Bun in the oven. Mmmm, buns!!!

Well, it would appear I need to put my weight loss blog on hold. I have a bun in the oven and not the kind you're thinking of, my fellow foodie.

I'm 5 weeks pregnant!!

So, I spoke to the Dr and he told me I can still do my WWs dieting, but that I should only expect to lose another stone if that. That's fine by me! Let operation pregnancy Vs weight loss commence.

Besides, think of all the food I can eat instead of wine now ;o)

Shhhh, I gained a pound

But don't tell anyone!

Recipe - Orzo Pasta Salad - 8 WWs points

This salad is a cracking, low point, healthy meal in itself or accompaniment to veggie burgers on the BBQ or in a picnic! Serves 4.

The stuff that makes it -
250g orzo pasta
140g sundried tomatoes
Handful of baby plum tomatoes, left out of the fridge for a day and quartered
50g or so of sliced black olives
3 spring onions
Handful of chopped chives, and/or fresh basil from the garden
Good quality olive oil for drizzling

What to do with it all -
Cook the pasta according to the instructions. It cooks really quick so this is a perfect quick lunch.
While the pasta is cooking drain and roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes. Put them into a mixing bowl with all the other ingredients.
Stir in the cooked pasta, after draining it and rinsing it in cold water.
Mix all the ingredients together and drizzle in some olive oil while doing so. Not too much, but enough to add a little flavour to the dish.

Delicious!

Week 17 - another 1lb down

Not bad! I was originally aiming for a bigger loss this week but caught a virus early on which meant not much exercise and the desire for comfort food was high, so a 1 lb loss is good stuff! That's 17 lbs loss, in 17 weeks. 1lb a week.

I've realised that clothes are my biggest drive/motivating factor at the moment. I went shopping for my birthday in March (so around week 4/5) and went to chose a few tops in Fat Face (oh the irony), one of my favourite shops. Everything I tried on (in their biggest size - 18) was too small and I came out in tears. Made even worse because I'd asked for some things from there from family and knew I'd have to go through it all again when I got my pressies.

I went back there yesterday to look round their new store in Witney and decided to brave a trying on session. Not only did the size 18 stuff fit, it was only too bloody big on me!!! I was so pleased, so I treated myself to a nice little navy top, in size 16.

When I was paying at the till they had a summer selection on display. Gorgeous little vests, with some cute little utility shorts that I thought would be fab for all our camping trips.

I'm too big for that kind of outfit but instead of leaving it at that I decided that that would be another aim. By next summer I want to be able to go into shops like Fat Face and see a nice pair of shorts, pick them up and buy them! So often I've been shopping and seen things I like, that I knew would never fit so I've had to go home and browse the internet for online plus size clothing stores to find a similar, never quite as nice and usually more expensive alternative.

Not anymore. I'm on the right track to changing this forever and soon you'll see me sporting outfits like this -

Now wouldn't that be fab!

Week 15 (2lbs) and 16 (1lb)

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Yep, 3lbs loss over the past two weeks, so I'm back to where I was when it all turned bad.

I'm feeling determined and positive and am also being quite clever about the foods I prepare. For example, tomorrow night we're having tacos. Each shell is 2 points (3 is more than enough), the mince is about 3 points and cheese about 4 points, so total of 17 points. Then what I used to do is whack that up by adding sour cream and guacamole to the recipe (another 10 points!!), so now, I just don't. My home made salsa is delicious enough to bring out the flavours and that's nil points. Job done.

So this is just a small example of how I'm back on track. It's all about being inventive with food by using 0 point stuff to enhance the meal.

 Last night's BBQ - madagascan tiger prawns marinated in garlic oil (4 points), corn on the cob (2 points), Halloumi (5 points), green salad (0 points), potato salad (4 points) - total 15 points for a deliciously satisfying summer supper in the garden, with enough of the day points allowance left for some wine.

Cheers! xx

Veggie Sausage Jambalya - 7 WWs points per serving

Recipe time!

To help get me back on track I'm going to have this for dinner, instead of two measly fish fingers! It's only 7 points per serving and makes a really tasty, healthy meal in minutes, with enough left for lunch the next day!

Vegetarian Sausage Jambalya

Serves 4

Ingredients - 
1tbsp olive oil
1tsp smoked paprika
8 Quorn sausages, defrosted if frozen
300g brown basmati rice (easy cook)
400g tinned, chopped tomatoes
1tsp wild oregano (dry or fresh. If fresh throw in at the end)
450ml stock (I make it up with 4 tsp bouillon)
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 bunch (about 4 or 5) of spring onions, chopped

What to do with it all -
Heat up the oil in the pan. When hot, add the paprika and allow to infuse.

Meanwhile chop up the sausages into bite-sized pieces. Add them to the pan and allow them to cook on a high heat. Stir regularly to avoid them burning, but so that they get a nice bit of colour to the outside.

Stir in the rice and peppers and coat with the oil. After a few minutes pour in the tomatoes and stock and throw in the dried oregano. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

Cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes, until most of the liquid has absorbed and the rice is tender.

Serve with the spring onion chopped on top.

Week 14 - I am ashamed

Oh dear God, what have I done. I seem to have fallen off the wagon and gained 3lbs!

So, what did I do today on finding this out? I had 3 pieces of cake! For breakfast!

I am ashamed.

It's not an excuse that I forgot my breakfast. That's not justification enough. I just wanted cake, for breakfast. What is wrong with me????

Well, it would seem that wasn't enough, because for some reason I then found myself going to the shops after my lunchtime dog walk (I made myself walk really long, really fast) and buying a bag (grab bag!) of cheesy doritos to have with my healthy lunch of greek salad and pitta. Am I possessed?

Anyway, I shall count it into my points and go hungry because now all I have is enough left for 2 chunky fish fingers and a bowl of salad, instead of the crab risotto I was planning. That'll teach me!

Back on track now but please, wish me luck and give me strength, this actually is pretty hard!

BBQ salmon, with grilled asparagus, lentil salsa and baby new potato salad

Tonight's super healthy, low point dinner is only 13 points (plus 9 for the halloumi if I can't resist) -

Ingredients:
One salmon fillet per person
One lemon
One tbsp wild oregano
One can lentils
6 tomatoes
One red onion
Handful chopped coriander
One lime
100g chopped jalapenos
Pinch of sea salt flakes
250g baby new potatoes
Two tbsp half fat mayonnaise
Chopped chives (or dill, or jalapenos if you're brave, for the potato salad)
Oil for brushing the grill and fish catcher


What to do with it all: 
Potato salad - Boil a pan of water and cook the potatoes for 20 minutes. Drain well and set aside to cool slightly. Mix in the mayonnaise and the 'extra' of your choice.
Lentil salsa - Finely chop the onion and tomatoes. Mix in the jalapenos, coriander, sea salt and lime juice. Stir in the lentils.
Salmon - Marinade the salmon fillets in the lemon juice and oregano, about 2-3 minutes before cooking. Grill with the asparagus (and halloumi!!) on the BBQ for about 3-4 minutes each side.

Serve al fresco with a chilled glass of Sauv'!

Happy summer BBQ xx

Go away Easter Bunny, I don't want your stinking chocolate!

OK, so maybe I do.........argh, Easter and chocolate, a dieting girl's nightmare.

Actually I've found the hot weather the hardest thing to adapt to (cope with) this week. I've stayed the same, which is better than a gain but still makes the end goal seem forever away. It's been too tempting to come home every night in this hot weather and share a bottle of wine in the garden with my hubby. Every glass is 3 points out of my daily allowance, which is fine on occasion but not to be done in excess Emily!!

BBQs and picnics haven't helped either. I'm such a little of everything person, it's just the everything that's the problem ;o) I'm going to set myself a challenge this week of finding lots of yummy, BBQ/Picnic friendly recipes and making sure I still satisfied with them.

So confession time - I've point counted every day but there were at least two days this week where I went over, slightly, so smacked bum (big, massive, giant whale bum) and carry on with a fresh week.

Yesterday was a good day. We took the dog for a walk and then stopped off by the brook for a picnic. We ate half a cob of corn (1 point), a piece of halloumi (3 points), a veggie sausage (2 points) and a veggie burger (3 points) that were left over from Saturday night's BBQ. Then I made a green salad (free), some coleslaw (1 point per serving) and some curried yogurt dip (1 point per serving) with some Quorn mini scotch eggs (1 point each). Total = 14 points which is great considering this was lunch and dinner in one.

So I'm on the right track again, I just need to stay on the butt bus and keep riding the journey to skinny town....;o)

Fat, fat, fat, fat, fat, fat ,fat!

Argh. Love the summer. Hate my arse. It's such a lovely, warm sunny day and I feel soooooo fat!

I think it's because I've been out in public wearing just a t-shirt and a pair of jeans (oh and shoes too but they don't count). I'm so self conscious. I felt like everyone was staring at my belly today, wondering if I was expecting and telling themselves that if I am I must be very overdue.

Cannot lose this weight fast enough!

I wonder if it's OK to go through summer in a duffle coat, abit like a cocoon and then emerge next year a skinny, pretty butterfly?

Recipe - Jonny's Spring Veg Risotto - 15 WWs points per serve

The sun is shining and the birds are chirping and all I want to do is sit outside, drink cider and have a BBQ. I don't have enough points for that though, so instead I'm going to make a low point, healthy, tasty meal that my friend Jon gave me.
The lemon and mint make this dish so refreshing on a warm spring day, and popping broad beans is always a cool thing to do!
It also gives you an excuse for a cheeky few glasses of wine, because there's some in the recipe! One for me, one for the pan, two for me, one for the pan, three for me..................

Ingredients - 
1tbsp olive oil
3tsp butter
2 cloves garlic
1 red onion
150g Arborio rice
125ml dry white wine
900ml stock (I use 4tsp reduced salt Bouillon for every litre)
Spring veg of choice (tonight we're having broad beans, peas and baby courgettes)
Zest of one lemon
Juice of half a lemon
Handful finely chopped mint
25g parmesan, grated
Cracked, black pepper


Here's what to do with it all - 
Finely chop the onion and fry gently with the butter and the olive oil. When looking soft, crush in the garlic.
Add the rice and stir in until it starts to look translucent. Sling in the wine (one for the pan, two for me) and stir it in until it's almost absorbed, then add a ladle of stock.
Stir it in until it's almost absorbed and add another ladle of stock. Repeat until the rice looks creamy and has a nice 'drop' (about 20 minutes).
Meanwhile, pod your broad beans (so much fun!), blanch them in boiling water for 3 minutes, plunge them into cold water and pop them out of their shells.
Slice the courgettes lengthways and sauté them in a tsp of butter. I like doing this as it gives them a caramelised taste.
Add them right at the end with the broad beans, peas (unless using frozen in which case add them a few minutes sooner), lemon zest, mint, lemon juice and parmesan and serve.
Yum! Cheers Jon x

Week eleven - Bum, minus 3lbs!

Yes! 3lbs down this week. I'm now 18 stone exactly. Total loss so far = 1 stone 3lbs. Very pleased! Although 18 stone is frightening to think of, especially when your goal is 13!

It's been an interesting week. I've been meticulous with my point counting, but I've dipped into my weekly allowance a little each day. I clearly got away with it, but last night was tricky and we ended up going about ten points over. The lesson learnt is to not use up all my weekly before the end of the week, especially as the end of the week is a Saturday. I'm having a gentle day today and will be well under to make up for it, but that's not really the point.

I've been increasing my exercise alot more lately too. I never use (eat) the points I make doing activities but I earned 22 points extra last week by walking fast for an hour a day, 5 days a week. That plus a two hour walk and 1 hour bike ride at the weekend is making heaps of difference I'm sure. It's fun and the weather certainly helps!

I went to see my best friend, Kelly and my Daddy Pops on Friday and both of them commented on how good I look. Neither of them have seen me for a few months and I'm chuffed that it's noticeable already. I feel good too. I mean again, I'm still huge but I'm 1 stone 3lbs smaller than I was three months ago so that can only be a good thing! In fact according to an old spreadsheet we found the other day I'm only 4lbs off the weight I was when I got married, 2.5 years ago.

I've told Neil we mustn't look back on our wedding pictures and be disgusted at how fat we were. Despite my girth I felt like the most beautiful girl on the planet that day and will never look back on it with any bad thoughts. Neil feels the same (although I think he meant handsome boy, not beautiful girl ;o)

Speaking of Neil he's doing really well too. His starting weight was 15 stone 10lbs and he's now 13 10lbs, so he's lost two stone! He looks gorgeous, but then I would say that!

Anyway, I'm off out on my bike with my boys now. I wonder if anymore small children will exclaim at the sheer size of me on my bike? Bothered?

;o) 

Week ten - stayed the same

It's been a bad week. I've counted but only half-heartedly so I'm not surprised I haven't lost, in fact I'm surprised I haven't gained!

I don't know why particularly, I guess I just wasn't in the mood. Is that OK? Is it OK to just have a bad week, as long as you're still trying a little and not gaining? I think so and it's made me determined to do well this week to make up for it.

We had the first BBQ of the season yesterday. It was lovely but I won't deny I found it hard to point count. In fact I just gave up in the end because I'd had such a bad week I knew I didn't have much left anyway and I really wanted a yummy BBQ. I'm still pleased with myself though, because despite the booze it was low fat and healthy and nowhere near as much as I used to serve up. I just need to get better at rationing a recipe and saving up my points ahead.

I made some cheesy mexican bean burgers (that turned to mush). Only 4 points each. We also had corn on the cob (free), BBQd asparagus (free), and a green salad (free) with balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil for the dressing. It was the halloumi that did us in though, despite it being the low fat one. I just can't resist BBQd halloumi, so next time I must be sensible and leave enough points for it!

One thing that is really bothering me at the moment is the constant battle I have with staying positive and being happy with myself (and my loss). One stone in 9 weeks is really good, but I can't stop thinking that it's not enough, it should be more, I've still got a long way to go, etc etc. In fact it's quite depressing to see a picture of me now and still see a big, fat person.

Taken yesterday on a very long walk

I mean, I look better than I did 10 weeks ago and I'm in the next size down in clothes, but I'm still in size 22 jeans and I still weigh 18st3lbs! I'm huge and I've a very long way to go before children stop asking Mummy and Daddy if they ought to push the lady back in the water before she dies! In fact I went for a lovely bike ride today and a child of about 5 said to his Mum as we rode past ''Mummy, look at that fat lady on a bike''. I don't blame the kid, he was only little and speaking the truth but I was funking furious with his Mum for not telling him off!

So, watch out kids, there's a fat lady about but at least she's doing something about it ;o)

Now, where's my wine! xx

Another plug for sponsorship please

Now I've lost my first stone, help me get rid of the second one by digging deep and helping the animals at the Blue Cross.

Thank you x

Recipe - Brazilian black bean stew - 16 points per person

Ingredients - 
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp green chillies, chopped
1 tbsp ginger, chopped
2 tsp rose harissa
1 tin black beans
1 tin chopped tomatoes


Method -
Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the sweet potato. Boil for ten minutes.
Meanwhile fry the onion until soft and crush in the garlic. Add the chillies and ginger and fry for a few minutes. Then stir in the rose harissa.
Add the sweet potato and coat with the paste.
Stir in the black beans and tomatoes and simmer for 3/4 minutes while you cook the naan.
Serve in big bowls with a tbsp of half fat sour cream (or 0% greek yogurt) and a small naan.

Quick, easy, filling and so spicy it'll knock you socks off ;o)

One stone off my bum - kissed goodbye!!!

Just absolutely delighted to share that on Sunday's weigh in I lost a vital pound, meaning I reached my first goal - one stone!! One stone in 9 weeks.

This diet is great. I'm able to eat and drink everything I want, just with more control. It's teaching me so much, in terms of what I'm eating and how much of it I should be eating. In fact one of the main things I've learnt from it is to assess how much I really ''need' that thing I'm craving. If I have 100g of chocolate,  for example, that's fine but it means that that's either taking away a bottle of wine and a nice meal on Saturday, or leaving me with just 25 points for the day (a bowl of cereal and a stir fry for dinner - no lunch!) I've gone down from 42 to 39 points a day now and hardly notice it.

I'm careful with my points, almost precious with them in fact and I must admit Saturday is my new favourite day. If I've been good all week I can have a real treat. This Saturday we're celebrating by having a seafood platter and a couple of bottles of bubbles, about 30 points but I'm just taking the extra out of my weekly 49. That's how this is working for me.

I'm also feeling more active. Last Saturday Neil and I went out on our bikes for the first time in about 3 years. We clipped Woody on by his lead and cycled to the country park where we could let him off and he ran alongside us, grinning from ear to ear with these ''exciting things Mum & Dad were on that meant he could run fast alongside us''. We all got back exhausted but feeling exhilarated!

One stone is just a dip in the ocean when you think about how overweight I allowed myself to get and that I still have another 5 to go, but it's fun swimming around! Especially now I'm a whole dress size smaller and even my new jeans are getting baggy, I just wish I wasn't losing cup size before back size!

Thanks for all your support so far everyone, especially those that have subscribed to this.

Big love and stay skinny xx                             (nice jugs)

Week seven - and I've stayed the same :o(

I guess I knew it would be a tough week, for one reason or another. Being a girl definitely does not help dieting along!

I've had so much pain in my legs due to a past Achilles injury I've hardly done any walking for the past two weeks. This is making me feel really low and what do we turn to when we're low? I've stayed within points all week, but I feel like I've let myself down as I was supposed to be well under all week and I didn't do it.

This is hard, really hard and whilst it's not a competition it's only made harder by my ''only 2 stone over weight'' husband losing 2-3 pounds easily a week! I'm pleased for him, really I am because he looks great but it is so upsetting to know that I'm going to be doing this for years before I am the same weight as him.

One thing some people don't understand about WWs is that this isn't supposed to be a diet, it's supposed to be a way of slowly teaching me to eat better. I need to understand what I can and can't have if I want to maintain a healthy weight for the rest of my life. If I don't use all my points up then I'm dieting. I will get bored and I will just give up because I will feel like I'm missing out too much. I'm pretty sure this is my bad birthday week catching up with me and actually, losing a pound over the two weeks is pretty good. At least I haven't gained.

Here's hoping for a better week x

Week six - another 1lb, but no cake

It was my birthday last Wednesday. My darling husband took me to London to see a show, then out for Dim Sum and cocktails. That evening we got back late and shared a bottle of cava in bed, whilst munching on a small box of Lindt Lindor, my favourite chocolates which were a birthday present (treat) from Neil. It's actually the first birthday I've not had at least one piece of cake so I think I deserved them.

On Thursday we snuggled under the duvet all day and watched movies, ordering an Indian take away for dinner. Saturday was a Spanish feast of nibbles, tapas, seafood paella and wine, prepared by myself, with my family, so Sunday meant a hangover lunch of fish and chips, followed by sticky toffee pudding was the only possible choice at the pub with Neil's parents.

Friday was a good day. I went to my yoga class, having not been since before Christmas and my teacher told me I looked fabulous and asked me if I'd lost loads of weight. What a boost! I think one of things that I'm struggling with on this diet is patience. I know this is by far the best and most sensible way to lose weight but I just want to be thin again, yesterday!

So when weigh day came on Sunday morning I decided there was no way I was going to make myself miserable, I would just have a super good week this week. On Monday though the curiosity got the better of me and I stripped off and hopped on the scales, breathing in and holding my breath.

Well I couldn't believe it. Despite all of those treats I still lost 1lb! I was so pleased it's made me even more determined to just keep going. I'm pretty sure my next weigh in will show the true effects so if I can have a really tight week this week (so far so good as haven't gone into my weekly allowance and have had between 5 and 9 points per day left) I should be able to cheat the system, so to speak.

More recipes to come, so watch this space and stay skinny.

x

Whooo hooo, 2lbs down

Seems I spoke too soon. Week five = -2lbs! Very pleased, especially considering how I've felt all week. So that makes 9lbs loss in 5 weeks. Not bad!

I came across an old spreadsheet that we created in October 2008 to try and help us lose weight and was shocked to see that I was 17st10lbs then, so I've got just under a stone to lose to even get back to that weight. That was just after our wedding day and whilst I felt absolutely beautiful that day, there are some pictures I look at that make me feel so sad wondering why I didn't try to lose some weight before my big day. This one in particular I regret as it's a wonderful picture and I just look gigantic in it.

It's OK though, this is my motivating factor. I don't want to look back on pictures like this and feel sad, I want to work hard over the next few years and look back and feel proud of who I am and what I made myself become. The last few weeks have shown me that this is not going to be quick, it's not going to be easy and I will have blips but eventually the hard work will pay off and the end result will be something like this again -

August 2006, weight approx 13 stone

Week four

I've not been on for a while. Partly because I've been wallowing in self pity and partly because I'm struggling. I lost 1lb last week, so am back to where I was before the 1lb gain, but I'm no further down in two weeks. I guess the first two weeks were always going to be a big loss because it's a change to the system and I'm still on track for 2lbs, a week I just really want to get to the first stone. It's really hard to love yourself once your mind is set on losing weight. Instead of seeing that swollen hamster I had convinced myself I loved, wobbles and all, I now just see a disgusting fat person who really needs to lose a stone or 6!

Weigh day tomorrow so we'll see how this past week went. I'm not hopeful though as am feeling very chubby, sluggish and bloated. This is possibly due to being in the middle of the worst period ever in terms of pain etc. It's even woken me in the night it's been so bad. I can't even get into my jeans comfortably at the moment.I suffer from endometriosis so it's not unusual that I get hit with bad ones once a month, I just need to try and work out how to keep losing weekly despite this.

We've got no internet right now (slooooooooowwwww liiiike a snaaaiiiiiil) so I've no idea if I'm going to even be able to post this. It also means that I can't point track which is really frustrating as means I'm having to eat really low just in case.

Tonight's supper is going to be movie snacks, a perfect solution for snuggling on the sofa and nibbling, without the guilt.

Movie Snacks - serves two, easily (11 WW pro points per person)

For the salsa -
One large red onion, diced very small
6 tomatoes (get the good stuff, never scrimp on tomatoes), diced very small
Half a jar of jalapenos, chopped into small chunks
Big handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Generous pinch of flaked sea salt
Juice of half a lime

Combine all the ingredients into a bowl, mixing thoroughly.




For the guacamole -
2 large hass avocados, chunked and roughly mashed with a fork
1 tsp chilli powder
3 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Splash of tabasco (red)

Combine all the ingredients into a bowl, mixing thoroughly.

Serve above dips with several celery sticks, a small bowl of baby plum tomatoes, some carrot sticks and 50g tortilla chips per person.

Eugh, I've gained

Weigh day yesterday and I've gained 1 lb. It's small in the grand scheme of things but the emotions I felt when I found out were all over the place:

1. Does this mean it's not working after all?
2. Is this a slippery slope back to where I was?
3. Did I eat too much, despite being in my points?
4. Did I do something wrong/mis-calculate?

I was really upset but I have no choice so I just decided to up my game. I'll have a low week and go ten below my points every day and exercise more. I'll also not have bread as even though I counted it, I had a lot of bread last week. Apparently eating up to your points everyday makes no difference at all, it just means the diet is more do-able but I just need to have a tough week to get back on track otherwise this is going to take forever!

I also went and bought some fancy electric scales to make sure I am measuring everything 100%. I tested them against my old ones and I was 25g out on the last thing I measured so hopefully this will make a difference. 

Also consoling self with the fact that I've still lost an average of 2lbs a week, which was my target anyway.

Have fun and stay skinny (I'm trying!!)

Recipe for my homemade veggie lasagne (11 points)

For the filling -
2tbs olive oil
1 medium red onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 portion of butternut squash, diced
1courgette, diced
4 mushrooms, sliced
1 red pepper, diced
300g Quorn veggie mince
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1tsp vegan bouillon
Several dashes of Worcestershire sauce
Half a large bag of spinach
4 lasagne sheets (I use Waitrose spinach ones as they're larger so you use less ;)
200g reduced fat cheddar, grated

For the cheese sauce -
1/2 pint skimmed milk
1 sachet of Coleman's cheese sauce (not the nicest but better for you than homemade cheese sauce or jar!)

Method - 

1. Heat up 1tbs olive oil in a wok (I find this is the best pan to use but any large pan will do). Turn the heat down to medium and fry the onions, adding the garlic once they start to soften. 
2. Add the butternut squash and fry for a few minutes. Then add the courgette, mushrooms and pepper. 
3. Fry, stirring lots. If you need to add abit more olive oil to keep it all going then do, but remember it's 4 points per tablespoon.
4. After about 5 minutes add the mince, tinned tomatoes, Worcestshire sauce and bouillon. Stir it well. 
5. Place the spinach on top and stir it in, carefully.
6. Leave the sauce to simmer away while you make the cheese sauce, following the instructions on the packet. 
7. Place 4 large spoonfuls of the filling into an oven proof lasagne dish, then place two of the lasagne sheets on top. 
8. Spoon over the rest of the mixture and place the last two lasagne sheets on top of it. 
9. Pour over the cheese sauce, covering the surface and then sprinkle the cheese on top, evenly. 
10. Cook in the oven at about 180C for about 20 minutes, until the top is bubbling and golden and the lasagne sheets have softened.
11. Serve a 1/4 with a side salad with some balsamic vinegar (free points!) and a glass of red wine or 3 (3 points per glass so use some of your weekly allowance if you like).

Falling in love with myself all over again

OK, so it sounds modest but I can't stop looking at myself in the mirror. I mean, I'm still a big fat person, yet I feel fantastic. My clothes are looser (I'm not that far off new jeans), I feel tighter and trimmer and everyone is commenting on the difference already!

I just want to keep going and going until I get there. I'm really scared about reaching a plateau but this was never going to be easy!

Thanks to everyone who has sponsored me so far, it's incredibly motivating knowing that I'm not only doing this for myself, but to help animals in need.

Lots of love and stay skinny xx

Support my weight loss by donating to a cause that is so dear to me

In the view of motivation and doing all I can for a cause that means everything to me I've created this page. I hope you can support me and the dogs at the Blue Cross, Burford.

www.justgiving.com/pidge76

Thank you xx

Time to say goodbye.....

It's been a long time coming but I'm finally ready to go on a diet. Years have been wasted and it's time for a change. I'm sick of looking like a swollen hamster and not being able to buy clothes from the shops I like to shop in. My ''now'' picture makes me want to cry!

So I joined weight watchers online two weeks ago and am actually finding it OK. I'm calculating everything I eat and building recipes into my online tracker that count every ingredient for me, so I know exactly what I can and can't eat.

At first, calculating everything was really off putting and time consuming, but now I'm into the swing of it all it's easy and actually really fun. I can eat all the food I enjoy, just with better control and smaller portion sizes. I can also have booze and treats by saving up my weekly allowance points.

I've lost 7lbs in the first two weeks and am really pleased. I'm on a mission to get skinny and I won't get off the bus until I am!

Have fun and stay skinny xx