Hola !!

Amigos mios! Estoy aqui en Barcelona, esta lloviendo mucho - pero a mi, me da igual!!!!

Anyhoop- quick food update: have thus far been model citizen!!

Sat- got up @ 3am!! In airport before flight at 6am I had 2 weetabix, skim milk, a banana and a small skinny latte.(The others had Freakin' FULL ON cooked brekkies!!!) When we arrived, our apartment was being cleaned so we strolled down La Rambla and got lunch - pitta, falafel and salad - with an Estrella beer, because after all, one is on vacation!!! :)

Our apartment is right by La Sagrada Familia- Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece- our balcony looks out onto it! Gorgeous!! We've got our bearings, been for coffee (FYI skinny latte is 'skinny latte' or 'con leche desnatada' in Castillian) and hemos ido al supermercado para comprar cosas como vino, patatas la fruta, el pan......

Y ahora I am having a siesta! Catch y'all laters

BFPxoxo
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Hurrah! My legs work again!!

Morning! So, YAY my legs feel far more human again and I can breathe without feeling my stomach muscles protest AND lift my arms above shoulder height! HA! This is progress people, progress indeed! Apparently it's called 'Delayed onset muscle soreness', or 'DOMS' for short and the experts dunno why it occurs.....sound hey! I thought it was due to lactic acid build up but apparently that's cojones. Live and learn hey! (brief aside - how on EARTH did I function before t'internet??!!Or my BlackBerry, for that matter!!)

Food catch up - Weds evening was as predicted, I had 2 Absolut Raspberri and slimline tonic, single measures so a point each, but worked dessert out at 3 points so I did go over, but hopefully pulled it back yesterday with the following:

B - strawberries (I am trying to eat them before they go off or fester in the fridge while I am away and the Husband gorges himself on junk food for an entire 4 days and most probably doesn't gain any weight at all - the GIT!!) (1.5), grapes (1), fat free yogurt (.5), tea x2 and coffee x 1, milk allowance (1)

L - 4 ryvita and 2 laughing cow (2) + (1), 1L water (0)

D - home made chick pea curry: tinned toms, 3 chillies, garam masala, chick peas (3), rice (2.5), cumin, coriander, mushrooms, broccoli, red pepper, spinach, onion, garlic, turmeric, chicken stock (0) = (5.5) plus a garlic wholewheat pitta (instead of evil naan bread) for (2).

Total for Thursday then was 20 points perfectly! I also swam a very frustrating 30 lengths in 20 mins behind the SLOWEST PEOPLE EVER WHO WERE SOOOOOOOOOO RUUUUUUUUUDE AND WOULD NOT MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!

So not as good as I would have liked but hey ho, today is another day!

Hopefully you can see above a picture of my breakfast ce matin! strawberries (1), ww peach yog (.5), single shot skinny latte (2) and yet more bloomin' water!

Lunch will be the usual ryvita (I OD on them when I cannot be bothered to make lunches!) and dinner will be leftover curry from last night with no rice but probably a garlic pitta again because they are LOVELY! And of course I will swim at lunchtime.


And then, dear friends, I am away until Tuesday! Barcelona here I come!! I am REALLY going to try and record everything I consume...last time I was in Barca we walked sooooooo much I didn't gain a single pound , in spite of drinking my own body weight in sangria and eating beautiful food every day!! So, fingers crossed the girls are up for some walking!! Will post my food lists FYI when I get back.

Other things to talk to you about include: Depo Provera EVIL, thyroid, doctors, lack of loss, etc etc. Remind me will you?!

Hasta luegito, guapas!!!!!!!

BFP

xxxx

Quick thought

This is really a memo to me to think through and possibly blog through. Currently reading "The Beck Diet Solution" by Dr. Judith Beck, which has in a roundabout way made me reflect on the phenom that is WW.

Speaking personally, I wonder if ww is maybe too "lax" for me? And by that I mean the ethos behind the diet is that you can eat what you want and nothing is verboten, it's not a "diet", it's a healthy eating way of living.....but do I NEED to have certain things forbidden to me, that are "not allowed", to help with my weight loss? Not sure, needs further thinkin'......any thoughts peeps?

Lovelove

BFP
Xoxo

PS- still cannot bloody walk!!!!!
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Personal Training and OCD tendencies......

Morning all!

Ok, so first things first – let’s get the boring food thang out the way…..

Monday 23rd March:

B – smoothie – 4 points, milk allowance 1,
L - salad, sweet potato, 2 ryvita (1) and 2 laughing cow (1)
D – 60g wholewheat pasta (3), 1 tbsp low fat pesto (1.5), courgette, mushrooms (0)
Snack – 2x Roberts the Baker bread (2) toasted plus Flora Light 10g (.5)
Water – 1 litre
Exercise – 30 lengths in 20 mins quick swim
Total for Monday – 14/20

Tuesday 24th March:

B – strawberries (1/2), grapes (1), tea, milk allowance (1)
L – spinach salad (0), 4 wholewheat crispbreads (2) and 2 laughing cow soft cheese thingies (1)
D – stir fry veggies, chow mein sauce (2) and noodles (2.5)
Snacks: 2 more crisp bread midmorning (1), ww cake bar (1.5), 3 segments of Terry’s chocolate Orange (3) - I know soooooo bad but it’s my absolute FAVOURITEST chocolate EVER and I think I showed excellent restraint at 3 segments….usually I’d have eaten the whole thing! Also 2x Roberts the Baker toast (2) plus 10g flora light (.5) – seem to be craving bread this week?
Water – 2 litres!! WOO!!
Exercise – 40 lengths in 30 mins swim, one hour avec le personal trainer
Total for day: 18/20

Wednesday 25th March:

B – 60g porridge oats made with water and skimmed milk(3)
Plus tea and a caffe nero single-shot-skinny-latte-grande-to-go(2), milk allowance (2)
L – baked potato (2.5) plus cottage cheese (2.5) and a salad (0)
D – going to Garrett’s (lovely local eatery) with the girlies so have opted for chicken, veggies and new potatoes plus a sorbet thing for dessert. I’m still off the vino so that makes the damage minimal (Though one quite fancies a G&SLT…) I reckon 3 for chicken, 3 for spuds, God knows what the veg will be roasted in (I’ll check) - so I might be a few points over today BUT I really needed a hearty breakfast today because of all the exercise I’m doing….one thing I am DEFINITELY learning is how to listen to my body and discern what is actual hunger versus emotional hunger. Cool hey!?
Plus I will quaff the (now) usual 1L of agua and swim at lunchtime, all of which will help with being a few points over…. – though I have to say, today’s swim is purely for relaxational/medicinal purposes because, quite frankly, my poor body is cream-crackered!!!!!

Which brings me nicely on to a review of last night’s Personal Training Session., or PTS (or, Post Traumatic Stress…..co-inky-dink? I think not…)

First things first: OH DEAR GOD I CAN BARELY WALK OR LIFT MY FREAKING ARMS OR GET DRESSED OR BRUSH MY HAIR OR PUT ON MY COAT OR WALK DOWNSTAIRS OR WALK UPSTAIRS OR LIFT ANYTHING OR CROUCH DOWN TO FILL MY WATER BOTTLE OR A MYRIAD OF OTHER THINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Right, now that’s out the way, let us begin.

After a quick warm up on ye olde treadmill I was off into a world of Resistance and Core Training. Chris (that’s the slave driver’s name) took me through my own personally designed hell, er…I mean workout.

I did all manner of things, squats (very attractive) on one leg holding weights, push ups on the damn blow up ball thingy, leg raises, reverse crunch thingies which were like in Pilates so I could do them, this rotator cuff affair which I swear nearly made my arms fall off, tricep exercises on the bench, pull down thingies using the weight frame (which in my gym is a man only area used by the ‘roid rage gang, so that’ll be interesting hahaha), the dreaded plank with which I am entirely familiar BUT ON A BALL, 2 point lunges (I promise I will learn the proper names).

So all in all it was GREAT! I felt really comfortable with him and feel like he ‘gets’ my personality. He wasn’t dead ‘American’ (sorry USofA pals!!!!) and cheerleadery, seemed like he knew when to encourage me and when to let me get on with it. Obviously I am tired and a bit sore and I can feel muscles that I’ve worked that I haven’t been aware of in a lonnnnnnnnnnng time but I find that strangely satisfying. I know I’ve WORKED and that each exercise I did had been specifically tailored to help me get my body back in shape. It’s a feeling I’m familiar with and one which I’d forgotten how much I love and buzz off. It was a challenge to me to get the exercises right and to target using the right part of the body like abs rather than lower back etc.

I came away with my plan and file all ready to got to work in the gym on my own with another session in 2 weeks with Chris – it feels…….positive? I dunno if that’s the right word but it kinda captures my vine this morning.

That said, there were 2 things I was aware of throughout the session that made me snigger/reflect on/want to blog about…and they are the following:-

- I don’t know if this guy is a genius/psychic/expert psychologist or just plain lucky BUT the ENTIRE plan he has put together for me involved repeating each exercise 3 times with 15 reps each time. Now, probably many of you won’t know this about me (especially not to look at me now!) but way back when, I was a VERY SERIOUS BUN HEAD, that is, a classical ballet student. In ballet the whole ethos is that you don’t become ‘one sided’ so every exercise is repeated on either side of the body an equal number of times, a whole number of times!!! This has led to some very OCD-like behaviour in me, such as when I am swimming I have to alternate the way I turn (ie to my left or to my right shoulder) and have to complete the same number of turns each way, also I cannot swim an odd number of lengths, it has to be an even number and at best a whole number. If I do not do this, I feel all......squiggly.And when I gym it myself, I do 4 sets of 12 reps each which makes me feel calm and un-one-sided. Yes, I know it’s weird and I am a freak but hey I’ve learnt to embrace my oddness. So, the idea of repeating an exercise 3 times and doing 15 reps really freaked me out - so as well as training, I’m getting some behaviour modification thrown into the mix! HILARIOUS!

- Second thing……IT IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WEIRD HAVING SOMEONE WATCH YOU WORK OUT. Dear Lord, I REALLY had to put my pride in my gym bag and leave it zipped tight. Honestly, some of those exercises are so ungainly and he kept moving around me to check I was doing it right from all angles….good grief! You know how when you’re in the gym, if you’re anything like me, you’re all about zoning off into your own world and going about your training without being watched, well – let’s just say this was a whole new world. A while back I think I’d have let that feeling of not being in control and being watched stop me having a PT – but not this time!!!

And finally, hopefully this will make you laugh. My office is a big building with a lot of people working in it. So, suffice to say the toilets are used by a lot of people. Thus, I am a hoverer….if you get my meaning. NOT TODAY! There is no strength left in my thighs for THAT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Right, really MUST do some work now.

Laters fellow fat fighters! xxxxxx

JELLY!

Legs....OW!

Arms...OW!!

Core...OW!!

Endorphin levels/smugness......SKY HIGH!!!!!!!

Just FYI, I'm taking the lift (elevator) up to the office tomorrow! Hahahaha

More tomorrow- bath and Heat magazine now, methinks.

XoxoBFP

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I DID IT!!!

I managed to drink 2 litres of water during this working day!!!!!!! Hurrrrrah!!!

Also, it's the first "proper" personal trainer sesh this evening. I'm SCARED!!!!

Will I be able to move tomorrow?! :)

Xoxo BFP
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Random happening and entirely un-related to food....

So, I'm on my way back to the office after my lunch time swim, and I see one of the top boss men types coming across the road toward me, so I figure I'll say hello After all, he's already waved hello so he's clearly seen me so I can't skulk away and he's a cool guy, we often chat about The Wire and movies and shopping, so I'm always ready to have a natter......apparently, though, this time he had other things to talk to me about..........as we're walking through the lobby together and through security and up the stairs, he starts yakkin' on to me about some new PANTS he's just bought in Marks & Spencer's!!!

YES! You heard me correctly......I said "PANTS"!!!!!!

PANTS!!! Undies! Under crackers! Knicks! Grogs! Under garments!

Not ONLY did he tell me all about them and how fabulously soft and comfortable they are, he also SHOWED me them!!! (In the pack, I hasten to add- what am I? The office tramp?!?!)


Ewww eeeewwww eeeeeeeew!!!!!


Something very strange about your not immediate but far more superior boss showing you his recently purchased pants and bangin' on about how soft and comfortable and lovely they are to wear......

Tee Emm Eye duuuuuuuuuuuude!!!!!!!!!

What IS going on?! First pole dancing, now pants! Good GRIEF!!!!


Lorra luv

BFP xxxxxxxx
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Monday Musings...

Hello children!

How are we all this morning?

Moi, je suis tres bien merci - which is odd, considering it's a Monday and I am not a good Monday person.

Currently in the office, all alone, so am taking a moment to blog and if anyone questions it, I shall simply inform them that while the smokers take their 20minute long fag breaks 4x a day, I shall henceforth use said time to blog. Fair's fair I say!

So, the weekend.....Friday evening I met K for a quick post-work beverage in the gorgeous sunshine, before returning home and whizzing on out the the L's annual Paddy's Day soiree which was all the usual fun, home fairly early and nto at all inebriated - bonus!!

And then, 9:30am arrived and it was PERSONAL TRAINER TIME. Suffice to say that today is Monday and I am still unable to (a) lift my arms above my head, or (b) walk up or down stairs with any degree of fluidity of motion (a fact which I did not discover until I got to work this morning as there are no stairs in my apartment!) Thing is, it was only the bloody ASSESSMENT! Good grief!! But the good news is that he said my levels of fitness are good, my posture is perfect and core strength excellent soooooo all that basically means he can work with me to see some good results! HURRAH! Bring on the new body!!!

From the PT sesh, I went to get weighed and discovered I'd GAINED .5lb. This is getting ridiculous now....although I was ill at the beginning of last week and consequently only did the diet for Weds/Thurs/Fri AND lived on crisps on Tuesday so I guess I deserve it BUT I can't help thinking that there might be another issue going on here. I'm wondering about my thyroid gland and also about the remnants of this bloody Depo Provera contraceptive injection that's lurking around my body and how that might be affecting my weight loss. Plain fact is I should be losing far quicker than I am doing. So, instead of obsessing on it I'm going to go to the doc's and see what she has to say.....

I go to Barcelona early Saturday morning, so that should be amazing - just for a long weekend, until Tuesday. I can't wait now!!

Oh yeah - after weigh in (grrrr!) I ent to the gym! I didn't feel that knackered after the PT so I figured I might as well do my usual Saturday routine! So I spent 30 mins on the cross trainer and banked 400cals (which is 100cals MORE than I would usually do), ran 5k and then swam a freakign MILE!! 66 lengths actually - in 50mins! I had the pool and a lane all to myself so I really went for it - I KNEW the novelty of that pool opening would wear off with the general public sooner rather than later! HA!

I walked home and had some grapes and yogurt and then some toast coz I was starving!! It got to 3:45pm, I took delivery of our shopping, put it away and then at 4:45pm had to go to sleep for a bit!! I had REALLY knackered myself! hahaha!!! So much so that I was STILL asleep at 8pm and poor Husband (who'd been promised a lovely dinner and movie night with me, his wife, had gone out to see his friends! HAHA!!!)

When I woke up my poor body felt dead! Unbelievable! I managed to make lamb and mint burgers and sweet potato fries, eat it, watch a bit of Notting Hill and then was back in bed for 11pm! Good GRIEF I have turned into an OAP!!!!

Yesterday was Mother's Day so we had to go visit the mothers which meant bacon butties, coffee, tea, cake, and then the Liverpool game in the pub which meant G&T (AND meant I got bloody well ID'd AGAIN at age 30 by a child no less) and (unfortunatley) a bloody great big plate of nachos and chilli. OOPS! And JUST as I finished there was a hand clapped on my shoulder and lo and behold it was the food police - aka my WW Guru! HAHAHA! BLOODY TYPICAL! Nowhere is safe - hahaha!!

So am back on straight and narrow (again) this week. Had a smoothie for breakfast for 4 points and 2 tea with skim, milk allowance of 1. I am swimming at lunchtime - which is now, as I glance at the clock!! - and have a salad for lunch with 2 ryvita and laughing cow cheese for 2 points. I haven't planned dinner yet but our kitchen is stocked full of gorgeous, fresh and healthy food to help me make wise, filling food choices and take a step further along the 'weigh' (HA!) in my quest to once again be a (healthy and fit) skinny minnie.........

How PMA is THAT!?!?!?!?!?!

Oh and PS dear readers, thanks for the commentarios on the 'New Career' post! I am glad you were all so amused and FYI na, I was wearing hot pink tights, black high heeled Mary Janes and a black shift dress, sunglasses and my Spring mac - so maybe the ol' git had a point?! HAHAHAHA

A new career...?

So, I was waiting for the bus this morning all bleary-eyed and grouchy at the ungodly hour at which I am expected to travel to work, and this elderly gentleman started talking to me, despite FULLY being aware I was plugged into my ipod which frankly is bloody RUDE, but anyway he asked me what I did for a living and I can never be bothered to answer that question fully because it's sooooooooooooo long an answer and even then people never get it, (Yes, I AM the Chandler Bing of Wirral) so I just said 'I work for the Council' and he NATURALLY assumed I was a secretary...bloody old git - how RUDE! GRRRRRRRRRRR! So I was insulted about that - as if it's the only option for a woman nowadays - and THEN he went on to suggest that being a secretary was ' all well and good, but you should really move to London and...'

wait for it........................

'work as a LAP DANCER in the CLUBS. You'd make a fortune'


OH-MY-GIDDY-GAWD!

Happy Friday, y'all!

BFP xxxx

Quick catch up!

Hello!

Relax peeps, I am still alive! I felt all achey and flu-y Friday daytime but was so preoccupied with cooking and entertaining that I got to Saturday and just flopped….probably didn’t help that I went out Saturday night too, so needless to say the weekend passed me by and I had to take Monday and Tuesday off and recuperate on the couch whilst watching ridiculous amounts of Gilmore Girls. (Season 5 so far so no plot spoilers please!!!!)

And now I’m back – I have spent all day thus far playing catch up and answering the inevitable 9 billion emails and wondering how the blooming heck I will get my diet back on track! Eating well and healthily has, shall we say, not been exactly a priority whilst I’ve been poorly sick. Friday all went according to plan, Saturday was good up until about 5pm…I felt so crappy and was on my way out to see a band so shoved a pizza in the oven and didn’t even think about points, Sunday I had coffee and cake with my mum and sister at the Art Gallery and beer and a burger Sunday evening. Monday I had some toast and soup and not much else and then yesterday I had toast again and a baked potato for lunch and then spag bol for dinner – which at least was ‘pointed’ and counted.

And so here we are at Wednesday – feeling better but stressing about how the hell I can claw back my week!

Today I’ve been back on the straight and narrow – 3 point smoothie for breakfast (home made), and for lunch home made sweet potato and chilli soup plus 4 ryvita and 2 laughing cow thingies, plus an apple. It feels good to be back on my regime again. I didn’t go swimming because I have not had a minute spare today, so I think I will go to the gym tonight instead.

For dinner I’m going to have stir fried vegetables in soy sauce possibly with noodles but maybe just the veg….I’m not feeling very food inspired this week, need to get back into the swing of things.

I’m sorry this is SUCH a boring post – Sal I know I owe you a post about the chocolate meringue cake – will get crackin’ later! And I need to tell you all about the personal trainer and heaps of other stuff, but this yawn post will have to suffice for now!


Good to be back though – you’ve all been busy in blogland – I’ve got LOADS of reading to catch up on!!!!

Tra luvs

BFP xxxx

STOP PRESS #2

I have taken the plunge and made an appointment with a personal trainer for tomorrow!!!!

YIKES!!!!!!!

I am scared!

Xxx
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Friday Night Dinner

Yes. I HAVE been watching far too much Gilmore Girls - HA!

*************************************************************************************

So here we are, Friday FINALLY! Seems like it’s been a loooooooonnnnnng week this week.

Tonight we are having the Heywoods over for dinner, which I am VERY excited about as I haven’t had a proper catch up with them since Christmas!

Naturally, a lot of planning has gone into my menu for ce soir and you will be please to know that I am making a divine feast, all from my considerable collection of WW recipe books!

The CHALLENGE to me though is the fact that I have to get weighed tomorrow morning so I can’t stuff myself like a pig…ha! So I am giving my guests options to supplement their meals but ones that allow me to eat the bulk of the main dish without calling too much attention to myself!

With that in mind, tonight’s dinner will consist of:

Starter: sweet potato and chilli soup with warmed pitta bread and crème fraiche. (I will have mine without crème fraiche and bread)

Main course: Chicken Tagine with lemon and green bean couscous plus rosemary new potatoes and pea and mint frittatas with natural yogurt. Warmed pitta bread.

Dessert: Chocolate marshmallow meringue cake – yes it IS a ww recipe! Honestly!

And then coffee to finish.

How good does all that sound?!?!

I’ve left the list with all the point values worked out on the fridge door, so I can’t record them here but trust me it’s well within points and I have adjusted my days eating accordingly.

I made a gorgeous smoothie for breakfast but discovered that my blender is broken so had to use the hand blender – annoyingly. Ah well, a good excuse for a shopping trip! J

In it I put a 1 point banana, 1 point’s worth of strawberries, 100ml of skimmed milk and 2 ice cubes. There was LOADS! So I put it in a Nalgene flask and brought it to the office to have at my desk through the morning. (Laura your good habits are rubbing off on me!!!!)

For lunch I am having whole grain ryvita and laughing cow cheese with a small salad. I’ve brought 6 ryvita (3 points) but may not have them all – depends how hungry I am!

I feel bloated today after one teeny little beer with my brother last night! Just shows you! Also further adds to my rant of why haven’t we yet got Miller light (another newlyweds: Nick and Jessica reference hahaha!!) or other low cal beer over here? Sure, we have Coors Light but that’s not low cal it just means ‘not heavy’ GRRR!!!

Anyhoo, so that’s me today. Off for a swim in about an hour, since I skived off yesterday.

A bientot mes amis

BFP xxxxx

A trip to Wilko's.....

So, as a truly PERFECT illustration of yesterday’s rant, let me share with you an experience I had this morning whilst foraging for food……

You see, today I am *apparently* having a day off from being my usual highly organised, border line OCD self, and completely forgot to bring any food to work with me whatsoever! Did not even enter my stream of consciousness until I got to work. Dedicated to my cause, aren’t I?! NOT!

So in the interest of avoiding the work cafeteria where I would most definitely succumb to the temptation of a baguette or a panini plus crisps and probably plus chocolate I hightailed it to the nearest food outlet type place, (because it was 9am and I was supposed to be at work so didn’t have time to run to Marks and Spencers where I KNEW I would find healthy options.) It’s called Wilkinsons and is kind of a weird shop (store). It’s like Home Depot (which I know all about coz of newlyweds: Nick and Jessica) and Wal-Mart (which again I know about because of doing Young Life Summer Staff, when we bought raccoon pee..but that’s another story…)

There’s quite a big food section and it tends to focus on cost effective/bulk bought foodstuffs, but there is a fresh/chilled section…….

So my challenge, then, was to find as healthy a day’s worth of food as I could to sustain me over the working day, keep within minimal points (as it’s my brother’s birthday today and this evening yes, there will be cake) and not add to my considerable fatness....

It was HILARIOUS! My choices were largely in the crisps (chips), sweets and chocolate family with a side of biscuits and a portion of cheese. There were fat and calorie laden, wholly unappetising, sweating pre-packed sandwiches – mmmm….nice! - and ‘sushi’ which looked as if it had been there for 3 weeks, cheeses galore, cheese strings, pasties, chocolate dessert thingies, peppermai, baked potato microwave meals (700 cals), so all in all complete and utter crap!

I used as my starting point the fact that I have cleverly secreted whole wheat crisp breads in my desk drawer for such a time as this, so I figured I’d get some laughing cow or philly to go on top….NO! They only had the FULL FAT options, cottage cheese? No - again, only the full fat option. No wonder people in this region have sinus and catarrh related troubles given the amount of dairy on offer!!

Maybe I’ll get a pre-packed salad? No – no such thing on offer.

Maybe a can of soup? Only had full fat cream of tomato – ew! Or something called ‘scotch broth’ which appeared to have actual bona fide dog meat in it. Appetising…..er…not!

So what did I come away with dear reader? The following:

A small snack pack of black grapes for 1 point
A protein filled, made with real chicken ‘tasty bites’ pack by Mattesons for 2 and a half points
A tin of snack pack tuna in brine (had to hunt for – all the others were in SUNFLOWER OIL OMG OMG OMG OMG!)
A four pack of ‘satisfied for longer’ yogurts for a point each


What a LOVELY day of eating I’m going to have! Those items really were the healthiest, lowest pointed items on offer…..for 5 of your English pounds!

Memo to me: NEVER FORGET YOUR LUNCH AGAIN YOU GIANT DOOFUS!!!!!!!!!

A bientot

BFP xxx

STOP PRESS!!!!

I just got home to find Mr Amazon has delivered Season 5 of Gilmore Girls!!!!! I am so happy nothing else matters right now.

I *heart* Stars Hollow!!!!!!!

La vie est parfait et magnifique!

BFP xxxx
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Big ol' RANT

Morning!

I have a feeling this is going to be a long one, so go make yourself a cuppa before reading…..

Today I am a frustrated Brit! One of the things I have discovered from reading so many diet/weight loss/healthy living blogs from across the pond is that it appears that the UK is sooooooooooooo faaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrr behind in terms of the food market. I regularly read things like ‘low carb tortilla wrap’, ‘egg beaters’, ‘low carb wheat thins’ etc etc. Here, we are lucky if the supermarket stocks wholewheat pitta! Even having Whole Foods stores etc is confined to London and the rest of us can go jump! http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/

No WONDER there’s an obesity epidemic in this country when our choices are limited to high fat this and white flour that….even the low fat stuff is somewhat suspect as it’s filled with dodgy sweeteners and preservatives, the curse of aspartame! Bread is a big one that gets me! If white flour is so bad for us stop bloody baking bread with it and replace it with nice wholegrain and whole-wheat and stuff!! I guess it comes down to cheapness at the end of the day. I don’t spend a phenomenal amount on food each month, but we buy a LOT of fresh produce. If I lived and ate the way I would LIKE to I’d be skint!! Why is organic produce so expensive? Why are low fat brands more expensive than the crappy, processed, generic bollocks you buy in the shops? It’s ridiculous! Sure, there’s a huge amount of personal responsibility when it comes to healthy living and diet and people here DO expect to have everything done for them ‘I’m trying to lose weight so I will go to my doctor and see what eh can do about it’ kinda mentality – DO IT YOURSELF YOU LAZY BUM! But ALSO for those of us who HAVE clicked on, SURELY there’s a responsibility upon the UK food industry to provide cost effective, cheap, healthy options to everyday foodstuffs. Is it just me? It is MADNESS that in this country a family with low income are actually better off financially if they buy a week’s worth of food at fricking ICELAND (www.iceland.co.uk) rather than buying natural produce – even at somewhere like Aldi! It’s just bizarre. Sorry. I’m getting my Jamie Oliver on here aren’t I!! (Don’t get me started on him) Frankly, you Americans have no excuse for YOUR obesity epidemic! You have healthy, wholesome, low carb, low fat, high protein this and that at every turn! I am going to go to Holland and Barrett at lunchtime to see what’s in there (I’ve never been in before!) and this whey protein powder is intriguing me…..
Which brings me to Laura’s blog www.thresholdofgreatness.blogspot.com Laura is the queen of protein powder and low fat this n’ that…..check her out at the link.
I know I’m not drinking wine at the minute but I have been looking into this big hoo haa about sulphites (or sulfites if you’re reading in the US!!) It’s all a little bit scary once you begin the research. I will freely admit that I am a wine snob (£5- £6 and above is good wine, anything below is a big NO!) but even I have succumbed to the ‘six bottles for £10 offers that lurk around on a regular basis! For it to be THAT cheap it simply can’t be good for you!! Again, in the US, you can freely and easily find good quality, truly organic, sulphite free wine(or so I am reliably informed)…here? Only option is order online. This is one website I found http://www.goodwineonline.co.uk/acatalog/Organic_Wine_Sulphite_Free.html
Next item on the ranting agenda? Oh, I am re-reading Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Great book, if a little crude (HA! I’m a fine one to talk!!!) and my British scepticism naturally allows me to find a happy medium between following it blindly and giving up everything, and taking some of the finer points on board. For instance – this aspartame thing. At one point in my life I did drink a lot of diet coke, it’s a ww staple here in the UK and I have been known in the past to use it as a ‘fill me up’ in-between meals when I am trying desperately not to eat. Not any more! Now that the emphasis is on ‘Filling Foods’ I’d much rather make a smoothie of natural ingredients rather than ingest a chemical! The book is annoying in that it’s written by Americans for Americans so the produce and brand names etc etc do not translate across the pond, and we have no hope of finding such products here! But it is informative in certain places!
ALSO another reason why I heart America is they measure stuff in CUPS! This knack I learnt from my amazing Vancouver pals and was given a set of ‘cups and spoons’ as a wedding gift..it makes life SO MUCH easier instead of stressing about metric versus imperial and all that bobbins, it’s one cup of this, half a cup of that…GAH! SIMPLE!!!
Speaking of weightwatchers…..I am a die-hard fan of the programme, thanks in no small part to the absolute gem of leader I have here. (you know who you are ). I love it because it works, it’s healthy and it helps me to feel in control of all my crazy idiosyncrasies and habits that affect my wider life and aren’t just about weight loss and healthy eating.

BUT

Recently (again, due to blog-stalking bitch cakes and other ww’ers) I have noticed a profound distinction between weightwatchers UK and weightwatchers US…….the US appear to have their approach ‘sorted’ whereas in the UK it feels a bit ‘floundery’ (possibly not a word…)

Por ejemplo…..my magnificent, talented, intelligent ww leader, rather than facilitate a discussion on the psychology behind weight loss as well as the science of it, is forced by the giant corporate conglomerate that is ww UK to ‘sell, sell, sell’ ww products. I do believe there’s a time and a place for ww own brand products BUT I have seen an increase in recent times of products coming onto the market that are ww own brand. (a) they’re more expensive and (b) isn’t the beauty of ww the fact that you can work out the ‘points’ in ANY brand of ANY food? Surely by bringing out more own brand stuff (a surefire money spinner, let’s face it) ww are just encouraging people to be lazy! And sure, Rich Toffee bars are gorgeous, and you feel because it’s ww branded it’s OK to eat and still lose weight! But in reality they’re not magic bars! If you ate just ww microwave meals you’d still be eating a load of processed, preservative laden, salt filled crap!

I guess what I’m trying to say is that there’s too much emphasis on the ‘business’ side of ww - ie flogging the merchandise, and too little on the psychology behind WHY the group of people who attend ww meetings are there - why they have a problem with food, how does it manifest itself, what are triggers? why are they triggers, how can we modify behaviours and give techniques and practical advice on how to help challenge habits, fears, assumptions.

I read on Bitch cakes’ blog that they recently looked at ‘the cycle of change’ in their Brooklyn meeting. A really useful very common tool used in primary care and the talking therapies to help an individual understand how they relate to change and in particular changing a habit. It’s commonly used with drug and alcohol clients, as I think I have mentioned before. COMPLETELY applicable to the psychology of weightloss and would be sooooooooooo useful but annoyingly IWWG is ‘gagged’ by ww UK who set the programme for meetings. Frustrating to say the least.

Another thing that ww UK lags behind on is the web application for phones! Can you believe that we can’t get the ww app for BlackBerrys and I phones yet?! Er….heLLLOOOO, it’s 2009 for sobbing out loud!

Last night’s dinner worked super well – chicken arrabiata with whole wheat pasketti (spaghetti) so I totalled 17 points for yesterday. I have been trying to have dinner a bit later in the evening so I make the most of my points and don’t sit in front of the tv and ‘pick’ at total crap. Seems to be working. Although I have to be careful not to eat too late or I can’t sleep!!

This morning’s food is (so far)

Grapes (1.5) strawberries (1) peach yoghurt (1) skinny latte (2)

I tin tuna in spring water, drained (1.5) mixed with coriander and chilli and 2 tbsp mayo (0.5)plus 2 whole wheat crisp bread (1) and then another 2 because there was a lot of tuna left over (1) plus spinach, tomatoes and onion.

It’s 3:15 and I am surrounded by chocolate high fat high calorie sweets and biscuits in the office…..the curse of office working! So I allowed myself one ww caramel cake bar which *happened* to be locked in my desk drawer for occasions such as these. I also swam 44 lengths in 30 minutes at lunchtime. Haven’t yet made it to the health food shop – will go on way home I think.

No clue WHAT to make for dinner – but with 12 points gone I better get on the ww website quick for some ideas!!!

AND FINALLY


I have weight loss envy my friends! Last night I was astounded at the scales, people were losing 3 and 4 pounds each left right and centre. And there’s me with my measly one and a half….IT IS NOT FAIR! I am sulking.

On the bonus side, I wore a suit to work today that I haven’t worn for ages (mostly because it didn’t fasten over the flab) and today I put it on and didn’t even need to undo the zip to get it over my hips! My immediate thought was one of mistrust “ I must have stretched it” but then I realised it’s because my body is becoming more streamlined even though the scales aren’t exactly being very helpful at the mo!

Will someone PLEASE explain this phenomenon to me? HELP!!!!


With much love, as ever

BigFatPie xxxx

Food Updates

So, I began this blog primarily to list the foods I was eating and to track in public so that I make myself accountable. I haven't done that in a while, since my natural hilariousity (?) kicked in and amused you all......so for those non WW amongst you SOZ but this post is a necessary one in terms of what I am stuffing my face with.

I shall begin avec Monday

Monday March 9th

Breakfast: red grapes (1.5), tea, skinny latte on way to work from Caffe Nero (2)

Mid-morning: 1 small banana (1), 1 medium apple (0.5), 2 further cups of tea.

Lunch: SALAD - gargantuan spinach, cherry toms, coriander leaf, chilli, pickled onions, ww dressing all for (0) points plus one yougurt (0.5) points

Milk allowance for the day (1)

Then I went mental when I got home.......1 x ww bar (1.5), 2 small bags of crisps one of Skips and one of Ryvita minis salt n vinegar totalling (3) and then as if that were not enough I scoffed one of the aforementioned blasted fairy cakes I made on Sunday in my return to the fifties.......(3) points!

So dinner had to be lowwwwwwwwwwwwww pointage.....so I made a spinach frittata from the 'How To Eat the WW Way' book. For (3) points I had 2 medium eggs, spinach, broccoli, peppers, onions, mustard in spray oil. GORGEOUS.

Total for Monday = 17 - Points remaining = 3 - Exercise points = 44 lengths swum in 30 minutes

Tuesday March 10th

Breakfast: 40g branflakes plus skim (2)

Mid morning: My lovely New York Blend french pressed coffee plus milk and 2 bananas, yes two, judge me not, at least I didn't eat crisps! (2)

Lunch: SALAD consisting of gargantuan spinach, cherry toms, red peppers, mange tout, chilli flakes, coriander and for the sake of both variety and protein I added two Laughing cow triangles, one light, one extra light (I like to live dangerously) for 1 point - SEE PIC ABOVE!

On the days when I have cereal for breakfast I take 2 points for milk figuring that with breakfast and tea/coffee allowance during the day I probably drink about a pint of skimmed milk.

Running total for today is therefore 7 points. Exercise was 300 cals in 20 mins on treadmill and cross trainer. Dunno how many exercise points that is but if I count them I'll eat them so I'm better off not knowing!

Dinner this evening is going to be chicken arrabiata with wholemeal spaghetti 4.5 points, and I may go completely bonkers and go to pilates.....we'll see.........

Laters, Skaters

BFP xxx

Mini eggs....MASSIVE points

Ok, so this is a lame-o post - I will do better later. But in between doing actual work type tasks this morning, I have been trying to figure out how to sync my BlackBerry with my blog....I already know how to post straight to my blog from my phone (clever clogs, me!) but it's been puzzling me this whole photo thang.....so like if I wanted to follow in the footsteps of lovely Laura and brillant Bitchcakes and post a pic of a meal conjured up by yours truly, how would I do this? I CANNOT be bothered to upload photos from my digi camera via my pc everyday and neither do I always have it to hand...but what's the one thing I am never far away from?? my BELOVED BlackBerry. There MUST be a way....but for now I am going with the take a pic-email to self- save to file-add to blog....it's pretty cumbersome and those who are more technically minded are probably weeing yourselves with laughter at the mo BUT at least. for now, this works. FYI I did try sending a pic as an MMS message to my blog synced email that posts directly to here but the bloody thing published my phone number on the blog! Hence the deleted post!

Maybe I need to do some sort of IT course.


But back to this picture....you may wonder why I, BigFatPie, have a packet of Cadbury's Mini Eggs on my desk.

Fear not, I have not succumbed to temptation (though these beauties are AMAZING!)...they are for my ex-pat friend S who lives in the United States of Crap Chocolate (her words, not mine) and she has requested a care package of Cadury's Creme Eggs and these, Cadbury's Mini Eggs. So they are in the office ready to be parcelled up for their journey to the USCC.

Incidentally for 100g bag will cost you 9 points.......one point per egg!

is Easter REALLY worth it?!

More later

BFP xxx

Clueless

So, this evening has mostly been spent cooking a spinach frittata (YUM!), chatting on the dog n bone to A (I heart u!), looking after Husband who has man flu (get OVER it!) And trying to sync my Flickr account with this blog. The result? A slidshow of bloody sunsets! I do NOT get it!!!!!!!!

I give up (for today).

Have banished self to the lounge with a cup of tea and the new 90210 because I keep eating CRAP!

Am up to 17 points for today. Went bloody mental when I got in and "spent" 3 on crisps, 3 on those BLOODY fairy cakes I made and one and a half on a ww bar! That's a full on frickin BINGE of 7.5 points!!!!!!

So, the rest of the cakes have gone in the bin and I am strictly on the straight and narrow if I am to have any hope of losing weight this week!!!

This, too, is a pattern avec moi. Work really hard-lose some weight- rejoice-relax the following week- eat crap- gain back the previous week's loss!!

The positive? I've managed to rein it in MUCH quicker than I usually do...usually it'd take me till about Wednesday to get my ww vibes back, so let's count that as a little triumph and STOP ARSING ABOUT!!!!

Nighty night!!

Love BFP xxxx
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The Cycle of Change....

Ok, so first of all you might want to read this if you don't already...this is one amazing blog written by one inspiring girl and OH how I would LOVE to go to a ww meeting in New York!!!!!!

http://msbitchcakes.blogspot.com/2009/03/weekly-meeting-topic-time-to-change.html

(I have no clue yet how to make the link you see above be, like, just one word like 'here' and then you click on it and it magically takes you to the blog I'm on about.....haha soooo not an IT savvy chick!)

So here's the thing (as they say in many of my very favourite American tv shows), this is a psychological concept that's dear to my heart. The Cycle of Change. It's commonly used with people who have a drug and/or alcohol addiction...

It goes a little something like this:-

Pre-Contemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action and Maintenance

Let's use 'Taking Regular Exercise' as the change you want to evoke. I am VERY GOOD INDEED at the first 2..

Pre-Contemplation : "I feel fat, heavy, wobbly, permanently full, utterly unhealthy and I am getting bingo wings. Something must be done! I need to get my arse off the sofa/out of the bar and Start Exercising on a Regular Basis...."

Contemplation : "Yes, I feel happy with my decision to Start Exercising Regularly. Think how good I'll feel when I know I have swum in the pool on my lunch hour instead of spending MORE money buying bigger sized clothes because nothing I own fits anymore. This is a good move for me. Change will come...."



(at this point I faff around for approximately one month whilst dutifully bringing my swim kit to work each day....and taking it home unsullied, unused and bone bloody dry!)

Theoretically though...the following stages should happen (and thankfully, this is the vibe I am on at the current moment in time...)


Preparation : "Ok, so I'll bring my swimming stuff to work with me and set aside the time to go swimming from 1 until 2pm, so that means I need to do x,y,z before then and make sure I have eaten at midday so I won't be starving, which means I need to bring in lunch and snacks rather than rely on the work cafeteria stodge..er..I mean...food....I'm all set and ready to rock, tomorrow is the day..."

Action : " Ooh midday already, time to eat......that way I won't thow up in the pool...ok five to one, time to leave.......god I HATE standing where other feet have been...memo to me, bring flip flops next time...oooh it's freeeeeeeeeeeeeeezing in this water......omigod I wish the old people would sod off, why can't they swim in a straight line? Don't they know I'm on a strict time schedule AND have calories to burn?.....oooh it's one thirty, time to get out.....30 lengths I did - impressive considering my lack of exercise...maybe I might come again! It's not as hard as I thought......."

Maintenance : " I am IN THE ZONE! This makes me feel GOOD (smug), I am determined to increase my times and lengths. 64 lengths is a whole mile! I wonder how long that would take me?! ooh how fab is swimming I am gonna come 3 times a week........"

BUT

All too often it goes like this......


Pre-Contemplation : "I feel fat, heavy, wobbly, permanently full, utterly unhealthy and I am getting bingo wings. Something must be done! I need to get my arse off the sofa/out of the bar and Start Exercising on a Regular Basis...."

Contemplation : "Yes, I feel happy with my decision to Start Exercising Regularly. Think how good I'll feel when I know I have swum in the pool on my lunch hour instead of spending MORE money buying bigger sized clothes because nothing I own fits anymore. This is a good move for me. Change will come...."

Action: "Ooh midday already..time to eat...oops I haven't brought anything with me, oh sod it I'll have the day off and swim tomorrow....I am STARVING....my only option is the work cafeteria....ah well, it's better than going into town for lunch, it's waaaaaaaaaay cheaper, even though I can't count my points because there's no NI on the labels, ah well, this once won't hurt....."

OR

Action: "OOh one pm already..oh bollocks...I was soooooooooooooo busy and important doing all my worky-work that I completely forgot the time" (never had any bloody intention of going)

OR

Action : "I genuinely HAVE been sooo busy/at another building/in a meeting/with a client that I haven't even thought about lunch, let alone taken my lunch hour....ooh I will go swimming at three till four, it'll be empty and octogenarian free at that time......"

I'm sure you get the picture.....and basically so it goes and on it continue until the next time I get in a paddy with myself and decide to Take Regular Exercise....

Why can't I just keep it on an even keel? Why can't I incorporate regular exercise into my lifestyle as something I enjoy, rather than seeing it as a punishment or an atonement for calories consumed......?? WHY WHY WHY??!!!!

This cycle of change works with every habit ( or non-habit!) - try it!!!

Here are a few of mine.....

• I will not buy that bottle of wine
• I will not eat 7 bags of crisps
• I will not consume an entire bag of Cadbury's giant chocolate buttons all on my own
• I will not get my dinner from the chippy simply because I am walking past it and cannto be arsed to cook

I can apply the cycle of change to all of these. I've never really thought of using my techniques on myself before (DUH!), so I think I'll give it a try.....

BigFatLove

BFP xxxxx

Hallelujah!!!

One and a half pounds of horrible, wobbly, mingin, gross, ugly, flabby FAT has dissapeared off my body. Thank GOD!!!!

I'm happy..........
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" I'm a slave 4 u "

My mind that is.

So picture the scene, it's 12:38. I'm in the office. I've had 40g branflakes and a skinny latte (4.5), and I am fricking STARVING! I am trying to decide if the hunger I feel is psychological - as in boredom related, or if I am actually AM hungry. The LAST bloody thing I feel like doing in the world EVER right now is going for a swim.........I have precisely 20 minutes to psyche myself up to get my backside in the pool.......I think I can manage to stave off hunger for another hour...then I get to eat a lovely, wholesome, healthy lunch AND have the post-exercise-smugness.....PLUS if I don't go I will be well annoyed at myself.

I am absolutely SCARED to DEATH about getting weighed tomorrow as I do not think I have lost - even though, dear reader as you will no doubt attest, I BLOODY WELL DESERVE to have lost! I have been a perfect angel at this ww malarkey!

WHY CANT I LOSE WEIGHT??????????????????? (And NO before you ask, I am categorically NOT pregnant!)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I am driving myself mad now


Goin for a swim....

Joyful & Triumphant!!

Just got in. 3 G&SLT's. No wine. Not at all bladdered. Excellent result.

Night night
Sleep tight
Don't sleep walk and eat the entire contents of your fridge.......

BFP xxxx
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Almost Fridaaaaaaaay!!

Hello blogaloggers!

How art thou old beans??!!

Quick update.....

Today I have mostly been eating:

- 30g branflakes with skimmilk
- 4 ryvitas
- 2 cheese triangles
- yoghurt
- one bag of sainsburys own wotsit-a-likes (2 points and sooooo not worth it but at least I resisted homemade shortbread AND chocolate fudge- oh the joys of workin in an office full of diet saboteurs!!!)
-Pasta
-pesto
- veggies

Y c'est tout. Not bad going- will be adding up pointage shortly. Oh and I swam 40 lengths @ lunchtime too. Fabuloso!! Feeling very smug- er.....healthy. Yeah, I mean healthy! Ha!

I am off to La Bodega this evening with some friends from college- no wine though- boooooooooo!!

Oh, and over the weekend I wanna add more photos to this here blog.......as an illustration, if you will, of weight loss journey....BUT I dunno how to do it! Any suggestions?!?!

Heaps of lurve......

BFP xxxxx
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Armed and Ready

Breakfast - one small banana (1), strawberries (1), grapes (1), yogurt (1)! Tea with skim milk.

Lunch - gargantuan spinach, 2 laughing cow cheese triangles, onion, red pepper, cherry toms, mange tout, broccolli, chilli flakes, coriander leaf, garlic, balsamic dressing

Snacks - one apple

Gym kit

"Hi ho, hi ho it's off to work I go,
With my lunch all packed,
So I don't eat crap!
HI HO, HI HO"

Hahahaha!!!!

Xxxxxx
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Parental update

As soon as I walked through the door I heard my dad say "Oh good you're here! Now your mother will let me open the wine"

Nice to see you too, daddy!

So you see, dear reader, I did not exaggerate in my earlier post!

I then had to 'fess up re. Lenten wine intake adjustments. Dad's resulting glee was hilarious. Mum was more supportive and put the kettle on. Dad set to work on a bottle of rose and 2, yes 2, Cadbury's Creme Eggs!

The PIG!!

AND Husband has just got home all victorious and a tad sloshed (on a school night!), Liverpool having won some no doubt 'VITAL' match, with CHIPS! Chippy chips no less! A BIG portion "I got extra in case you wanted some". Covered in gravy. And mushy peas. And salt. And vinegar.I am drooling as I type.


The world and his wife are conspiring against me to make me fat(ter) today! Aaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhh!

I'm going to bed because (a) it's freezing (Spring my arse), (b) I have no points left and (c) I think I'm in a "food mood."

'Night all xxxxxx
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Absolutely nothing to do with food...

BUT I have found the ACTUAL funniest website EVER! I have been sitting here for 2 hours laughing to myself like a loon.

www.postcardsfromyomomma.com

Try it! HILARITY!

BFP xxx

Cous Cous Crisis and other ramblings...

Gah! What a waste of valuable points cous cous is! I had it today for my lunch - 5 bloody points for a measly amount! Of course, on my scales I weighed it as dried even though it was already made, so that maybe had sommat to do with it. Those scales (if I haven't said so before) are an ACTUAL god send when you're trying to LTWWW (Live The Weight Watchers Way), you can measure in points as well as grams and....er...whatever the other one is. But cc seems like a LOT o' points for a tea spoon full....

Anyhoo. I made said couscous avec lemon juice and green beans and atop it I put this amazing big leaf spinach stuff (I ususally buy baby spinach) - honestly, it was gargantuan, and I drizzled some 0 points WW balsamic dressing on top and 2 cheese laughing cow thingies and dutifully brought it to work avec moi, along with a massive tupperware of grapes, strawberries and banana covered in black cherry yog. This was designed to correct yesterday's debacle of eating stupid things. My breakfast was 3.5 and I am once again allowing myself 1 point for milk aujord 'hui.

But the reason for the title of this post is because I was eating said couscous at my desk (as I have reserved my lunch hour proper for a swim) as I worked. The tiny grains + gargantuan spinach leaves + salad dressing REALLY go well together BUT were soooooo difficult to eat! Every time I forked a bit of spinach, dressing would fly off and cous cous would fly everywhere. As a result I have managed to dump a cous cous-y mess all over my day planner, BlackBerry, phone, desk, radio, skirt, stapler (!), and in between keyboard keys. So that's nice.

What else have I to tell y'all?

Lenten wine fast is going swimmingly thus far. As you will see from recent posts I have done well over the weekend, and last night I had a meeting, in the bar near my apartment with other people who live in my apartment building and they sat across the table from me with a glass of wine each and though I drooled with desire slightly, I settled for a pre-dinner G&T (slimline bien sur) which made me think of days of yore when cocktail hour was de rigeur which THEN made me think of Gilmore Girls and Richard and Emily and how they ALWAYS have cocktail hour and THEN I remembered that I am mad at amazon.co.uk for delaying my order of GG season 5. And by the time I'd thought all that, I was over the whole wanting a glass of wine thing!

Next big wino test will be tonight when I visit the parental units. I adore my folks, and are some of my fave people to have a right ol' larf with. They never really drank when we were kids and now their children are 30, 28 and 24 and have flown the nest (though we're currently unsure about my brother hahaha), they are quite frankly making up for lost time. My dad particularly is a wine hog - you're lucky if you see a glass of the stuff when he's around! They are very sociable people (they can afford to be! They're retired for God's sake!) and enjoy a tipple or two. And I ALWAYS get sucked in when I am with them! And today when my mum uttered the words 'Do you want to come for dinner?' via email this morning I knew what was on the cards....a full on MWDS (mid week drinking session) so I assumed a defensive position and assured her that since Husband is going to the Liverpool game this evening, I had already planned dinner so I wouldn't eat with them. This means it'll be a shorter visit and I won't be tempted.

Have I told you about Barcelona?? OOOOh no! I haven't! Well.....I am going to Barcelona for a 4 day weekend with 2 of my gal pals on March 28th. We got an amazzzzzing deal of £170 for flights and a self catering brand new city centre apartamiento cerca de la Sagrada Familia! We fly from Liverpool on 28th and fly back on March 31st! EXCITEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately, that falls smack bang in the no wine zone so that'll certainly be a challenge! HA!

WW meeting tonight - the one where I am a weigher, not a weigh in-er. I always LOVE Tuesdays....it is SUCH a privilege to weigh people, sounds daft but it REALLY is! It's like this trust thing- I feel honoured that people let me along on their journey with them...and tonight marks a week of no vino (GOD! Has it only been a week?! Jeez...)


Right, must dash - it's 2pM! OOPS!


xxxx

Completely unprepared.....

...for today.

I left the house an hour earlier today as I had to give a presentation to a Strategy group that I only finished writing at approximately midnight last night. Consequently, I have not packed a single solitary item of food for the day.

RED ALERT!!!!!

Therefore today I have eaten 2 x really crappy coffee, 2 x tea (not so crappy) and 2 whole wheat cracker breads. Mmm nutritious...not.

I am STARVING! It just shows that planning my meals is NOT something that comes naturally, and as a result of not having planned today I do not feel at all in control of my eating. I have had to forcibly ban myself from the office cafeteria - I cannot even go NEAR it...otherwise a massive panini will surely make its way down my gob along with a packet of crisps and undoubtedly a chocolate bar.....and 3 gazillion calories later the self hatred cycle will kick in which means my "Well, I've ruined one day, may as well begin again tomorrow" thought process will engage and lo and behold another few pounds later I'll be in a right bloody mess. SO.....I am going to stop waffling (mmm.....waffles....no!!! Concentrate! Focus!) and actually take a lunch hour today (because in addition to not bringing my food for the day into work, I also failed to bring my swim kit.......) and go and forage for sustenance beyond crispbread/air combos.....

Laters fat fighters! xxxx

Confession

I just ate a kebab. And I liked it. Bugger.
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Update

So, as you will see it's VERY late!! I am all Guitar-Hero-Rock-Banded out! The boys are still going strong, though I had to send my naughty little sister home in a cab inebriated as she was. So much for my Hills-esque evening of sushi sophistication!! Dinner was gorgeous, we had sashimi and sushi platter, vegetable tempura, vegetarian sushi, ginger salmon, chicken firecracker skewer, rice and beansprouts....yum yum YUM!! Don't feel full AT ALL, yet not hungry- just.....satisfied I guess! And as you can see, I am blogging at this ungodly hour completely sober indeed!!!!!Am so proud of myself- especially since best man J had bought me 2 bottles of pink wine for this evening, not knowing of my pledge! Bless him- I felt awful turning down his offer of vino!!! But thankfully he fully understood!! What a sacrifice.....

Have escaped to bed as the boys are now watching "Goodfellas". Good grief. :)

I ACTUALLY do not know what I would do without my BlackBerry!!

Night all!!

BFP xxxx
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