Learning from Experience....

Hello friends! 

First and foremost? My 3 year old is JUST ABOUT potty-trained.  Have no idea how it happened.  My personal theory? His Fairy-Godmother game down and whacked him over the head with her wand and ruled that he will be trained before his 40^th birthday.  It just happened about 37 years sooner than that. Ok.  Now….on to other stuff…

I am seemingly back in the land of the losers.  Yes…I showed a 2.4 pound loss last week.  This doesn’t mean I am out of the red yet, but it does mean that I am making progress.  I also have three new subscribers to my newsletter.  What a great audience I have! Love you guys!!!  I am leaving this before and after picture in this newsletter, mainly for self-motivating purposes.  I have come a long way, and sometimes I tend to forget that.

I am one who tends to learn from my experience.  In this case, my experience tells me that I don’t want to go back to the June 2008 Elissa.  I’d like to lose the last several pounds and start a new chapter.  Weight loss is a journey and not a desination.  As such, there will be rough patches.  Me? I have been going over a rough patch since around oh…December or so.  Ups, downs, stagnancy….stress….but know what? I am not giving up.  My leader also sends out a newsletter.  Her words were especially fitting for this week and I think I am going to use this a both a motivational tip for you all, and for the closing quote!!!

Don't Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,

When the steps you're taking seem all up hill,

When your will is low and your weight is high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest, if you must, but DON'T YOU QUIT!

This journey has its twists and turns,

As everyone of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about

When he might have hit GOAL had he stuck it out;

A slip up could be just what you need

In order to get you to Succeed.

Success is failure turned inside out

Valuable feedback for when in doubt

You never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far;

SO...stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-

It's when things seem the worse that YOU MUST NOT QUIT!

The meeting this week, fittingly, focused on learning from one’s experience.  I have learned several things on my weight loss journey:

•   Weight loss is a journey, not a destination 
• It doesn’t come on overnight, ergo it doesn’t come off overnight
• Be picky when it comes to eating out or  when making food choices. Your body is worth it.
• Keep an anchor close by to remind you WHY you are doing this in the first place!
• If you track your food, and you all of a sudden stop losing, go back to those trackers and see what worked. If you had a loss that week, see what you did differently that week than in the week(s) you didn’t.
• It’s okay to slip up. We are human, and it’s in our DNA.  I mess up from time to time, but again, you learn from that experience and you move on.

 We also talked about what can trip us up. 

• Unrealistic expectations – This is when you think “I MUST lose X amount of pounds by X date”. Don’t do that to yourself.  Take it one ounce or pound at a time!

• All or Nothing mentality – Perfectionists? Beware.  This is when you think that you must be perfect 100% of the time.  News flash? We are human. Not gonna happen.

• Guilt over slip ups – and when it happens? Don’t feel guilty.  To err is human. To get back on the horse after falling off? Commendable!!!!

ATTACHMENTS:

See Gluten Free Corner!

GLUTEN FREE CORNER:

You are going to LOVE me this week.  The attachment is just for you (and anyone else who enjoys starchy side dishes!!!).  There is a collection of 9 side dishes that are healthy AND gluten free!  Enjoy!!!!

RECIPES

Feta-Stuffed Chicken Breasts                

This recipe was sent to me through Facebook by a very dear friend of mine.  She is about as big a foodie as me, and I love that she finds these recipe gems.  Hope you enjoy this one!

POINTS® Value: 4

Servings: 4

1 tablespoon snipped sun-dried tomatoes (not oil packed)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (1 ounce)

2 teaspoons fat-free or light cream cheese (1 ounce)

2 teaspoons snipped fresh basil

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon olive oil

1. Place sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl. Pour enough boiling water to cover tomatoes. Let stand for 10 minues. Drain and pat dry.

2. Using a sharp knife, cut a pocket in each chicken breast half by cutting through the thickest part but not all the way through. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine feta, cream cheese, basil and sun-dried tomatoes. Spoon about 1 rounded tablespoon into each chicken breast pocket. If necessary, secure with toothpicks. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

4. In a non stick skillet, cook chicken in hot oil over medium high heat for 12-14 minutes until tender and no longer pink. Makes 4 servings.

169 calories. 5g total fat. 2g sat fat. 75mg chol. 234 mg sodium. 1 g carb. 0g dietary fiber. 29g protein. Exchanges: 4 lean meat. Carb Choices: 0

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beef and Spinach Matzoh Pie

This dish is a Passover-friendly take on a meat lasagna.  Since Passover is soon upon us, thought I’d offer this one up!  Feel free to substitute lean ground chicken or turkey for the beef!

POINTS® Value 5 per serving

Yield: 8 servings

Preparation Time: 16 minutes

Cooking Time: 60 minutes

Level of Difficulty: easy

Ingredients:

 2 1/2 tsp vegetable oil  

1 large onion(s), chopped  

2 large garlic clove(s), minced  

1 1/2 pound(s) raw lean ground beef  

6 oz spinach, baby leaves, coarsely chopped (about 6 packed cups)  

28 oz canned crushed tomatoes  

2 Tbsp canned tomato paste  

1 tsp dried oregano  

1 tsp table salt  

1/4 tsp black pepper  

1 tsp paprika  

4 board(s) matzo(s), plain  

2 spray(s) cooking spray  

Instructions:

1.         Preheat oven to 350ºF. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add beef to skillet and cook, breaking up meat as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes; drain off fat.

2.         Add spinach, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, salt, pepper and paprika to skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach is tender and sauce reduces and thickens, about 15 minutes.

3.         Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Place 2 pieces of matzo in bottom of pan; spread 3 cups meat sauce on top. Place remaining 2 pieces of matzo on top; spoon on remaining meat sauce. Bake until matzo is softened and dish is heated through, about 30 minutes. Let sit for five minutes before cutting into 8 pieces with a sharp knife. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Notes

    If you eat milk and meat together, sprinkle with parmesan cheese before serving (could affect POINTS values).