JUST A QUICK UPDATE

Hi guys!

I haven't posted a blog post for a while as I've just been recovering from my gallbladder surgery. On Friday (3rd June), I had surgery to remove my gallbladder after months of pain and discomfort. I went in at 12 noon and was home at 10pm that same night. After a worrying drop in my blood pressure I thought I wasn't going home that night but lucky after a few biscuits, lots of water and a VERY sugary tea, it increased enough for me to go home.

Since coming home, the pain from my stomach has been nearly non existent but the pain caused by the gas has been the worse in my shoulders. I am the type of person who hates to sit still and rest so having these 3 weeks off work to recover is killing me! I can't drive my car as of yet, I keep feeling dizzy and I have extreme tiredness around 4 o'clock with the added shoulder pain.

Having my surgery was the best option for me but I am suffering from constant hunger pains! I'm now dreading that I will put some weight back on if I carry on eating the wrong foods. Since surgery I've been eating anything I've wanted in moderation (naughty me..)

So today I set myself a challenge to have a great day on plan and stay under 15syns! I'm determined to get back to how I was before my operation and hopefully have a speedy recovery.

Food Plan (08.06.16)

B - Weight Watchers Cherry Yogurt (free), Chia Seeds (1.5syns), strawberries, melon. Wholemeal toast (1st hexb), Choc Shot (1.5syns)

L - Slimming World Spicy Lentil Soup, wholemeal bread (2nd hexb), chicken slices, cucumber, please pudding

S - Grapes, pineapple lolly, Graze Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake Slice (4syns)

T - Gammon, Frozen Jacket Potato (1syn), beetroot, beans, tomato, cucumber, cottage cheese

I'm hoping to walk to my local shop later just to get some fresh air and hopefully feel normal again. Might get myself some reduced fruit to look forward to later for a little dessert.

Have you had your gallbladder out? What was your experience?

Hayley xxx

MAY SOURCEDBOX | SLIMMING WORLD

I've always been a lover of subscription boxes and have recently started to subscribe to food boxes. I am currently subscribed to Graze on a 2 week basis and receive the lighter box (this is a lower calorie alternative box with the punnets having under 150cals each)

SourcedBox is a healthier monthly subscription box that costs £18.95 (postal included) and includes snacks that are naturally sourced or have health benefits to your regular snacks. Since starting Slimming World, I've wanted to try different snacks and usually bought Weight Watchers cake bars to get my chocolate fix but I wanted something more natural, healthier and different.

MAYS BOX

This box included 11 items ranging from fruit bars, chips and fruity snacks. With this being my first box I am hugely impressed with each and every item!

Matcha Green Tea Drink (Teapigs) - 5syns
This tasted amazing! It was so refreshing and different as I have never had matcha tea and the thought of it put me off trying.

https://www.teapigs.co.uk


Lime and Chia Truffles (Sweet Virtues) - 4syns per truffle
These little balls of goodness provide you with a zesty flavour as well as a little chocolate fix. They come in a small pack of two but tasted amazing.

http://www.sweetvirtues.co.uk


Salted Plantain Crisps (Chika's) - 8syns
Plantain seems to have become the new thing for an alternative to crisps and that's a great thing! They tasted different but I like them and I've gone out and bought some Cajun Plaintain Crisps from M&S!

http://chikas.co.uk


Green TNT Bar (Dynabites) - 8syns
This little bar was gorgeous and surprisingly filling! The amount of protein in this bar stunned me but for 8syns it was definitely worth it. The only downfall I had about this product was when I crunched on a small pebble and nearly broke my tooth! (Suppose it shows it's made naturally!)

http://www.missnutritionist.com/dynabites/


Coconut Chips (Coconut Merchant) - 4.5syns per 20g
I LOVE coconut chips! These are fantastic to add to your breakfast for an extra crunch or flavour that tastes of summer! I will definitely be buying more coconut chips in the future to add to my meals and breakfasts.

https://coconut-merchant.com/product/coconut-snack-chips/


Smashing Strawberry Snack Pack (Urban Fruit) - 5syns
These little dehydrated strawberries retain all the gorgeous flavours of a strawberry and even their goodness. I absolutely loved these and they do a variety of other flavours too! These are a definite repurchase!

http://www.urbanfruit.co.uk


Cranky Cocoa Bar (Hangry Food Co.) - 8.5syns
This was the first item I tried out of my box because I was Hangry! These bars are of a similar concept to the Nakd bars that everyone is going crazy over! All the ingredients in this bar are all natural and filling. I enjoyed this bar and will be looking for these in my local supermarkets!

http://www.hangryfood.co.uk


Tomato & Oregano Kale Crisps (Leafy) - 2syns
I have still got to try these but I love kale crisps and these are perfect for a low syn alternative to your regular crisps.

http://www.leafyfoods.co.uk/#

Fruit Bites (Holland & Barrett) - 6.5syns
These little bites are little pieces of fruit with millet pieces. An alternative to other snacks but these are very different to others I've tried. I love Holland & Barrett's snacks and will definitely be repurchasing these.

http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/holland-barrett-merry-millet-berry-fruit-bites-60003662

Whole Chia Seeds (Chia Bia) - 3syns
His little pack of goodness is perfect to add to your yogurt, cereal, porridge, what ever you want to add that little pack of healthy vitamins that chia seeds contain.

http://www.chiabia.com/products/chia-product-range/


My overall views on this box are great. I've enjoyed the products and love trying we items and currently can't wait to try June's box. The box is definitely worth it's money as all the sizes of the products are generous, affordable and generally have a great health benefit.

Did you subscribe to this box? What were your overall thoughts!

Hayley xxx

FIBRE ONE BARS | SLIMMING WORLD

If you love something sweet, cake like and something that's low in calories/syns then these are for you!

After seeing these being posted around on other Instagrams, everyone rated them on how lovely and like the real thing they were, I just had to try some. I was desperate to get my hands on some and boy did it take a while finding them!

In the UK these are limited in the amount of places that sell them in store and I found mine in one of my local Tescos in the biscuit aisle.

The bars themselves come in a pack of 5 and come in 2 flavours, a lemon drizzle and a chocolate brownie. Now, they are small (what do you expect for only 90cals?) but they are full of flavour and great if you have a sweet tooth that you need to kick.

They're not the cheapest but they can be bought on the Internet for a higher price if you were willing to pay extra. I got mine on a 2 for £4 offer during April which may have now finished but it would be worth having a look!

What are your thoughts on the Fibre One Bars?

Hayley xxx

MY BIRTHDAY

So yesterday was my birthday, the day off plan, also known as my treat day! (Doesn't everyone do this on their birthday as syns don't count, right?)

I started the day off brilliantly with a bowl of porridge made with 35g of oats, milk from my allowance and water. I then added 2 teaspoons of Peanut Hottie (3syns) and added some defrosted raspberries for speed. (This is my favourite breakfast so far!)

After breakfast I relaxed for a couple of hours before setting off to see James for the weekend. Arriving at James I'd bought some Rowntrees fruit pastilles for a treat to eat in the car as it was boiling! They don't taste as I remember them but I haven't had them in that long I may have grown out of the taste of sugary sweets?

Lunch was just my usual of a ham sandwich, fruit, seafood etc, except this time I had a homemade lemon buttercream birthday cake waiting for me! Cutting a piece was so satisfyingly good!

Lets just say I was food comatosed after lunch and was dreading thinking about my tea later which was a takeaway from our local Dixy Chicken (it's like a KFC but cheaper!). 

After lunch, a parcel arrived for me which was a lovely fruit basket from James. He knows I would appreciate this more than a basket full of chocolate. The fruit will keep me on plan for the next few days as well!

After the amount of food I had consumed yesterday today will be a good day of speed and free food (and another slice of cake). 

My meal plan for today is as follows;

B - Nothing as I was too full from yesterday!
L - Sardines in a rich tomato sauce (free), wholemeal toast (both my hexb as I only have a 800g loaf of bread), fruit bowl (banana, plum, pear, strawberries, grapes)
S - Slice of cake (syns!!!)
T - Homemade seafood pasta (this will have syns but not sure until later when I check the recipe)

I will be having more snacks throughout the night but I will be having fruit or syn free yogurts.

I hope you have a lovely weekend!

Hayley xxx

SLIMMING WORLD PEANUT LOVERS!

When I started Slimming World in 2014, I gave up my love for peanut butter as it was high in syns and I didn't want to use my syns unless it was totally worth it. So for the past few months I've been on the hunt looking into peanut butter alternatives that are low in syns and calories and came across these two which were highly recommended.

PB2 Chocolate (2syns for 2 tablespoons)

If your looking for something that you can spread, add to things or dip into, this is the best thing I've tried that is peanut flavoured. This find powder is mixed with a 2:1 ratio (2 tablespoons of PB2, 1 tablespoon of water) mixed together and eaten how you want it. This comes in 2 flavours, plain or chocolate flavoured.

It's not as thick as regular peanut butter but it's brilliant to add to sliced apples, toast, porridge or crackers (whatever you desire!). It has 85% less fat then standard peanut butter so the calories are significantly lower and lower in syns!

I bought mine on Amazon for around £8, this can be a little steep if your on a budget but I've made mine last for over 2 months as I don't eat it all the time. (I'm such a money saver!)


Peanut Hottie (4syns for 3 teaspoons)

Peanut Hottie comes in 2 flavours, plain or with chocolate. I bought mine flavoured with chocolate to see if it would help curb my cravings I get every now and again. I'd initially bought it to add to water, hot milk or almond milk (from my healthy a allowance) for a peanut flavoured milkshake or hot drink but didn't find it to taste as nice I would have liked. So it got pushed to the back of the cupboard!

Until recently, I discovered you can add it when baking or cooking and even seen people add it to their porridge on a morning with chopped banana. So last week I gave this a try and I was amazed with the results! It tasted delicious! (I love finding new favourites for breakfast as I find it so dull to be inspired!)

You can buy this from many big supermarkets or online from an array of websites but it usually costs around £3 and can be found in the hot drinks aisle next to the hot chocolate.

They are many recipes and recommendations for both of these products on other Slimming World blogs, weight loss blogs and even on Instagram!

What are your preferences on these products? Have you tried them? Do you have any recipes to share. I'd love to hear!

Hayley xxx

WEIGH DAY RESULTS

Today was the dreaded weigh in after my little midnight binge on Saturday night of biscuits and half an Easter egg. On Monday and Tuesday I stuck religiously to the plan and only had 2syns for the cheese my mum added to my cottage pie on Tuesday night. (I did ask for without but she was insistent and I was starving after my 8 hour shift!).

Waking up this morning, the weather was beautiful and going to group this morning I was greeted with my regular hellos and small chit chat whilst waiting nervously in the line to be weighed.

Getting on the scales and being told I'm under target again because I'd lost 1.5lb, I was genuinely gutted!

Now, many people would be jumping for joy and be happy with a loss, because a loss is a loss but being at target I want to be able to maintain. After the weekend I thought I would have a gain?

I know I didn't go OTT (over the top) with snacking like some people do when they have a cheat day but I think I'm mentally judging myself too much. (James has always told me I do and that I've lost enough and should be proud, which I am!)

So today's food diary consisted of the following; (I've stuck within my 15syns as well)

Breakfast - Porridge (made with water) HexB, Raspberries, Banana, Peanut Hottie (2syns)

 

Lunch - Marks & Spencer Count On Us Singapore Noodles (8syns), Vegetables and Radishes

Tea - Gammon Steak, Potatoes, Savoury Rice (0.5syn), Salad, Egg, Aldi Light Mayo (0.5syn)

Snack - Frozen Muller Light Peanut Yogurt, Frozen Banana, Strawberries and a HiFi Bar (HexB)

My goals for May was to push myself to exercise more and that started today by walking +14k steps in my local park with a friend from work. She's also looking to get fitter even though she has a gorgeous slim body and I have well, wobbly bits that need toning (obviously I ow I will never get rid of it without surgery but I can try)

It's my birthday tomorrow and I'm going to fully enjoy myself, I'll be on plan for breakfast but won't be guaranteeing myself for lunch and tea. I'm also out on Saturday for tea but I can work around my syn allowance for this.

I hope you've all had a brilliant Wednesday!

Hayley xxx

MIDNIGHT THOUGHTS

Bank Holiday Monday, the day that half of the U.K are curing their weekend hangovers, catching up on sleep or working to make those extra pennies. Unfortunately I was working but only for four hours (easiest shift that I love working).

Today, I set myself the challenge of pulling back from all the syns that I'd consumed over the bank holiday weekend, to have a zero syn day.

My meal plan for the day was as follows;

Breakfast - Soft boiled eggs, wholemeal toast (hexb), beans, coffee (hexa)
Lunch - Fruit, coffee (hexa) (my reasons for this decision was due to my shift at work starting at 2 and finishing at 6, plus I didn't get out of bed until 11:30!)
Tea - Quorn meatballs, pasta shells, tomato sauce, cucumber
Snacks - Fruit, syn free yogurts, HiFi bar

I am so immensely proud that I was able to have a syn free day and not eat anything synned! My parents even got a KFC for their tea and not one single bit touched my lips, I wasn't even phased as I was determined!

I am now planning for tomorrow to be another syn free day to make up for the weekend and I will be following this plan;

Breakfast - Porridge (hexb and hexa), raspberries, banana, coffee (hexa)
Lunch - Tuna, M&S Spirit of Summer Mixed Salad Pot (I think this is free without the dressing but I will check tomorrow morning), cucumber, tomatoes, BBQ Mugshot (free)
Tea - Cottage Pie (5% Fat Mince, Oxo cubes, topped with mashed potatoes), vegetables, bovril gravy
Snacks - Fruit, yogurt, crudités

I hope you've all had a fantastic bank holiday weekend and are planning to fulfill the week ahead!

Hayley xxx