Am back!!

Right so am back in the world of blogging, I know I've not bothered with my blog for quite a while now but with problems at home and my job i just haven't had the time. With various changes and issues surrounding me, my weight loss has also suffered slightly. In march this year I finally got my six stone award however since then I've gained a massive 2 stone! I need to get back on track and start where I left off.

I've been thinking back to what got me motivated to start with and I realised my blog was a big part of my journey, so here I am back on track and hopefully shifting more pounds towards my target. I will be back in my group on Tuesday evening for the support and friendliness I need at the moment!

Boom It's In The Bag!!

This week has been really good I managed to get 3 sessions in at the gym completed and my food and diet had gone really well too. I found that I was full with what I had been eating without any snacks or cheats here and there. So I went along to group feeling quite confident all I needed was 2 and half pound to get that magical five and half stone award. I stepped on the scales and saw the number appear back at me, I knew I had done it and that is all I was bothered about the fact I got my five and half stone award I felt fantastic.

I sat back down waiting for group to start and people were asking how I had done but I couldn't remember what I had lost all I knew was that I had got my award. Once group started and Mandy went round telling everyone how we had all done did I learn I actually lost 3 and half pound this week, I was over the moon!

Not only did I get my five and half stone award I was also named Slimmer of the Week, wow what a night I had I was really chuffed. I am now aiming towards my 6 stone award and chasing down a fellow member and my mate who is also chasing after her 6 stone award, she is a real inspiration to me and I know she will get hers this week which is just awesome. I am not going to say how much I want to loose this week as anything off towards that next award is a bonus in my eyes, the weight I am currently at is just amazing to me as I really can not remember the last time the scales showed me this number. Bring on another good week and hopefully a week where my good mate gets her 6 stone award, fingers crossed for her this week people!! Here is a picture of my latest award towards my collection!

                                     

Chicken Jambalaya

 

Today i decided to try another Slimming World recipe so tonight's tea for the family was Chicken Jambalya. It was really really nice and just the thing i was looking when i was searching through the recipes for something abit different with a different taste. It really did hit my expectations and was enjoyed by my whole family too. This quick easy recipe is very filling and at only 1 1/2 syns per serving on extra easy it doesn't even have a big impact on your syns for the day. See below for the full recipe and maybe give it go yourself.

 

Ingredients

 

1 onion, finely chopped
1lb/454g chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite-size chunks
6 Quorn sausages, sliced
1 red, 1 green and 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
2 courgettes, roughly chopped
2 tsp dried thyme
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
400g can chopped tomatoes
9oz/255g long grain rice
16fl oz/454ml chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A handful of fresh parsley, chopped

 

Method

 

1. Heat a large pan sprayed with Fry Light. Add the onion and fry for 10 minutes to soften. Stir in the chicken and Quorn sausages and carry on cooking over a medium heat for 10 minutes.

2. Add the peppers, courgettes, thyme, lemon zest, chopped tomatoes, rice and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season to taste. Leave the jambalaya in the pan for a few minutes to soak up any remaining liquid. Serve sprinkled with some freshly chopped parsley.

 

I am really hoping for a good weight loss on Tuesday my fitness really has took a hit which i found out on Friday night in the gym, however i realise that after being ill i have got to rebuild my fitness and allow my body to get used to doing the workouts again. Bring on 2 1/2lb on tuesday to get my five and half stone award i really hope so. Plus i am going back to the gym tomorrow night after work for my last chance workout and hopefully build on my fitness again a little bit more.

Any Difference?

 

I was slightly bored after updating my blog so thought i would have a play on Facebook and came across some old pictures and wow what a shock it was. The Photo below was taken a couple of years ago when both myself, Joanne (in the middle) and Charlotte (on the left) were on the big side shall we say and after looking at this picture of the three of us it made me realise how far we have all come. See what you think and maybe it will inspire to make that difference to your own life.

 

Below are 3 pictures of the three of us this Christmas and New Year and the change in all three of us really is a shocker even if i do say so myself. Not only am i proud of myself but i am also very proud of Charlotte and Joanne too. Well done us!!

 

Bolognese Pasta Bake

 

If you have read the post before this one you will see that i have struggled with my Slimming World Journey for about 2 weeks now, however i really want this one to be good. Day off work so i thought great i can get something new tried and still be on plan with my diet. Todays recipe is Bolognese Pasta Bake which is 2.5 syns on Extra Easy per serving. When it came out of the oven it did look abit dry however when i cut into it and started to eat, i realised it was actually really tasty and not dry at all. So if you fancy this dish here's how you can give it a go.

 

Ingredients

250g Dried Pasta Shapes

1 Onion, finely chopped

2 Celery sticks, finely chopped

1 Medium Carrot, peeled and finely chopped

3 Garlic Cloves, peeled and finely sliced

250g mushrooms chopped roughly

500g extra lean beef mince

400g can of chopped tomatoes

250ml Beef Stock

1 Tsp Oregano

salt and pepper to season

6 Tbsp finely chopped basil

110g reduced fat mozzarella cheese, diced

 

Method

1. Cook your pasta according to the packet instructions until it is al dente (cooked through but not fully softened). Once done, drain and set to one side.

2.Place the onion, carrot, garlic, celery, mushrooms and minced beef into a large non-stick frying pan and stir fry for 6-7 minutes.

3. Add in the tomatoes, stock and oregano and bring the mix to the boil. Seasin well with salt and pepper and cook over a medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and then stir in the basil

4. Spoon half of the mixture into the base of a medium sized baking dish and top with the pasta. Spoon over the remaining bolognese sauce and top with the mozzarella cheese.

5. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes on Gas Mark 4, until bubbling.Remove from the oven and serve.

 

I served mine with thick potato wedges which had been cooked using my Actifry so this makes them free on extra easy. Other serving suggestions could include some seasonal veg or a nice side salad, this also adds to that one third superfree on your plate! Hope you enjoy it as much as me and my family did.



Self Destruct and Catch Up!

I suppose this post is better late than never so let's have a catch up shall we?
My last post on my blog was all about how i had managed to step up my fitness levels and on some weeks step up the amount of workout time i am doing now to before i started this new lifestyle.
I went to weigh in that week quite optimistic that i had done more fitness and my diet had gone quite well, no cheats or sneaky treats therefore my weight loss should reflect my hardwork. IT DID NOT!! I was fuming i only lost 1lb i really thought i had done far better than this but eventually i realised that 1lb off is still a loss and i should be proud of weight losses no matter how big or small.
The week following this weight loss my head was all over i could not seem to get my head in gear like i normally do after group so i seemed to eat anything i wanted including alot of naughty things which included takeaway, meals out and yes i found the Ben and Jerry's stash in the freezer so a tub of that fell in my face too. However illness also hit me i have felt under the weather nearly all week so i thought my indulgence could easily be justified with my illness. I did no workouts, not a single thing, i truly just could not be bothered to get myself to the gym, i was ill and had no energy again me thinking it would all be fine and i can write this week off. I have had these Self Destruction weeks in the past and sometimes i think i need them to keep me on track, after all if i am going to see this as a new way of life and not just a diet then throughout my life i am surely going to have good and bad weeks right?
Anyway i went to group on Tuesday still feeling pretty rubbish but knowing i needed to go and face the scales so that i could get my head back in the game and get back on track this week. I got on the scales and showed a loss, yes you read right, a weigh loss of 1/2 lb. Again i was quite mad i didn't deserve a loss and this time i was beating myself up for getting a loss at all after all i had eaten and severe lack of gym attendance. Group really cheered me up though, as they always do, and i love everyone of my "fat family" we had such a good laugh and i left feeling "on it" i was ready to get back on track with everything i had.
Normally a Wednesday night is in the gym with Charlotte however i was still suffering with my chest so i decided to skip it however i have not written off this week i have planned to get back to the gym on Friday and then i will go again on Sunday plus i have Swimming on Monday. I now need 2.5lb to get my 5 and half stone award if i stay on track this week, now im feeling better especially, i think i could pull that number, well heres hoping anyway.

Step Up In Fitness

 

 

This week i feel great i have really tried to stay focused on my Slimming World journey and the Food Optimsing plan. I have really tried to think about getting a third superfree foods into my meals and also trying to think out the box, by this i mean thinking what other things i can try or eat to give my body what it needs.

One of the ways i have tried this week is by increasing my fitness sessions. So this week i have completed 3 gym sessions and 40 lengths at the swimming Pool.

As the quote says above set yourself a goal and then kick it in the face, if you feel that your body can give some more push yourself to acheive that bit more, trust me it feels great. One of my main goals is to improve my training in the gym. When i first started at the gym back in October 2012 i got on a treadmill and could just about manage 3 minutes of running before i was totally done in plus 27 minutes of fast walking and also walking with the treadmill on an incline to increase my heart rate and burn those calories. My total time on a treadmill has always been 30 minutes, this gets my heart rate going so i can push on with the rest of my training. Each week since then i have tried to push myself a little bit more. I am now upto 15 minutes running in 30 minutes so basically 50% of my time is spent running. This week i have hit the gym 3 times meaning i have done an extra training session to normal weeks and i feel great. I have worked every muscle in my body from legs to core to arms and chest and i can really tell a difference. I am hoping that i can try to keep this up in the coming weeks. I also managed to run on my treadmill on an incline which really was a tough challenge but i got through it and did this for 3 minutes out of my 15, i see this now as a stepping stone, remember set the goal and kick it in the face, i can do it in time and i will. Determination really is key.

After my 3 gym sessions totalling around 4 hours i have also done 40 lengths in the swimming pool which we all know is great all body workout. Now 40 lengths is not my personal best as i know i can easily do 50 but 10 short of my best isn't too bad and i really enjoyed it so im not disappointed at all.

So tomorrow its weigh in and time to see if the scales reflect my hardwork and determination lets hope so! I will be happy to see a loss of 2lb anymore than this and i will be really happy as it all heads towards my next award of 5 and half stone.