Newsletter, week of May 27th

Last Week

Summer can bring travel and vacation. But that doesn't mean your weight loss has to slow down. Find a way to fit the program into your summer plans, and you'll achieve that Postcard Goal!

This Week

Refuse to accept anything less than success. Come this week to see how to turn failure into feedback.

Kudos

Peggy, Jamie, Bonnie and Trish all received their first 5 pound award and are off to a great start. Jackie and Patricia reached their 10 pound award, and the big loser this week is Wilma, who has now lost 21.2 pounds. Great job everyone!

WW Product of the Week

Three Month Journal - if you keep forgetting to grab a journal when you're at the scale each week, this is the thing for you. This spiral bound book has 12 weeks of journal pages so you can continuously keep track. Keeping all that information in one place is also great for referring back to what worked (and what didn't). $4.00

Non-WW Product of the Week

I guess it's still technically a Weight Watchers product, but did you know there's a new flavor of snack cake getting ready to hit the stores? In addition to the 1 Point chocolate, lemon and carrot cakes we know and love, you'll now be able to buy a caramel flavored cake! I haven't had one yet, but caramel and I have a deep and fond relationship, so when I see them, I'll definitely give them a shot.

Recipe of the Week

I do love a good bowl of soup, and here's one that is great for summer. This is a recipe from a fabulous soup bar I visited when I was in Paris. According to the recipe builder, this soup works out to only 2 points if you divide it into the recommended 8 servings.

Gazpacho

4 green onions
2 garlic cloves
1 green or yellow pepper
1 cucumber
3 pounds ripe tomatoes, or canned peeled plum tomatoes
1/2 tsp sugar
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
7 ounces water
Tabasco to taste
salt and peper to taste

Peel the onions and garlic, and chop finely. Deseed the pepper and cut into thin slices. Cut the cucumber into small dice but do not peel. Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the core and seeds before coarsely chopping the flesh.

Put all the vegetables in a large bowl. Add the sugar, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and mix well.

Briefly blend the soup with an immersion blender, adding water as necessary to thin slightly; the mixture should not be smooth. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, also adding more vinegar or Tabasco according to taste. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Tip of the Week

Hey Monthly Pass members - are you getting the most out of your eTools? It's not just for food tracking anymore! Did you know that you can see exercise demos? Click on the "Fitness and Health" link at the Weight Watchers website and you'll find demonstrations of all sorts of weight moves, stretches and yoga/pilates positions.

Quote of the Week

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." - Jim Ryun