#WWBack2Best - Week 4 Update

Hello all,

I feel a bit of a diet fraud at the moment if I'm honest.  I have good days and I have bad days, the last couple have been of the latter variety.  I always think the important thing with a diet is to persevere though, however poor things have been we can always make a conscious choice to change things, right then and there.

And this is it, I make that choice right now. It is late in the evening and I'll be off to bed soon but when I wake tomorrow morning I need to be good. This weight has to shift.  I'll be honest - I have not gone anywhere near the scales, so I have no idea if I have lost, gained or stayed the same and until next Friday it can stay that way.  I'll give myself a fighting chance by staying away from the scales until I know I have been better behaved around food.

Planning my food always makes the world of difference to me, so I'll do that -

Breakfast each day - porridge or beans on toast (something to really fill me up!)
Lunch - I'll vary day by day to keep me interested but basically - soup, ryvita and ham, salad, yoghurt, fruit
Dinner - Saturday - roast chicken, pots and 3 veg
Sunday - Spanish tomato and pepper quorn with mixed vegetable rice
Monday - Jacket potato with tuna mayo and salad
Tuesday - Chicken fahijas
Wednesday - Pizza & homemade oven chips
Thursday - Sausages, mash and 3 veg

I will also make sure I set to a few rules for myself -

1. I'll record all this food on my Weight Watcher ProPoints app because I know that using that reliably helps me
2. Twice this week I'll do my exercise DVD, I've not done this since about June! ekk)
3. I need to drink at least 6 glasses of water a day (and then build from there)
4. Ill use my calorie controlled oil spray, as it is really effective in cutting out the fat (just a word of warning though if you do buy one.  It is worth its weight in gold but read the instructions. Never pump it and do not release before putting it away or your cupboard will get very oily!)

I hope you are doing well in the run up to Christmas.  Have a great week, Mich x

Disclosure:  I have received 6 months online membership and a Weight Watchers hamper for the purposes of undertaking this review of the plan and products. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

#WWBack2Best Week 3 & Spicy Courgette & Squash Soup

Hello friends,  Today is my end of week 3 weigh in and I have to be honest, it does not feel as if I have been on a diet for 3 weeks, that's a good thing, yes?

This week has been a difficult one, part of this week I was still in Ethiopia and I took a night flight back Saturday night, this resulted in me being super tried for most of the week and it is always way harder to diet when tired I find.  Sleep is so important for losing weight.

However despite the tiredness I have been pleased with the result on the scales today.  I started Weight Watchers on Friday 28th September and weighed in at 17st 8lb, in that first week I lost 1lb, I then went away to Ethiopia and did not weigh.  My weight this morning was 17st 4lb, so that is a loss of 3lb since my last weigh in and I am well pleased with that.

I intend to do my measurements tomorrow morning and to start keeping an eye on those once a month as I know from past experience that sometimes the scales do not say anything nice but the tape measure does.

One of the bonuses of having been away is that my hubbie has been cooking so I came home to some lovely homemade soups, which are always fabulous for dieting.  He does a really good mushroom soup and he has followed the Weight Watchers Pro Points receipt to make us Spicy Courgette and Squash coup on a number of occasions, this has been a real life save to me.  The recipe comes from one of the books I was sent, called Members Favourites, which retails for £8.95.

I'll share the recipe with you  as it has just 1 ProPoint per serving and a batch makes 4 servings, just perfect for a week at work.  I have mine with some crunchy ryvita and low-fat phili to ensure I feel like I've had a full meal at lunchtime.

Calorie controlled cooking oil
2 onions, chopped
500g butternut (or other) squash, peeled, de-seeded and chopped
2 large courgettes
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
1 1/2 pts vegetable stock
Salt & pepper to season

1. Spray the pan with the calorie controlled cooking spray an heat over a medium heat.  Add the onion and soften for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add the squash and courgettes, followed by the ground cumin, then cook for a further 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
3. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
4. Remove from the heat. Use a hand blender to whizz until it is smooth. Season to taste and serve straight away.

See really simple, I'd recommend you give it a go. It is super cheap for us as we have been growing courgettes and squash.

This next week I am going to focus on -

• Going to bed early and building my sleep back up.
• Tracking all the food I eat
• Planning my meals for the week ahead.

I expect these things to make a real difference and I'll report back next week.

I hope you are doing well, let me know how it is going and I'll come visit you.

Mich x


Disclosure:  I have received 6 months online membership and a Weight Watchers hamper for the purposes of undertaking this review of the plan and products. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.