A Lovely Day for a Walk!

Can you believe how glorious the weather is for the end of September! We have been spoiled rotten by this weather and I do not know how I am going to manage it once the winter really hits. I did not handle the brief few days of cold and rain well!

Back to the now, the wonderful Mary (my amazing ex - weight watcher leader) picked a perfect saturday to undertake the Bray to Greystones cliff walk. I grew up in Cabinteely and have never ever done this walk so I decided no matter what I was going to make this walk. I was also dog sitting for my parents dogs for the weekend so perfect opportunity to get them out for a walk!

Emsy getting a handle of the pooches!

The End Is in Sight....Or Is It?

My personal 6 week challenge is coming to an end. I am a little disappointed to say that I gained a pound this week. I'm not going to lie it was a little unexpected. As a woman there is usually one week in every month that we don't have the best results when it comes to the scales, but when I watch what is going on and stick to my plan I usually see a STS those weeks. And I stayed on track, I have eaten cleanly all week, stayed away from processed foods and bread and pasta. I have counted my propoints and still half almost half my weekly propoints left over. 

Pork with Mustard and Cider Sauce

Pork is a great low cost, high protein midweek dinner to have. The trick is to cook it so its not tough and give it a little bit of extra flavour. A plain grilled pork steak is nothing special, but it does lend itself well to different flavours. This is something I just threw together  with what we had and it was really delicious. 

Week 4 Update and Secret Eating!

Photo courtesy of Stuart Mills/ freedigitalphotos.net

We have been so spoiled by the glorious weather this summer that I think I forgot how horrible the cold is. I am one of those people that really feels the cold, I can tell when someone opens a window anywhere close by. I have really felt it this week, wrapping up in extra layers, drinking lots and lots of tea and feeling generally lazy when it comes to doing anything outdoors. Its not the best place to be coming into the last 2 weeks of my 6 week challenge as there is something about the cold that makes me crave junk food.

Curried Lentil & Aubergine Soup

Photo courtesy of Dan / freedigitalphotos.net

Well the winter is well and truly here and I need something to warm me up in work. I also needed to try a new protein source for my lunches, so what better than a nice big bowl of lentil soup! I have adapted a vegetarian curry recipe from one of the weight watcher books to make it a bit more soupy and so the propoints are more in line with lunch time allocation! Super easy and the whole batch can last the week (depending on how hungry you are).

Roasted Figs and Honey

I somehow managed to miss nearly all of the fig season, which I am really disappointed about because I really do love figs. M&S still have figs in at the moment so I decided to treat myself to 2 packets yesterday! I ate one raw in work and it was so good that I decided then and there what we were having  for dessert! Super easy and quick and so delicious and filling! 

Need a Boost!

I'm well into week 3 of my 6 week challenge and things are still going well. I couldn't make my weigh in this week but my home scales has me down another pound which is great. I'm not really craving or missing any of the foods I have cut back on. In fact I went to my aunts house for dinner last week and there was the most delicious looking loaf of freshly baked bread and while I am sure it was gorgeous, I did not feel hard done by not having a slice. I have been working regular potato and brown rice into my meals but less than I would have had before. I also invested in some coconut oil to cook with, and a little bit really does go a long way! It's pricy and it does have a distinct smell when you use it in the actifry but it is lovely. I have been loving the quinoa but I think next week I may give lentils a go to mix things up a bit.

Change for Life!

In this weeks meeting our lovely new leader (still missing Mary terribly though) focused on protein which I felt was quite relevant to what I have been focusing on these past few weeks. I feel that I am finally in a position where I can really experiment with my diet a little bit to find the best way to ensure this is a permanent change. I know I have been harping on and on about it and I apologise for this, but I guess I am really trying to figure things out. Weight watchers has given me such fantastic tools and now I just want to expand on that as much as possible.

6 Week Challenge - Week 2 Update

Well as you can see I am starting my third week well prepared. I stuck to last weeks plan to the letter and I am happy to report I was down
a further half pound this evening. I am already half a pound above my 1lb a week goal. I did end up having a little bit of cous cous at book club and at my parents house and while I can't for sure say its down the cous cous, I have felt much more bloated since eating it. However I have still stayed away from the bread and pasta and most things processed.  My energy levels are still up and my skin is continuing to become clearer and all around I am feeling good.