Ever wanted to swap your life with someone else… ever dream of being the one who lives on the beach in Malibu? ... that person, who right now is sipping a latte on a 100ft yacht in Monaco? I’m a bit of a day dreamer... I stare up at the planes and wonder who’s going where and 99% of the time I'm very jealous!
The grass is always greener right? ... um no … we always say, if I lived in YOUR house I'd blah blah blah... If I had YOUR figure I'd wear etc. etc. … well guess what… everyone else is doing the exact same thing! really! Swapping lives might be fun for a day a week geez even month would do me just to get the tan on the yacht like … but there’s nothing like your own bed… your own couch and even though you might wanna kill them sometimes… your own family!
Remember when swapping things was all about fun... I was a 'fancy paper' collector in my youth... serious stuff it was too.. if you didn't have one of a set there was a risk of being shunned... but a matching envelope sure you were practically royalty! bless us simpler times...
But making swaps for a healthier lifestyle benefits everyone in the house! We all know the ‘take the stairs not the lift…’ routine… but some of them really are the best swaps and the easiest! Parking farther away for getting a spot up close… bring a brolly though…
I'm not a fan of fizzy drinks any more
but if you're using them as mixers you can still save!
Cooking at home instead of eating out… I mean as a family… or with friends… make it fun and not a chore and get a healthy dinner into the bargain… send out a ‘come dine with me’ style invite and get everyone to bring a healthy dish to the party…
Eating at the table instead of hoovering down your dinner in front of the TV... paws up who's guilty of that one!
Not a typo!
Black coffee for latte… you’re drinking it for the caffeine hit yeah?
Poached eggs instead of fried… no grease and if they’re done right they taste nicer I think…
Chopsticks for forks… yup.. chase your chinese around the plate… you’ll be fuller before you pig out completely… remember it takes 20 mins for your brain to register that you’re hungry… 19 of those will be spent trying to pick up a prawn!
Swap going outside for inside… put down the iPad and have a stroll in the garden… go for a walk… its quite nice out there you know!
This is the mayo from ALDI that you MUST buy... use it instead of butter on your sandwiches... mix it up with a bit of sweet chilli sauce... for 8PP for the whole bottle you'll get great milage out of this for very little ProPoints!
Swap a night in front of the telly for a good book ... when was the last time you chilled out reading a really good book or a magazine?
Smiling instead of frowning… my fav… glass half full gal…
Little milestones for big goals… urgh.. don’t look at the ‘I have to lose 5 stone…’ get a silver seven … then get another one… then another…
Honesty for excuses… who are you kidding anyways?
A pint of skimmed milk vs. a pint of full fat milk saves you 5PP...
Saying no instead of over-committing… a difficult one when you’re a people pleaser… but put yourself first... it benefits everyone in the long run!
Swap self-love for self-hate … if you find out how to do this one… let me know!
Swap greek yogurt or creme fraiche for sour cream…or swap a tablespoon of double cream for 0% fat Greek yogurt to save 1PP…
Brown rice for white… I know I know…
Whole-wheat pasta for white… stop yawning…
and you all know about the spray oil…
Make your lunch instead of eating out… it takes less than 5 mins and you’ll save a fortune.. PLUS when everyone's ogling your fab salads and wraps you’ll be the new office foodie!
Another fantastic swap that's come across my path recently is cauliflower... Now I've always made my mash with half cauliflower and have potato and no one is any the wiser... but here's the latest... Pizzas.. cauliflower pizzas... when I was planning this post for the last week of the challenge… I thought perfick another really good swap… stick with me on this... its AMAZING...
One of my fav bloggers 'Behind Miss Green Eyes' made this and did a superb job... like lick the screen kinda job … her version just looks fabulous! Soooo
head over to her page >>> http://miss-greeneyes.blogspot.ie/2014/05/cauliflower-crust-pizza.html <<< and see how it's done properly step by step! Dead easy and SO tasty! When I made it, it was yummy but the pics of it, not so much… I heard about it from a weight watchers pal who sent me this link to Fitsugar (pic above) >>> HERE <<< mine def looked … um… ‘rustic’ shall we say .. but it was very very yummy! Tip: I put garlic salt in mine! NOM!
Here’s some swaps I’ve found online that will give you an idea of how you can save a few points for that extra G&T at the weekend… I’m not a big fan of the weight watchers products but if its something you love then there’s options out there to replace your higher pointed goodies! Click on them and they should be easier to read...
Final week of the Bank Holiday challenge... and well done to everyone who stuck it out... 137lbs lost in total with this weeks weigh ins still to come in! Many lil bumps in the road but no giving up.. you're all fab! Another challenge in the not too distant future... they really keep me on track!
Have a glorious bank holiday everyone... we're suppose to have fab weather for it! YAY!
Best of luck to everyone doing the Flora mini marathon on Monday... My knee hasn't cooperated and physio says no... but I've sponsored a bunch of you and I'll be cheering at the sidelines... be very proud of yourselves! xxx