I have recently passed the 18-month mark after surgery and the 3-month mark since I started on WeightWatchers.
I haven’t bothered you lovely SoSensational ladies with a recent diet update, since it is mostly more of the same… daily deprivation and almost indiscernible weight loss at the weekly weigh-in, though there was a very gratifying “mum, you’ve lost a shed-load of weight,” from Daughter Number One, who hadn’t seen me for a few weeks.
I am carrying on carrying on sticking to 26 Pro-Points and never (or almost never) going into my 49 “extra” weekly Pro-Points (well, maybe using 2 or 3 of those “extra” points once every 3 weeks or so.) Now I have been off steroids for almost a year, my appetite has shrunk back to pre-surgery levels, which definitely helps with the dieting though I still get occasional sugar cravings which require satisfying with 2 Kit-Kat fingers (3 points) or a couple of wine gums (2 points) or a spoon of Canderel in my black Americano (0 points) .
I thought I would share my latest low-calorie (and point-free) soup with you. It is a yummy and almost instant tomato soup.
INGREDIENTS
2 x 400g cans chopped, peeled tomatoes
1 tbspn chopped onion*
1 tbspn chopped garlic*
(*I use the supermarket frozen chopped onions and garlic)
2 teasp chicken or vegetable stock
½ teasp dried herbs (I prefer Herbes de Provence but you could use oregano, basil or parsley, or a mix but don’t use more than a total ½ teaspoon or it will be too dominant)
Salt and black pepper, to taste
100 ml boiling water
70 ml milk or single cream (optional)
A few basil leaves (optional)
½ teasp olive oil or one spray of Fry Light (or similar) 1 Cal Spray
METHOD
Paint olive oil or spray Fry Light on base of saucepan, and place on low heat. Add onion and garlic, cover and “sweat” them for 5 minutes or until soft. Pour in tomatoes and add stock, herbs, water, basil (if used) and seasoning. Bring to a bubbling heat then lower heat and simmer gently for 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and remove lid to allow soup to cool. EITHER press soup through a sieve or allow it to cool completely and place in a blender to liquidise, but keep some texture – it shouldn’t be too smooth. Reheat to serve. Taste and adjust seasoning if required. Add a swirl of milk or single cream if using, if not worried about calories/points.
On a related but non-diet topic, my hands are gradually becoming a bit more usable, especially the left one which was totally non-functioning for a year. It has improved, but still lets me down at times. I eat quite a lot of Marmite (I love it but I’m sure many of you are gagging as you read the word “Marmite”). I love the taste and it is point-free on WWatchers. But getting Marmite out of the jar with my barely functioning fingers is frustrating, though I imagine would be funny to watch, and the ensuing Marmite-y hands brings a whole new meaning to the kids’ teatime favourite Marmite fingers!
I am also still seeing a host of wonderful professionals and complementary practitioners who keep my body in some kind of order. These include the brilliant neuro-physiotherapist, Jo Tuckey; cranial osteopath, Teresa Checchia and specialist in remedial and soft tissue Massage Paula Edwards.
Physio Jo’s latest torture is a Balance Board, on which I have to stand, turn and do knee-bends as a way to re-accustom my brain to uneven surfaces beneath my still not brilliantly functioning feet.
Before we leave the subject of healthy eating too far behind, I would like to discuss the trend for smoothies, delivered by devices which include the Nutri-Bullet and the Nutri Ninja.
I don’t know about you, but I am hearing all kinds of nutritional claims for these devices but I’m not buying (either figuratively or literally). I can see their appeal if you are a time-poor working mum, and the alternative to a strawberry, banana and kale smoothie is a Pret chocolate croissant. In that instance, the smoothie is definitely the healthier option. And when you are feeding your kids breakfast, if the choice is between a bowl of sugary cereal or a Berry and Banana smoothie, then the smoothie is most definitely the better and healthier choice.
But if the alternative to a smoothie is (whole) fresh fruit and a bowl of home-made, sugar-free Bircher Muesli sprinkled with raw seeds and nuts, the smoothie is not the healthier option so please stop trying to “sell” me nutri-anythings…
Do let us know your views on smoothies (the edible variety), or other food trends.
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4 Comments
Being a mobile hairdresser I always ate either garage sandwich or cereal bars between clients, since having brought a Nutri-bullet I love it, I make my breakfast and lunch the night before and make every veg and fruit variety you can think of, I have also lost 4lb in a week… so smoothies are for me :0)
Well done, you, for avoiding cereal bars and garage sandwiches. Smoothies are DEFINITELY the healthier option!
Hi Jan, Thank you for bringing awareness to an awful, debilitating illness. I lost my mum on 31 March last year to the after-effect illnesses brought on by a massive brain tumour that our local doctors somehow missed between 1994-1999. I am so glad to hear that you are making such a wonderful recovery and to let you know that life after surgery does go on. In 1999, my mother had a major operation in Charing Cross Hospital to remove a tumour that almost literally encompassed the left side of her head. The consultant was astounded when she made an almost full recovery (she lost her left ear to the tumour, developed epilepsy and it had affected her eyesight slightly) and went on to have 10 very good years living a normal retired life, pottering around her allotment and taking her dog for long walks. I am grateful for those 10 years which they said we probably wouldn’t have as they predicted she would leave the hospital wheelchair bound, unable to look after herself and would more than like need 24 hour nursing care, if she made it through the surgery at all. In 2009, mum succumbed to dementia and had to go into a care home and then in 2014 she had a massive stroke which set the final wheels in motion. The doctors said these were both probably brought on by her previous tumour but that there was no way to tell if the late diagnosis had anything to do with her final health problems. I beg to differ and feel that if her tumour had been diagnosed and treated earlier she would still be with us, welcoming her great grand-child into the world last month. I would just like to say good luck in the future, Jan, and keep up the good work.
Dear Corinne, Thank you for your kind and encouraging words and for taking the time to tell us the story of your mum’s brain tumour. That late diagnosis probably wasn’t helpful but who can know whether, if she had had her surgery earlier, with a different team, the outcome may have been different. Congratulations on your new grandchild and enjoy lots of cuddles