Who's Thirsty?

12^th May 2013

“Every man is the architect of his own fortune.”  Sallust

Go get a glass of water and have a drink before you start reading this….

GO ON!  DO IT!

Right bet you didn’t but how much water did you drink yesterday?  I’ve already drunk my first pint, I’m sticking with my new tweak of at least one big glass of water before my first cup of tea, and the last few days it’s been carry on drinking water until mom wakes up and wants a cup of tea.

Now I noticed something yesterday , I regularly have a massage because it helps me with all my aches and pains and chills me out of course, and whenever I get off the bed at the end I’ve always got a bit of lower back pain from lying flat for so long.  However yesterday I didn’t have any pain at all!  Did you know that dehydration can cause lower back pain or make it worse – is it a coincidence that my back didn’t hurt or is it because I’ve been drinking more water?  I’m not sure but I intend to continue drinking the water. 

Drinking water just makes sense when the body is made up of roughly 70% of it, you need to keep that topped up, your body needs it to function, for example one of the liver’s job is to pick up the slack for the kidneys, which need plenty of water to work properly. If the kidneys are water-deprived, the liver has to do their work along with its own, lowering its total productivity. It then can’t metabolise fat as quickly or efficiently as it could when the kidneys were pulling their own weight. If you allow this to happen, not only are you being unfair to your liver, but you’re also setting yourself up to store fat apparently!

So go how a drink, if you don’t believe me google it, but basically waters really good for us, and yes if you struggle at first with the trips to the toilet, that will wear off the more you drink because your body will get used to it.  You’ll also notice – if you bother to look – that over a few weeks your skin will improve too and you’ll look healthier too.

It’s yet another no-brainer isn’t it plus you can go pour it out of your tap, I was about to say it’s free but then remembered my water rates!  So you’re already paying for it so go get your money’s worth!

For those of you that say you don’t like water, tough lol, no seriously it hasn’t got a taste, well my tap water hasn’t anyways, if you must add a bit of squash to it.   Just make sure you’re not dehydrating that body of yours, not sure if you are – easy test go look at your pee, it is isn’t running clear then you need water.

 Two pints down me, moms just surfaced so its time for a brew, enjoy your Sunday xx

 

No wonder we overeat!

11^th May 2013

“Why can't life's problems hit us when we're seventeen and know everything?”  A.C. Jolly

Yesterday was a bit busy for a Friday, it’s supposed to be my chilling day but I had a list of to do’s and spent a great deal of it on the phone so it was almost 6pm by the time I sat down to relax, we ended up going to bed really early because we were shattered!

So today involves doing stuff to but this afternoon I’m locking the doors and zoning out, I need some me time.

My diet wasn’t the best yesterday either, I succumbed to the reduced section in Waitrose but didn’t bother to ProPoint it till I got home and our Spaghetti Carbonara was 18pp!  That wouldn’t have been so bad if I hadn’t eaten a 23pp baguette for my breakfast nor consumed wine for my tea and a packet of cheese and onion crisps (I made mom tell me where she’d hid them!)

I’m over it now, I’ve been permanently hungry for three days, definitely hormone related because I wake up ravenous, and today I haven’t woken up feeling that way so it’s back to realistic healthy meals and portion sizes!  

There was a time when the last three days would have thrown me into a ‘diet’ panic, I’d have tried my best to not give into my cravings the first day, maybe eaten lots of fruit to eat round the carb cravings.  Then I’d have beaten myself up on the second day because I was failing to stay on my ‘diet’, and by day three I’d have totally fallen of the ‘diet’ wagon and felt like a total failure and continued to be out of control with my eating habits for the foreseeable future.

These days I realise that it’s part of a monthly cycle I seem to go through, it isn’t the week that I’m actually on a period either, it’s a good 11 days before it’s due.  Because of a great little app on my phone that logs my cycles I’ve managed to identify the pattern and I indulge those cravings, if my body wants carbs, I give it more carbs, it seems to work for me.  The cravings pass, I don’t do too much damage and I get back to my regular way of eating pretty easily.  I listen to my body and my body thanks me for it. 

It’s the whole overeating/guilt/overeating cycle, if you can break that cycle it really helps because you’re more likely to repeat the overeating if you feel so bad about your lack of self control.  You should never feel guilty for wanting to eat, food essential for survival and your body damn well knows that and will do all it can to ensure it gets enough of it.  It doesn’t care what you weigh, it just wants some food today to give it energy.  And, to make sure you do eat it releases hormones and chemicals inside you that make you want food (clever thing isn’t it!).  So you should lose the guilt as research shows that you are more likely to repeat a bad habit if you add guilt to the mix. You should get angry with yourself for being hungry nor feel guilty for wanting to eat because both are natural behaviours and it’s just your body trying to help you survive!

Sometimes the overeating might be emotional, and you shouldn’t feel guilty about that either! Why not? Because food does sedate your emotions, we use food to dampen stress, anxiety and worry because it works. It’s not the answer but it does help short term, so ditch the guilt and look for other ways to cope with your emotional problems, there are other ways honest.

One last reason why you shouldn’t feel guilty about wanting to eat is that overloaded food environment Weight Watchers talk about, or as I put it everywhere you go you are encouraged to eat more and move less.  Food is everywhere; temptation is there constantly, I only went to have my hair cut yesterday and they put a biscuit with my coffee - so no you shouldn’t feel guilty for often thinking about food or even entertaining the thought of overeating.

Taking all this into consideration it’s not surprising that we go off track now and again and there will always be occasions when you don’t eat as planned, the trick is to ditch the guilt, accept yourself and your ways, realise you don’t need to be nor do you want to be perfect and love yourself.  You’re only human and it’s a natural behaviour to fancy a treat now and then, or have the occasional slip up.  Expect these things to happen, embrace them when they do and you will find getting back on track much easier afterwards.

Eat Gorgeous – BeYouTiful and give yourself a break. xx

Tears of happiness - they're the best kind ;-)

10^th May 2013

“The more a man knows, the more he forgives.” Confucius

Yesterday was one of those great days you have, my meetings on the morning were just so rewarding, lightbulb meetings I call them when I can see members nodding and they eyes lighting up, I also seem to take something away from those meetings, a great sense of alikeness (not sure if that even a word) for one, it’s just good to know we all are so alike and none of us are on our own.

On the afternoon as I was about to drive back to my meeting Denise my amazing member who’s lost 300lb sent me a text with her before photo on and I was just so overwhelmed with pride that I drove to work crying happy tears.  See I always look at my members faces when I weigh them not their bodies, I don’t take in how heavy a member is as I say at the scales when I weigh them “they’re just numbers and it’s the only place it’s good to be a loser” the numbers don’t mean anything to me, my member being happy and healthy is what is important, I want my members to feel better about themselves so I really don’t take a great deal of notice of how they look from the neck down when they first join, I’m trying to get to know the person and you do that by looking into their eyes and listening.  Anyway my happy tears of pride lasted all the way to work at the realisation of the achievement that Denise has made, I cannot put across how impressed and in awe I am of her persistence and determination, to see someone change so much is just beyond words!  We’re hoping to get the local press to cover her story and then I will share with you the photos if they are printed, until then I will respect her wishes to keep them to myself. But please be inspired by her success as it shows what can truly be achieved with patience and learning to love yourself, it hasn’t been an easy journey but it really has been a fulfilling one for both of us actually.

Sharing Denise’s success has made me want to share another 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.

Take from that what you will but I would like you to never give up, neither on yourself or anyone else you love and care for. Xx

Have a fabulous day, do something for yourself or someone else today to make a difference to their happiness, do a random act of kindness, buy a bunch of flowers for an elderly neighbour, mow a neighbours lawn, make someone at work a cuppa tea.  Anything that will make someone smile. xx

Monotony or Routine?

9^th May

Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, as long as ever you can. John Wesley

Monotony or routine?  How do you see something that you do over and over?  It’s all about your attitude and how you see choose to see it I suppose.  I think if you can put certain things in place so that you do them regularly without thinking (routine) especially where your weight loss efforts are concerned then surely that makes it a little less of an effort.  Because as I’m often heard to say, in my opinion nothing about weight loss is easy, so if I can do something that makes it less difficult I’m up for that.

Yes routine is good, some people have the same breakfast every morning which is a routine and it helps – I can’t seem to do that, I only get 21 meals a week and I don’t want to make 7 of them the same, I’m much too much of a foodie for that, yesterday I had a chicken and cheese slice toastie cooked on my George Foreman it was lush for 12pp.  The one routine that does help me without a doubt is tracking, I’m rarely within my allowance, however since I started tracking almost 3 weeks ago now I’ve improved and at least I’m aware of what I’m doing.  This weeks routine I’m working on is the glass of water as soon as I get out of bed instead of the cup of tea, it’s amazing how quick I can drink that water if I want my tea!   If you’re on Weight Watchers monthly pass then the have Routines covered more in detail on their esource, it’s also looked at in the programme material and worth a look because I think putting routines in places can make weight loss that little bit easier in such a busy world.

It’s all too easy to feel like giving in isn’t it, especially if you’re struggling but when you feel that way remind yourself why you started and that if you gave in it would have all be for nothing, you should never quit trying to live a healthier life and make yourself a healthier person, that’s a lifetime role.

Monotony or routine, failure or set back, the words you use are massively important, all you need do is say the word FAILED and how does it make you feel?   It’s a horrible word that makes your heart sink, ‘failure’ implies that there are only two possibilities, failure or success, but that’s not true, especially where weight loss is concerned.  You may not be where you want to be yet, or where you’d hoped you be by now, but as long as you haven’t given up and you are doing your best to take care of yourself when you can then you’re never going to be a failure (doesn’t that word sound horrible!)  With the feelings of failure come guilt and maybe embarrassment and that’s not how you should ever feel about yourself nor your behaviour if you are doing your best but finding it difficult because as I said at the beginning of this blog – weight loss in not easy!

So if you’re not where you wanted to be by now regarding your weight, or you’ve fell of the weight loss wagon for a bit, then you haven’t failed you’ve been practising and/or taking a break.  Life gets in the way, that’s why you have to enjoy the journey and like me and so many of my members maybe be willing to take the scenic route.

It’s important to love yourself, to take care of yourself the best you are able and to never let your self talk be harmful to you.

Have a great day everyone, the sky is a lovely peachy colour here this morning, so let’s have a ‘peachy’ kind of day. xxx

 

Who turned the cloud taps on!

8^th May 2013

In the noisy confusion of life – keep peace in your soul.

So that was summer – I see the rains back!  It was nice lying there this morning though listening to the bird song, the rain, oh yeah and Alfie snoring ;-)  it’s the little things in life that make it so good.

I had the munchies last night despite the fact I’d eaten really well throughout the day, it started with an ice-cream cone from the co-op 4pp, then I seemed to have my lobster hands in action and spent the rest of the evening thinking “what can I have next?”  Damn those hormones, that’s what I’m blaming, I did manage to control them lobster hands a bit and stop them going into overdrive in the kitchen and the food I ate wasn’t the worse choice because the worst choices aren’t in my house for exactly this reason but I was still over my allowance.  It’s a good job I like the scenery on my journey isn’t it, as it looks like a life long one!

Had another delicious mean from Co-op yesterday Butternut squash risotto, 12pp for half and from the Truly Irresistible range, really tasty and filling.  I also used Almond milk on my weetabix which was a nice combination; I could eat them more often with Almond or Hazelnut Milk on them and as it’s lower in calories than skimmed milk even better.

My tweak this week to improve my health is more water - less tea, when I get out of bed to write my blog first thing instead of going and making that first cup of tea, I’m having a big glass of water and having a cup of tea an hour later, that’s adding a pint of water and cutting out one mug of caffeine.  I’m trying to remember to drink more water throughout the day too by carrying round that bottle of water than I added a few weeks ago.  I drink a lot of tea, so this is an ideal time of year to try and switch some of those mugs for glasses of water and by doing it first thing I don’t have chance to forget!

I may not be within my BMI but I’m making good healthy food choices, I’m taking care of myself by practising self-care, I’ve changed things in my life so there’s less stress, I’m as healthy and happy as I need to be right now and that makes me feel good.

It’s not all about being at goal, it’s about changing, the scales aren’t the only source of victory, I’d like to share with her permission a wonderful none scale victory that my member Jane shared on Facebook a few days ago, she wrote

“last summer I was 5 stone heavier than I am now and when I put my sandals on I had to get my daughter to fasten them for me because I couldn’t reach round to my ankles. I put them on today and I can fasten them myself now!!!! result!!! :0)”

How fabulous is that, when she came yesterday she’d lost again and received her 75lb certificate, her total weight loss is now five and a half stone which is amazing, however she was a bit gutted because none of her summer clothes fit her anymore!  On a happier note she was off to treat herself to something new, and if any of you are in a similar position, sell you larger clothes on ebay, then you can buy some more.

On that note, I’m gonna go stick the kettle on, I’ve drunk two glasses of water and I need a brew.

Have a fabulous day, before you stop reading – give yourself a hug (it’s possible, remember how you used to do it at school so it looked like someone was smooching with you from the back – lol, ooo my memory bank worked well then!)

Always be kind to yourself and to others, it makes the world a nicer place.  xx

A Sunny Bank Holiday - nice!

7^th May 2013

Close each day with a smile and paint the sky with your dreams. Dodinsky

What a beautiful day it was yesterday, we went for a drive and visited Rosliston forestry centre, Derbyshire, mom likes a drive and it was over my mates way so she met us there and we walked the dogs, mom managed a mile routed walk through the gorgeous woodland, looking at the birds enjoying the sight of the blossom on the trees, watching kids enjoying being outdoors playing.  Then we all had ice-cream before she decided it was too busy!   We drove back a different way so she had new stuff to look at through the window, we have some wonderful countryside it has to be said.

There’s nothing quite like a bit of sunshine after a very long winter to warm to soul, it just makes you feel good doesn’t it, so I will try and enjoy it again today, find an hour to walk Alfie this afternoon because looking at the forecast, rain is returning tomorrow!  They reckon you can walk yourself out of a bad mood you know; studies show that even a ten minute walk immediately boosts brain chemistry to crease happiness.  Although the young lady walking with us yesterday was doing her best to disprove that theory ;-) she did come round towards the end though and we managed to get a smile out of her. 

In addition to the benefit of stress reduction, walking also has other health benefits; experts say just 30 minutes of walking a day will prevent many cases of diabetes, hypertension and other chronic diseases.  Walking is the simplest, easy way to exercise for most people and it’s free! 

Hope you all remembered to drink plenty of water too, it’s easy to get dehydrated in this weather, I know it’s easier to enjoy a glass of wine or some other form of alcohol but remember to stay hydrated with the water, you’ll be grateful the next morning!

I really enjoyed my ice-cream and I tracked it too, one scoop is roughly 4pp and it was a waffle cornet so I added 2pp for that, worth it, raspberry ripple mmm, although I think mom’s vanilla tasted better, so it’ll be that one next time.  I need to find more places to visit, places with pretty views and a mile round flattish walk max, will start having a look.

So back to work today for most, even though I have Mondays off anyway it seemed different, maybe it was the sunshine, but I’m sat here thinking I better move my backside and get ready! 

Have a glorious day, if it’s not sunny where you are – pretend it is, go out in a t-shirt and watch folk stare ;-)

BeYouTiful & Eat Gorgeous

 

Who's taking care of you?

6^th May 2013

You’re past mistakes are meant to guide you not define you!

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY, that’s the one thing I notice about most of the women I meet, you have so many responsibilities, as a woman you are many things to many people – mother, daughter, sister, wife, carer, cleaner, lover, teacher – need I go on!  However the most important thing you should practise doing is being you for you, it’s much too easy to become consumed by taking care of everyone else that you forget that you also matter, well believe and trust me – YOU DO!

Are you guilty of spending all your time and energy on the needs of others at the expense of your own?  Are you thinking whether this is true or not, if you aren’t sure ask yourself the following questions;

What’s your ‘self-care’ routine?  How do you take care of you?  How often do you put yourself at the top of the list?  What do you do to ensure you stay sane?

How about starting today - you start making time for you, time to do things that will help you take care of yourself, it might start with taking five minutes this morning to be quiet in your own company before the madness of the day starts.  

Finding time for yourself to do things that make you feel good is all part of self-care, for example I walk twice a day to give me some quiet time, and it’s also my exercise which makes me feel better.  I love taking a long bath with a good book and just zoning out from the world.  You might want to make time to get active, or you may want to find ways to indulge yourself or time to relax, if you’re not sure, identify what things you would like to do for yourself. Some of them may be special treats that you do just once a month and others could be things you can do most days.  

Then of course you’ll need to make the time to do them!  Taking care of yourself shouldn’t add stress to your life, so find time to actually enjoy doing something nice for yourself however small; it may just be reading a magazine for ten minutes whilst enjoying a cuppa.  Maybe the housework can wait till tomorrow so you can enjoy the sunshine today.  If you have a diary pencil in ‘ME’ times throughout the month.

Why is any of this important, because treating yourself kindly will have a positive ripple effect that will impact every other area of your life.  By taking care of yourself you then have the energy to take care of others, it’s not selfish to put yourself first, it’s important.  If you’ve ever flown with children, you will have been told by flight attendants that you should put the oxygen mask on yourself FIRST in the event of an emergency.  By doing this you can then take care of your child.  The same goes for taking care of yourself, when you’ve had time for you, to chill out, relax, to reflect and to feel a sense of calm and control; you’re more likely to feel better about yourself and your life.  A relaxed person has more patience with their children, more love to give their partners and more time for their friends.  Of course taking care of yourself won’t solve everything but it will make you feel more capable of handling things. 

Everyone deserves to take care of themselves, so today think about what you like to do for fun, there is no ‘perfect’ way to take care of yourself, it’s very personal to you, so have a think about what would work for you. 

I think my self care today is going to involve a walk somewhere that doesn’t start from my front door, I’m also thinking music playing in the car and a sing song sounds good too ;) I’ve already got an easy meal planned because I don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen, it’s too nice out there for that.

Have a great day, EatGorgeous & BeYouTiful. xx

When I’ve lost my weight and got to my goal I’ll ………………

5^th May 2013

In life you will realise there is a role for everyone you meet.  Some will test you, some will use you, some will love you and some will teach you.  But the ones who are truly important are the ones who bring out the best in you.  They are the rare and amazing people who remind you why it’s worth it.  Unknown.

I never did get to the gardening we were too busy sitting on Sainsbury’s car park watching skateboarders, mom was enjoying it so much when I came out of the shop that I couldn’t tear her away, we sat for ages, it was fab to watch and listening to her running commentary was pure gold.

I have however managed to earn 47 Activity ProPoints on my pedometer since Monday (Monday’s the day my journal starts even though my weigh day is a Thursday), I decided if I can’t stick to my ProPoints allowance I’d earn more to compensate and so that’s what I’ve done, Alfie and I walked for 90 minutes again yesterday morning and I made him walk again on the afternoon. 

I’ve now got my grow bags so I plan to garden today, herb garden here I come I’m also going to do a bit of weeding too, try and get the love of gardening back as it’s a great way to move more for free!

It’s that time of the year where we start to have to remove clothing because yes it’s finally warming up!  I’ve noticed a lot of people on Facebook beating themselves up about they way they look and giving themselves a hard time on their inability to stay on track and lose weight.  Finish this sentence;

When I’ve lost my weight and got to my goal I’ll …………………………………………………………………

What will you do when you are finally happy with your weight, when you like the way you look and when you stop berating yourself constantly for your food choices?  WHY?

Why are you waiting to do whatever it was you just wrote (unless it was something that’s physically impossible right now such as wear a pair of jeans 4 sizes smaller) why are you waiting, why not do it right now?  Choose to be happier now, behave sexier, act more energetic, behave in a healthier way by eating and making choices like you would if you were already that person at that goal weight.  Tell yourself every morning how amazingly beautiful and talented you are because life is way too short to spend another day at war with yourself!

We become our thoughts; we are our behaviours so by behaving as if we’re already there and generating the feelings you want in your life now, you will feel better immediately.

Why don’t you make a list of all the benefits getting to your goal will provide, why do you want to lose weight and to be a different shape?  Why would it benefit you to eat better?  Will it supply you with more energy or better health maybe?  Possible reasons you might think of are, feeling lighter, fitting into your clothes, having more energy, feeling better about yourself, being more attractive, feeling confident, enjoying life more.

Why wait?  You don’t have to lose weight to feel most of those benefits, you can wear clothes right now that will fit you and you can look good in, it’s all about choosing well.  As for being sexy and attractive, well that’s a state of mind not a size of body!  Feeling better about yourself is a decision you can make in a second – trust me you’re amazing right now, take a look around at all the people in your life that love you, they wouldn’t be there if you weren’t already tremendous!  And being healthier well that happens the second you start making wiser food decisions and feeding yourself good healthy food.  Embrace your gorgeousness, never stop being BeYouTiful!

We need to practice high self esteem and pass it on to the next generation, I found this website yesterday http://www.rehabs.com/explore/dying-to-be-barbie/ It says that four out of five 10-year-olds say that they're afraid of being fat. 42% of girls in first through third grade wish they were thinner. And, half of girls aged 9 or 10 claim that they feel better about themselves when they're dieting! This is wrong and we need to get these girls realising they are beautiful as they are!   And the best place to start with that is leading by example. 

Right I’m off but what I want you all to do right now as soon as you’ve stopped reading is go to a mirror, look at your reflection and say “I love you just as you are because you are BeYouTiful!”

DO IT! NOW! Have a wonderful day, enjoy the sunshine & EatGorgeous. xx

 

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It's not going to become extinct!

4^th May 2013

May the Fourth be with you ;-) Sorry couldn’t resist!

This picture made me smile too ;)

 

Hopefully we are in for a good bank holiday weekend, the forecast isn’t bad at all, there’s no snow on it anyway!  I intend to get in the garden and plant some herbs, will go and buy some compost this morning, I could grow them in the bags I suppose if I opt for grow bags – it’s been so long since I’ve gardened, you’d never guess I used to be a gardener by trade!  Yesterday we started to clean the pond in the garden out as it’s really green but as we were doing it noticed a toad and spawn so we left it and just topped it up with clean free rain water from the butt, the green doesn’t seem to be bothering him or the few fish so it can be left.

Took my car into be serviced and mot’d and instead of taking the lift Tif offered me, I walked back with Alfie for some exercise, it was 3 miles and we still did an afternoon walk later, I clocked up 7pp on my pedometer yesterday, that’s really good for a Friday, last Friday I only earned 2pp, so I’m pleased with that, my total intake for the day was less than last week too so I’m improving.

Did a bit of shopping too,  I bought Hellmans lighter than light Mayonnaise, if you have 75g it’s only 1pp!, go any higher and it’s going up to 2, however I added a teaspoon of sweet chilli sauce to it and I’d got a fab salad dressing for 1pp!  Bargain!  I also made sweet chilli coleslaw, 120g Hellmans lighter than light Mayonnaise (2pp), 1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce (1pp) and chopped red and green cabbage, grated carrot and chopped spring onion.  It made a sandwich box full for 3pp, be great for BBqs or on your salads.

I also bought 3 meal deals from Co-op which will save me a lot of cooking this week so I can enjoy the sunshine, the main meals work out quite respectable with the ProPoints totals, I will have the sides at a different meal with something else and mom eats the desert whilst I’ll enjoy the wine, sorted!

The ProPoints per serving are;

Butternut risotto - 12pp
Chicken pie - 12pp
Beef casserole - 5pp
Both potato side dishes are 6pp per serving

Melt in middle -14pp
Cheesecake - 9pp
Millionaires dessert - 7pp
Wine – 6pp per 250ml and it makes you smile more in the sunshine does white wine ;)

I was reading the Asda & Co-op free magazines yesterday, looking at all the recipes and thinking to myself how much I do love to eat and I was having a chat with a lady by WhatsApp who said this, “Do I need that chocolate bar, and most of the time it’s coming back as ‘no it will be there another day, its not going to become extinct!”  How fabulous is that from a chocoholic!  This is why I have my ‘to eat’ lists because I do want to eat everything and realise if I want to remain healthy I can’t!  So instead I add it to my list and get there eventually, I’ve still got pizza on there, been there for a month now, might have ½ pepperoni for tea with salad and sweet chilli coleslaw – nice!

Yep by saying ‘NO’ sometimes my members have lost 573.5lb this week that’s almost 41 stone! 7 of them achieved their goal and are now have gold membership, 5 of them achieved their 10% awards and two got their 50lb certificates – oh yes Weight Watchers works because of the group support and I love watching friendships form in my meetings and people helping and advising each other, it’s just wonderful, I’m a very lucky lady to have a join that gives me so much satisfaction.

So here’s to an ‘on-track’ weekend, to saying ‘no thank you’ more often and to enjoying life without having the food overdose situations.

EatGorgeous – BeYouTiful – Choose to be a Happy Owl. xx

 

 

 

 

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Don't I ramble on!

3^rd May 2013

Try to enjoy the age you are at now, for each age presents its own unique wisdom to savor.

I love Facebook and the internet I do, every morning when I roll out of bed to write my blog, I log on and scroll through my newsfeed and then check my emails and I’m always inspired by things I read, the quote above for example came in an email and the writing below was posted on Facebook;

Dr. Wayne Dyer -
"All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you. The only thing blame does is to keep the focus off you when you are looking for external reasons to explain your unhappiness or frustration. You may succeed in making another feel guilty about something by blaming him, but you won't succeed in changing whatever it is about you that is making you unhappy."

That Wayne Dyer is a very clever man!  I blame my bestie all the time for leading me off track ;-) and it’s not really her fault, I can say no can’t I and blaming someone else won’t get me losing weight nor stop me gaining weight.  I own a couple of Wayne Dyers books, he’s an interesting man, I’d say I might get one out and read it at the weekend but I know I’d be lying because my reading list is so long at the moment, he has no chance!

Yes Facebook is a fabulous thing, I used it yesterday to share more success with my members which in turn motivates us all to continue knowing that it can be done, two more to goal yesterday and two 50lb certificates handed out, there were also plenty of silver sevens, 5% and a few 10% handed out too!  That’s 7 to goal this week and 5 last week - May is looking set to be a good month!

It appears my prawn allergy is back ;( I sat down to a fabulous king prawn salad last night and my lips starting hurting, tingling and swelling so they’re back off the menu and I’m gutted because they are so low in ProPoints, hey ho the ham salad was equally as nice and at least I have a nice prawn salad for my mates lunch today, that’ll save me cooking.

Speaking of cooking, I had a smashing lunch yesterday, I’ve had the recipe for a long time but never actually cooked it, ‘condom chicken’ (recipe here http://www.happyowls.co.uk/conchicken.html) I’m not childish at all but I did giggle whilst making it and I have to say when I put it on the plate I couldn’t believe how much it resembled what it was supposed to be, it tasted delicious though for 4pp and I had cheese and potato pie and veggies with it.  I’d made the pie the day before with 1.2kg spuds (24pp), 250g cheddar (28pp), 50g parmesan (6pp), 4 onions, 30g chorizo (2pp).  I mashed 2/3^rd of the cheddar into the mashed potatoes, then topped it with the rest and the parmesan (I also topped with cherry tomatoes cut in half), I boiled the onions first then fried them in the chorizo, and layered them in the middle of the mash.  It was very tasty indeed!

Cars off to be serviced and mot’d today, so I plan to drop it off and walk back, it’s about 3 miles, that’ll make my Friday pedometer look healthier than it usually does, I’ve earned 33pp since Monday, I need to because I’m on track and need to earn extra on my ‘wineometer’ so I can enjoy my weekend!

Talking of weekends it looks set to be a fabulous one, I was thrilled to see 18 degrees on my car dashboard yesterday, great news for the bank holiday, hopefully we’ll all get to enjoy it, I’ll be up the garden cleaning out the pond – more activity ProPoints, ooo how else can I earn wine?

Right how can you be nice to yourself today – that’s your mission, no bad mouthing yourself, just lots of love and praise because you’re worth it and your amazing ;)

BeYouTiful & EatGorgeous x

 

 

Is it important enough?

2^nd May 2013

When you blame others you give up your power to GROW and be free of anger by making yourself a victim. ♥ Eryka

I do love to learn and yesterday I was reading a book called “the obesity cure” and in it was a bit that said, “early man also foraged, largely on a seasonal basis, for fruits and vegetables that are rich in complex carbohydrates.  But man (and other organisms) never really ate a balanced diet.  Rather, man’s diet was shaped by the available food – protein and fat from game and carbohydrate from fruits and vegetables.  The sources of food varied according to the season and the availability of food (animal versus plant sources.  In response to these changing conditions, biological systems developed regulatory systems that allowed the body’s metabolism to adapt to changing food types.  Adaptation allowed homeostasis and health to be maintained in spite of constantly changing environmental conditions.”  I love it when I read something that agrees with my personal belief system which I’m sure I’ve shared on this blog in the past and that is  I truly believe there is no ‘perfect diet’, not ‘right’ way of eating - there’s only what’s right for you and we are all so very different.  I’m a big fan of author Marc David and I’ve learned so much from him - that there is more to the body and how it deals with food than the simple equation of calories in, he’s a very interesting man.  He helped me realise that at different stages of our life we need different types of food and we eat a different diet.  

I try to eat as healthily as I possibly can but that’s not always easy and my diet changes constantly, some weeks I’ll live off prepared foods, such as I did over Easter week when I treated myself to a week of meals from Waitrose, some weeks it’s skint week so I live off the cheapest stuff I can find and some weeks it’s healthy week because I realise my diets getting a bit rubbish.  The only constant in life is change and our bodies and life styles are changing all the time so we adapt our food intake and other things to suit.  I remember when I first became a Weight Watcher leader and I was super skint because I’d left a very good job where I’d run up a massive credit card bill and gone self employed so I did have healthy finances at all  back then, so for months we lived on a very low budget, I shopped in KwikSave and ate very frugally – no wonder I had no problem maintaining my goal back then. ;0) Before that when I was losing weight to get to goal I used to eat three meals a day, cereal for breakfast, and a Weight Watcher ready meal for lunch and dinner because I was super busy and I just wanted to get to goal, I was working in an office 5 days a week, 12 hours a day and cooking didn’t stand a chance.  I can’t believe how much I’ve changed, now I’ve slowed down, I love to cook when I have time, although sometimes I do envy those who don’t think about food constantly because they’ve managed to ‘set & forget’ their meals for the majority of the time - it must be so much easier that way, much less hassle.

But like everything in life we’re all very different, I go in some peoples houses and they are like palaces and I’m so envious, I’d love such a tidy space but I’m a bit of a house tramp where tidiness is concerned and I just can’t be bothered, it’s just not in my nature.   Some people are ambitious and work their way to the top, I chose job satisfaction of a different kind and I love it because it also means I get to spend time with my mom, she even comes to work with me sometimes, where else can you do that.

I wonder if there is a ‘tidy’ gene?  Mmm and if there is - can it be transplanted!  I so wish it was my natural trait but it isn’t so unless I’m willing to make the effort to change, I’ll have to learn to live in the mess.  I know I’m not willing to because it isn’t important enough to me, the same goes for so many things doesn’t it “unless you’re willing to make the effort to change then it can’t be important enough to you at this time”.  That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it means you’re obviously getting something from the situation you are in at this time, so maybe work out what that is and embrace it. 

I’m not at my BMI goal weight and I know that’s been because the plus’s of not being there have outweighed the effort needed to get back there for quite a while, the balance is starting to shift I have to admit, so I’m getting closer to it.  What are the plus’s of not being my ‘perfect’ weight, oh where do I start, being able to have that extra glass of wine with dinner, that extra slice of buttered toast, but why is the balance shifting well because yesterday I realised I don’t look so good, nor feel quite so comfortable in my spring wear as I did in my winter wear, I put a tight t-shirt on and it appeared to have shrunk - so half a stone off would be nice thank you very much. 

That’s why my journals out and being filled in every day and I’m saying no to that extra glass of wine!  The first weeks wasn’t fabulous, but at least I wrote it down, regained control, didn’t help that mom ended up in hospital but I can’t keep finding excuses not to do it.  This week it’s improving, not perfect – I don’t think it’ll ever be ‘perfect’ but it’s good enough for me and I plan to get through the weekend without buying my ‘danger’ foods! 

Here’s to a tremendous Thursday, Eat Gorgeous folks and take care of you because you’re worth it. xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What would life be without emotions x

1^st May 2013

Nourishment is not limited to food alone. It includes all the ways we feed the many needs we have. Marc David

A mixed day yesterday full  of sadness and joy, my moms still not 100% which obviously worries me a little because I don’t like to see her poorly, nor scared – it’s the fear in her that bothers me the most as I can see she’s worried that something’s going to happen.  I’m not a natural worrier as I believe it’s a wasted emotion, it’s a bit like a wooden rocking horse, it gives you something to do but gets you nowhere so I try not to let worry fill my head.  I also had a call from my dear friend who starts her chemo today, she’s a very special lady who has helped me in my meetings now for a good few years and makes me laugh every week, I will miss having the banter with her whilst she’s off having treatment but I look forward to getting her back as soon as she is well. 

The joy was getting three of my members to their goal, one having lost 54lb, another 13.5lb and the third 86.5lb, that’s eleven stone between them, absolutely amazing!  Now two of them have struggled with that last bit and could have so easily given in but they didn’t, they kept going, one even went on a hen weekend last weekend and there must be something in the water over there because it made the difference and she got to goal.  It’s absolutely amazing when a member gets to goal whether they’ve lost 7lb or 70lb because every ounce counts, it’s lovely to watch people change and get healthier and happier and it’s lovely to see peoples confidence grow too.  Don’t get me wrong I have members who were happy and confident when they joined so weight loss doesn’t change them in that respect but for some it does and it makes a huge difference.

And I finished my day laughing at my brother, he’d came round to sit with my mom whilst I went to work and I left him with fence paint and a brush – might as well make himself useful.  When I returned he proudly told me he’d done a bit of gardening too, which included cutting my dead shrub down!  I looked and laughed as he’d cut my rosemary plant right down to the stump, the one I remember cutting a few bits off last month, but apparently it was dead, I think it may have been dormant but it’s definitely dead now because it’s in my wheelie bin ‘-)  I did giggle because he didn’t do it on purpose, he was trying to be helpful and it’s nothing that can’t be replaced.

My diet was okayish yesterday, food wise was fab except for those damn Krackerwheat of which I ate 8pp worth, there’s only 2 left in the tin now, I’ve worked out that there was 25pp in the packet and I won’t be buying anymore for a while, 1pp a biscuit ouch, just not worth it.  I had the fruit with my meusli for breakfast and it did fill me up I have to say, lunch was a ready meal, The Co-op Wild Pacific pink salmon and Pollock gratin, I can’t remember if I blogged about this meal the other week when we had it as I realise not everyone is on my Facebook WW page, I always post everything on there but not necessarily on here.  Anyway it’s 11pp for half and it’s divine, really large portion for a ready meal and great served with a bit of extra veg, plus it’s in their £10 meal deal at the moment, so I will have the ciabatta side with something else and mom eats the puddings, oh yeah not forgetting the white wine which isn’t bad at all ;-)

Tea was my savoury bread pudding recipe which I adapted a little as I hadn’t got a tin of chopped tomatoes – what is going on in my cupboards, I’ve took this ‘frugal’ too far!  So instead I used fresh tomatoes and pasata, I used stale granary bread instead of the low calorie stuff and I threw in a bit of chorizo, so it took the ProPoints up slightly, but it was still only 11pp a portion.  Here’s the usual recipe;

Cheese and tomato bread pudding
This is a wonderful way to use up leftover bread and it's a cheap and filling family meal.

Serves 4 | Takes 10 minutes to prepare, 35 minutes to cook
F&H day = uses 3pp of yr 49 weeklies, PP day = 8pp

low fat cooking spray
400 g can chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
100 g (3½oz) mature cheese, grated (11pp)

4 eggs (7pp)
400 ml (14 fl oz) skimmed milk (4pp)
150 g (5½oz) Weight Watchers calorie controlled bread (preferably stale) (9pp)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/180°C/fan oven 160°C. Lightly spray an ovenproof dish with the
cooking spray.  Mix the tomatoes with half of the thyme, then spoon half of the tomatoes into the base of the dish
and scatter with about a quarter of the cheese.  In a large bowl, beat the eggs with milk and seasoning. Dip the slices of bread in the eggy mixture, letting them soak in it briefly. Arrange the bread slices on top of the tomatoes and cheese,overlapping slightly.   Spoon on the rest of the tomatoes and scatter with the remaining cheese and thyme. Pour the remaining egg mixture all over the dish. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil. Bake for a further 15 minutes until the mixture is puffed up and golden brown on top.

 

There are lots of recipe ideas on my website http://www.happyowls.co.uk/recipes.html some sheets to download too.

If you’re doing the math in your head, you will realise I was over my ProPoints especially as I had a couple of glasses of wine because it really was a difficult day for so many reasons and the joy just nor the 10pp activity ProPoints earned just didn’t totally balance it out.  Hey ho, today’s another day and it looks like the suns gonna shine again, the first of the month which sounds like a brilliant day to get back or stay on track – what do you reckon?

Have a fabulous day, be gentle on yourself, do your best and be kind because everyone is going through their own stuff and as a beautiful lady said to me last week no one really knows what’s going on behind closed doors – so true and that beautiful ladies mother would be so proud of her if she was still with us. Xx