My Lent Challenge Diary

Violet Shrinks

Full Member
I just (re)joined Slimming World this morning - Shrove Tuesday.

I go on holiday on Good Friday.

It seems like a good time to set myself a Lent challenge!!!

Not being a Christian, I don't usually 'do' Lent, but the timing seems too perfect to ignore. Like many others, I buy Christmas presents and eat Easter eggs, so why not use the Lent tradition to try and improve myself and gain support and motivation from the fact that many other people are doing the same thing at the same time?

I'm setting myself 2 challenges:

1. No alcohol for the whole of Lent (ending on Good Friday). I did Dry January and felt so, so much better for it, but have slipped back into bad habits in February.

2. Stick to plan 100% everyday for the whole period AND fill in this diary to prove it every day.

It can be done - but it is going to be tough,so any help and encouragement along the way would be very gratefully received!!

Hopefully if I can stick to it I'll improve my health, feel more energetic and lose some weight.

And that will be worth celebrating!
 
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Good luck!! i think this might be my challenge as well is to stick to it 100%! difficult because im a student and i have a holiday to america coming up!but im going to try!
 
Hey Jessica! I'm going to America during the challenge too!! I'm going for work though, not a holiday (unfortunately!). I'm staying in a little condo with a kitchenette, though, instead of a hotel, so hoping I'll still be able to stay on plan. Going to be tough, but we can do it!!!
 
We go a lot have a family house out there and parents like to eat out a lot so will just plan before hand I should be ok ish just have to not give in to temptations like cake and ice cream and chips!
 
Ok, so - Day 1.

I decided to celebrate the last evening before Lent and the challenge by eating pizza and drinking too much wine, and as a result today has been a bit of a struggle... Sticking to it though, and the hangover is reminding me why it is a good idea to give up alcohol for Lent!!

Breakfast - none (I rarely eat breakfast. I know I should, but I have never felt the need to eat before lunchtime)

Lunch - Egg mayo sandwich - 10 syns :eek: (16 sysn, minus 6 because the brown bread is a HEX B). Got caught on the hop at lunchtime and made what I thought was the best choice. I'm shocked by how many syns! I didn't manage to have my 1/3 super free with this lunch either...

Dinner - Pork chops, dry roast potatoes, peas and lots of mushrooms and onions with philly sauce (HEX A)

Snacks - carrot sticks and smoked salmon dip (made from salmon, )% yoghurt and a little bit of philly light) 3 syns
 
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Day 2.

Feeling much happier today, now the hangover has worn off. I'm quite impressed that I didn't give in to the usual hangover munchies yesterday and actually stuck to plan, even if my syns were on the high side.

Plan for today:

Lunch: Pork, mushroom, red pepper, broccoli stir fry, with egg noodles, soy sauce and honey (2 sysns) and cashew nuts (HEX B).

Dinner: Pasta with gammon and lots of mushrooms and onion, with sauce made from Philadelphia light (HEX A).

Milk for coffee (2 syns)

Snack - carrot sticks and home made hummous - chick peas, 0% Yoghurt, garlic, lemon juice and tahini paste (1.5 syns)
 
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Day 3 and feeling confident!! Even turned down my husband's offer of a take away tonight so that I can stick with something more SW friendly!!

Lunch - gammon, mushroom and onion risotto.

Dinner - lamb steak, jacket potato, cottage cheese, baked flat mushrooms, red peppers and onions, with 30g cheese (HEX A)

Snack - home made hummous (1.5 syns) and carrot sticks.
 
Day 4 - survived my first Friday and now Saturday night without wine, and still on track food wise.

Brunch - Eggs, Bacon and lots of mushrooms

Dinner - Roast leg of lamb (4 syns because I didn't take all the fat off), potatoes, carrots, peas, broccoli and Yorkshire Puddings (6 syns for flour). Milk in YPs HEX A, Olive Oil HEX B

Snack - home made hummus and carrot sticks (1.5 syns)
 
Day 5 - so far so good. I've made it through the weekend with no booze and I'm still 100% on plan.


We went out to a museum with the kids today and stopped for a bite to eat in the cafe. There was nothing even vaguely SW friendly, so I just had a coffee. I wouldn't normally miss lunch and was ravenous by tea time!! I'll try not to get caught out like that again.

Lunch - just coffee

Dinner - steak with potato wedges, peas, carrots, mushrooms, onion with Philadelphia (HEX A)

Snack - syn free smoked salmon dip, carrot sticks and red pepper
 
Hi - well done. Sounds like you really made the most of the weekend. Isn't it annoying when there's no healthy option at all in a cafe. Handbag essentials: Alpen Light and a banana!!

I'm kicking the booze for Lent as well - and hopefully carrying on after that . I'm enjoying feeling healthier and more positive on a Monday Morning already. I think I'm going to join you on the sticking to plan 100% as well, as I did shift all my focus to being alcohol free (why do other people take it so personally that another person is giving up alcohol for Lent?? Luckily for me the pub locals Landlord is doing it as well, so he's been very helpful trying to find alcohol-free options for me, and distracting other, mainly drunk, regulars from trying to convince me to give up and have a drink). My best friend is proving to be a legend, because she's going alcohol free when out with me for lent (but still drinking when I'm not about). What a sweetie. I did tell her it isn't necessary, but she wants to be supportive.

Anyway - I'll stop twittering on now - best of luck!! :)
 
Hi Lucky,

Yes, I'm feeling much better for being off the booze. I did Dry January and that was a great experience as well, so I'm also thinking about extending it. My problem is that I don't do moderation - I'll never be the sort of person who will have just one small glass of wine (more like just one standard sized bottle!!), so it is better for me to cut it out entirely as much as I can.

We are going on an all inclusive holiday on Good Friday for a week, and I'm not going to pretend I'm not going to drink then, but when we get back I'll probably set myself another alcohol free challenge - maybe a Dry May.
 
Day 6 - still on track.

Lunch - bacon leek and mushroom pasta, with philly light sauce and Parmesan (Hex A)

Dinner - soy and ginger lamb, with mushrooms, onion and red pepper, and egg rice.

Didn't eat much of my dinner as was feeling quite ropey. I felt really bloated and uncomfortable, with shivers all over. Left most of my tea and went for a lie down. Have had a Lemsip and a rest and am feeling better now, but it was a bit weird. Am going to blame SW for the bloated feeling - and the very large portion of pasta I had for lunch! - but not sure where the shivers came from! Lucky I've got a lovely husband who took over kids bedtime and everything!
 
Day 7 - still on track and feeling really good about this challenge right now, but then a 3lbs loss does tend to have that effect!! I'm made up - I have tried really hard this week, and am so pleased it has shown on the scales.

Decided to try and keep the momentum up by doing the fish week thing this week. Well, for me it will be a fish and chicken week, as my husband doesn't like fish and I don't want to have to cook all separate evening meals.

Lunch - smoked haddock kedgeree (fish, rice, spinach, onion and leek, with two boiled eggs).

Dinner - roast chicken, potato wedges, roast veg with chorizo (4 syns) and halloumi (HEX A) and olive oil (HEX B)
 
Day 8 - still going strong. No booze, not missing it - actually feeling much better without it.

Lunch - cauliflower cheese, using philadelphia light (HEX A) and 30g cheddar (6 syns), salmon fillet and prawns

Dinner - Paella - rice, squid, king prawns, onion, peppers, tomatoes, peas, chorizo (4 syns)
 
Well done on the loss. I didn't lose, but last weekend I drank lots of lime & soda (focussing on no alcohol) so think there would have been quite a few syns there, and treated myself to some sweets etc as well. Your post put me on the 100% SW for lent from Monday, so maybe next week. I'm feeling much better for no booze as well, and hoping that I can carry it on happily after Lent has finished (I'm not one for moderation either :( ). I'm reading a very persuasive book to help with that - although like most self-help books it is quite repetative (in order to achieve a hypnotic effect I think) and I keep dozing off while I'm reading it lol... Kick the Drink. . .Easily!: Amazon.co.uk: Jason Vale: Books
 
Days 9-12

Ooopps - haven't posted for a few days. I have been going strong through - still of the booze and on track. My only slight wobble was a fish pie at the pub on Thursday night. I have no idea how many syns that was, but I expect a lot as it was very creamy. I had all 15 for the day to use on it though, and have only been having around 5-7 on other days recently, so I think I'm covered and can say I'm still on track - especially as I had a Diet coke instead of a glass of wine.

I've been doing a fish and chicken week and have just posted my menu for the last few days on that thread. It has been fun, although a bit tricky as OH doesn't eat fish.

Hoping for a good result on Tuesday - i have been angelic and would love 3lbs off to get my stone, but that might be a step too far. Will be a bit gutted if I have lost less than 2lbs though, as I have been good as gold. Fingers crossed.
 
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