A Realisation (Of Sorts)

Ok it’s been a couple of weeks since my last post and I've been trapped in a fug of alcoholic haze. Seriously peeps, after a successful January with no booze I've spent February hammered, I've lost and gained and lost the same 6 lbs almost every week...is that even possible??

Do I seriously need to consider I might have an issue with moderation? Probably....! Now I don’t wake up every day with the need to drink....worse I wake up still with the traumatic memory of the hangover that arrived on the Sunday morning, that’s enough to put me off until the following Saturday when I feel fantastic and you know what..’I totally fancy a glass of wine’ and so it begins!  The issue with moderation comes in with my inability to say no. ‘Can I top you up?’ ‘Fancy some pink champagne?’ ‘Another round?’ my answer to all of these questions is yes...yes...DOUBLE YES!

And herein lies my problem but this in itself isn’t the only problem. It’s the carb medication I do to aid recovery which when you’re trying to cut down on the evil bleeders is a bit of an issue and hence the losing and gaining the same SODDING 6lbs pounds.

Of course the remedy to this is STOP DRINKING. I have considered it and I did it in January but my god life was dull.

I’m not saying either that one needs booze to have fun but I’m 31, single and going out for dinner and drinks is the basis of my social life and that’s not going to change anytime soon. What I need to learn is self control, the benefit of moderation and frankly the word NO. Actually this could be assigned to most areas of my life!!

I’ve got a long way to go peeps...!

Anon for now xx

Week 3 Weigh In

It is a bloody miracle that I didn’t gain 5 stone this weekend.

Apparently diets don’t work it you don’t eat all day then drink in excess of a MILLION glasses of alcoholic substance. I say substance as I’m pretty sure that Sake is essentially turps!! (cosmopolitan I am not!)

I’ll set the scene.

Saturday night out with the King and Queen T and the birthday boy Le W (30....soooo old *coughs*), We head to a really great Japanese restaurant and commence a what I would like to call a sophisticated night out (I’ll point out here, I’d already fallen over, ripped my tights and ended up as flustered mess even before I’d left my house....CLASSY!).

We arrive and they seat us in the bar area we order drinks. “a large dry white please”. Sip one...oh my old friend, I’ve missed you....it was empty in 4.2 seconds.....NEXT!

The restaurant is a teppanyaki place which is THE BEST THING FOR DIETERS EVER. Essentially you sit round a steal hot plate which is hotter that the surface of the sun, reducing my cheeks to a colour only seen in a lab. We started with a bowl of miso, a small Japanese salad and sushi then the excellent comedy chef cooks steak, seafood, vegetables and rice which he packs into a bowl and throws at you. Thank GOD for my excellent catching skills....further red faced moments avoided.

The thing about Japanese food is it fits all diets, low carb, Slimming World, low GI...etc. Its cooked in seconds in hardly any oil....Oh and completely delicious!

Naturally we drank 45 glasses of wine, Queen T and I decide that Sake would be a really good idea....when in Rome and all that.

We chose a cold Sake, it comes in the cutest little cups from the cutest little bottle but doesn’t taste cute in any kinda way. (NB. Obviously this is personal taste and in no way meant as an offence at all). Safe to say it’s not my bag.....I took the taste away with more wine.

The nights progressing well, we head to a local pub and settle in till closing, then we head further into town in search of more merriment, clearly this takes the form of cocktails in coconuts (YEAY!!) somehow we have more wine and then Jack Daniels...I mean at what point didn’t I just STOP!??

Jeeeez....home, sleepytime...wake up. What form of seventh hell is this??

Remember, I’d not had a hangover since Christmas and it was truly awful. The remedy, a 2 hour shower, tea, DVD (an Alan Rickman fest!) and carbs.....A LOT OF CARBS and the less said about that, the better!

So week 3 weigh in arrives.....I sheepishly step on the scales waiting for it to scream.....1lb on. Wait....WHAT? 1lb....that’s IT? AMAZEBALLS.

I will buck my ideas up, make more miso (my new favourite thing) and crack on. Out on Sat with the girls and I shall pledge now I WILL NOT DRINK WINE (ha....as if!)

Have a great day picklets xx

Week 2 - The Result

So a week of gym action and healthy cooking I scored the grand total of.....................drum roll!!!!!

1lb off!!

To say I'm disappointed is an understatement.....totally bloody FURIOUS would be more apt. Now I know 1 off is better than 1 on, a loss is a loss and yes, yes I realise I’m on the right track but seriously HOW annoying after all that effort........I can gain 3lbs in a day yet it takes a week to lose 1lb.

Still working the no booze thing and cooking from scratch, had 2 meals out but was seriously angelic, a lot of salad at both.

I guess that there’s just no rhyme or reason to weight loss. I have to start believing that as long as I stick to the plan then I will at some point start to shift a decent amount of weight (please baby cheeses give me a pill so that I can wake up tomorrow slim!)

Anyway, anyway, anyway....I neglected to post this up last week. I made a beetroot risotto which was tres good. So I will take my moaning away and let you look at pictures of my Masterchef cooking! (Ha!)

Cubed beets. The shameles clashing of chopping board and knife! 

Rice and red onion having a mingle

Stock and beets added, I wanted it to be more pink though

The finished artical, was actually a lot better than it looks. I say YEAY for beetroot risotto

So there we go.....I did make the Thai noodle soup too but due to a rather dramatic raspberry suicide all over my lovely cream carpet I neglected to take a photo. The result....could have done better so I'll try it again this week.

So will blog again soon! Onwards and downwards Pickles xx

A New Week 1 result - 2011 stylee

Week 1 of the 2011 'New Me' challenge

6lbs off..........soooo eating a diet based solely around vegetables is essentially going to result in a good weight loss. Good good news chaps!

This week will hopefully be just as positive, probably won't lose as much but as long as it’s a loss then I'm happy. Will be trying out some new recipes too. A beetroot risotto, a new style mushroom soup, oh and I will make the Thai soup I neglected to create last week! I WILL!

I'll try and remember to take photos and do a blog post as and when....you lucky people, seriously, warn me when I'm actually about to bore you to death (if not already...eeek)

As its considered Blue Monday today in the real world, off we all pop to make ourselves a cuppa, tea always makes you happy, right? Course it does!!!

Have a good day peeps xx

Roasted Pepper Pasta Sauce REVELATION

Ok...this is a post about last night’s dinner.........AMAZEBALLS!!!! (If I do say so myself)

I was going to make the Thai noodle soup but I got back from the gym at 8:30pm and frankly couldn't be hooped so here's what I did -

Chopped up a red pepper, one onion, a spray of cooking oil and bunged it in, roasted it whilst I showered.

Dragged the blender from the back of the cupboard (proceeded to drop the git on my toes and hopped around screaming obscenities for a good 10 minutes) . After I recovered, I blended the veggies, chucked in some passata and a twist of S & P, heated it back up and mixed in some pasta spirals and topped with a scrapping of parmesan. It was ace...almost fat free, healthy and filling. A great post-bug infested sweat box, I mean gym dinner.

The only change I'd make is to add some garlic (I mean why I didn't to begin with is beyond me) but it was really ace.

So here's a pic......

Well....thats all. This week is going well.....PMA as they say :-)

xx

*Creeps In Sits Down And Hopes No One Notices I've Been Missing*

Ahem.......register call for the fat class. Kate? Here Miss....well, well, well, the wanderer returns.

And now we've got that over with I shall begin..........

Yes, I've been awol for a few months having a fat breakdown about my seeming inability to lose any lard, well actually not strictly true, I lost 8lbs in November but then spent December and the festive period piling it all back on...what fun! But now it’s crunch time I have to shift this and shift I will.

Main reason - Wedding of oldest pal in June, one is bridesmaid and I have to look at least vaguely presentable for photos that will last FOREVER!! Ok, ok it’s not the main reason, I'm sick of wearing fat clothes, shopping in fat shops and being generally disgustingly fat. I've mentioned my reasons in a previous post so I won’t dwell again as we all know them really. So I should just get on with blogging about weight loss and my journey (oooh so spiritual!!?)

So yesterday I started properly. back to work, back to the routine (which I have discovered I need) and back on plan.

I started with a measured portion of porridge made with skimmed milk. This was so delish (Wait...did I actually just say delish – I’m a disgrace!) I took some for lunch too...I know I know not ideal but I hadn't made it to the shops yet.

Had fruit and lots of water throughout the day and for dinner I made a creation of quorn, aubergine and pasta bake....would you like photos?? Course you would!!

Aubergines having a wee soak



The Quorn sauce, tomatoes, carrots, peppers, onions, garlic and a whole host of herbs and spices

The finished and rather high roast article

I think it actually needed more sauce, more passata next time or maybe a white sauce made from low fat phili and fromage frais (or somefink) stil, it was good and I clearly made enough for more portions so that this week’s lunches sorted.

I’m going to make soup this week too, found a fabulous Thai inspired chicken one so that’s next on the cooking rota.

Anyhoo........that’s the start and I hope to continue. GYM TONIGHT via the shops to purchase a new T-shirt, the other one is just obscenely snug...no dice!

Will post again soon (when I have something vaguely interesting to say)

Anon Pickles xx

Oh PMA works!!!

I did it...I lost 2lbs making it 8lb in total and that’s a lovely shiny half a stone lost!

Now.......I'm away in the frozen north this weekend on a hen weekend, which as we all know involves muchos booze and frivolity BUT considering the current weather patterns destroying our country I'm pretty sure I'll shiver off any extra calories. Still...if not I'll not beat myself up about, I'll put it down to a life lived properly! Hurrah.

Well........short post but my fingers are about to snap off in frozen agony!

Till next time pickles

xx