Win 1 of 5, 12 Week Porridge on Tuesday Healthy Eating Plans

Porridge on Tuesday is not as the name suggests anything to do with porridge, unless you want it to be of course.  It is in fact the name of an exciting healthy eating plan that can help you to lose weight, at a rate that you want or even just maintain a steady weight by following healthy menus.  There are some delicious recipe ideas using everyday foods that are simple and quick to prepare.

pot foodA few months ago, I took the challenge and followed a Porridge on Tuesday plan in a bid to lose a bit of weight.  You can read about my first impressions here and after 4 weeks here.  I lost just over a stone on my journey and discovered that I loved the meal plans on offer, the flexibility to chop and change meals around, discard meals you are not keen on in exchange for others and tailor your weekly food to suit you.  This meant it was more enjoyable to follow and easier to maintain although for me I do find that following a plan like this keeps me motivated and on track.  When you haven’t got somewhere to check in each week it is easy to lose your way.

Hence why Porridge on Tuesday may be for you, a great opportunity to follow a healthy eating plan at the start of 2014 to get over any overeating you may do over the festive period and lose a few extra pounds you may have gained.  Or if you are looking for a little more weight loss, the plan can be tailored to your individual needs.

pot imageIf you’d like to try a plan, I’m pleased to let you know you can get 20% of any plan of your choice from the Porridge on Tuesday shop.  Each plan entitles you to:

  • A full menu plan with breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 snacks
  • Recipes for all meals
  • A Personal Shopping list
  • A suggested Exercise plan
  • Support via a closed Facebook group to help you achieve your goal

Just email info@porridgeontuesday.com for more info.

Even better I have five, 12 week plans to give away, just fill in the form below for a chance to win:
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Open to UK entrants only
Winners will be emailed and will need to reply within 5 days or a new winner will be drawn
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WIN a 12 Week Healthy Eating Plan with Porridge on Tuesday

Porridge on Tuesday is the exciting new diet and exercise plan that encourages healthy eating along with sensible weight loss at a slow and steady pace  – so there’s no piling on the pounds when you finish.

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I’m loving the new found meals that are now regularly included as part of my weekly menu.  They are tasty, wholesome and really do fill me up unlike a lot of the pre-prepared food I ate a lot of before.  To date I have lost 10lb which I’m so pleased about and look forward to losing a few more in the coming months.

If you’d like to try a Porridge on Tuesday meal plan to see the benefits for you then check out the giveaway below.

5 people will each win a 12 week Porridge on Tuesday plan

Porridge on Tuesday also have a special offer of an 8 week plan for £14.95 and a 15 week plan for £24.95.  These both offer a great saving on the usual £2.50 a week so why not give it a try?  Just email offer@porridgeontuesday.com to be sent an access link to these great offers!

You can read about how I found my first week on the plan here, and 4 weeks on here.

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Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com

Porridge on Tuesday – 4 weeks & half a stone down!

I have now reached the first 4 week milestone of my journey following the Porridge on Tuesday online eating plan and I have been by no means perfect.  The odd glasses of wine have snuck in along with an icecream on a sunny day out and sometimes I just needed a something a little bit naughty!  So we had pizza on a family night together.

What I am really pleased to say is that I have lost my first 7lb – yes half a stone!!!  I can’t express how thrilled I am about this after the battles with food I’ve had over the last couple of years.  I’m finally settling into a routine full of healthy meals and snacks that I thoroughly enjoy eating and are simple to prepare.

I love the flexibility of the Porridge on Tuesday meal plans as although it gives me seven different meals each week, I can have the same one on several nights if I want to use up ingredients or simply enjoy the food.  This is great for me as I am often short on time or eating late.  Unfortunately we don’t eat as a family very often as my children are starving by 5 o’clock and I don’t want to fill them up on snacks.  My husband works shifts so is often not there in the evenings and then I don’t end up eating until the children are bathed and in bed.  Although to be honest I kind of prefer eating later otherwise I’d resort to snacking late in the evening.

Snacking is something I’ve always done, sometimes I end up snacking and missing meals so one thing I’ve made myself consciously do is cook something every night.  A quick pasta with pesto and spinach or courgettes is so quick and simple there’s no excuse.  Or a new one I discovered last week was veggie sausages and sweet potato mash – add freshly ground black pepper and you have a delicious bowl of comforting food.

When it comes to snacks, I can still have two a day with Porridge on Tuesday but what I am eating is drastically different from before – no more pre-wrapped biscuits/cereal bars/chocolate bars.  I have discoverd the perfect little snack bags of mixed almonds that contain the 30g suggested portion for a filling snack.  Portion control is something else I have trouble with and having a controlled portion is just what I need.  I also find these perfect to keep in my bag should I get caught out and about anywhere when the hunger pangs start, although I have to say these are become less the healthier I eat.

Houmous has always been a favourite of mine, usually with tortilla chips to dip in alongside a chilled glass of white wine.  When I discovered houmous was on the menu it immediately caught my eye, but instead of tortilla chips, the options are carrot sticks or vegetable sticks.  I am now a complete convert to coming home from work, chopping up a carrot and dipping it in houmous – absolutely delicious!  And it definitely keeps me going through to dinner.  Everytime my children hear me chopping, they run into the kitchen saying “Can I have some?”.  They absoulutely love dipping their carrot sticks in houmous so I have discovered a healthy delicious snack that I wouldn’t have given them before.  And the bizarre thing is that 5yr old Miss M doesn’t like carrots, has always refused to eat them, but now she quite happily chomps away on raw carrot sticks –  a great way to add one of their five a day!

Breakfast is one meal I can’t miss and I’ve always grabbed some cereal or toast.  Now I do still squeeze in a bowl of weetabix before I rush out the door, but on the days I don’t work and can spare a few minutes at home, I have come to love scrabbled eggs on toast.  Before Porridge on Tuesday it is something I would only eat very occasionally but now I’m eating it 4 or 5 times a week.  It’s totally delicious covered in ground black pepper and more importantly it really does fill me up and keep me going. I can honestly say I’ve eaten more eggs in the last four weeks than I have all year!

So as you can see I’m really getting into the spirit of my new healthy eating regime courtesy of Porridge on Tuesday.  It really is inspiring me with tasty dishes to eat, I’m enjoying the menu’s, even if I do chop and change them around.  Though I’m desperate to lose the weight that has crept on, I feel that the biggest motivation for me is writing about it, sharing my journey with you – I would hate to disappoint, let people down and most of all not succeed for myself.  No more years of being unhappy in my clothes, tight waistlines, baggy tops – I want to feel free to wear what I want, not hide away and for my children to grow up seeing a happy, self confident mummy.

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If you want to find out more about Porridge on Tuesday’s healthy eating plans then check out their website for lots of friendly advice and tips.  They offer plans for everyone, be it gluten free, vegan, vegetarian like myself or just a simple healthy eating plan.
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Porridge on Tuesday – A new online Diet & Healthy Eating Plan

For me, food is always something that I struggle to balance, although it was when I was pregnant for the second time that I really started to overeat.  I am now living with the consequences, finding it harder to stick to a diet, with two children to look after and with the husband working shifts, our mealtimes are never routine so I often find myself snacking to keep to going.

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So as you can imagine I was delighted to be chosen as one of the Ambassadors for a new online meal planning site Porridge on Tuesday which gives you a full meal plan and exercise videos for the week ahead based on calories relative to your weight/height and how much you want to lose.  Or if you are not particularly overweight and just want help to maintain healthy eating with lots of recipe ideas then that is an option too.

Being vegetarian I am always sceptical of meal plans and whether the meals will be easy to cook but I have to say I’m really pleased with the Porridge on Tuesday meal plans so far as there are some really tasty dishes that are easy to cook.  Some of my favourites so far are Mexican rice and beans with avocado salsaRefried bean quesadilla and a very simple Spaghetti and courgettes.  I have made some simple changes to basic foods such as switching pasta and rice to wholemeal varieties and having cooked breakfasts – something that was very rare beforehand!  I can only manage this on days I’m at home although scrabbled eggs on toast has become a firm favourite.

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What I love about the meal plan is that you can change, swap or delete a meal if you don’t like it, want something different or just don’t fancy it on the day.  You can then choose an alternative lunch/meal/snack to put in it’s place.  For me this has been a very useful tool and something that encourages me to keep checking my plan and customising it to suit me.

Being two weeks into the plan I have already lost 5lb – yay!!  Although I’ve still got a way to go to shift the couple of extra stone I need to.   I’m hoping that by writing about my weight loss and following a structured meal plan I will stay motivated enough to get back to my pre pregnancy size or perhaps a bit lower!

I’ll keep you posted about both how well I am doing and what I think about the Porridge on Tuesday website – so far all is good!!

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