MIDWEEK MINUTES April 26, 2014
Midweek
Minutes
April 26,
2014
Hello,
Winners!
Well, it’s prom week. I
started this newsletter early, but I probably will send it late as I will be
decorating and partying for 4 days...that includes clean-up. Our theme is "Born to be Wild" , and it’s going to be
a sexy safari! But I am NOT going to be wild with my banquet choices. I am
ready for the prom dinner. I have my fat free salad dressing and my doggie bag.
Do you have a special eating occasion coming up? Are you all planned for it?
What if you mess up? Just jump back on the horse and continue with the program
at the next meal.
As far as
activity goes...take a look at my activity for Thursday...197% on my ACTIVE
LINK! YIKES!!!! I earned 11 Activity Points for one day! My body feels like
it too! So far Friday says 147%...less running around! (Update: Saturday
earned me 171% !!!) As you can see, I have been active and not present, so
that’s why I am sending this out on Sunday morning. We still have clean up to
do this afternoon.
I must confess, the forces of evil have been
attacking my eating plans with a vengeance this week. At every meeting, we had
donuts and Eileen's cookies laid out, but I was a GOOD GIRL and passed on them.
You need to talk to yourself and ask yourself what you want? Do you want to
succumb to the moment, or do you want to keep working toward your goals? Is it
worth that healthy, trim body to discipline yourself a bit, or will you listen
to those voices that tell you it's okay to have a "party in your mouth" by
eating that junk. The choice is yours. Make it a healthy one!
Even with
the best intentions, to me PROM is still a special event which totally throws me
off in many ways. So, I'll move a little more (it seems to take the starch out
of me a little more each year because I need HOT baths in between)...and eat
lighter at other meals...and DRINK PLENTY of water! I also have in the back of
my mind that I will weigh in every week, and each day is a new day. We can't go
back, but we can keep going. Of course, if we could convert everyone in our
world into believing that eating healthy most of the time, our Weight Watchers
journey would be easier, wouldn't it? Hey, that sounds like the meeting topic
for this upcoming week!
The good
news is, is that through it all, Weight Watchers is there for me...and prom
won't come back for another year! You know that I love to do prom!!! It's
exciting for me to see the kids excited. It's exciting for me to see the
enthusiasm of the junior class as their vision comes to life in the gym. Even
the die-hard guys are nailing and stapling and doing other "manly" things with
tools and electricity, putting their hearts into it. They are like Weight
Watchers members who don't believe in themselves until they see start to see
their hard work pay off. Oh, how I love to be present for those moments
too!
Another
thing I thank Weight Watchers for is that I don't cry anymore on the bathroom
floor before I get dressed thinking to myself, "Oh, I look terrible, and I can't
get into this outfit." So, a couple of days of maybe eating junk is not a
lifestyle for me anymore. It's not the norm.
Now, let's
PARTY! I will miss my Saturday morning members, but thank you to Leader Renae
for taking my meeting so I can sleep in!
P.S. to Superior: Potluck
next Monday?
--Zig
Member
Milestones
Superior: –18
lbs.
Hastings: –19.2
lbs.
5 lb.
star
Wanda H. ( S
)
Enjoy Every
Bite
Enjoy Every Bite
Focus on your plate in the moment, to help you succeed in the
long run.
To get
through the day, many of us have become expert multi-taskers juggling personal,
family and work responsibilities. Unfortunately, this means that we're often
performing double duty at mealtimes, too. We grab (and devour) breakfast while
commuting to the office; squeeze in a quick lunch while working at our desks;
and wolf down dinner while watching TV with the family. This pattern of speed
eating can cause us to overeat. However, when you focus on what's on your plate,
you tend to slow down – creating a simple, yet powerful way to help you stay on
track. We like to call it the "one-meal-at-a-time" approach.
Make food the focus
Think about your last couple of meals. Were you doing anything else while eating? Activities like texting or checking in with social networks, for example, might have become such a regular part of your daily routine that you may not notice they’re actually imposing on your eating habits. But they are! Putting on the brakes and focusing only on your food can actually help you enjoy your meals more and eat less as a result. There's even research to back it up: One study found that people ate 10 percent fewer calories when they dialed down their pace than when they scarfed down their food!
In your meeting this week, your Leader and fellow members will share simple strategies you can use to slow down and eat more mindfully. In the meantime, we’ve gathered ideas you can try right now. Pick one or two that seem doable and consider sharing your results with the group next week.
Tips to help you decelerate when dining
Make food the focus
Think about your last couple of meals. Were you doing anything else while eating? Activities like texting or checking in with social networks, for example, might have become such a regular part of your daily routine that you may not notice they’re actually imposing on your eating habits. But they are! Putting on the brakes and focusing only on your food can actually help you enjoy your meals more and eat less as a result. There's even research to back it up: One study found that people ate 10 percent fewer calories when they dialed down their pace than when they scarfed down their food!
In your meeting this week, your Leader and fellow members will share simple strategies you can use to slow down and eat more mindfully. In the meantime, we’ve gathered ideas you can try right now. Pick one or two that seem doable and consider sharing your results with the group next week.
Tips to help you decelerate when dining
- Pay attention to food choices. When we’re in a hurry, we might just grab whatever's convenient. Planning what you'll eat eliminates some of this last-minute temptation. That's why we created the Simple Start meals!
- Eat frequently. Don't let more than four hours go by between meals, so you aren't famished when you sit down to eat.
- Pause for a quiet moment. Before you dig in, stop to reflect on your mood. A little mini-meditation before a meal can help keep emotional eating in check.
- Take it all in. Engage all your senses. How does the food look and smell? Anticipate that first taste and really savor each mouthful.
- Downsize your bites. The meal shouldn’t be a race to the finish line. Take smaller bites, put your fork down in between, chew each bite thoroughly (fiber-rich foods like apples and broccoli take longer to chew) and take a sip of water before raising your fork again.
- Avoid social sidetracks. Dining out with family and friends is one of life’s pleasures. Distracting conversations, however, can cause you to lose track of what and how much you’re eating, so keep checking in with your plate (and your appetite). Also try to limit time you spend around food pushers. And if you're in your first two weeks on Simple Start, we suggest you give yourself a break from dealing with dining-out distractions and temptations during this period, or until you're more comfortable with the Plan.
- Do a quick check-in. If you're tracking PointsPlus® values, then keep it up! Mobile, online or your 3-Month Tracker — use whichever tool works best for you. You might also try jotting down how you're feeling at the time (satisfied, hungry, anxious, preoccupied).
- Reflect on what you would do differently next time. How could you better prepare? Check out your Spaces tool for more quick and simple tips.
Focusing on your plate is a small but powerful action that can help get you to your weight-loss goals. And following Simple Start and attending meetings regularly for your first four weeks can help reinforce this one-step-at-a-time mindset. (If you attend your meeting for four out of your first five weeks, you’re eligible to receive a cool award to recognize your commitment! Speak to your Leader or Receptionist for more info).
Join For Free
4/20/14–6/7/14
New members can Join for Free from April 20
to June 7.
OR...
How to Eat Mindfully –
Anytime, Anywhere
Expert tips on how to pay attention to your meal – even when
you’re multitasking at work, in your car or with the kids.
The idea of
eating mindfully sounds like a luxury: You savor each morsel of food, breathing
in its aroma, admiring its color and shape. As soon as you take a bite, you
admire its taste, temperature and texture. Is it smooth or crunchy? Salty or
sweet? Spicy or bland? You notice how the flavor changes as you chew your food
slowly and thoroughly, setting down your fork in between bites and breathing
deeply as you check in with your body to ask if it wants another. When you’re
finished, you are perfectly satiated – no longer hungry, but not full and
definitely not stuffed. Eating is pleasure, and you have nourished your body in
compete harmony with the universe.
Sounds fabulous, right? But it also sounds like a lot of work. It’s hard to make each bite of food an extraordinary experience, especially when real life gets in the way. There are emails to be sent, bills to be paid, kids to be shuttled. Sometimes a meal has just gotta be a meal.
Yet research shows that so-called mindful eating might be helpful when working to lose weight. It helps you eat more slowly which may lead to consuming consume fewer calories, as you give your body time to signal your brain that you’ve have enough. It also helps you gain more satisfaction from your food. One recent study found that our perception or “memory” of what we eat determines how full we feel afterward, no matter how much we’ve actually consumed. How many of us have eaten in front of the computer or while watching TV, only to look up and ask, “I’m finished already?”
The challenge is to fit mindful eating into our daily lives. Experts say it’s not that hard. “We often kid ourselves about how busy we are,” explains Brian Wansink, Ph.D., professor of consumer behavior at Cornell University and author of the forthcoming Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life. “It takes just 15 minutes to really enjoy a meal.”
Whether you’ve got fifteen minutes or five, experts agree you can eat mindfully wherever you are. You’ll starve if you wait until the perfect time and place to get into a mindful state of mind. “You can do it anywhere,” says Lilian Cheung, R.D., a nutritionist at the Harvard School of Public Health and co-author of Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life. Just use these simple strategies:
Sounds fabulous, right? But it also sounds like a lot of work. It’s hard to make each bite of food an extraordinary experience, especially when real life gets in the way. There are emails to be sent, bills to be paid, kids to be shuttled. Sometimes a meal has just gotta be a meal.
Yet research shows that so-called mindful eating might be helpful when working to lose weight. It helps you eat more slowly which may lead to consuming consume fewer calories, as you give your body time to signal your brain that you’ve have enough. It also helps you gain more satisfaction from your food. One recent study found that our perception or “memory” of what we eat determines how full we feel afterward, no matter how much we’ve actually consumed. How many of us have eaten in front of the computer or while watching TV, only to look up and ask, “I’m finished already?”
The challenge is to fit mindful eating into our daily lives. Experts say it’s not that hard. “We often kid ourselves about how busy we are,” explains Brian Wansink, Ph.D., professor of consumer behavior at Cornell University and author of the forthcoming Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life. “It takes just 15 minutes to really enjoy a meal.”
Whether you’ve got fifteen minutes or five, experts agree you can eat mindfully wherever you are. You’ll starve if you wait until the perfect time and place to get into a mindful state of mind. “You can do it anywhere,” says Lilian Cheung, R.D., a nutritionist at the Harvard School of Public Health and co-author of Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life. Just use these simple strategies:
- Focus on your food. “The key is to focus on the food itself and not get carried away by thoughts or what’s happening around you.” She suggests closing your eyes and taking one or two deep breaths to switch gears. You can do this on a park bench, in a dentist’s office waiting room, at a meeting – even while in the (parked) car during a busy errand day. “Try to pull into a parking lot, where you’ll have fewer distractions,” suggests Wansink. “You’ll want to enjoy your meal as much as possible. That’s not going to happen at a stop light.”
- Make the most of the moments you do have. “Be aware of how much time you have to eat,” urges Cheung. “If you only have 10 minutes, consider splitting your lunch into two parts. Truly savor your food, then attend your next meeting and eat the rest later.” Or in cases when that’s impossible, at least recognize that you’re not eating mindfully. “If you can’t avoid eating while driving, at least be aware that you are eating in a rush,” she says. That’s a valuable lesson, too. Over time, you’ll be able to distinguish between the two states. As you learn how much better eating mindfully feels, you’ll be more inspired to make it a priority.
- Step away from your desk. We all know how much the French enjoy life with their supposed two-hour lunches outside the office. But sometimes you just can’t get away. Stop and step out of the cube, even if you’re just walking down the hall to the break room, advises Wansink. “People like others to think they’re so swamped they can’t possible break away,” he says. “But you’re going to get much more of a lift eating with another person than sitting at your desk surfing the Internet or looking at someone’s Facebook post of cute cats.”
- Keep mealtimes relaxed and fun. You do the things to set up the right physical environment to support your weight-loss goals: Not keeping junk in the house. Walking past the donuts in the conference room. Avoiding buffets. Your emotional environment matters, too. Research shows that people eat faster when they’re stressed or upset. So don’t start heated arguments when you sit down to eat. Save sensitive discussion topics for after dinner, even if it means changing the subject suddenly – do it with a smile and your dinner companions will likely follow suit. Bon appetit!
Discounted
Products
Strawberry Delight
Oatmeal (SKU 50033) – formerly $5.95, now $4.95.
Kettle Corn
Popcorn Crisps (SKU 11466) – formerly $4.95, now $3.50.
Hazelnut Latte
Smoothie (SKU 21035)– formerly $7.50, now $4.95
Lemon Chicken
& Couscous (SKU 50034)– formerly $5.95, now $3.95
Cheesy Scrambled
Eggs (SKU 50037)– formerly $5.95, now $3.95
and
All Cookbooks 25% Off
– normally $14.95, now $11.20; normally $9.95, now $7.45
Member
Recipes
Chicken
Fried Steak
1 Pound Beef Eye of Round Steak
1/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
3/4 Cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs
2 Egg Whites, beaten
2 tablespoons Skim Milk
1 (12 ounce) Jar Fat Free Chicken Gravy
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
Pound steaks to 1/8 inch thickness. Set aside. In a bowl, stir together flour, seasoned salt, and bread crumbs.
1/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
3/4 Cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs
2 Egg Whites, beaten
2 tablespoons Skim Milk
1 (12 ounce) Jar Fat Free Chicken Gravy
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
Pound steaks to 1/8 inch thickness. Set aside. In a bowl, stir together flour, seasoned salt, and bread crumbs.
In a separate bowl, beat together egg whites, and
skim milk. Coat meat in crumb mixture.
Dip the coated meat into egg mixture, and then re-dip
in crumb mixture. Place breaded meat on prepared cookie sheet.
Spray top of meat with non-fat cooking spray. Bake
for 10 minutes. Turn over. Spray top of meat with non-fat cooking spray.
Bake an additional 11 minutes. Breading will be
crispy and slightly golden brown when done. Microwave gravy for 2 minutes or
until fully heated.
Pour 1/4 cup gravy over each steak before
serving.
Serves: 6
Per Serving: 7 P+
Per Serving: 7 P+
Low Fat Creamy Cheesy
Potatoes
6 cups cubed potatoes
2 tablespoons
fat-free margarine ( I use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter FAT FREE)
1/2 cup chopped
onions
3/4 cup nonfat
milk
2 tablespoons
flour
1/2 cup plain
fat-free yogurt
1 cup low-fat
cheddar cheese, divided
1 teaspoon spicy
mustard
2 tablespoons
grated parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon
salt
1/4 teaspoon
pepper
1 large green
onions, chopped
Boil
cubed potatoes for 20-25 minutes, til just tender.
Drain.
Melt
fat-free margarine in saucepan, saute onions til tender.
In a
measuring cup, combine milk and flour and then add to onions.
Cook and
stir a minute or two until thickened.
Turn off
heat and stir in yogurt, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, mustard, 1 tablespoon parmesan,
salt, pepper and green onion.
It's ok
that the cheese doesn't melt at this step.
In a
mixing bowl, combine hot cooked potatoes and onion/cheese sauce.
Pour into
casserole dish that has been sprayed with Pam.
Sprinkle
remaining 1/2 cup cheddar and 1 Tablespoon parmesan over top.
Bake in
preheated 350 oven for about 15 minutes until bubbling.
Allow to cool about 5 minutes before serving, to
allow to thicken.
Servings: 6
PointsPlus® Value:
5
Low
Fat Strawberry No-Bake
Cheesecake
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1 slice Points+: 6 pts
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1 slice Points+: 6 pts
8 oz Cool Whip Free
8 oz 1/3 less fat Philadelphia Cream
Cheese
9 inch reduced fat Graham Cracker
Crust
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
12-14 strawberries, hulled and
halved lengthwise
In a large bowl, whip cream cheese, vanilla extract and sugar for a few minutes until
fluffy.
Add Cool Whip and
whip until smooth.
Spoon mixture into pie crust and
chill for a few hours, until firm.
Arrange
strawberries on top and
serve.
Strawberry
Shortcakes
For the shortcakes:
Smart Balance® Non-Stick Cooking Spray - Original
2 cups, plus 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp chilled Smart Balance® Blended Butter Sticks, cut into small pieces
1 1/4 cups Smart Balance® Fat Free Milk and Omega-3s
1 egg white, whisked
1 tbsp raw sugar
2 cups, plus 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp chilled Smart Balance® Blended Butter Sticks, cut into small pieces
1 1/4 cups Smart Balance® Fat Free Milk and Omega-3s
1 egg white, whisked
1 tbsp raw sugar
For the berries:
4 cups sliced strawberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 cups fat-free whipped topping
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 cups fat-free whipped topping
Preheat oven to 400°f. Spray a baking sheet
with cooking spray.
Combine 2 cups of the flour, 1/4 cup granulated
sugar, baking powder, baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl.
Cut in chilled butter with a pastry knife
until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the milk to the flour mixture, and
toss gently with a fork to combine.
Place 3 tablespoons of the remaining flour on a
work surface. Divide the dough into 10 equal portions.
Gently form each portion into a round,
tossing with a little flour to help shape the dough.
Arrange on the baking sheet. Brush the dough with
egg whites, and sprinkle evenly with the raw sugar.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the
shortcakes are lightly golden. Cool on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the strawberries, 1/4
cup granulated sugar and lemon juice; toss to coat. Let stand for 15
minutes.
Split each shortcake in half; spoon about 1/3 cup
strawberry mixture and 2 tablespoons whipped topping into each.
Makes 12 servings
6 PP each serving
This
newsletter is in no way affiliated with Weight Watchers, Inc. It is simply a
motivational tool that I offer to members who attend my Weight Watchers meetings
and wish to receive it.
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from list? If you no longer wish to receive weekly newsletters from me, please
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I also try to post the newsletter on our private FB page "Zig's
Winners" and the Google Blog called Midweek Minutes http://midweekminutes.blogspot.com/.
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group!
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