The only way is up!

Last Week Update

Weigh in

This week has been a mix of on plan and off plan, more on than off though so thats ok! I had some brilliant news on Wednesday (more about that later!) so we went out to celebrate at TGI Fridays and I did not hold back! After Jack Daniels Buffalo Wings, Jack Daniels Burger, Rocky Road Sundae, a cocktail and a smoothie I came out not being able to move - but my gosh was it worth it! I got straight back on plan after that until Friday when we had a mini bbq at home to celebrate my good news in the sun - too much halloumi cheese here! and then out on Saturday night for my sisters birthday for a pub tea! So this weeks weigh in result is -0.5lbs which is better than nothing and i am extremely happy with! Getting closer to my holiday and I can totally do this! 

Ab Challenge

I am still going strong! Thankfully today is a rest day otherwise I would not be able to cope! A week done so far and it is rapidly getting harder and I am definitely feeling it! The sit ups are fine, but the crunches and leg raises kill me and dont even get me started on the plank! I am determined to not give in and have to give my boyfriend a tenner though so here to the next week of the ab challenge! 

I've got good news!

So many of you will know i have been studying at Teesside University and I am in my final year. I handed my dissertation in last week (phew!) and I have two exams this week and my final exam next week. So for the past couple of months I have been looking for full time work for after my degree and my first 'proper job'. (I hate the term 'proper job' because i've always worked since turning 16 and took a year out before uni to work for the NHS so i have had proper jobs before, but i mean a job while i am no longer in education!). I had an interview the other week and on Wednesday I found out i got the job!!! So from next week I will be working full time at the local college! Definitely worth the syns celebrating!

The Week Ahead

Smooth times

 Last week i bought a smoothie maker - i got a Breville Blend Active from ASDA for £20 and it is brilliant! I love it! As the fruit used in the smoothies is blended it does have to be synned but there are lots of low syn mixtures than can be put together to make gorgeous smoothies! This week I will be having a smoothie for my breakfast and counting the syns. I have lots of recipes on hand with the syns there so i am prepared! 

Today I had a 1 syn smoothie. I used 100g frozen raspberries, fat free yogurt, ice cubes and chilled water. It was lovely and worth the 1 syn haha! 

Life is a rollercoaster!

I am going away for the bank holiday weekend! The plan is to stay over in Nottingham Saturday - Monday - going to Alton Towers on Sunday and shopping in Nottingham on Monday. I cant wait but I hope I can stay on plan and within my syns as best as I can. I wont be able to track syns 100% but i will use my fitness pal to count calories as they have a barcode scanner and have the calories of meals in loads of restaurants - so this will help me make sure i dont overeat! 

Recipe of the Week

So this week I am going to focus of smoothies and give you a few smoothie recipes that I will be trying out this week. If you try them too let me know what you think! 

Berry Blitz - 3 syns 

50g Frozen Raspberries

50g Frozen Mango

50g Strawberries

100g Fat Free Yogurt

Chilled water 

Green Tea Smoothie - 3 syns

100g Frozen Pineapple

Half a Lime

5 Slices Cucumber

Handful Spinach

Half cup of green tea

Protein Shake - 7.5 syns

300ml Skimmed Milk (HexA)

1/2 Banana

1 tbsp reduced fat peanut butter

100g frozen raspberries

35g oats (HexB)

Breakfast Smoothie - 6.5 syns

1 egg

100g raspberries

35g oats (HexB)

100ml skimmed milk

100ml cranberry juice

Ice 

So thats all for now!

Lots of love, bye for now

Alex

xxx

Motivation Monday!

Last week update

Weigh in 

Last week was very up and down. On Thursday I decided I needed a break, this was for lots of reasons including university stress and job hunting disappointment. So I logged off my instagram with the idea that I would have little off plan break, but it didnt mean i was going to overindulge - just eat healthy and relax a bit! I have to say it did me the world of good. We went out for a meal on Saturday night for my dads birthday where i had steak pie with mash and veg and chocolate cake with ice cream and wine. It was all worth it! 

This weeks weigh in result is.... -1.5lbs! This is a big thing for me, especially after a 2lb loss last week i finally feel like i am moving forward again after a month of maintains in April. May is turning out to be very good for me! My BMI is now classed as 'healthy', its always been 'overweight' so i am over the moon with that and i have now lost 4 inches off my waist and 3 off my hips! Everything is looking up and going in the right direction and I am very happy about it - 8 weeks to my holiday and 10lbs to target. I can do this! 

I also handed my dissertation in on Friday after a lot of stress, so here is my smug dissertation finished face for you all to see - enjoy!

Scan Bran Challenge

I tried, i failed! I just couldnt manage 5 days - it is truly awful. But i did manage to do three days and thats good enough for me! One of my goals now is to try have scan bran for lunch 2 days a week, this hopefully will help my losses over the next few weeks. It really does work though, so if anyone has hit a wall or struggling to get past a weigh i would strongly suggest giving the scan bran challenge a go!

The Week Ahead

Ab Challenge

Yesterday my boyfriend challenged me to do the ab challenge. Its 30 days of ab related exercises, each get more intense as the days go on. We will both be doing the challenge and if one person quits then they have to give the other a tenner - i dont intend on parting with any money! I did the first day today and boy am i unfit when it comes to strength exercises! Hopefully this will build up some muscle as i get closer to my target! Other exercises I will be doing are zumba and the exercise bike, so hoping for a good loss next week! 
So, is anyone else up for the ab challenge?! Let me know! i will be tracking my progress on instagram (@priceam_sw) so feel free to follow me and keep me updated on your progress!

My Fitness Pal

Alongside Slimming World i also use my fitness pal to track my calories. This app is so handy and makes sure i dont overeat. I know slimming world says you can have unlimited free food - however i dont think they mean sitting and eating 10 packs of ham! So my calorie goal is set at 1500 cals per day and i ensure i stay at 1500 or under alongside slimming world. my username is alexprice589, feel free to add me! 

Latest Healthy Extras

Is this the end of the cereal bar saga?

So over the last few weeks I have been following what slimming world are doing in relation to cereal bars being classed as a healthy extra b. There was loads, and then there was none, and now they have slowly crept back up and the list is better than before! I am very pleased with the variety of bars you can have, so here it is!

• 1 Weetabix Oaty Bar Toffee Dazzler
• 1 Kelloggs Special K Chewy Delight Bar dark chocolate/milk chocolate
• 1 Morrisons NuMe Chewy Cranberry Cereal Bar
• 1 Weetabix Oaty Bar Rainbow Smashems
• 1 Tesco Healthy Living Chocolate and Caramel Cereal Bar
• 2 Tesco Healthy Living Apple & Strawberry Cereal Bar
• 1 ASDA Chosen by You Vitality Chewy Apple & Raspberry Cereal Bar
• 1 ASDA Chosen by You Vitality Chewy Banoffee Cereal Bar
• 1 ASDA Chosen by You Vitality Chewy Chocolate Cereal Bar
• 1 Morrisons NuMe Chewy Chocolate Fudge Cereal Bar
• 2 Honey Monster Stix Honeycomb & Milk Chocolate Bar
• 1 Weetabix Oaty Bar Milk Chocolate Smasher
• 1 Weetabix Oaty Bar Strawberry Crusher

Recipe of the Week

This week my recipe of the week is pizza! I have seen a few people on instagram doing this and i thought i would give it a go! This recipe is 1 syn, but you could make it free by not using the bbq sauce (but it makes the base amazing). For this recipe i used a B Free Wrap from ASDA as my base - 1 wrap is your healthy extra B. I also used 80g lighter cheddar - this is two of my healthy extra A's (which you can have two of on a green day or red day). Please bear this in mind and adjust it to the day you are doing :) 

BBQ Turkey/Chicken Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 B Free Wrap (Healthy Extra B)
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp bbq sauce (1 syn)
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 2 mushrooms, chopped
• Bernard Matthews BBQ Turkey (or other free BBQ meat)
• 80g Lighter Cheddar (2 x Healthy Extra A)
• Italian Herbs 

1. Mix together the tomato puree and bbq sauce, then spread onto the wrap. 
2. Top with pepper, mushrooms and BBQ turkey. 
3. Sprinkle the cheese over and a pinch of Italian Herbs. 
4. Cook under the grill until the cheese melts. 

Simple as that, and it was delicious for lunch! 

So that is all from me this week! 

If you want to do the ab challenge with me, let me know! 

Lots of love, bye for now

Alex 

xxx

Is this week over yet?

Last week update

Weigh in

So last week was a good week, i managed to stick to plan 100% all week which is a first in a long time! I mixed it up a bit doing extra easy and a couple of green days. I'd never done green days before because i love my meat, but i'd stocked up on some free quorn products from ASDA so i thought i'd give it a go and it turned out to be ok! This week my weigh in result is.... Lost 2lbs! And I got my club 10 award! Finally shift the pounds I put on over Easter and a little bit more! 

Switching it up

I started my second slimming world journey on 6th January 2014 at the same group i attended before. Last time i stopped going after 3/4 months and this time i felt it happening again, oh no! Last time i thought i could go it alone at home, boy was i wrong! I ended up putting 10lbs on again, woopsie. So this time when i felt that 3 month itch i decided to do something about it instead of just quitting again. I decided that i could do it from home but what i lacked last time was the online tools, motivation and weekly weigh ins. Group had just got too much for me, my weigh in was 7pm which meant i was starving myself all day on a Monday waiting for weigh in and i'd started to skip group and skip staying to group if i did go. It just wasnt worth it anymore. So i rang the lovely slimming world team and they changed me to an online member and i feel much better about it! I feel more motivated and like its a fresh start again (only this time i never actually stopped!). 

The week ahead

Dissertation headache

This week is a very big week for me. Its my dissertation hand in on Friday, which gives me 4 days left to finish it and i am panicking! Today and tomorrow will be spent with my head in my dissertation trying desperately to get it finished! For anyone who has done their dissertation, i have developed the 'dissertation headache' and 'dissertation involuntary eye twitch' plus a swollen arm from the sheer amount of work i am carrying round with me! Im hoping i can still stay on plan over the next week and i will 100% try my best but i have to remember whats important this week, and thats finishing my dissertation! Meals will probably be quick and easy but slimming world will still be in my mind. Its the final big hurdle of my university life, 3 exams then i'm done! 

Scan Bran Challenge

In an attempt to still stay on plan this week and ensure i remain hydrated i'm going to do the scan bran challenge. This has given me a good loss before, no matter how awful it is! 

The Scan Bran challenge is....

5 scan bran a day for 5 days 

2 litres of water a day for 5 days 

scan bran can be your hexb or 1 syn per piece. 

Scan bran is available in slimming world groups or i got mine from Holland and Barrett. 

Theres loads of recipes out there for scan bran including cakes, biscuits, loafs, scotch eggs and even burgers! But i dont plan to be that adventurous this week with all that i have going on, so will stick to simple scan bran with philadelphia cheese on or with hot milk for breakfast. 

Latest Healthy Extras

Cereal bar confusion

Theres been some confusion this week on instagram over cereal bars being used as a healthy extra b. Suddenly all but two on the list vanished! The apparent reason for this was they were removed to be assessed again, probably due to the Alpen Light saga! There was no word of warning though, which is very annoying! They have since added two more so currently as it stands the following cereal bars can be used as a healthy extra b:

• 1 Weetabix Oaty Bar
• 1 Kelloggs Special K Chewy Delight Bar, Dark/Milk Chocolate
• 1 Morrisons NuMe Chewy Cranberry Cereal Bar
• 1 Weetabix Oaty Bar Rainbow Smashems

Recipe of the Week

This week my recipe of the week has to be Chilli Con Carne! This slimming world version is delicious and I have it over chips and covered in my healthy extra A of cheese. But you can serve it with anything you like! I double up on the spices because i find it a bit bland if i dont, but i'll just put the basic recipe here! I also always do mine in the slow cooker! 

Chilli Con Carne

Extra easy - FREE

Red - 3 syns

Green - 2 syns (add 6 if not using mince as health extra)

Serves 4 (actually only serves two of us!)

Ingredients:

• Frylight
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 fresh chillies, deseeded and chopped
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp paprika
• a pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 275ml stock
• salt and ground black pepper
• 450g extra lean minced beef 
• 1 200g can of red kidney beans, drained
• 1 level tbsp tomato puree

1. Spray a large saucepan with low calorie oil spray and fry the onion gently over a low heat for 5 minutes, until softened and golden. Add the garlic, chillies and all the spices and continue frying, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. Add mince, stirring until it begins to brown.
2. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato purée and stock. Stir well and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes, until the liquid is slightly reduced. Season with salt and pepper and add drained kidney beans. Heat through gently for about 5 minutes.
3. Slow-cooker alternative: Brown your onions, garlic, chillies, spices and meat as above and transfer to your slow-cooker. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato purée and stock. Stir well and cook on ‘medium’ for 6-8 hours. 45 minutes before serving add the kidney beans

So thats all i have time for now, best get on with my dissertation!

Lots of love, bye for now

Alex
xxx

Diamond Day!

Celebrations! 

Hi Everyone, 

So I have been very very very off plan yesterday and today! But i'm okay with that because we have been celebrating my grandma and grandads 60th wedding anniversary (you may have seen them on BBC Look North on Thursday!). So we had a lovely party last night with a buffet and too much wine and then a group of us when out in yarm and had even more wine! But it was lovely to spend some time with family and celebrate an amazing occasion - back on slimming world tomorrow!

This is me and some of my cousins at the party, im the one in the blue top. 

Healthy Extra Update

Kingsmill Great White 

So back to slimming world. I had a request on Instagram (@priceam_sw) to put some information on about changes to healthy extras and i came across something today which may be of interest to you all!

You may have seen the Kingsmill Great White bread now in stores which states it has the same amount as fibre as wholemeal and a few people have been wondering whether it can be used as a healthy extra B. 

This is the response given by head office:

"Although there is extra wheat fibre added to this bread it does not contain the wholegrain and therefore may not have the same filling ability and added health benefits as we acknowledge for wholemeal bread. Unfortunately, we cannot add Great White to the Healthy Extra list as the slice weights do not easily equate to the 60g portion (slices are 38g and 42g depending on loaf size). However, a 60g serving of Great White does contain the same quantity of fibre as wholemeal bread and should you choose to weigh this amount you can choose this as your healthy extra B".

So there you have it! A 60g portion of Great White can be used as your healthy extra B :) 

Alpen Lights

You have probably heard by now that Alpen Lights can no longer be classed as a healthy extra B, which i am gutted about because i often use them as my healthy extra choice. I have stocked up on the 70 cal bars as these can still be used, just make sure you dont use the 89 cal boxes! For those of you who do not attend group and cant get your hands on the Hifi bars here is a list of alternatives suggested by slimming world:

1 weetabix oaty bar

1 kelloggs special k chewy delight bar

2 aldi harvest morn benefit 70 cal cereal bars 

1 tesco light choices cranberry and blackcurrant cereal bar 

The new syn amount for the new alpen light bars is:

Summer Fruit - 4 syns

Cherry Bakewell - 4.5 syns

Apple Sultana - 4.5 syns

Lemon Drizzle - 4.5 Syns

Chocolate & Fudge - 4.5 syns

Double chocolate - 4 syns 

These are all per bar (and totally not worth it in my opinion)

New Healthy Extras 

Here are a few changes to healthy extras

• New - Kelloggs Chocolate Wheats 30g = B option on all plans
• New - Mornflake Oatbran Granola Raisin, Apple & Coconut 30g = B option on all plans 
• Change - Mornflake Oatbran - was 30g now 35g 
• No longer - Oatbran Flakes, Very Berry

Weigh in 

Its my weigh in day tomorrow at 7.30pm. I really dont want to go after this weekend but i suppose i need to go face the music! 11 weeks until my holiday so i need to get myself there and back on it! I'm expecting a gain, but i will draw a line under it and focus on a new day! 

Recipe of the Week

This week my recipe of the week has to be BBQ chicken drumsticks! I got this recipe out of the new Fakeaways book and it was delicious. I served mine with slimming world chips, heinz bbq beans and garlic bread which i used my healthy extra b for to make so it was only one syn for the whole meal!

BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

Serves 4

each serving is:

1/2 syn on extra easy

1/2 syn on original

11 1/2 syns on green 

Ingredients:

8tbsp dark soy sauce

1 level tbsp runny honey

2 tsp garlic salt

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tbsp passata

4 tbsp white wine vinegar

8 chicken drumsticks, skinned 

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, garlic salt, ginger, passata and vinegar. Add the drumsticks and toss to coat evenly. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight if time permits. 
2. When your ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200/fan 180/gas 6. 
3. Arrange the drumsticks in a non stick roasting tin and cook for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through, turning often. 

I did my slimming world chips in my Breville Halo Health Fryer. 

For the garlic bread i lightly toasted two slices of 400g wholemeal bread. Sprayed them with garlic frylight and sprinkled with Italian herbs and finished off under the grill. 

It was absolutely delicious, try it you wont regret it! 

Well, i think i have said enough for today! Please feel free to leave me a comment or follow my instagram to let me know what you think and would like to see in the next blog!

Lots of love, bye for now

Alex

xxx 

Welcome to my new blog!

Hello Everyone! 

So after a bit of thinking and some encouragement from some of my instagram followers I have decided to start a slimming world blog. I seem to have so much to say about slimming world and there's too much in my head for instagram! 

A big milestone for me today is reaching over 800 followers on my slimming world instagram (which is priceam_sw) I am so overwhelmed with all the support and ideas I get from there! The second amazing thing that happened today was buying a size 10 pair of jeans and a size 8 top - i love a good non scale victory! Its definitely the little things like this that keep you going! 

I'm going to start off my blog by showing you my weight loss graph so far, I have previously lost weight last year but this only shows this years weight loss. 

Weight loss is definitely a roller coaster ride! How up and down is that?! To be fair I have been on and off plan for a couple of weeks now. This is due to being unwell, Easter and family celebrations. However, on Monday all that will be over and back to reality so i'm hoping to have some good losses in the coming weeks. 

My main target for weight loss is my holiday! I go away on 14th July to Corfu for 2 weeks and I need my beach body by then! 80 days to go, its getting so close! 

So now you know a little about me and my journey. 
Please feel free to add my instagram and let me know what you think of the blog so far, and what you would like to see me post - i dont want to bore you! 

Lots of love, bye for now 

Alex 
xxx