Category: Unlardy

Weight change this week: 2.5 lbs down (total loss 9.5 lbs)

Exercise this week: daily dog-walk; Wednesday, C25K training; Thursday, lots of steps in London (!);  Monday, C25K training (w2 d1 – 1.5min running intervals); Tuesday, HIIT circuits.

What worked well/tip of the week: Planning round meals out

Bits where I had to think: Dinner out in London on Thursday, afternoon tea in London on Friday, dinner out on Saturday – planned it in advance so I had zero-point breakfast and dinner on Friday in particular.

What needs to change next week: nothing – keep up the good work!

Mindset: pleased with the results so am keeping going

Favourite/new recipe this week: cottage pie with caluiflower topping – serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 large cauliflower
• 250g 5% fat beef mince (could use poultry mince or Quorn)
• 1 X 400g tin of chopped tomatoes in juice
• 1 red onion, peeled and diced
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 red (bell) pepper, deseeded and diced
• 150g chestnut mushrooms, chopped
• 1 large stick celery, sliced
• 1/2 a medium courgette (zucchini), diced
• 1 beef stock cube
• 40g reduced fat cheese, grated (use the fine side of the grater)

Method:

Steam the cauliflower, then mash it.

While the cauli’s steaming, brown the mince in a pan (if it’s non-stick you won’t need oil); then drain the mince, add all the other ingredients except for the cheese, and simmer for 30 mins until the carrot’s soft.

Place the mixture in a large casserole dish, top with the mashed cauli, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake at 180 degrees for 40 mins.

(The sauce also works really well as a pasta sauce, with a jacket potato or rice – and you can mix things up a bit by adding beans/chilli/smoked paprika, or changing the the veg.)

Weight change this week: 1.5 lbs down (total loss 7 lbs)

Exercise this week: daily dog-walk; Thursday, week 1 run 1 of c25k (for 10k Race for Life training – basically warmup walk, run 1 minute/walk 1.5mins x8, cool down walk); Monday, week 1 run 2 c25k (as run 1);

What worked well/tip of the week: Plan, plan, plan

Bits where I had to think: quiet social week – next week, however, is challenging!

What needs to change next week: need to increase my steps on non-gym days

Mindset: pleased with the results – that’s half of the Christmas/NY damage gone. And I need to be a bit kinder to myself. Frozen shoulder continues; my physio is a sweetie but has nixed more weights moves. Just as well I’m concentrating on the running training 🙂 It’s bearable, but at the moment I need to build up my endurance. Speed – well, I’ll do my best once I’ve cracked the length of the runs.

Favourite/new recipe this week: Nothing new this week as I’ve been busy! However my WW coach today suggested zero-point banana mug cake – mash one banana and beat with two eggs, cook for about 2 mins on high in the microwave. I haven’t tried this yet, but she did say use a large mug because it comes up like a soufflé. Let me know if you try it before I do!

Weight change this fortnight: 3lbs up (total loss 5.5 lbs) – disappointed in myself, but I guess it could’ve been worse. And I am refocused. Plus at the six-week tape-measure thing I’d lost two inches off my waist, which is a very good thing. Onwards and upwards.

Exercise this fortnight:  daily dog-walk (no time for gym!) and there were a couple of really long beach walks in addition.

What worked well/tip of the fortnight: Planning for meals out first and then fitting in what I’m cooking for lunch/dinner. Banning shortbread from the house completely over the Christmas holidays (I’m the one who likes it and everyone else isn’t fussed, so it wasn’t depriving anyone else!).

Bits where I had to think: Christmas. I navigated lunch perfectly (I was cooking, so I had turkey with all the trimmings and lots of veg, fresh pineapple for pudding, a small portion of cheese and crackers, a glass of wine and a Bailey’s coffee), but I made the mistake of having a glass of wine and a bowl of nibbles in the evening. (Brown food!!) I did have weekly points set aside for it, but I felt horrible the next morning because there was wayyyyy too much salt. And also sitting on the sofa next to someone who is scoffing stuff is the quickest way to derail myself 🙁 So I need to refocus and develop a strategy of having healthy nibbles in the house (home-made hummus and crudités would work – no breadsticks!)

What needs to change next week: need to go back eating food that makes me feel good, and exercising properly (and definitely stretching properly before and after the gym)

Mindset: I’m a perfectionist and I was so cross with myself for being stupid with the nibbles. (I tracked them, and that one bowl was as much as my greedy lunch!) The point here is to draw a line, refocus and carry on with what makes me feel good, rather than repeating past mistakes. The irresistible stuff is out of the house now, so that will make it easier!

Favourite/new recipe this week: Chickpea purée (based on a Moro recipe but I’ve halved the oil – loving the the cookbook my dear friend Michelle Styles sent me for Christmas) – serves 2 – nice as a side with meat or fish (or a big plate of mixed roasted veggies – currently very keen on butternut squash misted with oil, sprinkled with ancho chilli flakes and very thin slices of garlic, roasted for 40 mins; sliced courgettes, diced peppers and quartered mushrooms take 20 mins)

Ingredients:

• 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 3/4 tsp ground cumin
• 15 threads saffron, steeped in 1tbs boiling water
• 2 tsp olive oil

Method:

Whizz the chickpeas with about 6 tbs cold water in a blender until smooth and roughly the consistency of slightly runny mashed potato.

Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the onion, garlic and cumin, and saute for about 4 minutes.

Add the chickpea purée and saffron infusion and simmer for 5 mins.

Season to taste and serve.

Weight change this week: 2.5 lbs down (total loss 7.5 lbs)

Exercise this week: daily dog-walk; Thursday, weights and CV circuit; (and I haven’t had time to go to the gym as I’ve been rushing round sorting out stuff including my physio appointment)

What worked well/tip of the week: plan everything!

Bits where I had to think: Tricky Christmas entertaining! I planned in advance for lunch out on Friday but we were shocked to discover there wasn’t a proper Christmas dinner as there usually was – so we ended up having afternoon tea instead, which was a bit harder on my budget. I’d already planned a low-point breakfast and soup for dinner, which kept me on track. For Saturday, I planned Christmas dinner so I could still have two cocktail sausages wrapped in bacon, just one roast potato, and a pudding of raspberries and Skyr (instead of salted caramel ice cream – we don’t do Christmas pudding in this house) so I could have cheese. I also discovered that Tiptree raspberry gin is very nice (and one pub measure equates to half a glass of red wine…)

What needs to change next week: try to fit in more gym days – going to be hard, though, with physio appointments (knee) and a gig. That’s going to be tricky because it means eating in a service station on the way to Birmingham (so I’ll be studying the Starbucks menu) and fast food at the concert hall. So I need to plan it. (And I have Christmas lunch out this week, too…)

Mindset: pleased with the results so am keeping going

Favourite/new recipe this week: Caponata sauce – serves 3-4 (partly based on the recipe from Smyth & Deli-cious; my tweaks are baking the aubergine rather than frying it, and adding some extra veggies and chickpeas because it’s a nice combo and adds protein – could use other pulses; and goes well with chicken or fish or steak for non-veggies)

Ingredients:

• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 medium aubergine (eggplant), diced
• 1 red (bell) pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 rib cel
• half a small courgette (zucchini), diced
• 1 red onion, peeled and diced
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped finely
• Olive oil spray, to mist
• pinch chilli flakes
• 10 pitted black olives in brine
• 1 tbs capers in brine
• 1 tsp pomegranate molasses
• 1 x 400g tin chickpeas in water, drained

Method:

Put the aubergine on a baking tray, mist with oil and roast at 180 degrees C for 20 mins.

Mist a pan with oil spray, saute onion and garlic for 3 mins, then add the rest of the ingredients except the chickpeas and pomegranate molasses, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 20 mins. (Keep an eye on it as you might need to add a little water.)

Add the pomegranate molasses and chickpeas and simmer for another 10 mins. (You can leave them out – I just like to add protein for the house vegan! Pic above is just before I added the chickpeas.)

Serve with pasta (also works with a baked potato, couscous, rice or bread; or as a side dish with grilled tuna/chicken/whatever; and it’s nice cold as part of a platter with artichokes, more olives, etc etc).

Weight change this week: 1/2 lb off (total 3 lbs loss)

Exercise this week: daily dog-walk; Wednesday cardio and CV circuits; (knee hurting Thursday and off to London Friday – walked a *lot* in London); Monday ‘chipper’ circuit and step circuit;

What worked well/tip of the week: Went through M&S with the barcode reader for the app – very interesting! Mostly I cook from scratch, but for days when we’re pushed for time then M&S ‘balanced for you’ meals are lower in points than the ‘count on us’ range 🙂

Bits where I had to think: in London on Fri and Sat, so used my weekly points to budget for it, had plain Skyr and fruit for breakfast, and thought about what I chose to eat while we were out. Home late on Saturday so we had a Chinese takeaway – I did manage to find something within my points ‘budget’ but I think in future it’ll be a ready meal in that situation (or frankly a grilled steak and salad would do!)

What needs to change next week: definiutely need to increase my steps on non-gym days

Mindset: I am trying very hard not to focus on numbers – I’ve focused well this week and am a bit disappointed that I didn’t lose a little bit more. But I did make myself go to the gym on a day when I really didn’t feel like it (last week’s skip was sensible because my knee was grumbling – is better this week). Struggling a little with work but didn’t resort to baking!

Favourite/new recipe this week: mushroom, spinach and chickpea curry (based on a WW recipe) – serves 2

Ingredients:

• oil spray, to mist
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 inch piece of root ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 a medium courgette, diced
• 1 tsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp mild chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 400g tin of chopped tomatoes in juice
• 400g tin of chickpeas in water, drained
• 160g baby leaf spinach

Method:

Mist a large pan with cooking spray, add onion and garlic and cook until softened, then add ginger, spices and tomato purée and cook for 2 mins.

Add the mushrooms and saute for 3 mins.

Add the chickpeas and tomatoes, simmer for 20 mins.

Add the spinach and stir through until wilted.

Serve with rice or naan bread.

[This was a hit with the house carnivore as well as the house vegan!]

Weight change this week: 2.5lbs down (total loss 2.5 lbs)

Exercise this week: daily dog-walk; Wednesday, ‘chipper’ circuit and step circuit; Friday, weights/CV circuit; Monday, ‘chipper’ and step circuits;

Chipper circuit: 5-min rowing machine, 40 kettlebell swings, 30 dumbbell snatches, 20 crunches, 10 thrusters, 5 burpees, 10 thrusters, 20 crunches, 30 dumbbell snatches, 40 kettlebell swings, 5-min cross-trainer ‘pyramid’ (that’s starting at level 1, increase a level every 10-15 seconds to the highest level, then back down again)

Step circuit: (all 30 seconds, no rest until the end of circuit, repeat circuit three times)  walking step ups; fast step ups; jog in front of step; 4 star jumps and a burpee; knee driver (step between); repeater knee-driver (15 seconds each leg); step over; straddle jump

Weights/CV circuit: (45 secs per exercise, no rest until end of set) – circuit 1 skipping (jump rope), upright row, step-ups, overhead press, burpees, bent over row, star jumps, deadlift, up-and-overs, chest press, kettlebell swing (full);  circuit 2 kettlebell swing (alternate arm), lunge with front raise, kettlebell swing (half), lunge with lat raise, step-up knee drivers, wide kettlebell squat, knee driver repeaters (swap legs halfway), straight leg deadlift, Russian twist with star jump (ball in front when legs together, at side when ‘star’), hammer curl.

What worked well/tip of the week: spaghetti bolognese – grate the cheese on the fine side of the grater and it looks more (!); and buying individual (30g) portions of cheese so I can enjoy cheese and crackers without overdoingthings

Bits where I had to think: dinner out on Thursday before the theatre (I was sensible and chose steak and salad with no dressing); afternoon tea on Saturday (I planned for this in advance and used my ‘weekly’ points allowance for it, plus had low-point breakfast and dinner to make sure I stayed on track)

What needs to change next week: need to increase my steps on non-gym days

Mindset: pleased with the results so am keeping going

Favourite/new recipe this week: Moroccan-style veggie shepherd’s pie (based on a WW recipe) – serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 kg prepared butternut squash
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 large carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• a pinch of chilli flakes
• small glug of pomegranate molasses
• 400g tin of chopped tomatoes in juice
• 400g tin of green lentils in water
• 250ml veg stock
• oil spray, to mist

Method:

Place the squash on a tray, mist with oil and roast at 180 degrees C (fan oven) for 30 mins; cool slightly and mash until smooth.

Meanwhile mist a large saucepan with oil spray, add the spices and garlic and onion and toast for 30 seconds then add all the other ingredients except the lentils and simmer for 20 mins; add the lentils and simmer for another 10 mins.

Put the lentil mixture into a casserole dish, spoon over the mash, and bake at 180 degrees C for 25 mins.

[I liked the base but didn’t enjoy the squash topping as much, so I’d be tempted to swap the squash for mashed cauliflower and then (as this is zero points) add a little Parmesan cheese for flavour]