Hello there peeps!
I hope your week was fantabulous (new word…). As for me? I am a single parent for the next few days. Steve is in Charlotte, NC through August 10th. His 25th High School reunion is coming up on Saturday, and he decided to attend. Now if you all remember, Morgan is still down in Orlando with my folks, so this means :::insert sinster music here::: that I am alone with Adam (the 3-year-old). No safety net, no one but the two of us. Know what? It’s okay. He was actually quite the sweetie pie this morning. Came downstairs a little after 6 am, and was very cute. That cuteness lasted about 30 minutes, right up until the time where I had to drop him off at Primrose. He wanted NO PART of going into his classroom. I ended up putting him into Miss Rhonda’s arms and I made a break for it.
Now I am dealing with a quiet house, which is a good thing when one is working at home. I really give any single moms out there a great deal of kudos. This stuff is NOT easy. Pet patrol, kid supervision...all tiring stuff. The sad part was that since Steve left for NC, I don’t really sleep. I sort of close my eyes, but every little solitary noise wakes me up. Hate that!!! Luckily this is all temporary. Steve returns Tuesday afternoon and Morgan comes back home (with my mom & dad in tow) on Wednesday. Fun times ahead!!!
On a different note, I just found out first hand that customer service is not entirely dead. Remember how I said that my Success Story was chosen by Lean Cuisine for publication on their website? As it turns out, in that congratulatory email, they forwarded me an incorrect link that took us to someone else’s success story. I contacted the company and they are looking into it. I actually received a phone call from a Lean Cuisine representative this afternoon. From what she told me, they are actively working the issue. As soon as I secure a corrected URL, I will pass it on to you guys so you can read all about me on the Lean Cuisine website :::wink:::. I was hoping that by mentioning that I publish a weekly blog and for the potential number of additional visitors to their website that it would bring…they may speed up the process? Only time will tell. I will keep you guys informed though.
Okay…torture maneuver of the week. Are you ready? Use your mind to create a visual, but try not to laugh too hard. Dwayne had me lying tummy down on a 65 mm stability ball, with my feet up against the wall for support and balance. He then had me pick up a body bar, 12 – 18 pounds maybe??? Using my arms, core, and lower back to get the bar up. We repeated this for 3 sets of 10 reps. My abs and core were one solid line of ACHE from my breast bone all the way down to my belly button. That soreness lasted for about ohhhh…3 days???? Nice. Thanks Coach Dwayne!
I enjoyed a nice walk with my Walk-It Challenge buddies this past weekend, and I was absolutely DRIPPING after that walk. Put in almost 10,000 steps on Saturday. Not too bad. Not much outdoor activity for me in the near future though. It’s been averaging about 104 – 105 degrees here in Denton, with heat indices in the 110’s. YUCKO!!!
I am attaching yet ANOTHER before and after photo for you guys. Again, what a difference TWO years makes! August 11, 2010 will mark my two year anniversary of getting fed up for the last time (is there a pun in there somewhere???), and taking charge of my weight!
Okay. The meeting topic this week was ‘out of control eating’. I think this is more common than we think! If you tend to hide what you eat or the fact that you’re overdoing it…there is some help out there. This is an excerpt from the Weight Watchers Weekly that came out this week.
Question: Why does ‘sneak eating’ happen?
Answer: Often sneak eating is associated with the notion that being overweight is shameful, so people try to minimize the guilt of eating anything high in calories and fat – including going to great lengths not to be seen.
How to fix it: Some things that may help: skipping caffeine late at night and avoiding trigger foods. Another option is to pre-plan bedtime snacks and incorporate these into your daily POINTS® Target. This is helpful because frequently people won’t write stuff down until the end of the day, and then it can be easy to forget certain ‘sneak eating’ episodes. Also recognize that certain foods needn’t be off limits. If you want to have chocolate, you can. Just plan for it in your daily POINTS® Target. Then there’s no reason to hide it.
Some food for thought: A powerful weapon against sneak eating is to try to change your mindset about the stigma of being overweight. Then you can shed the desire to hide your eating because you feel guilty about it. Recognize that it’s easy to gain weight, and being overweight doesn’t mean that you’re inferior in any waY.
It’s not always easy to do this, of course, but it’s worth the effort. Once you’re comfortable eating anything in the light of day and even with an audience, it will be easier to stave off the urge to sneak snacks that can get in the way of reaching your weight loss goals.
Ways to STOP the Eat-a-Thon:
Strategies:
- Identify possible triggers
- Understand the reasons you wish to eat
- Use reframing to find alternate ways to meet your needs
- Develop a plan to stop uncontrolled eating in its tracks.
I took this quote from the meeting room wall. I thought it was so appropriate to the meeting topic this week! Enjoy!
“Eat with dignity. That means
At the table and with a napkin
on your lap. One doughnut
with my hubby is more satisfying
than the box no one knew I bought!”
- Bobbi Caldwell, Weight Watchers Leader
RECIPES
Grilled Tuna with Herb Butter
Tuna is prepared like steak in this recipe-cooked in one large piece on a very hot grill. Freshly made herb butter is the secret ingredient in this grilled fish recipe. It's a tasty way to flavor steamed or grilled vegetables, too.
POINTS® Value: 4
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 12 min
Cooking Time: 6 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
1 pound(s) yellowfin tuna, one steak cut 1- to 1-1/2 inches thick
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh lime juice
1 spray(s) cooking spray
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1 Tbsp chives, fresh, finely chopped
1 Tbsp parsley, fresh, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped
1 tsp lime zest, fresh, minced
1/4 tsp table salt, or more to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or more to taste
1 pound(s) spinach, baby-variety, steamed
Instructions:
1. Drizzle both sides of fish with oil and lime juice; set aside.
2. Off heat, coat grill with cooking spray; preheat grill to high.
3. Meanwhile, in a small metal bowl, combine softened butter, chives, parsley, tarragon, lime zest, salt and pepper; set aside.
4. Cook tuna on one side for 3 minutes; carefully flip and cook on other side for 3 more minutes for rare, or longer until desired degree of doneness. Place bowl containing butter mixture on grill just until it melts — you don’t want to cook it.
5. Thinly slice tuna and serve over spinach; drizzle melted herb butter over top. Yields about 3 ounces of tuna and 1/4 of spinach per serving.
Peaches with Riesling Sauce
Riesling wine perfectly complements the sweet juiciness of summer peaches. A sprinkling of crystallized ginger adds just enough spice.
POINTS® Value: 1 per serving
Servings: 4 at approx. 1 cup peaches and 1 tsp ginger
Preparation Time: 8 min
Total Cooking Time: 10 hour
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
1 1/2 Tbsp water, warm
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup(s) white wine, a medium-bodied Riesling like Yellowtail suggested
4 large peach(es), ripe, thickly sliced
4 tsp crystallized ginger, minced
Instructions:
In a small saucepan, combine water, sugar and lemon juice; cook over medium-high heat until syrupy, approximately 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in wine; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until wine reduces by half and mixture is syrupy, about 4 to 6 minutes; remove from heat and let cool.
Once cooled, toss syrup with peaches in a serving bowl and allow to sit at room temperature for several minutes; toss again. Serve, sprinkled with ginger.
Yields about 1 cup peaches and 1 teaspoon ginger per serving.
