A girl's weight loss journey #5- Filling & Healthy food doesn't need to be boring

Hello there!

I hope you're all fine and you had a wonderful weekend!

F If you want to know, how I did this week, just scroll down and skip my text! You'll find all the stats and key facts for this week at the bottom of this post

Find my other posts HERE!

Maybe you know the feeling of completely being not motivated in doing something. You know exactly what you should do, like eat this food, because it's a healthier choice, but you just feel not like it or you just got that craving for that cheeseburger with a large portion of chips. (Well this wouldn't be me, as I am not mad about fast food chains, my weakness is chocolate and everything sweet, like baked goodies).

Well, so am I, usually we take the way with the least resistance, we're having the things we love and enjoy, no matter if they are unhealthy or not. And usually when you are on a diet special things are NOT allowed. And that, the sooner or later, will end in cravings and starving for your favourite food. (But why do you have to pass on your favourite treats?) You'll have it and abandon your good intentions, with the bitter sweet feeling of failing, once more. You won't be motivated in doing another diet and you won't try a new start.

We are all afraid to fail, maybe, this is the reason, why some people don't start something, at all.

There might be to many restrictions in a specific diet, and this just reasons why we won't even try it.

The key to that is, to have a programme, that allows you, to have everything you want, BUT in moderation. To be clear, no one could use weight, when having their fast food or cakes every day in huge amounts. If you have a sweet tooth, allow yourself a treat, on maybe two or one day a week. I save special points for these treats.

Starving and craving won't make you happy in the future, nor will you be successful on your weight loss for a long time.

When you are following the programme, like me, and count your points daily, sometimes, it could get a bit boring and you need to do something else. So there are the “Filling & Healthy Food Days” you could try. Basically, this means you could eat food of a specific range without counting the points or control your portion sizes. You just need your own feelings of satisfaction. When are you comfortably full. (Well, if you do not know that feeling, or if you know, that you'd eat to much, you should stick to the ProPoints)

So actually, you are allowed to have all fruits and vegetables, specific meats & almost all kinds of fish and shellfish. Eggs, wholegrain pasta, rice and couscous and of course potatoes. Filling and healthy means that these will keep you fuller for longer, as they tend to be high in proteins and fibre, but less in calories or points. So all the things you CAN'T find on that list of food that are allowed will be counted in points and you have to take these of your weekly allowance.

But now, I want to tell you about my experience with Filling & Healthy food days and I'd like to give you some ideas and inspiration for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Who said that filling and healthy food is boring? - Get yourself creative and choose the food you like

Once you've decided to do a filling and healthy food day you maybe ask yourself, what should I eat then? I found this very easy, to be honest, as I am eating filling and healthy food mostly during the week, so my anxiousness was more of that kind: Will I eat to much? Do I really now, when I'm comfortably full? Will I use more ProPoints than I am allowed to on a normal day? Will I be hungry?

The reason, why I was excited to try it, was to get to know the feeling of counting no points for a day, to get to know my new eating habits and how I improved my eating in total (portion control & food choices) and the main reason was to have a day without eating any rubbish-like things such as biscuits, cakes or chocolate. And as we talked in one of the last meetings about it, I felt really comfortable, at the end, to try this other way, Weight Watchers has to offer.

So first I went through the list of food, you're allowed to eat, the day before , just to PLAN my day AHEAD. And this is, what I made out of it: I had porridge with half milk, half water and fruits for breakfast. As I usually have a bit of porridge or weetabix and then toast with jam or ham. Instead I had a bigger portion of oats and I felt really good and full after this so it kept me going until lunchtime where I had some potatoes fried in a pan with wafer thin turkey, egg, cottage cheese and vegetables. As you can see, there is a wide range of different foods, that are available and keeps you full for a longer time. I had the cottage cheese as well as I had the egg and these are both high in proteins and this just kept me till the evening time. For dinner, I chose to do an oven dish with loads of vegetables, potatoes and chickenbreast, I used a chicken stock cube dissolved in water as a fluid (one stock cube has a ProPoints value of 0, it's also a great addition for 0Points vegetable soups, as it gives flavour without adding points).

For a little dessert I chose a fruit salad made with pear, blueberries, aples & pineapple.

At the end of this day, I was really surprised, that I managed it, without any cravings for sugary treats. I didn't feel hungry at all and with knowing it better to not count the approximate ProPoints for that day, I did exactly that, and found out, that I used less points, that I am allowed to on my daily allowance.

I had three Filing & Healthy food days in the last two weeks, so far, and all of them were good and I enjoyed the food I was eating.

Well, during the week I don't have a cooked breakfast, what is kind of traditional for Irish breakfast. I'd do that on a weekend, that sounds like the perfect breakfast for a lazy Sunday morning. I would have some scrambled eggs with mushrooms and tomatoes, bacon medallions and baked beans.

For Lunch you probably have a salad with cooked chickenbreast, boiled egg and a dressing with oil and vinegar. (You are allowed to have 2 teaspoons of oil without counting the points for it) This makes a nice alternative to a simple, mostly not filling, sandwich (also when you are counting points). You could also do a frittata with cooked potatoes, your favourite vegetables and an egg.

As a filling dinner you could make a roast chicken with roast vegetables and potatoes, by using a teaspoon of olive oil. Like fish or shellfish? Try a fishbake with wholegrain pasta or potatoes. Why not try a stir fry with loads of fresh and in-season vegetables, pasta, praws or shrimps, turkey or chicken breast slices. You could also have a lean fillet steak with a baked potato and green beans.

As you can see, there are loads of things available, also a dessert, like fruit salad with plain no fat yoghurt (put a little bit of sweetener in it, if you wish), grill pieces of pineapple and serve with a dip made with quark cheese, a bit of skimmed milk and a pinch of cinnamon.

Start to be creative by choosing the food that is available and you like to eat and combine!

Statistics and key information:

Number of weeks: 8

Weight loss this week: -2 lbs, ~ 0.9 kg

Weight loss in total: -1^st 12 ½lbs, ~12kg (only another 1 1/2lbs to go for my second stone! Yay!)

Feeling: I am really happy, that I lost these 2 lbs this last week, as I know, that there was St. Patrick's Day weekend and I had a lot if treats and stuff like that. So this means, that I only have one and a half pounds to go for another stone gone. At the moment I am just thrilled and so completely motivated to do it the next week!

You have to know, that I've lost weight before Weight Watchers, but I put it back on. But in my adult life, I have never weighed that “less” as I do now, and for me, this is a great feeling, and it's kind of a goal I reached this last week.

Favourite food: Pasta with mushroom-carbonara sauce, pork-chops & potatoe mash, poached chicken breast with vegetables & potatoes

Favourite treats: Jelly in green & orange with vanilla ice cream for St. Patrick's Day, cooked breakfast with Hash browns, black pudding, scrambled egg, rashers, sausages & brown bread

Goals & plans for the next week: I was walking on 4 days the last week and I went to the pool for a swim on the bankholiday the last monday. It was great, I really enjoyed to swim these lengths and it was a different activity from walking. I know now, what I've missed and I'll definitely do it a again any time soon.

So my goals for the last week will stay the same. Walking – but I need to start to increase my speed/pace I want to walk my usual route faster than I ever did before.

As Easter is around the corner, I really do not want to eat to much chocolate this week, as I will indulge on the Easter weekend (you know, that I am a chocoholic, so I'll have my Easter chocolates in moderation).

The last week, I had another filling & healthy day, and I enjoyed it, to eat a specific range of food without counting points.

Tips and thoughts: Don't just concentrate on what is happening on the weighing scales! There are other milestones that could add to your achievements, while losing weight.

Not only, that you are dropping weight, maybe you've noticed other, non-scales related things. Maybe you dropped a dress-size or you need a new bra, because the old ones got to big. Maybe you lost several inches around your waist, your upper arms, hips or thighs. Maybe you recognised, that you aren't out of breath after walking up the stairs or you could walk your usual walking route on a faster pace/in less time you used to. Or maybe you just feel more confident after starting to lose weight & getting compliments for your new you.

Maybe you should start to think in other dimensions apart from the scales. Think of buying the dress for your birthday in one size smaller than you wear now or try timing your walk and improve your time week after week or you want to walk a 5 or 10k in a few months, then let that be your goal.

So, the ultimate tip for this week is: Make yourself a list with achievements you could and want to reach while losing weight and that have nothing to do, with the number the scales are telling you.