A reminder not to go too far:
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Sunday 30 September 2012
Wednesday 26 September 2012
The Blakely Housewife
Back to work today, after a lovely long day off. Have discovered that a little Body Magic (by which I mean about 2 mins of gentle exercise) of a morning helps get rid of the aches and pains I tend to wake up with. Other than that it was a nice normal day - one of those blissfully non-descript ones that tend to fly, so the next thing you know you're stepping through your front door, despite it only being Lunch what seems like 15 minutes ago.
Had a lovely walk at lunch with Joel - only about town, but made a bit of a mistake in the morning and picked up a Reduced-Fat Prawn sandwich for lunch. Thought I'd be OK, as it contained Free prawns, light mayo, and could use the oatmeal bread as a Healthy Extra B. Imagine how stunned I was when I checked the back of my book and found out that the sandwich was actually 13.5 SYNS. Couldn't bloody believe it. I was completely thrown, and just wanted to bring it back up, just so I could try doing lunch again. But bulimia aint my style, so just gritted my teeth, and resolved to be extra good the rest of the week.
Oh well, tea was fine, at last. Made my favourite Cheesy Pasta (I know, twice in a week, but the basil was wilting!) - and started as soon I got home, so when Joel came in, I was stood in a lovely tidy house, in a sparkling clean kitchen, cooking a beautifully-smelling tea. OK, so it sounds unbelieveably cliche'd, and exactly the opposite of what I want to be as a woman (I'm certainly no 50's-style housewife, that's for sure) - but it felt nice to go old-school, just for one night, at least. And there's definately something to be said for keeping our house tidy, clean and organised - feels like it ties in with the organisational skills I've acquired through Slimming World so far.....
PS: Yesterday's cupcakes!
Had a lovely walk at lunch with Joel - only about town, but made a bit of a mistake in the morning and picked up a Reduced-Fat Prawn sandwich for lunch. Thought I'd be OK, as it contained Free prawns, light mayo, and could use the oatmeal bread as a Healthy Extra B. Imagine how stunned I was when I checked the back of my book and found out that the sandwich was actually 13.5 SYNS. Couldn't bloody believe it. I was completely thrown, and just wanted to bring it back up, just so I could try doing lunch again. But bulimia aint my style, so just gritted my teeth, and resolved to be extra good the rest of the week.
Oh well, tea was fine, at last. Made my favourite Cheesy Pasta (I know, twice in a week, but the basil was wilting!) - and started as soon I got home, so when Joel came in, I was stood in a lovely tidy house, in a sparkling clean kitchen, cooking a beautifully-smelling tea. OK, so it sounds unbelieveably cliche'd, and exactly the opposite of what I want to be as a woman (I'm certainly no 50's-style housewife, that's for sure) - but it felt nice to go old-school, just for one night, at least. And there's definately something to be said for keeping our house tidy, clean and organised - feels like it ties in with the organisational skills I've acquired through Slimming World so far.....
PS: Yesterday's cupcakes!
Tuesday 25 September 2012
Breakfast for tea
So I realise it's not ENTIRELY psychological, after all, no-one getting served food at 6:30 is REALLY going to think it's morning, and we don't have fry-ups of a morning as it is...... but you know what I mean! Do you? Oh, you know what I mean.
Et voila:
For any Slimming World newbies out there (or those who just want reminding), it consists of:
Bacon - with fat removed (Free)
Egg - fried in FryLight (Free)
Beans (Free)
Toast - wholemeal (Healthy Extra B)
Sausages - Linda McCartney vegetarian (Free)
Ketchup - (1 Syn)
Can you believe it?? All that for only 1 mere, piddling, cheeky Syn. And GODDAMN it was nice. Never thought I'd find myself eating a vegetarian sausage in this lifetime, but they were surprisingly yummy. So yeah, haven't had a good fry-up in ages, and having it for an evening meal was even better. Joel declared it my best effort yet, as he wiped up yolk with his toast and practically licked the plate clean.
Have really behaved myself today, as well. Did a little Body Magic earlier by walking up the hill to Asda for a few essentials (and to treat Joel to a beer, after a long day) - and kept all my snacks to a low-fat minimum. Had my usual "day-off meal" of pasta with ham and cheese (for my Healthy Extra A) and some half-a-syn Ice Pops.
Tonight I'm going to try baking some Chocolate Cupcakes that Joan brought to Group yesterday. Only takes 3 ingredients, 2 Syns each, and 1 microwave. Can't wait to try them - will post pics tomorrow.
Monday 24 September 2012
Success Express
LOSS: 2 POUNDS
As it must be an extremely dull experience to hear me expressing all my surprise, gratitude, happiness and joy at a weight loss every time it happens, I'm going to refrain from all the usual shouting and wordy nonsense. Suffice to say, I'm thrilled to be "back on track" as they say at Group. Must admit, I was a little surprised at such a big loss (after this weekend) and simultaneously disappointed that it wasn't the full 2.5 I gained last week. But at least I had a loss. So the lesson we've leant this week: NO MORE DRINKING BINGES!! Not a problem, I'm sure..... I seem to have zero social life at the moment - I don't mean that in a self-pitying way, just that Life seems to keep me very busy as the moment.
Anyway, I also decided to take the "Success Express" as you may remember - which involved cutting my Syns down to 10 a day and eating more fruit. Well, as you can see for yourself - IT WORKS. I'm fairly sure it wasn't just luck - and that scranning fruit like there's no tomorrow EVERY SINGLE DAY seems to have it's merits after all. I'm not normally a huge fan of fruit, but I finally found several I could tolerate: Apples, Blackberries, Raspberries, Grapes and Strawberries. So Joel and I have made a slight change to our morning route now - instead of getting into town and walking to work (stopping at a greasy spoon for a sausage and egg butty on Fridays), we now nip in the local Co-Op and I stock up on the aforementioned "Berry Medley" boxes. Which apparently contain 2 of my 5-a-day. Wooooo!! Wish I could get more blackberries in them, but they must be pretty rare, I guess.
Anyway, after a normal day at work, "getting back on track" with my Healthy Extras and tons of fruit, I hightailed it to Mum and Dad's for a quick snack of Chicken Pate (!) and crispbread before Group. And you know the rest..... So I'm now at 6.5 pounds less - or, the equivalent of an Argos catalogue and a bag of sugar!
Have started sitting next to a girl my age called Rebecca who's the daughter of an old colleague of Mum's - after Mum told me to chat to her a bit (she comes to Group on her own). To be honest, forced friendship isn't my idea of fun, not to mention I'm more at home in the company of men than women..... mainly because you don't have to launch into hair/clothes/man-related "girl-talk" within seconds of meeting to create a good impression. But Rebecca KICKS ASS. Main reason being that she's a refreshing change from the constant "cheerleading" style of Group. Whilst it's great to be in such a positive environment once a week, sometimes it can be a bit too much. Hearing how "you can do it!" and "you're fabulous!" is all well and good, but when you're feeling down, you've seen someone in the street looking like sex-on-legs in the exact same dress you're wearing or you've gained weight/lost a tiny amount, it doesn't always help. Rebecca is the personal embodiment of that little voice in the back of my head, the one who agrees with you, who doesn't think it's fair that weight takes a while to come off, who moans about the hard work and planning involved, and just wants nothing more than to scran a pizza/chocolate and half a bottle of wine of a Friday evening. So we certainly have a lot of fun giggling together during Image Therapy, which makes it more enjoyable. And together we worked out that it will take a loss of at least 2 pounds a week for me to hit a stone by my birthday. Bring it on!
Had a lot of fun Skype-ing with Louise and Alex at home, comme d'habitude. Louise had a loss and Alex maintained, so overall we're still doing pretty well - and have lost a combined weight of 1.5 stone between the 3 of us! And Louise, brain-box that she is, has made a spreadsheet of our weight loss so we can see the visual representation of how well we're doing. Yay!!
As it must be an extremely dull experience to hear me expressing all my surprise, gratitude, happiness and joy at a weight loss every time it happens, I'm going to refrain from all the usual shouting and wordy nonsense. Suffice to say, I'm thrilled to be "back on track" as they say at Group. Must admit, I was a little surprised at such a big loss (after this weekend) and simultaneously disappointed that it wasn't the full 2.5 I gained last week. But at least I had a loss. So the lesson we've leant this week: NO MORE DRINKING BINGES!! Not a problem, I'm sure..... I seem to have zero social life at the moment - I don't mean that in a self-pitying way, just that Life seems to keep me very busy as the moment.
Anyway, I also decided to take the "Success Express" as you may remember - which involved cutting my Syns down to 10 a day and eating more fruit. Well, as you can see for yourself - IT WORKS. I'm fairly sure it wasn't just luck - and that scranning fruit like there's no tomorrow EVERY SINGLE DAY seems to have it's merits after all. I'm not normally a huge fan of fruit, but I finally found several I could tolerate: Apples, Blackberries, Raspberries, Grapes and Strawberries. So Joel and I have made a slight change to our morning route now - instead of getting into town and walking to work (stopping at a greasy spoon for a sausage and egg butty on Fridays), we now nip in the local Co-Op and I stock up on the aforementioned "Berry Medley" boxes. Which apparently contain 2 of my 5-a-day. Wooooo!! Wish I could get more blackberries in them, but they must be pretty rare, I guess.
Anyway, after a normal day at work, "getting back on track" with my Healthy Extras and tons of fruit, I hightailed it to Mum and Dad's for a quick snack of Chicken Pate (!) and crispbread before Group. And you know the rest..... So I'm now at 6.5 pounds less - or, the equivalent of an Argos catalogue and a bag of sugar!
Have started sitting next to a girl my age called Rebecca who's the daughter of an old colleague of Mum's - after Mum told me to chat to her a bit (she comes to Group on her own). To be honest, forced friendship isn't my idea of fun, not to mention I'm more at home in the company of men than women..... mainly because you don't have to launch into hair/clothes/man-related "girl-talk" within seconds of meeting to create a good impression. But Rebecca KICKS ASS. Main reason being that she's a refreshing change from the constant "cheerleading" style of Group. Whilst it's great to be in such a positive environment once a week, sometimes it can be a bit too much. Hearing how "you can do it!" and "you're fabulous!" is all well and good, but when you're feeling down, you've seen someone in the street looking like sex-on-legs in the exact same dress you're wearing or you've gained weight/lost a tiny amount, it doesn't always help. Rebecca is the personal embodiment of that little voice in the back of my head, the one who agrees with you, who doesn't think it's fair that weight takes a while to come off, who moans about the hard work and planning involved, and just wants nothing more than to scran a pizza/chocolate and half a bottle of wine of a Friday evening. So we certainly have a lot of fun giggling together during Image Therapy, which makes it more enjoyable. And together we worked out that it will take a loss of at least 2 pounds a week for me to hit a stone by my birthday. Bring it on!
Had a lot of fun Skype-ing with Louise and Alex at home, comme d'habitude. Louise had a loss and Alex maintained, so overall we're still doing pretty well - and have lost a combined weight of 1.5 stone between the 3 of us! And Louise, brain-box that she is, has made a spreadsheet of our weight loss so we can see the visual representation of how well we're doing. Yay!!
Sunday 23 September 2012
Barbeques and Bathrooms
Had quite a stressful one, today. As we're due a new bathroom to replace our shockingly peach-coloured 70's-esque one, Joel and I enlisted the help of my family and godparents to go pick ours out at Stax today. Unfortunately, this involved my godmother wanting a good look at our new house, so had to spend ALL yesterday tidying up - a task severely hindered by me acquiring a twisted knee in the morning. Anyway, I soldiered on and Body-Magicked my way all around a tidied house and did us proud upon viewing today - after stashing our new bathroom in the garage, of course. And thanks to my knee, I was expressly forbidden from any heavy lifting/carrying today. SCORE!!
This afternoon wasn't quite so successful, sadly. At Joel's starving insistence, we ended up grabbing a Subway for lunch - although it WAS tremendously enjoyable eating it and relaxing all afternoon in our newly spring (or Autumn) cleaned house!
Spent the evening at my friend Andrea's, celebrating her birthday/house warming. Was very good and stuck to only 2 Malibu and Diet Cokes all night. Unfortunately, the BBQ was very prominently featured, and so ended up with a garlic burger and lincolnshire sausage. Oh well. I wasn't even sorry, it tasted amazing and definately worth breaking a few rules for.
This afternoon wasn't quite so successful, sadly. At Joel's starving insistence, we ended up grabbing a Subway for lunch - although it WAS tremendously enjoyable eating it and relaxing all afternoon in our newly spring (or Autumn) cleaned house!
Spent the evening at my friend Andrea's, celebrating her birthday/house warming. Was very good and stuck to only 2 Malibu and Diet Cokes all night. Unfortunately, the BBQ was very prominently featured, and so ended up with a garlic burger and lincolnshire sausage. Oh well. I wasn't even sorry, it tasted amazing and definately worth breaking a few rules for.
Me and Andrea
Thursday 20 September 2012
More birthdays
Today was the 23rd birthday of my little brother Sean - so after work Joel and I went round to Mum and Dad's for a healthy birthday tea, which consisted of:
Diet Coke, beer and red wine to drink
Smoked Trout pate and crispbreads to start
Cheesy Pasta (recipe coming soon) with Garlic Bread for main
Birthday cake or Raspberry meringue nests for dessert
And THAT, my friends, is how you make an amazing-and-totally-NOT-preachy Slimming World-friendly Birthday tea!! Although it did annoy me how everyone acted like I'd killed the Queen when I took one palm-sized slice of garlic bread. Guess I shouldn't embrace moderation at all and just go for flat-out restriction, right? Ugh.
Diet Coke, beer and red wine to drink
Smoked Trout pate and crispbreads to start
Cheesy Pasta (recipe coming soon) with Garlic Bread for main
Birthday cake or Raspberry meringue nests for dessert
And THAT, my friends, is how you make an amazing-and-totally-NOT-preachy Slimming World-friendly Birthday tea!! Although it did annoy me how everyone acted like I'd killed the Queen when I took one palm-sized slice of garlic bread. Guess I shouldn't embrace moderation at all and just go for flat-out restriction, right? Ugh.
Wednesday 19 September 2012
Pros and Cons
Not much happened today. I emailed Louise and Alex the recipe for Chicken liver pate, and to amuse myself at work, wrote a "Pros and Cons of losing weight" list (I do love making lists). Was slightly alarmed at how many Cons I could easily come up with - but the Pros more than outweighed them in the end.
LIST ***********
LIST ***********
Tuesday 18 September 2012
Back on track!
In the end, I opted for Chicken Liver Pate. And it turned out to be absolutely STUNNING. Only took about 15 mins to make, as well. Still can't believe it's Free - I was practically licking the spoon half way through......
Had Mum to thank for that, who gave me the recipe last night. So that's currently settling in the fridge, along with the chocolate and vanilla Ice Pops I prepared on Sunday - which were absolutely delicious AND only half a syn each (found the recipe in the August magazine)! Tomorrow night I'm going to make SW vanilla ice-cream in the blender, and have planned some delicious Free teas for the week (thanks to that Market trip for fish and meats) which feels pretty good. I do love being organised! Not to mention getting my cooking groove back - if you count ice pops and pate as "cooking!"
Today was quite good. Leapt straight back on track by getting a 3 for £5 deal on boxes of fruit (well, one fruit salad and 2 "Berry Medleys" - despite the fact that the so called Berry Medley contained grapes.....) from the Co-Op, so could sit there nibbling on fruit everytime I wanted a snack. Still can't REMOTELY comprehend how people on SW say they ENJOY eating fruit as a snack - sweet as the fruit was, every second annoyed me and felt like a total chore. And I got hungry about 10 mins afterwards. Oh well. Takes getting used to, I guess. Can always wash it down with water, as long as it gets in my body somehow.
Tea was pretty gorgeous, if I do say so myself! Was told how to poach an egg at work and was asked by Joel to incorporate the soon-to-be-expired smoked salmon into tea tonight - so made Poached Egg and Salmon on toast - using 2 slices of wholemeal bread as my Healthy Extra B choice. Even got my Syns for this evening all allocated and planned - it's quite nice knowing what I can have without using more than 10!
So, all is well and organised in the O'Connor-Moore household. Let's hope it lasts the week!
Had Mum to thank for that, who gave me the recipe last night. So that's currently settling in the fridge, along with the chocolate and vanilla Ice Pops I prepared on Sunday - which were absolutely delicious AND only half a syn each (found the recipe in the August magazine)! Tomorrow night I'm going to make SW vanilla ice-cream in the blender, and have planned some delicious Free teas for the week (thanks to that Market trip for fish and meats) which feels pretty good. I do love being organised! Not to mention getting my cooking groove back - if you count ice pops and pate as "cooking!"
Today was quite good. Leapt straight back on track by getting a 3 for £5 deal on boxes of fruit (well, one fruit salad and 2 "Berry Medleys" - despite the fact that the so called Berry Medley contained grapes.....) from the Co-Op, so could sit there nibbling on fruit everytime I wanted a snack. Still can't REMOTELY comprehend how people on SW say they ENJOY eating fruit as a snack - sweet as the fruit was, every second annoyed me and felt like a total chore. And I got hungry about 10 mins afterwards. Oh well. Takes getting used to, I guess. Can always wash it down with water, as long as it gets in my body somehow.
Tea was pretty gorgeous, if I do say so myself! Was told how to poach an egg at work and was asked by Joel to incorporate the soon-to-be-expired smoked salmon into tea tonight - so made Poached Egg and Salmon on toast - using 2 slices of wholemeal bread as my Healthy Extra B choice. Even got my Syns for this evening all allocated and planned - it's quite nice knowing what I can have without using more than 10!
So, all is well and organised in the O'Connor-Moore household. Let's hope it lasts the week!
Monday 17 September 2012
Beside the Seaside!
GAIN: 2.5 POUNDS
Shit. That's all that can be said, really. I don't know why I'm surprised. I had an awful weekend. Well, not true - I had an AMAZING weekend, but in Slimming World terms, my weekend was appalling.
I could spend ages relieving how brilliant it was in a blow-by-blow account, but this is only a food diary. Suffice to say:
It was at the Palace Hotel and the theme was "Beside the Seaside" - which meant free ice cream, popcorn, candyfloss and donut stalls...... and a Fish n chips buffet.
Prizes for all the games were drink tokens - which meant I barely spent a penny all night, but said drink tokens only extended to beer and wine. I basically drank ALL the wine. But won a LOT of games, and partook in lots of Body Magic by riding a bucking surfboard, dancing my little heart out, and beating several big blokes from Servicing at the Test Your Strength game. Felt very satisfying to hear the weight hit the bell - not to mention a teammate took a VERY flattering photo of me in my outfit, holding the hammer. In fact, it's the first photo I've seen of myself that didn't make me wince, so that's good news!
To cure my hangover the morning after, Joel stood me a Macdonald's after dragging my hungover ass to Bury so we could visit the market. I did get to meet Martin Platt from Corrie, though!
So, whilst I knew all this was making me fail, I was still horrified and upset when I got weighed. Even more so when Joan told everyone HOW MUCH I'd gained during Image Therapy. REALLY didn't need that.
Anyway, I've decided to do the "Sucess Express" for this week - which involves reducing my Syns from 15 to 10 a day, and eating a SHITLOAD more fruit/veg/Superfree foods every day, to speed up my weight loss. Spoke to Louise and Alex on Skype again (both had amazing losses, but don't really want to think about it right now, as I'll get jealous!) who were very upbeat and certainly cheered me up about my horrific gain. So it's all hands back on deck, starting tomorrow. At least I have no more social engagements to distract or trip me up, until Joel and I go away on the 5th October. And Mum's even lent me a food processor for the week, so will have to see what yummy things I can make that need blending!
Shit. That's all that can be said, really. I don't know why I'm surprised. I had an awful weekend. Well, not true - I had an AMAZING weekend, but in Slimming World terms, my weekend was appalling.
I could spend ages relieving how brilliant it was in a blow-by-blow account, but this is only a food diary. Suffice to say:
My workplace threw a "Recognition event" (to thank us for hard work)
It was at the Palace Hotel and the theme was "Beside the Seaside" - which meant free ice cream, popcorn, candyfloss and donut stalls...... and a Fish n chips buffet.
Prizes for all the games were drink tokens - which meant I barely spent a penny all night, but said drink tokens only extended to beer and wine. I basically drank ALL the wine. But won a LOT of games, and partook in lots of Body Magic by riding a bucking surfboard, dancing my little heart out, and beating several big blokes from Servicing at the Test Your Strength game. Felt very satisfying to hear the weight hit the bell - not to mention a teammate took a VERY flattering photo of me in my outfit, holding the hammer. In fact, it's the first photo I've seen of myself that didn't make me wince, so that's good news!
To cure my hangover the morning after, Joel stood me a Macdonald's after dragging my hungover ass to Bury so we could visit the market. I did get to meet Martin Platt from Corrie, though!
In the evening, we went out with his mates for a birthday/leaving do, which meant I drank again AND had buffet for tea.
I then fell into the CLASSIC "oh screw this, I've already failed, I'm going to eat ALL the sandwiches, paninis, bread and chocolate for 2 days straight" trap (NB: I didn't eat these together)
I then fell into the CLASSIC "oh screw this, I've already failed, I'm going to eat ALL the sandwiches, paninis, bread and chocolate for 2 days straight" trap (NB: I didn't eat these together)
So, whilst I knew all this was making me fail, I was still horrified and upset when I got weighed. Even more so when Joan told everyone HOW MUCH I'd gained during Image Therapy. REALLY didn't need that.
Anyway, I've decided to do the "Sucess Express" for this week - which involves reducing my Syns from 15 to 10 a day, and eating a SHITLOAD more fruit/veg/Superfree foods every day, to speed up my weight loss. Spoke to Louise and Alex on Skype again (both had amazing losses, but don't really want to think about it right now, as I'll get jealous!) who were very upbeat and certainly cheered me up about my horrific gain. So it's all hands back on deck, starting tomorrow. At least I have no more social engagements to distract or trip me up, until Joel and I go away on the 5th October. And Mum's even lent me a food processor for the week, so will have to see what yummy things I can make that need blending!
Tuesday 11 September 2012
Mags and Pins
Whatever else is going on with my weight, there's one thing I'm always sure of: I have a cracking set of pins.
However big my thighs may be, or however abhorrent my stomach, I can always console myself with the knowledge that I have a great pair of legs. Provided the top half is covered by an adequately long dress or skirt, the bottom halves - it has to be said - are brilliant.
And it's this that has helped me get through the fact that I ate a whole Dominoes pizza this evening.
Today was my scheduled day off. And despite waking up FULL of good intentions (and the joys of spring) for Body Magic - I ended up not leaving the sofa ALL day. To be fair, I spent it emailing Louise and Alex ALL the SW guidelines, copying recipes from Mum's magazine back-catalogue and writing shopping/meal lists. And I chose a gorgeous outfit for a work's do on Friday night - a black, white-spotted dress that tucks in at the waist and comes thigh-high - topped with a short black cardigan and bottomed with some black and white spotted high heels. Going bare-legged for the first time in a while, so kinda nevous about that - but it does look good in the bedroom mirror, so hopefully that half-stone will be noticeable! (Just to add some interest, I'm going to attempt the 1930's Hollywood look - red lipstick, red nails, black smokey eyes and false eyelashes, with straightened wavy hair).
However big my thighs may be, or however abhorrent my stomach, I can always console myself with the knowledge that I have a great pair of legs. Provided the top half is covered by an adequately long dress or skirt, the bottom halves - it has to be said - are brilliant.
And it's this that has helped me get through the fact that I ate a whole Dominoes pizza this evening.
Today was my scheduled day off. And despite waking up FULL of good intentions (and the joys of spring) for Body Magic - I ended up not leaving the sofa ALL day. To be fair, I spent it emailing Louise and Alex ALL the SW guidelines, copying recipes from Mum's magazine back-catalogue and writing shopping/meal lists. And I chose a gorgeous outfit for a work's do on Friday night - a black, white-spotted dress that tucks in at the waist and comes thigh-high - topped with a short black cardigan and bottomed with some black and white spotted high heels. Going bare-legged for the first time in a while, so kinda nevous about that - but it does look good in the bedroom mirror, so hopefully that half-stone will be noticeable! (Just to add some interest, I'm going to attempt the 1930's Hollywood look - red lipstick, red nails, black smokey eyes and false eyelashes, with straightened wavy hair).
The end result: taken on the night!
Monday 10 September 2012
Achievement!
LOSS: 2 POUNDS
YES!! YES!!!!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! I DID IT!!! I BLOODY DID IT!!!! HALF A STONE IN 3 WEEKS!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ahem, please forgive the orgy of capitals. But, as you may have guessed, I had rather a success tonight. And quite frankly, I am stunned. Especially after that disastrous weekend I just had, I was no WAY expecting a loss. Or not a loss like that, maybe just a tiny half-pound or something. But no, there it was, on the scales in front of me - 16st 12lb.
It was strange, really. It sort of came as a shock, but not totally. I don't know - for some reason I was half expecting a gain/maintain, but in the back of my mind, subconciously, it felt like this week would be the one where I lost 2 pounds. It felt inevitable somehow, after all my goal-setting and planning, that today would be the day I reached Half a Stone.
And there was no smoke without fire, either. Because in the afternoon leading up to Group, I had four - count them - FOUR people telling me I look like I've lost weight. How great is that?! Although I'm still TOTALLY unable to spot any difference in my own physique - I didn't believe any of them. I thought they were just attempting to placate or motivate me with empty words.
With the first one, I just shrugged him off when he told me "this isn't a come-on, but from a distance you looked like you've slimmed down." With the second, I laughed when he stood above me at my desk and said "you look like you've lost some off your face." With the third (my brother) when we greeted each other back home, I laughed and joked that our parents must have promted him to tell me "you can tell you've lost it." And by the time my godmother was telling me "your bum's disappearing!" as we headed up the stairs to Group, I was ready to believe them all. So there you have it. I guess Half a Stone really DOES make a difference!
Once again, I cheered as I got weighed. But rather cruelly, decided to withhold the news from Mum, so I could see her face when I got my award, instead. So when people asked, I told them about the 2 pound loss, but made them swear not to tell Mum. When Mum finally asked me herself, face all lit up with anticipation, I forced myself to look disheartened and told her I had simply maintatined. And boy, did I feel bad when she gave me a huge hug, told me not to be diappointed and that I can always start again. Rebecca (who sits next to me) was trying to smother her giggles, as I told her I was mad at myself, but "at least it's still something to aim for." Felt a tad guilty, but it definately paid off when Joan read out the names of people who'd won Half-Stone awards this week. Seeing Mum's face go from Confusion to Annoyance (at suspected admin error) and then to Shock and Joy as I shouted "Surprise!!" was completely worth it. "But you said you Maintained!" she said. "I lied," I shrugged, happily. "Fooled you!"
Again - totally worth it. And having people come up to me telling me how impressed they were with Half-a-Stone-in-3-weeks never ONCE got old.
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Aside from that, it was a pretty normal day. Went back to work, had Healthy Extras as my snacks and my usual chicken and bacon salad for lunch (with hot chicken, mmmm.....). Was on a Long Monday today (where I finish at 6 instead of 5) so had to haul ass straight to Mum and Dad's afterwards, where my coat and bag were ripped off and a Mugshot forced on me before leaving. Didn't have any tea when I got home, as the Mugshot made me feel bloated and queasy after having such a large salad for dinner, but Mum sent me home with a portion of chicken, spinach and tomato curry, which I'm really looking forward to!
Skyped Louise and Alex who both had losses too, so all very happy in Virtual Slimming World! Calculated that with our consecutive weight losses (5, 2.5 and 7) we had lost just over a stone in total between us, which definately put a few things in perspective!
So all in all, an amazing day. And that's one of my goals, done and dusted! Have put my target down for next week as a further 2 pounds, but not sure if that's just wildly optimistic after a lucky beginning. Who knows? Just can't wait to reach my 1st stone - don't think I've ever lost a stone since I started putting on weight. Oh well, one goal down......!
YES!! YES!!!!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! I DID IT!!! I BLOODY DID IT!!!! HALF A STONE IN 3 WEEKS!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ahem, please forgive the orgy of capitals. But, as you may have guessed, I had rather a success tonight. And quite frankly, I am stunned. Especially after that disastrous weekend I just had, I was no WAY expecting a loss. Or not a loss like that, maybe just a tiny half-pound or something. But no, there it was, on the scales in front of me - 16st 12lb.
It was strange, really. It sort of came as a shock, but not totally. I don't know - for some reason I was half expecting a gain/maintain, but in the back of my mind, subconciously, it felt like this week would be the one where I lost 2 pounds. It felt inevitable somehow, after all my goal-setting and planning, that today would be the day I reached Half a Stone.
And there was no smoke without fire, either. Because in the afternoon leading up to Group, I had four - count them - FOUR people telling me I look like I've lost weight. How great is that?! Although I'm still TOTALLY unable to spot any difference in my own physique - I didn't believe any of them. I thought they were just attempting to placate or motivate me with empty words.
With the first one, I just shrugged him off when he told me "this isn't a come-on, but from a distance you looked like you've slimmed down." With the second, I laughed when he stood above me at my desk and said "you look like you've lost some off your face." With the third (my brother) when we greeted each other back home, I laughed and joked that our parents must have promted him to tell me "you can tell you've lost it." And by the time my godmother was telling me "your bum's disappearing!" as we headed up the stairs to Group, I was ready to believe them all. So there you have it. I guess Half a Stone really DOES make a difference!
Once again, I cheered as I got weighed. But rather cruelly, decided to withhold the news from Mum, so I could see her face when I got my award, instead. So when people asked, I told them about the 2 pound loss, but made them swear not to tell Mum. When Mum finally asked me herself, face all lit up with anticipation, I forced myself to look disheartened and told her I had simply maintatined. And boy, did I feel bad when she gave me a huge hug, told me not to be diappointed and that I can always start again. Rebecca (who sits next to me) was trying to smother her giggles, as I told her I was mad at myself, but "at least it's still something to aim for." Felt a tad guilty, but it definately paid off when Joan read out the names of people who'd won Half-Stone awards this week. Seeing Mum's face go from Confusion to Annoyance (at suspected admin error) and then to Shock and Joy as I shouted "Surprise!!" was completely worth it. "But you said you Maintained!" she said. "I lied," I shrugged, happily. "Fooled you!"
Again - totally worth it. And having people come up to me telling me how impressed they were with Half-a-Stone-in-3-weeks never ONCE got old.
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Aside from that, it was a pretty normal day. Went back to work, had Healthy Extras as my snacks and my usual chicken and bacon salad for lunch (with hot chicken, mmmm.....). Was on a Long Monday today (where I finish at 6 instead of 5) so had to haul ass straight to Mum and Dad's afterwards, where my coat and bag were ripped off and a Mugshot forced on me before leaving. Didn't have any tea when I got home, as the Mugshot made me feel bloated and queasy after having such a large salad for dinner, but Mum sent me home with a portion of chicken, spinach and tomato curry, which I'm really looking forward to!
Skyped Louise and Alex who both had losses too, so all very happy in Virtual Slimming World! Calculated that with our consecutive weight losses (5, 2.5 and 7) we had lost just over a stone in total between us, which definately put a few things in perspective!
So all in all, an amazing day. And that's one of my goals, done and dusted! Have put my target down for next week as a further 2 pounds, but not sure if that's just wildly optimistic after a lucky beginning. Who knows? Just can't wait to reach my 1st stone - don't think I've ever lost a stone since I started putting on weight. Oh well, one goal down......!
Sunday 9 September 2012
Recipes and scarfing
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Look at that. Is that a sexy picture, or what? That, my slim and attractive readers, is what I made for tea last night. Tomato chilli and garlic Prawn Linguine. Which I realise is just a posh way of saying spaghetti with prawns and stuff chopped up in sauce, but there you have it. And it was absolutely FANTASTIC. I am truly getting the hang of this cooking business by now.
As for meal planning - well, despite being in work around lunch time and only getting a 10 minute break, I was able to maximise my Healthy Extras and just have those until I got home. But sadly, for NO REASON WHATSOEVER, I found myself - both yesterday and today - getting a load of snacks, and just SCARFING them as soon as I got home. Crisps, wraps, birthday cake, ice creams, cheese...... nothing was safe. And I have absolutely NO idea why. I wasn't depressed, or bored, or angry, or tired. It was nothing more than a stupid f***ing blip on 2 consecutive occasions, and I am damn mad at myself right now.
If I've screwed up my 2 pound weight loss this week...... well, I won't be surprised but I'll be pretty pissed off.
Tried to claw back some health this evening by going for a nice hour-long walk in the park and getting Joel to cook a lovely Free tea - since I was out earning the bacon (for the last day of my Overtime!) - so here it is: Roast lamb heart with potatoes and carrots:
Not bad, eh?
As for meal planning - well, despite being in work around lunch time and only getting a 10 minute break, I was able to maximise my Healthy Extras and just have those until I got home. But sadly, for NO REASON WHATSOEVER, I found myself - both yesterday and today - getting a load of snacks, and just SCARFING them as soon as I got home. Crisps, wraps, birthday cake, ice creams, cheese...... nothing was safe. And I have absolutely NO idea why. I wasn't depressed, or bored, or angry, or tired. It was nothing more than a stupid f***ing blip on 2 consecutive occasions, and I am damn mad at myself right now.
If I've screwed up my 2 pound weight loss this week...... well, I won't be surprised but I'll be pretty pissed off.
Tried to claw back some health this evening by going for a nice hour-long walk in the park and getting Joel to cook a lovely Free tea - since I was out earning the bacon (for the last day of my Overtime!) - so here it is: Roast lamb heart with potatoes and carrots:
Not bad, eh?
Friday 7 September 2012
Zumba bunnies
God, I am SHATTERED. Mum asked me to a "Zumba Party" one of her friends runs, so had to tag along. It was all very fun - authentic Jamaican drummer guy accompanying the music, that gloriously nostalgic school-gym-hall smell, the dancing. But I'm completely exhausted. It was weirdly easy enough to slot back into doing exercise (after barely ever doing ANY) but by the end the sweat was pretty much POURING off me. Mind you, seeing Mum getting complimented on how much "energy" she has (this is the woman who used to refuse bike rides and swimming pools) was definately something of an inspiration, not to mention she's looking thinner by the day. Except when she looks in the mirror, she still sees her huge belly from 2 years ago. How is that possible, I wonder? To lose SO much weight, and yet still think you look the same? I know I'm currently like that, but that's 5 measly pounds, not 3 and a half stone. I wonder how long it'll be before I notice a difference? 1 stone? 2? Ah, who knows.
Anyway, Mum cooked us tea - as I went straight to hers and Dad's after work - which was a delicious bacon and potato omlette with spaghetti hoops - all Free as usual! So that was kind of a relief - not having to cook tea for a change. Certainly a nice break. All I need to do now is figure out what to make tomorrow. Have Overtime 10-3pm both Saturday and Sunday, so can maybe pick up some nice ingredients in town, or see what we have in. Either way, I'm determined to knock off the remaining 2lbs that stands between me and my Half Stone award by Monday. Hopefully the Zumba class will have sped it along.......
As to the rest of today, well, nothing interesting happened. Got propositioned by a friend to join him for our traditional Friday trip to "Lloyds" for lunch - only to discover that our favourite meal of Nachos and Rose wine would equal a combined total of about 40 Syns. So we sacked it off and opted for a canteen salad again, instead. Oh well, can't argue with quality!
Joel's talking about us possibly joining a gym together - a good idea, if I can only get my head around the idea of him continuously seeing me at my worst. The man won't even HUG me when I'm mildly sweaty, what would seeing me in "Exercise Mode" be like?? Anyway, we scoped out a place in Spinningfields, and are looking at other options. Even if we just go 3 times a week, we can still motivate each other, I guess.
Anyway, Mum cooked us tea - as I went straight to hers and Dad's after work - which was a delicious bacon and potato omlette with spaghetti hoops - all Free as usual! So that was kind of a relief - not having to cook tea for a change. Certainly a nice break. All I need to do now is figure out what to make tomorrow. Have Overtime 10-3pm both Saturday and Sunday, so can maybe pick up some nice ingredients in town, or see what we have in. Either way, I'm determined to knock off the remaining 2lbs that stands between me and my Half Stone award by Monday. Hopefully the Zumba class will have sped it along.......
As to the rest of today, well, nothing interesting happened. Got propositioned by a friend to join him for our traditional Friday trip to "Lloyds" for lunch - only to discover that our favourite meal of Nachos and Rose wine would equal a combined total of about 40 Syns. So we sacked it off and opted for a canteen salad again, instead. Oh well, can't argue with quality!
Joel's talking about us possibly joining a gym together - a good idea, if I can only get my head around the idea of him continuously seeing me at my worst. The man won't even HUG me when I'm mildly sweaty, what would seeing me in "Exercise Mode" be like?? Anyway, we scoped out a place in Spinningfields, and are looking at other options. Even if we just go 3 times a week, we can still motivate each other, I guess.
Thursday 6 September 2012
Burger Queen
Obviously, they looked better cooked, but I was unable to photograph them due to mutual enthusiasm of eating the damned things! Joel LOVED them, which was the most important thing - and he agreed that, for once, I'd just used the perfect amount of chilli flakes...... being that I usually completely overdo it and set several mouths on fire!
So, all very happy in the O'Connor-Moore household this evening. I've said it before, but my love of cooking really has been re-ignited. It's so much fun to really PREPARE something and put work into it, as opposed to taking 10 minutes to just re-heat a meal.
Oh, and I've found some cracking "Before" photos for when (I refuse to tempt fate with the word "if") I become a SW Cover Girl and they print my story.
Goodnight, all!
Wednesday 5 September 2012
Illness does NOT equal weakness!
I must admit - I've become a complete fanatic for the SW magazines in the past few days. Since I borrowed Mum's back catalogue the other day and spent almost ALL day reading them, I'm now completely obsessed. Particularly with the inspirational stories - picturing myself one day as a Cover girl. Although it does annoy me slightly when reading about a woman who says she's lost about 6 stone - right before noticing the "Before" photo, which depicts a perfectly normal, healthy-looking person. I realise that everyone has their own journey to go on, but it doesn't make me feel any better when my Target size is the one I'm looking at in somebody's "Before" photo. As bad as it sounds, I prefer the ones where people are REALLY overweight, to the point of having problems. Because reading then that they lost it all in 18 months? THAT'S what inspires me. And that's the kind of story that really makes me believe. Because if they can do it, I certainly can.
Back to today - Joel persuaded me to leave the house for a little fresh air, so off we went, in pursuit of medication. Only problem is, he then bought me a Subway for lunch; "to make you feel better." Bless him. Whilst it was a slight mistake, I never tried to stop him - and I really did feel better afterwards. But instead of sinking into a junk-food-depression, I resolved to spend the rest of the day being healthy...... and so spent all afternoon preparing two delicious and completely Free teas: Smoked Salmon Terrine and French Onion soup. To my surprise, they were incredibly easy to make and it felt good to focus on something other than my illness.
Tuesday 4 September 2012
Holiday talks
Woke up feeling absolutely rotten this morning. I wasn't too well yesterday either, but just put it down to having a busy weekend - whereas this is full-on headaches, aching joints, coughing, sore throat, et al. Tried to force it away through the power of health by scoffing apples, salad for lunch, and that old nourishing favourite - Cheesy Pasta - for tea.
Sadly, the dish was so damned delicious and popular, I was only able to photograph half of it, in the end! But definately worth the preparation time - and I promise a photo and recipe will be coming soon!
Had my weekly Skype meeting with Louise and Alex to discuss how well we're all doing - proud to report we've ALL had losses this week! So it's definately working. Have promised to email the general basics of SW to them, so they can follow it themselves, and got Louise's address so I can post them anything useful! Had to make the video call from under a duvet sniffling, but it was fun talking to them again. And similar to Mum's revelatory statement the other night, Louise pointed out that if we lost 1 pound a week for a YEAR - that by September 2013, we would each be 3 and a half stone lighter!! So we're going to reward ourselves with a girly holiday upon reaching 4 stone - and whoever gets there first gets to name the holiday destination as a prize. Is that an incentive, or what? I've got my eye on Dubai...... luxury hotels, fawning waiters, and PLENTY of pampering!
Sadly, the dish was so damned delicious and popular, I was only able to photograph half of it, in the end! But definately worth the preparation time - and I promise a photo and recipe will be coming soon!
Had my weekly Skype meeting with Louise and Alex to discuss how well we're all doing - proud to report we've ALL had losses this week! So it's definately working. Have promised to email the general basics of SW to them, so they can follow it themselves, and got Louise's address so I can post them anything useful! Had to make the video call from under a duvet sniffling, but it was fun talking to them again. And similar to Mum's revelatory statement the other night, Louise pointed out that if we lost 1 pound a week for a YEAR - that by September 2013, we would each be 3 and a half stone lighter!! So we're going to reward ourselves with a girly holiday upon reaching 4 stone - and whoever gets there first gets to name the holiday destination as a prize. Is that an incentive, or what? I've got my eye on Dubai...... luxury hotels, fawning waiters, and PLENTY of pampering!
Monday 3 September 2012
Post-birthday fun times
LOSS: 3 POUNDS
GET IN!!! So in 2 weeks I've lost an amazing 5 pounds. And DAMN, it feels good. Not physically - truth be told, I don't feel the slightest bit different and don't remotely understand why people say they do. But am very proud of myself, as are several friends and family members!
In continuing with Joel's birthday celebrations, he and I booked today off work, and so did a little Body Magic by going for a lovely long walk around town - particularly Deansgate and Spinningfields. Went to Nando's for lunch - got a sharing platter which involved Chicken and chips for Joel, Chicken and Salad for me..... same as Tampopos, it just felt amazing to be eating out in town and not having to worry about any of it.
Got back home and did our first Unbelievably-Healthy-Big-Shop - I won't lie, as much as I'm not a veggie woman, it was fantastic to see our trolley piled high with greenery and fresh ingredients, as opposed to ready meals, pizza, crisps, cheese and bread. Oh, and chocolate! Finally, our shopping trolley looked like that of two professional adults - and not of two children who've just discovered independance.
Skipped tea tonight, as we were having a Taster evening to welcome new members (and celebrate Ellen - our target member's - 92nd birthday!). Got weighed and cheered so loud I made the nearest 2 members jump - before stocking up on Hi Fi bars (my godsends!) and this months SW magazine.
BODY MAGIC: Walking through town for 2 hours
GET IN!!! So in 2 weeks I've lost an amazing 5 pounds. And DAMN, it feels good. Not physically - truth be told, I don't feel the slightest bit different and don't remotely understand why people say they do. But am very proud of myself, as are several friends and family members!
In continuing with Joel's birthday celebrations, he and I booked today off work, and so did a little Body Magic by going for a lovely long walk around town - particularly Deansgate and Spinningfields. Went to Nando's for lunch - got a sharing platter which involved Chicken and chips for Joel, Chicken and Salad for me..... same as Tampopos, it just felt amazing to be eating out in town and not having to worry about any of it.
Got back home and did our first Unbelievably-Healthy-Big-Shop - I won't lie, as much as I'm not a veggie woman, it was fantastic to see our trolley piled high with greenery and fresh ingredients, as opposed to ready meals, pizza, crisps, cheese and bread. Oh, and chocolate! Finally, our shopping trolley looked like that of two professional adults - and not of two children who've just discovered independance.
Skipped tea tonight, as we were having a Taster evening to welcome new members (and celebrate Ellen - our target member's - 92nd birthday!). Got weighed and cheered so loud I made the nearest 2 members jump - before stocking up on Hi Fi bars (my godsends!) and this months SW magazine.
BODY MAGIC: Walking through town for 2 hours
Sunday 2 September 2012
Boyfriend's birthday
It's Joel's birthday today! 29 years old. Sadly, I was in work wih no possible chance of a holiday, so had to make do with counting down the hours till we could celebrate in style. Had the remainder of last nights Chinese for lunch, which - after a reliable parade of boring sandwiches from Greggs on my Sunday shifts - felt like a waterfall in a desert. Still in the habit of taking Hi Fi bars and apples to work, which really, really helps.
After work, was whisked back home with a little help from Dad, where we picked up the birthday boy and took him to Mum and Dad's where we greeted the rest of the family. Mum had made the most AMAZING Free buffet - which everyone enjoyed. The only things with Syns were the pork pies and prawn cocktail, so a solid effort!
Had a whale of a time - as did Joel. For his birthday, Mum, Dad, Sean, Auntie Pam, David and Grandma had all clubbed together and bought us a weekend at a beautiful rustic inn in Northumberland, complete with healthy pub food, surrounded by stunning walks and cycle paths. A little R + R PLUS Body Magic? Winner! Besides, he's been really stressed and knackered from work lately (plus me with my overtime) so a little holiday will do us the world of good. Particularly since we can't afford one this year - as we're doing the bathroom AND trying to save up to go to New York next year. By the way, Mum said something about that tonight, which really put things in perspective...... if I lose a pound - that's a mere POUND - per week, I'll have lost 2 stone by the time I go.
So I've decided my new goals are:
Lose half a stone in a month (which is the 10th of September)
Lose 1 stone before my birthday (which is the 23rd of October)
Lose 1 and a half stone before Christmas (you know when Christmas is)
Lose 2 stone before New York (which is February)
Wow, that's a lot of goals. But then again, I guess the purpose of SW is NOT to limit yourself, so bring on all the goals, I say!
Oh, also managed to nab Mum's extensive back catalogue of SW magazines from last year, which I've promised to return so she can continue using the recipes. Can't wait to read them!
After work, was whisked back home with a little help from Dad, where we picked up the birthday boy and took him to Mum and Dad's where we greeted the rest of the family. Mum had made the most AMAZING Free buffet - which everyone enjoyed. The only things with Syns were the pork pies and prawn cocktail, so a solid effort!
Had a whale of a time - as did Joel. For his birthday, Mum, Dad, Sean, Auntie Pam, David and Grandma had all clubbed together and bought us a weekend at a beautiful rustic inn in Northumberland, complete with healthy pub food, surrounded by stunning walks and cycle paths. A little R + R PLUS Body Magic? Winner! Besides, he's been really stressed and knackered from work lately (plus me with my overtime) so a little holiday will do us the world of good. Particularly since we can't afford one this year - as we're doing the bathroom AND trying to save up to go to New York next year. By the way, Mum said something about that tonight, which really put things in perspective...... if I lose a pound - that's a mere POUND - per week, I'll have lost 2 stone by the time I go.
So I've decided my new goals are:
Lose half a stone in a month (which is the 10th of September)
Lose 1 stone before my birthday (which is the 23rd of October)
Lose 1 and a half stone before Christmas (you know when Christmas is)
Lose 2 stone before New York (which is February)
Wow, that's a lot of goals. But then again, I guess the purpose of SW is NOT to limit yourself, so bring on all the goals, I say!
Oh, also managed to nab Mum's extensive back catalogue of SW magazines from last year, which I've promised to return so she can continue using the recipes. Can't wait to read them!
Saturday 1 September 2012
Asian treats
Faced two temptations today, in the form of a shopping trip with my Auntie Pam and a Chinese with Joel's dad and brother. But to my utter delight, I was able to swerve both of them - utilising the healthy options available and Flexible Syns.
Started off the day with 3 hours of overtime at work, before meeting Auntie Pam for lunch. We opted for "Tampopos," an East-Asian kind of place I'd never been before. Well, it was absolutely AMAZING. Had a lovely catch-up with Auntie Pam over Diet Coke, and a BEAUTIFUL Vietnamese dish called "Pho," which consisted of chunky noodles in an Asian stock, topped with sliced chicken breast and Star Anise - and a side dish of spring and red onions, which I tipped into the noodle soup for more flavouring. An absolute DELIGHT.
Followed lunch up with some Body Magic - trotting round the shops for hours (and surrepticiously buying her birthday present while her back was turned!) until we were joined by Mum in the afternoon. Tricked a perfume assistant into giving me a free sample bottle of Miss Dior, which smelt HEAVENLY (nothing to do with dieting, I know, but just thought it was worth mentioning) and ended up in Kendals, admiring the frocks. And I'm telling you, if anything inspired me that day, it was admiring the gorgeous, flattering, truly beautiful dresses that I knew I could wear one day - whether in 6 months, or a year's time.
In true Auntie Pam-style, we wound up in the the Champagne bar for a little post-shopping tradition, at only 4 Syns each, thank God! Still, it felt amazing to have a Kir Royale again.
That evening, Joel's dad and brother came round with his birthday present for our monthly Chinese takeaway (we'd shuffled the birthday buffet to tomorrow instead, and cancelled the Indian meal) - so I made an effort and ordered a healthy Prawns in oyster sauce, Fried rice, and one slice of Prawn Toast (I'm a complete sucker for prawns) - at a virtuous 6 Syns in total! Only problem was that Joel's dad had brought a lovely bottle of red wine round, which I couldn't really refuse - although I cursed myself for every one of the 6 Syns I drank. Oh well! Had a wonderful evening, it really was a great end to a perfect day.
BODY MAGIC: Walking from shop to shop for 3 hours
Started off the day with 3 hours of overtime at work, before meeting Auntie Pam for lunch. We opted for "Tampopos," an East-Asian kind of place I'd never been before. Well, it was absolutely AMAZING. Had a lovely catch-up with Auntie Pam over Diet Coke, and a BEAUTIFUL Vietnamese dish called "Pho," which consisted of chunky noodles in an Asian stock, topped with sliced chicken breast and Star Anise - and a side dish of spring and red onions, which I tipped into the noodle soup for more flavouring. An absolute DELIGHT.
Followed lunch up with some Body Magic - trotting round the shops for hours (and surrepticiously buying her birthday present while her back was turned!) until we were joined by Mum in the afternoon. Tricked a perfume assistant into giving me a free sample bottle of Miss Dior, which smelt HEAVENLY (nothing to do with dieting, I know, but just thought it was worth mentioning) and ended up in Kendals, admiring the frocks. And I'm telling you, if anything inspired me that day, it was admiring the gorgeous, flattering, truly beautiful dresses that I knew I could wear one day - whether in 6 months, or a year's time.
In true Auntie Pam-style, we wound up in the the Champagne bar for a little post-shopping tradition, at only 4 Syns each, thank God! Still, it felt amazing to have a Kir Royale again.
That evening, Joel's dad and brother came round with his birthday present for our monthly Chinese takeaway (we'd shuffled the birthday buffet to tomorrow instead, and cancelled the Indian meal) - so I made an effort and ordered a healthy Prawns in oyster sauce, Fried rice, and one slice of Prawn Toast (I'm a complete sucker for prawns) - at a virtuous 6 Syns in total! Only problem was that Joel's dad had brought a lovely bottle of red wine round, which I couldn't really refuse - although I cursed myself for every one of the 6 Syns I drank. Oh well! Had a wonderful evening, it really was a great end to a perfect day.
BODY MAGIC: Walking from shop to shop for 3 hours
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