A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Of course, every day is a Weight Watchery day (except for those days when I fall headfirst into a takeaway pizza and tell no-one about it but we’ll ignore those), however I was recently challenged to share my typical day and the kind of obstacles I might encounter along the way, tempting me into the path of calorific catastrophe.

I’m quite lucky in so far as, I work from home.  I don’t have to pass a thousand Starbucks on my way in to work.  Krispy Kreme and Cornish Pasty Co. stands are figments of my dreams rather than daily obstacles that need to be dodged.  Thank god, I can only imagine how unhealthy I would be if I had to run the typical commuter gauntlet on a daily basis.  That being said, my life is not devoid of temptation… my mother is a one-woman army of home-cooking that needs “testing” within twenty seconds of stepping foot inside her home.  And my husband?  Well, his name is Paul and he’s addicted to Haribo.

I’m allowed 29 points a day on the Weight Watchers plan.  That’s plenty enough to create a filling meal plan but you do need to be creative.  If you think that genuine hunger (and I mistake thirst for hunger many, many times throughout the day) will be a problem for you, you need to get clever about planning your meals, and this takes both dedication and time.

Pulling some images from my instagram, where you can keep up with 90% of my eats (I’m sorry), here’s what a typical day looks like for me food-wise.

Breakfast.

My biggest struggle is this little meal that you’re supposed to eat upon waking, in order to break the fast of the night.  I hate breakfast.  I’m never hungry in the mornings and if anything, I always feel that eating breakfast makes me desperate for moar food as the morning progresses.  The key to a successful breakfast for me is finding something that is going to sustain me because once that fast is broken, there ain’t no going back.

Porridge with dried fruit and agave syrup, a banana, and a cup of tea (7 Propoints)

You can forget your miniscule portions of packet cereal, have you seen how much 30g actually is? I could snort that amount quicker than it takes me to pour it out of the packet.  Porridge is where it’s at on a cold morning… the only problem is making it edible.  I always make mine with water, in the microwave… adding a splash of milk at the end.  I bulk it up with some dried or frozen fruit (added before cooking) and a drizzle of agave syrup or a tsp of demerera sugar.  I also allow myself 50g dry weight.  That’s more than most plans allow but if I don’t fill myself up, I start to think about lunchtime far too early!

If I’m not eating porridge for breakfast, then you’ll usually find me chomping on a Weight Watcher’s branded bagel (they’re smaller, hence I eat less) with low-fat cream cheese and smoked salmon, or the same topping… but on an English muffin, or a Warburton’s Thin (as shown below).

Warburton’s Thin with butter, low fat cream cheese, and smoked salmon (and lots and lots of black pepper! 7 Propoints)

I’m a bit too lazy for cooked breakfasts to be honest.

Lunch.

Weight Watchers Beef Lasagne (7 Propoints)

I’ve stopped having these (or any calorie-controlled ready meal) for dinner because they don’t fill me up enough without a mountain of bread/salad to go alongside.  Instead, a ready meal (doesn’t have to be WW branded, Tesco do some good ones with the Propoints displayed on them) makes for a perfect lunchtime meal that doesn’t distract me too much from working.  The downside to working from home, as you can imagine, are the numerous distractions and one of my worst habits is leaving the computer to go and fix myself some lunch… before returning three hours later.  Slinging one of these in the microwave removes the temptation to do the washing up or throw a load of washing in the machine, convenience… can be good!

Alternatively, I’m not that great with my lunchtimes yet.  My next mission is to make myself some batches of soup but my freezer is too full at the moment to store them!  Other lunches include this sort of thing, I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not the most inspiring meal on a plate:

Random medley of scrounged food (6 Propoints)

Dinner.

Dinner is what it’s all about.  I grew up in a family where both parents worked, dinnertime (never “teatime” in our house) was the only point in the day where we’d all see one another.  We also usually had it quite late in the evening, around 7-7.30pm and nearly always consisted of a one-pot affair.  Chilli con carne, spaghetti bolognese, curry… the sort of food that could feed an indiscriminate number of children, one of us would always bring a “hanger-on” home with us!

Nowadays, I try to have my main meal earlier in the day, sometimes I swap lunch for dinner (and have it at 4pm with a snack in the evening).  If you follow my instagram feed, you may have noticed that one of my favourite meals is…

…sausages! Sausages (Tesco Light Choice Cumberland), green beans, yorkshire pudding, butternut squash and gravy (10 Propoints)

Or sometimes, I like to save up my points and be a bit naughtier…

Rump steak (cooked in garlic butter), fried onion, egg-white coated chips, oven-baked mushroom, and salad (11 Propoints)

I usually try and hold off having a pudding for at least an hour after my evening meal.  I eat my food far too quickly… and often don’t feel full until a good twenty minutes after I’ve put my knife and fork down.  Leaving a delay between dinner and pud ensures that I actually enjoy my dessert and that I’m not just eating it for “eatings” sake.  As for what I have… I won’t put pictures in because it’s nothing amazing but I’ll alternate between: Meringue nest with grapes/pineapple and WW greek yogurt (2 Propoints), slow cooker rice pudding with jam (4 Propoints a portion), or a big bowl of sorbet (2 Propoints).  As the Summer nears, I’ll be stocking up on Solero Exotic Explosions (3 Propoints each), and Mini Milks (1 Propoint).

Now… as for obstacles, like I say… I don’t have too many… but we did go to the cinema a couple of weeks ago for Mr. L’s birthday and I couldn’t have done without smuggling in a couple of packets of these from Boots:

Boots Shapers Maple Popcorn (2 Propoints) – you can see how big the bag is compared to the size of my thumb, it’s very generous!

And as for missing a coffee treat when we’re out shopping… well, I don’t.  I just ask for a tall skinny caramel macchiato w/sugar-free syrup (I always emphasise SF syrup) for 3 Propoints, instead of something like the equivalently sized tall signature hot chocolate which I believe is a whopping 11 Propoints.  Yeah, take a look at the steak picture again, that’s 11 Propoints too!

Alternatively, if you’re at home… you could treat yourself to something like this…

I bought my syrup just before Christmas and next time would go for a sugar-free Davinci or Sweetbird coffee syrup.  Either way: kettle, coffee syrup, favourite instant blend and a dash of milk and you can make your own ghetto Starbucks.  Kinda.

Hope this post has given you some ideas about the sort of food I eat on the plan.  Our environment is geared up to feeding us convenience at a high cost in calories.  Waking up to this fact and being vigilant (though not militantly so!) about it is the key to finding a balance that works for you.  There’s no real restrictions other than an initial daily point guide and subsequently what you impose upon yourself with this plan but you do quickly find yourself realising that an 11 point hot chocolate is not the best way to “spend” your daily allowance.

The plan works for me, it’s not actually rocket science… it’s just a simplified method (once you get the hang of it) for calculating your food’s nutritional values, opening up your eyes to the healthy and filling options that will keep you sustained for longer (i.e. low GI), and encouraging ways to help you make the right choices over the wrong ones.

If you have any questions or tips on foods you think I might enjoy discovering, please let me know in the comments!

* I am a Weight Watchers blog ambassador and my links to their website are affiliated.  I have received no payment for this post.

Well, it’s Thursday and I’ve stayed on plan this week.  There’s been a couple of times that I’ve sneaked into my weekly PP allowance (an allowance you have in addition to your daily allowance – best reserved for treats/night outs, “emergency points” if you will) but on the whole, I’ve stuck steadfastly to my PP per day limit.  Talking of limits, after Monday’s weigh-in (I lost 3lb), my PP allowance has dropped from 30PP to 29PP, something to simultaneously cheer and grumble about.

This week’s challenge has been all about keeping track of what you’re doing and how you’re sticking to the plan.  And for me, it was a very easy one….

You see, I always plan my meals a week in advance… I have to, it reminds me when my belly rumbles at 3pm that I’ve got such-and-such dinner for tea… which is only an hour or so away so putdownthosebiscuitsrightnow.  It also allows me to use my PP effectively, and ensures that I include enough healthy and filling foods into my diet to keep the hunger pangs away.  Planning and a little forward thinking really is key to Weight Watchers in my experience.

So here’s what my weekly plan has looked like (and the meals that have gone with, thus far)

Monday: Bacon, Scrambled Egg, Tomato, Mushrooms, Bubble & Squeak patty, Bread – 10PP – Not bad for a fry up!

Tuesday: Balsamic roasted vegetables with streaky bacon and cous cous – 10PP – I didn’t expect to really like this one but it was probably my favourite!

Wednesday: homemade pizza (garlic sausage, tomatoes, onion, basil, mushrooms, grated cheese) with salad – 13PP – Lovely, the homemade thin crust was 8PP on its own but LUSH.

Thursday: Sausages, onions, carrot/swede mash, butternut squash, yorkshire puddings – 13PP – One of my favourites but I’m still searching for the perfect lowfat sausage! Oh and a word to the wise, Asda Smart Price Yorkshire Puddings are 1PP each, you’re welcome.

Friday: Tuna melt in a wrap with salad – 11PP

Saturday: Leek and potato gratin with blue cheese and bacon – 11PP

Sunday: Spinach and Quark Cannelloni – 10PP

My instagram page features all my main meals and if you use the hashtag #wwfooddiary, you should find many more dishes, snacks and treats to inspire from other instagrammers.

So, as you can see…. I’m not really a baked salmon on a bed of air kinda girl which, to be fair, is probably why I’m following the Weight Watchers plan in the first place.  Having said that, I’ve bought some frozen coley portions, asparagus, and lemon that doesn’t come out of a bottle in an attempt to not eat sausages every day next week.  You know I would if I could.

So far, the plan isn’t proving to be remotely difficult but then again, I am used to it and have sussed out LOADS of shopping tips to ensure that I make the clever choices when it comes to filling my basket, and my belly.  It’s Mr. L’s birthday on Sunday (21 again) so we’ll be going to the cinema and out for a meal at some point next week… we also have an afternoon champagne cream tea booked in to celebrate.  This week was easy… next week is going to be my NEMESIS.

To be continued… (back to the makeups tomorrow!)

Do you make a weekly meal plan?  What’s been your favourite healthy and filling meal this week?

* I am a Weight Watchers blog ambassador and my links to their website are affiliated.  I have received no payment for this post.

I took delivery of my new hula hoop yesterday – it’s very pretty, which I’m sure isn’t supposed to be the thing that I’m most fixated upon when it comes to exercise equipment.  After getting my interest piqued in the idea of taking it up as an exercise (thanks Cami) I went and bought a Casall Rock Ring but it gave me hella bruising and a back-ache that wasn’t subsiding and after speaking to a hooping guru (yes, there is such a thing!) on Twitter – she advised me that those super-heavyweight things with their bumps and nobbles can actually cause damage to your kidneys, spine and skin – I’ve since put it back in the box just in case.

Instead, she linked me to an Etsy shop (temporarily closed) that offers hoops suited to dance and general exercise and so I went ahead and ordered this one, let’s call her Sally.

Photo courtesy of Innerspiral here (and by courtesy, I mean flagrantly stolen)

Here she is in my photo… I would have taken a piccie of her in full circular glory but I hadn’t picked up Leila’s toys as you may notice from the tornado of multi-coloured, blurry crap in the background.

I love Sally.  She’s very springy and comfortably solid without being heavy.  At 40″ diameter, she’s pretty hefty (much like her owner) and everyone ducks for cover/moves glasses off tables/runs for their lives when I pull her out from behind the sofa.  She’s so much fun – fifteen-minutes of exercise infront of MTV has never flown by so quickly!  I’m a bit of a n00b at finding my rhthym but for once, I can do something better than my husband who basically turns into Mr. Bean.

I found this video last night and I am in awe…

…but I have to say, I got brought back down to earth with a bump on my funny bone when I read mixitango’s comment:

I wish I were tall and thin. Hula hooping is 57320x more elegant when you look like that.

I just look like a potato with a belt.

In my vain attempts at shedding the remaining 3 1/2 excess stones that are hanging from my bones, I’ve been customising various recipes and generally bastardising them until they’re less likely to (fat) bastardise me.  My latest batch of chocolate brownies packed a concealed weapon of the green variety.  Courgette.  Zucchini… whatever you want to call it.  A veggie commonly used in cakes n’ stuff because of it’s moisture giving properties.

You wouldn’t know it to look at them though huh?

They’re sublimely moist, beautifully chocolatey, could do with a little more sweetening and have a satisying, though-not-very-cakey texture.  Half of you will be grimacing at your screens with an “Ugh, sick!” expression, the other half will be piqued by the possibility of being able to indulge in chocolate brownies whilst wearing a smug look of virtue on your faces.  At least I hope.

Courgette Chocolate Brownies (makes 24-ish, approximately 104kcal each piece, 3 Weight Watchers Pro Points)

2 1/2 large courgettes (pulverised in a food processor)
140g Apple Sauce
200g Caster Sugar (I’d add about 50g Splenda to this next time)
300g Plain Flour
100g Cocoa Powder (I used Tesco’s Fat-Reduced Cocoa Powder)
100g Plain Chocolate (broken into little pieces)
1 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1. Add the apple sauce to a bowl and stir in the sugar and vanilla extract.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder and bicarb.

3. Stiry the dry ingredients into the wet and combine.  The resulting mixture, will be very dry but don’t worry, here comes the courgettes to save the day!

4. Add the courgettes to the mixture, followed by the plain chocolate pieces.

5. Pour the mixture into a greased brownie tin and bake in a pre-heated oven at 170 degrees celsius for around 25-30 minutes.

6. Allow to cool a little before turning out and cutting.  Remember, 6×4 = 24!

What treats are you enjoying this weekend?

The diet wagon that is!  Well, mostly.  Ignore Sunday, it was Mother’s Day and I fell off it headfirst into a box of Lindt chocolates before staggering out and tripping arse over tip into some Maltesers.  What can I say?  I’ve always been a bit clumsy.

A small selection of my recent eats, I won’t bore you with the recipes unless you want to see one in particular, but from top left and going clockwise: protein pancakes, stuffed peppers, king prawn salad and courgette fritters (the bomb.com), brussel sprouts with garlic parmesan and chicken.

In an effort to be able to get all my veggies in the one shop, I went to a local farm store over the weekend and I was BLOWN AWAY by the variety and quality which was apparent as soon as you walked through the door.  Nothing prepackaged, peppers the size of Leila’s head and prices that floored me.  I walked out with 4 carrier bag-fulls for less than £15 – throw in a packet of chicken breasts, some pork medallions and my weekly food bill was under £25.  There should be next to no waste this week too as I was able to select exactly what I needed, in the quantity I wanted it.

Is it worth me investigating a proper butchers?  I’ve only ever been in one once or twice to buy some steak for a special occassion.  T’was very, very expensive and I think it put me off a bit.

But here comes a slight downer, I haven’t actually lost any significant weight.  I’ve been doing it for nearly a month… 1200kcal daily target and I’m usually just under that.  I’ve had a total of 5 piggy days (spread out) since I started and I’m in a bloody holding pattern.  Time to up the exercise?  Bah.

Any of you currently following a healther eating plan?  How are you doing with it?

Some of you may have noticed that I’ve lost some weight over the past year and although I’m still not at my goal weight – or even close (damn my love for bombay mix and kebabs) – I’ve decided to come off the strict regimen that I was previously following and go it alone.

The Background

I’ve always known that my major problem is carbs.  I’m a PCOS girl with insulin resistance.  Long story short, my blood sugars are fine until I eat something carb-o-rific, then they shoot up beyond what would be considered the normal range.  I’ve tried following a traditional diabetic diet in the hopes that it would help but regular blood sugar testing showed that so many of the recommended foods still sent my blood sugar skyward (hello porridge!)

While I was pregnant, I built a food plan based around the things that kept my sugar levels as steady as possible and I ended up weighing an additional stone less once Leila had been born, I was also feeling a lot healthier.  So, it’s to this end that I’ve meal-planned again.  I’ve been on the Cambridge Diet since last August (yes, 2010) and as a result, I’m 4.5 stone (63lbs) lighter but my metabolism is (understandably) shot to pieces.  I’m being realistic about some initial weight gain while my body readjusts and comes out of starvation mode and I’m hoping that regular visits to the gym will help give my metabolism a much needed boost.

I have experienced a lot of negativity when I mention the Cambridge Diet which is why I haven’t talked about it before on the blog.  I will happily hold my hands up and say that it’s not a healthy way to diet, it really isn’t and as with all crash diets, you will pile the weight back on quicker than ever if you go back to your old habits, simply because of the havoc very low calorie diets play on your metabolism.  But, when you flip the coin to the other side, I have complete confidence that without it, I would still be sat here today as I was the day I started, all 16st 7lbs of me.

The Food Plan (click to enlarge)

Things to Note

I’m focusing on the Low GI aspect of things.  I’m not carb counting unless I feel that I absolutely have to, simply because it’s a pain in the arse.  I’m also not being massively aware of calories or fat content.  Again, I’m hoping that the common sense approach of a Low GI diet will automatically mean that I remain fuller for longer on the increased amount of vegetables and wholegrains.  I’m packing my evening meals with a variety of (non-root, except carrots) vegetables – my stew/curry/stirfrys hold enough veg to sink a battleship!

I admit that I will probably have to look at my calorie intake a little more closely once I’ve gotten into the above routine and possibly make some adjustments, the same goes for fats.  But I also know that it’s the little ‘treats’ like bacon and tomatoes on toast on a Sunday or a melted cheese wrap that will keep me on this new regime with more enthusiasm than without it!

You’ll also notice that I’m still going to be supplementing my days with a protein based diet shake/bar.  Mostly this is because I have them left-over and those things are too expensive to waste, but I also tend to eat my lunch whilst doing a hundred other things, so this is a convenient way to stop myself from falling into the trap of reaching for carbs (read bread) as a quick lunch.

Exercise

I’m also back at the Gym and currently thinking that I need to hire their personal trainer for a couple of sessions to ensure that I maximise my results in the minimum amount of time.  My (unfit person) routine currently looks like this:

~ 15 minutes treadmill (5 minutes warmup, 5 minutes running, 5 minutes cool-down)
~ 10 minutes rowing machine
~ 10 minutes stair-master
~ 5 minutes various weights

I do this three times a week and I’m not entirely sure this is going to be enough to build my metabolism back up, my major motivation for going.

Is anyone else on a kick to get healthier and drop some pounds?  Looking at what I’ve planned, got any alternative suggestions or tips for me?  Talk to me about your diets peeps!

If you follow me on Twitter, you may be aware that I’m currently following the Cambridge Weight Plan.  I’ve been on it for almost 7 weeks and have lost just over 28lbs so far.

It wouldn’t be everyone’s choice to lose weight so quickly in such an extreme way and indeed, I have my own reservations about the cosmetic side effects that such rapid weight-loss may leave behind.  My biggest concern is keeping my body as toned as possible in an attempt to retain skin elasticity and firmness.

I’m no expert in how to achieve this but anything that claims that it can help me has my full attention.

I first came across Functionalab supplements in Harvey Nichols whilst I was having a look at some Nails Inc. polishes.  The first thing that drew me to the brand was the packaging.  Functionalab has curb appeal by the bucket load!

The brand’s Beauty Doses are presented in rather cute Erlenmeyer Bulbs.  Who knew laboratory glasswear could be so chic?!

The whole look is minimalist and doesn’t strike me as the usual holistic supplement brand.  I’m not only a supplement n00b, I’m also a skeptic.  I’ve written before about how I’m loathe to pay money for supplements that claim to achieve nothing that good old-fashioned diet and exercise can achieve.

That’s good, sensible advice right?  In fact, it’s just the kind my mother would give me.  My mother would raise an eyebrow to the ceiling if she knew how much I was handing over every week to my Cambridge Diet Counsellor.  “You’re paying them £40 a week… to help you diet?!”

“Yes, but they’re helping me do it in a quick, controlled way that I just can’t seem to achieve through normal healthy eating” would be my repsonse.  Regardless, that eyebrow of hers would stay raised.  I guess what I’m saying is… we’re all terribly tempted to take the path of least resistance through life.  Whether or not we should is immaterial… if it’s available to us and we can afford to do it, I’m starting to realise that it’s perhaps better not to judge one another’s choices.

So back to these Functionalab Beauty Doses… what are they and what do they claim to achieve?

Anything and everything (almost!).  You can purchase supplement solutions to help you lose weight, stay toned (as shown on the left), tan more successfully, encourage skin radiance and balance oily skin and that’s just a few of the available programmes!  There’s even a whole range of anti-aging supplements that promise to “help protect against the visible signs of aging” (we haven’t heard that one before right ladies?!)

Functionalab asked me if I’d like to try their Body Toning supplement programme after hearing me fret on Twitter about whether I’d be able to buy pockets big enough to stuff my excess skin into once I’d finished with this diet.  I was pleased to accept.  I’m hoping that by taking these supplements in conjunction with my newly discovered hatred for jogging 3x a week, OCD body moisturising and general boring scrunches and toning exercises… I may get away with a pair of very tight ‘hold it all in pants’ once  I reach goal weight.

Here comes the tricky part though… how do I review?  How do I judge whether or not the Functionalab Beauty Dose Body Toning supplements have actually done anything?  It’s going to have to involve instinct and finding the answer to the age old question:  Would I personally part with £32 a month until I’m through with this diet to continue on this course of supplements?

I’ll tell you more about the science and ingredients behind the cute packaging and tempting promises in my follow up post.  I have a month’s supply and I’m starting tomorrow.  I’m strangely excited at the prospect of popping these pills with every meal… I feel all space age and futuristic!  Heck, all my meals will come in powdered form next!  Oh wait…

‘Till next time! x