Weight Loss Wednesday: Week 2

It's just a short post this week because I've been eating pretty much the same as last week, with lots of chicken and salads, but I don't expect to lose as much weight because I had a cheat day for my brother's girlfriend's birthday (don't judge!). Okay, so here is how I got on...

Weight lost this week: 1.6lb 

Overall weight loss: 2.8lb

Food

I haven't got fed up of my Coco Pops for breakfast, then lean meat for my lunch situation just yet, and it seems to be working pretty well for me so I'm sticking with it. I have added the Weight Watchers ready meals into the mix for my dinner recently though, because they really do taste delicious and there are loads of meals over a range of point values. My favourite is the Ocean Pie, which is only 5 points and tastes divine!

As a treat, it has been super sunny lately so ice lollies have been amazing to snack on. My personal favourite is a Fab Lolly, which is only 2 points, but generally ice lollies tend to be around the 2 or 3 point mark. Great if you have spare points on a sunny day! I've still been loving having a cup of tea with 3 sugars as a treat too though if I have 2 points left over. And of course, at 0 points, Diet Coke is always a winner - especially if you're out for a drink with friends and don't just want juice. A shot of Malibu is only 2 points as well, so a Malibu Diet Coke is a fairly low-point option for a night out (and just happens to be my favourite tipple).

This week, I've been really trying to fill up the bars on my app, which are pictured here. Basically, they want you to try and have 8 glasses of water, 3 dairy servings, 8 helpings of fruit and veg, 1 multivitamin, 3 healthy oils and 1 bit of exercise per day. You use the sliders to calculate how much you've had. Now, obviously sometimes it's hard to eat 8 portions of fruit and veg, or 3 dairy servings, but I have been trying to have as much as possible and it has been helping. The only one I do religiously every day is 8 glasses of water, but the others vary.

I went for tea with my friend one evening, so I had a chicken Caesar salad without the dressing. This came to 18 points, which is an unbelievable amount of points, but it was a lovely and filling meal. I was able to have it because I had only eaten cereal and fruit for the beginning of the day because I woke up very late.

As we had a birthday party this week, I had a cheat day and enjoyed treating myself to cakes and biscuits. However, with the Weekly Points I'm allowed to eat, I didn't really go too badly over the diet and I've still had a loss! Excellent! Not to be taken advantage of though, obviously...

Exercise

I've done a little better this week on the exercise front, with a few walks (every little helps, right?), and a few high energy sessions on Just Damce 4. Seriously, that thing works you out like crazy! I gained more points that I could eat by doing that exercise, but chose not to because I didn't feel hungry. I do always like having a banana (0 points) after exercising though, and drinking plenty of water, to replenish anything I've lost and give me some energy. Next week, I might try some yoga or even Blogilates!

Developments

My stomach is definitely showing signs of getting a little smaller, and is definitely not bloated like it used to be. My energy levels are higher, and I feel a lot better in myself, like I'm being productive and making a real difference to my health. I know I'm going to be feeling better and better as the weeks go on, too...

Tips & things I've learnt

When eating out, plan ahead! You can be tempted to order a high-point dish when you're eyeing up the menu for the first time around your friends who are ordering a pizza, but if you plan ahead, you can avoid this. When I ate out with my friend, I looked at the menu beforehand online and calculated the points. The app has a handy calculator, as well as an eating out section where loads of restaurants have their dishes already stored. I knew I had 18 points left, so I opted for the 18 point chicken Caesar salad, which was yummy and I enjoyed immensely.

Let yourself have treats. If you don't, you will never succeed because you're being too strict with yourself. Just know when to stop, and don't do it all the time, and you'll be fine.

Educate yourself. I've been reading up on different types of food and their benefits for your body and skin. It really helps me to understand how your body works and what you should be putting into it. This way, I can make informed choices and really feel like I'm doing myself good.

Have something to aspire to! A goal weight maybe, or a reference picture of yourself at your ideal weight. For me, ideally I would aim for Beyoncé's body, but that will never happen because out body shapes are so different. So, I looked at people with similar body shapes to me, and found photos of Rihanna in her bikini - now that picture is what I look to when I want to motivate myself. Works every time!


So that's it for this week! I am really impressed with how much weight I've lost even wi the cheat day! Seeing results really motivates me for the next week. Also, really sorry for the lack of posts this week - life got in the way, but I'll be back on track now!