A Matter of Choice

You have read that correctly,  the title of this post is indeed Slimming World Fruit Pasta.  You are also perfectly entitled to think that I have gone completely crazy as you wouldn't be alone in those thoughts.  Over my Slimming World years I've tried many things, some only once and others that have become a staple part of my diet even when I'm not following the SW plan.   Lots of them are very sensible,  things that many people like that I'd just never thought to try before such as butternut squash, cous cous, and spinach all of which I regularly enjoy now.  Some of the things are more 'diet-y'  like cauliflower rice or courgetti (not that I've tried that, but I would be happy to) and some are a bit more odd such as lasagne doritos,  or 'Smash potato scones'   but I've never been more amused by a suggestion than I was when I saw a photo of Fruity Pasta on pinterest yesterday.  The idea of fruit and pasta isn't new of course,...

Here we are in the second month of 2021. I hope you all made it through January relatively unscathed? What a strange time it is,  and what a strange mood I find myself in now it's February.    I'm happy to say I'm ok, which is pretty good I think considering.  I'm neither sad or bouncing off the walls happy, we are plodding along in our own little world and getting through it ok.  Home school isn't the best thing of course but the last 2 weeks have been a thousand times better than the previous lockdown so I'm feeling very grateful for that.  We have fallen into a routine of sorts with Leo getting on with his online lessons,  he's not really enjoying them but does it all without fuss and I'm proud of how he's handling it all.    Louka generally has worksheets to complete, and I usually have to sit with him to give him encouragement the whole time but if I give him 100% then we are muddling though them together with a bit of  Google trans...

It's R2BC time! If you're new here that's Reasons to be Cheerful!   It's been a good week so I thought it was time to join in again.  Not that I haven't been cheerful, but my slight plan of lockdown blogging went the way of many other good intentions.  So here's a few of the things making me cheerful this week... Although the lockdown measures have been gradually lifted since 4th May, we have been waiting patiently for the go ahead to use our pool. It has been crazy trying to work out if we were allowed to use it or not as there was so much conflicting information out there. As well as for our own benefit I needed to know to share the information on the FPN so I had to make sure it was 100% correct, which is not easy when people were ringing the Ministry of Health and receiving opposing answers! Many people just used their pools, and while I was not worried about catching the virus from doing so, especially as it's only us and maybe one other neighbour at th...

Happy new year dear blog readers! On New Years Eve I'd taken the boys to Paralimni town centre just as it got dark to see the Christmas lights as we'd not got round to going there yet and I felt like we hadn't left the house in days.  We came home to a warm house,  music on, bubbly chilling and so our traditional NYE evening was about to get underway! Mum and Dad arrived and we celebrated with lots of food, drinks and music. Mostly sat ( and at various points dancing) and singing along to youtube,  all the old songs that it wouldn't be NYE without! Even Leo was singing along to Chas and Dave! Just before midnight I played our usual countdown which ends with the 'bongs' of Big Ben and a rousing rendition of Auld Langs Syne - although we don't get the chimes live at midnight, it's just not New Year until I hear them!     We all stood outside on the balcony (luckily it was not raining yet)  and I opened the front door as is the tra...

Last week at Slimming World I lost 1.5 lb which left me 2lb to go to reach the target I had set a couple of months ago which was to lose a total of 1.5 stone by Christmas.   It was very tight but in a fit of optimism and determination I declared I would do it. I realised it might be tricky with the plans I had for the week, the main one being the girls night out at Mojitos restaurant for their Christmas buffet,   anyone who lives here will know that while that is a guaranteed amazing meal,  it is not going to make losing any weight very easy! Once home from SW group last week I shopped, planned and cooked.   I exercised, I walked and ate tons of fruit along with slightly smaller meal portions. Wednesday evening I went out to a Carol concert and had dinner out from a limited menu choice.  I offered to drive so I would stick to diet coke and not be tempted by the wine. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning (I'd had good intentions for...

Christmas may be the most wonderful time of the year for parties and celebrations but unfortunately not the most wonderful time of the year for your waistline.    There are different ways you can approach this; First option is to say stuff it it's Christmas and eat anything and everything you fancy - if anyone points out you will put on weight then eat them too! Second option is to avoid all parties, don't drink,  refuse all treats and generally make yourself feel like you are missing out.  Personally I have always gone for the first option, and traditionally start January maybe half a stone heavier and feeling a bit rubbish.  This year I am ATTEMPTING* a third option, one that Slimming World has been suggesting to me for many years.  I aim to stick to the plan when I can  (oops I sound like I've eaten a SW consultant now - sorry!)  The plan being - not to eat mince pies for breakfast 'just because it's Christmas' Not t...

Back in July I rejoined Slimming World, again. For those of you who have been reading my blog for years you may well roll your eyes at this point and say yep, been there done that, and you would be right but I got to target (3 times!)  and stopped going, again. Each time I was sure I would be fine, and of course the weight slowly crept back on, again! You'd think by now that I would realise where I go wrong wouldn't you? Well, maybe I have. So, back in July I joined, again.  There were a few familiar faces from a few years back and I had been  before for a little while with the consultant but it was a new venue for me and I made a point of treating like a whole new start, I even read the book from cover to cover! Like my original SW journey (Argh I hate that expression but can't think of a better description!)  this time my Dad has joined me, and like before he has powered through losing weight much faster than me, but that's fine, I'm very proud of ho...

I posted 3 weeks ago debating on the secret to losing weight and as you may have guessed I am yet to find it!  It started well, even though I didn't get round to writing a blog post and joining Mummy From the Heart's Slimming Sunday link up and I lost 5lb.  I went to my usual Zumba class and put 110% effort into it, and loved it despite the fact I thought I was going to collapse into a heap before the end! The following week was not SO good, but it also wasn't that bad,  and then the kids broke up for the Easter holidays..... Hmmm,  all my plans of  'just a little bit of chocolate' on Easter Sunday fell by the wayside and all good plans went WAY out the window for the whole two weeks. It's been a good two weeks though, with days out and a lovely family and friends BBQ on Easter Sunday. Oh well,  onwards and upwards,  or preferably downwards. Both of my exercise classes were not running over Easter but they are both back on from tomorrow so ...

What is the secret to losing weight? The magic thing that means you decide you are going to, and then actually do it? Of course there is no actual secret to losing weight,  in theory it couldn't be easier - eat less, move more, simple? But it's not that easy, not anywhere near that easy! There is a mindset that you have to get yourself in, and I can't remember how to get there. I lost 4 stone in about 12 months back in 2006, going from just over 15 stone to 11 stone. I'd been overweight all my adult life (and much of my childhood)  I was focused and stuck to the plan almost every day. I literally exercised my butt off and I loved feeling the sense of achievement as the pounds dropped off. I honestly believed that I was set for life then,  of course I knew I'd have to watch what I ate to a degree but I thought that as I knew what I was doing and being a size 10 /12 was amazing , that no cake would be worth giving up the skinny jeans for.  I thought I...

After last week, and my poor effort at restarting Slimming World which actually saw me putting on weight rather than losing it, I am happy to be able to say that this week I have lost 1lb I can't say I'm proud of it as it was more by luck than judgement to be honest.   Still I have not really planned my meals any further than the next one, and usually then only coming up with a choice at the last minute. Although I have mostly avoided sweets, sandwiches and biscuits, I have not weighed or measured anything, and have eaten far to many weetabix and not much fruit and had a drink or 2 most evenings. I can't for the life of me work out why I am not taking my own advice, I have been doing this, and doing it well for years now. I have a lists of excuses as long as my arm, and I know they are all rubbish. Once you have spent as much time going to SW groups as I have there can't be many excuses that I've not heard, and they are just that - excuses rather than reaso...

There is a difference between a plan and good intentions. This week I did not have a plan. Last week I wrote about wanting to lose a stone for summer and get back on the Slimming World plan, after writing the post I had a comment from Midlife Single Mum and we made a deal - the following day we would both get on with it and then report back on our progress today.  I had good intentions but I did not have a plan. I ate the remaining chocolate on Wednesday night and prepared a nice big Slimming World breakfast for the following morning. I got up on Thursday picked a workout from my huge selection of fitness DVDs and got stuck in.  Thursday was good, a great start - exercise, plenty of water and good food.  Friday, was ok - nothing particularly bad but more by luck than judgement Saturday, well in my head that was fine - I had almost a week to make up for any slipups.  Sunday, Monday and the rest? Well, I just slipped back into sandwiche...

Don't put off tomorrow what you can do today... Yes, it's true I do sound like my Mother but annoyingly she is sometimes right (sometimes, I can't actually say ALL the time or it will go to her head!) To a degree I'm quite good at sticking to the rule, better than many but every now and again I slow down at a certain thing or two and need to kick myself up the bum!  I say I need to as it never works if its someone else trying to do it, if anything it tends to make me put it off even more! For ages now I've been about to start to lose the extra stone I put on since stopping going to Slimming World, but I can't get my head back into it. WHY?  I've done it so many times and I know how to do it, I know why to do it and I know it will make me happier in a relatively short space of time. I know that when I put my mind to it that I'm bloody good at Slimming World, I know that it works and I know that I could lose a stone without any major drama. For ...

Yes, you did read that right it's a 'half a syn' cake, and not only that, its really nice! Over the years of Slimming World I've tried many different dessert recipies and I've always been hard pushed to find a good one.   I find they are either not that nice, or not worth the effort or the syns but since trying this at a taster session in the group I attend I've finally found the answer! I'd put off making it for years, thinking it would be difficult but I've made it several times now and it's always turned out fine! Ingredients 4 medium eggs, seperated 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp vanilla essence Fat free Greek yoghurt 3 tbsp of sweetener (level not heaped) Raspberries (or any other Syn free fruit) Instructions Add yoghurt, sweetener, vanilla essence & baking powder to the egg yolks Whisk until creamy and put to one side Take the egg whites and whisk until stiff Add half of the egg whites to the egg yolk mixture and s...

I always said I'd get there eventually and last week I finally got to my Slimming World target, and also got my 2 stone award. Regular readers will know it's not the first time I've reached target - the first being in 2007 with a total loss of 4 stone.   I reached target again (although one 1/2 stone heavier than my pre-pregnancy one) as Leo reached his second birthday.  Now with Louka at 21 months old I'm finally back there once more. I love Slimming World, and while the plan is easy to follow, it's not always easy to keep your head in gear which is why it's taken me almost 2 years each time to lose a couple of stone.   I'm not sure what the secret was the first time as losing the initial 4 stone seemed easier and certainly took less time! But that's it now, I'm done with having babies, and while I don't imagine for one second that I won't stray out of target range I'll still be going to my weekly group and trying to keep it in...

After a few very focused weeks back at Slimming World I fell off the plan in a spectacular fashion this week with a new record of a 4lb in one week! That's a week with no special occasions, holidays or nights out, my largest gain in all my SW years has been 3lb and that was after a two week all inclusive holiday. But, Slimming world works, when you stick to the plan and last week I can't say that I did - 2 days after weigh in and a Valentines evening celebration at home with pizza knocked me sideways and I went off the rails somewhat! Hey ho, after my shock on the scales on Wednesday I've been back on plan.  Superfree, scan bran and lots of water are my weapons this week, and of course my new favourite Slimming World muffins. After the success of my 'Magic Pancakes' I decided to try a variation I'd seen mentioned in a facebook group, they are fab and I've been making them every few days. Slimming World 'Muffins' Makes 24 mini muffins. ...

Since going back to Slimming World at the start of January I've been making an effort to try some new recipes and keep varying my food every day. Although there is an endless choice when it comes to what you 'can' eat with Slimming World, like anything it's all too easy to fall into a habit of eating the same things day in and day out.  I have many SW cookbooks as well as a folder with lots of recipes that I've collected from the magazine over the years, I've actually made very few though! Last week I decided to try a new one out, and I wish I'd made it sooner! Cheesy Meatball Pasta Bake was a massive hit with the whole family and possibly one of the best main Slimming World meals I've ever made! You need... For the meatballs - 500g extra lean pork mince 6 finely chopped spring onions Dried herbs ( I used about a teaspoon each of basil and oregano) 1tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp tomato puree For the sauce - 1 finely chop...

It's hard to believe that it was 8 years ago this week that I first walked into my local Slimming World group. I had no idea how it was going to change my life but change it it did (You can read about it all on my Slimming World page if I've not told you it a million times already!) After just over a year I had reached my target weight of 11 stone having lost just over 4 st, and I managed to stay there or thereabouts for well over a year. I was a complete convert, I continued going to my group and it was reasonably easy to stay at target, days on and off plan balanced themselves out and I didn't feel deprived or like I was missing out on anything, in fact it was quite the opposite, for the first time I was wearing heels and skinny jeans and stopping dead in my tracks walking past shop windows as I didn't recognise myself! Then I got pregnant and my initial thoughts of pretty much sticking to the plan throughout the pregnancy soon went flying out the window! O...

Way back in my early Slimming World days someone in my group reached their target and I heard someone say 'This is the hard bit now, staying there'. I've heard it said many times since and I always thought it a stupid statement,  how can staying the same weight (or maybe losing a 1lb or 2) be harder than losing 4 stone or whatever you had to lose to get there?? I hate to agree but I kind of see what they meant now! I reached my target, (well a target, ideally I'd like it 1/2 stone lower) at the start of the summer.  I stopped going to group but somehow managed to stay within the target range (3lb above or below the actual target weight) for almost 10 weeks. In the last couple of weeks before returning to group it all seemed to catch up with me and when I weighed last week I had put on 6lb, putting me 4lb over target. This gave me one week to lose at least 1lb or I would have to start paying to attend group again. I left all determined and had a good few days of ...

It has been four weeks since I wrote an update on how I am doing at Slimming World, that in itself is not strange as I never planned to do it regularly, what is strange is the fact that I reached target three weeks ago and haven't got round to mentioning it! I also haven't been back to group since then although that's only due to Leo being off school and it being too much like hard work to stay after weigh in with both the boys, being at target means I don't have to pay so from that point of view I don't need to go at the moment.   I will go next week to weigh in to keep myself on track but probably won't end up staying again until after the summer holidays. Personally I'm not a fan of weighing and going, I've always liked to stay to the meetings, even if sometimes they can be hard work!  Certainly in the winter when Aaron will be around to look after Louka I'll go back to staying every week.  Although I'm pleased I've got to ...

I've had it said to me many times that I don't need to go to Slimming World, sometimes because I know how to do it, and sometimes because 'I look fine/don't need to lose weight  etc.  Over the years I've had members who are currently bigger than me telling me it's easy for me because I'm younger/ I'm so good at it / I like cooking/ I've been exercising  etc etc. If I occasionally am disappointed with a maintain or a gain on the scales some say 'but you don't need to lose more you're slim enough' And I get it, I REALLY do,even though it might not seem like it. When I first joined in 2006 there was a girl in my group who looked gorgeous, wearing a clingy top, skinny jeans and a pair of boots I could never have even dreamed of wearing. She was there every week and every week I looked at her and wondered why she was there. I wondered why she sometimes thought she'd had a bad week or got annoyed about putting on a few pounds. ...