Midweek
Minutes
March 16,
2013
Hello,
Winners!
Tis the wearin'
o' the GREEN for the Luck o' the Irish! But, we know that we do NOT need the
LUCK of the Irish to succeed with Weight Watchers!!!
If you WANT to,
you WILL! That's what I say! Our choices say more about us that anything else.
When it comes to weight management, it all boils down to WANT POWER. Refuse to
quit in the face of obstacles and challenges! When we are DETERMINED...NOTHING
can stop us from being successful!
Success will
NOT, however, FALL on us. There is NO SUCH THING as a MAGICAL PILL...and who
wants to take pills anyway? This IS a lifestyle...and we make adjustments, learn
from our mistakes, and keep making PROGRESS...even if that progress just means
that WW is in the back of our minds as we "forget" the program for a
splurge!
Are you
TRACKING??? Make it fun tracking your food on etools...go GREEN and save paper
with etools. If you have a Monthly Pass, you get FREE etools, and it's really
fun to enter your daily food intake...giving you a different way to motivate
yourselves to track (journal). You can even take a favorite recipe and run it
through the recipe builder (as our receptionist Trish did) and calculate the
points or even lighten up a family favorite.
GREEN
TRIANGLES are our FRIENDS...think POWER FOODS! Tis "GREENin' up" outside, so
make a date with yourself to get out and MOVE MORE!
Been to your
meeting lately? Come "PAY, WEIGH, and STAY"! Ha-ha!! Or, come and DON'T weigh
with a FREE NO-WEIGH PASS.
But
COME!!! Don't be a March drop-out!!! Let all your co-workers and friend become
GREEN with envy at your success, and tell them HOW you did it! We CAN DO
THIS...one baby step at a time!!!!
TRYING SOMETHING
NEW
I'm going to put this
newsletter online at this website.
You should be able to get here from my email link. Just bookmark it. Since so many leaders who have asked for the newsletter are not receiving the it, I thought I would try this.
Well, I'm ready to send this and post this online...let me know what you think! See you all soon! --Zig
Well, I'm ready to send this and post this online...let me know what you think! See you all soon! --Zig
Dancin' a JIG for these
Member Milestones!
TOTALS
LOSSES
Superior: -19
lbs.
Edgar: -12.8
lbs.
Hastings: -11.6
lbs.
5 lb.
star
Sue V.
(E)
Nancy H.
(H)
10 lb.
star
Melissa A.
(S)
Cheryl A.
(E)
16 week
charm
Julie H.
(S)
35 lb.
star
Diana W.
(S)
5%
Jodi C.
(H)
Biggest
Loser
JoAnn E.
(S)
Tina N (E.)
Nancy H.
(H)
Dining Out
Strategies
With a few simple tips and a little advance planning, you can
stay in control and still enjoy a wonderful meal when you eat
out.
Eating
every meal at home is one way to make sure you’re always in control of your food
choices. But it’s not a very practical strategy, since most of us need to grab
food on the go at some point, or just like to enjoy a meal with friends or
family at a restaurant. No matter where, when or what you’re eating, Weight
Watchers 360° is designed to help you make the best choices even if you’re not
the chef, and even if you’re surrounded by tons of temptation (hello, bread
basket!).
Take this month’s routine, for instance: After each meal or snack, decide how many PointsPlus® values you’ll use for your next meal. It’s a huge help for everyday planning, but it’s even more helpful when you’re eating out because it offers built-in accountability: No matter where that next meal will be, you’ll have already set yourself a built-in guideline to stick to, even if you end up eating out at the last minute.
Take this month’s routine, for instance: After each meal or snack, decide how many PointsPlus® values you’ll use for your next meal. It’s a huge help for everyday planning, but it’s even more helpful when you’re eating out because it offers built-in accountability: No matter where that next meal will be, you’ll have already set yourself a built-in guideline to stick to, even if you end up eating out at the last minute.
Arming yourself
with that budget is just the first step to enjoying an on-Plan restaurant meal.
At your meeting this week, your Leader will review some other helpful
strategies, like the ones below. Have you tried any of them before? Which ones
do you think will work best for you?
Before you go
out
Explore the Eating Out section of our Spaces tool. You’ll find lots of helpful tips (like how to
order without even opening the menu!) and ideas for staying in control in the
face of temptation.
Look at an online menu,
decide what to order and even pre-track it ahead of time (you can even save your favorite restaurant meals to your Tracker). If you can, earn some activity
PointsPlus values earlier in the day to offset any splurges (planned or
not).
Do the math: Will
you use any of your weekly PointsPlus Allowance for the meal, like a
special dessert?
Rehearse your
“lines” ahead of time. If you’re not used to asking for “a side salad instead of
fries, please,” practice before you go so you’re comfortable making the
request.
At the
restaurant
Use our Cheat Sheets (some are available via our mobile tools as well) to help narrow
down your choices if you’re still undecided.
Ask questions! If you’re not sure
how a dish is prepared based on the description, always ask your server for
details. You don’t want to end up with an unpleasant surprise.
Get creative with the menu. You
don’t have to order a full-size entrée: Try an appetizer or small plate, or see
if you can get away with ordering from the kids’ menu.
Need to satisfy your sweet
tooth? Stick with something light like sorbet, or share a dessert with a friend
(or just ask if you can steal one forkful before they dig in!).
If you want to build your confidence, do a
dry run with a supportive friend or even someone from your weekly meeting.
Practice using all these strategies and see how you do!
March Madness Sale ends this week!
The Restaurant Survival Guide
Use these
insider tips to be a finer — and wiser — diner.
If you eat in a restaurant 4.2 times a week you are
officially an average American. Unfortunately, the typical American is also
overweight. Part of the reason is that restaurant portions tend to be oversized,
and it's hard to monitor the ingredients and means of preparation, which often
means high fat and calories. Armed with the following info, however, you can
stay in control of what you eat — even when you're out.
Avoid unlucky number 7
Open the menu, and trace a large, imaginary "7" with your finger from edge to edge. Research shows that the average customer's eyes follow this path first upon opening a menu, says Brian Wansink, PhD, director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab in Ithaca, New York and author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think. You'll usually find the items that yield the highest profit (food cost vs. menu price) along the 7 line. The better values will tend to be nearer the left-middle and lower-right corners of the menu.
Hold the butter
Must raid the bread basket? Use olive oil, not butter. A University of Illinois study of 340 patrons in an Italian restaurant found that those diners who dipped their bread in olive oil ate an average 23 percent less bread than the butter users, and reported feeling full sooner. They escaped the bread basket with 50 fewer calories overall; olive-oil users ate an average of 264 calories in bread and oil, while butter spreaders consumed 319.
Start the right wayStick with a classic appetizer: get the shrimp cocktail for 4 PointsPlus values. (A quarter cup of cocktail sauce = 2 PointsPlus values; 4 ounces of large shrimp is 2.)
Nix the prix fixe Ordering the three-course prix-fixe is just a fancy way of super-sizing your meal, says Bonnie Taub-Dix, a nutritionist in New York and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. The automatic addition of an appetizer and dessert adds PointsPlus® values and is harder to resist—after all, you've paid for them.
Keep greens leanSalads are good-for-you choices, but sometimes the wrong dressing choice can multiply the PointsPlus value. When possible, order salad dressings and sauces on the side. Dip your fork in, instead of pouring it on, and you'll consume far less without noticing much of a difference in flavor. Here are some things you need to know about popular salad choices:
Cobb salad: It tastes great because it's loaded with bacon, dressing, egg yolks and blue cheese. At 11 PointsPlusvalues in a 3-cup serving (and that's without the dressing!), you might as well go for the steak.
Caesar salad: Expect to find around 8-10 PointsPlus values in just a quarter cup of the caesar dressing alone — before the croutons or any other special extras. If the restaurant offers a low-fat caesar dressing on the side, order that with a plain salad, which will likely contain more vegetables.
Chef's salad: There could be 1,000 calories in that festive bowl of cold cuts, says Taub-Dix. Depending on the types and quantity of meats and cheeses the restaurant uses, it could vary from 2 PointsPlusvalues per cup to five times that with dressing.
Crispy-topped salads: Adding Asian crispy noodles or crunchy croutons to your salad? Depending on where you're eating, they can add 2 PointsPlus values to your meal — and sometimes more.
Ace the Main Event
Redefine surf and turf
Steamed fish and grilled chicken breast are the champs of sea and land, at 3 and 4 PointsPlus values respectively for a 4-ounce portion. But be careful: "'Grilled' can mean it was 'grilled' in a frying pan with oil," says Taub-Dix. Ask for it "grilled dry."
Roasted chicken surprise
"Very often I have seen chefs lift the skin and put butter or oil under it," says Taub-Dix. Chefs also put butter on steak to give it glaze. Ask them to refrain when you order.
Halve it your way
Cut your entrée in half as soon as it arrives and put it aside in a doggy bag. What's left on your plate will probably still be larger than a "standard" portion size.
Make it a spud light
A plain baked potato has 5 to 6 PointsPlus values, depending on size. The blob of butter or sour cream it cries out for has twice that. Squeeze a lemon wedge or spoon salsa onto that tuber instead.
Have your just desserts
If you and your loved one traditionally like to close a restaurant meal with a shared dessert for the table, go for the sorbet.
What's French for “loaded with calories?”
These words are hints that a
dish contains plenty of PointsPlus™ values.
- au fromage
- au gratin
- au lait
- battered
- bisque
- cream of
- dipped
- double-baked
- hollandaise
- just like mom’s
- Newburg
- pan-fried
- parmesan
- sautéed
- tempura
- crispy
Open the menu, and trace a large, imaginary "7" with your finger from edge to edge. Research shows that the average customer's eyes follow this path first upon opening a menu, says Brian Wansink, PhD, director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab in Ithaca, New York and author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think. You'll usually find the items that yield the highest profit (food cost vs. menu price) along the 7 line. The better values will tend to be nearer the left-middle and lower-right corners of the menu.
Hold the butter
Must raid the bread basket? Use olive oil, not butter. A University of Illinois study of 340 patrons in an Italian restaurant found that those diners who dipped their bread in olive oil ate an average 23 percent less bread than the butter users, and reported feeling full sooner. They escaped the bread basket with 50 fewer calories overall; olive-oil users ate an average of 264 calories in bread and oil, while butter spreaders consumed 319.
Start the right wayStick with a classic appetizer: get the shrimp cocktail for 4 PointsPlus values. (A quarter cup of cocktail sauce = 2 PointsPlus values; 4 ounces of large shrimp is 2.)
Nix the prix fixe Ordering the three-course prix-fixe is just a fancy way of super-sizing your meal, says Bonnie Taub-Dix, a nutritionist in New York and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. The automatic addition of an appetizer and dessert adds PointsPlus® values and is harder to resist—after all, you've paid for them.
Keep greens leanSalads are good-for-you choices, but sometimes the wrong dressing choice can multiply the PointsPlus value. When possible, order salad dressings and sauces on the side. Dip your fork in, instead of pouring it on, and you'll consume far less without noticing much of a difference in flavor. Here are some things you need to know about popular salad choices:
Cobb salad: It tastes great because it's loaded with bacon, dressing, egg yolks and blue cheese. At 11 PointsPlusvalues in a 3-cup serving (and that's without the dressing!), you might as well go for the steak.
Caesar salad: Expect to find around 8-10 PointsPlus values in just a quarter cup of the caesar dressing alone — before the croutons or any other special extras. If the restaurant offers a low-fat caesar dressing on the side, order that with a plain salad, which will likely contain more vegetables.
Chef's salad: There could be 1,000 calories in that festive bowl of cold cuts, says Taub-Dix. Depending on the types and quantity of meats and cheeses the restaurant uses, it could vary from 2 PointsPlusvalues per cup to five times that with dressing.
Crispy-topped salads: Adding Asian crispy noodles or crunchy croutons to your salad? Depending on where you're eating, they can add 2 PointsPlus values to your meal — and sometimes more.
Ace the Main Event
Redefine surf and turf
Steamed fish and grilled chicken breast are the champs of sea and land, at 3 and 4 PointsPlus values respectively for a 4-ounce portion. But be careful: "'Grilled' can mean it was 'grilled' in a frying pan with oil," says Taub-Dix. Ask for it "grilled dry."
Roasted chicken surprise
"Very often I have seen chefs lift the skin and put butter or oil under it," says Taub-Dix. Chefs also put butter on steak to give it glaze. Ask them to refrain when you order.
Halve it your wayCut your entrée in half as soon as it arrives and put it aside in a doggy bag. What's left on your plate will probably still be larger than a "standard" portion size.
Make it a spud light
A plain baked potato has 5 to 6 PointsPlus values, depending on size. The blob of butter or sour cream it cries out for has twice that. Squeeze a lemon wedge or spoon salsa onto that tuber instead.
Have your just desserts
If you and your loved one traditionally like to close a restaurant meal with a shared dessert for the table, go for the sorbet.
Check-in: This
month’sRoutine
Not only does it make perfect sense to do so if
your next meal is at a restaurant,
it’s also smart to figure out the meal that comes
after your restaurant meal, in case you want to dial things down a
bit.
Last Week to Join for
Free
This offer ends Saturday! Beginning Sunday, Pay As You Go Members are charged the $20 Registration fee.
Better yet, get the Monthly Pass—a super value during paid
registration.
Next
Week:
Do you
sometimes drink away
your
PointsPlus® values?
Come
back next week as we get
smart
about
sipping.
"Sipping
Smarts"
Member
Recipes
Irish Potato
Soup (makes 4 servings = 6 WW PP per serving = about
1.5 cups)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 pound Idaho potatoes, scrubbed and
diced
2 large carrots, shredded (mine came to a generous
cup)
32 ounce chicken broth (Dollar Tree sells 32 ounce
boxes of chicken broth and beef broth for $1 – nice!)
1 teaspoon salt (I used bacon salt)
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
Melt butter in stock pot. Add carrots and cook for
5 minutes, stirring often. Add in flour and cook for 1 minute.
Add remaining ingredients and cook over
medium-low heat for 25 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked
through.
I used my potato masher because I wanted a
chunkier soup – feel free to stick blend for a smooth soup.
Honey Beer
Bread (makes 12 servings@ 4 WW PP).
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey
1 bottle of light beer
2 tablespoons of melted butter (may leave this out next
time)
Mix the dry ingredients together. Add beer and honey and mix
just until the mixture is combined.
Pour 1 tablespoon of butter in the bottom of your bread dish,
and then add bread dough, then finish off with the remaining butter.
Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes (I used a glass dish, so it may
take longer in a different pan).
St. Patrick's Day
Cake
1 box of angel food cake
mix
20 oz can crushed
pineapple
1 tbsp green food
coloring
3 cups of Green Whipped
Salad*
Mix angel food cake with pineapple and food
coloring until well-blended.
Spray a Nested Cake Mold with fat-free
cooking spray.
Pour the mix into the mold and bake at 350º
for 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out
clean.
Once the cake cools, spread the *Green Whipped Salad into the nested part of the mold. Serve
immediately.
4 PP for 1/6th of cake. Makes 16
servings
*Green Whipped
Salad
1 pkg fat-free, sugar-free instant
pistachio pudding mix
16 oz can of crushed pineapple,
drained
8 oz fat-free whipped
topping
Mix all ingredients together. Refrigerate for 2-3
hours.
This salad can also double as a dessert. So
yummy!
(2 PP for 1/2 cup of the salad by itself.
Makes 12 servings)
Weight Watchers Slow Cooker Corned
Beef and Cabbage
PointsPlus® Value:
9
Servings: 8
Serving Size: about 1- 1/12 cups
Servings: 8
Serving Size: about 1- 1/12 cups
2.5 pounds of lean corned beef brisket with the seasoning packet – make sure to choose the leanest cut
2 carrots, chopped
3 red potatoes, chopped
1 onion, quatered
2 tbsp whole grain mustard
1/2 can of guinness (about 7 ounces)
1 head of cabbage, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Add the potatoes, onions, and carrots to the slow cooker.
2. Add the lean corned beef brisket (after washing
and patting it dry) and and spread 2 tbsp of whole grain mustard on the brisket.
Then pour in the seasoning packet that came with the corned beef.
3. Pour in the Guinness and then cook for 6-8 hours
in your slow cooker.
4. Once the corned beef has cooked, pull it out of
the slow cooker and place it on the side. Add the cabbage to the slow cooker and
cook an additional 30-45 minutes to desired tenderness.
5. While the cabbage is cooking, remove any large
pieces of fat from the corned beef. I ended up shredded larges pieces of it to
remove the extra fat.
6. Add the corned beef back to the slow cooker and
allow to warm up for 5-10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
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