MIDWEEK MINUTES November 4, 2017
Midweek Minutes
November 4, 2017
Hello, Winners!
There’s such a thing as being too busy! I’m so glad we get an extra hour tonight!
TIME...that's the greatest gift you can give to yourself. What a turn-out we had at our meetings this week! It's wonderful! You are making time to take care of yourself by coming to meetings. If TIME has not been your friend, just remember, the healthier you eat, the more energy you have. Deanna Embry has the following tips.
PUT HEALTH AT THE TOP OF YOUR PRIORITY LIST
How many times have you made unhealthy choices because you are too busy with work and commitments to others? In reality, not taking the time to take care of "you" mentally and physically will actually limit how much you can do and give to others. One way to ensure that you have time for yourself is to make yourself a priority and schedule the necessary time to plan your meals and workouts. Treat your health like the important responsibility that it is.
DON'T SKIP MEALS
Skipping meals with the excuse of being too busy to eat is a definite no. Waiting more than four to five hours between meals causes your blood sugar to bottom out, leaving you weak, irritable and tired. Three meals and two snacks per day is a good target.
PLAN FOR HEALTHY EATING ON THE RUN
If you have a tendency to opt for unhealthy grab-and-go foods, plan for healthy snacks instead and make sure you have them on hand. Choose snacks that have some protein and carbohydrate; these will give you longer lasting energy. A few suggestions: oatmeal (preferably low or no-sugar) with added protein powder; all-natural, balanced snack bars (try the Optimum brand); almonds/nuts (eight to 10 is one snack serving); low- fat yogurt (no sugar added); whole- grain crackers and low-fat cheese.
STOCK THE FRIDGE
Always have a container or zip-lock bag in the fridge with clean, cut-up pieces of fresh vegetables or fruit for snacking. Healthy hummus and low-fat yogurt are great replacements for high-fat dips or spreads. Make "snack packs" to take to work ahead of time.
DINE OUT LESS
Instead of buying lunch every day, pack your lunch at least twice a week. Make a sandwich with whole-grain bread, low-fat meat, and lots of veggies like dark green lettuce, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. You'll save money and eat less fat, salt and sugar!
DINNER FOR LUNCH
Make lunch preparation easy by having containers on hand when putting away the leftovers from the evening's meal. Cold slices of roast chicken and extra grilled vegetables make for great sandwiches or toppings on salads
BUY A HEALTHY LUNCH
For the days when you can't prepare a lunch at home, here are some tips for making healthier choices at the lunch counter. Choose whole grain sandwich bread over bagels, and mustards and salsa spreads over mayo or butter. Choose lower fat natural meats instead of deli processed meats. Ask for water, milk, real fruit or vegetable juice as a nutritious alternative to sugary sodas.
(Deanna Embury is president of Licious Living (liciousliving.com), which offers meal delivery and online nutrition-planning programs.
Is it TIME for you to attend your meeting again? Some of you haven't been to a meeting in awhile. How about making yourself and your time to go to a meeting a holiday priority this year?
See you then! ---Zig
Member Milestones
Total Loss: -1 lb.
(No, not a typo, but I am SO proud of everyone who came to the meeting even with small losses or no losses!!!!)
Mindful eating. Moving more. Those are the behaviors for losing weight and keeping it off, right? But researchers are finding more and more links between getting too few ZZZs and carrying too many lbs, as you learned in your Weekly. So, how much attention do you pay to your sleep quantity and quality? For many of us, sleep gets short shrift—but it’s not an indulgence! Taking care of yourself in this elemental way can have a powerful payoff.
A good night’s sleep—seven to nine hours on average—can impact how we feel, how we think and our ability to make healthy food choices. Being well-rested helps you recharge physically, mentally, and emotionally, which can set you up for weight-loss success. You’ll be less stressed, more aware, and better able to cope with all of life’s curveballs including temptations like sweets and junk food. (Research has even shown a link between too little sleep and desire for for high-calorie foods.) Isn’t it amazing to think that something as simple as some extra quality shuteye each night could help you stay in control?
An A+ plan for better ZZZs.
Start by setting up the bedtime routine in your Weekly. Although it may seem silly at first, adding a "sleep" appointment to your daily schedule can help you rack up the recommended hours. Allow ample time for dinner, family, chores, and any other loose ends you need to tie up before you retire. Commit to “shutting down” electronics (phone, tablet, laptop, TV) an hour before your target lights-out time to give your eyes and brain time to wind down. That old standby of a warm, bubbly soak in the tub or a shower can help: When you get out, the decrease in body temperature can help you feel sleepy. You might want to read a good book or magazine, or listen to relaxing sounds on the radio before drifting off to sleep. Over the long haul, massage can help you wind down, too—ask your sweetie to give you a backrub before bed!
If you’re having difficulty sleeping, look at your sleep habits and patterns. Some activity monitors, including Fitbit, track how well and how long you sleep, providing useful feedback that can help you improve your nightly rest. Keeping a sleep journal for a week may help; include what goes on during the day well before bedtime, too. For example, regular exercise can help you sleep soundly. But working out too close to bedtime can wind you up, so get in your fitness fix no later than three hours before you hit the sack.
What—and when—you eat may play a role, too. A heavy meal too close to bedtime may keep you awake while your stomach works overtime. If you want an after-dinner snack, keep it light and chase it with a glass of milk or herbal tea, which some people find relaxing. (Just make sure to hit the bathroom before you hit the hay to avoid being awakened by a full bladder!)
Feeling a bit sleepy now? Sweet dreams!
We have some charming news!
From 11/5-12/9, if you attend 4/5 weekly meetings, you’ll receive a special charm.
The rules:
- You’ll need to attend 4 out of 5 weeks
- Attendance during Thanksgiving week will count as two attendances
- Charms will be distributed the week of 12/3 We hope you’ll charm us with your presence!
Getting poor sleep doesn’t only make you nod off at your morning meeting. A research review looking at the impact of sleep on obesity found there is growing evidence to show that not getting enough shut-eye can affect your physical activity level, the hormones your body secretes, and the foods you have a yearning for, all of which could lead to weight gain. But better sleep can be attainable—and a proper sleeping environment can help as per the National Sleep Foundation.
A little bit of prep work now can help go a long way toward better sleep, and, as a result, may lead to better health. Here’s how to design the perfect sleep environment, from your windows to your walls.
Keep It Tidy
Your bedroom should feel like a sanctuary for sleep, and that’s hard to accomplish if your laundry is thrown on the floor and your bed is a mess, says W. Chris Winter, MD, author of of The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep is Broken and How to Fix It.
“When you come home and you’re tired you come into this place that’s really tidy and orderly. There’s the ritual of getting into bed instead of this weird continuation of something that happened 18 hours ago that you’re looking at, you’re going to sleep better,” he says.
In fact, a survey by the National Sleep Foundation found that people who said they made their bed every day were 19 percent more likely to sleep well at night than those who just tossed the sheets off and started the day.
Pick the Right Sheets
Making your bed is just half the battle. The sheets you sleep in might make or break your sleep, says Winter. Opt for moisture-wicking fabrics that will help you stay cool and keep your skin from feeling clammy at night. If you’re having to layer up at night or rip off your clothes in the middle of the night, try tinkering with your blankets and sheets.
“You want to create a situation where you are relatively unclothed but you’re controlling your temperature based upon sheets and blankets in your bed. If you’re cold when you go to bed, putting on sweatshirts is not a great plan for temperature control,” says Winter.
Shade Your Windows
Darkness triggers the release of sleep-inducing hormones, but most of us don’t give our bodies the chance to do that, says Winter.
“When it’s time to go to bed I think it’s really important that our bedrooms be not only dark, but exceptionally dark,” he says.
He suggests investing in blackout blinds—not shutters or flimsy blinds—that keep any light from streaming in. Your room should be so dark that you could pull down the shades in the middle of a sunny day and not see your hand in front of your face.
“If you can’t, use some sort of mask or other device that’s going to allow the light that’s reaching your eyes to be diminished,” says Winter.
Have a Zen Nightstand
As tempting as it may be, your bedside table is not the place to keep your smartphone, says Winter. Not only can the temptation to browse and swipe stir up your mind before sleep, but smartphones and other devices emit blue lightthat may harm your quality of sleep. Instead, keep your nightstand clear of tech and cover the time on your alarm clock, suggests Winter.
“I think knowing what time it is at night is extremely overrated,” he says. “It could create anxiety for some people if they have to get up at 6:30 and they wake up and see it’s 5:30 and think, ‘Oh my gosh I only have an hour to go back to sleep.’”
In place of devices, Winter suggests using the space for some sort of sturdy knickknack that won’t break when you toss it on the ground. If you’re lying in bed being kept awake by something you need to remember in the morning, you can think of that task while you knock the item off the nightstand. You’ll be able to fall asleep knowing that when you see the item on the floor in the morning you’ll remember what you need to take care of. (Winter keeps a wooden rhinoceros on his bedside table for this very reason.)
Choose Calming Paint
There’s a reason you aren’t likely to visit a spa that’s painted bright pink. Stimulating colors, like red, yellow, and orange tend not to promote the kind of peaceful state you need to sleep well, says Winter. Instead, opt for neutrals or cool colors like gray or blue, which have been found to promote relaxation.
Member Recipes
Easy taco pie
Author: Drizzle
Serves: 6
8sp per serving
Ingredients
1 pack of Pillsbury reduced fat crescent rolls
1lb lean ground beef
⅔ cup of salsa
1 package of taco seasoning
⅔ cup light grated cheese
*Optional to top with lettuce, tomatoes and onions etc
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Heat up your ground beef in a frying pan on stove, once cooked drain fat. Add salsa and taco seasoning, I only use half the pack of seasoning so it is not to strong tasting. Simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Place your crescent rolls into a 9 inch pie dish, making sure to cover all areas. This may require breaking up some of the rolls to fill in spaces. Pre-bake crust for 5 minutes to avoid the middle not cooking through..
4. Place your meat mixture into the pie dish and spread evenly, sprinkle with cheese.
5. Bake in oven for approx. 10-12 minutes, checking often. Serves 6 at 8sp per slice.
6. Nutritional info .Per serving.. Calories 268... Fat 10.8g... Saturated fat 4.7g... Carbs 22.1g... Fiber 0.5g... Sugars 4.9g... Protein 21.6g
Turkey cranberry brie pinwheels
Author: Drizzle
Serves: 16
2SPeach
Ingredients
1 package pillsbury reduced fat crescent rolls
4 lean deli turkey slices (1oz/30g each)
Light brie cheese, 3oz/90g, crumbled
1¼ cup fresh cranberries
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F and spray a baking sheet with some cooking spray.
2. Wash your cranberries and run through the food processor for 1 minute. (*you can use cranberry sauce although this will affect the points, fresh cranberries are free in WW points)
3. Wash your food processor and run your brie cheese through until crumbled.
4. Lay out your crescent roll dough into 2 pieces of 4 crescent rolls each, pinch any open seams together.
5. Place 2 pieces of turkey on top of each dough piece trying to cover all areas, cut a little of your meat if necessary (I did to fill in corners)
6. Top with your cranberries and then your brie cheese.
7. Roll your dough pieces up (the long way) pinch together any open seems. Then cut each rolled up piece into 8 pieces, easiest way to make them even is cut in the middle to make 2 then in the middle of both those pieces to make 4, which will give you a total of 8 per roll.
8. Carefully place them on your baking tray, use a spatula if that helps.
9. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the dough is golden brown.
10. Serve warm, you can easily re-heat these in the microwave.
11. Makes 16 pinwheels at 2 smart points each
12. Nutritional info (incl cranberries) Calories 69...Fat 2.9g...Sat fat 1.2g...Crabs 7.9g...Fiber 0.3g...Sugars 2.2g...Protein 3.8g
Pumpkin spice lightened up cheesecake
Author: Drizzle
Serves: 8
8SP per serving
Ingredients
1 pre-made graham crust
1 8oz package light cream cheese, softened
1.5 Tbsp brown sugar
1 heaping cup fat free cool whip
¾ cup canned pumpkin (pure pumpkin)
1 tsp vanilla
1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
1. In a bowl using an electric mixer beat together your cream cheese and sugar.
2. Add in cool whip, vanilla, pumpkin and spices and continue beating for a few minutes.
3. Scoop all of your filling into your pie crust and let set in the fridge for a few hours.
4. Makes 8 servings at 8 smart points per serving
5. Keep stored in fridge. *optional to top with whip cream and pumpkin seeds (not incl in nutri info)
6. Nutritional info per serving .. Calories 189...Fat 10g...Sat fat 6.1g...Carbs 21.7g..Fiber 1g...Sugars 11.4g...Protein 2.8g
Creamy tomato tortellini soup
Author: Drizzle
Serves: 10
5SP
Ingredients
2 cans condensed light tomato soup (picture below)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3.5 cups vegetable broth
1.5 cups milk (I used 1%)
¾ cup light cream, like a half & half (I used 5%)
1 cup diced red onion
2 garlic cloves, diced
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp italian seasoning
3.5 cups cheese tortelinni (picture below)
2 Tbsp finely grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
1. Turn crock pot to high (you can use a large pot on stove as well if you wish, I would turn to med-high)
2. Add in your tomato soup and paste and stir.
3. Mix in your diced garlic and onion. Stir in vegetable broth, milk and cream and then your seasonings and dash of salt & pepper.
4. Cook on high for 30 minutes then stir in your uncooked tortellini, cook on high for 1 hour. Turn to low and stir in your parmesan cheese.
5. Serve warm when ready. I also made some easy low point croutons for topping, preheat oven to 375F, cut up low point bread (I used Sara Lee multigrain) mix bread with some salt, pepper and garlic salt. Place on baking sheet covered with parchment paper and spray with some butter flavored cooking spray, toss around then toast in oven for approx 10 minutes. If just adding a few to soup it won't affect points put if you add equivalent to a piece of bread then add 1 point
6. Soup makes 10-1 cup servings at 5 smart points each
7. Nutritional info per serving .. Calories 158... Fat 2.4g...Sat fat 1.3g.. Carbs 28.5g..Fiber 1.5g...Sugars 8.7g... Protein 7.5g
8. *Note, feel free to add in more vegetables
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.Remove from list? If you no longer wish to receive weekly newsletters from me, please reply to this message indicating "Remove from list" in either the subject header or the body of the message.
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