Bad Habits

I have this picture on my office wall - it helps remind me how far I've come. I notice it every lunchtime, and it keeps me on the straight and narrow.

Just recently though, I've notice some bad habits creeping back in - but at least I've noticed, so I can take action.

Eating little and often:
I've been missing my mid-morning snack and having lunch early - so only having 4 meals a day instead of 5. Whilst I've been "good" at lunchtime, this might lead me to bigger portions for lunch as I will be hungrier. I think I've been doing it because it's easier and fits in with everyone else's routine - but for 8 months I kept my own routine with no problem, so it has to stop - today I'm back on track. I've had my mid morning snack, and have a salad lined up and ready for lunch around 2pm.

Eating slowly and mindfully:
I've been multi-tasking my way through meals, lunch in particular, eating whilst doing email and so on. This too has to stop. And I've been eating quicker too, so it's back to making a concious effort to slow down, putting down my knife and fork between mouthfuls, and thinking about eating.

Evening snacks:
We would often have something to eat late in the evening - 9ish - and for months I didn't do this, but just recently we've started doing it again. Dinner time has to go later (back to 8 o'clock instead of 7) so that we're still full until bedtime. I blame my hubby for this one, it's his weak point so he raids the cupboard for a snack, but it too has to stop.

I've been surprised at how invidiously this has crept back into our routine - like stealth habits, sneaking up on us. However, like a rubbish game of "what time is it mr wolf?" it's been caught, and therefore has lost!

New year, new me, and I will NOT be defeated by these habits.

Chicken Salad

I was good, and stuck to the plan - here's my chicken and pancetta salad ready to be demolished!

Because I didn't have dough sticks, I had the option of adding something else, so I had some mediterranean vegetables, which were lovely. That increased the calorie value a bit, but still within my limit :-)

And I did have the tartufo for dessert - it was just a small ball of chocolate ice cream, but very intense and just the kind of hit I needed. I did take a picture but it's all fuzzy, so you will just have to imagine it.

We had an intersting chat about diets over dinner. My dinner companion (my niece) is doing the same diet at Sister#1, which involves two very low calorie days (650 each) then 5 normal days. Apparently in a Manchester University Study this proved the most effective diet for not only losing weight but keeping it off afterwards. They've both said they find it easier, as although their first two days are difficult (pretty well no carbs or treats) it's only for 2 days, and then they can have rice or pasta or a biscuit, so don't feel deprived.

They've only just started it - they're 3 weeks in - but I think I'll ask them to do a guest blog when they get a bit further.

Whatever you're up to, enjoy!

out again

So, you'll never guess, I'm out for dinner (again!).

I'm being quite conciencious though, and since we're going to Pizza Express, I've already viewed the menu and decided what I'm having.

Although they've introduced a new pizza menu with a selection of 500 calorie pizzas, it's not really my thing - not a big fan of pizza - so I'm going for a salad.

The great thing is that they provide a complete calorie breakdown on their website, including options for the salads. It's a bit tricky to find, seems to be a bit buried, so I've added the link here:
http://www.pizzaexpress.com/our-food/nutrition/calorie-tables.aspx

I will be having a pollo pancetta salad (I always used to have pollo verdure anyway, but they don't do that anymore) which comes in at 778 calories. However - here's how it breaks down:
- pollo pancetta - 778
- without dressing - 551
- without dough sticks - 530
- without dough sticks or dressing - 303

So, I'm going for the last option, but with some balsamic vinegar (about 20 cals).

My dining companion is also dieting, and she's having a no-carbs day today, so she's having the same, which should mean that we won't be tempted (strength in numbers!).

And if we're tempted by something for afters, I've already looked up the lowest calorie dessert - Tartufo al Ciocolato (chocolate truffle ice cream) at just 70 calories! So by not having dressing, I've easily saved enough to do that and still be within my limit for today - happy days!

I'll keep you posted!

If you want to get ahead, get a hat

And here's the hairy pie eater, with a rabbit ready to pull out of his hat.

Love the children's dept in Ikea! Of course all the children look as us playing as if we were mad people... and they may have a point!

Where did you get that hat?

And here I am, pleased at having resisted the chips and pie, and grinning in a lovely blue hat with a big pink flower - tres chic!

Who's the one counting calories?

Out and about shopping with hubby today and we were in Ikea at luchtime.

Can you spot who's counting calories and who isn't?

My lunch worked out at 448 calories, but I know that apple cake is 330 calories, and the fish chips and peas is over 700 - so by having carrots instead of chips and clementines instead of pie, I saved around 600 calories! Whoop, whoop! And I still enjoyed it just as much.

Another day, another dinner out

Thursday night saw me back in Albert's Shed, this time with mum and sister#1. The staff at Albert's were so brilliant when I was doing Alizonne - making me special dinners and never letting me feel awkward or fussy - that I try and go there now whenever I can.

OK, so I still have to be careful what I eat - but the choice on the menu is great, especially because you can choose your sides.

This was my mains - seared tuna with salsa, with sides of butternut squash and green beans. No potatoes or other carbs, as I'd had the delicious rabbit gnocci for starter. I was pretty full, but had only had a salad for lunch and no afternoon snack today.

It was a great night - lovely food and great company!

Out for dinner part 2

... and for mains, a morrocan parcel of spiced chick peas with onions and sweet potato. All wrapped in puff pastry with sesame seeds on top. Really, really tasty. Closest guess I've got is somewhere just over 500 calories - good job I'd skimped at lunchtime to leave me lots of calories for the evening.

All washed down with some fresh peppermint tea. Lovely!

Out for dinner

My boss took me out for dinner last night, and since he's trying to avoid eating too much meat at the moment, we went to a vegetarian restaurant for a change (Green's in Didsbury).  It was amazing! Lovely food and friendly, attentive staff.

This was my starter, black pudding scotch egg with picallili. Don't ask me how many calories, because I can't find it listed anywhere, so I've approximated with an egg, some breadcrumbs and some picallili! I get that to just under 300 calories, but I could be wrong...

Food Glorious Food

I love food programmes. I must watch almost all of them on TV. You'd think they would make me hungry, and in the case of anything with James Martin, fatter! But whilst they might whet my appetite, they don't actually make me salivate. They do, however, inspire me to think about food in a different way.

Now, I've always been a foodie - I'm sure food would be my chosen subject should I ever find myself forced into the black mastermind chair. But what I really love is the science of cooking - why do things go together, why do things behave the way they do and how do you make unexpected things happen?

Maybe that's why I'm currently loving Heston's new series - because it's as much about the science as the food.

Haven't watched the one on chocolate yet. Even though I know better, I feel like I might put on a pound just looking at his recipes. But I'll gird my loins and pluck up the courage to watch it later. So if I report a massive weight increase tomorrow, you'll all know the TV got me!

Birthday boy

It was Hubby's birthday this week, so it seems to have been an eating fest.

I cooked him a birthday tea on Tuesday - and he requested pasta and garlic bread. So that's what we had, walnut and blue cheese pasta with ciabatta! I joined him in a glass of wine, and then another, and by 9pm was really quite squiffy. Seems I'm a cheap date these days.

Mum cooked him a birthday tea on Wednesday - roast lamb dinner (which was lovely - thanks Mum!).

Then company for dinner on Thursday, and then out for dinner on Friday for Hubby's birthday treat - dinner and a Lead Zepp tribute band. This is him tucking into a huge burger. I had a very tasty lentil and vegetable shepherd's pie. However, we did give in and have dessert - something I've not done for ages. I did really enjoy it though!

Not surprisingly, I'm now 4 lbs over target, so next week will be back to being stringent and getting some exercise in. Starting as soon as I've eaten this piece of Christmas cake I liberated from mum's house...nom nom nom...

Starter for 10

Had company for dinner on Thursday, so made this as a starter. It's quite heavy, at 240 calories, but lovely.

Toast a crumpet, then top with slices of beetroot and goat's cheese, then melt under the grill until the goat's cheese browns. Serve on a bed of leaves, with some chopped beetroot and a little balsamic vinegar.

It also makes a nice warm lunch if you fancy something different.
We followed this with chicken in a tomato sauce and some pasta, making dinner 680 calories in total.

Enjoy!

Busy Bee

I've had a few messages to ask where I am - not dead, just busy!

It's been a hectic week both at work and at home, so I've got some catching up to do on blogs.

Last weekend, I went to see Warhorse with mum and Sis #2. Really good film - but if you go to see it, take a pack of hankies! We then went to a pub for dinner - I had the carvery option, as everything else on the menu appeared to be fried or came with chips. I'd saved calories all day so I could have whatever I wanted, and as it turned out I came in with calories to spare. Happy days.

Being good with salad

... and this is the salad I had for tea - with an egg,  some smoked trout (30g) and some beetroot.

It worked out at 250 Cals, and it was very tasty!

Out for lunch

It was a friend's birthday today so we went to our local pub for lunch. We both had mackerel and mash, with pineapple salsa. It was delicious, and I worked it out to be 665 Kcals (I counted 2 portions of mash, because it was a big dollop!)

The chilli really gave it a kick, and we had to go back to work, so we both had ice cream for dessert to cool us down. That added another 350 Kcals, making lunch a whopping 1,000 calories!

Still, I didn't have my mid morning snack, and certainly didn't need an afternoon one, so only had breakfast and dinner to add (weetabix for one, salad for the other) and so I still came in just under my 1500 cal target.

I wouldn't do this everyday (have the majority of my cals at one meal) but for a special occasion I think it's fine. And I did have a lovely time!

Poster Girl

I am the new poster girl for Alizonne!

The clinic (Alizonne) have featured me in their latest advert, which is in Janary's Cheshire Life, Yorkshire Life and an inflight magazine somewhere.

I've recieved lots of lovely feedback - from people I know and from some I don't - and I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you.

The photos are real - there is no manipulation or air brushing going on here - I really was that big (and that's not even my biggest) and now I really am that slim! And yes, I love it.

Someone did ask my (proud showing off the ad) mum which one of the ladies was me - I clearly look soooooo different in the pics.

And my boss got a shock when he was just about to turn in for the night and his wife (in bed next to him reading a magazine) suddenly yelled "OMG, it's Dawn. Look!!"

And do I have a copy of the ad framed? You bet - my husband made one for me for Christmas.

Calorie Counting

This is a graph of the calories I've had this week - an average of 1357 Calories per day. Since New Year's Day I've lost between 7 and 9lbs (some days I'm 12 stone, some days 12 stone 2!).

Next week I'm going to alter my goal from 1350 to 1450 Calories, as I don't need to lose more weight, just maintain about 12 stone.

It should be easier once the Christmas cake is gone - it's just so lovely!

Hello Sunshine

Fancied something tangy at lunchtime, and still coasting on the egg on toast for breakfast, so didn't need any carbs or anything.

Decided to have an orange and grapefruit salad - it looked like sunrise with the mix of pink and orange - and tasted sweet and juicy!

Perfect Poached Egg

This was my breakfast today - poached egg on toast. I used a duck egg, and 2 pieces of toast (without butter).

I've found a new way of poaching eggs - which works perfectly. Get a small bowl and a piece of cling film. Put the cling film into the bowl, with the edges all hanging over the edge. Put some salt and pepper in the bottom, and then break in the egg.

Now gather up the ends of the cling film, and twist so that you make a ball with your egg in it. Secure it close to the egg with one of those bag clips or a twist tie.

Drop the egg into a pan of gently simmering water, and leave it for 4 mins. When it's ready, lift it out and open up the cling film. For prettiest results, turn it over onto your toast, so the smooth, rounded part of the egg with the seasoning is on the top. Break open and enjoy!

Using a duck egg made this recipe 270 Cals, with 2 slices of warburtons small toastie.

Special Offer

This is the green curry paste I used for the Thai Green Curry I made.

I only bought one packet - wasn't sure about the special offer on these... What do you think?

Thai Green Curry - under 500 Calories

Fancied something spicy tonight, so made a Thai Green Curry.

I made it with chicken, using a shop bought green curry paste and a tin of coconut milk. I had it with sweet potatoes, cubed and roasted in the oven.

It was surprisingly low calorie - I always thought coconut milk was really high - but this whole dish worked out at 423 cals per portion, including the sweet potato!

Going Bananas

Ladies and gentlemen...
...I have just eaten...
...a banana!

Dramatic pause, round of applause... That was my first banana since mid-April - almost 9 months.

Begining to know how they felt after the war when bananas were re-introduced - very exciting. 100 calories well spent there I think, lovely! And next week I feel I might be having some grapes...

I'm only 11

05/01/12 - 11 stone 13 1/2 - yes, that is an eleven at the front of that number! Heaven only knows when I was last below 12 stone, probably when I was about 15.

So, all the Christmas poundage and more has now gone - remarkable in just 4 days of counting calories and being strict with it. I've managed to stay below 1400 cals most days, with one at just 1500, so it's clearly working.

Think I can safely up it to my maintenance limit now, and do 1650 cals per day (although once the Christmas cake runs out I'm not sure how I will eat that many calories in a day!).

I'll keep you posted :-)

600 Calorie Dinner - Mustard Mackerel

I've set a limit of 600 calories for my dinner (I'm finding it easier to plan calories per meal than for a whole day - it's a bit more flexible).

This is a picture of tonight's dinner - mustard mackerel.

It's a fillet of mackerel with dijon mustard in slits made in the skin and then grilled (skin side up only) for about 7 minutes. I had it on a bed of Mushroom Bulgar Wheat (Ainsley Harriot) with rocket, tomato and cucumber salad. I also made a bit of dressing with some of the left over mustard, 1 Tbsp of fat free yoghurt and 2 tsp of sweetener.

Really tasty - and about 18 minutes from start to finish - and that was the bulgar wheat!

Happy Days

So calorie counting seems to be working - I got weighed this morning and I'm back at my target weight! So all the Christmas excesses are gone, and it's on to maintenance with a vengance.

I've worked out my calorie plan for today, and had to make an important decision - do I have soup with my lunch or Christmas cake when I get home? Previously, I would have done both, but I don't have enough calories now, so I had to make a choice.

And yes, Christmas cake won! Well, it is homemade, delicious and needs eating up (in a controlled manner of course). Mmmmmm....

Calorie Counting

Found a great App today for looking up and tracking calories - and for tracking weight loss.

Myfitnesspal is a free app, and works on apple and android devices, and since it's web based, you can use it on multiple devices using just one log in (and it updates across devices really quickly).

Handy if you want to do your planning on your laptop, but want to be able to add something using your phone while you're out and about.

The numbers are a bit different from the big calorie bible I've got from clinic, but suspect this is down to selection of serving size.

I've changed the names of meals so that it reflects my 5 meal a day plan (breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner) and then one for misc.

So far, I've been quite good on hitting my calorie target - 1326 yesterday and 1218 today.

Back to work tomorrow, so planning ahead will be important. I've already packed my lunchbag with fruit and afternoon snack bars for the rest of the week (so I don't have to remember every day!).

Good luck everyone else!

New Year's Day

It's definitely a day for relaxing - I think Arthur has the right idea. Wonder if the heat from the fire will melt my extra Christmas poundage!

What's in a number

When I was being styled yesterday (thanks again to Radio Manchester and the lovely Debbie from the Arndale Centre) we discussed high street clothing sizes. In some stores, I am a comfortable size 12, but in others a tight size 14. I know the cut of the clothes affect this a lot, but there really is a lot of variation out there.

So, if I want to stay a size 12, it seems there are some shops I shouldn't go in - or I will jump up to a 14 straight away! Alternatively, I could just use one chain as a size guide (the standard M&S sizing perhaps, as it seems the most universal) and not worry about what size I am anywhere else.

If it helps, here's what I've found so far:

Generous sizes
- M&S
- Next
- Monsoon
- Kew 159

Add a size
- Coast
- Warehouse
- Primark
- H&M
- River Island
- Klass

Add 2 sizes
- LL Bean (I think because they are US sizes anyway)

But whatever size you are, enjoy!

New Year, New Plan

Happy New Year everyone!

Hope you had a good night last night - I did, although today I am remembering how nice it was to not have a single hangover in 8 months. I didn't have a lot to drink, but I'm certainly feeling it today.

And now it's 2012, and the start of my new plan. Now that the strict part of the Alizonne diet is done, and Christmas is over with, it's on to the next stage; calorie counting and pre-planning. I have a calorie limit of 1650 cals per day to maintain my weight, but since I'm aiming to loose the pounds I put on over Christmas, I'm going for less to begin with (1300).

Today's plan is:
Bacon muffin (we have guests staying over) @ 400 cals
Grapefruit and sweetener @ 48 cals
Omelette for lunch (2 eggs) @ 256 cals
Rhubarb and fat free yoghurt @ 97 cals
Roast beef dinner, with 2 veg and gravy, but no potatoes or yorkshire pudding) @ 482

Making today's planned total 1283 calories. With just water and black tea to drink, that should be enough for today (being as I'm still a bit full after all the food at Christmas).

Have a great 2012 everyone!