Did you survive the Easter break?

I won't go into details but it will cause me a lot of stress and anxiety which will go on for months.

Although we didn't buy any chocolate eggs, we did have biscuits and cakes in the house that were left over from a coffee morning we did at Church on Easter Saturday.

I have to be honest and say, I stuffed myself stupid with cakes, scones and biscuits. I'd slipped back into old habits of comfort eating and afterwards I was so shocked and upset at how quickly and easily I'd fallen back into my old ways.

It might have made me feel better for all of two seconds but I can guarantee, the feelings of cheating myself and letting myself down really weren't worth it.

The effect that all the fat and sugar content had on my body and my digestive system definitely wasn't worth it. I was so poorly. Not only did it make me physically ill, I also had that feeling of dread, knowing I would have to get on the scales at my Slimming World Group.

I knew it was going to be a really bad result and it took all my courage to go and face the music and the scales.

I was totally amazed when I got on the scales to find that I'd only gained 1lb. I know I have been extremely lucky as I was expecting at least half a stone and probably more.

It's given me a big wake up call and reality check.

Although I'm still struggling to come to terms with the news and struggling to deal with the stress and anxiety, I know that I need to get back on track and stay on track otherwise my weight will balloon back up very quickly and no doubt I'll be even bigger than when I started.

How do you cope with stressful situations? Do you crumble and comfort eat or do you have a strategy for keeping yourself on track?

If you do have a plan, please share it as I know it will be so helpful not only to me but also other readers too.

Are You A Mrs Ivy Been-So-Good?

Instead of a recipe this week, I thought I'd share a story with you which includes a character that I'm sure we can all relate to. I know I've certainly been this lady in the past but I won't be in the future.

This is the story of Mrs. Ivy Been-So-Good

Ivy was really disappointed this week having maintained after ‘such a good week’. She couldn't understand why she'd only maintained and not lost as she'd had a perfect week. She'd had the right amount of milk and bread plus the correct number of treats during the day to fit in with her allowance! What on earth had gone wrong?

Take a closer look at Ivy's typical day.

Ivy had her normal breakfast of bran flakes, milk and a banana. She tips them into the bowl, and then thinks. ‘I’d better just check the weight of them - I want to get a few pounds off this week!’She puts them on the scales to find they weigh 45g. ‘That’s my allowance for today,’ she thinks, taking out the excess and unconsciously popping them in her mouth. As she puts the milk away she spots an open carton of orange juice and decides to have a small glass whilst making a boiled egg for her daughter’s breakfast. When clearing up the dishes, Ivy spies two left over soldiers. There's only a scraping of butter on them so it won't count!’ she thinks, and into her mouth they go!

After breakfast it’s a trip into town shopping. Armed with a cereal bar, just in case temptation strikes, she sets off. In one shop, her daughter gets restless in the buggy so Ivy opens her a packet of crisps to keep her quiet. And she ends up testing a couple herself – just for freshness!

Lunchtime comes and the shopping trip is not done yet - there’s still money left on Ivy’s credit card! And as she knows she’ll be in town a while yet so she decides to grab something from one of the shop's healthy range as ‘it’s bound to fit in with her healthy eating plan’. Spoilt for choice, Ivy scans the range. She spots a salmon and cucumber sandwich. ‘That’s a great choice… the bread will fit in as a healthy choice so I'll be fine', she thinks. She buys it as a meal deal, along with a diet coke and a packet of salt and vinegar crisps - to eat later as one of her treats.

Later on, Ivy stops for a coffee. The coffee shop was calling. ‘No cake for me though!’ she says, savouring the skinny latte she’s treated herself to. 'Well, I didn't have much milk on my cereal this morning so this will make up my milk allowance'. As she takes the weight off her feet she congratulates herself for not needing the emergency cereal bar while out today.

Back at home after shopping, she makes cakes with her daughter. She resists the fairy cakes when they come out of the oven… but CAN’T resist licking the wooden spoon! She then feeds her daughter early – a chicken nugget and two chips remain on the plate – and they don’t go in the bin! Ivy's dinnertime comes and she has a nice juicy steak, fresh salad and a filling jacket potato topped with quark. A tablespoon of Light Mayo goes on the salad. 'That's my first treat today!’ Her hubby prefers mashed potato with his steak. Of course, Ivy wouldn't dream of eating it herself, but she does just taste it to check it contains the right amount of butter and milk! Dessert for Ivy is a Müllerlight yogurt and hubby has sponge pudding and custard. ‘It just doesn’t bother me,’ Ivy says, licking the spoon she used to stir the custard!

By 9.30pm Ivy fancies a ‘little something else’. Remembering the crisps she picked up with the meal deal, she checks the treat value and finds it fits in with her allowance. ‘I'm well within my allowance' she thinks, ‘that’s a perfect day! Or was it...?

The breakdown of Ivy's day

Extra ½ oz of bran flakes
Orange juice 125ml
Eggy soldiers
Couple of crisps
Sandwich
Latte
Cake mixture
Mayo
Chicken nugget
2 chips
Spoonful of mash
Spoonful of custard
Packet of crisps

Just to put this into perspective. The extras that Ivy had are the equivalent of an average portion of Chicken Tikka Masala, Pilau rice, 1 naan bread, a pint of beer and two small vegetable samosas and I know we'd be aware if eaten all that.

Is your week really a perfect week. Or do you have an Ivy style 'perfect week' ? Let's hope it's a genuine perfect week.

See you lighter next week,

Love Wendy xxx