Newsletter, week of February 3rd

Last Week

Parties and social events can be big trouble if you don't have a game plan. Come share your success at navigating the Superbowl events this week!

This Week

No time to cook? Can't cook? Just don't like to cook? We'll share tips on how to eat wisely at restaurants. You won't want to miss this one.

Kudos

Andrea, Leonora and Libby survived their first week of membership, with Libby and Andrea even getting a 5 pound star! Dale reached 30 pounds lost and Lisa got her first 5 pound star. And better late than never we celebrated Judy becoming a Lifetime member - congratulations!

WW Product of the Week

Dining Out Companion - don't enter a restaurant without this one! This handy book will give you Points values (and show Core options) for many of your favorite restaurants. New in this year's edition are some great tips on dining out that you won't want to miss.

NEW - Weekly Potpourri

I tell you, kids, it is TOUGH trying to come up with a new product to highlight every week. I think I have posted just about every food I regularly eat. So this week I debut a new section called "Potpourri." Some weeks it will be a product, other weeks it might be a random nutrition factoid.

In the spirit of Outsmart the Fat, this week I'll share a nutrition fact. Have you ever wondered why we ask you to have two teaspoons of healthy oils per day? It turns out that we need fat to live. Here's an excerpt from the Wikipedia entry on fat:

Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, meaning they can only be digested, absorbed, and transported in conjunction with fats. Fats are also sources of essential fatty acids, an important dietary requirement.

Fats play a vital role in maintaining healthy skin and hair, insulating body organs against shock, maintaining body temperature, and promoting healthy cell function. They also serve as energy stores for the body. Fats are broken down in the body to release glycerol and free fatty acids. The glycerol can be converted to glucose by the liver and thus used as a source of energy.

Fat also serves as a useful buffer towards a host of diseases. When a particular substance, whether chemical or biotic—reaches unsafe levels in the bloodstream, the body can effectively dilute—or at least maintain equilibrium of—the offending substances by storing it in new fat tissue. This helps to protect vital organs, until such time as the offending substances can be metabolized and/or removed from the body by such means as excretion, urination, accidental or intentional bloodletting, sebum excretion, and hair growth.

While it is nearly impossible to remove fat completely from the diet, it would be wrong to do so. Some fatty acids are essential nutrients, meaning that they can't be produced in the body from other compounds and need to be consumed in small amounts. All other fats required by the body are non-essential and can be produced in the body from other compounds.

Now don't you feel smarter?

Recipe of the Week

Baked Oatmeal
Makes 6 Servings
3 Points and Core

2 cup uncooked oatmeal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup Egg Beaters or 2 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup Splenda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 medium ripe banana

Preheat oven to 350. Combine wet ingredients (including mashed up banana) and add dry ingredients. Bake in sprayed 8" square pan for 35-45 minutes.

What's Hot at WW.com

A lot of people think the typical Weight Watcher is someone who has never been healthy. Not true! If you're a former athlete, you certainly can revisit those glory days. Just look at Channa. Even fitness instructors battle the bulge!

Quote of the Week

"Along with success comes a reputation for wisdom." - Euripides