Journal of a Photo-dieter

Sunday, 25th January

January 25, 2009 by jacqib

today’s numbers:
Calories 1507
Protein 95.8
Carbs 150.7
Fat 40.1g
Fibre 18.9g
Fruit & Veg 4.6
I need to blog my food, exercise and mood if I am to do this properly.
So this is today’s food.

Breakfast was brought to my by my SO. I didn’t fancy ‘dippy negg’ (soft boiled eggs) and his attempts at porridge shows that he needs more practice and I wasn’t in the mood for ‘pratice porridge’. So I had a think about what was int he fridge and remembered there was some cheese in the fridge that I wanted to try. A hardish, browny-yellow cheese that looked rather like a ‘breakfast cheese’ I had eaten on one of my holidays recently. There was also an unopened packet of digestive biscuits.
‘Cheese and digestive biscuits and some grapes’ was my request.
Instead of the cheese I ws thinking of he brought me the forgotten roule with herbs, Yum! He also brought me SIX digestives. Now I know that I didn’t have to eat them all, and I did initially spread cheese on just four. But I wasn’t full and it was delicious. So I ate the rest.

There was some of the chicken and mushroom curry that I made the other day left in the fridge so that was lunch.

I had planned to go to aqua aerobics this afternoon but my arm was rather painful The doctor thinks it may be carpal tunnel syndrome, which is worrying me rather. The wrist joint seemed to be clicking. Ibuprofen helped with the pain but I really wasn’t in the mood for the pool. I have just realised that I have not been out of the house since Friday evening.

I had a banana in the afternoon while I was clearing out the airing cupboard and then the SO cooked the roast pork for me. He actually made quite a good job of it.

I’ve been looking at photos in my 2009 Photo Diet Project pool on flickr. The newest member has been telling me that she has a file with recipes and menu plans for the week(s) ahead. I must stop telling myself that this is too time consuming and get on with doing it.

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Getting my five-a-day

January 21, 2009 by jacqib

Well I’m back from my week in the sun and have got decidedly podgier. I got on the scales on Monday morning expecting to find I’d put on about half a stone – that’s what it felt like I had gained. To my surprise the scales reported a one pound loss. That could be due to the slightly dodgy tummy I’d had for two days.

I deserved to be heavier as I had made full use of the ‘all inclusive’. The food was rather good and I had a couple of beers each day as well. Apart from a little walking, I did no exercise. The unheated pool was very cold (well I may have been in Egypt but it is still mid-winter). The sea was too rough for me to risk (I am not a strong swimmer) and the gym was a no-go area due to the pestering to try the beauty treatments and massage (at UK prices!).

So I’m home and back on the straight and narrow. We arrived home in the early hours of Monday morning and, obviously, there was no fresh fruit or veg in the house. Although I was very good with Monday’s calories (961) the fruit and veg count was very low (2.9). Here’s what I had – the broccoli and the mandarin were from the Co-op round the corner.

For reasons I don’t want to go into, in fact I want to forget, Tuesday was a very bad day nutritionally. I did go to pilates in the morning, though.

So I stocked up on fresh veggies at Lidl yesterday and made a delicious high veg content lunch today.

I put some Thai rice on to cook with a pinch of saffron (I need to use it up before I emigrate) while I chopped the following:
41g red pepper
57g mushrooms – a mix of common and chestnut
36g carrot (chopped into thin sticks)
47g broccoli

Of course, I didn’t specifically measure out those amounts – but I put the food on the scales so I could count the calories and F&V portions. It was one carrot and two thirds of a pepper, several mushrooms, what was left of the broccoli in the fridge. The quantities given above are half of that as I made enough for two of us.

I sprayed a pan with fry light and cooked the veggies, adding some Gourmet Garden ginger, lemongrass and coriander (I keep the tubes in the freezer) and a splash of water when the food started to stick. I added some freshly ground pepper.

When it was cooked I emptied the pan into a pasta bowl and covered it to keep it warm.
A quick wash of the pan (easy when it is still hot), a wipe and another spray with the oil, then I threw in five raw, frozen, king prawns and 10g of coconut cream (again, something that needs using up before I go). A splash of water meant that the coconut mixed in well. When the prawns were nicely turning pink I tipped 50g washed baby spinach over the top (the extra water helped the moisture content) and let it wilt, stirring it in with the prawns.

I tipped the stir-fried veg back in the pan and stirred it all together to warm through. I served it with the rice and a couple of halved cherry tomatoes. Together with the defrosted blueberries I had with my porridge this morning, this means I’ve had 4.1 portions of fruit and veg and I’ve not had dinner yet.

Tags: 5 a day, five a day, food, veg
Posted in prawn recipe, stir fry recipe | 1 Comment »

A Full Week of Photo-Dieting

January 9, 2009 by jacqib

Well I’ve restarted the photo-dieting for 2009. I didn’t bother over Christmas because I gave myself permission to snack and nibble.

The photo above shows my best day this week. All healthy, all weighed and counted. But recording what I eat on the bad and the not-so-good days is important too. The rest of the week looked like this:

Friday 2nd Jan:

Saturday 3rd Jan:

Sunday 4th Jan

Tuesday 6th Jan

Wednesday 7th Jan

Thursday 8th Jan

Clicking on any of the photos will take you to the original on my flickr stream which tells you a bit more about them.

Tomorrow should be okay-ish. On Saturday we are going out for lunch and on Sunday we are off to Sharm-el-Sheikh in Egypt for a week so the food should be interesting!

I’ve exercised quite a bit this week.
On Monday I swam 25 lengths.
On Tuesday I did my first ever pilates class.
On Thursday I did my first relaxercise class. I had hoped to do my second pilates class as well but the instructor was delayed.
On Friday I will be back at ’splashy’ (aqua aerobics) and hope to swim before the class.

Next week I’ll be swimming – in the sea and a pool, I hope – and will use the hotel gym.

Tags: flash diet, food, photo-diet, photo-dieter
Posted in aqua aerobics, dieting, exercise, flash diet, food, gym, photo-diet project, swimming | Leave a Comment »

2009 Photo-Diet Project

January 2, 2009 by jacqib

Well it’s just a few weeks till my birthday. I’m not going to be anywhere near my target weight for my 50th, but I am fitter and a bit slimmer (about two dress sizes).

I have a couple of new members of my Photo-Diet Project Group (now renamed 2009 Photo-Diet Project – feel free to come and join us) on flickr so I really had to get back to photo-dieting. There is still holiday food in the house to be eaten. I have drinks that need to be used before I emigrate. But, there is no reason not to get back on track.

Well, there is one reason. In a week’s time I’m off to Sharm-el-Sheikh for a week so I won’t be in charge of what’s on offer at mealtimes. I will be incharge of what I put on my plate and in my mouth though. I will be exercising – will be snorkelling and have a new (UK size 14) swimming costume bought today.

Today’s food:
Breakfast: muesli (berries & cherries) and semi-skimmed milk

Lunch: (at the shops) wholemeal sandwich: duck in hoisin sauce, cucumber, celery, tomato (I had 3/4 of this)

Afternoon snack: 2 satsumas, 3 maltesers, a bit of Galaxy, a choc liqueur

Dinner: fish in butter sauce, boiled potatoes, petit pois

Evening drink: Limoncello

I also had about five cups of tea with sweetener and ss milk.

Tags: 2009, flash diet, photo-diet
Posted in dieting, flash diet, flickr, food, photo-diet project, weightloss | Leave a Comment »

Food Shopping Project: Sainsbury, Nov 28th

December 28, 2008 by jacqib

Lucozade £1.49 x2 (BOGOF)
Lamb steaks £5.99
Chicken thighs & drumsticks x2 £1.50 x2
Mature cheddar cheese x2 £3.86 (BOGOF)
Cubetti di pancetta x2 £2 (BOGOF)
Prawns, shell-on £1.69
Carrots 50p
Potatoes, organic baby £1
Brocolli 560g 94p
Brussels Sprouts 560g £1
Savoy cabbage x2 50p each
Cox apples six pack x2 £1.99 (BOGOF)
Vine tomatoes £1.44 (reduced from £1.96)
Mushrooms, closed cup 425g 97p
Bananas 1010g 90p
Knorr Veg Stock Pots (pack of eight) 99p (half price)
Avocado x3 39p (reduced from 69p)
Sweeteners own brand 99p
Sweeteners Splenda £3.13
Liver Pate 29p
Adios slimming tablets £6.34
Laughing Cow Light (cheese spread) £1.08
Sesame bagels x4 £1
Cheesecake slices £1.09 (reduced from £1.99)
Elmlea Light Double 82p
Strepsil Cool 16 pack £2.95
Onion Bhaji 78p
(not shown) light bulb 99p
Liver sausage 65p

BOGOF = buy one, get one free

Total cost:
£50.10 or
€52.15 or
NZ$129.35 or
US$73.28

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Food Shopping Project December 2008

December 23, 2008 by jacqib

Bought from a stall in Queensway, Bletchley.

7lb red potatoes
3lb bananas
3lb satsumas
bag of green seedless grapes
two cabbages
iceberg lettuce
pineapple
two punnets small tomatoes
two large punnets of small strawberries. I don’t usually buy strawberries out of season but these were sweet, had come from Belgium (not very far away) and were a good price.

Total cost:
£7.20
€7.64 (dreadful exchange rate!)
US$10.69
NZ$18.66

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Food Shopping Project: 18 November 2008

December 4, 2008 by jacqib

Shopping from Costco on 18th November.

Lemonade, diet, Schweppes (6 x 1.5 litres) £3.35 (56p per bottle or 37p per litre)
Beers, Connoisseur collection, £12.91(£1.08 per bottles or £2.15 per litre)
Orange Juice, Tropicana, 2 x2 litres £4.41 (£1.10 per litre)
Finish Quadrant dishwasher tablets (48 +24 free) £9.81 (14p per wash)
Mixed Herbs, 100g £1.55
Bertolli Olive Oil Spread, 1kg £2.29
Activia Yoghurt x 8 £2.29 (29p each)
Brocolli 750g £2.29
Baby Leaf Spinach £1.99
Mixed peppers £2.99
Special K bars x 24 £8.21 (34p each)
Blueberries 500g £4.29
Wine, Andes River Red, 5 litre box £17.61 (£3.52 per litre)
Chicken & veg pie x 2 £9.88

Total £82.90 of which £8.21 was VAT
US$135.12
€115.19
NZ$226.86

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Lemon & Pepper Chicken Wings

November 21, 2008 by jacqib

This is my version of Sasha’s version of a NIgel Slater recipe.
a pack of chicken wings (about 12)
two unwaxed lemons
1 heaped tbsp black peppercorns
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp sea salt flakes

1. Put the chicken wings into a roasting dish (check for stray feathers first).

2. Grate the lemon rind onto the chicken.

3. Halve the lemons and squeeze the juice over the chicken wings.

4. Cut each of the lemon skins into quarters.

5. Either put the peppercorns in a mortar and bash them so they crack into small pieces then add the olive oil or, if you are like me and can’t get on with a mortar put them in a blender but for the shortest possible time. You do not want a powder.
The peppercorns should still be nubbly, rather than finely ground.

6. Add the the olive oil.

7. Pour the pepper & oil mixture over the chicken wings and make sure you’ve covered as much of the chicken pieces as you can.

8. Scatter the salt flakes, without crushing them, over the chicken. At this stage you can leave it for a while to soak up the flavours if you want.

9. Tuck the quartered lemon halves in between the pieces of chicken.

10. Roast at 220ºC (or 200 for a fan oven) for about an hour, turning once (if you remember). The chicken should be golden and sticky, the edges blackened here and there.

Nice eaten straight away as nibbles, or cold in a picnic or lunch box.

Posted in All Recipes, chicken recipe, lunchbox recipe | Leave a Comment »

Food Shopping Project

November 13, 2008 by jacqib

Semi skimmed milk £1.66 (x2) special offer £2.50
Anya potatoes 99p (reduced from £1.32)
Carrots 67p
Onions 50p
Lemons, unwaxed £1.69
Parsnips (390g @ £1.98 per kg) 77p
Cucumber 68p
Broccoli 300g 79p
Greens 79p
Bananas, Fairtrade (530g @ 85p per kg) 45p
Tomatoes x 6 99p
Saxa rock salt 350g 92p
Table salt 750g 55g
Oral B Ultra Floss £1.99
Oxo Red Cubes 71p
Prawns, shell -on £1.69
Pork luncheon meat 60p
Liver sausage 90p
Spinach quiche slice (Taste the Difference) 99p
Egg Custard Tarts x 4 £1.04
Stewing lamb £3.44
Casserole beef, lean diced x2 @£3.49 each – reduced to £6
Chicken Wings, basics £1.23
Digestive biscuits 86p
Lean steak mince x2@£3.49 each special offer £6
Bread, tiger £1.09

Total price £38.83
€47.17
US$59.11
NZ$102.84

The chicken and lemons are for lemon pepper chicken wings

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Food Shopping Project 2/3

September 17, 2008 by jacqib

If you click on the photo it will take you to the original on flickr where notes on each item will tell you what they are and the individual prices (in GB£).

I hadn’t thought about shopping bags before I left the house as I was going to the gym. But I caught the train back and that stops near(ish) the supermarket so I got my shopping done in the same trip. So I had to buy bags. I didn’t want plastic, even the recyclable ones, so bought another jute bag (I must had three now) and a rather nifty cotton bag that folds up into its own pocket.

Also bought but not shown: toilet rim cleaner thing £1.22 and two bags: one jute at £1 and one fair trade cotton at 99p

The cheesecake and the loaf cake are for Rik. He loves cheesecake and has been feeling a bit low and stressed lately so I wanted to cheer him up.

Total cost £38.35
or US$68.54
or NZ$103.55
or €48.12

Before getting on the train I popped into the little M&S food shop at Milton Keynes station because I’d not only forgotten bags, but hadn’t brought anything to eat after the gym. I bought this

Total cost in M&S:
Total cost £5
or US$8.92
or NZ$13.49
or €6.30