Wednesday Weigh In - Week 40 - Weighing Things Up

So this week saw a half pound loss which takes me to 28.5 pounds in total. I'm quite pleased with this as it wasn't a crazy workout week.

One thing that I have been thinking about this week is portion control. I think it's something I need to tighten up on. I should be weighing everything as I am back on Weight Watchers Smart Points. It's is too easy though if you are in a hurry to let things slip and just judge the weight of food. Even if you are only slightly out, that difference will add up over a week and could really impact on your weight loss. So my scales are going to get a lot more use as from today I am weighing everything again!

It does feel good to have a loss again this week after a couple of weeks of staying at the same weight. 😊

Hope you are all having a great week so far, speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx

Monday Motivation - Let It Go

I think that most of us would agree that we all carry around emotional baggage with us especially as we get older. It's part of life. We also carry habits and behaviour patterns that may have become our automatic responses. I know I certainly do and my motivation for today is to try and just let it go. Definitely the cue for a song there!

For me it's a lot of emotional baggage from an emotionally abusive mum who died before I gained closure, also from a horrific marriage breakup leaving me with a six year old and a three month old baby to bring up. I've dealt with the latter well but I need to acknowledge that scars are still there.

It's also continuing to try and let go of the emotional hold that food has over me. I fight every day to recognise that I shouldn't turn to food as a way of eating my feelings and lifting my mood. 

I also want to let go of being bothered by other people's expectations. I'm doing this for me. It's acknowledging that it hurts if people express doubt that I can do this or question why or tell me that I looked better fatter and I look ill when I lose weight (real comment someone actually said to my face!). It may hurt to hear these comments but ultimately they are completely irrelevant!

I suppose it's about being at peace with myself and believing in what I'm doing. So that's my Monday motivation this week and I'm going to work on just letting go of all the  rubbish and nonsense that is cluttering up my mind

Hope you are all having a fantastically motivated Monday.

Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx

Wednesday Weigh In - Week 39 - No Change

So nothing lost and nothing gained this week but that's not bad when I look back at what has actually happened during the week. I've been ill since the weekend so haven't exercised and I eased up on my diet a little as I just wanted to factor in food that made me feel better. I've got a terrible sore throat and in attempts to try and soothe it, I've had ice cream a couple of times.

It's good to realise that I can have blips like this though without actually putting weight on. Previously I would have put 2 or 3 pounds on by eating junk food just to try and make myself feel better! I'm in this for the long haul so I need to be able to cope with all the crap that life throws at me. Hopefully I'll shake the cold off soon and can start running again!

Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx

Should you still exercise with a cold?

I have a cold coming on, I can feel it. I keep sneezing, my head hurts and my throat is sore. I automatically decided not to work out today because of this. I generally felt rough and out of sorts. I was intrigued to see what the general advice is for this situation seeing as we are now heading into winter and cold and  flu season. I was a little surprised at what I discovered in my research.  

If your symptoms are all above the neck such as sore throat, blocked nose then the online advice is that you can work out as normal although you should stop if the workout makes you feel worse. Also you should be aware that some cold medicines make your heart beat faster. This, when combined with exercise, could result in the heart beating extremely fast and could cause difficulty breathing.

If you have a fever at all or aching joints then the general advice is to not exercise and concentrate on getting better.

Personally I take the view that you should listen to your body. If you are constantly sneezing and coughing then you are going to find it hard to workout to your full potential. In my opinion, a couple of days rest will not hurt and may mean that you can shake the cold off more quickly.

If you are really desperate to exercise then maybe think about adapting your workout. If you were going to run then try a brisk walk instead.

For me personally I won't work out until I have shook the cold off. I'm prone to chest infections so I need to be careful. I will just stick to my healthy eating and drink plenty of fluids.

Hope you are all well at the moment. Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx

Monday Motivation - New week and new start

 I think we all get too caught up in the negative view of Monday. I know I've done it, you wake up and think oh God, start of another week. 

What we forget though is that yes, it is the start of another week and that may mean back to work for many of us but it's also a brand new week and a new start. It's up to us what we make of the week ahead. Imagine that this week is like a blank page and its up to you to decide what to write on it. Forget what happened last week, particularly if it wasn't the best week and look ahead.

This is definitely my mantra for today

So let's all try and make it the best week that we can! Look ahead, not back!

Hope you all have a great Monday. Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx

Peach Porridge Cakes

This was definitely not the easiest recipe to devise. If you follow my Instagram then  you will have seen pictures of previous versions. I did start by using puréed fresh peaches but it just didn't work and the flavour was lost. I always prefer to work with fresh ingredients but in this case chopped up tinned peaches work best. 

Ingredients

150g tinned peaches (drained)

150g golden syrup

100g margarine

200g self raising flour

1 heaped tsp baking powder

100g oats

250ml unsweetened almond milk 

1 egg

Method

1. Beat the egg in a large bowl.

2. Add the golden syrup and margarine then stir well.

3. Stir in the flour, oats, baking powder and almond milk. Mix well until combined 

4. Chop the tinned peaches into small pieces

5. Carefully fold the peaches into the mixture and then stir gently so that they are distributed throughout the mixture 

6. Half fill 12 muffin cases with the mixture. You will find that the mixture is quite runny so it is easy to see the peach pieces. Make sure that every muffin case contains several pieces of peach.

7. Cook at the top of a preheated oven for approximately 15 minutes or until the tops turn golden.

8. Allow to cool before removing

The recipe makes 12 cakes which are 148 calories each.

In case you are wondering, I called them Peach Porridge Cakes because of the combination of oats and almond milk in the recipe. That's how I make my porridge and the taste of the cakes reminded me of that. 

The little pieces of peach add a delicious sweet surprise when you bite into them.

I think they were worth the effort. Let me know if you try making them.

Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx

Creamy Salmon Pasta

I had some smoked salmon trimmings set aside for dinner last night and normally I would just throw them in a salad. I felt grotty and cold though so I fancied something hot and filling. This is what I came up with.

Ingredients

75g dried tagliatelle 

100g smoked salmon

1/2 onion

3 cloves of garlic

100g green beans

100g low fat Creme fraiche

4 tablespoons water from the cooked pasta

3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Method

1. Cook the pasta as per the packet instructions.

2. While the pasta cooks, peel and finely chop the onion and garlic

3. Using low fat cooking spray, gently fry the onion and garlic in a large pan for about 3 - 4 minutes until softened.

4. Top and tail the green beans and slice them into small sections.

5. Stir the beans into the pan and continue frying for about 3-4 minutes. Stir  as needed until the green beans start to brown. 

6. Once it is cooked, drain the pasta and set aside some of the pasta water. 

7. Chop the salmon into small pieces.

8. Return the pasta to the pan and stir in the Creme fraiche and smoked salmon until the pasta is fully coated.

9. Stir in the onion, garlic and beans.

10. Add 4 tablespoons of the pasta water and stir it in.

11. Add 2 tablespoons of Parmesan and stir.

12. Simmer for approximately 5 minutes and stir frequently.

13. Serve with the last tablespoon of Parmesan scattered on top.

The recipe is 597 calories so not one that I would eat every day. It's great though for days when you need something more filling or if you have had a particularly light lunch.

It definitely made a great change from a smoked salmon salad.

Let me know if you try making it. Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx