Syn Free Gravy

A syn free roast is easy to do but it's the gravy that adds syns if you use bisto, albeit only a few. But if you want a syn free version, here's one I made to put on my sausage and mash last night:

I just made 1 serving as it is just me that is vegan / on SW in our house. I sliced a shallot and fried it off in frylight until it had a bit of colour. Then I crumble in a veggie oxo cube and then added around 1/2 a cup of hot water (add more as you cook it if needed).

I also added a tsp of marmite and a tsp of tomato puree - both of these help to thicken the gravy a bit. Then just turned down the heat to low to keep it warm until the rest of the food was cooked. Season to taste.

I think the stock cube you use is key here, as it gives most of the flavour, so use one you like the taste of. Also, Oxo cubes are pretty salty (and marmite is too) so I only added pepper as it didn't need salt, but you may need to add some if you use a lower sodium stock.

Sal xXx

Downloadable Syn Chart

I try not to every week, but on weeks when I have a big weekend, I use weekly syns instead of daily, so I try not to go over 105 in the week (7x15).

I made this chart this morning to have something pretty to look at. One smiley face is one syn! You can use it for daily syns too, as one horizontal line is 15 syns :)

If you want a downloadable PDF, you can access it HERE.

Sal xXx

Food Diary - 28.11.16

I gained again last week (1 lb) and I'm not sure I'll make it to weigh-in this week (work thing!). At this point I think I'm trying to do damage limitation more than actually lose, because of the festive period. I seem to have something in the diary every week.

Anyway, as I mentioned before, I think I'm going to start posting regular food diaries, I won't post every day this week because I am going for no syns, besides my morning yogurt, to combat the weekend!! So they'll be pretty boring and very similar!

So here's what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast
Half a tub of Alpro Go On plain (1*)
Defrosted frozen cherries
A Banana
200ml of Alpro hazelnut milk in my latte (half HEA)

Lunch
Split pea soup

Snack
The last of my candy floss grapes!

Dinner
Slimming World chips
Quorn fillet
Sauce made with finely chopped speedy veg (tomatoes, onion, courgette, peppers) and a bit of paprika, dried sage and veg stock.

HEA
200ml Hazelnut Milk
No more than 300ml light soymilk in tea throughout the day

HEB
1 Alpen Light Jaffa Cake bar (I forgot to eat the second one!!)

Syns
1

* it's 1.5 syns for the whole tub so I rounded up!

Sal
xXx

A gain again :(

So I gained 1.5lbs on Thursday. So annoying, I seem to be yoyoing every week! up down up down up down.

I had a bit of a heavy weekend again but I'm going to just eat minimal syns this week in the hope I can pull it back. UGH.

I know after Christmas I can be more focused but I still don't want to have a big gain before then.

I think I am going to film / photograph some food diaries this week and share them, hopefully this will inspire me to cook and eat some good stuff.

I have also planned meals for the week on my meal planning pad!

How's everyone else doing? Is the run up to Chrimbo affecting you at all / yet?

Sal xXx

Update

So on Thursday I was expecting a gain, hoping for a maintain (heavy weekend, I blame the booze!) and my result was.....

2.5 lbs off! Shocked isn't the word! I actually thought the lovely lady who weighed me wrote down 1.5, which I was still super happy about but my consultant announced 2.5 to the group and when I checked she was right. So YAY! I am now 2.5lbs away from my stone (although after another weekend of crap, I'm probably going to gain this week!).

So if anyone is reading this, help! How do you stay on track at the weekend, especially when you have plans? Any tips appreciated?

I now have something in my diary for every weekend until Christmas and I need to order my wedding dress in February at the latest, so I don't want to take huge backwards steps!

Sal xXx

Update

Arrgghhh I totally forgot to update!

So after my last gain I managed to lose 5lbs the following week! So pleased. But then last week I put 2 on again after I couldn't manage to keep my head in the game.

I don't think I'm on a for a loss this week either, after the weekend I had. Trying desperately to pull back something though.

I feel frustrated! I have been hovering around the same 2 or 3 lbs for months now and the weekends keep doing me in. This weekend won't be any better either as it's my fiance's birthday. It's one meal out, so I'm hoping I can control it a bit.

Tomorrow I'm going wedding dress shopping for the first time. Which is exciting but I wanted to have lost 2 stone before I even started to look and at the moment the first stone still feels like miles away.

So I need a kick up the bum to stay on track. Hopefully a maintain this week (if I can pull that off) will help focus me and keep me on track.

Cross your fingers on Thursday for me! :)

Sal xXx