In this diet I have been counting fat. Most of my previous diets have been calorie-counting ones. I know Weightwatchers and Slimming World have a kind of amalgamated approach. Does it really matter which you count, fat grams or calories?
Take today's meals. Here is the summary of what I have eaten today:
* Based on a 1100 calorie target for the day I am way over, at 1700 calories
* Based on a 45g fat target for the day I am well below, at 30g
So based on this it appears I'm eating lower in fat, but overall my intake is too high. Perhaps I have eaten too many sugary things, for example my hot cross bun and the beans. I spent about 150 calories just on my bun snack and almost 300 just on bread. Having a scrape of butter obviously cost me 100 cals and 12g fat (and wasn't necessary for the beans on toast if I'm honest). My cereal portion was a bit big too, costing 350 cals, though only 2g fat.
How could I have improved things? Well obviously missing out the butter, the sausage, the bun, eating reduced salt and sugar beans (yuck, tried before but never again), reducing the size of my cereal.
* Based on my calorie target I would still have been beyond by almost 100cal at 1190cal, but obviously lower than I was.
* My fat intake would be even tinier, at 12.2g
I do know that I would have been hungrier, and for me, less likely to stick to it if hungry. I also know that I prefer to focus on the fat because counting calories in such fine detail would probably send me loopy, as it has in previous diets.
Obviously I already choose diet options for drinks etc where they are available, but overall I think a fat-based approach has really been quite successful for me so far. After all a world where a banana costs you the same amount of calories as a Kitkat despite the whopping 5g fat difference feels like a world where calories really aren't king.
Nevertheless, it has been really interesting looking at things another way today. I have been relaxing a bit this week but it gave me a bit of a kick to see exactly how empty that butter addition at lunch was, so I will cut that back out.
Which approach do you prefer?
What I ate today:
Shreddies with semi-skimmed milk
TLC hot cross bun
Beans on 2 x toast (one toast scraped with butter)
A cocktail sausage (please, somebody eat them!)
A TLC Spicy Pasta ready meal which was bland at best
A slice of bread and butter (mmmmm, this WAS good!)
A single Bounty Celebration
Exercise of the day:
None!
Product of the day:
How has it taken me this long to find the amazing weightlossresources.co.uk site? You can get a 24-hour free trial (properly free) or full membership, which allows you to keep your food diary and analyse your intake - it's what I used to compile the stats today. It really does look a fantastic site and I may well join it properly...
Thursday 30 September 2010
Wednesday 29 September 2010
Day 38 - Diet-related treatment effects
We last spoke about these on Day 1, and as I'm in the last week of my Alli challenge I thought I really should mention them again. If you're eating, or if you ever plan to see me in real life, you'd probably better skip on.
You may remember that one of my main reasons for choosing the Alli diet was to hold my eating habits to ransom with the promise or threat of unwanted bowel activity. As the website says, "alli works in a unique way by preventing some of your body’s enzymes from digesting about a quarter of the fat you eat. As undigested fat can’t be absorbed, it passes naturally out of the body in your stools. "
The side-effects, of 'diet-related treatment effects', of continuing to eat high-fat foods while taking Alli include:
* wind (flatulence), with or without oily spotting;
* sudden bowel motions;
* fatty or oily stools;
* loose stools
In addition, as you need some fat to process vitamins you are advised to take a multi-vitamin each day while on the programme (I haven't remembered once, oops).
So, physically, how have I been? Obviously I've achieved some weight loss, which is fantastic. I had quite a few headaches at first, which may or may not be related to the diet. I also found myself needing to wee a lot; I haven't seen this in any of the leaflets and I don't think my liquid intake increased, but I certainly noticed that.
My skin and nails have been fine. I've had quite a flaky scalp, which may also be accounted by the colder days and central heating, but otherwise everything has proceeded as normal.
I've had no stomach pain, and for the first 4 weeks I had no 'treatment effects' either. My diet was within limits, and so I never had a problem. At first I was quite terrified though, every time I felt windy I ran to the loo just in case!
As you know, I broke the diet while on holiday last week. While doing that I conducted two experiments:
1) to see what happened if I ate a fatty meal e.g. pizza, while taking Alli.
You are advised NOT to take the Alli tablet if eating a high-fat meal, to reduce the likelihood of treatment effects; however I think this is entirely the point of Alli - if I'm eating fat, it needs flushing out with the little blue capsule, so I kept taking it. In theory I should experience treatment effects.
2) to see what happens if you eat fatty foods when not taking Alli, having taken it previiously.
Alli is described as working on one meal at a time, so in theory it should only work on the meal it was taken during, not on subsequent meals, whatever their fattiness.
How did I get on? Well, I experienced side effects. They weren't troubling in a 'sharting' way, but it was disconcerting the first time I looked in the bowl. The oily fat does pass through you. Bizarrely it looks like chilli oil, or carrot oil, no matter what you eat, which may be like those chunks of carrot ever present in a vomit episode, even when you don't eat carrot... anyhoo.
As I was still fairly moderate in the fat I was eating, even with the diet broken, that was the extent of the issue.
I did find however that the Alli appeared to have an action beyond the meal it was taken to treat. In fact up to 24 hours after the last Alli tablet was taken treatment effects were still experienced.
This, to me, is all good news. I WANTED to be held to ransom. I didn't want to be able to dip in and out. My resolve stiffened.
I will say as an addendum that following Treat Tuesday yesterday, an oil-fest of Chinese takeaway and pizza, more extreme treatment effects were felt today. I really did have to rush for the loo at one point, although there was no pain or cramping. It makes sense after all, that eating a lot more fat would exacerbate the treatment effects. I can totally understand how people who don't stick to the diet could experience leakage and other nasties. You have been warned.
Now we have that over and done with, we can begin the final push...
What I ate today:
Shreddies with milk
Tuna and EL Philly sandwich with cucumber
TLC Hot Cross Bun
Chicken fillet and salad pittas with a couple of lattice fries on the side
Exercise of the day:
Some light housework. Looking at the sweet and sour staining on the blinds (see yesterday) reminds me too much of treatment effects so they will have to go.
Product of the day:
Do you know, I haven't got one today? Sorry!
Tuesday 28 September 2010
Day 37 - Treat Tuesday
Or should that be cheat Tuesday?
After my weigh-in yesterday I felt like having a bit of a blowout, but I didn't as eldest child demanded pasta for tea.
Today was my day of looking after both children solo, but instead I enlisted the help of PILs to look after my youngest and took my girl out shopping, lunching and hair-cutting. What did she request for lunch? Pizza. Eep.
Actually it wasn't 'eep' as I knew how bad fatwise the food was, and actually I was restrained. We both had the buffet option, and she had lots of pasta with her pizza. I had just three slices of pizza - when normally I'd have had a medium to myself, or the equivalent 6 slices. How virtuous!
Unfortunately upon my return I decided to invite the PILs to stay to a chinese takeaway, which obviously blew my restraint out of the water fat-wise: chicken fried rice, chicken balls, shredded chilli beef, prawn crackers, chow mein, spare ribs... mmm. Yummy, but not ideal.
I've already reviewed chain restaurants for their fat-accessibility, but how about takeaways? Well obviously portions are so muh harder to compare. Even our local chippy does a feast or famine thing with its portions visit by visit - sometimes we have enough to feed the street, sometimes we're all looking longingly at the last chip... you probably find the same.
Dimly remembering reading something about 'the healthiest takeaway' once, I searched and found this:
Happy reading!
What I ate today:
Weetabix and milk
TLC hot cross bun
Pizza Hut pizza (3 slices vegetarian)
Chinese blowout
Exercise of the day:
Shopping, of course! Oh, and washing the vertical blinds after FIL got bright orange sauce up them in freak accident. No, it will not come out. Just think what it does to your insides...
Product of the day:
Kids eat free at Pizza Hut! Okay, so you still need to buy their drink, but it saves a few pennies, even if it costs pounds (geddit?)
After my weigh-in yesterday I felt like having a bit of a blowout, but I didn't as eldest child demanded pasta for tea.
Today was my day of looking after both children solo, but instead I enlisted the help of PILs to look after my youngest and took my girl out shopping, lunching and hair-cutting. What did she request for lunch? Pizza. Eep.
Actually it wasn't 'eep' as I knew how bad fatwise the food was, and actually I was restrained. We both had the buffet option, and she had lots of pasta with her pizza. I had just three slices of pizza - when normally I'd have had a medium to myself, or the equivalent 6 slices. How virtuous!
Unfortunately upon my return I decided to invite the PILs to stay to a chinese takeaway, which obviously blew my restraint out of the water fat-wise: chicken fried rice, chicken balls, shredded chilli beef, prawn crackers, chow mein, spare ribs... mmm. Yummy, but not ideal.
I've already reviewed chain restaurants for their fat-accessibility, but how about takeaways? Well obviously portions are so muh harder to compare. Even our local chippy does a feast or famine thing with its portions visit by visit - sometimes we have enough to feed the street, sometimes we're all looking longingly at the last chip... you probably find the same.
Dimly remembering reading something about 'the healthiest takeaway' once, I searched and found this:
Happy reading!
What I ate today:
Weetabix and milk
TLC hot cross bun
Pizza Hut pizza (3 slices vegetarian)
Chinese blowout
Exercise of the day:
Shopping, of course! Oh, and washing the vertical blinds after FIL got bright orange sauce up them in freak accident. No, it will not come out. Just think what it does to your insides...
Product of the day:
Kids eat free at Pizza Hut! Okay, so you still need to buy their drink, but it saves a few pennies, even if it costs pounds (geddit?)
Monday 27 September 2010
Day 36 - Half a Stone!
Well there isn't really any other headline for today, I am so utterly chuffed! 7lbs lost in 5 weeks, even though I ate every type of junk imaginable last week.
So how was my diet today? How did I react? I was pretty good, but working to the theory that perhaps I was eating too little before, a couple of sneaky fat additions made their way in today. Let's see what the scales do next week for the final weigh in of the challenge...
What I ate today:
Frosties with milk
Slice of toast with butter
Pitta bread with ham, EL Philly, cucumber and a smear of hummus
Shapers snack bar
2 mini cocktail sausages (HOW hard is it to resist a cold sausage in the fridge?)
My wine-rich bolognaise sauce made, I think, in week 3 to a low fat recipe and shared with my eldest.
Weekly weigh-in:
10st 2.2lb
Exercise of the day:
Nothing, except tidying the house
Product of the day:
All the products being donated by generous sponsors to the sale I'm helping to organise...
So how was my diet today? How did I react? I was pretty good, but working to the theory that perhaps I was eating too little before, a couple of sneaky fat additions made their way in today. Let's see what the scales do next week for the final weigh in of the challenge...
What I ate today:
Frosties with milk
Slice of toast with butter
Pitta bread with ham, EL Philly, cucumber and a smear of hummus
Shapers snack bar
2 mini cocktail sausages (HOW hard is it to resist a cold sausage in the fridge?)
My wine-rich bolognaise sauce made, I think, in week 3 to a low fat recipe and shared with my eldest.
Weekly weigh-in:
10st 2.2lb
Exercise of the day:
Nothing, except tidying the house
Product of the day:
All the products being donated by generous sponsors to the sale I'm helping to organise...
Sunday 26 September 2010
Day 35 - Frankie says...
Well today I relaxed things a bit. A friend came over and we had some nice nibbles for snacks, and I just kept things in moderation. It felt good, though it felt less good when I realised that each of the mini muffins I scarfed was 5g of fat... each of them!
It's the end of the fifth week. Here goes for tomorrow's weigh-in...
What I ate today:
Frosties and milk
Hot chicken baguette with two Aunt Bessie's stuffing balls
Cereal bar thingy I got free in my Adidas 5k bag
2 mini muffins
Some ready salted crisps
More chicken baguette for dinner
Exercise of the day:
None. Blessed none. It is the day of rest...
Product of the day:
Aunt Bessie's Stuffing Balls - so easy to heat in the microwave and add to a plain chicken sandwich... yum!
It's the end of the fifth week. Here goes for tomorrow's weigh-in...
What I ate today:
Frosties and milk
Hot chicken baguette with two Aunt Bessie's stuffing balls
Cereal bar thingy I got free in my Adidas 5k bag
2 mini muffins
Some ready salted crisps
More chicken baguette for dinner
Exercise of the day:
None. Blessed none. It is the day of rest...
Product of the day:
Aunt Bessie's Stuffing Balls - so easy to heat in the microwave and add to a plain chicken sandwich... yum!
Saturday 25 September 2010
Day 24-33 - Holiday!
Where have I been? Well, gentle reader, there have been two reasons for my extended absence.
One, up till just over a week ago was continued loss of diet mojo.
Quite honestly I was boring myself, and feeling the slog so badly. In terms of the diet changes, they were routine and I was quite comfortable with them, but the bloody constant self-examination and dietary self-consciousness was wearing. When you look in the mirror and cannot identify the imperceptible changes it's hard to feel like it's all worth it. I was however branching out into looking generally more closely at labels, and choosing more foods we could eat as a family (see products, later).
The second was a holiday in the New Forest, where we struggled to receive 5 channels on the telly, let alone Beebies (sob) or a mobile signal... so surfing was restricted to a minimum and there was no chance to post anyway.
Dietwise, it took me a good four or 5 days to properly break diet, although when I did I enjoyed my whole holiday so much more. We self-catered, so from the off I had my staples of EL Philly, Slimfast and 'good' snacks. I was pretty good the first couple of days, but then the ice creams and pizzas snuck in, and quite frankly I felt awful - I was so entrenched in the diet that all I felt while I ate was guilt, and not in a productive, motivational way either, just sadness, guilt and self-loathing. I wanted to give myself a break, to enjoy the food, but I found it so hard.
I found it much easier to break the diet when we ate out. Because I wasn't making the food I had less responsibility for its fat content, which I guess is why eating out is such a diet downfall for some. For me, I found it utterly liberating. In our last couple of days I surrendered to good food, and ate chocolate cake, ice cream, pizza, fish and chips and a huge roast dinner. Happiness was back, even though I still disliked the face in the mirror. There is only one pic of me from the holiday, and not just because I wield the camera; it's a design of mine.
I arrived home, exhausted and visibly porkier. I stepped on the scales this morning, and I had today's headline all ready in my head... but then... what's this?
Enjoy the light reading: A Theory, as we head into the final week of the Alli 6-week challenge.
Interim Weigh-in:
Fri 17 Sept - 10st 3.8lbs
Sat 25 Sept - 10st 3.0lbs
What I ate today:
I won't include the diet for the last week as your keyboard will jam with drool.
I have been back on track today though...
Weetabix and milk
Tuna, tomato and EL Philly rolls, and a Shapers bar
A Sainsbury's pasta meal, indifferent and blandly tasteless
Exercise of the day:
We didn't do all the exercise we planned; no cycling trips or forest walking, but we did get lots of fresh air.
Product of the day:
Before the holiday I discovered Bisto Ready Toad in the Hole. At about 16g of fat per portion (4 skinny sausages) and just a pound this was lovely and crispy, and perfect to share with my eldest. We usually eat Aunt Bessie's version, but that has a massive 25g of fat in it! I know which one we'll buy going forward.
Another discovery was tuna, particularly tuna in spring water. Virtually fat free, so versatile, and yummy mixed in EL Philly in sandwiches. Get fishy!
One, up till just over a week ago was continued loss of diet mojo.
Quite honestly I was boring myself, and feeling the slog so badly. In terms of the diet changes, they were routine and I was quite comfortable with them, but the bloody constant self-examination and dietary self-consciousness was wearing. When you look in the mirror and cannot identify the imperceptible changes it's hard to feel like it's all worth it. I was however branching out into looking generally more closely at labels, and choosing more foods we could eat as a family (see products, later).
The second was a holiday in the New Forest, where we struggled to receive 5 channels on the telly, let alone Beebies (sob) or a mobile signal... so surfing was restricted to a minimum and there was no chance to post anyway.
Dietwise, it took me a good four or 5 days to properly break diet, although when I did I enjoyed my whole holiday so much more. We self-catered, so from the off I had my staples of EL Philly, Slimfast and 'good' snacks. I was pretty good the first couple of days, but then the ice creams and pizzas snuck in, and quite frankly I felt awful - I was so entrenched in the diet that all I felt while I ate was guilt, and not in a productive, motivational way either, just sadness, guilt and self-loathing. I wanted to give myself a break, to enjoy the food, but I found it so hard.
I found it much easier to break the diet when we ate out. Because I wasn't making the food I had less responsibility for its fat content, which I guess is why eating out is such a diet downfall for some. For me, I found it utterly liberating. In our last couple of days I surrendered to good food, and ate chocolate cake, ice cream, pizza, fish and chips and a huge roast dinner. Happiness was back, even though I still disliked the face in the mirror. There is only one pic of me from the holiday, and not just because I wield the camera; it's a design of mine.
I arrived home, exhausted and visibly porkier. I stepped on the scales this morning, and I had today's headline all ready in my head... but then... what's this?
Enjoy the light reading: A Theory, as we head into the final week of the Alli 6-week challenge.
Interim Weigh-in:
Fri 17 Sept - 10st 3.8lbs
Sat 25 Sept - 10st 3.0lbs
What I ate today:
I won't include the diet for the last week as your keyboard will jam with drool.
I have been back on track today though...
Weetabix and milk
Tuna, tomato and EL Philly rolls, and a Shapers bar
A Sainsbury's pasta meal, indifferent and blandly tasteless
Exercise of the day:
We didn't do all the exercise we planned; no cycling trips or forest walking, but we did get lots of fresh air.
Product of the day:
Before the holiday I discovered Bisto Ready Toad in the Hole. At about 16g of fat per portion (4 skinny sausages) and just a pound this was lovely and crispy, and perfect to share with my eldest. We usually eat Aunt Bessie's version, but that has a massive 25g of fat in it! I know which one we'll buy going forward.
Another discovery was tuna, particularly tuna in spring water. Virtually fat free, so versatile, and yummy mixed in EL Philly in sandwiches. Get fishy!
Tuesday 14 September 2010
Day 23 - Onwards
Yesterday was not a good day. I really struggled and the temptation to utterly jack it all in was strong. Part of what kept me going was the thought of you all, so please do keep following me, and tell your friends and enemies, and shame me into continuing!
So today has been a long one. At home with both children, both exasperating in their own unique and lovable (are my teeth gritted? No...) ways. I stayed strong, gentle reader, and I think I did okay. I'm hungry now, at a quarter to midnight, and that's a good sign I guess.
I did some surfing today while pinned by the smallest one.
I found a 'foods you mustn't eat' list and a 'foods you must' list. How do I score?
DO NOT
DO
How about you? How do you do?
What I ate today:
Shreddies and milk for breakfast. I may not have mentioned it, but we always have semi-skimmed. I could go down to skimmed but as a family it makes more sense to stay with the semi.
Baguette spread with EL Philly, ham and tomatoes. Shapers chipsticks. Shapers snack bar.
Tesco Finest Chicken/Chorizo thingummy with mixed vegetables
Exercise of the day:
30 minutes washing windows, boxing, swatting ghosts and boogieing with the Eye-Toy (told you I had a plan)...
Product of the day:
Playstation 2 and Eye-Toy. An oldie but a goodie, you might consider this a precursor to the Wii-type platforms out now. Basically it's a camera, connected to a PS2, that 'reads' your movements onto the telly screen and uses those movements to make things happen on screen. So washing windows is a screen of suds, and as you move your arms and body the suds are washed off, and points are scored.
We had to dig ours out of the loft, and I still can't find my Kinetic disc (basically a fitness programme for it), but it was fun to battle my husband, burn some calories, and do something other than slob in the evening.
I have also found my old Davina DVD... hmm... watch this space!
So today has been a long one. At home with both children, both exasperating in their own unique and lovable (are my teeth gritted? No...) ways. I stayed strong, gentle reader, and I think I did okay. I'm hungry now, at a quarter to midnight, and that's a good sign I guess.
I did some surfing today while pinned by the smallest one.
I found a 'foods you mustn't eat' list and a 'foods you must' list. How do I score?
DO NOT
- Pork scratchings - that's okay, I don't even know where I would get them if I wanted them
- Fried desserts - I definitely haven't been eating these
- Cheesy chips - I wish!
- Fizzy drinks - I have so few pleasures - surely a diet coke isn't so bad? Who needs teeth anyway?
- Alcopops - that would imply I had a social life
- Liquid Meals - leave my Slim-fast alone!
- Processed/Mystery meats - Spam is off the menu
- Chicken nuggets - I leave these to my eldest anyway
- Doughnuts - (Homer drool)
- Canned soups - interesting about salt. I shall keep an eye out, as I do like soup when it gets colder
DO
- Grapefruit - erm, fruit intolerance issues...
- Cinnamon - can I eat cinammon buns then please?
- Chili Peppers - Nandos. Sorted
- Fennel Tea - Yuk?
- Salad - booorrrring...
- Green Tea - if I mix it with the Fennel will it taste better?)
- Celery - no. Just no.
- Lentils - I shall give these a whirl...
- Dark Chocolate - isn't chocolate! I know British chocolate is closer to cheese than Swiss stuff, but I like it!
- Quinoa - the mind boggles. I shall add it to the 'to try' list...
How about you? How do you do?
What I ate today:
Shreddies and milk for breakfast. I may not have mentioned it, but we always have semi-skimmed. I could go down to skimmed but as a family it makes more sense to stay with the semi.
Baguette spread with EL Philly, ham and tomatoes. Shapers chipsticks. Shapers snack bar.
Tesco Finest Chicken/Chorizo thingummy with mixed vegetables
Exercise of the day:
30 minutes washing windows, boxing, swatting ghosts and boogieing with the Eye-Toy (told you I had a plan)...
Product of the day:
Playstation 2 and Eye-Toy. An oldie but a goodie, you might consider this a precursor to the Wii-type platforms out now. Basically it's a camera, connected to a PS2, that 'reads' your movements onto the telly screen and uses those movements to make things happen on screen. So washing windows is a screen of suds, and as you move your arms and body the suds are washed off, and points are scored.
We had to dig ours out of the loft, and I still can't find my Kinetic disc (basically a fitness programme for it), but it was fun to battle my husband, burn some calories, and do something other than slob in the evening.
I have also found my old Davina DVD... hmm... watch this space!
Monday 13 September 2010
Day 22 - Slim-Slow
20p. Twenty pence. 0.2lbs lost.
For goodness sake, I can lose that by sneezing!
Loss is a loss blah blah garble garble, but to hit this at week 3 is disheartening. It knocks my average weekly loss right down. It makes me wonder what the point is of never having cheese or butter again. It makes me consider liposuction, or more cheaply, just breaking every reflective surface in the house, and buying kaftans. If I wait for long enough, those will be in, won't they?
What do you do to self-motivate? Are you a picture-on-the-fridge person? Are you a treat-yourself person?
It's not terribly uplifting, but I guess I have to consider:
For goodness sake, I can lose that by sneezing!
Loss is a loss blah blah garble garble, but to hit this at week 3 is disheartening. It knocks my average weekly loss right down. It makes me wonder what the point is of never having cheese or butter again. It makes me consider liposuction, or more cheaply, just breaking every reflective surface in the house, and buying kaftans. If I wait for long enough, those will be in, won't they?
What do you do to self-motivate? Are you a picture-on-the-fridge person? Are you a treat-yourself person?
It's not terribly uplifting, but I guess I have to consider:
- I've been doing this for 3 weeks. This is my longest diet since 2007.
- A habit is formed after 21 repetitions (something that stuck in my head from God only knows where or when). I'm in the groove now baby!
- I'm halfway through the 6 week Alli challenge
- I DO want to lose weight. That hasn't changed
- Even at my crappest I haven't really fallen off the wagon, more like failed to keep my arms and legs inside the moving vehicle
I can do this.
I can do this.
I CAN DO THIS!
(can't I?)
Weekly weigh-in:
10st 4.2lbs
What I ate today:
Weetabix, followed by half a leftover ham, cheese and butter sandwich in defiance at the scales
Beans on Toast
Shapers snack bar
Slimfast Chocolate shake
Exercise of the day:
None. Not a sausage... but I have a plan...
Product of the day:
Slimfast Rich Chocolate Bottled Shake. A meal replacement in a bottle. I don't mind Slimfast shakes... so long as they are chocolate flavoured. I also can't be faffed messing around with powder (I make up formula for my child all day, in a sleepless haze I might easily mix up the boxes...). This, therefore is the solution, and you know what, I don't mind this.
For a start it is stupidly easy. Pull cap off, drink. If you're feeling posh, decant into a glass first. maybe add an umbrella and straw.
Taste-wise it's fine. I am not a fan of most chocolate-flavoured things as they taste like gravy granules and sugar usually, but this is smooth and rich-tasting. Good job really because the vanilla one smells like baby vomit, the banana one looks putrid, and I either can't/won't drink the rest as I don't drink coffee or eat fruit.
I find these pretty filling too. If you want to see how much thickener is in it, leave some to dry out on your kitchen side overnight then try and scrub the stuff off. It's like glue, which is not a welcome thought for the insides, but I shall la la la and ignore that.
It's still a whopping (in my opinion) 5g of fat, but it does what it's supposed to, which is take away the need for inspiration, creativity or effort from the delusioned dieter.
Worth having in the store-cupboard for unforeseen eventualities.
Sunday 12 September 2010
Day 19-21 - Blogfail...
I'm so unmotivated. Not the blog, the diet. I just don't feel lighter. My clothes feel a bit better but ultimately I don't feel like the scales are my friend at the moment, and I've so much other (more interesting) stuff going on at the moment. So apologies, dear follower, for another composite post to close week 3.
High points? Well, getting off my bum this week and responding to a challenge from a fellow fat fighter was good. But then so was the chip butty on Saturday night (no butter, but still...)
Low points? Just feeling meh and not knowing how to snap out of it. Ideas please?
What I ate today:
Well across all the days I stuck well to the usual fare of cereal, EL Philly variation for lunch, something not very exciting for dinner, B&J frozen yoghurt for dessert. Punctuated by the aforementioned chip butty, it's been okay, though now the B&J has run out I am not going to replace it. I even packed a picnic lunch for an enjoyable tramp around the woods on Sunday, rather than casting myself at the feet of purveyors of snack and fried foods...
Exercise of the day:
No great inroads there. The trek through the woods was about 4h long though, does that count?
Why can't I burn calories every time my eldest whinges? I'd be a waif, a mere slip of a thing!
Product of the day:
As I was basically repeating the same foodstuffs as before there really isn't one of these this time.
So blogfail. Sob... Weigh in tomorrow...
High points? Well, getting off my bum this week and responding to a challenge from a fellow fat fighter was good. But then so was the chip butty on Saturday night (no butter, but still...)
Low points? Just feeling meh and not knowing how to snap out of it. Ideas please?
What I ate today:
Well across all the days I stuck well to the usual fare of cereal, EL Philly variation for lunch, something not very exciting for dinner, B&J frozen yoghurt for dessert. Punctuated by the aforementioned chip butty, it's been okay, though now the B&J has run out I am not going to replace it. I even packed a picnic lunch for an enjoyable tramp around the woods on Sunday, rather than casting myself at the feet of purveyors of snack and fried foods...
Exercise of the day:
No great inroads there. The trek through the woods was about 4h long though, does that count?
Why can't I burn calories every time my eldest whinges? I'd be a waif, a mere slip of a thing!
Product of the day:
As I was basically repeating the same foodstuffs as before there really isn't one of these this time.
So blogfail. Sob... Weigh in tomorrow...
Thursday 9 September 2010
Day 18 - Sausagefail
Back in the saddle again...
You may remember my adventure in venison in week one; the half venison sausages enjoyed by my husband and eldest while I looked on with my TLC banger.
Well, I found some actual venison sausages in the Tesco's finest range and, shock of shocks, they have less fat in them than my TLC pork tube... so it had to be done, didn't it?
Roll on this evening... venison sausages all round, mashed potato and beans to accompany. Tuck in everyone!
Oh 'deer'.
These 100% venison specials were rejected by 2/3 of the diners chez nous - my daughter didn't like the skin's texture, and my husband didn't like the whole thing really. Sausagefail.
Me? Well I quite liked them. they were obviously 100% meat, no fillers, cereals or any other crap in them. The smell was slightly reminiscent of a doner kebab, which, let's face it, is not necessarily a bad thing. The texture I found fine, more like a black pudding or a Spanish sausage than Walls' finest, though admittedly the skin was chewier than I am used to.
An expensive experiment, but such a shame. My family has been pretty supportive so far with my experiments, driven by a desire to see that they eat more healthily too, but I don't think I can justify buying these again, even though they are so low in fat. Sigh. Onwards...
What I ate today:
Shreddies and milk
TLC ham and cheese 'veneer' sandwich (by which I mean there was a veneer of pink, and a veneer of yellow, and the packaging said ham and cheese, though the flavour said... nothing), and three waitrose butternut squash pastries
I snacked on a virtuous Weightwatchers chocolate brownie (a bit dry. One for the custard treatment).
Dinner was venison sausages, mash and beans. never mind.
Exercise of the day:
A 45-minute walk challenge to the shops, carrying my big lump of a baby in a sling.
Product of the day:
Waitrose Delicatezze Spicy Butternut Squash Pastries These are yummy! As snacks go, they are not bad fat-wise, and the spiciness makes the flavour full and satisfying. Excellent hot or cold.
You may remember my adventure in venison in week one; the half venison sausages enjoyed by my husband and eldest while I looked on with my TLC banger.
Well, I found some actual venison sausages in the Tesco's finest range and, shock of shocks, they have less fat in them than my TLC pork tube... so it had to be done, didn't it?
Roll on this evening... venison sausages all round, mashed potato and beans to accompany. Tuck in everyone!
Oh 'deer'.
These 100% venison specials were rejected by 2/3 of the diners chez nous - my daughter didn't like the skin's texture, and my husband didn't like the whole thing really. Sausagefail.
Me? Well I quite liked them. they were obviously 100% meat, no fillers, cereals or any other crap in them. The smell was slightly reminiscent of a doner kebab, which, let's face it, is not necessarily a bad thing. The texture I found fine, more like a black pudding or a Spanish sausage than Walls' finest, though admittedly the skin was chewier than I am used to.
An expensive experiment, but such a shame. My family has been pretty supportive so far with my experiments, driven by a desire to see that they eat more healthily too, but I don't think I can justify buying these again, even though they are so low in fat. Sigh. Onwards...
What I ate today:
Shreddies and milk
TLC ham and cheese 'veneer' sandwich (by which I mean there was a veneer of pink, and a veneer of yellow, and the packaging said ham and cheese, though the flavour said... nothing), and three waitrose butternut squash pastries
I snacked on a virtuous Weightwatchers chocolate brownie (a bit dry. One for the custard treatment).
Dinner was venison sausages, mash and beans. never mind.
Exercise of the day:
A 45-minute walk challenge to the shops, carrying my big lump of a baby in a sling.
Product of the day:
Waitrose Delicatezze Spicy Butternut Squash Pastries These are yummy! As snacks go, they are not bad fat-wise, and the spiciness makes the flavour full and satisfying. Excellent hot or cold.
Wednesday 8 September 2010
Day 17 - Meh
I want food. Real food. Bored now.
What I ate today:
Two TLC hot cross buns
A bite of sausage roll
A baguette with EL Philly and chicken, with a ball of Aunt Bessie's stuffing
Two slices of toast with a 'fried' egg
Ben & Jerry's Phish food frozen yoghurt
Exercise of the day:
Meh.
Product of the day:
Meh.
What I ate today:
Two TLC hot cross buns
A bite of sausage roll
A baguette with EL Philly and chicken, with a ball of Aunt Bessie's stuffing
Two slices of toast with a 'fried' egg
Ben & Jerry's Phish food frozen yoghurt
Exercise of the day:
Meh.
Product of the day:
Meh.
Tuesday 7 September 2010
Day 16 - Mouthfeel
Why does fat taste good? Why do we like the bad stuff, oozing with butter, dripping with cream, layered with cheese... (drool) - and why does the low fat stuff taste so... meh...?
Studies have proposed that it's an issue of production and recipe creation; that manufacturers are forgetting that the experience of food is multi-sensory so when they produce a low-fat version something is 'missing' to the senses. Others propose that ther may be an evolutionary bias towards preferring fat-laden foods, for energy and survival purposes.
Mouthfeel is the experience of food when we eat it. How do our tastebuds, our teeth, our tongues interact with the morsels we eat? The experience of letting gorgeous chocolate melt in your mouth; the crisp freshness of a dry white after a hard day; the indulgence in oily pasta with cheese and garlic bread. I conducted a mouthfeel experiment with my daughter today; to compare and contrast the mouthfeel of two similar products with very different fat content:
My eldest had Bacon flavour Batchelor's Super Noodles. I had the low fat Chilli Chicken flavour.
The appearance was similar; my noodles slightly lighter in appearance both before and after cooking. Her noodles were more gelatinous, sticking together when they started to cool, whereas mine didn't. The price was the same. The difference? Taste-wise mine tasted like minced cardboard, dry in texture and almost flavourless. Hers tasted 'yummy', apparently. The difference in fat? For half a pack, my 0.8g trounced her 11.8g (how much?!). So fatwise, it was worth it. Flavour-wise? I don't think so. the mouth feel wasn't there for me. I didn't enjoy it.
Admittedly noodles aren't the creamiest of foodstuffs, but the difference was still fairly marked for us. Looks like noodles (or taste) is off the menu for the duration of the challenge then...
Scientists are working on the problem, in experiments altering the ratio of oil and water in food while retaining the creamy feel and texture of the food and reducing the fat content by half. Watch this space...
What I ate today:
Studies have proposed that it's an issue of production and recipe creation; that manufacturers are forgetting that the experience of food is multi-sensory so when they produce a low-fat version something is 'missing' to the senses. Others propose that ther may be an evolutionary bias towards preferring fat-laden foods, for energy and survival purposes.
Mouthfeel is the experience of food when we eat it. How do our tastebuds, our teeth, our tongues interact with the morsels we eat? The experience of letting gorgeous chocolate melt in your mouth; the crisp freshness of a dry white after a hard day; the indulgence in oily pasta with cheese and garlic bread. I conducted a mouthfeel experiment with my daughter today; to compare and contrast the mouthfeel of two similar products with very different fat content:
My eldest had Bacon flavour Batchelor's Super Noodles. I had the low fat Chilli Chicken flavour.
The appearance was similar; my noodles slightly lighter in appearance both before and after cooking. Her noodles were more gelatinous, sticking together when they started to cool, whereas mine didn't. The price was the same. The difference? Taste-wise mine tasted like minced cardboard, dry in texture and almost flavourless. Hers tasted 'yummy', apparently. The difference in fat? For half a pack, my 0.8g trounced her 11.8g (how much?!). So fatwise, it was worth it. Flavour-wise? I don't think so. the mouth feel wasn't there for me. I didn't enjoy it.
Admittedly noodles aren't the creamiest of foodstuffs, but the difference was still fairly marked for us. Looks like noodles (or taste) is off the menu for the duration of the challenge then...
Scientists are working on the problem, in experiments altering the ratio of oil and water in food while retaining the creamy feel and texture of the food and reducing the fat content by half. Watch this space...
What I ate today:
Shreddies with milk
A bagel with EL Philly and ham (I visited an understanding friend!). I did have a bite of my daughter's sausage roll, and also a Butternut Squash pastry from Waitrose.
I had a Shapers snack mid-afternoon.
Dinner was the aforementioned low fat supernoodles and prawns
Feeling thoroughly unsatisfied I cracked open the Ben & Jerry's again
Exercise of the day:
I don't think I did one!
Product of the day:
The Supernoodles. Bah.
Monday 6 September 2010
Day 15 - 60p
Or 0.6 of a pound. Is that all? Is that all the loss I have to show for yet another week of restraint, cheese-forbearance and a 5k walk?!
Bah.
It is so SO tempting to jack it in. In previous diets I have done just that, and commiserated my 'loss' with a big fat cheese sandwich.
I think: What more can I do? What did I do wrong? Was the first weigh-in wrong?
Well, if I think back honestly, I stuck to the diet pretty well. I can't think of anything I ate that I really shouldn't, though I know I was less strict than the first week I was still within guidelines.
I did miss about a third of my pills, which won't have helped.
I didn't exercise very much, so that could definitely be improved. Though not today, as Velcro-Boy has been restricting my movements.
Maybe this is normal? I guess I have to see what happens in week 3 to see if I can keep going down at least. So I have till next Monday to have a full body wax, cut my nails and my hair, and generally shave off those ounces...
Still, I'm only 2 weeks into 6 weeks. If I can't give this 6 weeks of my life, there's no hope for me.
Weekly weigh-in:
10st 4.4lbs
What I ate today:
'Fried' egg on white bread
Boots snack bar
Chicken salad and EL Philly wrap
TLC hot cross bun
TLC cheese and broccoli pasta with some extra chicken
Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie Frozen Yoghurt
Exercise of the day:
Hoovering
Product of the day:
Fry Light Spray Oil. I was a little dubious about these 'oils' but they do at least allow me to fry without spoons of gloopy oil. The sunflower is fine for everyday. I'm less convinced by the butter one, but time will tell.
Bah.
It is so SO tempting to jack it in. In previous diets I have done just that, and commiserated my 'loss' with a big fat cheese sandwich.
I think: What more can I do? What did I do wrong? Was the first weigh-in wrong?
Well, if I think back honestly, I stuck to the diet pretty well. I can't think of anything I ate that I really shouldn't, though I know I was less strict than the first week I was still within guidelines.
I did miss about a third of my pills, which won't have helped.
I didn't exercise very much, so that could definitely be improved. Though not today, as Velcro-Boy has been restricting my movements.
Maybe this is normal? I guess I have to see what happens in week 3 to see if I can keep going down at least. So I have till next Monday to have a full body wax, cut my nails and my hair, and generally shave off those ounces...
Still, I'm only 2 weeks into 6 weeks. If I can't give this 6 weeks of my life, there's no hope for me.
Weekly weigh-in:
10st 4.4lbs
What I ate today:
'Fried' egg on white bread
Boots snack bar
Chicken salad and EL Philly wrap
TLC hot cross bun
TLC cheese and broccoli pasta with some extra chicken
Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie Frozen Yoghurt
Exercise of the day:
Hoovering
Product of the day:
Fry Light Spray Oil. I was a little dubious about these 'oils' but they do at least allow me to fry without spoons of gloopy oil. The sunflower is fine for everyday. I'm less convinced by the butter one, but time will tell.
Day 14 - Exercise!
Yes, you never thought I would, did you?
So far my Exercise of the Day section has been a bit... lacking. Shopping, and child-wrangling mostly. You'd think with the amount of shopping I do I'd be a millionairess and able to pay for lipo, but no. Shopping can involve a loaf of bread and a pint of milk, but it is a trip Outside, and any new mum will tell you that's good enough, sometimes.
Pushing a buggy isn't the most exercise I'll ever do, especially as I have a beautifully light version. I drive pretty much everywhere too.
I haven't always been this sedentary. At school I wasn't great at sport but I tried. I even represented my school twice - once at shot put (awful) and once in the 200m sprint (came last, but a personal best). I walked to and from school - primary, secondary, and university. I even did step classes at one point.
I guess there came a point where driving to work became more appropriate than walking and public transport. And of course before I fell pregnant the first time (5 years ago) was probably the last time I rode my bike.
I could of course inject some activity into my life through attending a class; after my holiday this month I'll be hoping to start beginner's swimming lessons (yikes), which, if it goes well, will be wonderful.
I think the key though is to inject activity into my daily life, so I don't even notice it, much like this diet I'm doing. As soon as the youngest has more of a routine I think I shall do just that. Yes, it's an excuse of sorts, but it's there. Even now, the only reason I'm typing this is because he's asleep; unfortunately he's asleep on my lap so I can't do more at the moment. All suggestions gratefully appreciated...
I've mentioned the buggy walk before - I forgot this morning. I shall try and remember for next week.
I did exercise yesterday though; I walked the Adidas 5k! I think it took me just over an hour, but to be honest I wasn't really paying attention, just having a good natter and raising some money for charity. Actually, it was almost my perfect exercise...
What I ate today:
Bowl of mini shredded wheat and milk
In an abortive attempt to find Pizza Express, I ended up eating a burger from a stall (no cheese though), some Shapers crisps and a low-fat fair trade bar.
For dinner I served home-made low-fat bolognaise pasta bake (no cheese for me), and a TLC garlic slice. Mindful of the impending weigh-in and the unkown fat content of my lunch, I did not have any dessert.
Exercise of the day:
The Adidas 5k women's challenge fun run, in aid of SANDs. There's still time to sponsor me - I promise I finished!
Product of the day:
Tesco Light Choices Garlic Bread Slices. The acceptable face of garlic bread, it's okay, though overcooking it renders it the texture of crispbread.
So far my Exercise of the Day section has been a bit... lacking. Shopping, and child-wrangling mostly. You'd think with the amount of shopping I do I'd be a millionairess and able to pay for lipo, but no. Shopping can involve a loaf of bread and a pint of milk, but it is a trip Outside, and any new mum will tell you that's good enough, sometimes.
Pushing a buggy isn't the most exercise I'll ever do, especially as I have a beautifully light version. I drive pretty much everywhere too.
I haven't always been this sedentary. At school I wasn't great at sport but I tried. I even represented my school twice - once at shot put (awful) and once in the 200m sprint (came last, but a personal best). I walked to and from school - primary, secondary, and university. I even did step classes at one point.
I guess there came a point where driving to work became more appropriate than walking and public transport. And of course before I fell pregnant the first time (5 years ago) was probably the last time I rode my bike.
I could of course inject some activity into my life through attending a class; after my holiday this month I'll be hoping to start beginner's swimming lessons (yikes), which, if it goes well, will be wonderful.
I think the key though is to inject activity into my daily life, so I don't even notice it, much like this diet I'm doing. As soon as the youngest has more of a routine I think I shall do just that. Yes, it's an excuse of sorts, but it's there. Even now, the only reason I'm typing this is because he's asleep; unfortunately he's asleep on my lap so I can't do more at the moment. All suggestions gratefully appreciated...
I've mentioned the buggy walk before - I forgot this morning. I shall try and remember for next week.
I did exercise yesterday though; I walked the Adidas 5k! I think it took me just over an hour, but to be honest I wasn't really paying attention, just having a good natter and raising some money for charity. Actually, it was almost my perfect exercise...
What I ate today:
Bowl of mini shredded wheat and milk
In an abortive attempt to find Pizza Express, I ended up eating a burger from a stall (no cheese though), some Shapers crisps and a low-fat fair trade bar.
For dinner I served home-made low-fat bolognaise pasta bake (no cheese for me), and a TLC garlic slice. Mindful of the impending weigh-in and the unkown fat content of my lunch, I did not have any dessert.
Exercise of the day:
The Adidas 5k women's challenge fun run, in aid of SANDs. There's still time to sponsor me - I promise I finished!
Product of the day:
Tesco Light Choices Garlic Bread Slices. The acceptable face of garlic bread, it's okay, though overcooking it renders it the texture of crispbread.
Saturday 4 September 2010
Day 13 - Say Cheese...
This isn't a consumer review site. This is mine, all mine (bwa ha ha ha - evil laugh), but over the last almost 2 weeks I've been trying to find that holy grail, an alternative to cheese in my diet. I love cheese. It goes with everything, and it's the ultimate multi-purplse food. Have it on toast, on potatoes, grilled on vegetables, lovingly packed into plump pieces of beef or chicken, melted, sliced, grated (tastes different - why?)...
So I've tried a few. Plus, as I said before, I've given up butter too, and have been substituting soft cheese for it to ensure I don't eat dry bread all the time.
I thought you might be interested in the results of my own comparison of selected products in my fridge, so here they are:
Cathedral City Mature Cheddar
87 p/100g
1.7 g Fat/5g
Look how small 5g is! My favourite everyday cheese, I would normally have 8+ times this in a sandwich, plus butter. I guess that’s why I’m here… After almost 2 weeks without, this tasted so STRONG on my tongue, stronger than I had remembered. I don’t actually miss this as much as I thought…
Tesco Extra Light Soft Cheese
37 p/100g
0.2 g Fat/5g
The cheapest of the cheeses on test, I was recommended to try this on the advice of a fellow fat fighter, as it has less fat than Philly. Well, it certainly does, but it also has a more crumbly acidic texture, with liquid settling on top. Good if on a budget, otherwise go Philly I say.
Philadelphia Extra Light Soft Cheese
68 p/100g
0.2 g Fat/5g
Actually, 0.23g fat in the sample, slightly higher than the Tesco version. It is creamier in texture though, and more subtly flavoured. My new everyday cheese.
Laughing Cow Extra Light
67 p/100g
0.1 g Fat/5g
In days of yore I always preferred Laughing Cow triangles to Dairylea, so I thought I would give it a whirl, especially given the fat stat. It is yellower than the others, almost pasty in texture, and very definitely processed in taste. A disappointment.
Anchor Butter
56 p/100g
4.0 g Fat/5g
Heaven. Sigh. But HOW much fat?!
So I've tried a few. Plus, as I said before, I've given up butter too, and have been substituting soft cheese for it to ensure I don't eat dry bread all the time.
I thought you might be interested in the results of my own comparison of selected products in my fridge, so here they are:
Cathedral City Mature Cheddar
87 p/100g
1.7 g Fat/5g
Look how small 5g is! My favourite everyday cheese, I would normally have 8+ times this in a sandwich, plus butter. I guess that’s why I’m here… After almost 2 weeks without, this tasted so STRONG on my tongue, stronger than I had remembered. I don’t actually miss this as much as I thought…
Tesco Extra Light Soft Cheese
37 p/100g
0.2 g Fat/5g
The cheapest of the cheeses on test, I was recommended to try this on the advice of a fellow fat fighter, as it has less fat than Philly. Well, it certainly does, but it also has a more crumbly acidic texture, with liquid settling on top. Good if on a budget, otherwise go Philly I say.
Philadelphia Extra Light Soft Cheese
68 p/100g
0.2 g Fat/5g
Actually, 0.23g fat in the sample, slightly higher than the Tesco version. It is creamier in texture though, and more subtly flavoured. My new everyday cheese.
Laughing Cow Extra Light
67 p/100g
0.1 g Fat/5g
In days of yore I always preferred Laughing Cow triangles to Dairylea, so I thought I would give it a whirl, especially given the fat stat. It is yellower than the others, almost pasty in texture, and very definitely processed in taste. A disappointment.
Anchor Butter
56 p/100g
4.0 g Fat/5g
Heaven. Sigh. But HOW much fat?!
Which will you choose?
What I ate today:
2 slices of toast with EL Philly
My Nandos special chicken fillet in pitta. I tried the fat-free frozen yoghurt but it was banan flavoured and bland. Apparently some do chocolate flavour? Yum...
The above cheese platter, and a TLC hot cross bun
Exercise of the day:
A walk round the shops! Surprise, surprise...
Product of the day:
Probably the cheeses I mentioned above. I'm still a little gobsmacked by the fat results to think of another!
Friday 3 September 2010
Days 11 and 12 - Two for one?
Sometimes life gets in the way of... your life really! It certainly has got in the way of my diets before now...
"I know I'm on a diet, but it's Fred's birthday..."
"I've had a crappy day at work and a takeaway will cheer me up..."
"I'm so tired I put the chocolate in my mouth before I realised..."
"I'm too busy/old/bored/ to diet..."
Ding ding! I think I just hit the limit on the Excuse-o-Meter...
Maybe before now I hadn't found the right diet?
I've been busy with life, ill and shouty children, that race I'm running (sponsored me yet?!), the sale I'm helping to organise, and my new desire to learn knitting and crochet simultaneously (learning simultaneously, I don't have an extra arm or anything), and while I dropped a day's blog (oops, did you miss me?!) and the camera has a film of dust on it, I didn't drop the diet.
I did climb on the scales this morning though, just because that nagging thought about being slacker kept tapping me on the shoulder... Possibly an ounce or two difference from Monday's weigh-in, which spurs me onto the path of diet righteousness for the rest of the week.
So here we go, let's see what I remember:
What I ate yesterday/today:
Mini shredded wheat and milk/Banana
Chicken and tomato rolls and a Shapers snack bar/Chicken and tomato rolls, 1/2 pack Shapers crisps and a Tesco LC hot cross bun
Fish fingers, chip and beans/Tesco LC Chicken Curry and two Tesco LC naan breads
1/6 tub Ben & Jerry's Fudge Brownie Frozen Yoghurt
Exercise of the day(s):
Nothing to write home about. Shopping. I have enquired about swimming lessons though!
Product of the day(s):
Calpol. And Calprofen. I could have waxed lyrical about weighing 100g of chips, the surprising amount of fat in fish fingers, how sloppy the curry was, or how I'm not yet bored with the chicken sandwiches... but these two big guys have been saving my day today. Hooray for medication...
"I know I'm on a diet, but it's Fred's birthday..."
"I've had a crappy day at work and a takeaway will cheer me up..."
"I'm so tired I put the chocolate in my mouth before I realised..."
"I'm too busy/old/bored/ to diet..."
Ding ding! I think I just hit the limit on the Excuse-o-Meter...
Maybe before now I hadn't found the right diet?
I've been busy with life, ill and shouty children, that race I'm running (sponsored me yet?!), the sale I'm helping to organise, and my new desire to learn knitting and crochet simultaneously (learning simultaneously, I don't have an extra arm or anything), and while I dropped a day's blog (oops, did you miss me?!) and the camera has a film of dust on it, I didn't drop the diet.
I did climb on the scales this morning though, just because that nagging thought about being slacker kept tapping me on the shoulder... Possibly an ounce or two difference from Monday's weigh-in, which spurs me onto the path of diet righteousness for the rest of the week.
So here we go, let's see what I remember:
What I ate yesterday/today:
Mini shredded wheat and milk/Banana
Chicken and tomato rolls and a Shapers snack bar/Chicken and tomato rolls, 1/2 pack Shapers crisps and a Tesco LC hot cross bun
Fish fingers, chip and beans/Tesco LC Chicken Curry and two Tesco LC naan breads
1/6 tub Ben & Jerry's Fudge Brownie Frozen Yoghurt
Exercise of the day(s):
Nothing to write home about. Shopping. I have enquired about swimming lessons though!
Product of the day(s):
Calpol. And Calprofen. I could have waxed lyrical about weighing 100g of chips, the surprising amount of fat in fish fingers, how sloppy the curry was, or how I'm not yet bored with the chicken sandwiches... but these two big guys have been saving my day today. Hooray for medication...
Wednesday 1 September 2010
Day 10 - My friend Ben
Not a lot to report today. I do keep forgetting to take my Alli tablets at the moment, which is unhelpful really. I didn't pay all that money for them to sit in the cupboard, after all.
Anyway. I received today the 3rd Alli challenge email sent to me by Boots. I have no idea where the other 2 have gone to, this is the first one I've received. Glad I'm not depending upon the support, eh? The pearl of wisdom today: Get More Active.
You'll have seen from my posts that activity is not one of my strong points. My opportunities to go for a quick run are limited by a small child and the sleeplessness that follows. I've always preferred exercise which is incidental to my life, too. But both of those are excuses. I do need to up my activity, both in pursuance of this challenge and also for a healthier life long-term.
I've spotted a buggy-walk group near my home which runs on Mondays, so if I can organise myself adequately I might go and play New Girl at that next week. There's also some fab parkland around here, so I really don't have much excuse not to do something a few times a week. I also need to see if I can organise some swimming lessons at some point... now I just need a few extra hours in the day to fit in all the organising I need to do to make that happen! I shall just have to find the time.
Incidentally, I had already booked myself a place in the Adidas 5k women's challenge fun run this Sunday coming, in aid of SANDs. Feel free to lob me a few pounds for a great cause - I will be aiming to amble amiably around Hyde Park, not run, but it's the taking part...
What exercise do you do? Inspire me!
What I ate today:
2 slices of toast spread with EL Philly
A 1/4 Milkybar I found in the changing bag
A large (oops) ham and tomato baguette, spread with EL Laughing Cow spread
A Tesco Light Choices pasta bake, plus 2 slices of TLC garlic bread
1/6 tub of Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie Frozen Yoghurt
Exercise of the Day:
Restraining the be-jabbed one, and rocking him to soothe him for the rest of the day.
Product of the Day:
Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie Frozen Yoghurt. This stuff is fabulously low in fat and it's actually good. You know how some 'chocolate flavour' products taste like manky old generic hot chocolate mixed with dust? Well this is obviously not creamy like ice-cream, but it is yummy. The brownie pieces are big (albeit they have a slight coffee/mocha tang) and all in all it's a good way to spend your calories. Especially if you steal your child's bowl and spoon and make it all look bigger... 1/5 of a tub is just over 2g fat - bargain!
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