Can you still do green and red days?

[lris]

Hello. I lost a couple of stone doing red and green days about 15 years ago. My weight has fluctuated in the meantime, and I now find myself back where I started, due to snacking and general bad habits.

I don't want to rejoin, never enjoyed the classes (image therapy, ugh), all the happy clappy nonsense. But I did do well on the plan.

Would I be successful going it alone, based on the information I can find online?

Typically, I would use HEXAs for milk in cereal, tea and coffee. HEXB for all bran or oats with fruit for breakfast. Lots of fish, lean meats and veg for lunch / dinner and syn alpen bars and muller lights if I needed a snack.

Does that sound okay? Is it within the current rules, as I know things have changed a lot over the years. I just don't want to be bothered with extra easy, as I never got my head around it. I need something quick and easy to follow for a few months to get me on track and back into better habits.

I do cook from scratch, and I don't drink alcohol, please tell me it's feasible.

[WeeWillyWanky]

If it worked before, then it would definitely work now. I lost over 8 stone by following Green, I could never follow the current plan as I need 2 HEXBs, and don't eat meat or fish. It might be worth checking out FB as I know there are a couple of old school red/green groups on there.

[NancyDrawed]

Funnily enough I was thinking the same thing, having just found my old books during a clear out. I never got my head round EE either, but did well with green days many years ago (and how I wish I was the starting weight that I was then! I'm at almost a stone heavier before I even start!!)

So I will be going back to my old favourites - 42g crunchy bran with HEA for breakfast, jacket potato with beans and cottage cheese for lunch and pasta with a tomato and quorn sauce of some type for supper. And crossing my fingers that it will still work for me!

[NancyDrawed]

oops, missed some info - HEA milk with my cereal and cheese for the evening meal. Can't remember what healthy Bs are on the green plan but will re read the booklet.

[lris]

Thank you both for the info and words of encouragement.

I actually prefer the green days too. Am I right in thinking that I can have two HEXAs and two HEXBs? I can't check in my old books, as I no longer have them.

As an aside, I know you now have to count mullerlights as one syn, but unless they have changed the recipe, I am hopeful that they are syn free on the old style plans.

I'm going to do some meal planning, and a SW friendly shop in anticipation of starting in earnest on Monday.

[NancyDrawed]

And HE B being the crunchy bran, of course!! It's been a l o n g time since I followed this plan (but it worked well for me and there's no reason why it won't again). I've always said that SW is great if you like easy and quantity but aren't bothered by variety and WW is better if you want variety but don't mind weighing and measuring and potentially not feeling full.

(To be fair, ANY weight loss plan works - as long as you follow whatever rules it requires!)

[lris]

Exactly @NancyDrawed, easy and quantity all the way here! I don't mind eating the same three meals every day. It takes away the constant obsession with food, I find. If my weight loss stalls, then I mix it up.

@WeeWillyWanky, I forgot to congratulate you on your achievement, eight stones is amazing!

[NancyDrawed]

I've got a book from 1999.

It is 1 x HEA and 2 x HEB (I tend to use the cheese allowance in HEB to go on my pasta dish)

I get that some foods will be made with different recipes now, which is why the syns value changed, but surely the plan should still work in principle? Especially where it is the fruit / veg, non processed stuff.

If you need me to look something up, let me know (but be warned, I don't always have access to a computer or the internet, so it might take a while to get back to you!)

[lris]

Thank you @NancyDrawed, that is so kind.

Good point about processed food. I did make use of the hifi and alpen bars and mullerlights in the past, but in the main I ate proper food, cooked from scratch, no ready meals or takeaways.

And I'm looking into joining the Facebook group mentioned above.

[lris]

Day 1, here we go.

Green
Toffee mullerlight and chopped banana. Cup of tea, with milk (HEXA). I don't do breakfast really, this is the most I can manage usually.

Plan on having penne pasta and homemade tomato sauce for lunch. A bit of onion, red pepper, mushroom fried in olive oil (HEXB), with herbs and tinned chopped tomatoes.

Roast chicken (HEXB) with sweet potato, green beans, carrots, peas and a splash of gravy (2 syns).

More tea and an Alpen bar (3syns). Apple if peckish. And water.

How does that look. I'm being cautious, probably not eating enough. May not have the balance right. But it's been a while, and I'm motivated, so will see how it goes.

Will weigh in next Monday. I'm posting losses only, not actual weight.

[NancyDrawed]

Me too!

Starting weight 70.8kg (I've decided to go metric so I don't obsess over every pound!) I am in the habit of weighing myself every morning so will post weight daily and a loss/gain total next Monday.

Green.
Breakfast: 42g crunchy bran with milk from HEA - also used for coffee
Lunch: Jacket potato with baked beans and VLF cottage cheese
Supper: two chubby cubs slow cooker lasagne made with minced quorn (HEB for cheese for sauce) currently cooking as needs 6 hours. Will have with corn on the cob and possibly potatoes done in the airfryer depending on how hungry I am.

[NancyDrawed]

Just FYI, the lasagne tastes fine but the texture of the pasta is too soft for my liking -but seeing as it has been cooked for hours, what did I expect?!. Unfortunately the recipe is for 6 portions, so it looks like I'll be eating it for lunch and/or supper for a few days to get rid.

[lris]

Thank you for joining me. Your lasagne sounds yummy, I'd not heard of two chubby cubs, so thanks for mentioning them.

I really feel in the zone today, and realised that I could easily be a stone (or more) lighter when we come out of lockdown in June. I do need to keep myself motivated, as I can easily lose focus.

[lris]

Day 2, Green. This is the plan for today.

Strawberries and grapes with a mullerlight. Two teas, HEXA for milk.

Boiled eggs with sweetcorn, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and grated carrot. Alpen bar (HEXB).

Jacket potato with Cheats Chilli - mince (HEXB), onion, red pepper, all dry fried. Then add a tin of baked beans and half a teaspoon of chilli powder. Tastes better than it sounds.

Further tea throughout the day, using remaining HEXA allowance for milk. Banana if peckish. Water.

[NancyDrawed]

I didn't enjoy going to the groups either (I agree with you on the Image Therapy, I hated it!) but a diet buddy will hopefully help to keep me/us? motivated. Having dabbled with low carb and Harcombe, I enjoyed snacking on fruit yesterday and probably ate more than I should have just for the novelty value.

One of my children is vegetarian so I envisage lots of lentil based recipes coming up - one of his favourites is a lentil dahl www.slimmingeats.com/blog/red-lentil-dhal which we have had lots anyway and without adding the coconut milk or yoghurt, so that makes it syn free. (I don't have fresh herbs to add, either)



Day 2

Weight 70.6 kg

Breakfast: HEA milk an HEB cereal
Lunch: Jacket Potato with Baked beans and VLF cottage cheese
Supper: Lasagne from yesterday and salad. It's freezable, so I might freeze the rest for later

[NancyDrawed]

PS I like the sound of your cheats chilli and it will be easy to do with quorn mince or perhaps kidney beans instead of mince, freeing up a HEB for grated cheese to go on the top!

[lris]

Quorn mince would be ideal @NancyDrawed.

I am also a veteran of low carbing, but found it unsustainable. The limitations on the older SW plans don't really feel like restrictions if you can fill up at mealtimes. I had no problems with always having something I could eat, in fact I love the free foods on green days so much that initially I struggled to fit in the healthy extras.

So yes, having a diet buddy will keep me on track, more so than going to group and paying for the privilege. Thank you.

[lris]

Red today.

Mullerlight and banana. Tea (milk as HEXA).

Grapes and alpen bar (HEXB) for snacking.

Tea and water during the day.

Omelette with corned beef and onion hash. Onion fried in olive oil (HEXB). I know that corned beef is no longer free on red. But it used to be. And it worked for me at the time.

[NancyDrawed]

Day 3 Green

70.6 kg

Breakfast: HEA milk and HEB cereal
Lunch: Jacket potato with a homemade quorn chilli
Supper: Lasagne and salad

Snacks: fruit. I'm loving being 'allowed' fruit

Fell off the wagon a bit yesterday (already! doesn't bode well..) and had a bag of walkers baked and a couple of rich teas with a cup of tea. But then I reckon that might fall within the syns allowance.

[lris]

@NancyDrawed, I think you will be okay. You can count them as syns.

[lris]

I think you are encouraged to have your syn allowance daily. But back in the day, I'd save my 70 syns for a blowout at the weekend, and I still had decent losses.

[NancyDrawed]

Day 4 Green

70.4kg

Breakfast. Milk HEA Belvita breakfast biscuits (6.5 syns I think)
Lunch. Lasagne and salad
Supper Slimming Eats Lentil Dal and rice

I remember 'flexible syns' coming into play a bit too often in the past, so will have to keep an eye on that. I know I'll fall back into a proper routine with it, but the big week one loss is clearly not going to happen for me if I keep cheating!

[lris]

Day 4. Red.

40g Allbran (HEXB) with milk (HEXA) and chopped banana. Tea.

Alpen bar (HEXB), tea and an apple.

Salmon, green beans and broccoli.

I fancied salmon for tea, and as you only get a tiny amount on the green plan, I've switched to red today.

I'm using hardly any syns at the moment, but that's because I'm giving myself some leeway, just in case I haven't got the basics quite right.

I'm hopeful we will both have good losses by Monday.

[NancyDrawed]

Day 5
70.2kg (flickered onto 70 momentarily, crikey!)

Breakfast: HEA milk for coffee and Belvita biscuits 6.5
Lunch: Jacket Potato with Beans and cottage cheese (HEB as not VLF)
Supper: Lentil Dahl and rice

Snacks: fruit, maybe a bowl of cereal

I ended up with lasagne for lunch and JP and chilli for supper yesterday in the send

I will probably open my Friday sparkling wine later (Fri/Sat and possibly Sun to finish the bottle) No idea how many syns, will check before I drink.

I will try and remember to post on here over the weekend, I am liking the discipline and accountability! Have a good weekend and fingers crossed for a half decent weightloss on Monday's weigh in.

[lris]

Wow, if you keep this up, you will definitely be reporting a loss by Monday.

Day 5 Green.
Mullerlight and banana. Tea with milk (HEXA).
Quorn pepper steak fillet with peas, carrots and broccoli.
Jacket potato and beans.
Alpen light bar (HEXB), pecan nuts (HEXB), with more tea and an apple if peckish.
Water.

Don't have much on over the weekend, surprisingly , so more of the same and hopefully a good loss for the first week.

[lris]

Today's update, red day.

Yogurt and fruit. Tea. Milk as a HEXA.

Ham, boiled eggs, tomatoes and cucumber.

Tea and water throughout the day. Apple if peckish.

Slow cooked beef with new potatoes (HEXB), sweet potatoes (HEXB), broccoli, green beans and gravy (4 syns).

Don't worry if you aren't able to post over the weekend, the main thing is to enjoy being on plan.