Summer Grilling

Hey Friends!
I hope all is well with everyone!
Are you looking forward to this great long weekend? It is going to be a ton of fun. Be sure to get to your meeting this week. Remember all of the meetings will be closed for the 4th. Summer grilling can be a great way to spend our summer evenings. Come to meeting this week and find some new ideas to put a spark into your summer dining!
This link has great grilling tips from WeightWatchers.com http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=6061&sc=3022
See you soon!
"Your biggest break can come from never quitting. Being at the right place at the right time can only happen when you keep moving toward the next opportunity." ~Arthur Pine

Why I am Walking!

I have a hard time putting into words the reason I am walking (running, probably). I have seen, in the women who face breast cancer, a real courage that is not seen very frequently. They live with such conviction, and their ability to fight ,and not give up, inspires me so much.
Last year, the week after the event, my sister-in-law's mother died after a 17 year battle with breast cancer. She never quit fighting, but more importantly, she never quit LIVING. At her funeral, Elder David A. Bednar spoke and quoted Elder Neil A Maxwell's comments about what he had learned during his battle with cancer. He told Bednar, "It is far more important to NOT SHRINK, than it is to survive."
So many of the wonderful women in our lives face this disease, and they live each day, and fight each day, with such honor and courage. Let us honor them and fight along side of them.
Please come walk with us and share in this great celebration of their courage, beauty and lives!

Making Strides is Back!

Hey guys-
We are gearing up for the American Cancer Society "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Event" again this year, October 11, 2008. There is a link below to sign up for my team. This year we are going to be called "NEVER SURRENDER!" This is in honor of our many loved ones who are currently fighting breast cancer and those who have fought so hard and are no longer with us.
The walk last year was GREAT! The t-shirts will be $6 again. If you cannot participate, please feel free to make a donation if you would like to. To sign up or make a donation click the link below.
Let's have the biggest team there and really support our sisters, mothers, daughters and friends in this great cause to find a cure for breast cancer!

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/MakingStridesAgainstBreastCancer/MSABCBlueprint?px=2730792&pg=personal&fr_id=11683

I Scream, You Scream, We ALL Scream For Ice Cream!!!

Here is a link to a great article on ww.com about making great choices with our frozen treats!
http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=54121

Tasty Dips

Here are some great tips for dips! Let me know which ones you like ;)

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=55811

Trick Yourself!

Hello Everyone!
I hope all is well with ya'll! This weather is sure warm . You will not hear a complaint from me, though. It feels so good to be warm all the way through!

This weeks meeting topic is so great. We all have had times when we were wishing our tummies are a bit fuller. This week we will discuss ways that we can "trick" ourselves into feeling fuller, thinking we are eating more, etc. You will come away from this meeting with some ideas in hand and a step up on our battle for a healthier life.

Have a great week and hang in there!

"You can NEVER fail if you NEVER quit!!!"
~ by me ;)

Destination- Weigh Loss!

Aloha!
What a great weekend we are having! I hope ya'll are enjoying this beautiful "finally" summer weather!

How is National Self-Indulgence Week going? It is so important to take care of yourself on a regular basis and it is very important to remember that you can do it within the guidelines of either the Flex Plan or the Core Plan. Working in the yummy num nums into your plan will really keep your satisfaction level up and the world a better place. Don't forget our "non-food" ways to self indulge, a massage, a bubble bath or especially, a good book! If it has been forever since you treated yourself in a "non-food" way, look back to the past for a few reminders.

Now... in case you went a little overboard with the whole "self-indulgence" thing- be sure to hit a meeting this week to discuss how we can bring ourselves back on track. This road we travel to a healthier life can meander a bit . Join us to re-set your course and make it to your destination, a healthier you!

See you soon and Congratulations to all of you BIG LOSERS on our weight loss challenge! Keep up the good work. If you missed the challenge, you can read them all below! Let me know how it goes for you.

Challenge Tip #8

Tip # 8 DO THIS CHALLENGE AGAIN FOR SEVEN MORE DAYS! (did you see that one coming?)

So... how much did you lose? Be sure to email me your losses! IF you wanna know how much I lost, your gonna have to come to meeting this week and ask me . (yes, I lost , bravo star for me!)

Challenge Tip #7

Tip # 7 GO TO YOUR MEETING THIS WEEK! You know you wanna! You are dying to come! Here is your personal invitation- PLEASE OH PLEASE COME. How else are we going to know what you've lost by following this challenge! I want 150 replies to this email telling me your scale results this week! K?

Speaking of meetings... this we we are going to be honoring "National Self Indulgence Week". Come see how the crazy indulgences we long for can be a healthy part of our lives!

Challenge Tip #6

Hello Friends! How goes the CHALLENGE? I am loving this!!

Tip #6
Do you like dessert? I do! My tip for you is to share the LOVE ! We all have our favorites, no need to call them by name, anything with chocolate will do, OK- anything with sugar will do, ALRIGHT- anything that fits into my mouth will do! So what can we do? Here's the tip- if you are having dessert tonight, invite enough people over to eat the whole thing, your kids friends, family or neighbors, so long as they will eat, they will work. This will do two things for you, #1- you get some of what you have been craving, #2 you can have fun with your loved ones. If you are too shy to invite people over, pack up the leftovers and take them to a neighbor or someone you don't even know, you can even door-bell-ditch it If all else fails, just TOSS it in the trash after you have had your tasty morsel!

*** WARNING WARNING WARNING- if having a dessert around is just way too much for you- SKIP THIS CHALLENGE! If you will eat the whole thing before you even know what happened, then save this one for a time in the future, when you are ready :) There is NO SHAME in that at all, not one little speck! ***

Challenge Tip #5

Are you ready for #5- (ready or not...)
I want you to "move it". Yep- get out there and get going. Turn on the radio and shake it for a few songs. Put on the roller blades and cruise the neighborhood. Dust off that bike and feel the wind in your hair (that is under a helmet :). Pull weeds for 20 minutes (or 20 hours if it is my garden). I don't care what you do- just do something a little out of the ordinary, a smidge out of your comfort zone maybe. "I like to MOVE IT MOVE IT, I like to MOVE IT MOVE IT!" You know the words- lets get MOVING!!!

Anna's Favorite Jello Salad

POINTS® Value: 2
16 - 1/2 Cup servings
Ingredients:
1 small pkg dry, powder Jell-O Sugar Free any flavor
2 cup Crushed Pineapple In Its Own Juice, drained WELL!
1 cup canned unsweetened mandarin oranges, drained well
24 oz fat-free cottage cheese
8 oz Cool Whip Free Whipped Topping
Mix all ingredients together well, except cool whip. Fold in Cool Whip last. Refrigerate. Ooo La La!

Challenge Tip #4

Tip #4 Know BEFORE you go!!
If you are headed out to dinner this weekend- have a game plan IN ADVANCE! Go to your Dining Out Companion, E-tools, or the restaurants website. Make a plan and stick to it. Restaurants are FINE and a great place to eat, but they can be VERY tricky. Knowing the POINT values before you go will help you stay on track. Knowing the POINT values before you go will let you feel comfortable and able to enjoy your meal, worry and guilt free.

*** Don't be afraid to ask for a doggie bag when your food comes- the serving sizes are HUGE and most can be split in half and saved for lunch (or dinner) the next day ***

Challenge Tip #3

I am hearing from some of you - please let me know how you are doing? Feeling good?

Ready for tip #3?
BANISH the BLT's! And I am not talking about the sandwiches! I am addressing those nasty little "bites, licks, and tastes!" EVERYTHING we put into our mouths has a POINTS value. EVERYTHING!!!! So here is the challenge- mark one POINT for EVERY blt you take. I mean it- one little bite of your sons PB & J, one nibble of a cookie or taste of tonight's dinner. Mark 1 POINT gone forever :) This is the only way to combat this habit- If you BITE it you WRITE it! No justifications, no pretending that it was so small it has zero POINTS (even if it is).

***exception to the rule- if your rabbit will eat it, you can too- no POINTS :) ***

Challenge Tip #2

Alright- how is it going? Are you feeing Better, Stronger, Faster than before? Are you ready for Tip #2? Here goes.

Tip #2 Shake up those POINT values!
If you always eat 4 POINTS for breakfast, eat 6. If you always have 8 POINTS for dinner, have 6. If you eat a 6 POINT snack at night, make it a 2 POINTer. If you have a one POINT snack at 10 AM, make it a 2 POINTer. If you already vary your POINT values from meal to meal and from day to day, then try dividing your Daily POINTS Target by five. Have five meals, spaced evenly throughout your day. Do ya get my drift? This is just one more way to throw a curve ball at ourselves. This not only keeps our bodies guessing, but it really brings some life back into our sometimes monotonous routine.

Challenge Tip #1

For those participating in the challenge-
Tip #1 EAT SOMETHING NEW AND DIFFERENT!
We become very complacent and routine in what we eat. By eating something new or different we will measure this new thing. We will calculate the points. We will also give our body the challenge of eating something different and new. Our bodies are very clever and conservative. They really get good at dealing with the "norm". Shake things up a bit. If you always have oatmeal for breakfast, have an egg on whole wheat toast or a smoothie.
Try something new TODAY!! :)

Challenge June 2008!

I'm sending out a challenge that another WW leader sent me! This is for you and for me, because I want to stay on track this summer as much as you do.

Your Challenge, should you chose to accept it is: Let's (you and me) follow the plan perfectly for the next seven days. I mean it - perfectly. AND, lets do some sort of movement/activity/
exercise for six out of the next seven days. Let's stay within our points budget, drink enough water,
have two healthy oils and and two servings of milk every day, and have 5 servings of fruits
or veggies every day. Do you think it's possible? Can we do it?! How many of you are
willing to take this challenge? Starting tomorrow, June 3, let's see how much this newsletter
group can lose in 7 days.

So, if you come to my meeting on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, try to come to my scale and tell
me how it's going. If you have to come on anther day, email me and tell me how it's going and how much you've lost. There are ~150 people on my mailing list right now, so do you think we can lose 150 pounds by next Tuesday/Wednesday? I've got the paper clips, do you have the guts?
What do you say???

Chicken Salad

POINTS® Value: 3
Servings: 6
Ingredients
3/4 pound cooked chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
1/3 cup dill pickle(s), or sweet gherkins, finely diced
1/4 cup reduced-calorie mayonnaise
2 Tbsp reduced-fat sour cream
2 Tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
Instructions
Place all ingredients in a large bowl; mix until blended. Yields about 2/3 cup per serving.

Tex-Mex Bean Salad With Creamy Salsa Dressing

8 POINTS® Value, 4 Servings
Think of this ingredient-packed salad as bean nachos with the works. Serve the chips on the side or crumble them on top for crunch. You can also serve the bean mixture on its own as a dip.
Ingredients
1/3 cup salsa, medium or spicy
3 Tbsp reduced-fat sour cream
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed (about two 15.5 oz cans)
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup canned yellow corn, or fresh, cooked kernels
1/2 cup avocado, diced
1/2 cup scallion(s), sliced
1/2 cup cilantro, fresh, chopped, or less to taste
6 cup romaine lettuce, shredded
2 oz Cabot Pepper Jack, or other brand, cubed or shredded
24 items baked low-fat tortilla chips
Instructions
In a large bowl, stir together salsa, sour cream and vinegar until blended. Add beans, tomatoes, corn, avocado, scallions and cilantro; toss to mix and coat.
Place 1 1/2 cups of lettuce on each of 4 serving plates; top each with 1 1/2 cups of bean mixture. Sprinkle each serving with 2 tablespoons of cheese; arrange 6 chips around edge of each plate. Yields 1 salad per serving.

Sustaining Motivation

Hello Friends!

It really feels like the nice weather is here to stay! Yeah!! My watch tan line is even returning :)

This week in meeting we will be looking at many great ways to keep our motivation alive during our relaxing summer festivities. We all know (by doing our homework last week) exactly what we want to have happen by Labor Day in September. We have developed our Winning Outcome and have come up with the steps we need to take to get there. This week we are looking at one of our Helpful Habits and one of our Tools for Living that will help us to keep our motivation where it needs to be to fulfill our Wining Outcome.

I hope to see you all in the meetings this week and have a great first week of June :) I leave you with my favorite quote about motivation :)

"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing-that's why we recommend it daily."
~Zig Ziglar