Tuesday 29 March 2011

Fishcake Failure...............

Well Tuesday has come around again and I'm sure you'll all be pleased to know that I had a LOSS this week of 3.5 pounds. This means that I turned my frown upside down from last week and am feeling a lot more confident and motivated again. I also won Slimmer of The Week and took home a lovely bag of fruit. Oddly enough, when I actually remember to take a piece of fruit to class it's usually the bruised and sticky plum from the bottom of my fruit bowl but thankfully everyone else had brought in nice stuff for me to nibble on.

I have had 2 momentous failures on the cookery front this week. The first was an irish type stew with colcannon topping.Now don't get me wrong, I love stew in any form but this one had chopped tomatoes and I really feel that they have no place in the culinary world apart from anything that is vaguely Italian. One of my daughters sneaked upstairs with a plateful and came down with a very contented looking Maddie ( youngest springer ) and the other reckoned the very sight of it 'freaked her out' so she declined.
It tasted quite nice but I dont think I will be attempting it again........

My second failure was homemade  fishcakes which looked delicious but failed to hit the spot. It was whilst halfway through the first one that I remembered I don't really like fish unless it's in batter with chips so it was a no no before I even started . Once again, one daughter  refused it and the other one fed bits to the dog , and even the dog didn't gulp it down in her usual fashion. Again, it wont be a recipe that I will be repeating for a while...............

I think therefore that this week I will go back to what I know best - some good old roasts and plain simple food that I know will get eaten. Our recipe this week at fat Club was for a 'cherry clafoutis'. I don't know what a clafoutis is, but let's be honest, it sounds a bit like clitoris or something that would require antibiotics so I don't think that will be adorning the dining table  Chy Noall this week either.

It's hard to lose weight in the first place and I think boredom is a big factor to people going off the straight and narrow so that's why I trawl through various websites for new and exciting recipes. Sometimes I hit lucky and sometimes I don't - it's the luck of the draw - but I think I deserve 10 out of 10 for trying. Unfortunately  it's when a meal is cooked that doesn't taste good that I am liable to misbehave. ....... and for that reason alone ,  I am crossing my fingers and toes and keeping anything fishy / Irishy / clafoutissy OFF the menu!

Tuesday 22 March 2011

It's all gravy............

Well what a week! I have been as good as gold and only lost half a flipping pound! I just don't know what I have done wrong - I did have a night out on Saturday but apart from a relatively virtuous carvery and 2 large juicy glasses of the red stuff I have behaved and all for HALF A POUND! I am trying to be positive but feel that my dream of a sylph like physique in time for Robbie is slipping away!

I have therefore decided to revert to form and go back to having a proper treat on weigh in nights - tonight I am having meat and potato pie and chips with ( remember - I am Northern ) mushy peas and lashings of gravy. The thought of it is making me feel giddy with pleasure and I fear that I may have a 'when Harry met Sally' type chipasm but sod it, I'm having it.
It's hard to sit in a fat club class listening to other people's squeals of glee at having lost 2 or 3 pounds and exclaiming they 'dont know how, I've had 4 takeaways' etc but I think I shouldn't be too hard on myself and just loosen the reins a bit one night of the week. I need to remind myself that I have done incredibly well so far and not beat myself up. A loss is still a loss, even if it is only half a pound so I am going to enjoy my nosh tonight and start afresh tomorrow.

On the cooking front I didn't do anything controversial with my loin of pork but I DID do a delicious meat and potato pie that the girls and I loved. Al declined due to the fact there was celery in it - celery is to him what quorn is to me. I had intended on hiding the bits of celery under potatoes but he managed to sneak a look at the recipe and I was well and truly rumbled. I will have to chop it more finely and cover my tracks next time..............

Thursday 17 March 2011

Nigella and Meg eat your hearts out!

Well I have had my second weigh in as part of my 12 week challenge and stayed the same this week. I am actually ok with this as ( men look away ) it's my TOTM! My weight loss so far is still at 22 pounds which is good so I am not going to beat myself up about it.
 I am still very determined and am even contemplating a bit of exercise in the not too distant future - this worries me because I am so unfit that I am worried that a gentle jog may bring on a heart attack which would be quite ironic as it's the British Heart Foundation that I am raising money for............

Anyway, as part of keeping everything fresh and new I am also going to try out some new recipes. My dear beloved has warned me not to mess with the pork but I have ordered some apricots from Asda and intend mixing them with low fat sausage meat and garlic and stuffing them into a loin of pork. Hmmm, it certainly sounds nice but who can tell?? I am also going to attempt a spinach and feta filo pastry pie - when I asked the members of my household who would eat it I was met with stares of disgust / hysteria and fear.

My week ahead is busy and includes a night out with some friends on saturday when we are going for a cheeky carvery at the local pub and then on to a psychic night at another pub. We went to one last year and my Dad allegedly made an appearance - I am hoping he keeps quiet this time as I found it vaguely embarrassing. The psychic in question is a lovely lady and my Dad wouldn't bugger off afterwards which amused everyone else but made me cringe. I would love to believe 100% that he was there but if he were still alive I think he would probably tell me not to waste  my money! It only costs a tenner and just think that if I didn't spend that tenner I could have bought lots more apricots, low fat sausages and merlot with it instead.

I am sure we will have fun whoever 'appears' and if there's no messages for me then I can spend my time dreaming up some more wild  and exquisite dishes to torment my family with.

Tuesday 8 March 2011

It's been too long.............

Ok everybody - I think we have established that I'm not the most regular blogger in the world but sometimes life ( and merlot ) get in the way.............

To update you all - I have now lost 22 of the 50 pounds that I aimed to shift prior to my date with Robbie and the gang on June 22 nd - I am very pleased about this as, after a shaky start to the year I am remaining relatively positive and focused.

To add more pressure to my already hectic life I have undertaken Slimming World's 12 week challenge and I am aiming to lost one and a half stone in the next ( you guessed it ) 12 weeks and I am doing it in aid of the British Heart Foundation. I have had some very generous pledges from people and I am determined to succeed. My dear Dad died 3 years ago and I miss  him so much. His post mortem revealed that he had heart disease and how I wish I could turn the clock back and say 'go to the doctors Dad' but , I can't so that is why I am doing this for the BHF. I know that he would be proud of me - he always nagged me about my weight - and I would like to think that somewhere he is spurring me on.........

I have had a few wobbles this week ( and not just in the buttocks area) due to my naughty habit of being a closet serial weigher. I don't think I pay a trip to my bathroom without a cheeky hop on the scales and so have decided to give up my scales for Lent! I am a ( lapsed ) Catholic and Lent used to be quite a big part of our lives so I have decided that the scales need to be sacrificed.  I am nearly chocolate free these days and I am not strong enough to give up my bottle of merlot on a Tuesday so my only other  'guilty pleasure' was the scales.My friend Bella is going to look after them for me and will return them to me on Easter Sunday with hopefully a Cadbury's Buttons easter egg.............

I have been back at Slimming World for 10 weeks now and this will be the first week that I am doing without the constant weighing and scrutinising - hopefully it will work or I will be a knocking on Bella's door. I hope she is brave enough to tell me to do one!