Newsletter, week of September 27th

Last Week

One of the best ways to make sure you succeed is to set some goals. What goal did you set for yourself this week?

This Week

It's common to mistake emotional hunger for physical hunger. This is one of our heavier topics, but for many of us, managing this issue is key to conquering our weight issues.

Kudos

This was a big week! We celebrated Linda's 5% achievement, and gave Trista a 45 pound star. Trina received her 50 pound star AND reached her goal weight. And Rosemary became a Lifetime member! I think these gals knew all about setting goals, don't you?

WW Product of the Week

Weight Watchers Walking Kit - one way to handle emotional eating is to distract yourself. What better way to do that than by burning calories instead of eating them? This kit will help you develop a walking plan, or give you an interesting twist to your existing routine.

Weekly Potpourri

Okay, so Lose For Good is clicking right along, and some of you know that our very own Fern is responsible for working with the charity that is receiving food donated to our Clairemont center. Well, the bins were full, so we snapped a photo before they came to pick it up. 451.5 pounds of food so far! Thanks for all your donations, and remember, you have until October 17th if you'd still like to participate.



Incidentally, that's a photo posted on my Weight Watchers Facebook profile. Yes, I know, that's probably overkill. But if you want to add me, click on the badge to the right side of my main blog page, or look for "Leader Steph", or use my zerneeak email address. Also know that you'll probably easily find my personal profile, but if you're looking for weight-centric stuff, my first name is Leader. Ha!

What's Hot at WW.com?

Why aren't you losing weight? If you've ever asked yourself that question, please read this article. It might give you some things to target if you're looking to get back on track. Some of these are things we don't even notice!

Quote of the Week

The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible. - Richard M. DeVos

Weekly Recipe: Spaghetti with Creamy Spinach Sauce

Spaghetti with Creamy Spinach Sauce
Serves 4
6 Points value

8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
2 1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
8 ounces fresh baby spinach
1 1/4 cups fat-free ricotta cheese

Cook the pasta according to package directions; drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Transfer the spaghetti to a large bowl and keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; add the onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender, 6-8 minutes. Add the spinach, in batches if necessary, and cook, stirring constantly, until the spinach is wilted, 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach mixture and the ricotta to the spaghetti; toss to coat, adding the reserved pasta cooking water as needed to make a creamy sauce.

Per serving: 321 cal, 4g fat (1g sat fat), 11g fiber, 468mg sodium

Newsletter, week of September 20th

I'm headed out of town for a few days, so this is coming out a bit earlier than usual.

Last Week

Red light foods can trigger overeating. But there are tips to deal with them, and you can decide to focus on the green light stuff - that's right, Filling Foods!

This Week

Goals - they're important, right? I think so and we'll discuss why. Goals don't need to be focused entirely on the scale read-out, so we'll discuss non-scale goals as well.

Kudos

This week we gave five pound stars to Ginger and Ellie, and celebrated a 5% award with Tracy.

WW Product of the Week

This week we'll be sampling our new Pizza Pretzels. Come get your free taste! You might find it's a good alternative to something that might otherwise be a trigger food.

Quote of the Week

If you develop the habits of success, you will make success a habit. - Michael E. Angier

Weekly Recipe: Persian Spiced Carrots

Persian Spiced Carrots
Makes 4 Servings
1 Points value

1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 pound carrots, sliced on the diagonal 1/4 inch thick
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 bay leaf

To prepare the dressing, toast the cumin and cinnamon in a small skillet over medium-low heat just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Combine the spices with the lemon juice, oil, honey, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the carrots, garlic, and bay leaf; return to a boil and cook until the carrots are tender, 4-5 minutes. Drain the carrots; discard the garlic and bay leaf.

Toss the carrots with the dressing to coat. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Per serving: 92 cal, 2g fat, 3g fiber, 205mg sodium

Newsletter, week of September 13th

Last Week

Restaurant dining can be tricky, but with our tips we can make sure we don't accidentally go overboard.

This Week

You might know that there are certain foods or situations that "set you off" - we'll talk about how to deal with them, or to figure out what those things are if you haven't identified them yet.

Kudos

Bernice received her 20 pound star this week!

WW Product of the Week

Easy Measure Serving set - sometimes your eyes are bigger than your stomach, and you'll find that your portion sizes might be bigger than you think they are. These serving spoons not only look good, but keep you from dishing up more than you need!

Quote of the Week

There are only two options regarding commitment; you're either in or you're out. There's no such thing as life in-between. - Pat Riley

Weekly Recipe: Hogazas with Sausage and Peppers

Hogazas with Sausage and Peppers
Serves 4
2 Points per serving

2 ounces chorizo sausage
1 red bell pepper, roasted
8 (2-inch) slices Italian bread
1 Tbsp minced cilantro or parsley

Peel the papery casing from the chorizo and pierce the sausage all over with a fork. Place in a nonstick skillet with enough water to cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a cutting board. Finely chop the sausage and the roasted pepper and combine them in a small bowl.

Toast the bread slices until golden. Spoon the chopped sausage and pepper mixture on the toasts. Sprinkle with the cilantro.

1 serving is 2 hogazas.

Tenterhooks!

If you read last week's entry with my goal updates, I'm certain you've been waiting breathlessly to know what happened at the scale this week.

I lost 4.2 pounds.

That's 0.2 shy of what I gained last week, but close enough. See? Temporary! Incidentally, today's weight (137.8) is the lowest I've weighed in at since the end of May. So either that tells you how rough the summer has been, or how well I've done in the last couple of weeks (I'm more inclined to the latter). I do feel like the last 2 weeks have been more in control, so I'm hoping to continue that momentum into September - I have a few trips coming up that will challenge me, so I need to be on my game before I leave!

Happy Labor Day, all.

Newsletter, week of September 6th

Last Week

We kicked off our 2nd Lose for Good campaign. Now is the time to make sure you're in weight-loss mode. For you and for others!

This Week

Is dining out causing you to fall off program? We'll discuss ways to handle restaurant eating, since it's unlikely we can avoid them forever!

Monday group: remember, we are closed for the holiday. You are welcome to attend a different meeting next week, but come back the following week and tell us about it!

Kudos

Ettie received her 10 pound star, and Jill received her 20 pound star. Both ladies fought hard for these last five pounds, so the victory is sweet.

WW Product of the Week

Dining Out Companion - one of the mistakes people make is ordering a dish without thinking how many Points it's going to cost. This book takes some of the guesswork out by providing Points values for lots of different restaurants. It's an extremely valuable tool if you like to dine out.

Quote of the Week

To think that you are not going to fail is an illusion. Fail faster, you will only be closer to what you want. - Unknown

Weekly Recipe: Banana Pudding Pops

Banana Pudding Pops
Serves 8
1 Points value

1 envelope (4 1/2 cup servings) reduced-calorie instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups skim milk
2 bananas, peeled and cut into 4 chunks each

Prepare the pudding with the milk, following package directions.

Push 1 wooden ice-cream stick into each banana chunk; place each in one 5-ounce plastic drinking cup. Pour the pudding into the cups, filling each two-thirds full. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

Per serving: 59 calories, 0g fat, 0g fiber, 192mg sodium