The Big Fat List and the Days of Doom (TM) Part V - Once we were plump but now we are thinner, and looking forward to our Christmas Dinner! (Also incorporating the New Year weigh in confession thread)

[grinningbee]

So, here we have our nice new little thread. No food type is banned from being mentioned. It is Xmas afterall . So pull up a comfy chair, I've put a good film on the telly for you, put some logs on the fire and laid out some snacks. We have stollen, mince pies, chocs, shortbread, smelly cheese and crackers, wine and baileys.

Feel free to add anything else!

This thread will self destruct later in the new year, so don't worry about confessing to eating naughty nibbles, or putting on the odd pound (or 8).

Enjoy, and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

CSWS that is impressive!! I spend about £80 a week in Sainsburys, then maybe £10 in the farmers market on veg. There are 4 of us (although the DCs are titchy, nearly 3 and nearly 1), and I cook for my mum and dad every weekday evening. I think I must be quite frugal now! Am of your fillet steaks though...

riap at no shit sherlock

That is good going debka I spend about £100-120 week on food, that's for 3of us plus then 2 meals a week for 6. That also includes nappies formula....

Urgh I ache from shredding. I will try and do it tonight as well.

Food:
B: fruit and yog
L: jp beans and salad
D: mixed mushroom lasagne from sw mg

Have a good day everyone. I hope appraisal goes alright hedge
at 1970s shreddies!

morning all. my bloody children have started nagging and niggling and bickering already. I HATE mornings (especially Monday because it all starts an hour earlier as DS1 has to get the college bus to his diploma today, rather than the ordinary school bus)

I spend far too much on food, and even more when I menu plan it seems. There are 5 of us. and the cat!

I saw your link CSWS, that could be some of the shops here. We just about still have a post office, and there's a small expensive co-op, a greengrocers, a butchers and a fancy deli in our village. If I were to do "proper shop" shopping I would go to the next small town (where I already spend too much in Tesco) as it's cheaper there. Couldn't afford to do all my shopping in our village.

just had my midget bowl of bitesize shredded wheat.

have a good day

I wish we could get cheap food in Guernsey, but we only have M&S Food, Waitrose and Co-op. It costs us a fortune!

bee is v quiet, hope all is ok

Good morning everyone!

Kid I am so sorry about your news It is very very hard. And Slinky for your friend too. I had one of those, and it isn't nice.

Hedge Good luck with the appraisal today.

Now then, me a demon? Probably . I'm not in the running for being top of the list this week, or even close. Had a bit of wine over the weekend, but within syn limits. That always slows it down for me regardless. I am still very determined though.

I did try another new recipe - the spicy beef and pepper stew (page 75 in the new mag) and it is delicious. Tis even better after a couple of days in the fridge. I bung the recipe up later on. The only problem I had with it was that I don't own a big enough pot, so had to do it in two. I feel the need to buy a bigger pot 'cos I'll certainly be making that again soon.

My friend came out of hospital yesterday. She'd had to stay longer as the ward had the norovirus. She came down with it on Thursday, but not until she had left here. Thankfully none of us picked it up. Think it might have been her that gave it to the ward... She's in a right old state, but more on the other thread.

Food shopping. I shop in Sainsbury's (nearest supermarket to me is 13 miles!) and I find it good. I do buy a lot of basics stuff, and our normal shop is around the £60-£70 mark, sometimes up to £80 if I need a lot of cleaning stuff. There's 4 of us, but two of those are 1 and 2.

Food for today will be:

Weetabix and a banana
Cheese triangles on toast, apple, clementines and a yogurt
Spinach cannelloni

Ha ha ha! Crossed posts Cheese

Yeah, I'm fine thanks. It's been a very odd weekend.

Hey ho!

MORNING SLIMMERS!!

I will go 'n' read the fred in a minute, but in the meantime if anyone is looking for a way to waste time motivate themelves, I had an email this morning from Nutracheck (a bit like myfitnesspal) containing some success stories here.

It really does help me to read this stuff so passing it on to y'all. Back soon!

On food budgets - there are just we two, and I reckon we spend about 70-80 in Sainsbo's a week...which is good going, but I am a bit shit and quite often pop into the corner shops during the week and pick up extra stuff. We're really well served for all-night type Turkish/Cypriot grocers that have really good value fruit, veg and herbs, and Interesting Things in Jars, and that sort of thing. If I didn't pass them every morning and evening and get tempted I'd be forced to cook from what's in the fridge/freezer, which would be very good for my overdraft bank balance

I was brought up streemly frugal and never buy anything ready-made, so I think that helps on the budgeting front...

Am ROARING at the vintage Shreddies! DH would love some probably. And probably actually eat them

I'm so sorry your friend is struggling Bee - I'll hope over to t'other thread and see how she is doing.

Meanwhile, I have been doing lots of visualisation stuff which they do say helps you keep motivated. I have spent my entire life looing like a fat Victorian dairymaid, all innocence and tangled hair and too much double cream, and I'm bastard well sick of it. I secretly want to look like Lisbeth Salander (!). I'm going to lose 4 stone and crop my hair like Carey Mulligan, you see if I don't

FOOD TODAY:

B - skinny cap, Belvita
L - oatcakes, cream cheese, yogurt, berries
D - veg and butterbean stew, flatbread, bit of icecream

I don't buy ready made either tsp, and i think that makes it more expensive! We spend a fortune on fruit, because I just don't eat fruit if it's not yummy. Here's the 'fridge' section from this week's order for example...

3 4 New Zealand Hand Trimmed Lamb Leg Steaks essential Waitrose £17.67
1 Alpro Soya Reduced Fat Single Cream £0.79
2 Aromatic Babyleaf Herb Salad Waitrose £3.98
2 Baby Corn Waitrose £2.50
3 British Unsmoked Gammon Steak essential Waitrose £7.20
1 British Wafer Thin Ham Honey Roast Ham essential Waitrose £2.96
2 Broccoli essential Waitrose £2.11
2 Bunch of Organic Salad Onions Waitrose £0.94
1 Butternut Squash Waitrose £1.69
1 Butternut Wedges Waitrose £1.79
1 Chantenay Carrots Waitrose £1.29
1 Continental Salad Onions Waitrose £1.09
2 Cravendale Semi Skimmed Milk £3.76
2 Cucumber essential Waitrose £1.60
4 Eggs Free Range essential Waitrose £8.48
1 Extra Sweet Honeydew Melon essential Waitrose £2.14
2 Fine Trimmed Green Beans Waitrose £2.50
2 Fresh Sweetcorn essential Waitrose £3.98
1 Green Celery Hearts Pack Waitrose £1.04
2 Helda Beans Stringless Waitrose £3.98
2 Jazz Apples Waitrose £2.40
1 Low Fat Natural Cottage Cheese essential Waitrose £1.62
1 Medium Chicken essential Waitrose £5.90
1 Mushrooms essential Waitrose £1.99
2 Ocado British Bacon Medallions Unsmoked £3.50
2 Ocado British Beef 2 Fillet Steaks £16.12
2 Ocado Cauliflower £1.89
2 Organic Piccolo Tomatoes on the Vine Waitrose £4.38
1 Organic Portabellini Mushrooms Waitrose £2.19
3 Perfectly Ripe Mango Waitrose £5.97
1 Perfectly Ripe Rocha Pears Waitrose £1.99
3 Ready Trimmed Babycorn Waitrose £2.50
2 Small Red Peppers Waitrose £2.98
2 Thigh Fillets essential Waitrose £14.96
2 Trimmed Sugar Snap Peas Waitrose £3.00
1 White Cabbage essential Waitrose £0.89
1 Wiltshire Cured Breaded Ham Waitrose £2.50
1 Wiltshire Cured Honey Roast Ham Waitrose £2.50

Hmmm. I do know that when I was doing SW I did end up spending more on my weekly food because of course lean meat is so expensive, and if you know you can eat unlimited fruit then you do buy loads - it's sort of comforting.

But cal-counting is a different sort of ethos and it doesn't seem to be so expensive for some reason...funny how different diets have different effects on both body and budget.

Anyway - unless you actually want/need to cut your weekly spend then I guess it doesn't matter, right? You've got what you need to eat well and that's what counts.

I'm so glad you're back with us TSP I love the pictures you paint with words. Arf at Victorian dairy maid I always pictured myself as fat washerwoman. I certainly have the rough hands for it. They currently stink of bleach as I've been mould killing again.

Is a new hair do a must if you lose loads? I'm wondering if I should. Ds keeps really pulling mine (tis down past my shoulders at the mo, and a bit of a beacon to him). And then... do I go for some colour? I mean, here I am, 41 and mousey and I've never dyed it or had anything like that. Might ask for advice next time I get the barnet trimmed.

On that front, I was very brave on Friday, given it was the 13th. I took the dc for their first ever haircuts . It was a spur of the moment thing. Probably best that way actually! I bribed dd with the promise of some McD's chips if she let the lady cut her hair . Never been to the one I went in before, but gosh I struck gold. And she only charged £5 altogether! She said it was 'cos they don't have a lot of hair to cut yet.

Ds hated it, cried and blew snot bubbles, but with some choccy buttons and headlocks, we got him done . Dd on the other hand sat in the chair like a queen! I only have to get the brush out at home and she cries . Needless to say, I then ended up taking them to McD's where I watched them scoff chicken and chips and I had a saintly cup of tea.

I cut off one of ds's curls before we went, and have it in a little box. He looks so grown up now .

Need a new top as I got a bit bleach happy and it's sprayed back onto me. Bugger.

Har, yes, I often think fat washerwoman with great big sturdy capable, yet suetty, forearms

You should definitely go get your hair re-styled. You have lost FOUR STONE right? It is an amazing achievement and you should do something to celebrate - you must look so different!

I've been accompanied by the Black Dog for weeks now, and been trying to get to the bottom of it all. I think a lot of it is that bascically I have spent 20 years wishing I were someone else - I have become a particular kind of person because when you are a jolly, prettily round-faced strapping blonde with a massive arse and a light hand with the pastry then you have to be her. And I don't want to be her, there is someone else lurking and I want to find her before I get old.

Bee, I'm sorry to hear about your friend, I will join your other thread. Do get your hair done! I think you definitely should treat yourself if you've lost so much weight, that's not easy going at all!

Cheese, venison sausages, Mmmmmm. I love vension, I might need to get some. When is 'Call the Midwife' on? Just Sundays? There used to be something called 'Desperate Midwives' on Really, but I don't think it's on anymore.

I spend much more on food when doing SW. I always make my own meals from scratch, but the extra fruit and veg is expensive and the type of meals we have on SW cost more too. I do tend to each much nicer things when doing SW though. We're currently spending around £120 a week for 5 of us (although one is a 7 month old and her solids don't amount to much) plus extra bits in the week. I think food has got more expensive recently anyway though.

I am struggling (already!) today. I feel really hungry and on a red day, so not much to snack on stupidly. I am not sure if I can swap to EE? So far I have had:

Melon and grapefruit
Bacon (4 rashers) and egg sandwich, (so 1 HExB)
mullerlight.

If I can swap I am going to make a big pan of spicy sweet potato and sweetcorn soup for lunch, that'll fill/warm me up.

Oh, and my DH has agred we can start TTC again! Saw my GP last Friday and she is referring me to the high risk consultant for pre pregnancy 'counselling' first, but hopefully I can lose a stone by my next cycle and will have seen the consultant by then so will be able to start trying. (no reason to a lose a stone specifically, but I'll be well below the 'obese' category then as my BMI was 30.5 when I started this.

Midori - sounds like you can swap to Ee yes, but remember to have some super free with your soup, as sweet pots and corn aren't.

good post there TSP, know exactly what you mean.

just had bubble and squeak, bacon, egg and beans as was starving and craving bacon whilst waiting at the hospital. (1 hour wait for 5 min appointment, to find out the referral that should have been made at our last visit hasn't been done, and until the results of that come through - when it happens - there is nothing more to be done. gah.)

Thanks CantSleep. I've checked my book and thought I could swap, so the soup's on now. (left it a bit late as was seeing to the baby) I've had an apple and will probably have some fruit after the soup.

Going to make a quorn chilli for dinner, but have it with pasta as my husband isn't keen on rice and pasta makes less mess when the children eat it!

Riapwhatyousow Oooh, bubble and squeek! Haven't had that for ages, but may need to make some in the next couple of days now, the DC love bubble and squeek too.

Just popping on while I wait for my SW unfriendly dinner to cook. What a rotten day. I had a headache from hell yesterday. I spent 2 1/2 hours in bed in the evening after DD's birthday meal. I got up to sort lunches and iron uniforms and then went back to bed for the night.

I got up this morning and still had the headache a bit. It was soon made worse by DC when they started bickering
I went to work anyway as I had an important meeting to attend (which confirmed good news for me so that part was fine) The headached was still rotten by lunchtime so I took tablets. I have no idea why I waited until then, I guess I was too busy.

After work, I came home to get the dog and went to the park to watch DS play a football match. After that, came home and started dinner. But on the way home, DD moaned and moaned and moaned about the dinner which is macaroni cheese. She said she would rather starve or have toast for dinner. She is very close to being left to starve if she carries on with the attitude. I have sent her to her room and she keeps calling me and asking if she can come down yet. I think she needs to spend a bit more time up there before I let her come down. So annoyed at her but I guess at 13 you don't realise you are lucky to get a cooked meal every night.

At least DS is behaving for now but even that is going to be short lived as I'm going to break the news to him that he has to have a bath!

So sorry for the selfish rant but I've had enough today. Is it bedtime yet?!

Kid, if it makes you feel any better, I'd love macaroni cheese right now!

My teenager, and 11yr d come to think of it, can be a right pain in the backside when they feel like it. Infuriating, aren't they?

Aah I can feel a big leap of the wagon tonight

H still on nights
Dd had 1hour sleep all day and is exhausted
Not much food in the house
My period has finally come on

have a kid. What are you eating instead of your SW dinner?

I am STARVING. and cold.

and not looking forward to the bedtime battle.

thankfully we only have enough white bread for arsey DS1s breakfast, so I will have to stay away from the toaster.

DS3 has had a "big boys" haircut

and I didn't make it out for my run as planned as DH had to go out to a unexpected job interview which was a waste of time as usual

kid. Al sounds crap. Sorry about the lack of run and job for dh. ria.

I've eaten a flapjack, 2 slices of garlic bread, char Sui bun and veg chow mein.

Aw Kid, all sounds very mizz. They did say today was statistically the most miserable day of the year - so hopefully it'll all be uphill from now.

I now want macaroni cheese AND flapjack AND garlic bread AND chow mein, you rotten lot

I've just taken my measurements. Jeez. I am least twice the size of an ocean-going liner and given my proportions just as likely to capsize!