Catching Up!

Today has been a long day. I guess by definition a 12 hour shift is always going to be long, but this is the first one I've done since before Christmas, and I'll be honest, it was a struggle! I was on the go, pretty much non-stop for the first 10 hours of my shift and it got me thinking about my guilt over doing "no" body magic. I work in a factory, where we make squash. I run the machines that collate the single bottles into the 12 packs that get sent out to the supermarkets and shops. All day I'm on my feet, going between the machines to fix them when they stop. Climing up onto a step to reach into the machine, many, many times a shift. Plus lifting packs (weighing 14kg) on and off the line. Filling the machines with the cardboard trays, which means bending to lift them, and bending again to put them in the machine....for at least 8 hours every day, yet I spend my time feeling guilty that I don't do any exercise to put into my Fit Log. That's just insane really - I'm already more active than I've been in years, so I shall stop beating myself up and give myself credit for what I already do!!

Who needs a gym right? Got my step class and weights right here...

I always pack myself plenty of food for a 12 hour shift, I'd rather have too much and bring some home, than not take enough, get hungry and be tempted by the vending machine, which is populated with crisps, snacks and chocolate, not a healthy thingum to be found! Besides, I find snacking throughout my shift helps keep my energy up too.

First break brought the familiar sight of my banana and Alpen Light bar though, some things never change.

Although the fact that I ate them first is new ;o) Sorry, was a tad peckish (and tired). After that, the shift seemed to pass in a haze of busyness and breaks, so I'll just post up my noms as I'm sure you don't want to be bored with tales of life in a squash factory (the 12 hour remix).

My very yummy breakfast of raspberries, grapes, pineapple and banana, plus a yogurt.

Another break, and another banana, this time accompanied by yet more Rooibos tea and some Crunchy Curls (3 ½ syns of yum)

Dinner break number two, this time some leftover vegetable stew, another yogurt and a couple of fruit shoots.

Last break, the final stretch, and I had my other Alpen Light bar with yet more tea, and the knowledge that it was nearly time to head home :o)

When I finally got home, the lovely Hague had a chilli ready in the slow cooker and some wedges in the oven, and so I just about had time to get changed and settled before dinner was served.

It was a bit of a mish-mash chilli, as he'd used all the part packets of vegetables we'd got in the freezer,so along with the more usual tomatoes, baked beans and kidney beans, we had peas, carrot and cauliflower, along with Quorn chunks, but hey, it worked! That, with the wedges and cheese hit the spot perfectly. I decided to splurge some syns on a dessert though, and went with a white chocolate invention.

I know it doesn't look overly appetising, but it's a tub of Quark, mixed with a white chocolate Options and with some white chocolate Mikado broken in. It was rather yummy, almost like a mixed up cheesecake :o) Mind you, with that eaten, and a cuppa drunk, it was time to head to bed!

Food Diary (Green)

Free Food
banana
grapes
raspberries
pineapple
leftover vegetable stew
potatoes
tomatoes
Quorn chunks
baked beans
kidney beans
frozen mixed veg
peas
sweetcorn
Quark

Healthy Options
A - 40g reduced fat cheddar cheese
B - 2 Alpen Light bars

Syns
2 Shape delighs yogurts          1
2 Fruit Shoots                         1
Crunchy Curls                        3½
Options hot chocolate            2
8 Mikado                              4

Total syns                               11½

Apologies for not getting my blog done and dusted yesterday, but I literally had time to get in, eat, catch up with FB and Twitter and briefly chat to Hague before it was 8.30 and time for bed. Yuck. Roll on next week and lovely nights!

Oh, and I feel I need a quick catch up for the last few days!

• I have slimmed out of a lovely dress that I couldn't wait to slim into
• My lovely consultant commented on how much my face had changed with the weight loss
• I have gained nearly 50 followers this week on Twitter which has made me very smiley
• I have found the most amazing thing of all time ever online and I must have it (It's a mini plush unicorn bouquet - yes you read that correctly)
• I'm having to order new work trousers as I can now take my current ones off without undoing them :)

Another blog coming you way tonight! x