Let's survive the weekend!

27th January 2017

Don't let the weekend become your weak end!

 Had me a lie in this morning, nice!  Now I'm ready for a day of running errands and my wonderful meeting tonight.  I did No Count yesterday, egg and crumpets for breakfast, then for dinner I used the meatballs from Penn Butchers and had them with a WW balsamic dressing, rice and veg, very nice, but the prize meal of the day was my tea, I was tired when I got home, it was almost 8pm and I just wanted to eat and I wanted steak, I didn't have it in me to cook, so I dry fried it with some onions and had a delicious steak, onion and mustard sandwich - it was so good, I did let Alfie have some of the meat - that's proper love that is, but I know it was good because I want to eat the same tea today, that's always a good sign.  You can't beat the memory of a good meal!

Right so we're heading into the weekend, that's when we start to get tempted so we need to change our thoughts and our response, so if you really want long term successful weight loss you will find it easier if instead of saying "I can't have that" you start saying "I don't want that", the power in the change of those two words is incredible, even if you don't mean it - fake it till you make it!

How else can we survive the weekend, I know this one's going to sound like a joke coming from me, but, bear with me, it can be an automatic habit to pour ourselves a drink at the end of the working week, something we don't really pay attention to and something we just drink because.  Why not instead, get the same glass you normally would and fill it with sparkling water, some slices of fresh fruit, strawberries maybe or a splash of juice and drink that.  If you still want a glass of the stronger stuff afterwards that's okay, at least you'll not be drinking from thirst and you can sip it.

Plan, know what you're going to eat, drink, do, have a plan - it makes a difference.  Anticipate the obstacles, so for example I know my mates are taking me out tomorrow afternoon, I don't know where I've just been told to wrap up warm for outdoors and that there will also be lunch, I can choose wise-ish when I get to the lunch bit. 

Speaking of outdoors, why don't you get yourself out there for a good walk, yes it's cold but put your hat and clothes on, plus a good coat of course, don't just go out in hat and gloves - you'll look silly! 

The weekend is usually the time we have a bit more time, so why not use some of that time to get your Delia on in the kitchen and cook up a healthy recipe, try something new. 

Use the time to recharge too, it's okay to do nothing, chill out, watch a movie, I plan to watch a street cat called bob this weekend, I don't plan to sit eating snacks all the way through the film though! 

If you've got any excess energy do an early spring clean in the house - you know I won't be doing that right!

Find a hobby, eating is not a hobby!  Find something to do!

Remember you can't eat what isn't in the house, so when you do your weekly shop, make it healthy, it's really helping me doing my shop online, I'm not tempted at all.  If you're entertaining, remember most people want to eat healthy these days, don't feel you've got to buy a load of fattening stuff or junk food, they'll be made up to find delicious healthy food, or healthy snacks - I bet ya.

Lose the "I'll start again Monday" mentality, I know we promote the 80/20 rule, but not the 4 days on, 3 days off, sod it at the weekend rule, that one's not quite so successful!

We can do this - stay strong BeYOUtiful, come weigh day, you'll be so glad you do. 

Let's make February the new January!

Sort that To-Do list out!

26th January 2017

Put yourself at the top of your to-do list every single day and the rest will fall into place.

Isn't it easy to get out of the habit of looking after yourself!  Then it seems like something else to do, another thing on our to-do list and we look too hard for the solution to this problem of taking care of ourselves, instead of looking for the simple.   Self care is easier than you think, it's about paying attention to yourself.  How many times have you got to tea time, tired and cranky and a headache lurking, mmm that'll probably be the first sign of dehydration because you've forgot to have a drink all day, you didn't stop for lunch because you had so much to do and well you're tired because you got up at the crack of dawn and you haven't stopped since.  Can you imagine if we sent our kids to school and said, right I know I've got you up at 6am, but I want you to study hard all day, don't stop to eat or drink - you haven't got time, just focus on learning!

Truth is though as much as we don't want them too, these days happen, it wasn't until I got home on Saturday about 1ish that I realised I hadn't had anything to eat, I'd left the house without having breakfast, I'd actually forgotten and it wasn't until I got home that I realised.

Maybe we need to add eating and drinking to our to do list, tick it off when we've actually done it!   We need liquids to survive, a large percentage of our body is made up of water, so it needs topping up regularly.  We're more likely to drink water if we carry a bottle round with us, yes you can put a little squash in it if it means you'll drink it or maybe add slices of fruit like they do in those infusion bottles.  I know if I have a pint of water on my desk I drink it, if I don't I forget. 

Don't even get me started on activity!  Erm hello, been out the house for hours, I ain't got time for exercise!  I know, I know, but trust me a quick walk round the block will help clear your head and you'll feel better when you get back.   You could even multitask whilst doing it, if you like to catch up on Social Media, do it whilst walking, or use the time to think about your day, to clear your head, to focus on the things in your life that you're grateful for.  Spend that time walking listing in your head all the events of the day that have made you smile and at least 3 things you're grateful for in your life.  Before you know it, you're home and feeling lifted and calm.

Now let's get back to the eating, you gotta eat, when I skipped breakfast last Saturday, I more than made up for it once I did find the food!  That's what most of us do, we'll skip, get hungry and go over the top with our consumption once we start eating.

If you really are pushed for time, a piece of fruit is better than nothing, grab an apple or a banana!  Just eat something please...

Self care in a nutshell, eat well, drink water, move a little more and focus on the positives, you up for doing that today?  I am!

I consciously made the effort yesterday, drank my water, ate 3 balanced meals, snacked on a bit of fruit and walked the dog.  I still got everything else that had to be done completed.  My bathrooms still full of laundry but the truth is it would still be there regardless - I just didn't want to do the washing!

We enjoyed egg, beans and chips for lunch and then when I got home I'd had my delivery of meat from the Penn Road Butchers, so I made a chicken burger on a nice crusty cob - it was delicious, 2sp for the quarter pounder burger, really tasty and definitely worth either having a drive over or getting him to do another delivery.  He's going to work out prices of the chicken burgers, meatballs and sausages today, he can also make gluten free versions which I know will be a bonus for some of my members.

I'm going to cook the meatballs today and have them in a sauce of some kind, maybe the garlic chicken curry sauce from the week 1 recipe card or maybe I'll make something up!   I could use the jerk marinade from the meeting, I'm still yet to try it, be nice on a bed of rice that would, mmm sorted.

Right I better get a wriggle on, busy day, 5 meetings, gotta sort moms drugs and food, not forgetting my own, I feel the need for a big mug of tea, followed by a cup of coffee this morning, breakfast mmm, what to have, eggs on toast maybe.

Have a great day, take care of you, put yourself at the top of that to-do list, remember you're important too, if you don't take care of you, you can't take care of anyone else BeYOUtiful. xx

How'd you feel?

25th January 2017

Grow through what you go through!

What does a tremendous tracker look like?  More to the point what does a tremendous tracker feel like!  Huh, how can a tracker feel like anything, well obvious I don't mean the physical tracker to the touch, what I mean is how does it feel to complete one, how do you feel in your mood, body, mind and soul from eating and drinking healthy, then tracking it all?  Do you feel differently when you do this than when you don't, does it feel better eating healthy than it does eating crap or comfort eating, or overeating in some way? 

I think we give a great deal of emphasis and important to how we're going to look when we've lost weight and sometimes we fail to realise it's how we're going to feel that makes all the difference, look at these faces;

Trust me they all feel fantastic!  Yesterday when they lost weight, when Tracy heard she'd achieved her stone, she felt proud of herself having made time for herself to get to the meetings and stick to the plan for 3 weeks and seen such amazing results.  Sarah was thrilled to have shifted that Christmas gain, she felt happy, Angie is doing dry January and is feeling proud of herself for sticking with it, she's also feel thirsty and replacing those sneaky brandies with biscuits, fortunately the balance is still there because she still had a loss - 80/20!  Last but not least Lucy, everyone person in that meeting last night felt happy for her, we've been with her every step of her journey, we've watched her get healthy and as she says in the photo, she's feeling like herself again.  Sometimes we get lost don't we, when life and circumstances take over and we just get on with things.  It's important to get back to us, to make that time to do the things that are important to us, whether that be attending a Weight Watcher meeting each week to help us with our weight loss journey or something else.  It's important because we're important.

It's important to focus on how we feel and not just exist, which takes me back to the tremendous tracker, paying attention to the food choices we make, affects our mood, if we can give ourselves a better chance of a better mood, why wouldn't we?  Food affects our mood, so let's focus on eating healthy, making those wise food choices and writing it down either on a paper tracker, a journal book or on your WW app, it doesn't matter how you record it, as long as you do.  By writing it down, you have it there to review, to look back on for ideas in the future, if you write not just what you're eating and drinking but also how you're feeling you will notice the connection, once you start to see how different you feel depending on what you've eaten, you'll probably decide to make those wiser food choices more often.  Heck you might stop having that junk in your house, especially when you realise if it's affecting your mood, how you feel, maybe it's affecting everyone else in the house who's consuming it!  Mmm, that's an interesting thought isn't it, my moms in so much pain right now but is sitting eating 3 bags of Walkers cheese and onion crisps and the best part of a packet of ginger biscuits helping that situation, is it likely to be lifting her mood for any longer than the few minutes it takes to eat the food?

I intend to practice what I preach this week, I gained 1/2lb on Monday, I was actually really pleased with that, it had been my birthday the week before, I'd also achieved my diamond award so there was a bit of celebrating and a lot of maltesers, so 1/2lb was good.  This week though, I'm focusing back on the healthy, not chocolate for me.  There was a nice egg sandwich for breakfast yesterday, followed by a chicken dinner for dinner, easy food is on the menu this week, keeping it simple in the kitchen, haven't fancied following a recipe, just wanted quick and easy.

I'm having a delivery tonight from Penn Road butchers, he's a personal friend of one of my members and comes recommended, he'd seen I'd like his healthy meats post and inboxed me, I suggested he should look into doing Chicken breast meatballs, burgers and sausages and he listened, the meatballs and burgers are going to be No Count, the sausages we need to work out the Smart Points but I bet they'll taste good!   I will let you know, if you want to have a look, here's his facebook page, he delivers too which is very useful when you have a busy life.

https://www.facebook.com/Penn-Road-Butchers-1570997599797501/

Oh can I just say, I've already eaten a pear, I picked it up when I put the kettle on this morning and ate it without thinking - am I developing a new habit there!  I think I may be, it'll add to that tremendous tracker too ;)

Here's to making midweek Wednesday wonderful, how are you going to get that feel good feeling?  I think I'm going to cook a recipe, risotto perhaps!

Take care of you BeYOUtiful.

Are you living or surviving?

24th January 2017

Your diet is a bank account.  Good food choices are good investments.

How have you enjoyed your life this week, what has made you smile?  Are you out there living or are you existing?  Your weight shouldn't be holding you back from having a good time and your weight loss journey shouldn't be stopping you from living at the same time.  We should all be LIVING AND LOSING, not just SURVIVING and EATING!  I posted in my area group yesterday the following;

We're all different and it's important to find your way to succeed! Whether you need portion control or the freedom to choose how much you eat without counting, maybe you want to be able to eat what you fancy or do you prefer a list of foods to choose from. Whatever your needs, Weight Watchers has a solution! Because there isn't one answer - we're all individual with our own needs. Find yourself a meeting, get yourself a coach and realise you can lose weight, feel great & live whilst losing! Say YES, find a local meeting at www.weightwatcherslocal.co.uk

I truly believe that, there is no one size fits all, we all look different, we all have different personalities, different lifestyles and it really is important that you find YOUR WAY, make your 'diet' work for you, by diet I mean the foods you choose to eat rather than the hardly eat anything and be miserable description of diet it's interpreted as these day!

I know that the Weight Watchers healthy eating plan is designed for members to lose up to 2lb a week, I'm in no rush so I'm happy to eat every Fit Point I can earn and maybe a couple more and lose it at 1/2lb a week, I'm in no rush, I love my food so I'm happy to take the slower route.

Everyone seems so busy too, that doesn't always help as it makes healthy eating and moving more as something else that needs to be done, another thing added to the 'to do' list, which is a real shame because taking care of ourselves should be something we really want to do.

I didn't really fancy cooking a recipe yesterday but I still wanted to eat good food, so we went down the simple food route, I had a potato cake for breakfast using the leftover mash from the day before, served with crispy bacon, mushrooms and a runny egg - mmm!  For lunch we had an egg and cress sandwich, now they sent me the 800g loaf instead of my usual 400g, it would've been so easy to have 2 slices (twice as many Smart Points) but instead mom and I shared a big sandwich, we also shared a bag of Walkers cheese and onion crisps, I had cucumber and tomatoes with it too fill the plate, doing this halved the Smart Points to 7 instead of 14 and I genuinely wasn't hungry for hours, proof we can decide our own portion sizes and live on less!

For tea I fried up some more of the mash (4sp) (I really need to cook less in the first place, but they were going soft so I wanted to use them up) and mixed it with a couple of slices of Asdas Corned Beef (3sp), turned it into a corned beef hash thing, it was lush with a few peas and a blob of brown sauce.  All simple, easy to cook meals that took no time at all, all healthy and balanced and thanks to Weight Watchers no guilt at eating a bit of what I fancied, it's all okay, there are no good or bad foods, food doesn't have a personality, it's all about balance.

If you've joined Weight Watchers, decided you wanted or needed to lose weight, remind yourself of those reasons, not just for joining, but for still wanting to lose weight or maintain your weight loss. 

Next, think about what you'd like to achieve this year, remember weight loss is more than just a number and living is more than just going to work, eating and sleeping!  

Let's put the living back in our lives BeYOUtiful!

Help make me smile more this week by letting me know via Facebook how you're living and losing, tag me or Bev's Weight Watchers in the post, let's spread the WW love xx

#Livingandlosing #MyWWJourney