Tag Archives: Weight Watchers

The Results Are In – Week 14

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Filed under My Progress
Image courtesy of pakorn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of pakorn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Weight loss:   +0.5lb

Current weight:    11st 13.5lb

Weight loss since start:   7.0lb

Lbs to go to reach next target:   2.5lb

 

I realise that I’ve skipped straight from Week 12 to Week 14 but I’ve had a week away from the blog (and away from the plan) for Easter.

Following a gain on my last reported weigh-in, last week I stayed the same – which I was pretty pleased with after not really getting fully back on track and attending a friend’s birthday party on the Saturday night.

So, this week, I’ve had another small gain.  Previously this would have completely thrown me and I’d be well on my way to letting my weight creep all the way back up.  But not this time.

I knew I’d most likely put on as I’ve been on holiday from work, have eaten out nearly every day (and even twice on Saturday) and I’d eaten several hot cross buns and a couple of Easter eggs.  So prior to my weigh-in, I was pretty terrified that I was going to have crept (or leapt!) back over that 12st mark.  So worried was I about this that my intention was not to weigh.  I felt that seeing my weight back over 12st would dent my motivation.

As I’m a clerk at my Weight Watchers meeting, I knew I needed to go to the meeting and eventually I woke up to the fact that ignoring my current weight would in all likelihood just do more damage.   I realised I couldn’t change the choices I’d made over the previous couple of weeks, but what I could do was to take control of my decisions over the coming week.  With this in mind, I made a plan of all my meals for the coming week, and went and bought all the ingredients needed.

I’ve also reset the mini-goal I’ve been working towards.  I was aiming to lose 4lbs in April but have actually put on 2.5lb.  If I stick rigidly to the plan there is a slight chance that I could achieve this by the first weigh-in in May but I think it’s better to keep things more realistic.  Therefore my aim is to lose the 2.5lb that I’ve put on by that point (2 weeks).  This is easily achievable, and if I manage to lose any more, then that will be a bonus.

As I’ve still got another week off work, I’m going to get ahead with some soup making as I know from previous experience that I lose weight successfully when I stick to having soup for my lunch.  So my plan is to make 4 different soups this week, and freeze portions for when I’m back at work.  I’ll be sharing the recipes on here over the course of the week so keep an eye out.

Thanks for reading.

 

The Results Are In – Week 13

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Filed under My Progress

Weight loss:   +2lb

Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Current weight:    11st 13lb

Weight loss since start:   7.5lb

Lbs to go to reach next target:   6lb

What’s gone well?

Despite the fact that I’ve had a small gain this week, I’m actually pleased with my mental reaction to it.  At weigh-ins past, when recording a gain, I would often get annoyed and feel fed-up.  It would seem as though I had completely let myself down and that I’d never get to my goal.  This week though, I’m feeling really positive.  I know that this week life got in the way of my weight loss this week but I’m determined not to go back into the 12 stone bracket so that’s going to help me to refocus this week.

What’s been difficult?

I’ve been incredibly busy with a whole host of commitments over the past week which has meant that I haven’t had chance to plan and shop for my meals for this week.  While I think this could be good due to me trying not to obsess over food, there is the danger that I will succumb to the call of the chocolate when I pop into the shops after work each night to get things for dinner.  However, I’m going to view this as a test of my will power and I don’t do failing at tests!  This strategy worked tonight so here’s hoping…

 

The week ahead

We’re going to a friend’s 40th birthday party on Saturday.  There’s a champagne reception and buffet.  As the location is about  an hour’s drive away I don’t know how close to the event I’m going to be able to eat or what the food will be like.  I’m going to save the majority of my weeklies as a buffer and make sure I’ve eaten plenty of filling and healthy foods (I’m thinking of making some kind of lentil soup for lunch and maybe a chicken curry for dinner) throughout the day so that I’m not starving.

I’m also going to alternate between alcohol and soft drinks as I hate feeling rough the morning after a party.

Thanks for reading.

 

Sensible Snacking

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Filed under All Things Weight Loss
This week's Graze box

This week’s Graze box

I’m sure I’m not alone in sometimes fancying a tasty little snack between meals.  Let’s face it, one of the reasons I began to put on weight was due to my love of snacking on cakes, chocolate bars and biscuits.  They’ve been one of the key things I’ve consciously cut down on to help me with my weight loss.  In fact, I’ve tried to cut right back on snacking altogether meaning that I focus on and enjoy my meals even more.

However, there are times when I just need a little something to keep me going or to enjoy as a treat.  A couple of years ago I stumbled over Graze boxes.  These are boxes of 4 treats that get posted to you.  There is a whole range of different types of snacks including fruit, nuts, olives, flapjacks, mini-cakes and even chocolate.  Each of the snacks has at least one nutritional benefit such as being high in fibre, being a source of vitamins and minerals or protein etc.

I order my box to arrive on a Tuesday as I find Tuesday to be the hardest day of the week plan-wise as it’s the beginning of my weight-loss week following my Monday night weigh-in and it gives me something to look forward to when I get in from work (you know what they say about simple things & simple minds!).  Once I’ve opened the box I get straight onto my Weight Watchers app to work out the PPV of each snack which I then write on the packaging along with the expiry date.  A lot of the range come in at 2 or 3 PP.  They then go into the kitchen cupboard ready for when I feel the need for a little something.

What I find really useful is that they are each individually portioned so it’s really easy to stay in control of what I eat.  I also love the fact that they’re made with proper ingredients rather than being full of rubbish.  I initially felt the boxes were a bit expensive at £3.49.  This works out at about 87p per snack.  However, when you consider that a bar of chocolate or bag of crisps costs in the region of 60p-70p, I think they’re actually pretty good value for money.  They also stop me going to the shops to buy chocolate where I’d no doubt end up with a bigger bar as they are better value!

If you want to know more about Graze boxes, click here to go to their website.  If you fancy trying them, you can use this code HAYLEY9ZB or click here to get your 1st, 5th & 10th boxes free and I’ll get £1 off my next box.

 

If you’ve come across any tasty, plan-friendly snacks, please let me know – I love trying new things.

 

This is not a sponsored post – it is purely driven by the fact that I opened my latest Graze box today and I thought people might be interested if they haven’t come across them before.  For more information regarding my product reviews, please see my disclaimer.

Rewards – What to Choose?

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Filed under All Things Weight Loss

I’ve written previously about rewarding myself for achieving my weight-loss goals and I’ve had some great responses from you about the kinds of things you like to reward yourself with.

Image courtesy of digital art / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of digital art / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Having taken a couple of weeks longer than planned to reach my latest goal, I’d actually forgotten what I decided on as my reward!  I’ve also previously decided on rewards that I then didn’t really fancy.  So I’ve decided to try something a bit different:  I’ve compiled 3 lists of rewards suitable for

1) Weekly Losses

2) Mini-Goals

3) Long-Term Goals. 

When I achieve any of these goals, I’ll simply choose a reward from the appropriate list.

 

Weekly Losses

  • flowers
  • listening to some music for 20mins (whilst doing nothing else)
  • home facial
  • home pedicure
  • home manicure
  • Yankee Candle (sampler size)
  • Lush bath bomb/bubble bar
  • Herbal teabags – standard

 

Mini-Goals

  • Earrings
  • Necklace
  • Herbal Teabags – Premium
  • Book
  • CD
  • Trip to cinema
  • Yankee Candle – small jar/tealights
  • New Top
  • Bag

 

Long-Term Goals

  • Shoes
  • Day Trip
  • Massage
  • Pandora Charm
  • Yankee Candle – large jar

Now, I just need to decide what to choose as my reward for finally achieving my ‘5% since January’ mini-goal…

The Results Are In – Week 12

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Filed under My Progress

Weight loss:    1.5lb5%

Current weight:    11st 11lb

Weight loss since start:    9.5lb

Lbs to go to reach next target:    0lb

What’s gone well?

I’m delighted to have finally reached (and actually exceeded) my “5% since January” goal and can now pick a treat off my list (more about this tomorrow).  My next small goal is my “10% since January” goal.  I need to lose another 8.5lb to reach this target and would like to do so by 2nd June.  However, that’s still a long way off so my next mini-goal is to lose 4lb by 28th April.

I was on the ball with tracking my weekly points this week which I think really helped with my weight loss.

I was really pleased with my exercise because, although I was unable to attend two of my usual classes, I went to my spinning class and actually stayed for a couple of extra tracks and I went back to parkrun and kept going even though my hip-flexor was niggling a little bit and the devil on my shoulder was more than ready to use this as an excuse to throw in the towel.

I think it’s been helpful to not be as focused on food: I’ve been cooking less recipes due to being extremely busy with work and trying to get a new business off the ground.  Instead I’ve been relying on simple foods such as jacket potatoes and beans on toast.  It’s actually been really liberating to realise that I can still lose weight despite not having time to devote to trying out new recipes all the time.

 

What’s been difficult?

It has been a little bit difficult to fit in all of my planned exercise due to other commitments this week.  However, I’m already not letting this throw me off course by making sure that I go to the classes I can get to and work a bit harder while I’m there.

 

The week ahead

I’m going out for a friend’s birthday on Saturday to Chiquitos.  I’ve been wanting to try this place for a long time as I really like Mexican food.  However I do know that the meals are quite high in PPVs.  But I’m simply going to plan ahead, save my weeklies to help cover it and limit myself on the cocktail front.

Thanks for reading.

PS Look out for my post on rewards that I’m finally going to get round to posting tomorrow!

The Results Are In – Week 11

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Filed under My Progress
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Weight loss:    0.5lb

Current weight:    11st 12.5lb

Weight loss since start:    8lb

Lbs to go to reach next target:    1lb

What’s gone well?

My fear this week was that after getting back under the 12st mark last week, I’d end up back in the 12st bracket this week which is what I did the last time I got under 12st despite vowing to never end up there again. So I’m delighted that this week I’ve actually managed to lose a little bit more.

I went to an unexpected party on Friday night but I’m really pleased with how I dealt with it.  I still went to my spinning class beforehand to get some activity points in the bag.  Then I ate my planned F&H dinner before we went.  I knew there’d be some kind of food there but I didn’t know what so I thought it best to play it safe.  I also bought a jar of peanut butter so that I could have a breakfast (peanut butter & banana on toast) the following day that I knew would hit the spot in terms of ‘the morning after the night before’ but without breaking the bank points-wise.

What’s been difficult?

I haven’t found anything to be particularly challenging this week.  If I’m really looking for something I suppose I’m not enjoying my spinning class as much as I used to due to a change of instructor.  I might go to the Body Balance class that is on after it instead as I think this will also help me to de-stress at the end of the working week.

 

The week ahead

Although I’m following the F&H plan at the moment, I’m not tracking what I spend my weekly points on.  I’ve been doing it mentally but I’m going to aim to track them properly this week.  I’ve also set my next goal which is to reach my 5% target by next week so tracking properly will really help me with this.

Thanks for reading.

PS Thanks for your suggestions about rewards, I’ll be writing a post based on these later in the week.

The Results Are In – Week 10

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I realise that I’ve seemingly jumped straight from week 8 to week 10.  Unfortunately, this is not because I’ve invented time travel.  I was late posting my week 8 results and was unable to attend my weigh in last week.  Anyway, here’s how I’m doing at the moment…

Weight loss:    2.5lb

Image courtesy of stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Current weight:    11st 13lb

Weight loss since start:    7lb

Lbs to go to reach next target:    0lb

What’s gone well?

After feeling pretty unmotivated and rubbish for the past couple of weeks, I was glad to get back on track this week.  I was even more pleased with my result as I’ve now into the next stone bracket and need to set my next mini-goal.

What I think has really helped me this week is getting back to my blog and social media and listening to the support from people on the same journey as I am.  It has also helped to not beat myself up about having set myself back on my weight loss journey and instead free myself to concentrate on moving forwards.

What’s been difficult?

I still haven’t had time to have a look at my new app yet! I will definitely explore and make use of it this week.

The week ahead

I’m going to make more time for writing my blog and reading other people’s.  I also need to think about what to how to reward myself for reaching my mini-goal of getting into the next stone bracket.  I’m also going to have a think about how to reward myself for reaching my next target which will take me to my 5% goal.

As part of looking at my blog, I’m going to review my targets as they’ve already become a bit out of sync with reality – but hey, as someone wise once said, life’s what happens when you’re busy making other plans!

Thanks for reading.

PS If anyone’s got any ideas for cheap-as-chips rewards, please share as I’m trying to tighten my belt money-wise as well as waist-wise at the moment.

The Results Are In – Week 8

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Filed under My Progress

Weight loss:    +0.5lb

This is how I felt before my weigh in this week! Image courtesy of Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This is how I felt before my weigh in this week!
Image courtesy of Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Current weight:    12st 1.5lb

Weight loss since start:    4.5lb

Lbs to go to reach next target:    2lb

I’ve had a pretty disappointing week on the whole.   I think this is mainly down to being back at work and I’ve also not been feeling great with a cold/sore throat/bad chest which means I haven’t done any exercise this weekend.

What’s gone well?

Being back at work has helped me stay on track with my eating during the day.

Whilst shopping this weekend, I was very tempted to buy myself a bar of chocolate.  As I’d already had a few chocolate treats over the course of the week, I decided I didn’t really need it.

What’s been difficult?

I’ve found it really hard to stay motivated over the past couple of weeks.  I feel like I’m falling back into my age-old pattern yo-yoing.  I need to find a way to stay focused.

The week ahead

I’ve planned out all my meals for the week (which I’ve not done for  the past couple of weeks) so hopefully that will help me to stay focused food-wise.

I’m also going to hunt out some positivity and motivation from somewhere, so if you’ve any ideas about where I can find some, please let me know.

Chicken Fajitas

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Filed under Recipes

A little taste of Mexico that’s quick and easy to prepare and cook.Chicken Fajitas

Servings:    2

Pro Points:    10

Simple Start: 0 treats

Filling & Healthy:    0 weeklies

Preparation time:     10mins

Cooking time:    15mins

Ingredients

  • 2 medium chicken breasts, cut into strips
  • 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
  • 2 peppers, cut into strips
  • 1/2 – 1 tbsp fajita seasoning mix
  • 4 Weight Watchers soft tortillas
  • Spray oil

 

Method

  1. Put the chicken into a bowl and spray with the oil.  Sprinkle over the seasoning and stir until the chicken is well coated.
  2. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a high heat and spray with oil.  Add the chicken to the pan and stir until sealed on all sides.
  3. Add the peppers and onions and continue stir frying for approximately 5mins until the chicken is cooked through and the peppers and onions have softened.
  4. Meanwhile, heat the tortillas according to the instructions on the packet.
  5. Divide the chicken mixture between the tortillas.  Roll up and serve with potato wedges and salad (remember to add the Pro Points of the wedges if you are counting).

 

Top tip: For a more indulgent dish, add your choice of salsa, guacamole, sour cream and grated cheese before rolling your fajitas

**Remember to add in the relevant Pro Points values for any additional toppings** 

The Results Are In – Week 7

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Filed under My Progress

Weight loss:    0lb

Image courtesy of Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Current weight:    12st 1lb

Weight loss since start:    5lb

Lbs to go to reach next target:    1.5lb

 I was pretty pleased with staying the same this week as Id had a lazy week off work

What’s gone well?

I went to a new fitness class this week, a Zumba class that is on straight before the Body Pump class I normally go to on a Tuesday with Mr FFF.  I enjoyed the class and I went on to complete the Body Pump class afterwards without too much difficulty.  I’m planning on making this a part of my exercise routine from now on.

I went to my second parkrun on Saturday and managed to complete it 36 seconds faster than the previous week.  I know it’s not a huge improvement but I wasn’t actively trying for a faster time this week as I was running with a friend who was taking part for the first time.

On Saturday night I faced a weight loss dilemma: whether to cook a nice, plan-friendly meal (which I couldn’t be bothered to do) or to order a takeaway.  In the end, due to thinking carefully about where I want to be and the choices I need to make to get there, I decided I didn’t want to eat rubbish and opted for cooking.

What’s been difficult?

I’ve found it really hard to stay on track and not comfort eat this week.  There were a number of factors involved in this such as being off work for half-term and eating out at an amazing restaurant for a friend’s birthday.  But I’ve reminded myself not to use these factors as excuses – mainly I’ve wanted to relax a little, which is fine, I just have to accept that I’ve put achieving my goal back a little.  The fact that I’d been off-track most off the week was also a big factor in helping me resolve my Saturday’s dilemma (see above).

The week ahead

I’m back at work so that should help me to stay on track in the day.

I’m aiming to do my double exercise class again on Tuesday night although I won’t be able to attend my normal Friday night Spinning class as I’m taking my mum out for her birthday.  I’m looking forwarding to doing parkrun again at the weekend and I’m going to actively try for a quicker time.

Thanks for reading.

PS  How do you stay on track when you are out of your normal routine?