Pixel's wheat & dairy free 2 month SW challenge

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Hello slimming world-ers!

I did SW back in 2006/7 (going to group) and again in 2009 (by myself). At my heaviest I was 3 stone more than I am now - can't even imagine that now. Back then I would have been thrilled to be where I am now weight-wise, but now I've been slimmer for a while I have decided to have a good go at getting down a bit more. At BMI 26.3 I'm still classed as overweight, and there is definitely room for improvement. In 2 months I'm headed back to Thailand, where I'll be working as a scuba instructor, I'd like to feel 100% confident in my bikini/wetsuit all day without the extra wobbles on my tummy and thighs! So my target is a BMI of 23.

I feel like I have a few hurdles - I can't get to a group, and it doesn't make sense to sign up online as the minimum you can pay for is 3 months - by which time I won't be in the UK any more and it's almost impossible to follow a diet plan like this whilst travelling (headed to India first) or once living back in Thailand. I'm spending the first 2 weeks staying at my parent's house - so slightly more difficult in choosing foods etc. I also have IBS, and I find that wheat and dairy trigger my symptoms, so my diet is definitely wheat-free, and as dairy-free as possible (when I'm in my own flat I'll be dairy-free again, but at my parent's house I put up with a little bit so as not to be too awkward with shared meals). I hadn't worked this out last time I was on sw, I was just using IBS medications, so this is more of a challenge too. I also find this ExtraEasy concept a bit different from what I remember; I got very comfortable with red, green and mix2max days so I think I'll be stickingwith those!

So, here goes!

I'd really appreciate any comments or help if anyone spots any mistakes in my food diary, as I am going it alone with just here for information.....also any other wheat and/or dairy free people want to share ideas etc say hello!

 

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well, day 1 was a green day.....

Breakfast: 3 slices (71g) rye bread & 1tbsp peanut butter - HExB and 4.5 syns
Lunch: Jacket potato and baked beans
Dinner: Leek & mushroom risotto (homemade) - HExB for olive oil
Snacks: 2 x apples, oats & honey granola bar - 9.5 syns

I found today a bit challenging, staying with family, I have no suitable lactose-free HExA in the house!! I'm going to pop to the 24hr supermarket tonight in search of something. I'm having IBS symptoms - probably due to alcohol and dairy products in the past few days - so I really didn't want any dairy today. Having said that, coming back to SW after a few years, and having learnt more about nutrition, I am sceptical of the absolute *need* for dairy products in a diet the way the SW plan dictates. In Asia virtually no dairy is consumed and they're not all falling overwith pathological fractures from calcium deficiency! The whole concept of dairy produce is quite unnatural when you think about it.

Stayed within syns today - but was really annoyed to find that the oat granola bar was so high in syns!!! They are one of my stand-by quick grab snacks/breakfast items, fill me up and so tasty!! But obviously not high enough in fibre for a HExB, unfortunately I can't find any HExB granola bars that are wheat-free. Have to do some searching on that one!!!

I am pleased I got in 5 portions of fruit/veg though. I'd like to try and stick to that every day, as a minimum!

 

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I snacked on red grapes on the way home from the supermarket!

 

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So day 2..... green again.....

Breakfast - 30g porridge made with kara coconut milk - HExB and ½ HExA
Lunch - vegetable quinoa pilaf
Dinner - soy cheese & mushroom omelette with sw chips & mixed beans (4½ syns for the soy cheese)
Snacks - ginger oat granola bar (9½ syns), plums, grapes, apple

I cannot get through enough coconut milk to count for a whole HExA!!! I really don't like the texture of milky drinks. Maybe I'll give it a go as a drink.....hmm :-(. Also writing this down I realise I've only had 1 HExB - you're supposed to have 2 right, from memory? I'm really full now though so I'll leave it for today.

Very pleased with the quinoa pilaf - first time I've cooked it like that - and I made an extra portion so that's in the freezer for later. The soy cheese was a new brand and it was really not nice. I should learn to give up on vegan cheeses.

 

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Day 3 - mix2max day!!

Breakfast - rye toast (HExB) with peanut butter (4½ syns)
Lunch - potato, egg & tomato salad with mixed beans (5 syns for mayo)
Dinner - salmon poached in kara coconut milk (some HExA) & chives, with kale and sweet potato mash with cinnamon (1 syn for cornflour), alpro dark choc soya dessert (5½ syns)
Snacks - porridge (HExB) with kara coconut milk (more HExA!), plums, grapes

16 syns but I had 2 spare so ok!!!

 

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Bleurgh, I rather stupidly got back on the scales after only 3 days and not a single ounce has budged :-( which I know doesn't really count, another 4 days to go until proper weigh-in but still feels rubbish!! Have sat and eaten the whole rest of the punnet of grapes in front of the telly.

 

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Day 4.....feeling very saintly after not succumbing to invitations to join my mum in pre-dinner gin, wine with dinner and her amazing looking homemade raspberry bread & butter pudding for dessert.... honestly think I deserve a medal....!

Green day
Breakfast: porridge with kara coconut milk (HExB and some HExA)
Lunch: ryvita with homemade red lentil & chilli pate (HExB)
Dinner: satay tofu & vegetables with pak choi and brown rice (4.5 syns for homemade satay sauce), alpro dark choc soya dessert (5.5 syns)
Snacks: plums, more red lentil & chilli pate with carrot sticks, macadamia nuts & dried cranberries (5 syns), nectarine

 

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Day 5 - mix2max

Breakfast: rye toast and peanut butter (HExB and 4.5 syns)
Lunch: potato salad (3 syns for mayo) & rocket salad
Dinner: roast pork with veggies (2 syns for gravy)
Snacks: nectarine, cashews (HExB)

Absolutely stuffed from dinner. I really missed the roast potatoes though, my Mum made a point of going on and on about how lovely they were when I wasn't having any on a red meal. Nice and supportive!

No HExA at all again.....I do find that difficult :-(

 

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Got on the scales this morning.....3lb off!!!! I know today is only day 6, but sod it, I'm gonna take it!! First stepping stone target hit.....got down to 10 stone!!! woohoo!!!

Next stepping stone target is BMI 25 - another 3.5lb. May take a little longer methinks. Trying to promise myself I won't get on the scales for another 5 days at least.

 

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Day 6 - green day

Breakfast - porridge with kara coconut milk (HExB and some HExA)
Lunch - vegetable quinoa pilaf
Dinner - mexican lentil bake with cabbage, broccoli and brown rice, alpro dark choc soya dessert (5.5 syns)
Snacks - plums, salt & vinegar squares (6 syns), ryvita with marg (HExB and 3.5 syns), nectarine

 

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bit of a funny day today. couldn't eat earlier on, so had a brunch[FONT=lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif] [/FONT]when i got back, then for dinner i cooked a posh dinner-party style meal for my parents, but managed to make it not only vegan and wheat-free but sw friendly! I didn't have any healthy extras so not synning the rye bread or kara coconut milk in dinner.

day 7 - green day
Brunch - vegan sausages (LM red onion ones, so free), hash brown (homemade), mushrooms & tomatoes, ketchup (1 syn)
Dinner - watercress soupwith garlic rye croutons (3 syns - soy cream in the soup and marg in the croutons, HExB for the rye bread), main course of portobello mushrooms stuffed with roast aubergine, olive, green lentils and quinoa, with a rocket & red onion salad, maple glazed parsnips and a red pepper sauce (2 syns - olives, maple syrup, HExB of toasted pine nuts on the salad) and dessert cinnamon chocolate rice pudding (HExA of chocolate kara coconut milk in the rice pudding, 0.5 syn grated chocolate on top). And a glass of wine - 6 syns.

So 12.5 syns and a really foodie day. Yum.

 

[*Sparkles*]

Hey I'm following a gluten free diet so will be following your diary for meal ideas

 

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Hello! I'll have a look at yours too I find on a wheat-free diet it can be easy to get bogged down in rice and potatoes on repeat so I like to try and keep up an effort to make my food more interesting for me!

I can't seem to keep off the scales!! Awful I know. But proper week 1 weigh in - total of 4lbs off!!! I've NEVER lost that much in one week before. I guess keeping off the cheese has other benefits apart from avoiding horrible IBS-ness. I'm v v pleased, obviously, but I hope I don't feel disappointed when losses normalise to 1-2lb a week.

This week has a few tricky spots - tomorrow going out for lunch, but to the bistro attached to a posh gym so hopefully there should be plenty of healthy options! And Friday night have plans to go drinking with a good friend, so need to save syns for enough gin to get me up on the kareoke!

 

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day 8- green day - uninspiring leftovers and pasta!!!

breakfast - porridge with kara coconut milk (HExB and some HExA)
lunch - mexican lentil bake with salad & homemade mustard & maple dressing (1 syn)
dinner - gluten-free pastawith rainbow vegetable sauce
snacks - frootz orange buttons (3.5 syns), ryvita with marg (HExB and 3.5 syns), nectarine

 

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so days 9 & 10 are definitely not 100% days....yesterday was my last night with my parents so we had indian takeaway, and today I'm travelling down to London and a night out so drinking. Back on track tomorrow though. I have't gone crazy - but it's not slimming world so no point in diary-ing it.