of the shrubs up the back garden and fill the green bin - more rock and roll lifestyle right there!

Have a great weekend BeYOUtiful, stay healthy and happy xx

Had me a lie in, ain't I!

29th July 2016

Turn your face toward the sun and the shadows will fall behind you.  Maori proverb

Well check me out, I've only slept to almost 9am, BOOM!  I did take night nurse to help with that though, it's annoying me that the cold and throat I had the other week is just lurking so I thought a guaranteed sleep might help and it's not gone, I'm still a bit snotty, I've still got a bit of a cough, but at least I've slept!

If I hadn't got to be somewhere, I actually think I'd go back to bed and stay there till lunchtime, I never do that!  However I've got some paperwork to do, a car to stock ready for tonight and a Weight Watcher meeting to go get weighed at - it better be good news or I'll wish I'd stayed in bed ;)

I'm trying to remember what I ate yesterday, my brains not woke up yet, I know I had, ahhh I can check my Weight Watcher app and find out - doh!  Breakfast was a cooked salmon fillet leftover from the night before on a flat bread (9sp), lunch was left over meatballs and rice from the day before (12sp) and tea was I'm going to confess, chips and gravy from the chippy, I'd been thinking about them all day.  I asked for a cone of chips and a small gravy, I threw half the chips away, they gave me a bag not a cone what's that all about, normally I'd have shared them with mom but she can't chew, so I put them in the wastebin rather than in my waistbin!  I'd say they cost me 20sp, but the y were worth it.  Well if I manage a loss this morning they were worth it, if I don't I'll wish I'd have had a glass of wine with them to wash them down instead of a cup of tea!

So I just turned my radio on and they were asking an author about her book, I was interested so went on Amazon and typed in what I thought it was called and a book came up that actually sounded good, but I thought I'd check for sure so went onto Radio 2 website to check and it turns out it was a different book that also sounded good, so now I have two books about Nina on their way to me, I WILL read these books, I haven't read a book for months all the way through so when they arrive that's my summer challenge, I may not be going on holiday but I will have my holiday read in the garden.

Until they arrive I'll sit in garden (Hopefully) this weekend if the sun shines and read the new Weight Watcher magazine, it's the naked issue, I'm looking forward to reading about body confidence, in my youth I was extremely lacking body confidence, now I just don't care, I love every inch of me. 

Right I'm gonna keep this short, I've a meeting to get too and everyone keeps talking to me on Facebook ;) so I'll never get anywhere if I don't get on.  YAY it's Friday folks, here's to an awesome weekend, staying on track, I've just seen one of my members post it's her birthday and I absolutely love what she's wrote;

"So it's my birthday today, a big old 31 years old, and as is tradition in our work the birthday girl has to buy the cakes for everyone else.... I have an Apple lol.... My birthday will not be about food today! It will be about the fact I look and feel better than last year!

No that's inspirational!  Life doesn't have to be about food, memories are not made on the plate in front of you - never forget that BeYOUtiful.

A day of delicious...

28th July 2016

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.  Wayne Dyer

My shoulder and now my neck is tight and stiff, I'm wondering if it's walking the dog that's the cause, not the lead but being on my phone whilst walking!  I'll be leaving the phone at home in the future whilst mom and I are out, folk can wait for an hour whilst we have some time out and I'll hope it rectifies the pain.  I've already got arthritis in my wrists from computer work over the years, more so in the right one because of the mobiles.  The youngsters today are really going to suffer in the future, I've only had a phone for about a decade, these lot were born with them in their hands - scary thought.

I had a good day on track yesterday, guilty though as only drank the 1 pint of water, had about 5 hot drinks and a can of pop, need to up that!  Food wise was excellent,

Breakfast

 Sainsbury's seeded flatbread 3sp

Egg 2sp

Tomato/mushrooms

2 bacon medallions 2sp

Milk in tea 1sp

Lunch

Home made meatballs using Lidls 5% beef mince 3sp

Weight Watchers spicy tomato sauce 3sp (I don't do tomato flavour meals but this stuff is seriously delicious, will be having the other half today, can't wait!)

 Rice 6sp

Tea

Salmon in chilli sauce 6sp (It was a whoopsie in Budgens!)

Tinned potatoes 3sp

Lidls thin 3sp

Can't believe it's not butter 1sp

Butter 4sp

Diet coke

Cake at meeting 9sp

Total 45sp

I'd forgot about the cake ;0), we baked for the meeting, sold it by the slice to raise some funds for the church.  I made the chocolate muffins 6sp from the new Sweet Book, they had good feedback and Julie made lemon and lime crunch, mmmm. I thnk it was 4sp a slice, and I shared my muffin so 9 will cover it, I have another slice but it's still in my bag.

I did earn 15sp Fitpoints with my FitBit, so I'm pleased with my day in all.  Progress not perfection, no wine you may notice, can't have cake and wine and lose weight! 

I've started my day with a 20 minute meditation followed by watching the most glorious sunrise, life don't get much better than that.

Now for a day of fun at Bloxwich, loving the chat in the meetings this week, we're coping really well at St Albans to say we can't use the church hall thanks to the vandals, but they haven't stopped up getting together and having our giggle and WW time.

Right I'm off, things to do before I leave, cuppa to make, I've managed my first pint of water at least.  Here's to another great day, on track and smiling - you up for that too BeYOUtiful?