Hello, another year has passed?

Oh my... where has the week gone? A week that on reflection has been terrible. I caught a cold last week and thought it would go after a 3 days... 5 tops. Nope, not at all... it's still here. It's focussing all of it's attentions on my sinuses and throat. I constantly feel at a loss for oxygen and have an insatiable need to cough, despite my chest being clear... oh, yeah and I have developed an enduring post nasal drip which would explain the throat issues. In short to say I'm feeling less than inspired with the diet is an  understatement!

Cold notwithstanding, it was my birthday on Saturday so we celebrated by going to my sister's and having a relative-ly  ( :) ) healthy dinner.  I made a leg of lamb, slow cooked in the Webbber. Recipe below.

The lamb:
I dressed the lamb with honey, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, nutmeg, cinnamon, thyme and rosemary. It was wrapped in foil and left in the Webber, with the coals on the opposite side, for about 3 1/2 hours with the lid on. For sides we had roasted butternut, peppers and, here's the less than healthy part... potatoes!! (ok there may have been a cupcake or two for desert). The lamb was sublime. The slow cooking worked a treat. the meat pealed away soft and tender. It was lovely! Importantly aside from the tablespoon of honey and olive oil there really wasn't anything too sinister about the marinade.

Taking it back to the purpose of the blog now.... Ok so Monday I had my running school session with Chris Mangioni, who is also a member of my running club. We, and use the word we liberally, did a HIIT session varying the treadmill incline between 5% and 10% with speeds alternating between 8 to 10.5kph for short fast bursts of speed work ranging from 10 seconds to 30 seconds for about 40 minutes followed by 20 minutes of strength training and stretches. Wow... I felt rotten to start with (that cold again) but by the end with the oxygen pumping through I felt spent but on top of the world... highly recommend similar sort of training for anyone thinking about losing weight. You certainly feel it during the session and the next day too. Thinking about it has brought a smile to my face, it's that great.

Yesterday, however, I fell off the wagon... drinks after work... red wine in abundant quantities and so today I had one massive hangover  topped off with a cold that is not going away. Feeling very sorry for myself, obviously. Anyway, have climbed back onto that weightwatchers wagon....so here's my penance for the day...




ProPoints™ Tracker entries

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Breakfast
1 1/2 serving(s) Crispy Minis Chocolate Chip	6
2  teaspoons Sugar, White	1
200  ml British 1% Fat Milk	2
Subtotal	9
Lunch
1  serving(s) CRUSSH Superfoods Healthpot	12
1  glass(es) Diet Coke	0
1  medium Orange	0
Subtotal	12
Dinner
2  slice(s) Bread, Wholemeal, Sliced	4
2 1/2 serving(s) Olive Oil Spread	4
Carrot and lentil soup	9
Subtotal	17
Any Time
No entries for this meal time.
Subtotal	0
Food ProPoints values total used	38
Food ProPoints values remaining	20
Activity
No entries for activity.
Activity ProPoints values earned	0
Check off these important items daily:
Liquids          Milk & Dairy     Fruit & Vegetables          Healthy Oil

Notes

 

© 2013 Weight Watchers International, Inc. © 2013 WeightWatchers.com, Inc. All rights reserved. WEIGHT WATCHERS and ProPoints® are the registered trade marks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. and are used under licence by Weight Watchers UK Limited and WeightWatchers.co.uk Limited.

   

Riso nero and salmon Wednesday

Before launching into my next recipe, and lest I forget that this blog is about keeping me motivated on my weightwatchers diet plan, I think it only fair that I give an update on what's been happening on the DIEt..

Yep DIEt... I hate the word, I realised, because amongst other thing, it contains the word die... an apt description of people's reaction to the plan by week 3! I know that of the diets WeightWatchers is the most sensible and the one most likely to succeed in the long run. Its results may not be immediately apparent but it slowly retrains your attitude towards food. It doesn't mean that its easy though.

As I mentioned a couple of posts back, I have lost weight, I'm now down to 131.5kg but it has not shifted from there for a few days now. Admittedly I've had some corkers! yesterday was our team lunch, the snow has prevented our shopping from being delivered (yes 2 inches of snow has brought the mighty Ocado to its knees) and our car was ice bound so we've been living on supplies. Some of which were not exactly the healthiest choices I could have made- i.e. peanut butter on toast with jam. To top it all off I woke up with a cold today and it's settled in my chest so now I'm feeling sorry for myself, I didn't go swimming (although I made it to pilates) and I'm unlikely to run tomorrow. Woe is me!

So to cheer everyone up here's what I cooked for our main meal tonight... It is healthy with only 2 table spoons of olive oil.

The Salmon:
1 teaspoons of manuka honey
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
2 (260g) pieces salmon fillet, skin removed

Mix together the honey, lemon juice and mustard. Heat a non-stick griddle  pan until hot but not smoking and cook salmon 3 minutes on each side, or until it is just cooked through.  Add sauce mixture to the pan and simmer until it glazes. Remove from the pan and serve with Italian black rice and mushrooms and mange tout.

The Riso Nero e funghi (black rice and mushrooms):
120g of Italian riso venere (black rice). Note this is not wild rice, this is rice, but it is black on the outside.
350g closed cup mushrooms
2 Portobello mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
1 medium red onion
1 celery stalk
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cube porcini mushroom stock
parsley and chili to taste

To cook the black rice, simply add to abundant boiling water with a pinch of salt. This is not risotto rice so it must be cooked independently of the mushrooms and added at the end of the cooking.  The rice has to boil for about 35-40 minutes, until it is cooked through but it must not become soft and mushy. Once cooked drain the excess water and leave to rest. Chop the onion and celery and sauté in a pan  with the oil, chili and garlic until caramelised. In the meantime steam the chopped mushrooms in the microwave and preserve the juice. Add the mushrooms to the onions and celery, let them complete the cooking. add the juice from the steamer, the stock cube, the rice and the parsley. Let the rice absorb the remaining juice and leave it to rest while you cook the salmon.

Sunday! 14th Day of the diet.

Wow... It's already Sunday again. I can honestly say that I have kept up with the points and have kept a hold on my eating... until yesterday that is. Yesterday was a my cousin's son's 3rd birthday party and it is safe to say that while I didn't overindulge.. I wasn't exactly eating strictly within the diet rules.. I also managed to get to 3 glasses of wine down. Well we were on public transport so I didn't have to worry about driving. Hiccup over though.. today I've been back on the diet but it's very frustrating not being able to go out because of the snow, and having to constantly stop trying to snack out of boredom. There are only so many satsumas one can eat!

Tonight I've decided to make a bolognaise... Yes a bolognaise... but not a traditional ragù, with pork and veal but with turkey mince. I've also left out the pancetta to try and minimise the fat content. Here's the recipe:

500g turkey mince
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion
3 small to medium carrots
2 cloves garlic
1 chili
3 bay leaves
parsley
basil
oregano
salt and pepper
1 celery stick stalk
1 jar of passata
1 tin chopped tomatoes
100ml of red  wine (well usually white but we've a bottle of red open)
100ml of semi-skimmed milk
30ml balsamic vinegar
serves 4-6 (11 weightwatchers pro-points per serving at 4 servings)


Cooking instructions:

1. chop the onions carrots and celery;
2. add the olive oil to a saucepan large enough to hold all the ingredients comfortable. I have used refined olive oil instead of the more usual 50g of butter and chopped pancetta for the fat- possibly resulting in a ragù that is not as full bodied but nevertheless still full of flavour... with a third of the fat and most of it unsaturated;
3. add crushed garlic and chili to the oil and allow it to gently heat, infusing the oil with the flavours of the garlic and chili.
4. once the oil is warm add the chopped vegetables and sauté until the onion starts to caramelise;
5. most people would add the mince at this point to brown it.... most people, but not me. Browning the mince only makes it tough and dry. So at this point I add the passata and the tinned tomatoes along with the red wine and let them come to the boil;
6. now add the mince, gently stirring it in and making sure that it is completely broken up and separated;
7. add salt, black pepper, oregano and the bay leaves;
8. allow to simmer over a low heat for at least an hour, the longer the better;
9. 30 minutes into the cooking time add the balsamic vinegar, stir in properly and then slowly add the milk slowly stirring it into the simmering sauce. Leave to continue cooking;
10. you will know that the sauce is ready when the fat rises to the surface and separates from the sauce. At this point take off the heat and add the chopped parsley and basil leaves. Allow to cool for 20-30 minutes while you prepare the pasta. Enjoy!

Friday: Snow day fare

I haven't updated the blog this week despite some great successes. I lost weight and have continued to drop pounds! I am now 131.5kg or 289.3 lbs. I have managed to run 3 times this week, do 2 strength sessions and a double Pilate and swimming day on Wednesday! I am really impressed!

Given all the snow I thought that. Tonight I would make something hearty and it struck me I could use this blog to show you how I cook! So here goes:

Mince stuffed courgettes:
500 g beef mince
2 onions
7-8 medium courgettes
Garlic cloves
2 tablespoon Home made chili olive oil
Bay leaves
1 beef stock cubes for seasoning
crushed flat leaf parsley
bread crumbs
250 ml of water
100ml of red wine (for flavour)
serves 4-6

More to follow....

 

 

• Heat the olive oil with garlic cloves (smash them but don't crush them-leave them whole);
• add the onions, sliced and cover, allowing the onions to release their water, this will help with the browning and caramelising;

• add the mince, bay leaves, water and wine, letting it brown it brown and reduce for about 15-20 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated;
• take off the heat and add the parsley and season to taste;
• slice the courgettes and hollow out the centre;
• Place the courgettes on a lightly oiled baking tray and fill in the mince  

sprinkle bread crumbs on top and place the tray in a pre-heated oven at 180°C and leave in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the courgettes are cooked. I like to blast them under the grill for the last 5 minutes of cooking to give them a crunch.

• Serve with quinoa and a root vegetable like beetroot or carrots. Bon Appétit!





Day 8: first week down successfully

So today is day 8. I weighed myself today... 132.6 kg or 291.7lbs I lost just under  a kilo and half  or 2.8 lbs.

However, crucially, my muscle mass has gone up from 34.2% to 34.4%  while my fat ratio has gone down from 31.4% to 31.2%. Small numbers, maybe... but given that I'm not starving myself. I am sticking to Weight Watchers, which is not designed to get you to drop  drastic numbers in a short space of time, I think I'm doing ok.

Importantly I've stuck to my exercise goals, having exercised at least 4 times last week, 5 if you count Wednesday as a double whammy of Pilates and swimming.

What about the goals I set?

"So what's the plan...
1. Start up with weightwatchers: check!
2. Run at least 20-25km a week... tomorrow I start with my first 5.
3. Go back to swimming weekly
4. Do at least 2 sessions of weight training a week ( Tuesdays and Thursdays)
5. Update this blog"
1. Check.
2. not so well here.. I did 9km so under half of what I wanted to achieve but in my defence my ankle was playing up. Tonight, I ran 4km so am slowly working back up to 5km runs.
3. Check
4. Hmm I skipped Thursday but I did Tuesday so half a check.
5. Check- not quite everyday, I do have a life, but frequently enough!

Today's dishes....




ProPoints™ Tracker entries

Monday, January 14, 2013

Breakfast
40  g Oats, Porridge	4
1  portion(s) Blueberries	0
125  ml British 1% Fat Milk	1
Subtotal	5
Lunch
1  medium Apple	0
Bobotie	15
Subtotal	15
Dinner
200  g Beef, Fillet Steak, Lean, Grilled	9
1  small Swede	0
1 1/2 whole Beetroot	0
8  individual Tomatoes, Cherry	0
2  medium Satsumas	0
1  teaspoons Oil, Olive	1
5  g Olive Oil Spread	1
75  ml Wine, Red	2
Subtotal	13
Any Time
1  medium Banana	0
Subtotal	0
Food ProPoints values total used	33
Food ProPoints values remaining	26
Activity
No entries for activity.
Activity ProPoints values earned	0
Check off these important items daily:
Liquids          Milk & Dairy     Fruit & Vegetables          Healthy Oil

Notes

 

© 2013 Weight Watchers International, Inc. © 2013 WeightWatchers.com, Inc. All rights reserved. WEIGHT WATCHERS and ProPoints® are the registered trade marks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. and are used under licence by Weight Watchers UK Limited and WeightWatchers.co.uk Limited.