Diary of my last half stone to target (Gwella)

[Gwella]

I kind of gave up counting this weekend as I went way over and was eating things I couldn't really look up.

Saturday (Green)
Breakfast: Mullerlight, Alpen bar (hexB), watermelon
Lunch: aubergine/onion/parmesan pizza (hexB for oil, 2 hexAs for cheese, plus ??? syns); 2 gulps of strawberry milkshake (??? syns)
Dinner: couscous with various veggies (syn free I think)
Drinks: 250ml white wine (9 syns), half a pint of lager (5 syns?)

Sunday (Green)
Breakfast: yogurt (3.5 syns), Alpen bars (hexB) watermelon
Lunch: 3 small slices white giraffe bread, one with butter and one with blue cheese (hexA plus ??? syns); lettuce; nectarine
Bushcraft snacks: Little bit of nettle/buckwheat pancake fried in butter; 3 hazelnuts; slice of tomato bread with butter (??? syns)
Drinks: AMT froffee milkshake (??? syns), 400ml red wine (13.6 syns - not yet all drunk but the night is young)
Dinner: 2 tortillas (hexB+11.6 syns), 45g avocado (4.3 syns), onion, mushroom, peppers, lettuce, coriander, jalapenos, yogurt, cheese (hexA), refried beans

I was planning the Saturday pizza and drinks, but thought I'd be able to stick to plan on Sunday. But I was at the bf's over the weekend which made things tricky. My bf's mum is very good about making synfree vegetable dishes, but it's harder when I have to make my own meals from their fridge. There wasn't much on offer for my packed lunch today, so I had to have a white bread cheese sandwich. Then I was at a bushcraft event and couldn't resist sampling the things we'd cooked on the fire. On the way home I had a caffeine withdrawal headache and felt train-sick so caved in to coffee milkshake. And wine and TWO burritos when I got home. It's not like I stuffed myself today but not exactly a great SW weekend

I've been away from home the last 5 weekends, so am looking forward to being more in control next weekend. I still feel healthier and less bloated than last week, as I worked really hard at the gym and have just been so busy. But who knows what weigh in will say.

If we pretend the weekend never happened, from Weds-Fri I had 48 syns. I'm going to try and stick to 27 syns over the next two days so that it averages out at 15 syns/day for the five days excluding the weekend.

Feeling quite down at the moment. Weight and my flat are finally going the way I want them, but work is INCREDIBLY dull, bf is living away and not yet found a job, and I just don't know where I'm going with my life really.

 

[Gwella]

Monday (EE)
Breakfast: mushrooms, onions, potatoes, LM red onion sausages
Lunch: onion, mushroom, pepper, lettuce, coriander, jalapeno, refried beans, yogurt, cheese (A), 60g avocado (5.7syns) tortilla (B+2.8 syns),
Dinner: spring onion, cucumber, sugarsnaps, lettuce, coriander, seafood, lime dressing
Snacks: chocolate bite thing (4 syns?)

Total syns: 12.5
Exercise: Cycling to work, choir, home (total 1hr 12 mins)

Also trying to drink loads of water today as I still ache a lot from the gym on Thursday and am worried about retaining water at weigh-in tomorrow. Might take some nurofen before bed as I've heard that helps flush out water from sore muscles... not sure how great it is healthwise but I really don't want a gain...

 

[Gwella]

Grrr, left my bleddy lunch at home after having had about 3 hours' sleep. Nice healthy seafood salad and I was really looking forward to it! The offerings at our local garage are limited, but usually Uncle Bens' rice is only a couple of syns, so I got that, but it turns out the biryani version is 5. And I couldn't find any superfree. And I didn't even enjoy it much. Grrr grrr grrr. Fortunately the salad (which I'll have for dinner) is mostly superfree. If I need any snacks after work I'll have cherries too.

Didn't like the vanilla milk as much today either - clearly it's a post-gym thing, and maybe the other brand was nicer...

Tuesday (EE)
Breakfast: onion, mushroom, potatoes, LM red onion sausages
Lunch: Uncle Ben biryani rice (5 syns), lentil salad with olive oil (hexB)
Dinner: spring onion, cucumber, sugarsnaps, lettuce, coriander, seafood, lime dressing
Drinks: vanilla milk (hexA+1.7 syns), 125ml red wine (4.5 syns)

Total syns: 11.2
Exercise: cycling to and from work, to and from group (54 mins total).

Will go to the gym again tomorrow.

 

[Gwella]

Weighed in last night and have gained 1/2lb this week (10st12 on their scales, 10st10 on mine). Not too bad given the weekend, though I was a bit sad.
I'm aiming to lose 1lb by next weigh in (will be tough as period is due) then lose the final 2lb the following week.
I had a hifi bar last night, don't know why really, felt a bit like self-sabotage. Took my day's syns up to 17.2. Oh well, new week now.

Today (Green)
Breakfast: berries, yogurt, hifi (hexB)
Lunch: onion, pepper, tomato, refried beans, wrap (hexB+2.8syns)
Snacks: strawberries, cherries, yogurt
Dinner: broccoli, asparagus, green beans, pasta, SW pesto - basil, fromage frais, garlic, lemon and parmesan (hexA)

Might have the rest of the vanilla milk (hexA+1.7 syns) if I fancy it after my lunchtime gym session. I read today in the Guardian about how chocolate milk is the perfect post-exercise recovery drink! But if I don't even fancy that brand after the gym I will chuck it.

Otherwise I will see if I can get by without other syns today. I feel like I'm sometimes 'having them because I can', which I think constitutes unnecessary overeating, and then this backfires when I go over on syns at the weekend. I can't really do both. I think I want to be having three meals plus a healthy snack each day, then treats when I really want them and at weekends.

Danger points this week:
I'm making a nice dinner for the bf on Friday as he's got a new job. Will do a lasagne using the dairy as my Green hexes, but need to find a low-syn pudding - maybe a pavlova.
Then we'll eat out on Saturday after going on an anti-TTIP protest.
Then there's alcohol, which is my main downfall lately. I won't buy any til Friday so if I do get a real craving for a drink it'll be spirits only. On Friday I'll only get it if I really want it to go with the nice dinner, and will probably have a drink or two when out on Saturday before aiming to go dry again til weigh-in.

I'm going to try and eat a bit more slowly and mindfully - I've slipped a bit on this living on my own as mealtimes are less interesting! I'm also planning at least 2 gym trips this week including today. I'll drink lots of water and try to cut back again on the Red Bull, which I've got into again due to sheer boredom at work really... Trying to be more positive about my job but struggling.

I need to keep focusing on the fact that even though I don't expect a great loss this week due to hormones, I'm laying the foundations for a really good one to take me to target the week after that!

 

[Gwella]

Final for yesterday (Green)
Breakfast: berries, yogurt, hifi (hexB)
Lunch: onion, pepper, tomato, refried beans, wrap (hexB+2.8syns)
Snacks: strawberries, yogurt, lychees (omg I love lychees - so expensive though), 2 shortbread fingers (11 syns)
Dinner: broccoli, asparagus, green beans, pasta, SW pesto - basil, fromage frais, garlic, lemon and parmesan (hexA)
Drinks: Vanilla milk (hexA+1.7 syns)

Total syns: 15.5
Exercise: cycled to and from work (34 mins), 30 minute fitness class, 2k row, 1k run, skipping

So the plan of not having further syns didn't work out, as a colleague bought shortbread, and I'm not good at resisting that, especially after the gym! Plan for today (gym again at lunchtime) is to have a big carby lunch, and if I still crave sugar in the afternoon to go to the shop for something lower in syns!

Period has come four days early, which means I might get my bonus week this week and it's entirely possible I'll lose the 3lb to take me to my final target (or at least the 2lb for my official target to stop paying!). Very exciting.

 

[Gwella]

Thursday (Green)
Breakfast: eggy bread (hexB) and molasses (1 syn) (no superfree I know but I just didn't want berries today!)
Lunch: broccoli, asparagus, green beans, pasta, SW pesto - basil, fromage frais, garlic, lemon and parmesan (hexA)
Snacks: cherries, coffee milk (hexA+2.6syns), half a bar of dark chocolate (4.6 syns), nectarine
Dinner: stirfried veggies with tofu, noodles and oyster sauce (5 syns)

Total syns: 13.2
Exercise: Cycled to and from work (34 mins); 30 minute Cross-fit session and stretches.

Think this might be the first time I've been to the gym two days running! I would be tempted to go tomorrow as well except I'm tired (sleeping badly) and bf is coming for dinner.
I was proud of choosing the dark chocolate and eating just half. I knew it was emotional eating (boredom) so I thought about what might satisfy the craving...

Plan for tomorrow (Green)
Breakfast: eggy bread (hexB) and sugar (1 syn) with berries
Lunch: stirfried veggies with tofu, noodles and lime juice
Snacks: half a bar of dark chocolate (4.6 syns), cherries, strawberries
Dinner: lasagne: onion, celery, kale, mushrooms, pasta, 50g goat's cheese (hexB+1/4 hexA), 125ml milk (1/2 hexA), butter&flour&mustard (4 syns)
Pudding: meringue nest (2.5 syns each) yogurt, strawberries/raspberries

I know that's not a full hexA but I've had lots of calcium this week.

Total syns so far is 12.1. It's possible Daniel might bring drinks with him, in which case I will be going over syns. Same with the meal out on Saturday. If that's the case I will think about cutting syns/doing Success Express Sunday to Tuesday as I'm really motivated this week given the tantalising chance of getting to goal!

 

[Gwella]

Friday (Green)
Breakfast: eggy bread (hexB) and sugar (1 syn) with berries
Lunch: stirfried veggies with tofu, noodles and lime juice
Snacks: half a bar of dark chocolate (4.6 syns), cherries, strawberries
Dinner: lasagne: onion, celery, kale, mushrooms, pasta, 50g goat's cheese (hexB+1/4 hexA), 125ml milk (1/2 hexA), butter&flour (3.5 syns)
Pudding: 3 meringue nests (7.5 syns), ff fromage frais, strawberries/raspberries, squirty cream (6?)
Drinks: double G&T (8 syns)

Total syns: 30.6
Exercise: Cycled to and from work (34 mins)

Saturday (EE - but I cheated and had two hexBs instead of an A, as I switched from Green midway...)
Breakfast: fried egg sandwich (hexB) and tomatoes
Snacks: 2 hifi lights (hexB), meringue nest (2.5 syns), ff fromage frais, strawberries, squirty cream (2?)
Lunch (out): linguine with king prawns and tomatoes (allow 9 for oil in pasta and sauce) and side of broccoli, nibble of bf's arancini (1 syn max)
Drinks: glass of white wine (6.5 syns), sips of bf's cider (2.2 syns?)
Dinner: edamame salad, sushi (2.5 syns)

Total syns: 25.7
Exercise: walked to station, protest, station, home (40 mins?)

Total syns so far this week is 85 so I have 20 left if I want to be on plan to try and get to target. I'm nervous about achieving it given that there is still squirty cream in the fridge and I could eat that stuff by the bowlful...

Plan for today Sunday (EE)
Breakfast: hifi
Lunch: lasagne: onion, celery, kale, mushrooms, pasta, 50g goat's cheese (hexB+1/4 hexA), 125ml milk (1/2 hexA), butter&flour (3.5 syns)
Dinner: trout, ratatouille
Snacks: Mullerlight, fruit

So I have to resist the cream/other treats as far as possible. Tricky as am rewriting my CV today. VERY BORING.

 

[coughdrops]

Hey Gwella, just catching up on your diary now. I really enjoy your posts... you include a lot more interesting stuff than I do! It's probably beneficial, as on a good or bad week you can look back over the posts and identify triggers.

You're so close to goal now, best of luck for this coming week

 

[Gwella]

Glad you enjoy them Niamh - I feel like it's mostly turning into a food diary/ me making excuses for myself these days!

Confession time. Yesterday I did not avoid the treats as much as planned. I had horrible stomach cramps, which I've in the past found brandy helps with (yes really - my mum and grandma used this remedy too!). And then I had some port too. I managed to limit the cream fortunately. So yesterday's syns were:
Lasagne sauce - 3.5
Cream - 2
Brandy - 5.8
Port - 12.8
TOTAL - 24.1

Anxiety and boredom are such massive triggers for me to overeat/drink alcohol. I need to keep working at this and not get blasé. I'm trying to start using some of the techniques in the Beyond Temptation book, like 'checking in' with my feelings and my body when I want to overeat.

So I'm now over my syns for the week. I'm hoping that all the exercise plus end of hormonal bloating will mean I still make it to target tomorrow. I do feel nice and toned and light. It almost feels like it's unfair if I do lose well this week, given that I've cheated... I know some people struggle to lose even sticking 100% to plan.

I suppose at the end of the day I've been at this a very long time, without giving up, with more days on plan than not even over the past few months when I have struggled. Even on days with lots of syns I'm still focusing carefully on the 1/3 superfree, hexes etc, getting enough protein, eating wholemeal. I cycle every weekday and have tried to up my exercise at various points. And I suppose I'm in luck in a way given that having PCOS means that as I lose weight, it actually might get easier to lose more weight as the hormonal issues sort themselves out - so the opposite to what some people find!

I'm on tenterhooks and just want tomorrow's weigh-in to come quickly so I know.
3.5 syns for my lunch today (more lasagne leftovers) and am trying to keep it at that, plus lots of water.

Enjoying wearing my new size 12 jeans Just a few pounds ago I was between sizes, so goes to show what a difference small amounts plus toning exercises can make.

 

[Gwella]

Oh shoot just realised I miscalculated my hexes yesterday and today! Completely forgot I'd counted some of the cheese in lasagne as a B. Means an extra 4 syns yesterday and a recalculation for today:

Monday (Green)
Breakfast: hifi, 2 hifi lights (2 hexBs)
Lunch: lasagne: onion, celery, kale, mushrooms, pasta, 50g goat's cheese (hexA+1.5 syns), 125ml milk (3 syns), butter&flour (3.5 syns)
Snack: yogurt, nectarine
Dinner: cucumber, tomato, pepper, spring onions, capers, green beans, coriander, lemon, mixed beans, sweetcorn, rice, feta (hexA)

Total syns: 8.
Exercise: cycled to and from work (34 mins).

I don't feel great today - stomach cramps from yesterday are back (though less bad) and I feel all churned up and queasy, but it's almost like I'm constantly hungry. Hope I can resist the nibbles later... If I get really desperate will defrost some broccoli or something! Skipping my choir rehearsal as I need to rest if this is a bug. This means less exercise cycling there and back. Will take it easy tomorrow and hopefully get back to the gym on Wednesday.

 

[Gwella]

Thrilled to say I made it to target today! 10st 7 on my own scales first thing today, and 10st 9.5 on the SW scales (my official target was 10 st 10).

I'm going to start a new diary (maybe tonight) to mark this new chapter in my health... or my life really! I'll stick the link in my signature below in case anyone is interested

Here's my food for the last two days of SW weight loss (not the last two days of SW of course!)

Monday (Green)
Breakfast: hifi, 2 hifi lights (2 hexBs)
Lunch: lasagne: onion, celery, kale, mushrooms, pasta, 50g goat's cheese (hexA+1.5 syns), 125ml milk (3 syns), butter&flour (3.5 syns)
Snack: yogurt, nectarine, cream (8 syns)
Dinner: cucumber, tomato, pepper, spring onions, capers, green beans, coriander, lemon, mixed beans, sweetcorn, rice, feta (hexA+0.7 syns)

Total syns: 16.7 (oops... think I got a bit lax as I had a strong feeling I'd lost plenty this week due to end of period!)
Exercise: cycled to work and back (34 mins)

Tuesday (Green)
Breakfast:hifi, 2 hifi lights (2 hexBs)
Lunch: cucumber, tomato, pepper, spring onions, capers, green beans, coriander, lemon, mixed beans, sweetcorn, rice, feta (hexA+0.7 syns)
Snack: nectarine
Dinner: onion, spices, peppers, tomato puree, ff fromage frais, paneer (13.5 syns), tikka paste (1 syn), rice

Total syns: 15.2 (first time I've had paneer since starting SW so think it was worth it!)
Exercise: cycled to work and group (54 mins)


xxx

 

[coughdrops]

YAY GWELLA!!

Target member... what an achievement!

:superwoman:

:character00100:

:talk017:

 

[rubyeskimo]

Congratulations Gwella!

 

[Gwella]

Thanks guys! It does feel great. Looking forward to you all joining me!

It's a bit of a weird week getting used to the maintenance mindset... I've started a new diary over at http://www.minimins.com/slimming-world-weight-loss-diary/343666-time-maintain-rest-my-life.html in case you fancy joining me there.

Over and out, and thanks for your support along the way!

xxxx