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.

Good luck @WeeWillyWanky, and welcome to the thread.

Day 49 Green.

Allbran HEXB with milk HEXA and banana.

More tea, water, apple, Alpen light bar HEXB. Mango if still peckish.

Roast beef (6 syns), gravy (4 syns), potato and sweet potato mash. Carrots, peas, broccoli, green beans.

Got weighed this morning for the first time in ages and was quite surprised. At 5ft 7in and 11 st 3lb I was just within the healthy weight bracket. I'd like to get down to 10 stone 7lb. Any lower and I'll struggle to maintain it.
I'm going to have both HEAs as skimmed milk so that means 700ml a day which is a lot, but I drink a lot of tea. I'm not going to measure it out though.

B: Porridge (HEB)
L: Quorn ham sandwich using 60g wholemeal bread (HEB) and a mullerlight yoghurt.
D: going to try a SW ready meal. Vegetable biryani.
I won't have used any syns so will no doubt use them on chocolate in the evening.

I am still lurking although not posting (will post weight tomorrow though). I used to quite like an omelette with syn free chips and peas, might go back onto that for an evening meal once I'm back on course, perhaps with HEB cheese if I have that spare.

Hi Wee Willy. Just wanted to add that if you are going to follow the old style Green plan, it was 1 x HEA and 2 x HEB (I found a 1999 book). Skimmed milk is listed under basic foods as 9.5 syns per 568ml if that helps?

When I did Green back in 2011, you were given the option of having 1 or 2 HEAs, and I always had 2 so I'm sticking with that!

Just to prove I didn't make it up

I have the two HEXAs for milk too, and I don't measure. And both HEXBs. But I don't have many syns, so I suppose it evens itself out.

I must make SW chips this week. I can have them with poached eggs (my favourite) and peas on one of my green days.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm 5ft 7in too. My starting weight was 11st 9lbs and I'd love to lose two stone. That's probably not realistic, I'd be happy to hover between 10st and 10st 4lbs.

2 As and 2 Bs sounds better to me, that must be why I am not losing any weight (I am, of course, joking, it is the repeated use of 'flexible syns' - also known as having no willpower) To be fair, my book is ancient, they must have changed the rules since last century .

I meant to say in my previous post, the last time I went near a SW group, a member recommended microwaving the chips before baking (rather than boiling) which worked well, took less time and created less washing up.

I meant to say in my previous post, the last time I went near a SW group, a member recommended microwaving the chips before baking (rather than boiling) which worked well, took less time and created less washing up.

I do this now, as it's a lot less faff. The only trouble with SW chips is I could easily eat 3 big spuds as chips but would only have one if having a jacket. I have to keep telling myself that just because a food is free, I don't have to keep eating it until I go BANG!

Welcome WeeWilly! EE no good for me either being a veggie. I used to get very cross trying to explain in group that I was gaining nothing yet losing a HE! 🤣
Well I think Easter has caught up with me...a pound on but undeterred and back on plan 100%. I need to keep an eye on portion size too I think..I'm 5.3 so every extra pound shows. Currently 10.3 and aiming for low to mid 9s.
Great tip about pre-microwaving sw chips - may try with sweet potato too.
Here's to a great week for us all!
Breakfast- 2x scotch pancakes, tea.
Lunch- beans on toast (hexb)
Tea- will try new style sw chips, courgettes (need to use up), eggs. Syns will no doubt sort themselves out...1 creme egg left!

Day 50 Green.

Loss this week 1lb.
Losses to date 13lbs.

Yogurt and blueberries. Tea with milk HEXA.

Banana, Alpen light bar HEXB, mullerlight, more tea, water.

Yesterday's leftovers, roast beef HEXB, gravy 4 syns, bubble and squeak made with leftover peas, potato and sweet potato mash, green beans and carrots, fried in frylight.

70.2kg

Gain this week, but not as bad as it could have been.

I'm 5 foot 2, so I get you with the every extra pound shows diege although I am almost a stone heavier than you to start with, hence the very real need to lose weight. Last week of the school holidays here, so again I'm going to be a bit mindful of what I'm eating without being strict and get my head straight for a restart on Monday 19th (am I allowed to call it Day 1, though, Iris?!)

Of course you are @NancyDrawed.

Spend this week preparing for Day 1 and a fresh start.

Plus, there's no pressure for anyone on this thread to do the plan a certain way, whatever works for you is fine on here.

Hope everyone has a good week!

Day 51 Green.

Yogurt and berries. Tea with milk HEXA.

More tea, water, apple, Alpen light bar HEXB.

Ham HEXB with rice salad.

Jacket potato and chilli beans.

Menu today
Wholemeal toast x 2 slices (large loaf) so counting I think as 2 HEXB.
Lunch: pasta and sauce
Tea: spaghetti and veggie meatballs, tom sauce, cheese (HEXA).
Drinks: tea, coffee, water (HEXA milk).
Doubting the sauces are free, so maybe just a few rich teas with a cuppa in the evening.

Day 52 Green.

Allbran HEXB with milk HEXA and banana. Tea with milk.

More tea, water, Alpen light bar HEXB, apple.

Homemade veg soup with onion, carrot, potato, sweet potato, red pepper, broccoli and celery.

Jacket potato and chilli beans.

Day 53 Green.

Yogurt and banana. Tea with milk HEXA.

Alpen light bar HEXB, apple, grapes, more tea, water.

Quorn pepper steak with broccoli, carrots and green beans.

Struggling a bit with inspiration here today! That soup you posted the other day looked nice iris!
Breakfast- skinny bagel (HEXB)
Lunch - Quorn sausages, sw chips, mushrooms and courgettes. 2 rich t biscuits (4syns).
Tea: possibly a homemade veggie curry...
I want chocolate 🍫!!!

It's easy to make @diege, I don't even cook off the veg first. Chop everything, bung in a pan with water, spices and seasoning, simmer for 10 minutes and blitz with the hand blender.

Day 54 Green.

Yogurt and berries. Tea with milk HEXA.

Alpen light bar HEXB, more tea, water, banana.

Jacket potato and chilli beans.

Omelette and SW chips. Mullerlight. Diet coke.

Day 55 Red.

Mango and grapes. Tea with milk HEXA.

Mushroom omelette with salad.

Homemade chilli and rice HEXB. Done with frylight, mince, loads of onions, peppers, tomatoes etc, but no kidney beans.

Apple and mullerlight if peckish.

Day 56 Red.

Bacon, sausage (2 syns), poached egg, tomatoes. Tea with milk HEXA.

More tea, mullerlight, Alpen light bar HEXB, apple, grapes, water.

Roast chicken. Roast potatoes and sweet potatoes done in frylight. Carrots, green beans, broccoli, gravy (4 syns).

Day 57 Green.

Loss this week 0.
Losses to date 13lbs.

Yogurt and banana. Tea with milk HEXA.

More tea, water, Alpen light bar HEXB, apple, grapes.

Jacket potato and chilli beans.

Need to focus this week, one more pound for a stone loss.

I always mentally add 'In the Big Brother house' after DayX (and I only watched the first couple of series on and off - it must the Geordie accent that made it stick!)

Anyway.
Day 57

69.8 kg

Loss this week 0.4kg
Loss since start 1kg.

Back in the zone. No snacks is the key for me, I think.

Welcome back @NancyDrawed.

I need to get back in the zone too. Not enough water, too much tea, and carb heavy dinners. I'm going to mix things up, I think.

Here's to a good week!