MIDWEEK MINUTES . February 10. 2017


Midweek Minutes
February 10, 2018

Hello, Winners!

So, my PC died, and I am using a Mac now.  This makes creating and delivering the newsletter more difficult.  When I switched to gmail, things worked fine until I started using this different computer.  Strange things happened when I tried to send to newsletter last week.  I’m going to try and complete this document and see if it will copy and send.  Last week, only the first page was sent even though I could see the whole document.

I’ll do my best to keep sending you a newsletter each week, but I may be forced to link the document on my Facebook Member page.  If that is the case, you should ask to join Zig’s Winners so you can view it.  If you have any suggestions as to a better way to deliver my newsletter, please let me know.

As in weight management, if we are used to doing things one way, and then the Weight Watchers’ program changes or gets tweaked, there is a learning curve.  As I am determined to keep sending my newsletter, I will keep looking for what works for me.  With FREESTYLE, you will also be looking for what works for you and how you can maximize your success.

With computers, I have NEVER stopped learning.  I never give up.  I’ll keep going.  Some people just say that weight management is confusing and give up.  Don’t do that.  Ask your meeting room team.  Chat with a staff member online 24/7.  Conquer your fear and frustration.  Let’s do this together!

(Now, if only I could do something about the weather...but, there are some things over which we have no control!)  See you at the meeting! --Zig




Member Milestones

Total Loss: -5.8 lbs.





Sure, eating every single meal at home is one way to stick to your SmartPoints® Budget. But who lives that way? Sharing a meal with friends and family at a nice restaurant is one of life's pleasures! And besides, at some point, most of us have to grab food on the go, or are obliged to eat out frequently with work colleagues. Your Weekly gives you several smart strategies to be prepared, including making the most of your mobile app. Use the app to browse restaurants, choose dishes by eatery or by SmartPoints range, and then see how your choices will fit into your Budget. Here are some more helpful dining-out ideas, including ways to use Weight Watchers tools.

Before you go
Decide what you're in the mood for. Once you’ve chosen a cuisine (Italian, anyone?) and a restaurant (using the app if possible), you might want to get a quick refresher on menu decoding tips.
Do the math. See how it will fit your Budget. Will you use any of your weeklies or rollovers for the meal, perhaps for a special dessert? Bonus points if you pre-track! You can even save your favorite restaurant meals!
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.
Be portion savvy. Check out (and print out) our handy portion estimator!

At the restaurant
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 a "pricey" surprise.
Get creative with the menu. No need 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.
Want 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!).

After the meal
Track it. If you pre-tracked, check your numbers and adjust where necessary. Even if you went over your planned allotment of SmartPoints values, you're better off recording what you ate. It keeps you mindful and on track.
Look back at how the meal went. Were there any unexpected hurdles—that basket of cheese rolls, say, or your boss urging you to try her fried calamari? How did you handle them? If you're not happy with any of your choices, what could you do differently? A post-mortem can help set you up for success next time.
If you've overdone, course-correct. You've heard it before: When you slip, get right back on the path. In this case, choose a lower SmartPoints value meal.



Check out some great Valentine’s Day recipes at www.weightwatchers.com




If you’re overweight, over 40 and don’t have many risk factors for heart disease, consider yourself lucky. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, a stat ever more startling when you consider that up to 80 percent of cases are preventable. One of the most effective ways to reduce risk is losing 5 to 10 percent of your body weight.
For women, slimming down is even more critical, since risk rises as you age: Waning estrogen can shift body fat to the belly area by increasing storage of abdominal fat or by slowing its breakdown, impacting the function of the heart, liver and blood vessels. More proven heart helpers include exercising (five days a week for 30 minutes), limiting alcohol intake (one drink for women or two drinks for men per day) and laying off cigarettes.

3 Simple Ways to Protect Your Heart Right Now

1. Sleep in Silence
Blaring horns and sirens aren’t just annoying; they may hurt your heart even while you’re asleep. In a preliminary study presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference, people who lived near a noisy highway were more likely to develop aortic calcification, a precursor to atherosclerosis (or hardening and narrowing of the arteries). “Nightly noise can take a toll on the body’s stress system, which is closely linked with heart function and may register noise as a threat,” explains Michael A. Grandner, PhD, a sleep researcher at the University of Arizona in Tucson. This is particularly troublesome for adults over 40, who tend to have a harder time falling and staying asleep—and may be more sensitive to disruptions.
While you likely won’t move from your noisy neighborhood, you can minimize the damage. Purchase a fan or a white-noise machine. Also consider hanging heavy drapes and laying down area rugs or wall-to-wall carpet to help absorb sound, or wear soft earplugs to bed.
RELATED: Create a Sleep-Friendly Bedroom for Better Rest

2. Avoid Energy Drinks
Long marketed to teens, energy drinks are now catching on with adults: Close to 20 percent of women ages 25 to 45 consumed these beverages in 2013, up from 14 percent in 2008, says market research firm Packaged Facts. Empty calories aside, this trend could prove problematic for heart health.
In a preliminary review presented at a scientific meeting of the American Heart Association (AHA), energy drinks were found to significantly raise blood pressure—a red flag for those well past their 20s. “As we get older, the body’s ability to compensate for changes in blood pressure weakens, making us more prone to heart issues,” says Sachin A. Shah, PharmD, one of the study’s lead authors.
Another downside to energy drinks: They may prolong the time it takes for electrical impulses to travel through the lower chambers of the heart, which can lead to life-threatening arrhythmias. Experts aren’t sure if the offending ingredient is caffeine, other stimulants like taurine or a combo of these. To be safe, only buy energy drinks that disclose caffeine content; generally, they vary between 142 and 260 mg per 16-oz drink.

3. Eat More Fish
You may have heard all the benefits of eating a diet rich in fish, but here’s another reason why seafood is the new Cupid: In a recent Harvard University study, people with the highest blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids were 35 percent less likely to die of cardiovascular disease, versus those with the lowest omega-3 levels. In fact, subjects in the high-omega-3 group lived 2.2 years longer.
Hit the healthy target by eating two 4- to 6-ounce servings of oily fish, which is rich in omega-3s, weekly. Try wild Alaskan salmon, freshwater coho salmon (U.S. farmed), wild Pacific sardines and Atlantic mackerel—these varieties are all sustainably harvested and low in toxic mercury, according to Seafood Watch, a nonprofit program that’s run by the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. Of course, fish prep is important: Stick with baking and broiling, since research shows frying fish can diminish heart-helping properties.







BAD WEATHER: If there will be a meeting cancellation due to SNOW, etc., please stay tuned to NTV or KHAS-TV. I will call them to announce a meeting cancellation by 3 P.M. for Superior...and as early as I can (or the night before) for Hastings Saturday morning meetings. You can also log on to their websites where they have weather closings. I might email and post on FB as well.

You can also call the Weight Watchers' 800 number to find out if we are having a meeting 1-800-651-6000.



Member Recipes

Freestyle Chili Recipe
Ingredients
§  Ground lean chicken or ground lean turkey – l lb (must be 99% free to be zero points!)
§  2 15 oz. cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
§  2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
§  2 15 oz. cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
§  3 1o oz. cans Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
§  15 oz. can tomato sauce
§  1/2 T cumin
§  1/2 T oregano
§  1 T chili powder
§  2 – 3 cloves garlic, minced
§  1 onion, diced
§  1 lime, quartered
Directions
If you are using a pressure cooker or Instant Pot:
1. Place the ground lean meat in your pressure cooker or Instant Pot. Use the Sauté or Brown function on your device to cook the meat.
2. Pour all of the other ingredients into the pressure cooker except the lime. Quarter your lime and squeeze the juice into the pot. Throw the rind away.
3. Select the Beans/Chili button or Meat/Stew button. Start your machine. Make sure the pressure valve is closed. It will cook for 20 – 35 minutes depending on the machine you use (mine is 20!).
4. Release the pressure from your cooker and serve.
If you are using a slow cooker:
1. Cut up the onion.
2. Spray a cooking pan with fat free cooking spray, and sauté the onion for a few minutes.
3. Add the lean ground meat to the pan and cook until the meat is brown, about 5 – 7 minutes.
4. Pour the meat (with the juices) and the onions into the slow cooker.
5. Pour all of the other ingredients into the slow cooker except the lime. Quarter your lime and squeeze the juice into the pot. Throw the rind away.
6. Cook your chili on high for 3 1/2 – 4 hours.
7. Serve this Weight Watchers chili recipe right away!
Add garnishments, which may add to the points value. Depending on the day, I might add chives (0 points), reduced fat cheese (4 – 5 points for a quarter cup), or light sour cream (1 point per tablespoon). This Weight Watchers chili recipe is easy and SO DELICIOUS!



LOADED BAKED OMELET MUFFINS
INGREDIENTS:
  • nonstick cooking spray
  • 9 large whole eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • black pepper
  • 3 strips cooked chopped bacon
  • 3 tablespoons thawed frozen spinach, drained
  • 3 tbsp diced tomatoes
  • 3 tbsp diced onion
  • 3 tbsp diced bell pepper
  • 2 oz shredded cheddar
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray the muffin tins with cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl whisk the eggs, season with salt and pepper.
  3. Mix in the remaining ingredients.
  4. Fill  and place tins on a cookie sheet and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until set.
Yield: 6 servings, Serving Size: 2 omelets
  • Amount Per Serving: Freestyle Points: 2




SKINNY CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE
6 Freestyle Points 150 calories

INGREDIENTS:
  • cooking spray
  • 1/2 cup (50g) crushed chocolate graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 tbsp light butter, softened
  • 8 oz package reduced fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 6 oz fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1 oz Baker’s semi-sweet dipping chocolate
  • 18 raspberries
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick spray.
  2. Mix together graham cracker crumbs and butter with a fork until mixed through. Press evenly into bottom of prepared pan.
  3. Gently beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth using an electric mixer.
  4. Gradually beat in fat free yogurt, egg whites and flour., do not over beat. Pour over graham cracker crust.
  5. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until center is almost set.
  6. Cool to room temperature then chill a few hours in the refrigerator.
  7. Cut the cake into 9 slices.
  8. Melt the chocolate in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time until melted, careful not to burn.
  9. Use a spatula to drizzle the chocolate all over the top of the cheesecake. Top each piece with 2 raspberries and enjoy!
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Yield: 9 servings, Serving Size: 1 square
  • Amount Per Serving:
  • Freestyle Points: 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. 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.

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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