The last eight pounds

January 5th 2016

Weigh in

Here we go then, first weigh in of the new year, not quite a full week of sticking to plan and I have managed to maintain. Still the eight pounds to go then but feeling positive about the coming week.

Party Season!

Christmas and New Year are well and truly over but we all have special occasions and parties throughout the year so here is my Slimming World buffet to impress your friends and keep your weight loss on track. I served this on Christmas Eve. It takes a bit of effort but well worth it.

Smoked salmon, Chinese duck wraps, Indian spiced chicken nuggets (SW little book of light bites p65 & 75), Mediterranean fish cakes (SW little book of lunches p16) mozzarella cups (SW Christmas p123 - 1 syn each), merguez sausage bites (SW summer days p55) and prawns coated in breadcrumbs (my own recipe and free if using bread as healthy extra). Potato wedges and salad. All free unless stated and all delicious.

Dinner Party

It's always lovely to have friends round for dinner and why should that change just because you are on a diet....sorry - healthy eating plan! On New Years Day (My husband and I worked New Years Eve so we had our celebratory meal on 1st Jan) I decided to push the boat out and make what Slimming World called a Beef Wellington. Traditionally of course Beef Wellington contains pate which would push the Syns up way too high so I think this would more accurately be called Beef en Croute. Still 6 Syns for the filo pastry which is higher than I normally like to use on a meal (I prefer to save my Syns for what I consider to be a proper treat) but delicious and a great alternative to the traditional version. I used fillet steaks (the recipe didn't mention this but I sealed them in a pan, sweated off some finely chopped mushrooms, onions and garlic - you can use any type of mushroom but they do suggest a mix of Porcini and chestnut, which gives the dish a fantastic richness - cut a filo pastry sheet in half and wrapped both halves around the steak and mushroom mixture to make a parcel and cooked on 200 (fan oven) for 15-20 minutes (this makes the steak fairly well done so if you prefer rarer steak, cook it for less time). Served with some Slimming World Chips (more in these in a future blog) and vegetables.

The rest of my Week

I have returned to following the Slimming World plan, making sure I plan my meals for the week and have low syn or no syn snacks available for emergencies! Here are a few of the other meals I have enjoyed this week...

Breakfast: Weetabix minis with chocolate chips (30g B choice) plus melon, bacon sandwich (cutting off the fat) with 2 x slices of wholemeal bread from a 400g loaf (B choice) with tomatoes and mushrooms

Lunch: Homemade vegetable lasagne (1 syn per serving), pastrami, gherkin and pepper lettuce wraps (free and SP), smoked salmon and prawn pasta salad (made with 1tbsp thousand island dressing - 1 syn)

Dinner: Lamb Hot pot (1 syn per portion), Spaghetti Bolognese (free), Chicken Tikka Masala with rice (free)

My tip...When you have the oven on cooking your dinner, pop a jacket potato in to cook, they keep in the fridge for a couple of days and can be quickly heated in the microwave for lunch or a quick tea. Not quite the same as eating one straight out of the oven but a quick and easy meal when you don't have much time.

About me...

My name is Louise and in June 2016 I will turn forty! In my childhood and teenage years I was always skinny...underweight if anything and wearing clothes years younger than my age. At 21 I was still slim, then at 22 I moved into my first flat alone and that's where the trouble started! Now those of you that know me would maybe never have labelled me as overweight but it's all about feeling happy in your own skin. I lost weight for my wedding, I lost weight for my 30th and have basically been on a permanent diet! They say age is just a number and it's how you feel that matters, well I feel the same about my weight. I have a number in mind that I would like the scales to say and I've come close but never quite made it....something I intend to change in 2016.

Diets...

I've tried Weight Watchers, Rosemary Conley, Calorie counting, Atkins and the 5:2. I am sure many of you could reel of many more than that but I have never been tempted to attempt Slim Fast or any other replacement diets (I like my food too much!!). When being strict and sticking to any of the diets, they all work so if any of you are currently doing any of the above, and it's working for you, stick with it. A few years ago I discovered Slimming World which I have found to suit me the best, it combines healthy eating with my love of cooking. I tried to follow the plan at home but my lack of will power without the dreaded weigh in in front of someone else meant it didn't work well so I joined a group in January 2014.

A difficult couple of years...

Now this isn't a heart wrenching weight loss story in the style of the inspirational members you read about in the magazines, it's an up and down, couple of pounds at a time story which is never likely to get a mention but it's mine and I thought I would share the slow amble to the finish line with you. The final straw (this time!) was a Godson's Christening in the winter of 2013 when I finally gave in and purchased a size 16 dress. I had, for the most of my adult life, been a size 12 which I am happy with, crept up to a 14 which I was ok with but the purchase of a size 16 dress was more than I could take, even more crushing when I split it at the seam! Things had got to change! I weighed in at 12 stone 5lb in January 2014 (I am 5ft 3) and set my target at 10 stone 10 (My ideal weight at this stage in my life is 10 stone 7 but you are allowed a 3lb either way window so this will be the lower for me and my upper allowance will keep me under 11 stone). During 2014 I made it down to 10 stone 11...only one pound to go then things went wrong...I was unhappy at work so made the decision to leave in July 2014 without a job to go to, this left me at home for two months, resulting in boredom, picking and generally eating things I shouldn't. I persevered with the Slimming World class but then in September 2014 my luck changed and I went from no job to two jobs (both part time). Getting back into shift work at one job and used to a new regime in the other with lots of travelling meant more unhealthy, snack type on the go foods for the rest of 2014. I gave up going to class as I couldn't face the result each week.

The turning point...

Fast forward to June 2015. A light came on on my 39th Birthday, I had one more year left in my thirties and I wasn't planning to be 'fat at forty!' A friend had joined another Slimming World group and as I knew how good the diet was I decided to go along with her. My first weigh in on July 14th was 11 stone 13 pounds...not great but at least I hadn't quite put on everything I'd lost. I've again had an up and down six months weight wise and have finished the year eight pounds away from my target (it was six but Christmas added two to the pot!!)

So why the blog?...

Well, it's 1st January and in the words of my screen heroine Bridget Jones I

have decided to take control of my life...and start a blog...to tell the truth about me... I plan to share the final steps of my weight loss journey on the road to my milestone birthday with hopefully some inspirational recipes and tips for you along the way