The Challenge – Complete

So its been a week. Did I meet my challenge? Well I had no choice but to meet it really. After all despite what my son might think I can’t magic money out of no where.

Despite the lack of meat (thank god for that pheasant!) I have had healthy tasty nutritious meals. The three main meals I posted did more than enough food for me for the week including half portions for my lunches.  I did also make a bean thing with 2 types of beans and lots of garlic, onion, tinned tomatoes and spices. It wasn’t bad. I also made a very tasty flat bread that staved off my carb craving midweek. Before putting it in the oven I brushed over a mixture of garlic olive oil, rosemary and a sprinkle of salt. Oh my! It was so tasty.

The whole week food wise for me cost £12.47. I had forgotten the cats needed feeding so the extra £4 I had in my bank went on them. So at the end of the week I had £1.53 left over.

Now the best thing was that in the end I wasnt just feeding me. The boy was eating the food as well. So technically speaking I fed 2 people on £2 a day.

The favourite meal for me was the butternut squash curry. Its so thick and tasty, but knowing how low in fat and calories it is meant I could eat loads of it.

I did miss my meat and I did have cravings for a nice slab of steak. On Thursday night I went out with the guys from site to celebrate the completion of the building. Thankfully it was paid for by one of the agencies we used. I had lovely nachos with shreaded beef for my starter and steak kebabs for my main. That meat was chewed, savoured and thoroughly enjoyed.

Unfortunately as of yesterday I am unemployed, but at least I know (well I guess I have always known, as I have lived on less in the past) I can still eat low fat and get my calories on a very limited budget. Just got to find a job as I hate not working. Hopefully something will turn up very soon. I just have to not get bored, because when I get bored I eat, and I don’t want to deviate from this path I am on.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The decision to lose weight etc was toyed with before Christmas. As I was pretty sure I was going to do it, I kept a food diary for a couple of weeks. It wasn’t good reading, apart from the lots of homemade food in the evenings.

There are things I have always done and that won’t change, just a bit of adapting and portion size control.

I very very rarely do ready-made meals, to many additives, chemicals, crap in it, so every homemade evening meal was made with fresh meat and veggies. I made a promise to my son when I had him that no matter how broke I am I will always cook meals using fresh meat, veggies and fish.
I don’t use margarine or spreads either, have you seen the chemicals and rubbish that they put in on the ingredients list of those things? So butter for us.
I don’t fry, everything is grilled, baked, boiled, steamed or stir-fried (tiny oil). I hate things that look greasy, things like roast potatoes and stuffing that is cooked in oil is always put on kitchen roll before put on plates. There are 2 exceptions to this rule – fish and chips and KFC. Neither of which I would have very often, but they were guilty pleasures.
I have always had semi-skimmed milk (1% fat). Skimmed milk is just too watery.
I don’t really do sweet foods. If I get cravings it’s for savoury things. I’m not saying I never ate sweet things as you can see from below, but the majority of it was savoury, Crisps being my nemesis. I love crisps, they were the snack of choice. I had my last packet 2 weeks ago, and so far so good.
If I do eat something sweet it seems to start a sugar high/craving. Perhaps this is because I don’t have a lot of sugar in my diet generally, and my body goes “whooo hoooo sugar!!!!” who knows?
I drink a lot of water. I have two or 3 cups of tea at work, but the rest of the time its water.

Below is what a normal week for me would have been before doing what I am doing now.

Friday
Breakfast – cup of tea
Snack – packet of crisps
Lunch – Homemade Thai butternut squash and sweet potato soup – (has coconut milk in)
Snack – crisps in car on way home
Tea – homemade lamb jalfrazi with lots of rice
Snack – 2 slices of toast.

Exercise – none.

Saturday
Breakfast – Bacon (grilled) sarnie on brown seeded bread with brown sauce
Snack – Costa black forest Hot chocolate with cream
Lunch- nothing
Snack – chocolate bar
Tea – homemade Chilli con carnie with lots of rice with cheese grated on top followed by choccie éclair
Snack – packet of kettle crisps

Exercise – housework? Does that count?

Sunday
Breakfast – None due to lie in
Snack – Bacon (grilled) sarnie on brown seeded bread with brown sauce
Lunch – None due to late eating of bacon sarnie
Tea – homemade roast chicken with lots of roast potatoes, carrots, broccoli, peas, brussel sprouts, gravy
Snack – Brie with crackers and pickled onions.

Exercise – none

Monday
Breakfast – cup of tea at work
Lunch – homemade pasta bake reheated in microwave at work.
Snack – Crisps
Tea – Kedgeree (smoked cod, smoked haddock, boiled eggs, rice, peas with a squeeze lemon juice)
Snack – Slice of toast with brie & extra brie to snack on while toast is cooking

Exercise – none

Tuesday
Breakfast – cup of tea at work
Lunch – homemade pasta bake reheated in microwave at work.
Snack – crisps
Snack – crisps in car on way home
Tea – chicken fricassee (made with remains of roast chicken) – this is delicious, chicken in a white sauce with lemon in on a bed of rice and peas.
Snack – slice or 2 of brie

Exercise – none

Wednesday
Breakfast – Cup of tea
Snack – bacon baguette (courtesy of project manager)
Lunch – homemade pasta bake
Snack – packet of peanut m&ms
Tea – lamb chops with new potatoes, carrots, peas, brussel sprouts.

Exercise – none

Thursday
Breakfast – Cup of tea
Lunch – ready made prawn, cheese and rocket sarnies, crisps, and fresh orange juice (supermarket deal)
Snack – crisps
Snack – kitkat in car on way home
Tea – KFC (2 piece variety meal with medium diet coke after film at cinema.)

Exercise – walked round the supermarket, that counts right??

On Thursday when I blog about how much I have (hopefully) lost I will also post what I have eaten since last Thursday. Hopefully it will look a lot better than the above.

So from above I can see good, bad and ugly stuff.
Good being home cooked food with lots of veggies.
Bad being crisps, no breakfast, snacking.
Ugly being no exercise and that KFC.