Low Syn Treats

Another one of the Photo Challenge pictures for this month is titled 'Low Syn Treats' so I thought i'd pick my top 9.
I've picked ones you can make rather than buy and I will post a link to each recipe.

1. Chocolate Orange Squares - Each piece is 2.5 syns. I haven't made these for ages but I think I need to, just been looking through my camera roll and completely forgot about these little gems!

2. Coconut Macaroons - Admittedly these look more like Meringues but they are still yummy and I love making these, I make them a lot for tasters as they're a huge hit at only 1 syn each!

3. Cinnamon Swirls - Easily one of my favourites. 1 syn each and worth every bit of it!


4. Lemon Cake Pops - These are simply the Lemon Loaf Cake recipe make into cake pops, I find it a lot easier to snack on and you feel like you're eating more!

5. Half A Syn Cake - Admittedly if you're a newbie I think you'll be disappointed with this if you're expecting an incredible Victoria-esque sponge, but if you've been doing the plan a while and struggling with your sweet tooth I think it's definitely a good substitute!

6. Low Syn Chocolate Cake - Similar to the above, they certainly don't put Mary Berry to shame but they're a means to an end and at 10 syns for the WHOLE cake, you can hardly complain!

7. Ombré Jelly Slice - 3 syns for this entire thing. I love it, especially in summer. You can add 1.5 syns for another layer if you like, it's easy enough to experiment with and the flavours can easily be changed!

8. Salted Caramel Loaf Cake - I amended the Lemon Loaf cake recipe and made it into a Salted Caramel one so really I could have posted them together but oh well here goes!

9. Last but not least, the Fake Jelly Sweets - These are 1.5 syns for the whole lot! I ended up portioning them up into 3 so I could sit watching TV and know I was only using half a syn munching on these!

I definitely want to try some new ones, there's probably a heap more that I could have included but I thought i'd just share some old and some new ones that I've found really useful in keeping me on plan!

My Journey So Far

I thought it was important to write this. I think a lot of people just expect a diet to help them lose weight and they never think of gaining/maintaining, I know I thought that. I thought i'd be at my goal in a year and be loving it. I probably could have done that if I didn't have a life, or if I'd have been 100% on plan 24/7 for 365 days but who can say that they can physically do that? I know I can't. Here's my graph from SW Online, it shows my losses but it also shows my gains and maintains, you can see how close I came to my target (the purple line) and also the massive gain the week after as I just couldn't physically maintain that weight, I don't think I was in the right mind set.

2016 was a busy and eventful year as you can see, and I finished the year 1.5lbs heavier than what I ended 2015 but in that year I learned a lot.

I learnt to accept that there is no harm in a gain and I also allowed myself to enjoy everything and just get back to plan when I can.

I plan on reaching target this year and I feel a lot more focused now than ever.
I know that it is possible and I feel I'll be able to maintain it this time which I think is down to proving to myself I can maintain a weight which is what I did last year. I'll never be back to where I started - which truth be told is another 18lbs on top of where this started, and I've now accepted that.

I'm confident in achieving my goals this year and I just wanted to write this for the newbies out there or the ones that have lost their way. I lost my way the entire year last year, I'm only human. It just takes something to click and all of a sudden you're back and you're raring to go. So to anyone starting out don't be afraid to fall off the wagon just get back to it as soon as you can, and to those currently off the wagon I hope you find you're way back soon!

A lot of people see weight loss stories and just assume it was all plain sailing and it dropped off just like that, and for some people it does. But for some of us it doesn't and that's okay too!

Salted Caramel Baked Oats

An oldie but a goodie, baked oats made last night and then reheated at work this morning! Baked Oats are made by combining 40g of porridge oats with 1 egg, 1 vanilla muller and some salted caramel flavouring.
Baked in the oven for 25 minutes and then flipped and baked for another 10 mins as I don't like them soggy!

Slimming World Top Tips

So following on from the Photo Challenge I thought it might be worth expanding on some of my top tips for following Slimming World...

1. Take Photos: if anyone ever looked at my camera roll I'd probably look extremely vain and obsessed with food! But it helps massively. I regret deleting old photos because I don't have many to choose from now but I am constantly taking photos so I can compare them along the way as I don't think you can always see a difference when you're looking in the mirror on a daily basis.

2. Identify Your Weaknesses: by that I mean if you've got a sweet tooth, make sure you look for low syn treats etc so you aren't going without, if you're a brew addict make sure you're measuring your milk and synning excess. If you love pizza, find a way to make it work for you. Everyone is different and everyone will use their syns for different things which leads me into my next point...

3. Plan Ahead: if you know you get a sweet tooth at night, make a syn box or have low syn treats in so when it strikes you aren't drawn to the highest synned chocolate in the house. Also, if you know you're off out for a meal it always helps to try and see a menu online or search the SW website for syn values to see what will work best for you.

4. Batch Cook: I'm not saying batch cook a months worth of meals and start from there (feel free if that's your thing but it's definately not mine) but if I use a recipe that's for 4 and there's only us two, I can portion up the others for lunches or freeze them so I've got them for a busy day. I also like to batch cook soups etc so I've got them handy for work and I don't have to go in search of food on my lunch.

5. Variety: I think this is the biggest thing, if you make the same thing day in day out you get bored, anyone does. Try and vary the meals you make. This works well with the batch cooking as you can build up a nice variety in the freezer to pick from. I try and do a new recipe a fortnight even if it's a new dessert recipe or try a new snack. I know some people are busier than others so some have the ability to make a new one a week or every day but that's certainly not me!

Chinese Fakeaway

Saturday Night and I really wanted a takeaway... say hello to the Chinese Fakeaway!
In a bid to use up things in the cupboard before a mammoth food shop I decided to use the Mayflower Curry Powder again (you can buy from heron/b&m etc and it is 99p for a tub).
Decided to actually take photos of me making it this time so you can see how easy it is. The sauce was 4 syns for 28g worth of powder (which made a lot) and everything else in the recipe is free.

The egg fried rice was also completely free and is so easy to do. It works a lot better if your rice is cold as I find it goes sticky if you try and use just cooked rice.

A Whole Cake For 0.5 Syns

1 tub of quark
4 eggs, seperate whites and yolks
5 tablespoons of sweetener
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla exptract
Fruit of your choice to decorate

Method


1. Whisk egg whites till stiff
2. In another bowl mix yolks , vanilla baking powder half of the quark and 4 tablespoons of sweetener
3. Add half of egg white mixture and whisk some more. Fold in the rest of the egg white
4. Pour mixture into a lined tin.Bake in a preheated oven gas mark 4 for 20-25 mins or until cooked (approx 180degrees)
5. Mix the other half of quark with remaining sweetener an use to spread on cake when it is cooled.
6. Top with loads of fresh fruit

What a way to start 2017!

So I went to weigh in expecting a gain, and probably a hefty one at that! I was amazed to find out I'd lost 1lb. I lost 2.5lb over Christmas last year and I lost the same this year, I'm quite impressed. It's shown me I can still enjoy myself and lose weight, I definitely wasn't on plan! I also won Slimmer Of The Week, because hardly anyone had lost both last week and this week! The last time I got a SOTW Certificate was 2015, time to start adding some more I think!

I normally have a takeaway treat on weigh day, but I remembered I had some Egg Fried Rice to use up and after a hefty lunch I wasn't overly keen on a massive tea so I just had the rice and some Mayflower Curry Powder (4 syns for 28g) so easy to do and really nice, it felt like i'd nipped to the Chinese! Even better! Here's to a good week and another loss next week!

Sweet Chilli Chicken

So in an attempt to stay on plan this evening I made the Sweet Chilli Chicken recipe from the booklet we got at group over Christmas. It works out at 1 syn for these two pieces and it was lovely. I didn't feel much like having any 'speed' veg if i'm honest but I still added an onion to some egg fried rice so there was some in there! The egg fried rice I made was free and is my obsession at the moment!

Successful day on plan complete, I just have a really bad headache but I'm putting that down to being completely back on plan and the sugar withdrawal!

2016 In A Nutshell

Right so here's my #throwbackthursday. The left photo is one of the many horrors from my uni days when I constantly had a drink in my hand (usually a pint of lager) and didn't care what I drank/ate. The second photo was sometime after uni, I'd lost about half a stone but still hadn't even thought about joining SW. I was in a relationship with someone who loved me for me (and still does) and I was happy. The 3rd photo is from about 3 weeks ago, I tried on that jumpsuit and genuinely had to ask if I looked silly, because I'd never worn something like that and it was fitted. I ended up buying it and wore it on xmas eve. 

I've had an amazing year and I'm actually gutted to say I'm finishing the year 1.5lbs heavier than last year although smaller clothes wise. The only positive is that I've pretty much maintained my weight. Yeah I've had some hefty gains but I've also had some incredible losses. I've tried new things and genuinely had an incredible year. I'm in the right mindset to hit target and I can't wait to get started. I think you genuinely have to believe that you want something to get there. 

You can fall off the wagon and restart a million times but then one day you'll just feel differently, you'll know you can do it and nothing will stop you. You are your own motivation and that's what this year has taught me. Massive thanks for all the love and support I've received since I started posting my journey on here, I can't wait to continue watching your journeys too! ❤️

The Days Between Xmas & New Year

Too many chocolates and too much booze has passed my lips. I'm living off of Celebrations and Cheese but somehow I lose 1.5lbs! I'm half on plan today, syn free steak and 0.5 syns of couscous being eaten in the hope I can slowly get myself back on plan in time for my return to work!

Also had a sit down with the new book and a brew and had a good read through. Determined to be organised... or going to try to be!

Fakeaway

So what do you do when you're craving a takeaway but wanting to get back on plan?! FAKEAWAY! Salt & Pepper chicken for 2 syns, 4 syns of mayflower curry sauce and syn free egg fried rice. AMAZING!

Weigh Day

So after a 6lb gain last week I only managed to scrape a 1.5lb loss tonight. I should be happy but I'm gutted. I really wanted to be close to my target weight than I am. I am now 11lbs away and I know that I won't get to that in the next two weeks.
Going to enjoy the festive period and make wise choice where possible but definitely getting my target come January! I don't want to get into the next stone bracket over xmas so I need to try and limit my gains. I only have 3lbs to play with but hopefully it's do able!

Spaghetti & Meatballs

So if Slimming World has taught me anything about food, it's that I don't need to rely on a jar of sauce to make something tasty. It is actually possible for me to just experiment and such and get a lovely outcome. The first picture here was Spaghetti & Meatballs made in about 15 minutes. I put the meatballs in a pan and I fried off some onions, added passata and a bit of tomato puree. Added seasoning and some chopped tomatoes and just let simmer whilst the spaghetti cooked.

This second one was actually done in the slow cooker, I spent the day wrapping presents and doing bits round the house so didn't want to have to stand around cooking. I simply added the meatballs to the slow cooker with passata, chopped tomatoes, soy sauce, oregano and 100ml of beef stock and left on high for about 90 mins then added the dry pasta for the last 30 minutes which helped soak up the extra stock etc. i was actually really impressed with the outcome it had loads of taste (despite sounding a little dodgy going off the ingredients) and was dead easy to do. I actually wish i'd made more!

Christmas Party & Weigh Day

So Monday was our annual Christmas Party in London and safe to say I was completely off plan. I haven't been on plan all week and weighed in today with a 6lb gain. I was devastated in all honesty but going off everything i've consumed this week it should have been a lot worse. I'm now 12.5lbs from my target which I know I won't get before xmas now but I'm still going to try my best to get as much as possible off again! I'm so close now and i'm determined not to sabotage it! This photo is from my Christmas Party (left) and the right hand one is one time hop kindly decided to show me from several years ago. I never remember actually being that big to be honest, I think I was in denial. I know a xmas party or a few days off with most likely end in a gain but I also know I will never be back at the weight I was on the right. This has been more about finding a love for myself rather than losing weight. I am finally getting happy with how I look and it definitely isn't about the number on the scales anymore it's more about how I feel in myself and when I can look in the mirror and know that i'm happy that's when I will know to call target; for the sake of SW I have set a target but this could change depending on the above.

Weigh Day

I'll be honest and say I wanted more, I always do. But I feel this was a fair representation of the effort I put in this week. It's scary to think I only have 6.5lbs to go until I reach my target.
I do think I will lower my target at some point, but not by much. I want to concentrate on maintaining it as I feel that's where I went wrong last time I got close to target.
I'd like to get to target before Christmas (3 weigh ins) but I know I have a few events coming up that may stop that... but I also know its possible so we will see!
5 weigh ins left of my 12 week countdown so it would be amazing to go into 2017 a target member. Fingers crossed! Hope everyone else has a good weigh in this week!

Christmas Cake

I have always been a firm believer that I wasn't a fan of Christmas Cake, but the cake in the new Festive Feasts book from group looked really good... so I gave it a go! And it was amazing! I have had cake for breakfast everyday this week... So I'm not holding out hope for a loss tomorrow! I would recommend this AND I think its worth the 5.5 syns per slice! I've had half a dozen taste testers so far and every single one of them has approved! (I have brutally honest friends so I know they're being honest) I need to make another one already and I only made it on Monday Night!!! Taking the rest of this for group to sample tomorrow and then need to look at making another this weekend, there will definitely be a few of these consumed over the festive season!

Cheese & Crackers

9 syns of heaven. 6 syns for the crinklys and 0.5 syns for each of the cheese blocks (they are the laughing cow ones that come in a variety of flavours) this felt like such a treat. And seeing as I hadn't had any syns up to this point it was well within my allowance! Silverskin onions added for speed! :)

Mayflower Curry - Weigh Day

So tonight at group I had an unjustified gain of 1.5lb! I say unjustified... it probably was justified in some way I just refuse to believe it! I had a week off work which meant a week where I should have been planning meals and eating well which transpired to eating cake and living off service station coffee. Oh well! Hoping for a loss bigger than 1.5lb next week to balance it out! Here's my weigh day treat this week, no chippy or takeaway...a FAKEAWAY. It's the Mayflower Curry with some Egg Fried Rice. I really need to make this more! It was 4 syns worth because I used ALL the sauce but its a damn sight better than my other options!

Sensible Snacking

Sometimes I find it really hard to snack wisely when you aren't really hungry. When soup doesn't fill you but a meal would be overkill, so I think it's a great idea using chicken pieces etc to enjoy with some soup, it fills you without making you stuffed. I simple chopped my chicken up and cooked with some soy sauce and garlic and it was so nice! The soup is simple the 'Heinz' imitation soup which I actually prefer now to the real thing!!! Shocking I know, but it's syn free so it saves me a hefty chunk of syns!

A Full Day On Plan...

Attempting to post a full day to make me scrutinise what I'm eating, I want a good loss this week! And so far i've forgotten to photograph everything so here goes...
Overnight Oats for today made with 40g Oats, a sliced up orange, raspberries, fruitopolis yoghurt (0.5 syns) and then some protein syrup from The Protein Works (0.5 syns worth) tastes amazing and a nice change from my usual concoctions. It's 1 syn for it all if you use your oats as your B choice. I had this from about 10am until 1pm, as I was busy working swell so I didn't feel like having lunch as it was super filling.

Once I got home, I'd decided to have the Heinz inspired tomato soup so I decided i'd have an SP day (I know you're not supposed to have yoghurt on an SP day but it was a synned one and it was my decision to make). But as I didn't fancy the soup right away I made these little Pizza Thins using my second B choice for the thins & my cheese as my A choice. The picture pretty much explains what to do, you can add any veg you like but as I didn't have any I just stuck to cheese and tomato!

Finally, the soup as promised!

This is all I ate all day, I wasn't hungry and I sipped plenty of Winter Spice throughout the day too. Im shocked as I could normally eat 5 times this so I'm not sure whether I was just that busy I forgot to eat or if I just genuinely wasn't hungry.