Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Activity PointsPlus Goal

source

As many of you read in your Meet PointsPlus 2012 books, one of the changes Weight Watchers has made to the new system is that they are encouraging members to work towards reaching an Activity PointsPlus Goal each week. The base goal is at 14 PointsPlus which is 2 PointsPlus of activity a day.

Almost everyone, deep down inside, wants to be more active. Sometimes getting started can prove to be challenging. One of the biggest mistakes that is made is to set your goal too high. Let’s face it. If it’s been 3 months since you’ve done any activity, but yet your goal is to get up every morning at 4:30 am and do an hour workout at the gym…the chances of you being successful is probably less than 1%! Be realistic. Like your daily PointsPlus goal, your activity goal is flexible.

Now having said that if you are already earning 14 PointsPlus in a week than instead of saying “woohoo I’m done”, challenge yourself to do more. Bodies adapt. Beginners may continue to improve their fitness level for up to 12 weeks using the same routine. However, seasoned exercisers may need to make changes as often as every four weeks. Changing routines can challenge your muscles and make further improvement more likely.

Now to help get your mind in the right place for activity here are a few exercise myths that have been busted:
Myth 1: Performing sit-ups gets rid of fat around the stomach
Spot reduction doesn't work. Exercising specific muscle groups in particular parts of the body doesn't burn fat primarily from that area. Think about it...if spot reduction worked, all chronic gum chewers would have thin faces.
Fat is lost gradually from all over the body. Although sit-ups won't melt fat specifically from your tummy, they will help strengthen and tighten the muscle under the fat, which makes it worthwhile.

Myth 2: Muscle turns to fat when you stop exercising
Muscle and fat are completely different tissues that are not interchangeable. Instead, there are two key reasons why people perceive that muscle turns to fat when they stop exercising.

· Muscle goes from firm to floppy when it's not used. It also decreases in size, hence the saying, use it or lose it.

· Many people stop exercising but don't adjust how much food they eat. The reality is, when you exercise less, you have to eat less.

Myth 3: You have to exercise for 20 minutes in order to burn fat
Wrong! Each one of us has a different point where our bodies start burning fat. This is partly determined by genetics but mostly by fitness level, time and intensity of the workout. What matters at the end of the day is that exercising allows you to burn calories and if you burn more calories than you take in you will lose weight. Any physical activity has an impact on burning calories so every time you move, it's worth it.

Myth 4: Resistance (weight) training impedes weight loss
Weight training is a great add-on to cardiovascular exercise because it helps maintain or even increase muscle mass, boost metabolism and reduce fat. After age 45, the average person loses about 10% of their muscle mass each decade. This is primarily due to people becoming more sedentary with age and therefore using their muscles less leading to loss of muscle mass.

In addition, we lose both fat and muscle during weight loss, particularly when relying solely on dieting. So relying on an eating plan without upping exercise levels will mean greater muscle loss. Weight training can help you keep the muscle while you lose the fat, particularly on the upper body, which isn't loaded much by walking, jogging or cycling. Weight training can also help you achieve your fitness goals. If gyms aren't your thing, keep in mind that as far as your muscles are concerned, lifting garden gnomes, bricks or even bags of laundry can have the same benefits as lifting weights.

Myth 5: If you exercise before breakfast you burn more fat
There is a little evidence to support this theory. According to the updated physical activity guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), healthy adults under age 65 need 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity five days a week or 20 minutes of vigorous intensity activity three days a week to stay healthy and reduce risk of chronic disease, regardless of the time of day that you exercise. From a practical perspective, mornings can be a great time because it's done first thing and your activity PointsPlus® values are in the bank.

Myth 6: Exercising after meals is better than before
There isn't a right or wrong answer here. Exercising before or after meals is OK; the main thing to consider is that you do not skip meals and that you leave enough time for digestion before your workout. For a large meal this could mean about 3-4 hours, and for a small meal about 2-3 hours. However, some people can snack right before a workout as well, so it really depends on the individual.

Myth 7: People who are very overweight should avoid exercise
Wrong! Just start out easy. First, concentrate on increasing daily activity. Rearrange your house or office environment so that it makes movement mandatory. Check out more everyday ways to get moving.

Use a pedometer to measure your average daily step count and increase from there. Record the daily steps you take for seven consecutive days then calculate the average. Use the average as a baseline and gradually increase your daily step goals of around 5 to 10 percent per week.

For example, if 3,000 steps is your current daily step average, the goal for next week will be 3,300 steps per day, and 3,630 per day the following week.

If you are a monthly pass subscriber go online to your etools account and take the activity assessment to see what weight watchers recommends for your personal weekly activity pointsplus target. Remember any activity you can do is going to help boost your weight loss. 5 minutes here, 5 minutes there can really add up. Very few of us will actually have 30 min to set aside at a time. So, do the best you can with what you’re given.

This week especially really focus on getting in some activity. Remember the average American will consumed 4000 calories on Christmas day! Any activity pointsplus you can earn will really pay off!

Monday, December 26, 2011

Joy to the World

We had a wonderful Christmas weekend!! This year it was just Jon and I at home for Christmas. We have never had a Christmas with just the two of us. We decided not to travel anywhere to visit family, because we had done so much traveling in the last year. It was nice to be on our own schedule.



On Christmas Eve, I had to get up early and work for Weight Watchers. Thankfully, there were about 20 people who came to my meeting so it wasn't as slow as I thought it would be. After I got home, Jon and I watched football. We also spent the day Skyping with our family and loved ones who live far away.

We Skyped with my family in Washington. This is my Mom and our nephews.

We also Skyped with Jon's family in China. This is Hannah, Josh, Bella, and Lisa.

Because it was just the two of us we could open presents whenever we wanted to! So we opened one present on Christmas Eve!

I got Jon a Lego Star Wars Christmas Ornament.

Jon got me Chip & Dale Recuse Rangers.

Christmas Eve we were up very late talking with Jon's family on Skype. As a result we almost missed church on Christmas morning! We woke up with no time to have Christmas morning breakfast, so we just rushed off to church as fast as we could.

Church was great! It was such a blessing to be able to go to church on Christmas! It was such a wonderful reminder about what Christmas is really about...Jesus.

Our Sunday school teacher, Janet, invited us to join her and her family for Christmas day. She did not want us to spend the day alone and we were so thankful to them for having us over like that. We enjoyed a mexican Christmas dinner which was so good! We had so much fun hanging out with their family. We even got to watch some of their home movies!

Eventually Jon and I made our way home, so that we could open up our Christmas presents that we had neglected earlier that morning.

Turns out Jon and I bought each other the same present!

Jon also got me DuckTales.


Father of the Bride 1 & 2! I love these movies!

Inheritance for Jon!

Jon knows how much I love these, so he bought them for me to enjoy all next year!

Jon's sister made us gifts that say, "I'm an Uncle."

This is mine, "I'm an Auntie."

After opening Christmas presents we tried taking pictures of the two of us on Christmas day! It took a while before we got some good pictures of ourselves.




I hope that you and your family had a wonderful Christmas weekend too!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Simply Filling = Simply Fabulous

source

I think the Simply Filling Technique is one of THE MOST underutilized tools Weight Watchers has! There are many benefits for MANY members. The new flexibility of using Simply Filling on a daily basis is AWESOME, particularly since a HUGE factor of success is accountability and tracking - which is where so many people get tripped up. So often members feel they can't be successful trackers, don't want to write it down, aren't following our Good Health Guidelines, feel it takes too much time, won't track because it isn't perfect, have trouble figuring out PointsPlus values, etc. I am really passionate about "converting" people to the joys of the Simply Filling concept - once in a while or even daily; it is a block buster strategy on vacations! What could it hurt…..

SIMPLY FILLING = SIMPLY FABULOUS

We encourage people to track, because it makes you more aware of what you’re eating, and helps you maintain control when you’re aiming to lose weight. Still, tracking isn’t for everyone — and for those who want to try a different method, we offer the Simply Filling technique.

So, what is simply filling? Following the Simply Filling technique means you eat exclusively from the Power Foods list without counting the PointsPlus values of those foods. You can find a complete list of power foods in the following places:
• Pages 40-43 Meet PointsPlus® 2012
• Pocket Guide( Green section ) page 103
• Power Start colored Trackers contain a list

You know a food is a power food if it has a green triangle beside it in the companion guides, pocket guides, or on e-tools.
Eat portions that feel right for you. Not so much that you feel too full, and not too little that you still feel hungry.

If you decide to try the Simply Filling technique, the Plan Manager on e-tools makes it easy. Go to “Settings” and select “Tracking Preference.” Follow it for a day, a week or more; whatever works for you. You might find it's a good idea if you're on vacation or have a special event. You can always switch back if you decide Simply Filling isn’t for you.

You’ll still enjoy a weekly PointsPlus Allowance with the Simply Filling technique, and have room to treat yourself with food that is not on the Power Foods list. Just remember to track those items, and stay within your weekly allowance. You can also continue to earn, and swap, activity PointsPlus values.

With the new PointsPlus 2012 system you can decide to do the simply filling technique on a day to day basis! (Used to you would have to follow the simply filling plan for an entire week at a time.)

You can also Include your 2 tsp. of healthy oil each day without counting PointsPlus values. Use your weekly PointsPlus Allowance for any additional oil. Healthy oil choices include:
• Olive oil
• Canola oil
• Safflower oil
• Sunflower oil
• Flaxseed oil

Remember, as with the regular PointsPlus plan your goal is to get in all of your good healthy guidelines each day. Those include (pages 48-53 of Meet PointsPlus 2012 book):
• 5 servings of fruits/veggies
• 1-2 servings of lean proteins
• At least 2 servings of non-fat and low fat dairy
• Choose whole grains whenever possible
• Get in at least 48 oz. of nonalcoholic liquids each day (water is your best choice)
• Get in 2 tsp. of healthy oil
• Take a multivitamin daily
• Watch your intake of sodium, added sugar, and alcohol

If you find that you are already eating a lot of power foods, then the simply filling technique may be right up your alley. Give it a try this next week and see how you like it!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Weight Watchers Barcode Scanner App

Ready, Set, Scan!

source

Weight Watchers thought they would make staying on plan even easier this holiday season, which is why I proudly present to you the Weight Watchers barcode scanner for both the iPhone and the Android!

The barcode scanner provides accurate PointsPlus® values for thousands of products which can be tracked directly from scanning a product’s barcode — no manual data entry into the Tracker is needed! Scan any food you like, even if it’s one we don’t have in our database — you can easily add the food to your Favorites list or directly into a mealtime in your Food Tracker. Additionally, the new barcode scanner app can compare multiple scanned products — a really useful feature when it comes to meal planning and creating shopping lists.

To download this beauty, look for Weight Watchers Barcode Scanner in the App Store or the Android Market. This product is free for all iOS and Android smartphone users who have a Weight Watchers Online or eTools account with us.

So, what are you waiting for? Head to the grocery store and start scanning all of your holiday food items before you purchase to make sure they are PointsPlus values-friendly.

As few housekeeping items:

1) It’s best if your Weight Watchers Mobile app is the latest version (iOS v1.7, Android v1.1), it’ll play nice with the barcode scanner

2) All items will be tracked as "user-created foods" and will display with the blue flag next to them in your PointsPlus Food Tracker.

3) The barcode scanner has a separate food database from the Plan Manager and Tracker apps, so only the foods you track or add to favorites from the Barcode Scanner app will be available in the PointsPlus Food Tracker.

4) All Favorites created in the barcode app will be added to the Plan Manager and Tracker app favorites, BUT you will not see Plan Manager or Tracker app favorites in the barcode scanner app. Also, deleting favorites from the barcode scanner app will not delete it from your Plan Manger or Tracker app.

OK, OK, start scanning already

Monday, December 19, 2011

Celebrating Our Anniversary


This past weekend, Jon and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary!! I cannot believe that we have already been married for 5 years!! Where did the time go!?

We have learned a lot over these last 5 years. Here are just a few things that God has taught us so far. God has shown us that we need to depend on one another when life gets hard. God has taught us that going to church is a priority, because we will not make it in this life without God. God has shown us that He will provide for our every need. God has also taught us that His timing and plans are much more perfect than ours.

To really celebrate such a big milestone in our lives we are taking a trip after the first of the year. We will be attending the Passion 2012 conference. There is no better way that we could celebrate than to attend a conference that helps to teach us more about the Lord!!

On, Saturday, our actual anniversary we spent the day resting and relaxing! We watched movies and hung out at home! This was perfect, because recently our schedules have been so hectic. Here are so pictures from our anniversary.

Jon and I ready to go out to dinner!


We went to Genghis Grill, it's one of our favorite places to eat!

Jon bowl was spicy as usual.

I tried something new and got noodles!

We went to Starbucks after dinner.

After Starbucks we headed to the bookstore, another one of our favorite places to hang out!

Click here to read more about our love story!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Weight Watchers Praline Nut Cluster

Serving Size: 1 bar
  2 pointsplus+

At my Weight Watchers center we finally received the new mini bar!! I bought a box of these Weight Watchers Praline Nut Cluster mini bars on Tuesday evening. They taste like a Payday and are very good!! When I am craving something sweet, like a candy bar, these mini bars are the perfect PointsPlus friendly option for me.

I hope that you will get some and try them the next time you are in the meeting room. Maybe you could even use them as stocking stuffers!!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Wordless Wednesday: My Weight Watchers Pedometer

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Reader Question: Excess Skin

source

Good Morning!! I’ve received several emails in the last few weeks from people who read and follow my blog. They are people just like you and me who are in the midst of their own weight loss journeys. These people need some advice and/or encouragement to help them along in their journey.

Normally, I just email the blog reader back and let that be it. However, I think that there are other people out there who have similar questions. So, I’ve decided to start using some of my reader questions as my inspiration for blog posts. I’ll post the reader’s question and my response to their question.

This past weekend I received an email from Sarah, who had a question about excess skin. Read below to check out Sarah’s question.

"Do you have to deal with extra skin, or has your body adjusted to the new weight? I look all over the place for weight loss blogs for inspiration, I have 92 pounds to lose. However, I recently came across a blog where a girl had to have a "lower body lift" which is basically plastic surgery to remove excess skin, and this kind of scared me. I'm a big fan of your blog, so I thought I would ask you and see if you had any issues with this after your weight loss. Thanks for your help."

Here is my response to Sarah and anyone else who is nervous about dealing with excess skin.

First, I just want to thank Sarah for having the courage to email me! I love hearing from my blog readers/followers! Talking about weight loss issues can be uncomfortable, especially when you are talking about it with a stranger.

My mother-in-law asked me this same question just a few months after I reached my goal weight. In answer to your question, I did not have to deal with extra skin. I have not had any kind of "body lift" either. To be completely honest, I did not lose all of my weight and find a six pack under the layers of fat that was hiding it. My stomach does not look like anything that you would find on the cover of a magazine. It is bigger than I like and still has a few larger rolls. However, I do not have lots of flabby skin just hanging around that I have to deal with.

Now that I’ve been too honest with you, let me tell you a few reason about why I have not had to deal with extra skin.

First, I lost my weight at a slow and healthy rate. As I lost the weight my body was able to make adjustments. People who choose to lose weight very quickly often have to deal with a lot of extra skin, because their body does not have time to adjust to the weight loss changes that are taking place. I would highly recommend that you lose your weight at a slower pace. I know that it can be challenging, but losing the weight slowly really is the healthiest way to go.

Second, half way through my weight loss journey I began to exercise. I believe that the walking and running that I was doing as I lost my weight helped to naturally tone my body. If you are not exercising regularly I would highly recommend it!

Don't let the fear of having excess skin keep you from losing weight!

Monday, December 12, 2011

PointsPlus 2012 Plan Changes



{Flexible PointsPlus Target}
source

Many of you were surprised to notice that with our 2012 PointsPlus plan, many of your daily pointsplus targets have changed. When we launched our original PointsPlus program in 2010 we were overly cautious, making sure that everyone’s nutrition needs would be met with our program. Since that time we have done more research and discovered that this can still be done with a lower daily pointsplus target.

For that reason we have moved the bottom of our scale to 26 pointsplus instead of the 29. (You will notice that your etools account has automatically recalculated your daily pointsplus target to reflect these new calculations based on your age, height, current weight, and gender.) The choice to change your daily pointsplus target is completely up to you.

Why might you want to lower your daily pointsplus target?
• not losing or difficulty maintaining
• reduction in overall daily activity
• age, which may lead to slower weight loss or difficulty maintaining due to a decrease in activity
• I can’t eat all that! – Struggling to get in the recommended amount of pointsplus values

If you decide to move to the lower daily pointsplus values be cautious of the following things:
• Feeling deprived/falling into that diet mentality
• Getting in your Good Health Guidelines (proper nutrition)
• Unhealthy rapid weight loss -- what IS that? .5 lb to 2 lb per week. On the back of your newly designed weight record there is a place for you to plot your weight loss and identify if you are falling within the healthy range.

Why might you want to raise your daily pointsplus target?
• feeling too deprived, not being able to stick with it
• vacations, holiday seasons, a decision to maintain for a time instead of losing, etc.
• losing too quickly
• increase in overall daily activity, leading to rapid weight loss or chronic hunger

Now you have the option to remain at the daily pointsplus target you already have. If you are happy with your food intake, and if you are losing at a healthy rate, then you may not want to change your daily pointsplus target at all. If this is the case, and you have etools, you can adjust your daily pointsplus target under the plan manager under settings.


{Free eTools}
source

Congratulations to all Zero paying Lifetime members. As a reward for your hard work, you are now able to receive free etools! Each month when you weigh in no more than 2 lb above your goal, you will receive an 8 week free etools voucher! WOOOOHOOOO! You guys deserve it!!


{PowerStart}
source

Probably the biggest change that Weight Watchers is announcing this year is in how we are helping you get STARTED with your weight loss. Research shows that getting off to a GREAT start is critical to long-term weight loss success, so we’ve vamped our “getting started session” into a new 3-part POWERSTART! You’ll notice that on the front of your new weight record, there are 3 boxes to record when you’ve completed each of the great new sessions. I invite you ALL to stay for these 3 looping sessions. You do not have to take them in any order.

source

Don’t forget that our new 2012 enrollment products are now available with more information and with new updated pointsplus values. Pick your copies up in the meeting room!

Friday, December 9, 2011

Trusting God Anyway

source

Preface: Two posts in one day! I know that this rarely happens, but I have a lot on my mind.

Part One: A Big Decision

All week, I have been praying for wisdom and clarity. I have been asking the Lord to show me what He wants me to do with my life. You see I have to make several big decisions. The first decision I have to make is about whether or not I want to pursue my Master’s degree at this time. I was accepted into the Master of Psychology program and even registered for classes. Earning my Master’s degree has always been a part of “the plan”…my plan, but is it God’s will for my life? The timing seems perfect, because everything has fallen into place so neatly. Well, if it is so perfect why have I doubting whether or not this is what God really wants me to do?

Yesterday, I had a bad afternoon which came on top of a stressful week. I ended up crying a lot. It got to the point where I was not sure if I would ever stop. I did my best to pull myself together before choir even though my heart was still heavy. Later that night I asked my friend Meagan to pray for me and that I would have wisdom and clarity. I feel like I’ve been praying and praying, but not really getting anywhere this week. Last night, I didn’t feel any closer to making this decision than I did the night before. Why wouldn’t God answer me!?

Part Two: An Encouraging Blog Post

As it turns out, my prayer request inspired my friend Meagan to write a blog post titled “for when the clarity never come”. Please take a moment to read it now and then come back for part three.

Part Three: My Response

Thank you Meagan for writing that blog post because it was just what I needed to hear!

I did not have the “aha” moment that I was hoping for, but apparently I did not need it. I now understand and know the answer to my prayer. In fact I think that I have known the answer all along that I should not go to school right now. However, I do not understand why the Lord is leading me away from my very well thought out plan.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6

Even though I do not understand what is going on right now, I am trying my best to trust God anyway. I wanted clarity, so that I could be confident in the decision I made. If God were to give me the clarity I desired, I would not have to trust Him and walk by faith. God wants me to take a risk, step out in faith and trust Him to lead me in the right direction.

I need to be willing to trust Him even if I don’t understand what He is doing. Deep down inside I know that God’s plans are the better than mine and I have to trust that He has equipped me to make the right decision. I guess God has other plans for me that I do not know about. Until God tells me otherwise, I am going to rest in the truth that HE KNOWS.

Melanie's Success Story

Today and tomorrow are really busy days for me, because I am trying to get ready for graduation. I don't have a lot of time to blog, but I wanted to share this success story with you.

I have blogged about this couple before, Tim and Melanie Howie, because they were interviewed this past Spring. Tim and Melanie are an incredible couple and I am so glad that they have been able to share their story with others! They are so inspiring!!

Tim and Melanie can fit into Tim's jacket that he wore when he first started Weight Watchers.

Tim and Melanie also participated in our Success Event. As a result, Melanie was interviewed and featured today on TV!! Please click the link below to read Melanie's success story story.

Melanie's Story: Losing weight for herself and her son



I hope that this helps inspire you to continue to stay on track! Have a great weekend!

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Local Success Stories

Last month, my Weight Watchers center hosted a huge Success Event. To read more about the Success Event, click here.

At the Success Event we had several Weight Watchers members share their weight loss success. The local newspaper got wind of the Success Event and recently decided to interview two of our successful Weight Watchers members, Barbara and Irene.

Irene sharing her weight loss story at last month's success event.

Barbara sharing her story at the success event.

This past Tuesday, a photographer stopped by our Tuesday evening Weight Watchers meeting to take pictures of Irene and Barbara for their newspaper article!! This morning their article was in the local newspaper!!

Irene and Barbara's weight loss article.

I know that this can be a challenging time of year. You are being tempted to eat more than any other time of year. If you are in need of some encouragement please click here to read their newspaper article.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Slow Cooking in December

Last night, Jon and I made Skinny Taste’s Baked Potato Soup. The soup is currently cooking in the Crock Pot and will be ready for us to eat when we get home later tonight!

As we were cooking last night I was reminded of two things that I love! First, I love cooking with my Jon. To be honest he is a better cook than I am. Jon helped me make this soup according to the recipe. When we had almost finished it, I told him that it was now his turn to add whatever kinds of spices he felt would make it taste even better. He added salt, black pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, and more. If it was not for him all of our food would be bland and boring, at least according to Jon’s standards.

I first used this picture with my Crockpot Maple Ham recipe review.

Second, I love my Crock Pot! I am so thankful that we received our Crock Pot as a wedding present almost 5 years ago! Here in Texas, it is finally starting to feel like Fall and Winter, so now is that time of year when I pull out my Crock Pot and let it do most of my cooking for me!

My two favorite Crock Pot recipes are Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti and Crockpot Maple Ham (which I will be making for Christmas). To see my collection of Crock Pot recipes click here and scroll down to the slow cooker section.

Do you enjoy Crock Pot cooking? What are some of you favorite Crock Pot recipes?

Monday, December 5, 2011

PointsPlus 2012

This week in the meeting room Weight Watchers will be launching their latest program PointsPlus 2012! You have probably already noticed some of these changes when you logged on to eTools.


This new program offers an increased amount of flexibility to help make the program work better for you. These are not huge changes, but you don’t want to miss this week’s meeting to get all of the details!

In the meeting room next week you will receive a completely redesigned pocket guide featuring some pointsplus changes to several foods. Every time the FDA reevaluates the nutritional information of foods, so do we. For that same reason we will also be selling our new 2012 editions of the Complete Food Companion and the Dining Out companion. These new editions are going to have the best and most accurate information available.

You will also be receiving the new getting started guide titled Meet Points Plus 2012.

We will be featuring our newly designed 2012 starter kits. Good news is they will still be featured at the discounted price of $34.95 for the deluxe kit and $19.95 for the essential kit. This is a great way for you to obtain the updated companion guides.

We will also be featuring a newly designed PointsPlus calculator. The new calculator has been renovated to provide larger buttons that are easier to push as well as updates to the new daily pointsplus flexibility options. The new and improved calculators will be featured for $5.95 for the first calculator just until January. After January the first calculator you purchase will be $7.50 and any additional purchase will be $14.95 a piece. $14.95 is the regular price for the updated calculator. What I like about these calculators is that we are now going to be offering skins for just $1.95 each that you can add to the top of your calculator to help accessorize it and make it more custom to your style. (No more birth control looking calculators!) Aren’t they awesome? It will be hard to choose just one!


With Points Plus 2012 we are redoing the way we do our getting started sessions for new members. It is now titled power start, and will take place in 3 (highly recommended that you attend) sessions. At each of the 3 sessions you will hear the program essentials as well as focus specifically on a much needed skill for success. The 3 power starts are titled Power Spaces, Power Choices, and Power Plans. At each of the 3 sessions you will receive a very unique colored tracker that not only includes a shopping list, food guide, and a power foods list, but it also includes an activity. At each powerstart session you will complete the activity and help incorporate that week’s skill into your personal life. The only way you can receive this exclusive fancy tracker is by attending these power start sessions. I highly recommend that all of you take these 3 refresher courses to help you start fresh and really be successful over the rest of this holiday season!

Remember that January will bring lots of new faces, so you may want to knock them out now so that you do not have to fight the crowd. You do not have to take them in any particular order. In fact we will rotate them over and over again. Every meeting all across the country will be offering the same power start session week to week.

Be on the lookout for new products in the meeting rooms as well!

I'll be blogging more about these changes so be sure to check back for the latest information on PointsPlus 2012!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Decorating for Christmas

Last night Jon and I finally had time to put up our Christmas tree!! I told you that we are busy throughout the month of December and I was not lying. Last night was one of the only free nights that we had open to decorate our Christmas tree.

While I was at work my amazing husband did everything he could to help get the house ready to decorate. He vacuumed, moved furniture, washed the dishes, and he even put up the tree so it would be ready for us to decorate when we got home from work! I am so thankful to have a husband who is willing to help me with things around the house!!

After Jon and I got back from work we ate Taco Junk for dinner, which was prepared by Jon! After dinner we got to work decorating our home for Christmas. Here are some pictures that I took last night.

Jon had set up the tree while I was at work.

I wrapped my picture frames, so that they would look like presents. I got this idea from Pinterest.

Don't they look good!?

Jon was tired from work, so he decided to take a break before we even started.

These picture frames look so good!

I went a little crazy with this idea and wrapped all the picture frames in the living room and dining room.

This is our Haitian nativity. Thanks Michelle!

Joseph, Mary, and Baby Jesus

Our tree skirt

These are our Christmas stockings

This is the angel that sits on top of our tree.

Jon's parents gave us this ornament. Jon and I spent our first married Christmas together in 2006.

There is our Christmas tree!!

Every year Jon and I take pictures like this in front of our tree.

I love this guy!

We are all ready for Christmas!!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...