Saturday, February 28, 2009

KEY TO SUCCESS - CHANGE

Hi Everyone,

Wouldn't it be nice if we could come to Weight Watchers, sign our name and the weight we wanted to lose would just be gone!!

We know that change is not that easy - and in order to keep the weight off we have to change the way we eat (and think about food) and keep it changed. This takes some time and trial and error. Sometimes we think we are all set, and on the right track everyday and then something happens and we go back to our old habits. It might be a vacation, or a favorite restaurant or even being with a certain person.

Remember that we are always a work in progress. We need to take action every day. Each day is a new opportunity to move toward our goal. Each day we need to ask ourselves - what can I do today to get me closer to where I want to be. Sometimes it may be only one small step. Planning a Weight Watchers friendly meal, walking for twenty minutes on our lunch hour, or making sure we get the healthy oil are all things that will help do that. These are all things we can celebrate at the end of the day. I did something today to help achieve my goal!!!!

Eleanor Roosevelt said "The chief cause of failure or unhappiness is trading what we want most for what we want at the moment."

Try this for a great Weight Watcher friendly dessert:

INSTANT CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT MOUSSE
4 servings - points value 3 per serving

1 1/2 Tablespoon chocolate hazelnut spread
4 Tablespoons chocolate syrup
2 1/4 cups fat-free whipped topping

1. Combine the chocolate-hazelnut spread and 3 Tablespoons of chocolate syrup in a medium bowl. Add 2 cups of the whipped topping, gently folding it in with a rubber spatula just until blended.

2. Spoon 1/2 cup of the mousse into each of 4 dessert goblets. Top each one with 1 Tablespoon whipped topping and 3/4 tsp chocolate syrup. Serve at once or refrigerate up to 2 days.

See you at the meeting!!
Lorraine

Friday, February 20, 2009

MONITORING YOURSELF

Hi Everyone,

How does monitoring yourself benefit you?

There are lots of ways to monitor oneself. Tracking helps us make sure that we are eating the right amount of food as well as all the food groups that our bodies need each day. Using the comfort zone allows us to monitor our bodies need for food. Am I hungry, or am I just eating? Am I allowing myself to get too hungry so that when I eat I am overeating? Using the simply filling food technique (found in book #6) can help us to monitor ourselves without writing down everything we eat. We simply choice from the filling foods, use our comfort zone to eat the portions that feel right. And we still have the 35 points for the week to keep us satisfied.

Awareness and control can make a big difference in your program. And all of these techniques will help you get there. Nothing is final. The plan that you use will evolve as you go along. Feel free to try new approaches to your program and see how they work for you. Learning from experience is one of the habits we talked about in the meeting last week, and as you try new things that is just what you are doing.

"Don't focus on the days when you failed. Focus on all the days when you won. Keep a chart, monitor your successes, and don't give up." Robert Butterworth

APRICOT OAT BRAN MUFFINS

Points Value 2 - servings 12
You can use any dried fruit in these muffins. Try raisins, apples, or dates.

2 cups dry oat bran
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
2 medium egg whites
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup molasses
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup dried apricot halves, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 450 F. Spray 12 muffin tins, set aside

In a large bowl, mix oat bran, brown sugar and baking powder. Make a well in the center of the mixture.

In another bowl; beat egg whites until foamy. Stir in buttermilk and molasses. Add buttermilk mixture to oat bran mixture and stir just until moistened. Fold in applesauce and apricots.

Spoon batter into muffin tin, filling each cup to the top. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes. Remove muffins from tin and cool on a wire rack.

See you at the meeting.

Lorraine

Friday, February 13, 2009

DEVELOPING HELPFUL HABITS

Hi Everyone,

Habits can be our friends or they can lead us down the same old road. When we hear ourselves saying "that is what I always do" we have to stop and reassess. Is this something that is helping me get to my goal - or - is this something I should rethink.

In our Week 4 book this year are the eight habits of successful members. There is a quiz to take at the beginning of the book to see which of these habits we are doing fine with and which are ones we could use a little work on.

Losing weight and keeping it off is about more than just the food. It's also about why I eat. It's about replacing negative thoughts with positive ones and negative habits with positive ones. It all begins with awareness. Notice the times and places that foster negative thoughts and behaviors. Replace negativity with a positive attitude. Remind yourself over and over again that weight loss is what you want and it is worth the hard work. Nothing tastes as good as thin feels!!

And Remember people who attend Weight Watchers meetings on a weekly basis lose three times more weight than those who go it alone!!!

Here is an interesting Quesadilla to try:

CHILE AND CHEESE QUESADILLAS
Makes 8 servings - points value of 5 each serving

8 oz light cream cheese
1 cup shredded reduced fat Mexican style cheese, or reduced fat Monterey Jack cheese
4 1/2 oz canned chipotle peppers, chopped
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp black pepper
8 medium flour tortillas

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. In a bowl, combine cream cheese, Mexican cheese, chiles, cilantro, chili powder and black pepper. Mix well.

3. Arrange 4 tortillas on prepared baking sheet. Spoon cheese mixture evenly onto each tortilla, leaving a 1/4 inch border around the edges. Top each with second tortilla and press down gently. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes.

4. Slice each quesadilla into 4 wedges and serve warm.

Yields 2 wedges per serving

See you at the meeting!!!!

Lorraine

Friday, February 6, 2009

ADVANCED SKILLS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

Hi Everyone,

At Weight Watchers we are dedicated to a lasting weight loss. This means as we follow the program our needs change. At first we are all looking for a weight loss, and we are excited when we get it. We think about eating the foods that will help to make it happen, and we perhaps do not eat some foods that we really like because we find them hard to control.

As time goes on we miss those foods that we really loved. We realize that we don't want to live forever without them. Maybe we need to control portion size and how often we eat them, but we need to learn to fit them in. The same goes for restaurant eating. At first we might not want to eat in a restaurant because we are not sure how to count the food - so we eat at home more. Then, as life happens we want to eat out with friends and family so we do not feel deprived. Our needs change.

Weight watchers is about keeping the weight off - I lost 37 pounds 20 years ago. At first I was only concerned with what I lost each week. But, as time went on I needed to learn to live my life. I started by focusing on my favorite foods and how I could fit them into my program. I did not need to eat them all in one day and then "pretend" I was only going to eat "weight watcher" foods from then on. I learned to use portion control with positive self talk - I can eat again tomorrow when I will have a new daily points target. I can plan in a treat this week using my 35 points and then a different one next week.

Weight Watchers' advanced skills, helpful habits and tools for living sure did help. At the meetings I asked questions, brought up my challenges and got lots of info from other members. Tips and ideas that I still use today. I truly believe the meetings are the magic.

How about some shrimp this week?

SAUTEED SHRIMP
4 servings - points value 3

1 spray olive oil cooking spray
2 tsp olive oil
1 pound shrimp
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp no salt lemon herb seasoning
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp parsley

1. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and set over medium heat; add oil and heat. Add shrimp and saute 1 minute.

2. Add lemon juice, lemon herb seasoning, salt and pepper; stir to coat shrimp. Saute until shrimp are bright pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Yields about 3 ounces of shrimp per serving.

See you at the meeting!!!

Lorraine