A Matter of Choice

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...

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 ...

I know I've been a little overdue with my Slimming World updates but I'm still going to group and I've also been enjoying setting up a facebook page and closed group for those who attend our weekly session.    This has been great as not only so I love doing things like that, it has also helped me stay focused and 100% on the plan - you just can't be eating too much of the wrong things while doing that can you! So, how have I been doing?   Well after several weeks of '1lb off, 1lb on' I finally got myself in gear last week and at today's weigh in I lost 5lb  - I think that's a record for me! It also meant I collected my 'Club 10' award (for losing 10% of my starting weight)  and my 1.5 stone award! I took Leo with me today as it's a Bank Holiday and school was closed, he was very good although upset that he couldn't stand on the scales too!   He asked loads of questions, (nothing new there!) and was a little confused why it's...

I've made loads of Slimming World recipes over the years but with the exception of Weetabix Cake I've not found many 'sweet' recipes that really work for me.  They always seem to be missing something (that'll be the sugar and fat I guess!) and I generally find them not worth the effort or syns. Until today that is when I discovered 'Magic Pancakes' a recipe from my old SW consultant in the UK. They are so easy to make and are 'syn free' if you count them as a 'healthy B option. All you need is... 35g poridge oats (Healthy extra B choice or 6 syns) A Muller light yoghurt ( I used a Vitaline yoghurt as Muller lights are hard to find in Cyprus, hence the slightly pink colour as it was cherry flavour!) 3 eggs Sweetener to taste. Mix the porridge oats and yoghurt, and leave in fridge overnight. Add the eggs and sweetener and you have your pancake mix! I served mine with loads of strawberries and some low fat Greek yoghurt and they were...

I haven't done so well with regards to Slimming World this week, I knew I hadn't been following the plan 100% but I wasn't THAT bad and I hoped to get away with it. Unfortunately I put on 2lb, serves me right for picking at the goodies at the picnic we had in the park and the sneaky McDonalds I had the other day! After sulking about it for a bit this morning I've attempted to get back on track today, big jacket potato for lunch and huge homemade chilli cooking for dinner as I write. I also made one of my old SW favourites today.... Weetabix Cake. If you're a fan of fruity malt loaf, you'll love this terrific recipe Serves: 12 Syns per serving: 3½ Syns ANY DAY Ingredients 2 Weetabix 113g/4oz sultanas 142ml/5floz skimmed milk 142ml 5floz water 113g/4oz self-raising flour 1 teaspoon mixed spice 14g/½ oz artificial sweetener (optional) 1 egg, beaten Method 1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC, 350ºF or Gas Mark 4 2. Put the Weetabix and sultana...

I've been trying to get back on track this week so I've been making an effort to plan all meals to Slimming World friendly and cooking enough to eat them for the following days lunch where possible. We've had home-made meatballs and spaghetti, omelette and chips and one of my current favourites, Spaghetti Carbonara. I've seen many Slimming World recipes for Spaghetti Carbonara over the years but they all use Quark and apart from the fact I can't stand the stuff (have tried SO many different ways of using it but I still know it's in there!) it's not at all easy to get here. I found this one which uses low fat fromage frais in one of my SW recipe books and adapted it slightly It's quick and easy and doesn't taste like a 'Slimming' dinner. Fry roughly chopped bacon in Fry Light for 2-3 minute until cooked Beat an egg, stir in some 'very low fat fromage frais' and chopped herbs. Add to bacon with heaps of boiled spaghetti and ...

It's very hard when following any diet / eating plan to stay on track 100% of the time, the secret is learning how to get back on it, or preferably not veer too far from it in the first place. This hasn't been a 100% week for me, it was my birthday so I knew it was never going to be!  Despite the fact I always joke that cake is syn free on your birthday (well, it should be!) celebrations inevitably  mean the temptation to eat and drink 'bad' things. As often happens I celebrated my birthday over two days, my actual birthday and then a meal out the following day as it was the weekend. From a Slimming World point of view it could have been worse though.  I kept to the plan on the actual day apart from a big chunk of birthday cake and on the day of the meal I kept to it all day, until we reached the restaurant that is! I knew I had the choice, and I could have certainly made better choices in the evening but the fact was I'd been waiting 9 months for a good drink...

If I had to pick one product that helped me the most with Slimming World it would have to be Batchelors 'Pasta & Sauce.  Pre SW (and pre-children) I used to eat at lot of ready meals and processed food, 'Pasta & Sauce' being one of them. When I started the plan I was very happy to find they were 'free' on Green days (or very low in syns for some flavours). Although I started cooking most meals from scratch I found these to be a life saver many times and always made sure I had several packet in the cupboard. Not only were they quick and easy to make I actually really enjoyed them unlike most other SW friendly 'easy' foods.  Handily they are also in the shops out here and they are a sensible price unlike many other imports.  They are great on their own, or with the addition of some herbs or chilli flakes but I also use them to make a 'Slimming World Quiche' You need: One packet 'Pasta & Sauce'  any flavour but To...

Each week along with my weigh in post I'll be sharing some aspect of my current or previous Slimming World journey, recipes, tips or just my random thoughts about it. Hopefully it might be of interest to some of you, but if nothing else it will help me stay on track!  It's the end of the first week of being back on the Slimming World plan.   It's been good to get back on it and I've enjoyed starting to get back in the swing of things.  I've had a good week and stuck to the plan all week (with the one exception of sharing a pizza with Leo at the pool on the weekend, but I used that as my only syns of the day) So, how did I do? I lost 4 lb - a very good start I think! First time round my goal was to aim for a 2 lb a week loss, and to my surprise I pretty much managed it throughout the first year.  Sometimes it was 1 lb and sometimes I stayed the same and but I didn't have too many gains,  and when I did I always knew why so it didn...