If you have read anything of my story following diagnosis of a brain tumour in January 2014, and 20 hours of brain surgery for the tumour’s removal in March of that year, you may have deduced that the weight-gain which came along with the loss of most motor function and 6 months of Steroids, is a bit of a preoccupation.
You will have gathered that carrying an additional 2.5 stones does not make me a happy bunny. I am both sad and angry that I cannot fit into most of the really lovely clothes I own and I am miserable and anxious about the health issues the weight-gain has brought in its wake (namely high cholesterol and high blood pressure). But my unhappiness at the weight gain seems more existential than mere inconvenience and annoyance. I am acutely miserable every time I look in the mirror and see a reflection of this body I don’t recognise. It is as if an alien has taken over my body. I want it back, please!
With that in mind I have joined WeightWatchers. I was all set to do the 5:2 Diet or the Every Other Day Diet, but my daughters, bless them, persuaded me that WeightWatchers would be healthier for me in my still wobbly state of recovery. I had planned to wait until September to start, but I hadn’t bargained on the persuasive power of my younger daughter.
So, last Thursday, August 6th, I joined WeightWatchers online – I am not yet up to attending meetings. The WeightWatchers app I downloaded to my phone and tablet, allows me to check the number of points in any food or dish and, so far, I have found it, if not easy, then at least do-able. My daily Pro-Points allowance is 26 points, plus 49 weekly points for food emergencies. Me being me, I was only having an average of 18 or 19 points each day for the first 4 days. My daughters both reprimanded me for not eating all my points so I am now sticking more closely to the plan. My daughters both had tips for me, which I have found very useful, so I will pass them on. The best one is to make a batch of no-points soup which you can have at any time, especially just before going out for a meal, so you don’t arrive at the restaurant feeling ravenously hungry and hoover up 20 points in bread and olives before eating anything of nutritional value.
No Points Soup recipe:
½ teaspoon olive oil
1 onion
800 grams of broccoli
You can substitute broccoli for any vegetable except peas or potatoes. Butternut squash (roasted first) is particularly delicious
1.5 litres boiling water
1 dessert spoon soup stock powder (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste
Method: Heat the oil in a large, lidded soup pan. Add the onion. Cover with lid and allow to soften for 5 minutes on low heat. Meanwhile, roughly chop the vegetables. If using carrots or parsnips, top and tail them, but it’s not necessary to peel. Add vegetables to pan, with a dessert spoon of the boiling water. Re-cover and simmer for 5 mins on low heat. Then add remaining water, soup stock powder (if used), and seasoning. Bring soup back to boil, then lower heat and simmer for 30 mins until veg feel soft when pierced with a sharp knife. Allow soup to cool completely, then liquidise in batches till very smooth. Store soup in an airtight container in fridge for use in hunger emergencies…
Also, try to learn what is your worst (i.e most hungry) period each day; the moment when you are most likely to say “f*** it, life’s too short” and reach for the Hob-nobs or the Pringles.
You need to put a strategy in place to deal with those moments. My worst time is early evening and my defence is fruit (which has no points on WeightWatchers). I cut up a bowl of fruit, usually strawberries and pour over them one little pot of Benecol Light natural Yogurt Drink, which is a bit like eating strawberries and cream but is just 1 Pro-Point on Weightwatchers. If that fails, I may have a bowl of no-points soup or one slice of wholewheat toast with marmite (2 points). The phrase “no points” is heard so often in our house these days, it’s sounding like a final rehearsal for Eurovision!
Oh, yes, at the end of week one, I have lost 1.2 kilograms (or 2.4 lbs in old money). It doesn’t seem like much until I picture two one-pound bags of sugar. I will keep you posted. In the meantime, please tell us your war stories in the battle of the bulge…
[su_button url=”http://www.sosensational.co.uk/i-used-to-be-a-travel-editor-now-i-hate-airport-security/” background=”#6c20b1″ size=”7″ center=”yes” icon=”icon: arrow-right”]Read about Jan’s dislike for Airport security here[/su_button]
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