The second week was going very well, with me taking the dog for a walk every day. Walking him every day makes me a lot more active than sitting on my bum all week, and it therefore gives me more calories to spend.
However, on Monday evening the dog had a bit of a turn, and we’ve been resting him this week. (He’s all right, it just shook him up a little.)
I couldn’t go out for a walk without taking him with me. His little face and the ensuing sulk simply wouldn’t let me. So the upshot is, I’ve not been as active this week as I was last week. But I’ve also dropped the calories to compensate.
I’ve still been very careful about eating between meals, asking myself if I really am hungry or if I just want the taste of something sweet, and most of the time I’ve admitted it’s just a craving.
Once or twice I’ve agreed that yes, I was indeed hungry. And sometimes I’d have a piece of fruit, sometimes I’d have a packet of popcorn or a small packet of sweets, and sometimes I’d have 3 rich tea biscuits. One day, I even opened a big bag of sweets and weighed out 40g, which is the size of the kiddy sweet packets I do allow myself.
Mealtimes are much better now than they were.
I have a different cereal every day for breakfast, plus a cup of tea with 1½ teaspoons of sugar (this used to be 2 teaspoons). I also have 1tsp sugar on Weetabix (2), Cornflakes (30g) and Rice Krispies (30g).
I don’t add any sugar to any of the other cereals (Cheerios, 30g; Fruit n Fibre, 40g; Fruit Wheats, 45g; and Bran Flakes, 45g). Milk comes out of my 250ml allowance for the day, which gives me one breakfast and three hot drinks per day.
Occasionally I’ll swap out the bran flakes (with 15g sultanas) for an instant porridge, but I have to admit, I do like “real” porridge, with yoghurt and fruit, whenever the poet has time to make it.
For dinner (lunch), I’ve had a “generous” wholemeal roll or two thick slices of wholemeal bread with 2tsp Lurpak Spreadable Lighter (2tsp = 1 x 10g serving – I’ve weighed it!), and 30g grated cheese, a sliced boiled egg, or a slice of ham, chicken or turkey.
Thick slices of bread and meat are much more satisfying and keep me fuller for longer. That may be the case with the full-fat cheese too, but we’ll no doubt find out soon enough.
I’ve been finishing off the full-fat cheese, but I was surprised to see it contains the same calories as a thick slice of breaded ham! I’ve also added salad (lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber) and pickles (onions or sandwich pickle) whenever I’ve fancied it.
At tea time (dinner), the poet has been very good and has either weighed everything for me or saved the packaging so I can scan it in. This week we’ve had a pork dinner (Sunday), a chicken Caesar salad (Tuesday), a ready meal on Wednesday (the poet was away), and last night we had breaded cod, hash browns and mushy peas, because he didn’t feel like cooking (and I was busy doing something else).
Friday night is always takeaway night, which is one of the reasons I moved my weighing-in day to a Friday …
On the menu this weekend is a crustless quiche for Saturday (and we can have the leftovers for a snack or light meal), and a roast chicken dinner for Sunday.
I’m trying to build in one meat-free day per week and up to two fish dinners. The fish is easy, especially when he makes his fish pie (nom!). The meat-free day is harder, although I’m trying to convince him that egg, chips and baked beans is meat-free, and so is beans or egg or cheese on toast!
Puddings have been sugar-free jelly, low calorie yoghurts (our favourite is Danone’s Light n Low), fruit crumbles (with yoghurt or low-fat custard), although we are still trying to use up the individual steamed puddings and the full-fat custard …
And snacks include lots of fruit (bananas, apples, pears, grapes, oranges, melon – and we’ll be adding berries this week), wholegrain popcorn, rice cakes, peanuts, rich tea biscuits, small packets of sweets, and loads more things like that.
Oh, and water. I’m drinking 2 litres of water almost every day.
I’m happy with a 4¼lb weight-loss so far. We only started last Tuesday. And I believe the poet has lost at least 5lb since we got back off holiday. It might even be 6lb now. And next week I’ll start to walk the dog again.
Have a great weekend.
You’re doing fantastically well. Go you!
Thank you!