Dave's diary - back on plan, back on Minimins

[Laddiesboy]

None of you are wrong ... my indian was amazing haha. Probably not the best I've had, but because it is the first in such a long time it tasted exquisite

But today I am back on plan 100%, and am glad to say it hasn't been a problem for me to do that. I feared that the day after a curry I could be weak and unfocused but it hasn't happened.

Shopping day tomorrow, we sorted our list today. No new meals still, we really need to come up with something else lol.

After shopping it is finally swimming time. I am suspecting that I'll find it harder than last time I went due to the break but I shall just take it as it comes. I'll be back up to speed in a few trips I'm sure.

I have a busy weekend ahead ... helping a friend move house Friday morning ... then poker in the evening ... Saturday we have family over and we're having a big buffet ... Sunday we are out with friends ... then Sunday evening I am going to Pizza Hut with colleagues for a birthday do!! You wait all year for something to do then it all comes along in the same weekend lol.

I will be staying on plan throughout, although I haven't worked out the logistics of that entirely yet haha.

 

[Lonestitcher]

If you want a suggestion for something new to try, what about sweet & sour veg/quorn/chicken? Really simple recipe/not too many ingredients/really quick. I even know the recipe off by heart, it's so simple!!

 

[BaysideJ]

have you had the veggie hot pot with quorn chunks and new potatoes in it too? It's made with marmite stock and is lovely, had it for dinner last night.

 

[Derbynanny]

Well done on your loss and well done on getting right back on plan

Sounds like you have a busy week. Would like to see your plan for staying OP at pizza restaurant

Teresa

 

[Derbynanny]

Oh and do you make the cowboy casserole with quorn mince, if not let me know and i will share the recipe.



Teresa

 

[majola]

i have been reading your threads laddiesboy and wanted to send my congratulations for your weight loss well done, i have a 4 yr old boy who is train mad he loves them he has posters trains sets galore and for his last birthday we wrote to our local depot and they arranged for him to ride in the front cab of a train needless to say he loved every minute of it !!!! xxxxxx well done again

 

[Laddiesboy]

Lonestitcher - I am not a fan of anything sweet and sour, so it's unlikely I would like that meal, but thanks for the suggestion and feel free to keep them coming lol

Bayside, that sounds delish, could you point me to the recipe please?

Teresa, thanks and I haven't finished formulating the plan for Pizza Hut yet but it may well contain duct tape and my mouth haha. And yes please I would love the idea of cowboy casserole! I love indians so I ought to love cowboys too in the interests of equality

majola Hi and welcome, I am glad your son was looked after by your local company, all too often they are real grumps lol. If you're ever in Kent and he wants a look in the cab of a high speed train then drop me a line

I've kind of sorted my plan for tomorrow. I will have my normal brekky (Weetabix HEb, semi skimmed milk HEa, Splenda), and take some lunch with me when I go to help my friend move (couple of boiled eggs, 2 mini Babybels HEa, Alpen light bar 3 syns, banana).

I will be home sometime between lunchtime and dinnertime, and I will get changed - need to wear my bike riding gear as I am taking my bike to poker that night so I can ride home afterward in the event that I miss my last train - and also pick up my dinner which I am taking with me - nice tub of tuna/pasta/sweetcorn, with maybe another Alpen light and something else to make up my syns. I'll work the finer detail out tomorrow. Also need to take a bottle of squash, as I don't want to drink as it will wreck my diet, ride home, and my poker game haha.

As plans go, it isn't ideal, but it is pretty good all things considering. Big weekend to get through, need to be on top of things.

Hope you're all enjoying your week, being good, finding it a pleasure not a chore to follow the plan, and good luck with your WIs

 

[misheemoo]

i would just like 2 say a big big thank you dave for the read of your diary,very inspiring to read which gives myself and others hope.
im still not sure as 2 how it all works or what hex, heb, hea all means, i dont even know what foods are green red or ee, but after this very long interesting read, i now intend 2 find out... looks like i could be joining you all on slimming world once i know how it all works lol, so once again dave,and everybody else who has contributed 2 daves diary posts, i thank you all so much, well done on your losses, and i hope you all continue 2 do well.

 

[BaysideJ]

Hi Dave, the hotpot is on page 88 of the green recipe book, we adapt it a bit by adding some cooked new potatoes to it and using a variety of veg( whatever is in the house) but certainly not parsnips!!!! Can't stand them! We use marmite stock instead of vecon. Give it a try.

Also like the Moroccan pie on page 72, really tasty.

Hope you have a great weekend.

 

[slinkydreams]

Hi Dave,

I went to Pizza hut yesterday, and had a tomato and mozzarella mezzaluna, on the dietary information page it said it only had 340 cals and low fat. It tasted OK, but it was hard to resist the garlic bread that came on the side.....

The salad bar is OK too, as they do a low fat dressing and a plain and tomato pasta, neither of which is high in fat. Best of luck

 

[Laddiesboy]

misheemoo, welcome to my inner sanctum! I would obviously recommend SW to all and sundry as I have tried just about every other diet over the years and this is the first one that I have really connected with. But I would say if you are gonna start SW you really do need to join and go to a few meetings. This way you'll have a few books to refer to, and a Slimming World consultant to teach you how to follow the plan. If you try to go alone with no prior experience you stand ZERO chance of getting it 100% right and you'll just get frustrated it isn't working for you. At just shy of a fiver a week it is quite expensive but in terms of value it is unbeatable.

Bayside, thanks for the idea, I'll probably give that a go

Slinky, thanks for the info, you've reminded me that I have a book with lots of eating out syn amounts so I may just have a little peak before I go.


Friday went very well. The house move was just about the easiest I have been a part of, and sticking to plan wasn't hard as I took food with me. I did hurt my back though but I've been on ibuprofen since and it is getting better.

Friday night could not have gone better. In terms of profit, which are probably the only terms that matter on a poker night, I came home with about twice what I went out with, and also had a superb night too. We met up in the pub, but I stuck to diet cokes, then at the game everyone else had burgers/chips/kebab and I stuck to my tuna/pasta/sweetcorn mix I took. I bet mine was tastier than theirs anyway.

I was rewarded with my first ever SUB-19 stone WI yesterday morning 18st 13 3/4 lb

Yesterday we had family over for a late Christmas get-together (original postponed due to snow). I had brekky as normal, but rather than there being an actual lunch and dinner, it was kind of an open buffet all day and night. I ate more than I should have probably, but had only 10 syns. Anything I had was syn free after that. Also stuck to Pepsi Max all day instead of having a proper drink. Spent about 6 hours playing charades in the evening, didn't realise how funny that game could be

Today we have a relaxing (lazy haha) morning, lunch about 12 ish. Then we are off to Sittingbourne to meet up with some old friends. And tonight of course is Pizza Hut. I've had a HEa and HEb with my brekky, I will have the other HEa and HEb with my lunch, and other than a dribble of light salad cream with my lunch I shall remain syn free for the day. That gives me a little leeway this evening at The Hut.

This has been the best weekend I've had in a very very long time, but I will be so glad when things return to normality tomorrow lol.

Hope you're all having a good weekend

 

[LisaRose1974]

Hello Dave, I am new to minimins and I just want to say what an amazing Diary you have written. I started reading it at 7pm last night and finished it at 1am this morning!! I have been thinking about starting SW for a while now and after reading your amazing weight loss journey I am convinced it is the right thing to do. My friend gave me her books and everything and I started following the plan yesterday and I was amazed at how much you can eat. I have been a typical yo-yo dieter over the years and I have lost 15lbs since September last year by calorie counting at home but it seems to have been a very slow process as I have had lots of slip-ups along the way and I really want a plan that I can stick to and I think SW will suit me as I love my food and hate starving myself which is what I seem to have been doing without much weight loss to show for it. I have really enjoyed reading your diary and I think you are a total inspiration to me and others. It is going to take me a while to get used to eating in a different way to what I am used to and to get my head around the plan but I am ready to give it 100% and I have nothing to lose by giving it a go(apart from weight that is!!) I have around 2 and a half stone to lose and I would love to reach my goal by the summer and I hope I can achieve it this time with everyones help and support on here, you all seem like a very friendly bunch of people. I am going to join a class on 15th Feb as I think I need the support of a group and I know I will be more likely to stick at it.

Thanks for letting me read your diary and the best of luck for the rest of your weight loss journey

 

[Laddiesboy]

Lisa, welcome to my diary and well done for getting through it all. I am proud to have taken your Minimins posting virginity

You sound exactly like me in terms of yoyoing and having a big appetite, and from what you have written I have every confidence in your success on SW. I agree that going to meetings really does help you stick to the plan.

You're right that it takes a while to get used to following the plan, and there will no doubt be hiccups along the way (my biggest was the smoothie episode lol) but with the help of your SWC, fellow meeting attendees, your new friends here at Minimins and of course your own friends and family, you will be able to learn how to follow SW effectively, eating LOADS along the way, and of course losing plenty of weight too.

I recommend you keeping a food diary on here at least for a few weeks so that we can all make sure you aren't making any mistakes (like we all did). Better to nip them in the bud early doors.

Best of luck with your journey, stay in touch

 

[Laddiesboy]

I forgot to add previously ... When I have 2 Ryvita original (HEb) with 2 Dairylea original triangles I have started to put some Marmite (syn free) on it too, and OMG it is so lush!! So lush in fact that I have been trying to plan my days to make sure I have a HEb and HEa spare!!

 

[LisaRose1974]

Hi Dave and thanks for the welcome, I am just finding my way around the site and really enjoying it. I am on day 2 of the SW plan and so far so good, I will definately start keeping a diary on here as I am sure I will be making plenty of mistakes and need yours and everyone else's help, you will proabably get sick of me asking questions!! I really wish I could join the class tomorrow but finances won't allow it until next Monday so will just have to go it alone till then although technically I am not alone now I have found you guys on here

I am determined to give it 100% on this plan and I hope to get some good results although I am still a bit worried that I will actually put on weight as there is so much you can eat and I have always been used to counting every single calorie to the point of obsession,it obviously hasn't been working very well or I would have lost more weight by now!! I think my body has probably gone into shock with this new way of eating but maybe that's what I need to kick-start it again into losing weight, so fingers crossed and here's hoping for a good result on the scales next saturday.

I really need to up the exercise as well, I currently walk for at least an hour each day which consists of taking the kids to school and back which is 10 mins each way so that adds up to 40 minutes, If I need to go into town I walk which takes me 20 mins each way but i only do that maybe twice a week and I go to Tesco probably 3 times a week which is a good 20 mins each way. I don't have a car so I have no choice but to walk to get where I need to go but I feel as though this isn't enough to be counted as actual exercise, I have never been one for going to the gym or working out to a DVD but I suppose I should start to do something more other than walking as I really want to boost my weight loss. It is my birthday in March so maybe I should ask my OH to buy me a Wii Fit, we have the wii already but I can honestly say I can never get near it for him and the kids!! Maybe I should give the Wii sports a try, the boxing or the tennis but this probably won't burn much calories or will it?

You have done so well with your exercise and I feel very lazy in comparison but I will definatley try to do more this coming week. How is your wife doing btw, how much has she lost so far? I think it would be easier if my OH was doing the plan with me but he doesn't need to lose any weight and there is no way I would get him to eat Quorn or salad or veg even, he is very lucky that he can eat what he likes and never gains weight but he is supporting me on this as he knows how unhappy I am about my weight but it doesn't help when I have to cook separate meal for all the family, I quite often cook 4 different meals everynight and it can be very time consuming, My 2 boys normally eat the same thing, my daughter is a typical teenager and will only eat things that come in a cardboard box(mainly pizza or popcorn chicken) she has always been a very fussy eater even when she was a baby and she won't try anything new and my OH eats differently to me obviously because I have been dieting and mainly have a weight watchers ready meal every night, so maybe I should change that and make him try some SW recipies and just not tell him about the quorn lol!!

Anyway I will stop hi-jacking your diary now and I suppose I really should start keeping my own so here goes Let me know if I am doing it right

 

[BaysideJ]

hi Dave, glad the weekend went well, you did very well to stick to plan and your scales are moving down to the 18's!!! I thought i'd follow your example ; no, not doing the exercise! No, i had an indian takeaway with all the trimmings, bloomin lush it was too

Hope the rest of the week goes well, i'm looking forward to a week off work soon, one more week to go!

 

[Laddiesboy]

LisaRose, finding Minimins was one of the best things I ever did lol. It's like having 500 Slimming World consultants as friends 24/7 so much help, advice and oomph is on this site. Have you started your diary yet? When you have stick a link to it in my diary and I'll pop in. As for walking, it can actually be counted as Body Magic if it is a brisk walk (I don't do body magic) but imo walking makes a massive difference regardless of the pace. My success on SW also coincides with getting rid of the car!! I think it is very underrated, and maybe it is sponsored by Tesco as "Every Little Helps" lol. I've never found Wii tennis to be very good as an exercise as you can actually play it sat down haha, the boxing is better but only really for your arms. If you can't stretch to Wii fit then how about "My Fitness Coach : Cardio Workout" which is boxing based, but sets workouts for you and really lets you know you've worked hard at the end. Other than 2 Wii controllers or 1 and a nunchuck no other equipment needed and it is great for exercise and fun too. My wife has lost just over 5 stone but not all on SW, about 2 stone of it on SW since September. She doesn't come to meetings with me but she does follow the plan pretty much as strictly as I do. I do a lot more exercise though and I think it makes all the difference. Don't worry about hijacking my diary, you are always welcome back. I love having visitors

Bayside, you can't beat an indian can you? lol. You naughty naughty lady hehe.

Well, yesterday was the final of 3 very busy days which each could have tripped me up and knocked me off plan several times over. Glad to say I got through them pretty much perfectly. Pretty much

We had lunch before going out yesterday, and during the afternoon I had nothing else to eat but had two cups of tea (full fat milk only option and had used HEa's and HEb's Grrr, no sugar though). I decided not to count the milk as I was gonna have slightly less today in my HEa to make up for it lol. Sssssh I know you're not meant to do that

Then the wife and kids went back home, and I stayed in town as I didn't have time to get home then come right back again. I waited in a local pub, and had only 3 diet cokes.

Then I got to Pizza Hut. The biggest test of the weekend! I had already scoured their website and my SW food directory for the best options, and had come up with:
Italian recipe meatball tagliatelle (6.5 syns), one slice garlic bread (5) and savoury seasoned fries (6) for a total of 17.5 syns;
Spaghetti Bolognese (16.5 syns)
Traditional Lasagne (15 syns)

None of them a particularly great option I know, but I hadn't used any syns all day and technically as a guy I get 20 syns per day to play with, although I usually stick to maximum of 15.

On arrival I checked the menu, and to my horror my top choice (as it meant I got more to eat lol) wasn't even on there - no meatball tagliatelle Grrr.
So it was really a tossup between the other two.

Along comes the waitress and says neither are available!!

OMG!!

Now I was in a but of trouble. I didn't have the book with me, and all I could remember was that the syns for pizza were basically my entire day's syns for ONE SLICE, and who has one slice? lol.

So I got the waitress to write down what WAS available, and contacted the wife who checked the syns for me in the Bible (the new food directory is the best reference EVER!!) and I ended up going for tagliatelle alla carbonara - 17.5 syns. It was very tasty, but went down very quickly and wasn't even slightly filling.

But at least I was on plan!!

The hardest part actually was not ordering any desserts, and of course I was surrounded by Chocolate fudge cakes and allsorts when they did come out. Couple of impromptu visits to the loo to get away from the smell and all was good. I used to have a thing for choccy fudge cake, despite it always sounding nicer than it tasted lol.

Up to this point, everything had gone exactly to plan.

And then ...

We went to the pub ...

actually it wasn't so bad, I just love to be melodramatic hehe.

I ended up having 2 vodka and diet cokes, taking me 2.5 syns over my daily total. But seeing as how I usually average around 10-12 syns I don't see it as a problem.

And nor do my scales. This morning I was rewarded for my efforts by another great weigh in, 18st 12 3/4lbs!!

As is always the case, as nice as it is to see, it doesn't mean much until I have my official WI tomorrow evening. But it IS nice to see

Anyway I have had what is probably the best weekend in years, stuck to plan pretty much, and I am looking forward to the return of normality now lol.

I wanted to go for a ride today but it has been snowing and is wet and cold (I probably covered that with the snowing bit eh?) so I will go for a swim instead.

Hope you all had good weekends, and are looking forward to the week ahead and some more weight loss ♥

 

[Laddiesboy]

WI day is upon me again already! It seems to come round so fast each week.

This morning I was 3½lb lighter than I was last Tuesday morning and if that translates into a 3½lb loss tonight I will be well chuffed!! Having said that, last week I was expecting a 2lb loss and did almost double so I'm not getting over excited as I obviously haven't yet worked out an accurate way of predicting it lol.

Any loss will be just perfect

On a related note, on home weighs I am only ½lb from hitting the 6 stone total loss milestone, which is mind boggling. I never imagined I would have been able to lose so much weight by eating so much!! They should preach SW in schools lol

She doesn't come on here any more but my friend Marie is doing staggeringly well too, we are all so proud, she has lost over 4 stone already!

I'm playing badminton again this afternoon, if my back holds out anyway. Been having problems with it since I helped my friend move house Friday. But between ibuprofen, deep heat, and adrenaline I am hoping it lasts!

I have a Union meeting tonight, at 1930, which means I have to leave my SW meeting before it is done, which is quite annoying Grrr. Even more annoying is that I am unlikely to get home much before 2200, so I am having to take my dinner (tuna / pasta / sweetcorn) in a lunchbox, and will be eating it at WI!! I reckon I'm gonna get some funny looks lol, but otherwise I don't see a way of staying at the meeting tonight as I have to get to the Union meeting. And there's NO WAY am I eating it before I weigh in haha.

♥

 

[Derbynanny]

You truly are amazing ! I do think if you can lose after this weekends meals out you should be a lesson to us all. I would NEVER have stuck to it at ww after having my first options messed up I would have just given in ! And then eaten pizza and dessert and and and

You deserve a medal.

I haven't forgotten about the cowboy pie recipe but have temporarily lost it

Will hunt it down later.

Good luck at wi

I have wi and after a weekend in london and a bit of a sod it last week I will have a gain BUT I am in a motivated place and I and determined to get any gain back off and have even decided to go for another month before settling on my target LOL So indecisive i know but I am a woman.

I just realised since christmas although I have been paying lip service to being OP I have nto truly been tracking 100% especially on wi days. Not sure how this happened but glad I have finally admitted it and now really in a place to see how far i can get in the next month.

My marathon training is going really well and last night I did some fast running intervals that for me were super fast so feel strong and healthy too.

Take care

Teresa

 

[BaysideJ]

look forward to hearing how much you've lost this week Dave, hope you did as well as you hoped to.

Good to hear Marie is still doing really well too, she used to chat on here for a while and i wondered if she'd stopped.

have a great week!