Weekly Update Y2w26

Halfway through the year and I have lost 5.1 kg since January 1st; that's just over 11 lbs in old money.  That is a lot less than I would have hoped I would have lost by this point in the year, but I cannot get too disheartened.  My progress is steady, I am losing weight and I am forming new habits - that's a big win!

This week, I have been focusing on eating Veggies Most, as coined by the 2B Mindset, and it seems to be working.  I am feeling full and satisfied and genuinely am craving more vegetables in preference to other foods.  It's bizarre! lol

Here's a selection of the foods I've been eating:

Cabbage Steak with Piccalilli

 To bake the cabbage steak and the carrots, I simply lay them on a baking tray, coat with onion salt and garlic powder and a spritz of oil, before baking at 180C for 20+min, until they look soft and yummy.  I flip the cabbage steak halfway through baking, and the edges start to caramelise.

The topping for the first picture is sliced onions and chorizo, fried together.  As chorizo is a strong flavour, I kept to the basic for my baked veg.  Alternatives can be adding cumin, chilli or Mexican spices before baking the cabbage.  Then I added piccalilli mixed with a little yoghurt and thinned with vinegar so it goes further.

Naked Cheeseburger and Salad

By buying decent thick burgers, you honestly don't need the bread roll.  I've had burgers with cheese and BBQ sauce, or more piccalilli (I've only just discovered I like it), on a bed of spinach, cucumber, tomato, mushrooms etc and it is really filling and satisfying.  As a bread lover, this has been the main surprise for me, that I can enjoy traditionally breaded food without it!

Cabbage Steak with Mushrooms

The third picture shows cabbage steaks and carrots again (I love baked carrots - I feel like my eyes have been opened and atm I could eat them every day!), this time with mushrooms and spring onions on top.  I also made a sauce to accessorise them, of Korean BBQ sauce (which was too spicy for me) with Greek yoghurt and vinegar.  It was sweet, and tangy and spicy.  Despite having cabbage steaks twice this week, I don't love them, but with strong flavoured sauces, you can change what you're eating to keep it exciting and fresh.

This coming week, my plan is to keep eating the vegetables, and to keep off traditional carbs after lunchtime (I am still eating fruit and the occasional dessert or glass of wine in the evenings).  I am really noticing that this is making a difference (when I stick to it) to both my weight and to how my body feels in terms of bloatedness and hunger.

Exercise-wise, I have shifted my focus, so I am not worrying too much about getting the exercise done, but since lockdown has eased, I did walk 4.5km with a friend last Monday, and we plan to walk further this afternoon.  It may not be much, but this is a good habit for me to develop as it feels more like fun than hard work.

Weekly Update Y2w25

I think my weight is in stabilising mode (ish).  This week, I've had three not-so-healthy eating days - yes, I am trying not to label them 'bad'.  That's why I'm thinking of this being in stabilising mode, rather than thinking my weight is rising again and giving up.

One night last week we had an Indian takeaway, and I was 'good' (you're right, I shouldn't be using that word either) and stopped eating when I got full, but having rice and bread that late at night, not to mention the amount of fat and cream that was in the curries (conveniently forgetting the lack of vegetables, even with ordering a side of onion bhajis and mushroom bhajis) meant I wasn't surprised that my weight rose dramatically the next day.

Last week my husband dropped hints (by buying a premixed packet!) that he wants a giant cookie for Father's Day, so on Saturday I ended up making it by myself whilst the girls were playing Minecraft together.  Despite not having any distractions, I forgot to put the chocolate chips in - doh!  Hindsight says I should have used the choc chips with the packet of icing for decoration. Did I do that? Nope.  No, I thought it would be better to use the choc chips in cookies, if that's what DH was expecting.  So I found a recipe online for basic cookie mix, and made more cookies. I hadn't noticed how many cookies the recipe was for, and there was far too much mixture for the number of choc chips, so I took some of the mixture and used the chips for that.  Then I took some more mixture and mixed it with hot chocolate powder and cocoa powder (my girls don't like it if the chocolate taste is too dark/bitter), and the rest I made into oatmeal and raisin cookies.  I made TWENTY FOUR extra ones, plus the giant cookie that I had made earlier! And that wasn't the only mistake - I made the icing for the giant one according to the recipe but it was too liquid, so I added all the icing sugar I had, and that still wasn't enough, so I had to add flour to thicken it up. 

As we had a movie night on Saturday, which ended up being a Who-vie night, because the girls wanted to watch episode after episode of Dr Who instead of a film, we ate some of the mini cookies then.  On Sunday, Father's Day, we ate the rest of the cookies and the large one.  Yes, I set myself up for failure by making too many cookies, and I succeeded at that failure by eating them all.  Not by myself - I'm not quite that bad, but it certainly wasn't veggies most.

This week, I'm going to try and go back to eating a lot of vegetables and drinking water.  If I have carbs and grains, I want to eat them at lunchtime so they can be digested easily, as I've noticed I still feel full the following day if I have them at night.  Our next veg box is arriving on Wed, and we still have veg left from last week, so I need to use them up today and tomorrow, so that should motivate me to eat more of the nutritionally rich foods.

Weekly Update Y2w24

This week has been another good one!  I hit yet another lowest weight (by 200grams - but it still counts!) and though my weight has got a slight up-tick at the moment, I am eating more vegetables and am confident it will come back down again soon.  

Yesterday I made this delicious lunch that was a mix of a recipe from the 2B Mindset and one I found online.  It was really quick and easy too.  Unfortunately, it didn't occur to me at the time to take a picture, so you'll just have to imagine the steaming yumminess.  Additionally, I would have thought it fairly easy for it to be adapted to vegetarian or vegan and still be scrumptious.

Ingredients (a lunch for 2, easily doubled)

1 large aubergine

Sea Salt

Tin chopped tomatoes

Onion and Garlic - I didn't have any, so used onion salt and garlic powder instead

Italian Herbs

Fresh Basil

Sliced Ham

Mascapone Cheese

Baby Spinach

Grated/crumbled Cheese (eg Cheddar or Feta or Ricotta, anything really)

Method

Slice the aubergine thinly lengthwise.  Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake for 10min at 180C until softened.

Meanwhile, gently fry the fresh onion and garlic (if using) in a saucepan. Add the tin tomatoes, (powdered garlic and onion), Italian Herbs and Fresh Basil, and simmer gently until the aubergine is cooked.

Put half the tomato mixture into a glass ovenproof dish.

On top of each slice of aubergine, lay a slice of ham (cut to shape), mascapone and spinach.  Roll into a spiral and place in the tomato mixture.  Repeat until all the aubergine is rolled and in the dish.
Put the rest of the tomato mixture on top of the aubergine rolls and sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake for 10-20minutes until the cheese has melted/browned to your liking.
Yum.

Weekly Update Y2w23

I have followed one good week with another!  In fact, if I had posted yesterday (as I normally do on a Monday) you would have seen me at my lowest weight - under 91kilos!  As it is, natural fluctuation (plus the fact I did loads of pastry and cake cooking yesterday) means that I'm slightly up from there today, but it is still all good.

I am still reading You Can Drop It! and meeting with my friend weekly.  I am still focusing on eating a lot of vegetables - sometimes I manage it, and sometimes like yesterday I don't, but I am learning, adjusting and moving forward towards my goal.

On Sunday, I also attended (virtually) a 3 hour Body Groove workshop with Misty Tripoli, and it was amazing.  At the end of June I was meant to be going to a full day workshop, but due to coronavirus it is postponed until sometime next year, but we were invited to a shorter virtual one instead.  It reminded me how much I love Groove and the philosophy, and yes, maybe one day I'll be in a position to afford the facilitator classes and indeed set up my own.  I'm not sure that I'm confident enough to do it yet. Having people looking at me as I attempt to lead a dance fitness class is really outside of my comfort zone.  But, this is the life we have, and we should make the most of it.  If God is willing, I will eventually be able to do that and help other people.

History in the Making

2020, so far as we're not even half way through yet!, seems to be a highly significant year.  

I know most years feel significant in one way or another - for example both 2016 and 2017 shocked the nation and the world due to the number of celebrity deaths, though when looked at objectively, given the time when TVs because household items, and the ages of various celebrities as well as the growth of music, sport and celebrity culture, it's actually no surprise that many of them get old at the same time.

2020, however, feels different to that, not least because of all the different things that we have been dealt with on a global scale.  Firstly there were the wildfires that ravaged Australia.  We've had a global pandemic that we are still living through.  And now we are living through world-wide protests about race and societal structures that perpetuate the differences and hardships that non-whites face.

Now, normally on a Monday I do my Weekly Update, and today I was looking forward to it because I am my lowest weight!!! But instead, I have decided to put my thoughts on what has happened at the weekend.

Over the weekend there have been many protests to tell the world that Black Lives Matter.  I have given my thoughts on race and privilege before. Now, because we are in a pandemic some people have said that people should not be protesting.  I disagree with that.  We are in a pandemic, so people should not be having parties on the beach, or squashing together in supermarkets trying to get the latest deal, or driving 200-odd miles with your wife and 4yo child just in case you need childcare... However, speaking out for what you believe, speaking up for those who because of systematic racism need your support, is always a good thing.

Now, I don't agree with unnecessary violence.  I don't think bricks should be thrown at police horses (though as a friend pointed out - why would a responsible horse owner take a horse into a violent situation? - food for thought!) and I don't think there should be mindless acts of vandalism.  Spray painting "BLM" on buildings and plinths just doesn't site right with me.  Yet, as a Bristolian, I was pleased to see the statue of Edward Colston toppled and rolled into the river.  It seems like poetic justice.

My friend and fellow blogger has written a more articulate post about Edward Colston that I could.
There is lots in Bristol that uses his name.  I have read that, after refurbishment, Colston Hall will be changing its name.  I wonder if Colston's School will be going through a similar thought process in the near future?  Bristol has a long history of slavery, and I certainly don't think that should be white-washed or forgotten, but should be remembered and learned from.  It certainly shouldn't be celebrated by statues in public, rather in a museum where the public can be educated.

There is currently a petition for a new statue to sit on the remaining plinth (which I'm more upset it has been graffiti-ed than the statue removed): https://tinyurl.com/y9c8mu78

Personally, I would like it to be replaced by the image of this man, perhaps with statues of slaves themselves around the base.  

I don't know who to credit the photo
but will amend when I do.

Remember this day.  

Remember things can change.  

We all have the power to do a little,

Which will add up to something big.

Weekly Update Y2w22

I have had a good week this week! 
It's not reflected in my weight particularly, nor in the amount of exercise I have done or am doing, but I feel good in myself!

As I said last week, when we have BBQs I want to try and not have the bread roll with my burger - I managed it yesterday!

I made a massive salad, homemade yoghurt and mustard dressing and the most delicious carrots I have ever had. Honestly, they were so nice that I could happily just have a plate of them, and I'm no veg lover!  I cooked them the same way I do asparagus: lay them on a baking tray, sprinkle with onion salt, garlic powder, black pepper and a drizzle of oil. Give it a mix, and roast for 25min (I do asparagus for only 15min) at 180C.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt. Yum!

My whole week hasn't been as impressive - I have been fancying a Chinese takeaway for ages and haven't had one this year, I don't think? Certainly not in lockdown, anyway.  So, last week we had one, and inevitably my weight jumped as you can see from my graph.

But it has come back down after a couple of days, and today I am back under 92kgs.😀
I am reading Ilana Muhlstein's book "You can drop it!" which is based on the 2B Mindset.  Again, I'm reading it with my friend so we can encourage each other as we try to lose weight.  (If you click "2B Mindset" on the word cloud >>> you can see all my previous posts about it.)  This week I am focusing on Veggies Most.  It seems a simple goal, but one that I do not always maintain.  But as I said, I am feeling confident this week.

I am also mixing my exercise up between Body Groove's Pilates and 7 Minute Workouts (from the app of the same name).  Though I enjoy the pilates, and am managing to get stronger with it, I feel that I should combine that with doing something to raise my heart rate.

With God's help, I can do this!

Weekly Update Y2w21

As I explained on my FB page (HERE), I have been really busy so forgot to update last week.

This week I'll give a quick update, though you don't really need me to describe the graph.

My weight was going down nicely, then I had my birthday.  It has taken longer than I hoped for my weight to stabilise again, but it it near enough stable and has started to decrease again.

As the weather is staying warm, we're having more BBQs - not a bad thing in itself, but I need to remember that I don't need to have bread with the burger, or alcohol, or the extra giant toasted marshmallow, or anything else that my family has.  That's not to say I can't have any of it, but I should ensure that I eat Veggies Most, and enjoy my treats as 'treats' and not 'normals'.

Weekly Update Y2w19

Let's start by getting the elephant* out of the way - can you tell I had my birthday last week?

*as in "the elephant in the room", not as in me!

Despite that, I'm still pleased.  I hit a new lowest weight during the week, and after 2 days of increases, my weight is starting to decrease again, so I'm counting this as a win!  

I am trying to make a lifestyle change, rather than simply omitting lots of foods for the weight to go back on afterwards.  So, yes, it was my birthday and I had cake.  Actually, I had two cakes - one from a friend and one from my husband, both ordered from Mcctaffs!  I wasn't expecting either, so it was a lovely surprise. 

We have demolished the sweetie cake (which may or may not have something to do with the weight gain...), whereas for the chocolate one, I regained my senses and we portioned it up and froze the individual portions (well over 30 left over, and we ate plenty!).  That way, when we want cake, we can simply defrost the amount we are going to eat, rather than  eating it because it is there.

I was also given a box of chocolates, and am only allowing myself one per day - at the end of the day.  Sometimes I can do this easily, tbf, usually I can do this easily.  It's only when I'm stressed or depressed I can't (assuming it's decent chocolate - if it's cheap or milk chocolate, then I don't get my 'hit' and I end up scoffing the lot, which I hate myself for afterwards as I don't even enjoy it).  This is going well so far, even though I did have a wobble and felt myself being called by the chocolate, but I got through it with God's help.  Yes, I am praying every time I get a craving, because I know that I don't have enough will power to lose weight - if I did, I wouldn't be on the 19th week of Year 2 of actively tracking my weightloss.  I would have decided I would lose weight back in Sept 2018, and poof, the weight would have melted away because I would immediately have eaten healthily, with good portion sizes, and done plenty of exercise - but we all know that didn't happen!

This week, my aim is to exercise 3 times (I have already done once - yey!).  I have been going through Body Groove's Pilates.  Each video is around 12minutes long.  I started doing one video at a time, and the last cycle I was doing 2 videos together.  Depending on how achy it feels when I am doing it, I am going to try putting 3 videos together this week, so I can finally say that I am exercising for 30min, 3 times a week. According to the NHS I should be trying for 150min a week, but I'm moving in the right direction.

Weekly Update Y2w18

Last week was a 'Meh' week.  If you follow my Facebook page I've been posting more regularly how I've been feeling.  As such I didn't do as much exercise as I had planned - only once in fact.  Luckily I'm being held to account by a friend and am texting her when I do exercise.  This week has barely started and I have already texted her to say I have done two body groove videos!  (Slightly confusingly for people I know irl, my weightloss week goes Monday-Monday, but my exercise week goes Friday-Friday. So I'm counting the exercise I did on Saturday as 'this week' because the bulk of the week is still ahead.  It makes sense to me, anyway, lol)

Last week's update I said I got below 92kilos for the first time; this week, I have been below 92kilos all week!  My lowest weight so far is 91.7kg, so only just below, but it still counts! I honestly don't mind if I don't make big strides with this weightloss malarkey, as long as I keep persevering.  Weightloss, then sustaining, then weightloss, then sustaining, hopefully means that I will develop habits to last a lifetime.  I'm still learning to rely on God to help me as I'm beginning to see that I don't have the willpower in myself to lose weight - otherwise I would have done it already, and not be in week 18 of year 2!  I *know* all the things already, the science, the psychology, the quick tips and tricks that can aide me along the way.  What I am learning this time, however, is that reliance on God is a form of self-discipline that I *can* do with his help.

I'm due to finish the book I've been using on this journey this week, so will write it up then.  I hope my weightloss continues as I try and put what I've learned into practice - including increasing my exercise!

Weekly Update Y2w17

I feel like I'm starting to make progress!  I even got down to dead on 92kilos at one point, and thought that didn't stay, it's daily fluctuation that is normal.  Hopefully, if I keep eating right and mindfully this week I can break the 92kilo barrier and get into the 91s! <fingers crossed>

I exercised three times last week, and am aiming to either exercise for longer each time, or exercise four times in the week.  I need to keep at it!

Weekly Update Y2w16

Yes, this week's update is nearly identical to last weeks, except that I can say my weight has gone down!

Only a little, admittedly, but hopefully this is the start of another longer dip in my weight.  In fact, my lowest weight (which I have hit three times) this year is 92.6kg - and two of those times were this past week!  As I am now 92.8kilos this morning, hopefully it is realistic and achievable for me to hit a new low this week, and maybe, just maybe, it won't be too long for me to break into the 91s.

I have already done more exercise this week than I did last week (not that that was hard, tbh) but I need to keep that up and do even more. I am still reading Made to Crave and being accountable to my friend.  I am trying to exercise more and drink a lot of water. 

Weekly Update Y2w15

My weight has stabilised!  I'm happy staying here for a bit, before it hopefully starts to drop again.
Thankfully it has stabilised at a lower weight for me, so that gives me hope.

I have already done more exercise this week than I did last week (not that that was hard, tbh) but I need to keep that up and do even more.

I am still reading Made to Crave and being accountable to my friend.  I am trying to exercise more and drink a lot of water.  I am finding the latter easier than the former.

So just a brief update today.  Once I've established these habits, I want to be able to kick start the weightloss again.  If my weight is stable for another week, I will still be happy.

Weekly Update Y2w14

I don't want to get too excited, because I know what I'm like - a couple of weeks of weightloss and then I pile it all back on again.  Especially as this is Easter week, and all the associated foods that I don't/won't deny myself.  Added to the fact that we're in lockdown and we need to use up all DD2's Easter chocolate from last year, before she gets given more this year, I am not pinning any hopes on losing weight this week.

On the positive side, though, we're not in self-isolation any more, so can go to the shops if we need to.  My husband went out yesterday, so we have lots of yummy food in the kitchen, and we still get a weekly delivery of fruit/veg (alternating each week), so there are plenty of ways to be healthy.

And little as it may seem, I have started doing Body Groove again - yey!  I've convinced my husband to join me too.  We're building up slowly due to my unfitness and his embarrassment at dancing round the living room, but we've started and that's the main thing.  And he's still going on runs by himself to keep his own fitness levels up, so isn't his main way of keeping fit, but I know I need to do more, and little by little it can make a difference.

Weekly Update Y2w13

There has been some progress!  Whether it's because we've been stuck in the house for a week and been forced to cook from scratch, whether it's because I'm drinking more water as I'm now accountable to someone who checks up on me, whether it's because that same person is specifically praying for my health, or something else entirely, I don't know.  But there had been progress and I am happy about that.

I need to keep this momentum going, so I have been thinking of other things to add to my routine.  I know I need to do some kind of exercise, as being stuck in the house means I am being more slothful than usual.  I want to get back to doing Body Groove, but with DD1 doing her schoolwork on the table in the living room, and both girls and my husband generally taking the mick, I haven't been inclined to do it when they're around.  (Which admittedly is a bit of an excuse, as I wasn't doing it before lockdown either.)  I have downloaded the 7min workout app, in the hope that I can start there, get in the habit of doing a short burst of exercise each day, and slowly build it up.  My husband uses the app sometimes, but he uses the full version, whereas I'll be starting as a beginner.

Weekly Update Y2w12

From last week, my weight actually did start to decrease.  You can see that by looking at the yellow line (rather than the blue daily weight which fluctuates loads).

Yesterday was Mother's day, and I may have eaten a whole box of Thornton's chocolates (my family did have some too - just not as many as I ate), which has impacted my weight this morning.

On the recommendation of a friend, I have also started to read a book called Made to Crave.  We're going to [virtually] meet up weekly to discuss what we've learned and the impact it has on our weight and health.

My smaller goal for this week, is to get back into the 2B Mindset, specifically "water first".  For my weight, I'm meant to be drinking over 2.5litres of water a day.  I do drink water, but have got out of the habit of drinking that often.  Even though I may be self isolating atm, drinking water comes out of the taps in the kitchen, so I really have no excuse.

Weekly Update Y2w11

Forgot to do this yesterday, in amongst all the hype and rapidly changing instructions regarding coronavirus.  You'll be unsurprised to know that I'm still fat.  My weight has levelled off this week, but unfortunately it has done so at the top of a peak, rather than after a period of weight loss.

Due to being stuck inside at various times, my girls have wanted to do baking and decorating.
Due to my lack of willpower, I have been eating everything they've been offering me.
I'd like to say that I will do better this week, but I don't have the mental energy right now for blatant lies.

Weekly Update Y2w10

Yeah, let's not talk about this week...

I am eating much more fruit and vegetables than normal, but I feel like I'm not losing weight anymore. I have had 2 nights where I haven't listened to the hypnotherapy app.  I find when I listen to it, I wake up when it goes off, yet when I have it on continuous loop, I don't feel refreshed in the morning.  Last night I didn't have it on at all, and I had a crazy nightmare*.  At least if I listen to it, it keeps the nightmares at bay.

I had a look at a longer term average (2 weeks) and that clearly shows that I'm not losing weight at all.  I go up and down a lot, but overall, I'm the same weight I always am.

We have finally finished painting the kitchen, so hopefully we can put the shelves on the wall, and I can keep on top of cleaning and start cooking again, so can take back control of my weight.

*Last night's dream was weird.  My dreams often are, and though I don't usually consider weird dreams as nightmares, this one was a bit more gruesome than normal.
It started fairly normally.  I was waiting for my friend Sarah to come visit.  She was coming to me, by train, then we were going to catch a train somewhere together.  She was due to arrive in 15min, but I was still in bed.  Then she wanted me to pick her up at the station.  We were on the train together, then we ended up in an Indiana Jones-esque land.  There were loads of women all dressed in white togas tied to the side of a cliff.  Then, when the king or his kids got bored, they would catapult one woman to the top of the cliff/aiming at the other women.  Whoever she hit, would explode and there would be random limbs thrown all over the place.  The dream went on, but it was very vivid, so I still feel tired now

Weekly Update Y2w9

Over the past week my weight has come back into control.  I did go out for a meal with friends on Friday night with a few drinks and ate until I couldn't eat any more - I couldn't finish the main and couldn't face dessert - so as expected my weight increased the following day.  Then yesterday I wasn't careful with what I was consuming, and every time someone asked me if I wanted a biscuit, or a slice of cake, or a Welsh-cake, or half a Belgian bun, or a can of beer... I kept saying yes.  But that's ok.  Not ideal, but ok.

Over the whole of last week I dropped over 2.5 kilos (around 5.5lb) which is quite a lot, and certainly more than I was expecting. Whether it was because of the newfound motivation, or whether the hypnotherapy is working, or because we had a Riverford veg box last week and I don't want to waste our money, or because I was more active due to painting the house, or because of something else entirely, I don't know.  But, I'm still listening to the hypnotherapy each evening before I go to sleep, we have another veg box arriving on Wed (but then will be going to fortnightly as it is more veg than we eat in a week!) and I still need to finish painting the kitchen (all the awkward bits near the ceiling and in the far corners) so hopefully I'll have a similar downward slope on the graph this coming week too.

Weekly Update Y2w8

We were away last week at a dance festival so stayed in a caravan (yes, during Storm Dennis!) rather than travelling to and fro every day.  We ate out on site and in a couple of pubs, and ate easy-to-cook food in the caravan.  My goodness, I miss vegetables.  Not only has my weight skyrocketed, I've felt bloated all week (still do, truth be told, though am feeling a bit better), and one night my stomach pain returned, so I got to sleep around 5am, before having to wake again at 7am to get the girls to their competition.

The graph isn't pretty,  but it is what it is.  I'm not going to sugar coat anything, even on the days where I tried to find food with vegetables (eg one day I had veg soup starter as a main) I still ate the accompanying bread and butter.

Looking at the positive, because I have come away feeling bloated, having had pain, and missing vegetables, I am much more motivated to eat properly now I'm back home, and able to use my fancy new kitchen.

Weekly Update Y2w6.5

An early weekly update today, as I'm away at a dance festival next week and won't have my laptop with me.  I will be taking my scales, so I can keep monitoring things, but won't be posting anything online.

Despite still not having a kitchen - they're due to finish today, wahoo!!! - and in spite of eating too many McDonald's' this week, I am losing weight again!  I have discovered that my stomach is satisfied eating a McChicken Sandwich and a regular Cappucino (not full - I could eat a helluva lot more if I wanted to - but this would see me through to dinner) and it only comes in at 448kCals, so is a reasonable lunch.  Nutrition-wise it's not the best admittedly, but in the short-term, it is helping me keep on top of my weightloss goals, and my graph looks pretty (ie sloping downwards) again!

Next week, we're in a caravan, so will be able to cook our own foods, and eating out a few times (whether that be picking up a sandwich or eating in a pub/restaurant), so I still need to be mindful about what I'm eating, and make sensible choices.  Hopefully with a bit more nutrition than what I've been eating this week.