Happy New Year! Come to think of it, I probably mentioned that in my last newsletter. Oh well…such is life. Considering that this week has been both month end and year end close, things went pretty well....and it’s also the reason for the tardiness of the newsletter. The good news is that all required reporting is done, and all required deliverables, well…. have been delivered!
I am not sure if I mentioned it last week, but in addition to taking the southern route home (via I-20), I also managed to lose my voice somewhere in Alabama. For someone who really enjoys talking, this was hard. The kids enjoyed it though, because I couldn’t shout at anyone and they ended up getting a 3 day reprieve. Luckily this cold or allergy attack or whatever it was…never went into bronchitis, but it did get me coughing a slight bit. Thinking back, this was really the first time I had gotten sick in the last year or so since I started my efforts to get healthy. I really do think that eating right and exercise has a lot to do with boosting your immune system.
However, I was a bit concerned about what this week would mean in terms of my workouts this week. I told Coach Dwayne that I still wanted to work out this week, but wasn’t sure about the strength training due to the cold that I got. We ended up doing a 30 minute cardio session, which I think by far was one of the best workouts. We ended up doing a 30 minute interval training session on the treadmill. He had me at a steady pace of 3.8 mph and started out with a warm-up at a zero incline. After the warm-up, he had me walk at a 5% incline. After each 2 minutes he increased the incline 2 degrees, so that after 15 minutes I was at a 10% incline. My heart rate got up to 155+ and I was feeling pretty good, if a bit out of breath. I got a recovery period of 2 minutes back down to a flat grade, and we repeated the process. With the cool down at the end, I ended up doing a little over 2 miles in 30 minutes. Not bad! We decided to change things up a bit during the week by incorporating a cardio component into the workouts. Kind of looking forward to seeing what he comes up with.
This week was interesting for those of us in North Texas , largely due to this arctic blast of cold air that filtered its way in. Monday and Tuesday were cold, but Tuesday night got interesting. We dropped into the 20’s but with the wind chill, it felt like the teens. My daughter’s school was closed on Thursday, and things here were still a bit slippy-slidy today, so I took the day from home. Don’t like driving in icy weather. Texas
Most of you all have been with me during the course of my weight loss journey that started in August 2008. I think I may have told you that I have been following Weight Watchers for quite some time (I was a member since 1993, on and off). This last time I have been on plan for over a year and a half and managed to lose many pounds, even more inches, and many sizes (started out at a 22 and am into a 14 so far!) I really think that the major part of my success this time around is due to the dynamic of our meeting. I would venture to say that there is no better meeting anywhere around. There is something about this group of people that makes you want to keep going. The leader, receptionists and members are incredible.
Awhile back, Sara, one of my meeting buddies, suggested awhile back that we start a clothing circle, in which members bring in items of clothing that no longer fit (too BIG of course…) and share with others that may be in that size range. I have been able to benefit from this! Sara brought me the dress that I am modeling in the picture below. I am totally in love with the dress. Never really had a little black dress before, and now I am wearing one…and it looks GOOD!
I have been able to return the favor of ‘new clothing’ to another friend as well. Thanks to one simple idea, we have been able to increase our wardrobes while losing weight, and without breaking the bank. Did I mention that the dress is a size 14?!?!?!
I maintained this week at the meeting, but overall am showing a 2.4 pound loss over the course of the holidays. Not too bad. I am glad to have lost anything at a time when many would have thrown in the towel during this time of the year. The meeting this week focused on planning and tracking, once again, and their benefits.
Focusing on the tracking side: did you know that the average person recalls only half of what they eat? Though you may remember what you had for breakfast, what about the extra nibbles you had while watching TV, snacking on the phone or picking off your kids' plates?
A food diary puts a stop to this lack of accountability. In fact, studies show that people who keep food journals lose more weight and keep more weight off in the long run.
The National Weight Control Registry (an ongoing research project that tracks successful weight loss habits) found that keeping a food journal is the one of the strategies used by most successful dieters. A recent study found that dieters who tracked their food intake lost twice as much weight as those who didn't track their food.
Your food diary
Whether you put pen to paper or choose a program from the Internet, a good food diary will typically track:
- Calories of all food and drinks
- Time of day
- Portion size
- Emotions or feelings
Keeping a food diary will help you confront the truth about how much, when and why you eat. Then, you can start making the required changes. In addition, journaling can help to:
1. Control binge eating. You are less likely to go for that second helping if you know you have to write it down.
2. Track progress. A food diary can serve as evidence of how far you have come in your journey. It also feels great to look back and see you are eating better today than you did weeks or months ago.
3. Encourage conscious eating. Unconscious eating occurs when we eat without paying attention. You are more likely to avoid eating for unconscious reasons if you are writing it down.
4 Connect eating to emotions. Many people include a column for "observations" or "emotions" in their diaries. In this way, journals can be used to examine certain feelings that may trigger overeating. Only once you identify the causes can you start to do something about them.
5. Point out nutrition imbalances. As you jot down your meals and snacks, you may notice you lack fruits and vegetables on most days, or that you never eat a protein source until dinner. A food diary can give you clues, in black and white, as to what foods you have been neglecting and need to include in your diet.
6. Monitor eating patterns. Until you keep a food journal, you may not realize that you have a seven-hour gap between your 11:30 lunch and your 6:30 dinner. Perhaps this is why you're at the vending machine every afternoon at 3 p.m., downing a bag or two of chips or cookies. Solution? Plan to bring or store a healthy snack for the mid-afternoon to ward off poor eating choices.
7. Monitor calories. Journaling usually requires you to track your calorie intake - which can be eye-opening. Perhaps you were not aware your afternoon soda had 150 calories, or your "innocent" morning latte had 250. By forcing yourself to track portions and calories, you can begin to make adjustments.
8. Create a tool for your nutritionist or doctor. A food diary is a clear source of information as to what, where and how much you eat. This ready-made tool can be viewed by a health professional, who can provide insight into what you can do to tweak and/or improve your habits.
9. Show commitment. The effort and time it takes to keep a food journal is proof that you are committed to your health, and have a desire to take a proactive role in your weight loss.
Don't underestimate the power of tracking what you eat. This "bite it and write it" approach can be effective on your own or in conjunction with a weight loss support group. Ask your doctor to recommend a good support group in your community or online. You may even want to swap your food diary once a week with a friend.
ATTACHMENTS
The attachments this week:
- Your track to success talks about starting off your new year on track by planning and tracking meals.
- The second attachment this week, WW Online Meal Ideas came to me courtesy of Celeste, one of my readers and a member of the meeting I attend. For those of you who use e-Tools online, this is a quick pictorial tutorial of how to use the ‘meal ideas’ section of the site to plan meals out utilizing the POINTS® that you are allotted during the day.
Below is a simple mantra to help you start off your year on the right foot. This was posted on the meeting room board, and it’s so appropriate!
If you bite it, write it
If you snack it, track it
If you nibble it, scribble it.
If you drink it, ink it
If you steal it, reveal it.
If you sneak it, leak it.
If you grab it, blab it.
If you indulge it, divulge it.
If you lick it, bic it.
If you hog it, log it.
If you ingest it….you guessed it!
Grab your pencil before your utensil!
Only journal on the days you want to lose weight!
Butternut Squash Soup
This past Sunday, we went out for breakfast and then did our usual Sunday running around. We ended up at one of the local Asian markets here in town. I think that one of my New Year's resolutions is to buy all of my produce there. Besides wonderful veggies, I found lobster for $7.99 per pound, shrimp for $3.99 per pound, boneless chicken breast for $1.69 per pound...and in the middle of all this? A beautiful butternut squash. I knew you guys were wondering where I was going with this rambling!
Ok...I was looking for an easy recipe to use for the soup, and the Cooking Light geniuses came through for me again! Enjoy!
Yield: 8 servings at a POINTS® Value of 3 per serving
Ingredients:
* 8 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 2 1/4 pounds)
* 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
* 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
* Cooking spray
* 4 cups warm 2% reduced-fat milk, divided
* 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
* 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine squash, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes or until tender. Place half of squash, half of milk, and half of broth in a blender; process until smooth. Pour pureed mixture into a large saucepan. Repeat procedure with remaining squash, milk, and broth. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not bring to a boil). Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 8 bowls; sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons nuts.
Nutritional Information (including the walnuts)
Calories: 204 (26% from fat); Fat: 5.9g (sat 1.9g,mono 1.7g,poly 2.1g)
Protein: 7.5g; Carbohydrate: 34.7g; Fiber: 5.3g; Cholesterol: 9mg
Iron:2mg; Sodium: 370mg; Calcium: 271mg
Elissa’s Oven Roasted Roma Tomatoes
This is a good standby recipe that I go to quite often. I use these tomatoes as a quick pasta sauce starter and it’s also a great base for tomato basil soup or even a gazpacho, for when the weather is warmer outside. When you find wonderful Roma or plum tomatoes, buy extra to make this one.
Yield: for an entire pound of roasted tomatoes roasted with a 1 Tbsp drizzle of olive oil, the entire point count is 4 1/2. If you use less olive oil, the points go down in proportion. The pound of tomatoes is 1 POINT®, and a teaspoon of olive oil is 1 POINT® and a tablespoon of olive oil is 3 ½.
Ingredients:
Plum tomatoes (I used a pound or two at a time!), sliced in half, lengthwise
1 tablespoon Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and slice tomatoes, lengthwise and place on a baking sheet that has been covered with heavy duty aluminum foil and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Give the tomatoes a good sprinkling of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over the tomatoes. Bake in a 450 degree oven until they start to brown and look a bit charred.
These can be stored for up to a week in the refrigerator. You can also whiz them up with a stick blender and save for a sauce or soup! Combine with fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil and heat up for a nice quick sauce. Love this recipe!
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