Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween!!



We hope that you all have a very Happy (and safe) Halloween this year.
Don't be let Halloween scare you, feel free to check out the tips I posted to help you survive Halloween.


God Bless,
Jon and Jen

Saturday, October 30, 2010

When Did Two Become Six?

"I guess your eyes were bigger than your stomach." I heard my mother say this phrase to me on several occasions. Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, I would load my plate up with as much food as it could hold! After all I needed to make sure that I has an opportunity to eat all of my favorite things. I would enjoy my food, but I would always end up so full that I could barely finish everything that was on my plate. Can you relate?

Last Friday, Jon and I were out grocery shopping. We decided to stop by Sam's Club for dinner and other necessary grocery items. This was our very first time to stop and eat dinner at Sam's. Most of the time I choose where we are going to eat, so it's points friendly. However I was sick last week and was so tired that I just did not care where we went for dinner.

When we got to the counter, to order our pizza. we told the woman that we want three slices. Our plan was that I would eat one piece and Jon would eat the other two. Sounds perfect, right? Wrong...

To our surprise, the woman behind the counter proceeded to serve us six pieces of pizza. We had already paid for the pizza, so we could not change our order. However, we were shocked that at Sam's club "three pieces of pizza" meant six slices total. If we had known this, we would not have ordered that much pizza. I just laughed at how much pizza the two of us were supposed to eat!


Thankfully, Jon was there to help polish most of it off.


From now on when we are ordering pizza at Sam's Club, we know that we only need to buy "two pieces". However, there should have been a sign to let us know how many pieces we were actually getting. Americans want more and that is something that has drastically effected the portion sizes that we are served in this country.

Those of us who are watching our weight need to be so careful when we order fast food. You could end up with something two or three times bigger than you planned on. Be careful and pay attention to what you are order!

Here are some interesting graphics I found that are all related to portion distortion.





Here is a general guideline for eyeballing your portions. (Take the calorie counts with a grain of salt- they are very general.)



Be sure to read more about portion distortion in the latest Get Fit email from Dr. Jacobs.

Portion Control

Here is the latest email from Dr. Jacobs.

Portion Control – How Much Are You Really Eating?

Over the years, portion sizes of all different types of foods and beverages have increased…and so have our waistlines. Meals are super-sized, soft drinks are mega-sized, and restaurants serve enough for two, or maybe even three people. We have become so used to the large portion sizes that they have become the new “norm.” If we were offered anything smaller, we would automatically think it was not enough, or we are not getting enough for our money. Did you know that the difference in the number of calories in a bagel you could buy today from one 20 years ago? How about between cheeseburgers? Try the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Portion Distortion Quiz to see how well you know how portion sizes and the amount of calories in foods have changed over the past 20 years.

Even if you are aware of how big the portion sizes are today, you may be thinking, “I’m not fooled by the large portion sizes and they don’t influence how much I actually eat.” The question is: Are you really sure?

Brian Wansink, a professor and director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab, has studied food psychology, eating behavior, and why we eat what we eat for years. His best-selling book, Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think, entertainingly discusses his creative research projects conducted in food psychology laboratories and real-world settings. Wansink’s research has prompted people to think about what is really causing them to consume the amount of food they do. Below are a few of the studies and findings that focus on how portion sizes influence how much you eat:

Does the Size of the Popcorn Bucket Matter?
Several years ago, individuals who arrived at a Chicago suburban movie theater to see a matinee movie were given free soft drinks and either a medium- or large-sized bucket of stale popcorn. Who ate the most? Individuals who were given the large bucket ate 53% more popcorn than those given a medium-sized bucket. This averages to approximately 173 more calories (of stale popcorn)!

Does the Size of the Bag of M&M’s Matter?
Forty adults attended a PTA meeting and were asked to provide feedback on a video. To thank everyone in advance, each person was given either a half-pound or one-pound bag of M&M’s to enjoy during the video. Who ate the most? Individuals who were given the one-pound bag ate an average of 137 M&M’s, whereas those given the half-pound bag ate an average of 71 M&M’s. This 66-M&M difference equates to over 250 calories!

Does the Size of the Container Matter Even When Previously Lectured on the Topic?
Graduate students attended a 90-minute lecture on how people generally take more from larger containers. Six weeks after the lecture, they were invited to a Super Bowl party, where they were placed in either a room with two gallon-sized or four half-gallon-sized bowls of Chex Mix. Who took the most? Students who were in the room with the gallon-sized bowls of Chex Mix took and ate more than 50% more than those in the room with half-gallon bowls. Even though they had previously been lectured on the size biases, those offered snacks in larger containers still took more than those offered snacks in smaller containers.

Initially, you may think you are not influenced by these large portion sizes, but the research does challenge you to think again. Furthermore, if you have noticed that you’ve started to gain some weight, you may want to take a closer look at your portion sizes. And, just because the portions appear to be the new “norm,” it does not mean you need to be eating that amount. If you are like most of us, you may need a reminder of what the recommended or standard size of servings look like. Here are some guidelines for one serving:

1 slice of bread = the size of a cassette tape

1 cup of cereal = the size of your fist

½-cup of pasta, rice, or ice cream = the size of ½ of a baseball

1 medium piece of fruit = the size of a baseball

1 baked potato = the size of your fist

1 tsp. of margarine = the size of one dice

3 oz of meat = the size of a deck of cards

2 tbsp. of peanut butter = the size of a ping-pong ball

References:
National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute’s Portion Distortion Quiz:
( http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/portion/ )
Wansink, B. (1996). Can package size accelerate usage volume? Journal of Marketing, 60(3), 1-14.
Wansink, B. (2007). Mindless eating: Why we eat more than we think. New York: Bantam-Dell.
Wansink, B. & Cheny, M. (2005). Super bowls: Serving bowl size and food consumption. Journal of the American Medical Association, 293(14), 1727-28.
Wansink, B., & Park, S. (2001). At the movies: How external cues and perceived taste impact consumption volume. Food Quality and Preference, 12(1), 69-74.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Flashback Friday: Two Years Ago Today...



Yesterday, October 28th, 2010, was my Two Year Anniversary with Weight Watchers!!

This is a day that I truly celebrate!! Two years ago, I had been told by my doctor to diet and exercise. For two weeks I tried my best to track my calories, but it was not working. I was so afraid of eating too much that I was not eating anything at all.

My co-worker, Anna, had been a Weight Watchers member in the past and she helped me to understand the program. She told me that I could eat anything I wanted, as long as I stayed within my points. This was a huge selling point for me, because I had done diets before that made you eat their food and I did not want to do that again.

I was nervous about the Weight Watchers meeting. I hope that it would not be a time to confess what I had eaten that last week. I shared my concerns with Anna and she explained that the meetings were not like that at all.

It is hard to believe that two years ago I attended my very first Weight Watchers meeting. I remember asking Jon if I could just go to the meeting and check it out. I was not planning on signing up for anything that first evening, but God had other plans. I went and sat through the meeting. Before the meeting was even over, I knew that this was the program I wanted to commit to doing.

At my first meeting I weighed in at 225 pounds and I was a size 18. This was the largest I had ever been in my entire life. I was not convinced in the beginning that I would make it all the way, but I asked God to give me strength. I made a commitment to myself that no matter how long it took to get the weight off, I was not going to quit. I have kept that promise to myself.

It is amazing to look back and see just how far I have come.


This picture was taken four days after I joined Weight Watchers at our Sunday school pumpkin carving party.


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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Recipe Review: Taco Junk

I was sick most of last week. As a result of my sickness, I had no energy to make dinner. My husband was incredible to pick up the slack where I had dropped the ball. He made dinner and took care of me, I really did marry an amazing man. Friday night, I took two NyQuil and slept for over eleven hours and when I woke up I felt so much better!

One of the first things I wanted to do was cook!! It worked out well that I was feeling better on Saturday, because I was able to clean the house and do our laundry. I was not up to cooking anything really fancy, so I chose a very easy Crock Pot dinner that I had found on the Weight Watchers message boards.

Here is the complete recipe for Taco Junk.


Like I said, this is an easy recipe. Can't you see the line up of ingredients? They are all in cans or packages.



Cooking the ground beef. I buy the leanest ground beef available at the grocery store. This helped to make this recipe very low in points. If you do not use a really lean meat you will need to recalculate the points.



Mix all the canned and packaged ingredients together. This was the easiest part. I drained each canned items except for the diced tomatoes. That provided the liquid necessary, so that it did not burn or dry out while cooking.



Then drain the cooked ground beef and add it to the Crock Pot. Remember to let the meat cool if you are adding it to a cold Crock Pot, you don't want it to crack and break.



All done. I ate 1/2 cup which was only 2 points! Jon ate the mixture in a tortilla and I ate mine with tortilla chips and salsa. This was so yummy. We had a lot of leftovers. This is the perfect dish to make for Fall.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Wordless Wednesday: Made to Crave Preview



Check out Lysa TerKeurst blog post A little taste of “Made to Crave”.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Just The Beginning

For the past six weeks, on Sunday nights, I have been leading a ladies Bible study called, Me, Myself and Lies: A Thought Closet Makeover By, Jennifer Rothschild. We have been meeting at church to talk about our "thought closets" and the lies and/or truths that we tell ourselves on a daily basis.



The six week study had five lessons that we were supposed to complete each week. During out time of Bible study we would watch a twenty to thirty minute video, in which Jennifer would share truth with us. She also shared stories from her own real life experiences and told us how God has been able to transform her thought closet.

This past Sunday, October 24, 2010, was our last week of Bible study. It is always sad to me when something ends. I have gotten to know and cherish the women in my Bible study. I am so excited about all that God has taught us. While watching the final video I was so encouraged to hear Jennifer answer the dread of my heart. I was afraid of this study ending, but Jennifer assured me that this was just the beginning. I am so thankful that God knows my heart and what I need to hear at just the right time.

When I began this study I am sure that my thought closet looked a lot like this picture below.



I wish I could tell you that now my thought closet looks like this!



My thought closet is not a disaster anymore, because I am working on it. It will never be perfect, but this study has given me the tools I need to continue to replace lies with God's truth. I am praying that God will help me to continue to learn to walk in His truth a little more everyday!

I would recommend this study to any woman who has ever said anything negative to yourself. That would be all of us wouldn't it? If you are looking for a good Bible study to do, maybe you should check this out! This is too important to put off!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Absolutely Parched



Ever since we moved in May, I have had a hard time getting in all my liquids everyday. I think it has to do with me being too picky about my water and did not like the way it tasted.

So, I started drinking one Crystal Light drink a day. Slowly, Crystal Light became my only source of liquids. The only problem with this is that any day I went without Crystal Light I would get a headache, which is not good either. I was so tired of getting headaches, that I stopped drinking Crystal Light.

Without Crystal Light I had pretty much stopped drinking liquids all together. I would have a drink of water if I was really thirsty, but I have not made it a priority.

This MUST change. I need to get in my liquids, especially my water everyday.

I felt so much better when I was drinking at least 8, 8 oz glasses of water a day. I want to get back to that! I am going to break out my Nalgene water bottle and start drinking more.

I found this video link at I'm Gonna Do It!. I was so excited, because Bob Harper talks about the importance of hydration.



I am not going to get into the scientific side of things. I found lots of articles on the internet that talk about the benefits of water. If you are interested in doing more reading on this, please check out the links below.

Water Links
Water and Your Diet: Staying Slim and Regular With H2O
10 Reasons To Drink More Water
Drinking Enough Water

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Nutrients in Your Diet


Here is the latest email from Dr. Jacobs.

Are you getting essential nutrients from your diet?

It’s easy to go online and look up the RDA for every vitamin and mineral based on your age and gender. But how much of each of these nutrients are you actually getting from the foods you eat every day — and do they meet your RDA?

There are several ways to approach this question. One is the relaxed way — that is, not worrying too much about the details and focusing instead on the big picture: eating a balanced diet that contains a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, dairy products, seafood, lean meats, and poultry. When choosing what to eat, emphasize nutrient-dense foods, which are packed with vitamins and minerals and have relatively few calories.

Some nutrient-dense foods
• Avocados
• Chard, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, spinach
• Bell peppers
• Brussels sprouts
• Mushrooms (crimini and shiitake)
• Potatoes (white or sweet)
• Cantaloupe, papaya, raspberries, strawberries
• Yogurt
• Eggs
• Seeds (flax, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower)
• Beans (garbanzo, kidney, navy, pinto)
• Lentils, peas
• Almonds, cashews, peanuts
• Barley, oats, quinoa, brown rice
• Salmon, halibut, cod, scallops, shrimp, tuna
• Lean beef, lamb, venison
• Chicken, turkey

Making healthful food choices
Some essential nutrients are packed into every food group, and certain foods — such as flour, cereal, and salt — are fortified with specific nutrients as well. Vitamin and mineral supplements from a bottle cannot encompass all the biologically active compounds teeming in a well-stocked pantry. A simple apple or piece of broccoli could have plenty of nutrients besides vitamins and minerals that might interact to improve your health. For example, broccoli contains isothiocyanates, which may have anti-tumor properties.

It also pays to remember a few other helpful pieces of advice:
Limit liquid sugars. Liquid sugars, which are found in soft drinks, sports drinks, iced teas, and sweetened waters, have no benefits for health and are clearly linked to higher risk of obesity, diabetes, and perhaps heart disease. There is no reason to include these in your diet. Skip the sugary drinks and have some unsweetened tea or sparkling water instead.

Minimize refined carbohydrates. Highly processed wheat, rice, and other grains have the same effects in the body as table sugar. So minimize your intake of white bread, French fries, most breakfast cereals, and most high-carbohydrate packaged and processed foods, such as pretzels and chips. Instead, choose whole grains, high-fiber breakfast cereals, brown rice, steel-cut oats, and fruits and vegetables.

Choose healthy fats. Fish, nuts, and vegetable oils contain healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which help lower heart disease risk. Eat these foods regularly and in moderation. Don’t get caught up in the “low-fat” craze (for example, low-fat salad dressing) as you will be limiting your intake of these good fats and will likely instead be eating a diet high in refined carbohydrates. Limit saturated fat and cholesterol, and especially avoid eating trans fat, found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Don’t forget fiber. Eat plenty of foods that contain dietary fiber (the edible, indigestible parts of plant foods). Good sources include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and dark chocolate. Fiber from grains helps lower the risk of heart disease. Your daily fiber goal depends on your age and sex, as follows:
• men ages 50 or younger: 38 grams
• men over 50: 30 grams
• women ages 50 or younger: 25 grams
• women over 50: 21 grams.

Balance energy intake and output. The energy you take in should equal the energy you use. That means if you are sedentary and 5 feet 4 inches tall, you need far fewer calories to remain at your current weight than an active person who is 6 feet tall.

Focus on fruits and vegetables
Set a goal. Start by eating one extra fruit or vegetable a day. When you’re used to that, add another and keep going. For example, add fruit to your breakfast cereal every morning. Then try eating a piece of fruit for an after-lunch snack. Next, add at least one vegetable to your dinner plate.

Be sneaky. Adding finely grated carrots or zucchini to pasta sauce, meat loaf, chili, or a stew is one way to get an extra serving of vegetables.

Try something new. It’s easy to get tired of apples, bananas, and grapes. Try a kiwi, mango, fresh pineapple, or some of the more exotic choices now found in many grocery stores.

Start off right. Ditch your morning donut for an omelet with onions, peppers, and mushrooms. Top it with some salsa to wake up your palate. Or boost your morning cereal or oatmeal with a handful of strawberries, blueberries, or dried fruit.

Drink up. Having a 6-ounce glass of low-sodium vegetable juice instead of a soda gives you a full serving of vegetables and spares you 10 teaspoons or more of sugar. You can also make your own vegetable juice with a blender or juicer.

Give them the heat treatment. Roasting vegetables is easy and brings out new flavors. Cut up onions, carrots, zucchini, asparagus, turnips — whatever you have on hand — coat with olive oil, add a dash of balsamic vinegar, and roast at 350° until done. Grilling is another way to bring out the taste of vegetables. Use roasted or grilled vegetables as a side dish, put them on sandwiches, or add them to salads.

Let someone else do the work. If peeling, cutting, and chopping aren’t your thing, food companies and grocers offer an ever-expanding selection of prepared produce, from ready-made salads to frozen stir-fry mixes and take-along sliced apples and dip.

Improve on nature. Don’t hesitate to jazz up vegetables with spices, chopped nuts, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, or a specialty oil like walnut or sesame oil. Most grocers carry several spice blends made specifically for vegetables. Even a dash of grated Parmesan cheese can liven up the blandest green beans.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Flashback Friday: LA Weight Loss

I had a bit of a blast from the past this week and I want to share this with you as my Flashback.



On Tuesday, at my Weight Watchers meeting I had a woman approach me and ask, "What is your name?" She said that she saw my a few weeks ago and I looked familiar, but she could not remember where she knew me from. She had finally remembered who I was and this is why she was asking my name, just to make sure she was right.

It turns out, I was a former client of hers at LA Weight Loss. She asked how much I had lost and complimented me on my success. I told her that I had lost 90 pounds and that I loved the Weight Watchers program.

As she walked away I could not believe that I had run into her! I immediately sent Jon a text, because I knew that he would be just as surprised as I was.

You see, LA Weight Loss was the first diet I ever tried. It was an extremely rigid program. You were required to weigh in three times a week at one of their centers. You were also supposed to eat two of their LA Lite bars a day. We spent more money on that program, bars, and food then I have spent all together on Weight Watchers.

I started losing weight with them in January 2007 and quit is June 2007. In that time I was able to lose about 40 pounds. However, the moment I got off the program I began to gain it all back. I gained everything back and then some! I was so ashamed of the money that we had wasted and that I had been unable to maintain my weight loss. I never wanted to do another fad diet like that again.


June 2007, I was about 180 and I had lost about 40 pounds on LA Weight Loss.



January 2008, Celebrating our anniversary in Houston, TX. I was back up to 200 or more.


When I learned about Weight Watchers it was like a breath for fresh air! I did not buy any products at my meeting when I first joined, because I did not want it to be like the last diet I did. I wanted to be able to eat anything I want and still lose weight.

If you are like me and have failed at fad diets, don't let the shame, guilt, or embarrassment hold you back from living a healthy lifestyle. It takes a lot of courage to change your lifestyle, but let me tell you that when you do...it is worth it!

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Thursday, October 21, 2010

The Red Carpet Invite

In two weeks my Weight Watchers leader, Amanda, is planning to have a Red Carpet Debut in place of our normal meeting.



Anyone who has lost weight, that wants to walk the Red Carpet can do so. There is going to be a slide show of member's before pictures and then the member will walk down the aisle and reveal their weight loss results!!

We are also going to have a little celebration party afterward with snacks. We can invite our friends and family members too. This is going to be an all out event, so we can dress up as fancy as we want. It is an opportunity to celebrate and show everyone all that you have accomplished.

From the beginning Amanda has asked if I would participate in this event. I have sent her my pictures and brainstormed with her about how we can make this a great celebration.

When Amanda emailed me on Monday of this week, to ask what I thought of the invite, I did not think anything of it. I was stunned to see my before and after pictures on invitation, but knew there must have been good reason for her to choose me. I never thought about the fact that she said this was an invite and that implied other people would get to see it.


Red Carpet Invitation


On Tuesday, when I showed up to my Weight Watchers meeting, I was not feeling well and to be honest I just wanted to go home. When I arrived Mr. Don was bragging about me being his hero, like he has for almost a year. Mr. Don will tell anyone about my weight loss, even though he has lost just as much weight as me.

I got to the weigh in table and saw copies of the invitation sitting there for people to take. One of the ladies said, "Looks like we've got a celebrity in our midst." Immediately I thought that I would have dressed up a bit, especially if I had known that people would be looking at my picture all evening.

I am so humbled to have my picture on that invitation. I cannot believe that out of all the people who have lost weight that Amanda would choose to use me. Even though I was a little uncomfortable getting all that attention. It is incredible to see how far I have come since I first began my journey with Weight Watchers.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Wordless Wednesday: Sunday School Fall Theme

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Texas State Fair

As promised here are pictures from our trip to the Texas State Fair. We went with our friends, Bryan, Tabitha, and their son Wyatt.

The five of us had such a fun time! I posted a bunch of pictures and I think they speak for themselves. I hope you all had a great weekend too!


Jon and I ready to go to the fair! We walked down to Bryan and Tabitha's house early Saturday morning. We wanted to be able to get on the road and beat any traffic as we went into the city.



We made it in great time and actually arrived before the big crowds got there! We were thankful that we did not have to park a mile away.



Welcome to the Texas State Fair!!


We were able to attend a demonstration to watch how to milk a cow. This was not the old-fashioned way that my Dad did when he was living on a Dairy farm. From the looks of it, things have come a long ways.



Here's the milk, straight from the cow!



Big Tex, who was very large.



Me, Tabitha, and sleeping Wyatt. He needed a nap, but just wanted to be held. Poor guy was a little overwhelmed with all the people around us.



Jon and Bryan



Wyatt loves the water, so Jon took him over to the fountain to get wet.



A VERY, BIG, Ferris Wheel. I've heard that it is the largest in the Northern Hemisphere.



Bryan and Tabitha on the Ferris Wheel.



Jon, Wyatt, and I on the Ferris Wheel.



The Dallas Skyline. The view from the top of the Ferris wheel was amazing. It was so much fun.



Jon and Wyatt, just taking in the view. This was Wyatt's first fair ride!



Yes I ate some fair food. We ate some Funnel Cake Fries and a bite of the Fried Smores Poptart. Honestly, the smell of fried food was completely overwhelming and at times disgusting. We all shared these treats and they were good, but I would have been fine without them. My how things change.



The Funnel Cake Fries



On our way home we stopped at Chipotle, which was so much better than eating at the fair!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Surviving Halloween



There are only 14 days until Halloween. Ahh!! Have you picked out your costume yet? I have. Thankfully, because I don't need anything else to worry about.

With Halloween comes candy, a lot of candy. If you are like me you have been tempted by all the candy and treats that are filling the aisles at the store. This time of year, if you are trying to eat healthy, the supermarket can be scarier than an actual Haunted House. If you have not already read it, here is a post about how to Outsmart the Supermarket.

Even if you are able to buy healthy things at the store, how are you supposed to stay on plan and continue to lose weight this time of year? I am so glad you asked.

First, I wanted to share with you Three Quick Tips! from Hungry Girl to help you survive Halloween.

1. DO NOT stock up on your favorite candies. Too late to take that advice? Here's what to do. After the last wave of trick-or-treaters has come through, PUT THE CANDY AWAY! "Out of sight, out of mind" is a cliché, but it's true. If the candy still haunts you from the cabinet, bring the extras to work Monday morning. Set it out in a bowl and it'll be gone before lunchtime. Disaster averted.

2. Just because the candy bars are little doesn't mean you can have ten of them. Those "fun size" bars generally have 70 - 100 calories and 3 - 6g fat each (POINTS® value 2 - 3*), so watch out! The bite-sized "minis" often have about 30 - 50 calories and 2 - 3g fat each (POINTS® value 1*). Set a portion-controlled stash aside, and don't keep going back for more. Or be strong and just skip 'em altogether.

3. The best way to avoid the lure of holiday sweets? Eat other things. For the love of Elvira, DON'T skip dinner so that you can go nuts on the candy! Eight Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Miniatures do not equal a meal. Eat normally all day long, have a small treat after dinner, and don't turn that plastic jack-o'-lantern bucket into your personal feed-bag!


Second, if you just have to eat some candy here is a link to Hungry Girl's Halloween Candy Guide. This is a great resource to figure out the calories and/or points in your favorite sweets.

Finally, move more. That's right, you need to get up and move more. Trying going for a walk or exercise the days leading up to Halloween, this will compensate for some of the extra calories that you will be eating for Halloween.

Also, Stephanie over at She's in There Somewhere wrote a blog post, Halloween Candy Survival Guide if you are interested in even more information of surviving Halloween!

You can do it! Do not give in to the candy, because it is just not worth it. You deserve so much better!!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Fall Back on Your Tools and Resources!



Here is a summary of my Weight Watchers meeting October 12, 2010.

This week in the meeting room we talked about how around this time of the year is when a lot of members decide to quit. They feel like the holiday months pose too much of a challenge and that they will just start over next year. DO NOT ALLOW THIS THOUGHT TO ENTER YOUR BRAIN! Imagine the damage you can do in 3 months “off” the program. Yikes, I would hate to see you not only having to lose what you are currently shooting for, but the 15 pounds (at least) that can accumulate between now and January.

Instead we talked about being able to FALL BACK ON YOUR TOOLS AND RESOURCES. Below you will find a list of some of the tools that you have available to you to help you be successful through this holiday season.

• Program materials for an understanding of the Weight Watchers program: weeks 1-10 read back over them and review what you might be forgetting

• POINTS value reference guides: Complete Food Companion®, Dining Out Companion®, Pocket Guide, Weight Watchers e-Tools, and smart phone applications—for alphabetical listings of foods and their POINTS values

• Tracking aids: 3 Month Journal, Weight Watchers Calculators, POINTS Clickers, Weight Watchers e-Tools, smart phone applications—all track POINTS precisely
• Measuring tools: Electronic Food Scale and Easy Measure Serving Set, measuring cups

• Fitness aids: POINTS pedometer, fitness kits, and walking DVDs, weight watchers e-tools, ww magazine fitness section, internet search engines

• Recipes: Cookbooks, WeightWatchers.com, Weight Watchers Weekly, and Weight Watchers Magazine, recipes shared in meeting room, search online
• Weight Watcher Foods: Bars, Mini Bars, Baked Snacks, Sugar-Free Candies, Smoothies, and Oatmeal

• Licensed products (in grocery stores): Smart Ones entrées, desserts, candies, and baked goods (cookies, muffins)

• Guides to behavior change: Weight Watchers Tools for Living and Book 4, Helpful Habits of Successful Members

• Inspiration and motivation: Weight Watchers Magazine, Weight Watchers Weekly, success stories, and the message boards on WeightWatchers.com, plus all the people you see slimming down in the meeting room

I want you to go through and make a list of all the positive changes that you have experienced since joining weight watchers and decide if you are willing to have all those taken away.

If you don’t want them to go away then you need to stay on program and stay in the meeting rooms!

Remember NOTHING WORKS UNLESS YOU DO!

Friday, October 15, 2010

Flashback Friday: Our Trip to Dallas

This weekend Jon and I are headed to the Texas State fair with some friends of ours. We are so excited and cannot wait to go, especially since Jon has never been to a fair before. I will be sure to take lots of pictures to share with you all next week. I am going to do my best to stay on plan and avoid all the fair food. I have bought lots of apples and carrots to take with me instead.

I am so excited for our trip to the fair that it was reminding me of another trip we took exactly two years ago. This weekend, two years ago (Oct. 2008) Jon and I went away for the weekend with some friends. We went to Dallas and watched a hockey game, ate at great restaurants, went to the Farmer's Market, and the zoo! We had such a wonderful time.

This weekend was significant in another way as well. This was the first weekend I ever tried to count calories on my own! Earlier that week in 2008, I a doctor’s appointment that changed my life. My doctor told me that I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and that I had three months to diet and exercise to get some of my weight off or else I might have to start taking medicine.

This came as no shock to me, because I knew I was overweight. However I could not help thinking to myself, how did you let it get this bad?

This was the motivation I needed to begin to change my life. I hate going to the doctor and being on medicine for the rest of my life did not sound appealing to me at all. So I did my best to count calories and follow the diet guidelines that my doctor had given me.

It only took two weeks, before I realized that I needed help and joined Weight Watchers. However, I am so glad that I can look back on this weekend to see where I was and how little I knew about healthy eating. It gives me so much joy to see just how far someone can come in such a short amount of time.

Below are some pictures from our weekend trip two years ago.


Jon and I the morning before we left on our trip. I was about 226 pounds at that time.



Jon and I after we watched the Colorado Avalanche beat the Dallas Stars.



Dallas Farmer's Market



The fruit was so good here!



A GIANT pumpkin!


Elephants!! I love going to the zoo.



Me with me favorite animal, the elephant.


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