It's my birthday and I'll eat if I want to...

Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to me -eeeeeeee
Happy Birthday to meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Did I mention it's my birthday. Yes I have reached another year. I am now 37 and can't believe I just tryped that!!

But there's double prizes today. It's my birthday (did i say?) and it's Thursday... weigh in day.

Now my Thursday regimen is probably the wrong thing to do but as I'm 2 1/2 lb away from 3 stone down I reckon I must be doing something right!

On Thursdays (after weigh in) I have what ever I want and I don't count the points.

I can hear the sharp intake of the breath, the muffled screams and the disapproving tutting of the 2.7 people who read this blog. (so you all must be very busy making noises) But that is my Thursday thing. And today woo hoo the ol birthday and all that, did I say...

You know the old adage.... Have breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. Well i use a similar system to that on a weekly basis. Thursday I eat like a woman possessed, Fri, Sat and Sun I don't, Mon, Tues, Wed I hem it all in waitin' like a woman possessed for Thursday to come so I can eat like a woman possessed.

As you can see, the weight is reducing but the addiction to food is not waining. You see I am like an alcoholic. But I can't go cold turkey. (Actually I could go a cold turkey sandwich if you have one handy) I can't not eat anything... ever... so I have to wrestle with and try to tame my eating habits.

But not today.

cos today is Thursday

and today is my birthday.... did I mention?

Lá Fhéile Padraig... (oh great, I can break my Lenten fast today!)

Did you know that?

Did you know the unwritten rule about breaking your Lenten fast on St. Patrick's Day?

Well I did! (I mean I did know, not that I did break my fast.... not yet anyway!)

As a kid, Paddy's Day was great cos you got a day off AND you got to eat chocolate, which is usually what I gave up as a kid. 

Having parents who worked in a chocolate factory didn't help!!!

But to be honest I haven't been great this week anyway. I have eaten a lot! But don't worry -- I have plenty of great excuses, I mean reasons!

1. My back is killing me!

I am in a lot of pain this week with my back. I have osteoporosis (sp?) and it gives me trouble every so often. So obviously... I have to eat more. 

2. It's my mam's anniversary this week!

Yesterday marked the 4th anniversary of my mam's sad goodbye. I remember the days leading up to her death very well and I've been a bit gloomy. So obviously... I have to eat more.

3. I'm not sleeping very well. Probably to do with the reasons above. But I'm having all sorts of wacky dreams and waking in the middle of the night. So obviously... I have to eat more.

4. It's Paddy's Day. So obviously.... 

Can you see a pattern forming here???

It is so easy to get back in to my old way of thinking and acting. And my excuses are fairly reasonable (ok except for no. 4), but who could blame me if I ate all of the 12 iced buns in front of me. (I kid you not -- there are 12 iced buns in front of me...) But I won't. 

I'll eat my dinner. And maybe have a snack at supper time. 

I'll go to bed and get up tomorrow morning and start afresh. 

I've always loved Paddy's Day but it can play havoc with your Lenten fast... if you let it!

Is there any point in no-point soup?

I have recently started to make soup again. Now this might not sound like a drastic development but you must understand that I had a serious aversion to soup for many years.



My mammy, who has been gone almost four years now, used to make 0 point soup for me when I was on WW the first time. (This is my third time in case I never mentioned it!) I ate the soup every day for weeks and weeks. Mammy would make a huge pot of if and freeze portions of it in little suitable for freezer containers. Then the next day make another huge pot of it and... so on. I got to the stage where the sight of it made me feel suddenly full! But bless her, she just kept making it.

One time when I think she sussed I was getting a bit fed up, she asked me what my favourite veg was and she would make some soup for me. At the time it was mushrooms. So she bough a 4 stone bag of mushrooms and off she went....

We ended up with pot fuls of black soup!
It was black with little white flecks.
It went into the freezer for a few weeks and then down the sink.

I didn't want to look at soup for years after that. The thoughts of it made me gag!

But a couple work mates who are soup fans/fiends have restored my faith in soup (thanks DF and SM); and recently the 0 point soup is back on the menu.

And it's lovely... Let me share some of my recipes...

I've made carrot, parsnip and celery soup.
Parsnip, carrot and red onion
Carrott, red onion, parnisp and celery
Parsnip, celery, carrott, red onion and some extra carrot
And my favourite has to be carrot, extra carrot, parsnip, celery, red onion and extra parsnip


I can sense that I'm going to have to buy some suitable for freezer containers if I'm not careful.

But at least my soup isn't black with white flecks.

There's definitely NO POINT in black soup!!!

I feel like giving up...

Panic not of faithful blog readers (all 2.7 of you) I'm not throwing in the towel on the old WW.

It's Lent and time to think about what not to have for the next few weeks and therefore what I'll be thinking about for the next few weeks.

I did consider giving up Facebook for Lent. If you're looking for me you'll usually find me there. Playing Scrabble with my sister, my husband and numerous others. I also am very taken with the oul' Tetris which is my favourite ever computer gave. Never mind your Clara Loft and her Room Trader (is that a house makeover game?), Resident Divils and Sure that's a Grand Automobile, let's nick it. Give me a good game of Tetris any day.

In fact EVERY day.

Hence I didn't give up Facebook :)


I also considered giving up telly. But I don't watch that much of it these days. I'm doing a lot of studying lately and at the end of some evenings me and diddums usually watch one or two episodes of British comedies we love; Yes Prime Minister or Vicar of Dibley etc.
Those TV moments are essential for marital haromony; it wouldn't be right to give them up.

So I went for the old faithful and traditional deprivation. Chocolate.

I have a problem will power wise when I give up stuff for Lent. Even though I've been doing it all my life and as a kid I just knew it was important to do (tho' I didn't know why). Now when I get a craving or just fancy some choc I remember that it's to remind me, albeit in a very small way, of the sacrifice of Christ.

The big problem I have is I forget!!! I ordered hot choclate on Friday and had to swap with one of the girls I was with as she has ordered coffee. The on Friday evening I was babysitting and had a choclate digi with my coffee. An hour later I remembered I was off choc for Lent!!!!

Thankfully God knows me and my weaknesses, whether they be will power or crumbling brain power.

I'm hoping it will sharpen up my thoughts on food generally as the last few weeks have seen me veer slightly from my chartered course. It's a shame that WW isn't like AA. Maybe it is.

OK here goes....

Hi my name is Annmarie and I am a foodaholic!


I can hear your response you know.... "Oh Annmarie, just GIVE IT UP will you!?!"