Happy Hump-Day all (and Happy Birthday to me!!!
Just because I issue a weekly motivational newsletter, doesn’t mean that I sometimes don’t need a little bit of motivation and positive reinforcement myself! This weekend, I actually had a mini-meltdown, and a really good cry. It was a long time since I had one, and it was quite cathartic. I was going through some more clothes in my closet that I haven’t worn in quite awhile, and although many things fit me now, there are still things that don’t quite look right. I got a bit down, and started questioning everything that I had done over the past year. For a brief moment, I asked myself what right I had to publish this weekly newsletter and felt overwhelmed. I felt that I had so far to go to reach my final goal!
My husband gave me a big hug and told me to look at what I had done over the past year. He told me he was very proud of me, and that he thinks that the weekly publication is really helping out others going through the same issues as me. The best part, he said, was that I am telling everyone what pitfalls I encountered along my journey and how I overcame them. I felt better after that….and he took me out to dinner. More on that later on!
Usually on my birthday, I get a little depressed and sulk around. This year almost started out that way, based on last weekend’s meltdown. I began contemplating the number 42…and considered the fact that this number was sort of an unlucky one. Especially if your name happened to be Elvis Presley. He died at 42, and my initials before I got married were EP!!! Ok….a bit far fetched, but it sounded good at the time.
When I finally calmed down, I sat down and really gave some thought to what I had accomplished over the last year (remembering my conversation with Hubby….) and I smiled. I can now do things that I never used to be able to do. I never in a million years once thought I’d be heading toward a Lifetime goal with Weight Watchers. I never in a million years thought that I could do a real push up. I never in a million years though that I could do a 5K race! The list of accomplishments goes on. Each day I do something to push myself a bit more than the day before. The more I think about where I started my journey and where I’d like to end up, the more I think that I can do this. It’s okay to have a meltdown, I just learned that it’s also okay to move past it!!!!
As I said before, Steve took me out to dinner Saturday night. Our intention was to go to the Palm, but when I thought about my POINTS® budget for the weekend, I began reconsidering. This is a big behavior change for me, because I would normally never think twice about a great dinner at my favorite restaurant! In any case, we ended up at The Greenhouse in
The meeting this week dealt with goal setting and how that works for each of us. For me, setting an ultimate weight goal at the onset of my journey seemed a bit overwhelming to me. As I said in my essay that I submitted in June, I broke my goal down into baby steps. It went something like this:
- Keep a food journal
- Begin a regimen of strength training and cardio
- Lose 5% of my starting weight
- Get into pants that button and zip (and throw away the elastic waisted pants and capris!)
- Lose 10% of my starting weight
- Get below 200 pounds!
Breaking things down really helps to direct your focus and helps things not seem so insurmountable! So far, not only have I achieved these first 6 things I set out to do, but I have managed to develop some healthy habits that I can use for my lifetime! I have several other goals for myself and I am treating them in the same manner. I will probably sit down with my leader and set my final goal when I get out of the 190 range! I think that’s doable!
There is a great attachment this week on ways to measure your success. If one of your goals is to start getting active by running, there is another attachment on ways to add variety to your runs!
A closing quote:
“If you don’t know
where you are going,
you will probably
end up somewhere else!”
-
RECIPES:
Strawberry Banana Dessert
From Taste of Home
This dessert reminds me of the old ‘poke cakes’ that used to be popular back in the 1980’s! I loved the way the Jell-O set up and really brought the dish together. You can really customize this dish by varying your fruit and gelatin flavors. I actually used a Kroger angel food cake and it came in at 10 ounces, so the POINT® count was slightly lower. This dessert would be great for pot-lucks, or just for a simple weeknight treat!
Servings: 16
Prep time: 15 min.
Total time: 15 min.
Ingredients:
3 medium firm bananas, sliced
1 prepared angel food cake (16 ounces), cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pint fresh strawberries, halved
1 package (.6 ounce) sugar-free strawberry gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1-1/2 cups cold water
1 carton (8 ounces) reduced-fat whipped topping, thawed (it’s even great plain!)
Instructions:
Layer banana slices and cake cubes in a 13-in. x 9-in. dish coated with cooking spray. Place strawberries over cake and press down gently.
In a small bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water; stir in cold water. Pour over strawberries. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until set. Frost with whipped topping. Yield: 16 servings.
Nutrition Facts
One serving: Calories: 138 Fat: 2 g Saturated Fat: 2 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 168 mg Carbohydrate: 27 g Fiber: 1 g Protein: 3 g Diabetic Exch: 1 starch, 1 fruit.
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From Taste of Home’s Comfort Food Diet Cookbook
I am actually making this dish tonight, for a ‘something special’ birthday dinner. I am going to lighten this up a bit more by substituting whole wheat fettuccine for the pasta, fat free evaporated milk for the half and half and I am using a rotisserie chicken in place of the turkey. Again…make this yours! Use what you have! Behold the power of the pantry (and the refrigerator!!!)
SERVINGS 6 at one cup each
POINTS® Value per Serving: 7, if prepared as below.
METHOD Broiled
PREP 15 min.
COOK 30 min.
TOTAL 45 min.
Ingredients:
8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups fat-free milk
1 teaspoon salt-free seasoning blend
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half (I used fat free evaporated milk as a substitution here)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups cubed cooked turkey breast (I used a rotisserie chicken because I had it on hand!)
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Directions:
Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large ovenproof skillet coated with cooking spray, saute the onion, celery and garlic in oil for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook and stir until vegetables are tender. Stir in the milk, seasoning blend and salt. Bring to a boil.
Combine cornstarch and half-and-half until smooth; stir into skillet. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Stir in Parmesan cheese just until melted. Stir in turkey. Drain fettuccine; add to turkey mixture. Heat through. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Broil 4-6 in. from the heat for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Yield: 6 servings.
Nutrition Facts
One serving: 1 cup Calories: 361 Fat: 7 g Saturated Fat: 3 g Cholesterol: 76 mg Sodium: 343 mg Carbohydrate: 38 g Fiber: 2 g Protein: 34 g Diabetic Exch: 4 very lean meat, 2-1/2 starch, 1/2 fat.
Attachments:
http://www.4shared.com/file/135670059/7ffbeffb/10_Ways_to_Add_Variety_to_Your_Runs.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/135670058/8fcdf6d/Barley_and_Roasted_Vegetable_Pilaf.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/135670057/9843c2fc/Measure_Your_Success.html
