Midweek Minutes August 23, 2014
Midweek
Minutes
August 23,
2014
Hello,
Winners!
As I sit here on
Thursday evening starting this newsletter, I’m feeling pretty loose, having just
gotten a massage tonight! It’s been a busy, long week with school in full
session. My thoughts are not only about school, but about how fruitful I was
this summer by deciding to stick to the Weight Watchers’ Plan because even
though my back and feet still hurt, the heat drains me, and my brain is tired, I
am thrilled that I can not only fit into some clothes that were maybe getting
too snug last spring, but also I have more energy than I thought I would have at
the end of a long week!
The State Fair is here, and
pretty soon it will be time for football plus all the other fall activities. It
was awesome on Monday to have 3 new members in Superior. People are gearing up
for a new season and new beginnings!
Have you
been to a meeting in awhile? If not, now's the time to dig in and make a FRESH
START!
Here's a great poem from my leader-buddy Sue to spark you
into attacking the new month head-on! (Thanks,
Sue!)
START
OVER
If you've started out in pursuit of your goal
and you've really tried with your heart and soul,
but somehow things got out of control - START OVER
When you've tried your best to do what you should
and you thought this time that you surely would,
but once again you didn't do good - START OVER
When you've worked so hard to follow a healthy way
and you fought to win a victory each day,
but one more time you went astray - START OVER
When the road to success seemed much too long
and each temptation was oh so strong
and once again you gave in to wrong - START OVER
When you've told your friends what you planned to do
and trusted them to help you through
and soon discovered its up to you - START OVER
When you know you must be physically fit,
but your hope seems gone and you're stuck in a pit,
that's not the time for you to quit - START OVER
When the week seems long and successes few
and at weigh-in time you're feeling blue,
remember today is just for you - START OVER
To start again means a victory's been won
and starting over AGAIN means a race well won.
Starting over AGAIN proves it can be done,
so don't just sit there - START OVER!!
If you've started out in pursuit of your goal
and you've really tried with your heart and soul,
but somehow things got out of control - START OVER
When you've tried your best to do what you should
and you thought this time that you surely would,
but once again you didn't do good - START OVER
When you've worked so hard to follow a healthy way
and you fought to win a victory each day,
but one more time you went astray - START OVER
When the road to success seemed much too long
and each temptation was oh so strong
and once again you gave in to wrong - START OVER
When you've told your friends what you planned to do
and trusted them to help you through
and soon discovered its up to you - START OVER
When you know you must be physically fit,
but your hope seems gone and you're stuck in a pit,
that's not the time for you to quit - START OVER
When the week seems long and successes few
and at weigh-in time you're feeling blue,
remember today is just for you - START OVER
To start again means a victory's been won
and starting over AGAIN means a race well won.
Starting over AGAIN proves it can be done,
so don't just sit there - START OVER!!
Have a great weekend, and
we'll see you at the meeting! –Zig
PS: Superior Members: Make your
favorite WW recipe or bring a WW-friendly snack...it’s Pot Luck
Monday!
These Members
take the prize with their Milestones!
Superior: –12.4
lbs.
Hastings: –11.4
lbs.
15 lb.
star
Pauls H. ( S
)
BIGGEST LOSER
Keith
L. ( S )
Jordan
I. ( H )
THIS WEEK
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Create Smart
Spaces
Summertime and the living is easy (well, easier) when
you're prepared.
See if this story sounds
familiar:
Jen has had a long day at work. Facing a deadline, she skipped lunch. Now she's home, she's ravenous, and it's time to make dinner. So she decides to have a snack. The fridge is empty. The pantry is also bare. But in the cupboard she finds an unopened bag of potato chips. She rips it open and digs in.
It's an oft-told tale in countless Weight Watchers meetings. If junk food is all that's around when you're ravenous, junk food is what you're going to eat. Jen's problem was not that she wasn't dedicated — she was. But her cupboard laid a trap that she walked right into. Those potato chips might as well have had steel jaws clamping her ankle. Our environment can have tremendous impact on what we do, for good and for... not-so-good. Where we live, what we doSo it's essential to surround yourself, at home and away, with Plan-friendly elements. Sure, it's possible to overcome a hostile environment, but it's an uphill battle. Jen could have said no to the potato chips and waited for dinner, but she was hungry. And it can be nearly impossible to argue with hunger. So don't even try.
Making changes in your world can be relatively painless. That's because we're talking tiny single-move changes. Even seemingly insignificant ones can pay off big in the behavior department. If you take the candy bowl off your desk at work, for example, you're less likely to eat candy. If you replace your whole milk with fat-free, you'll start drinking fat-free. And if you stock your fridge with cut-up fresh peppers and carrots, you (and Jen) are less likely to reach for the potato chips after a hard day at work.Warm-weather tacticsThe diversions of summer — baseball games, concerts, family reunions, camping trips — will draw you out of your home safe home. But if you think of how to bring your healthy eating with you, you've won half the battle. That might mean a cooler with fresh fruit, low-fat string cheese, and unsweetened iced tea to counteract the poolside snack bar. Or eating a balanced meal before you go to see the home team play ball, so you're less likely to be tempted by the peanuts-n-popcorn hawker.
Sometimes, of course, you can't easily front-load with healthy eats or bring your own, as at a family reunion or party. If you can't move the food, move yourself: Mingle and talk, play horseshoes, reconnect with Great-Uncle Jack. After all, socializing is what you're there for!
Making changes in your environment is like wearing an extra coat of armor. When you're raring to go on Plan, you think your willpower and commitment will never end. But it's the times when motivation falters that taking control of your environment ahead of time really pays off. And you can be every bit the dedicated, committed person you want to be.
Jen has had a long day at work. Facing a deadline, she skipped lunch. Now she's home, she's ravenous, and it's time to make dinner. So she decides to have a snack. The fridge is empty. The pantry is also bare. But in the cupboard she finds an unopened bag of potato chips. She rips it open and digs in.
It's an oft-told tale in countless Weight Watchers meetings. If junk food is all that's around when you're ravenous, junk food is what you're going to eat. Jen's problem was not that she wasn't dedicated — she was. But her cupboard laid a trap that she walked right into. Those potato chips might as well have had steel jaws clamping her ankle. Our environment can have tremendous impact on what we do, for good and for... not-so-good. Where we live, what we doSo it's essential to surround yourself, at home and away, with Plan-friendly elements. Sure, it's possible to overcome a hostile environment, but it's an uphill battle. Jen could have said no to the potato chips and waited for dinner, but she was hungry. And it can be nearly impossible to argue with hunger. So don't even try.
Making changes in your world can be relatively painless. That's because we're talking tiny single-move changes. Even seemingly insignificant ones can pay off big in the behavior department. If you take the candy bowl off your desk at work, for example, you're less likely to eat candy. If you replace your whole milk with fat-free, you'll start drinking fat-free. And if you stock your fridge with cut-up fresh peppers and carrots, you (and Jen) are less likely to reach for the potato chips after a hard day at work.Warm-weather tacticsThe diversions of summer — baseball games, concerts, family reunions, camping trips — will draw you out of your home safe home. But if you think of how to bring your healthy eating with you, you've won half the battle. That might mean a cooler with fresh fruit, low-fat string cheese, and unsweetened iced tea to counteract the poolside snack bar. Or eating a balanced meal before you go to see the home team play ball, so you're less likely to be tempted by the peanuts-n-popcorn hawker.
Sometimes, of course, you can't easily front-load with healthy eats or bring your own, as at a family reunion or party. If you can't move the food, move yourself: Mingle and talk, play horseshoes, reconnect with Great-Uncle Jack. After all, socializing is what you're there for!
Making changes in your environment is like wearing an extra coat of armor. When you're raring to go on Plan, you think your willpower and commitment will never end. But it's the times when motivation falters that taking control of your environment ahead of time really pays off. And you can be every bit the dedicated, committed person you want to be.
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Here is an AWESOME set of tips about what to do
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AT THE OFFICE
Our Weight. Our Kids. Their Weight.
by Kim Benson
www.kimbenson.com
“I
cringed as I heard my mother’s quick steps heading down the rickety wooden
stairs to the basement. I was in for it now. The basement was where we kept the
spare freezer. The spare freezer was where mom kept boxes of Ring Dings,
Twinkies, Funny Bones, and Sara Lee Coffee Cakes (as well as the extra staples).
I knew what was coming next.
“Kimberly! May I see you please?” I could hear the frustration in her voice. For
the past few weeks I had been carefully opening one side of each box and
gingerly sliding out several packages before repositioning the boxes back with
the open ends facing inward. I knew eventually she would run out of treats
upstairs and head to the basement, discovering my theft. I was in junior high
and couldn’t seem to stop eating. Why did I keep doing it? What was the matter
with me?”
This is the
opening chapter of my book, Finally
Thin! As you can see, my focus on food began well
before my adult years. At that time in my life I wasn’t as thin as I would have
liked, but I wasn’t obese either. I was a cheerleader and loved everything
athletic – but I also loved food. That was just the beginning of a life-long
battle which brought me years of embarrassment, frustration, tears, and
self-loathing. Statistically, I was part of a much smaller minority back then,
but not any longer.
A whopping 32% of
all American children now carry more pounds than they should, up from about 5%
in the 1960s. A staggering 90% of overweight kids already have at least one
avoidable risk factor for heart disease, such as high cholesterol or
hypertension. Type 2 diabetes is now being diagnosed in teens as young as 15.
Health experts warn that the current generation of children may be the first in
American history to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.
In the age of the
64-oz. soda and the 1,200-calorie burger, it's no surprise how we have gotten
here. And today, not only are our kids consuming far more calories than they can
possibly use, but they're also doing less and less with them. After a largely
inactive day at school, kids spend an average of three more inactive hours in
front of a TV, video game, or computer.
The fact is, the
battle of the bulge that was once joked about as a middle aged woman’s nightmare
has now become the nightmare of our youth. Chuck E Cheese birthday parties
(sorry Chucky), vending machines in schools, and food court hang-outs are now
more a part of our kids lives than the once cherished President’s Fitness Award
and three times weekly gym classes. Yes, budget cuts have hit below (or more
appropriately, at) our kids beltlines.
But how do we
help our children, especially when we have a hard enough time helping ourselves?
Yes, some of their issues are brought on by an overweight culture of fast food
and sedentary living, but sadly the struggles of the parents play an even larger
role. We are handing our poor habits and unhealthy choices down to the next
generation.
For a long time I
fought the motherhood guilt that so many are familiar with. The feeling that
comes when you know you've unwillingly hurt your children. Believe it or not ...
GUILT WEIGHS MORE THAN FAT! And berating ourselves for it only worsens the end
result.
My goal as a mom
these days is to give my kids all the tools I can to help them live a healthy
lifestyle, teaching them how to read a nutrition label, explaining the
difference between a serving size and a portion size, and making simple
substitutions of lower fat products in our home. And, on the occasions when we
do hit the drive-thru, what better gift can we give our kids than showing them
that healthier ordering consists of a fruit parfait or apple dippers to go with
their single burgers rather than supersized meals with fries?! The truth is,
even our non-overweight children won't be young OR skinny OR active forever, but
healthy habits can last a lifetime.
Helping our kids
participate in, understand, and take ownership of their own good health at age
appropriate levels is one of our jobs as parents. And working on ourselves ...
showing them that even though we have something so difficult to overcome, we
will NOT give up; showing them that we care about our own bodies and we CAN
defeat the obesity monster … well, that is the best gift of all we can give.
Even though I gave my older ones some terrible habits (sorry guys), I've also
shown them that it is possible to turn your life around – at any
age.
Focusing on
yourself, taking time for YOU, will not only benefit your own good health, but
can trickle down for generations to come. Since our kids truly are a chip off
the old block, we might as well make sure it’s a healthy
block.
GOOD STUFF INSIDE!!! ON
SALE IN THE MEETING ROOM NOW!
Next week’s meeting
topic:
Give
Yourself a Break: Are you TOO hard on yourself? You CAN be your own BEST
FRIEND!
Member
Recipes
Zucchini and Potatoes
serves 6 ( 3 points
+)
2 T. olive oil,
divided
1-1/2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes,
cut into cubes
1 T. crushed
garlic
salt and pepper
2 T. fresh thyme,
chopped
1-1/2 lbs. zucchini, cut into
1/2 inch cubes
Heat 1 T. oil in a large nonstick skillet. Combine potatoes and garlic in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper.
Add potato
mixture to skillet. Without stirring, cook potatoes until light golden brown on
one side.
Using a spatula, toss potatoes and cook until golden brown
on all sides and tender
Add thyme and toss to coat. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and set aside.
Add remaining 1 T. oil to skillet. Add zucchini and season with salt and pepper. C
Add thyme and toss to coat. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and set aside.
Add remaining 1 T. oil to skillet. Add zucchini and season with salt and pepper. C
ool until golden
brown and tender, but not mushy. Add to bowl with potatoes and toss to
coat.
Hostess®
Twinkie
Ingredients
1 box sugar free vanilla cake
mix
6 oz nonfat plain Greek yogurt
12 tbsp fat free whipped topping
6 oz nonfat plain Greek yogurt
12 tbsp fat free whipped topping
Foodtype
Cakes, Frostings &
Cheesecakes
Dietary
Restrictions : Kosher,
Vegetarian
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine
cake mix and Greek yogurt.
Pour ¼ cup of batter into each
twinkie pan basin (cream canoe
pan) sprayed with nonstick
spray.
Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.
Remove from pan when slightly cooled and let finish cooling on a baking rack.
Fill a pastry bag or the
decorating tool (that comes with the cream canoe pan) with 12 tbsp of Fat Free
Cool Whip and inject 1 tbsp into each cake.
Makes 12 @ 5 PP each
Bean
and Cheese Taquitos Recipe
number of
servings: 6 @ 2
PP
The perfect protein-packed
after school snack. So easy the older kids can make them themselves. Makes a
great appetizer, too!
Ingredients
2 Kim's Light Flatbread
¾ cup fat free refried beans
3 oz fat free shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup diced jalapenos
¾ cup fat free refried beans
3 oz fat free shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup diced jalapenos
Directions
Cut each Kim's Light Flat
Bread or other
flat bread into 6 sections. Spread 1 tbsp beans in the middle of each
piece of flat bread.
Sprinkle 1 tbsp of cheese and 1 tsp of chopped
jalapenos on top of the beans.
Roll up and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350°
for 10 minutes,
or until cheese has melted and flatbread is starting
to get a little crispy.
Stuffed Pepperoni Pizza
Melt
Ingredients
1 Oroweat Sandwich Thin, see
shopping tip
1 teaspoon reduced-fat butter or
Smart Balance Light
1½ tablespoons pizza sauce or
marinara sauce
7 slices Hormel’s 70% less fat
turkey pepperoni, see shopping tip
1 slice light provolone cheese or
light mozzarella
Instructions
1. Preheat Panini maker or George
Foreman grill.
2. Spread the outside of the
sandwich thin, both top and bottom, with ½ teaspoon of butter on each. Split
open and spread the inside of the bottom slice with pizza sauce. On top of
sauce, place pepperoni slices and top with 1 slice of cheese. Place remaining
top piece of sandwich thin, butter side out.
3. Place in Panini maker or George
Foreman grill and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until melted and golden brown. Remove
with a spatula as the cheese oozes out a bit while cooking. We love it that
way!
4. Serve with a fork and
knife.
Makes 1 serving; PP:
6
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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post the newsletter on our private FB page "Zig's Winners" and the Google Blog
called Midweek Minutes http://midweekminutes.blogspot.com/.
Find us on FB and
ask to join our own
private support
group!
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