I'm a happy bunny...

After being super good and banishing all alcohol and food related goodies from my diet in an attempt to take this seriously for a change...let's face it...my weekends were sabotaging my weeks good behaviour on too many occassions. I've been forced to face the fact that as much as I don't want it to be true it is...A bottle of red wine on a Saturday night is just not a substitute for one of my '5 a day' (not sure if they have that slogan in the US or Aus...it's fruit and veg if not)...it may be colourful, but I can't pretend it's beetroot!...anyway getting to the point...I had been looking at a very stubborn scale up until yesterday.

I woke up, shed all things which may add weight and stepped aboard...1lb off...finally! Another good day followed on the challenge...then Friday night came...well! how boring! No red wine...Nothing! Just sugar free squash...great! Husband snoring his head off on the sofa from 8pm because the muscle relaxants he's on have relaxed one too many muscles! What an exciting bloody life I lead.

This morning again I shed all my possible non body related sources of weight and jumped aboard...I didn't expect any change as it'd taken me 4 full days to lose the first pound...OMG another pound was gone! That has gotta be my reward for having such a bloody miserable Friday night no?  So today I've seen my new low of 179.2!  I'm officially in a new decade.

A NEW DECADE FOLKS!

Sorry, I was a little excited there. I'm now all the more excited to get to the bottom of this one.  I was actually thinking this morning...'It's a shame I have that girls weekend coming up in the middle of November...that's gonna slow me down...' and 'Maybe I should put off my trip to Australia until the new year...I'd be able to lose more weight before I went then...I haven't bought my ticket yet'. 

Anyway, I will be going on the girls weekend...fortunately they are always watching what they eat anyway...it's the drinking that'll be the killer.  I will have to take it easy anyway as I'll be very rusty and don't want to get a hangover as I'll be staying off it now until then. 

I may however put off my trip to Aus as it's going to be tricky to pay for the ticket at the moment...as you know we've recently bought a derelict farm house which needs full renovation and we are yet to sell our house so funds are a little tight as we had to offer more than we could  comfortably afford to pay in the end...but a couple more months should see things loosen up slightly.  Also, as I'll be going on my own and staying with family it's really just the airline ticket price I need to find...now where did I put it?

I do think we have it much easier over here at this time of year by the way than you poor guys in the US...here Halloween is very low key...our street is full of retirees and we very rarely get anyone trick-or-treating so I do not buy in sweets etc for them and we don't have Thanksgiving to contend with either...just good old Christmas which makes it easier...also, I don't have a big extended family, so a lot of what I'm exposed to at Christmas is up to me. So I can fairly easily make good choices there and I'm planning to put that choice power to good use this year...no doubt I will have some treats, but I'll try to keep it within the realms of good sense.

Have a good Halloween weekend all...don't ya just love those puppies in their Halloween costumes? Yes, that fast food is really that scary! xx

Curried Cauliflower Heaven...just sayin'

I just had to share the triumph that my improvised cauliflower soup was this lunch time! It was utter heaven and totally filling.  I've priced it up calorie-wise for you also, so if you think it sounds good you can give it a go.

Calories per 300ml serving= 122.25

I had mine with a dessertspoon sized scoop (around 20g) of 0% Fage Greek yoghurt stirred in (10.4 cals)
and 15g grated mozzerella cheese sprinkled on top (43.5 cals)...it tasted totally decadent!

All measurements are approximate and you can vary according to your tastes or the amount of soup required...this recipe produced around 1200mls of soup or around 4 servings...I ate two for my lunch.

400g cauliflower (chopped) = 140 cal (35 cals per 100g)
180g onions (chopped)= 63 cal (35 cals per 100g)
1 mid-sized potato (peeled & chopped) mine weighed 280g raw so was 224 cals - eek! (80cals per 100g)
2 chicken (or veg) stock cubes = 62 cals for both
mild curry powder to taste...not sure about these cals as no info on tin...only used a tblspn so can't be many.
1 tblspn granulated sweetener if you feel necessary...it shouldn't taste sweet, it's just I sometimes find curry powder can be a tad bitter.
1/2 tspn dried chilli flakes
salt & pepper to taste
boiling water to cover

Once the veg is soft I just used a hand blender to whizz it to the desired consistency and simmered until it was the thickness I wanted...it couldn't have taken more than 30mins actual stove time (although I must admit I didn't time it).

See paragraph 3 for my preferred serving suggestions...the greek yog & grated cheese made it to die for..well almost...not even chocolate's that good!

Bodies just don't always co-operate do they???

Ok...this is day three of the challenge and not only has my weight not gone down yet...it's gone UP by 0.4lb.  OK, it's only a tiny amount, and I know I've followed the protocol, so I know I haven't caused this to happen.  I'm going to put it down to natural weight fluctuation and move on.  Yesterday I was at least 300 cals below my maximum allowance so I'm happy  with that and I got my fluids in.  I was pretty sedentary as I was working from home, so on the laptop all day without even the usual exercise of travelling to and from work.  My calf muscles were pretty stiff this morning from Zumba on Monday night though, so you never know...a little fluid might be helping to mend those muscles...I'm banking on it anyway!

I'm planning to do an exercise class tonight at the gym as my usual tennis lesson is not on and I've bought a ton of fresh veg and I plan on making a cauliflower soup today for lunch and chicken chow mein for our tea tonight...I'll stick to tons of beansprouts though instead of the usual noodles for myself to keep the calories low and get some extra nutrients by way of veg.

It's getting so chilli here lately that the salads I've been doing for tea are just not appealing, so I'll definately be making a few fresh soups over the next week or so...I'll eat some and freeze some to take to work for lunches.

Sorry this sounds just so dull! I'm just a bit of a tunnel vision sort of person and not much of a multi-tasker...I tend to find when I'm running to and from work, making sure the kids are organised for school and the house isnt' falling to rack and ruin and everyone has clean clothes to wear for the week, I can't be creative and organised in the kitchen and tend to fall back on freezer foods & quick options...then when I'm focused on cooking from scratch healthy, inventive and low-cal meals and prioritising getting my exercise then the washing pile gets larger and larger and the house starts to look like 'Stig of the dump' moved in!
CAN YOU EXTRAPOLATE THE HEIGHT OF MY WASHING PILE AND THE AMOUNT OF DETRITUS AROUND MY HOUSE AT THE MOMENT? It's not good! I've cleaned the kitchen this morning...which of course I do everyday, but it never seems to look like I do for very long! And I'm planning a break from the computer mid afternoon for a big super energetic cleaning blitz...I'll also squeeze in a few loads of washing throughout the day as I did yesterday.  Hopefully I'll feel better about the state of the house after that and get some activity into the bargain.

Fingers crossed the scale co-operates tomorrow or I may be tempted to get 'Med-evil on it's ass!' (quote from Pulp Fiction my fave film...I've typed it as he pronounces it not as it's really spelled in case you were worried about my spelling abilities :0).

First day of the challenge is behind me...& Zumba

Okay, the title says it all...So far so good on the challenge.  I like this challenge because it's do-able so it's not gonna scare me off.  I usually try to come in below these cals so as long as I stay away from the bad treats like chocolate and red wine I shouldn't struggle to keep below the sensible calorie target. 

So this feels achieveable, but sneakily it's helping me to commit to stay away from those naughty things entirely for the next two weeks...by making a conscious decision with a deadline it feels do-able, but it's also a set commitment.  Also, it's got me logging what I'm eating and checking calories and portions by weight...which I know a lot of people don't like to do.  I don't mind it, but I find it somewhat tedious.  It is a good thing to do periodically for me though I think because it's good to know you're being reasonably accurate with your guesstimates (which is how I usually work).  I'm also getting my water in, which I usually don't...in fact I've felt slightly dehydrated recently so this was a good thing for me to do to actually understand exactly how much water I should be drinking...it's not something I've done before as there isn't as much focus on recommended water intake here in the UK as there seems to be in the US.

I have my Slimming World weigh in tonight, but I know I've got a good couple of pounds off this week, so I'm pleased with that (after a couple of slow weeks I have to add). I'm aiming for another 4lbs off over this two week challenge to be entirely happy.

Another bright spot is that I've finally gotten back into some regular exercise...I was so slack in the last couple of months and it's only really last week that I feel like I've done enough to be even remotely satisfied...hence why I crashed and burned in the 'go-chica-go challenge'...I enrolled and then was never heard from again! 

I've started a Zumba class on Monday nights with a friend and last night was the second time we'd been.  The first week I had mixed feelings, but I enjoyed it far more last night as I was more familiar with the moves and could put a lot more ooomph into it...hence loads more sweating!

Wednesday is tennis night and it is very vigorous for the hour that we play...I end up very out of breath, sweaty and red faced so I know I'm doing something right... although i'll have to come up with a replacement activity this week as it's half term and the tennis is only on during term time.

Anyway it's all good this week for a change.  Motivation is up! Better go look after my family...my son has a scouts halloween party tonight and wants some help with his scary face paint!

Doin' the Double Dog Dare Ya Challenge...

This is perfect timing for me, so I'm Double Dog doin' it.  No social engagements on the horizon for the next two weeks to tempt me off my resolve, no excuses.  I'm on it! I've already given myself a target to lose at least 14lbs before Xmas (bearing in mind a two week trip to Australia will be coming before Xmas does, so I can't really rely on losing those two weeks although I am intending to try). 

I only saw this challenge today, but fortunately I had weighed myself this morning so I can report my start weight and I've been super good with my eating so no problems with the calorie limit for today...the only thing I have to catch up with is the 64oz of water requirement for the challenge which I first had to get home and find out how many mls or cups were in 64oz as I'm definately a metric girl when it comes to fluid measures...

Start weight 25th Oct: 181.2lb
140lb x 11 = 1540 cals per day max

I also started back doing a lot more exercise last week which has really helped to get my moods stabilised and obviously burn some more calories and help with the toning.  Gotta keep it up now that's all.

I hope everyone else is charged up to start the new week with lots of motivation to get some pounds off.  Have a good one...

Boobs

Hi girlies and boys...so lovely to see all you boobies having such a brilliant time.  So many of you managed to go...fabulous...I'm definately up for it next year...I don't care where it is I'm there.  I think it was just a little early in my journey to make the committment despite the fact that I really was already feeling a strong bond with you all.  Next year I'm so there!!!!! So glad you all had such a fun time!!!

First official Weigh In & Odds and Sods

Hi All,

Thip picture is utterly pointless...it's just darned funny.  It's the look in that cat's eyes...so human. 

I thought I'd update you all on my first week back with Slimming World (SW) which has gone well.  It's helped me to focus on the good habits I already know and get me back to meal planning and cooking from scratch which is really SO important!

I was really pleased when I hopped onto the scale and I'd lost 3 pounds this week and I can't say I was hungry at all...I just made better choices...WHO KNEW??  Kidding of course...we mostly all know what we SHOULD be doing, but the self discipline to follow it through is where we tend to fall down.  I know you can all appreciate how that happens.  I have No self-discipline...I usually need a man with a big spiky stick standing over me in order to get my ass into gear.

Also, I have a post in editing which is in response to an award I've received from two lovely blogger's and it's long overdue...which is very rude I know.  My excuses are that I've been so busy I seriously struggle to get any blogging time these days, especially in private...I don't like my family reading over my shoulder, especially whilst I'm trying to compose something meaningful and my work blogging time is virtually non-existant.

I've got a bit more time of being overly busy ahead, but I'm hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel for a little while at least quite soon.

Until of course we receive an offer on our house and then it'll all kick up a notch again.

In answer to Barbara's question on my recent post regarding my farm purchase, render is a concrete-like substance that is sometimes put on the exterior of houses over brick or stone and then usually painted.  It goes on like plaster and is often used to cover cosmetically unattractive surfaces...we recently had it applied to our house as the brickwork was very chipped and badly done.  I imagine you have the same thing in the US but it obviously goes by another name.

Our house has yet to sell, so we've decided to push things along with a price reduction as now that we have the farm we really could do with the money to do the work on it! Fingers crossed that the new price has the right effect.

We've bought the Farm....te he

Hi guys,

Yes, all the paperwork has finally been processed the t's crossed and the i's dotted and we are totally and utterly 'skint'.  But yesterday, on the only bright day with a blue sky in the last two months, we completed on our derelict farm house.

As you can see it needs some work...well a lot of work.  It'll look a million times better by just knocking off the render as it's pretty old and is built of lovely stone.  I think the render was added to make it water tight at some stage.  It does need some redesign and is in a sorry state, but it is nestled in acres of green belt land which will never be built on and the view is just so lovely from any direction.  We have one near neighbour and there are other farms dotted about in the distance, but yet we're only 3 miles from the nearest town which is where we live now.

Now all we need is to sell our house...should be a piece of cake, um not.