Weight Loss Wednesday

Hi ladies hope you are all keeping well.  The choc feast is over and the sun has been shining for a while now and this has given me a much needed boost.  I love this type of weather as it makes me want to eat salads and tuna which is a good thing right!

As is to be expected I have no loss to report but no gain either which is a minor miracle in itself :o)  My sister and I have been discussing, well she has been persuading me should I say, that regular walks in our pretty little park are what we need.  So I shall be dusting down my trainers and finding something sporty that is not too scary to wear when we venture out!

Hope you are all having good weeks and good weather too.  If you want to see how the others are doing or even join in then just click here.  x

Weight Loss Wednesday

So how has everyone done this week then?  I'll be popping by to have a peek later but first my update.  Hmmm don't really want to type this but I have to afterall, in for a penny in for a pound so to speak :o)  I am officially 1.5lbs heavier than I was last week, oh dear that's not going to get me into my spring frocks, LOL!

I know exactly why this has happened, lost focus on the types of foods I was stuffing down my throat, which basically means I ate a lot of chocolate and one too many pizzas, oops.  Oh and not much exercise either, what am I like!

So to rectify all this excessiveness I need to exercise like mad with my personal trainer for 10 hours a day and eat only the freshest of lettuce leafs ................... yeah right!  Back in the real world I will try and not have too many Easter Eggs (always difficult that one) and maybe walk to my car more often, tee hee.

Off to do some exercise now, the curtains all need opening LOL. x

PS - click here to see the other participants

Weight Loss Wednesday

So last Thursday the boiler flatlined on me!  Lots of flashing red lights and a leak meaning no hot water or heating for me, I have a combi system so no water tank.  Fast forward to today and I've just got hot water back but no heat.  Why you may ask am I telling you all this?  Because what do us humans do when we are cold, we eat lots of comfort food.  And although moving around a lot keeps you warm I actually do not feel like moving around when I'm sooo cold so didnt burn any of it off.

Luckily for me my family are real close by so I was able to at least take a shower or two, don't mind boiling kettles to wash up but I draw the line at filling the bath up with one LOL! 

My plumber is hoping to have normal service resumed by end of the week.  Makes you realise all the comforts we take for granted in the western world. x

Weight Loss Wednesday

Gosh I haven't been around much lately have I.  And I'm not exactly sure what has been taking all my time up!  Do you have weeks like that?

Well I have to say the recent sunny days and above freezing temperatures have been a welcome change from our never ending ice age!  Unfortunately they are now showing me just how much spring cleaning I need to do on my house LOL!  A job for my mum's steamer I think.

Am hoping this brighter weather is going to kick start my weight loss again, as yes you've guessed it, I didn't lose anything this week, but then again I didn't gain either so not too terrible I suppose.  Hope the other WLW members having been more successful than me.

So my plans for this week are:

1. Get out in the garden, boy does it need attention
2. Eat more fruit and salads
3. Sort through my summer clothes, do I really need to hang on to a strappy top I have not worn in like 3 years!
4. Go for more walks, I have the most beautiful park across the road that I really should make more use of.

What do you all have planned in this spring like weather?

Weight Loss Wednesday

I've enjoyed using the calorie tracker over at About Calorie, it's also helping me to eat healthier as it rates your days food intake by letters.  A being great and C being bad, bit like the energy rating system for appliances.  Hmmm now what appliance would I be :o)

So with this new dieting aid added to my arsenal did it have any effect?  Well the straight answer is YES!  I dropped a whole two pounds this week, woohoo, am on a roll! 

Weight Loss Wednesday

Morning everyone!  It's a grey one here, again!  Oh well onwards we must :o)

I think my body must be rebelling against all these dull rainy skies and has gone into hybernation mode as it only managed to shed 0.5lbs this week.  Rather pathetic, I need to have a good old talking to it and tell it this can't last, doesn't it know spring is very close.  We don't want to be caught out when that big yellow thing appears to warm everything up!

To help my body out I've enrolled it on this rather fab, and free, weightloss website Calorie Count which fellow WLW Kristy recommended.  Doesn't take long to sign up and then you have access to your weightloss centre.  There is a great food tracker, activity tracker and weight tracker.  Was really impressed with the comprehensive list of activities, did you know that knitting/sewing burns 112 calories an hour!!  Crafters eat your heart out, on healthy stuff obviously :o)

Hope my fellow WLW members are having better luck than me this week. xx

Weight Loss Wednesday

Valentines and Pancakes equal a big fat zero!  Still nothing put on either, which is in itself a miracle considering the amount of chocolate, chinese and lemon & sugar pancakes I've managed to scoff over the past few days!

You wait though, next week I shall be a shadow of my former self!  :o)

Weight Loss Wednesday

Quick update on Rosey Little Things Weight Loss Wednesday.  Managed to lose another pound and have been using the air walker for 10-20mins a day.  It is getting a bit easier now so plan to increase my time on it next week.

My main problem that I need to address is making sure I plan my meals and shop accordingly.  Lately I keep finding myself wondering what to have at the last minute and everything I need being frozen!  Not good, a few meals have ended up being hot cereal, not good for my 5 a day!

Did any of you catch the new chinese cooking programme Chinese Food In Minutes over on Channel Five last night which had 3 really quick stir fries that took no more than 10mins.  Now that is the sort of cooking I need to be doing and I love chillies and garlic which they use in nearly all of their dishes. 

Below is their recipe for the an old favourite of mine, chicken in black bean sauce.  I purchased a rice maker recently and in the time it takes to cook the rice any one of these dishes would be done!

CHICKEN AND BLACK BEAN STIR-FRY

Serves 2 as a main or 4 to share
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook in: 5 minutes

I adore fermented black beans and this is one of my favourite easy suppers. I add a touch of a good-quality yellow bean sauce for a savoury mellow edge to the dish.

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon groundnut oil
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon freshly grated root ginger
1 medium red chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 bird’s eye chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 tablespoon fermented salted black beans, washed and crushed
1 tablespoon yellow bean paste
450g/1lb skinless chicken breast, sliced
1 tablespoon Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry
2 green peppers, deseeded and cut into chunks
200ml/7 fl oz vegetable stock
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornflour blended with 2 tablespoons cold water
steamed jasmine rice or egg-fried rice to serve

METHOD:
1. Heat a wok over a high heat and add the groundnut oil. When the oil starts to smoke, add the garlic, ginger and chillies and stir-fry for a few seconds. Then add the fermented black beans and yellow bean paste and stir quickly.
2. Add the chicken slices and stir-fry for 1 minute, keeping the ingredients moving in the wok. As the meat starts to turn opaque, add the rice wine or sherry.
3. Add the green peppers and stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the stock and bring to the boil. Season with the soy sauce, then add the blended cornflour and stir to thicken. Serve with jasmine rice or egg-fried rice.

 They have all the recipes on their website along with cooking and ingredient tips.  There is also a free online competition for a trip to China for 2 people.

Off to pay a visit to the other lovely WLW members.  Thanks for popping by.

Weight Loss Wednesday

The now regular activity of me stepping onto a cold metal weighing platform took place this morning and the results are in!  The readings have been counted and verified by an independent adjudicator and I can now reveal that this week's figure is................................................................................................

-1.5lbs!

Dances round scales to imaginary applause from the audience :o)!!

So my conclusions are that less food coupled with moderate exercise = weight loss!  Doh!

26lbs to go!

Weight Loss Wednesday

Gosh is it really that time again already? Where did the week go, is someone speeding up the clocks, sure feels like it!

I've recently discovered an oriental food Cash n Carry near me and am now addicted. They have so many different types of everything it's mind boggling. Will need to be reading up on the internet to work out what to do with all that stuff. I did buy some simple things that I already had experience with, some marinades and sauces that work out much cheaper than in the supermarkets. I also stocked up on my favourite item which is Rice Noodles, just love em! Plonk in bowl, cover with boiling water, wait 10mins and voila they are ready. My type of cooking :O) The food must be quite good for you as you don't see many overweight people in China.

Anyways I digress, what I really should be telling you is how much weight I lost. Well I can't, coz I didn't. Lose any that is :o(  But on the plus side I didn't put any on either, woohoo! My eating wasn't so bad it was more the lack of movement of my big fat behind.   Aah but I have a solution.  Wanna know what it is?  Alright then, here you go!

It's a Carl Lewis Air Walker.  And the even better bit is I picked it up for free off of a lovely couple on Freecycle who no longer needed it.

So plans for this week are, lots of swinging in front of TV, ooh err, and lots of noodle stir fries.  Sorted :o) xx

Weight Loss Wednesday

Okay here goes my first weight loss post, yikes!

So was it a good first week?  Did I stick to my plan?  How much exercise did I do?  Yes these are all very good questions but sadly not with very good answers!  I could write about many a reason, alright excuse, why things went a bit awry but I shall be a good girl and just admit that I was LAZY!  Yes there I've confessed, I did zilch, nada, nothing to help my cause.

So I was a little bewildered to find when I gingerly stepped on the scales that I had managed to lose 0.5lbs!  Oh I know it's not much and some people might say not really a weight loss as such but hey I didn't go up!  Just think what I could have achieved if had followed my plan.

Right my plan for next week is to just add in more walking where possible and short bursts of running up and down my stairs.  On the food front I want to go a week without getting anything from my local bakers, toughy that one :o)

Tune in next week to find out my fate!

PS:  who has taken the sun and hidden it somewhere, it's been missing for days where I am, anyone got it?

Weight Loss Wednesday - A Bit Scared!

It's official, I've eaten far too much food over the past year.  How do I know this?  90% of my wardrobe does not fit me anymore!!

So in the spirit of the New Year I am going to commit to losing 28lbs/2stone, yep told you I had eaten too much :o)  To help me on my mission I have joined in with Jennifer over at Rosey Little Things.  She has a lovely blog and is very inspiring, if you want to join in with WLW just hop on over there and e-mail her.

The challenge for me in the coming 7 days before my next weigh in will be the flipping FREEZING weather we are experiencing for what seems like forever here in the UK.  I'm a comfort food eater at the best of times so it ain't gonna be easy!

Wish me luck :o) xx