Week #10: Portion Distortion?

That's a tablespoon of peanut butter, right?

A few years ago I stumbled across something that was very eye-opening about the typical portion sizes - Portion Distortion Website. That's worth clicking to check out the slideshow of how things have changed in the last 20 years (enough time has passed since its creation that we're almost on 30 years - I can only imagine some things have grown!). The "great" thing about the website is that it not only shows you how much bigger the typical serving has gotten, but how much longer you'd have to exercise to burn off those excess calories! Frightening.

So portion size really makes a difference. Unintentional portion creep can make or break your weight loss. Whenever a member talks to me one-on-one about why they aren't losing weight, this is one of the first few questions that I pose. What I'm really asking is "how much are you eating?" You all probably think you know, but it's good to go back and double check. You might be surprised at what you find!

Week #9: Get Moving, No Excuses!

I joked in the meetings this week that rain was no excuse to not exercise - I quoted my very own parents who would say "you're not made of sugar, you won't melt!" Sometimes the things we tell ourselves to justify not exercising are excuses.

And sometimes they are reasons.

A friend of mine has spent the last several months training for an Ironman Triathlon. If you clicked that link or had any idea what that involves, you know he had to ditch his excuses. Lots of swimming, lots of bike riding, lots of running. He is currently in New Zealand, where he hoped to join an elite club of athletes to finish this grueling event. And so it happens that New Zealand is experiencing unprecedented weather. Rains and gale force winds have led the organizers to cancel the event. A race half the usual distance will be held the next day. Ironmen (and women) are not a skittish sort, so you know for a race like this to get "postponed", the conditions must be dangerous.

That's a good reason not to exercise.

So the next time you're thinking about bailing on a workout, ask yourself - is it an excuse, or a reason? Down with the flu? Good reason. Having a good hair day you don't want to mess up? Bad excuse. Your city is experiencing a storm of the century? Maybe stay inside. It's 50 degrees and misty in San Diego? Get out there - you won't melt!

Week #7 and Week #8

What a crazy week and a half it has been at Chez Outsmart the Fat. Working two jobs is already an exercise in time management, but when one of those jobs explodes with extra hours, it gets even tougher.

Funny enough, that has meant that my life has been a combination of the things we discussed both this past week and the week before: stress and restaurant eating.

Let's do the restaurant eating first. Today was a team lunch at Buca di Beppo - yes, a place known for "meatballs the size of your head." Admittedly it was an improvement over the first suggestion, which was The Butcher Shop in Kearny Mesa. Many of you know that I am a vegetarian, so you can imagine how excited I was about THAT prospect. At any rate, Buca di Beppo it was. Thankfully a few others in our department are as diligent about their eating habits as I was, so lunch was a green salad (dressing on the side) with PointsPlus values spent on two little squares of fantastic garlic cheese bread. It took a little planning and some Weekly PointsPlus Allowance, but I got it done.

For the record, Buca di Beppo has nutrition information...but you have to request it through their website's Contact Us form. LAME. Thankfully others have paved the way and a google search turns up lots of calorie-counting websites with information.

Nutrition Stats for the Giant Meatball!

Okay, now let's talk stress. That was the word of the week for me, let me tell you. How did it manifest for me? I skipped some workouts. Why? Because "I deserved it." And I "needed the rest." What I probably really needed was to get out there and sweat out my aggravation, but there you have it. See? Even I am not immune to bad habits. Thankfully this week I am back on track, and looking forward at what I will do, not back at what I didn't.

Here's to a less stressful week. Please?

Week #6: It's All About Tracking

Ooh, a pint of Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby ice cream! 35 PointsPlus!

Let's split a pepperoni Stuffed Crust Pizza! 40 PointsPlus!

One sleeve of Thin Mints is a serving, right? 16 PointsPlus!

Having to track that kind of stuff strikes fear in the heart of many a Weight Watcher, myself included. It's easy to remember to track when I'm eating kale, quinoa and Greek yogurt. But if I've eaten any of the above**? Tracking? What's that?

You would think by now, after 15 years, I'd have gotten over myself and learned that if I would just plop that horrible dinner into my tracker, I'd see the damage and be resolved to not do THAT again. And you would be wrong. It turns out that my perfectionism runs deep.

I am working on that, and at least for a few weeks it has been going fairly well. But as with any habit change, I am sure that I will falter. The good thing is, in order to be successful at tracking, you don't actually have to be perfect! Because I guarantee I never was, and yet I successfully reached my goal weight.

If you're having trouble committing to tracking, here are a few tips:

1. Pick the easiest method for you. One that will be easy to access and not too time consuming.

2. Track as you go - finding a few seconds here and there isn't as hard as sitting down and devoting 5-10 minutes to it.

3. Focus on how it benefits you - it might reveal eating patterns, it might show you that your choices aren't satisfying, it might show you that you're not meeting your Good Health Guidelines (remember those?); what it WILL do is increase your chances of success.

4. Develop some accountability - commit to tracking in your WW meeting (we'll remember to ask you about it next week!), offer to swap journals with a friend, post your daily menus on Facebook, the WW message boards, or your own blog. Anything to get you to actually DO it.

Other suggestions? How do you get yourself on board with tracking?

Great article from the WW Science Center on tracking!


** Here's a hint: before I joined Weight Watchers in 1996 it was not uncommon for my then boyfriend and I to order that particular pizza from Pizza Hut and then split it. The 40 PPV is for half the pie.

Week #5: Snack Smart

Snacking plays a valuable part in my healthy lifestyle. When I look at my daily food intake, there are a lot of vitamins and nutrients I need to make sure I get in, and snacks can help round that out. Snacking is certainly a great way to make sure I'm eating enough fruits and vegetables, to be sure!

But probably the biggest role that snacking plays is managing my hunger. I pack a big insulated bag each morning to take to work with me, and it seems as though I'm constantly pulling something out of it to snack on. It's frankly hard to define when a meal ends and the snack begins.

Here's what was in my bag as a snack today:

• cut up orange bell pepper and grape tomatoes
• Pink Lady apple
• Tangelo
• hard boiled egg
• Weight Watchers popped barbecue snacks

Because I had all of that available to me (in addition to the things I actually ate for "breakfast" and "lunch"), I found it much easier to constantly walk by the 3 candy dishes that are all within 15 feet of my desk. If I were to walk around ravenously hungry, I doubt I could say the same.

As much as I'm all for saving PointsPlus values just in case you need them, when it comes to spending your daily target, if you can make sure you're not super hungry all day, you probably won't find it necessary to overeat at night.

So, what are YOU snacking on lately?

Week #4: Power It Up!

As many of you know, I've been affiliated with Weight Watchers continuously since 1996 when I joined, needing to lose my weight again, for the third time. Over the years, I've had lots of different eating patterns.

When I first lost the weight and started maintenance, I didn't cook much, was living alone and relied on microwaved meals, canned soups, and mostly packaged foods. And being 23 years old, most of my extra allowance was spent on Bud Light and Goldschlager.*

Over the years my life circumstances changed, I became very interested in food production and cooking, and I decided to make some changes to my diet that changed the way I eat. Those changes had little, if anything, to do with weight loss, but more to do with my overall views on health, food, and how it's produced and delivered to me.

One thing that hasn't changed though, is my deepest desire: to be able to eat A LOT OF FOOD. That's why Power Foods are a huge part of my daily food intake. That's why when we converted from Points to PointsPlus I celebrated the fact that my daily fruit choices (bananas included - yes, I was one of those weirdos who felt it was worth it to spend 2 OldPoints on a banana) would no longer be deducted from my daily budget.

The more Power Foods I eat, the more overall food I get in a day, pure and simple. Remember what I said about the Triple Whopper (hold the mayo!) that will cost you an entire day's budget. Is that worth it? Or would you rather have a colorful mess of tasty, good for you food that does more than just please your taste buds? More often than not, I know what I choose!


*Aren't you glad you read this blog? That's surely something I wouldn't typically say in the middle of the meeting room!

Week #3: Changing From the Outside In

When you first signed up for Weight Watchers, you probably figured that a lot of things in your life had to change. Maybe it was so much that it felt completely overwhelming.

That's a terrible quality image, but it's all I could find. I think I mentioned the Levels of Change in both meetings this week. We start with the easy stuff, and progress until we eventually redefine who we think we are.

So what's the easy stuff? Your refrigerator. The candy dish on your desk. Your environment can really help or hinder your healthy habits, so it's worthwhile to evaluate your surroundings, and as we said this week "make your laziness work for you."

Tomorrow morning my alarm is going of at 4:45am, and I need to get out the door to go to the gym by 5:20. You can bet I'm going to have my gym clothes set out before I go to bed tonight. Every second counts when I have to get out of bed in the dark. Once I get home from the gym, I'm going to pack my insulated lunch bag full of healthy foods that are already prepared, and that I can drag and drop into my eTools tracker in just a few seconds. If I see that bowl of Hershey's kisses in the office and think I want to dive in, I've got a pack of gum in my desk drawer.

With plans like that, how could I possibly fail?

Have you recently made any changes to make your environment more healthy? What were they?

Week #2: Powerful Plans

The act of planning seems to be a common topic of discussion in any given Weight Watchers meeting. In fact, it's part of our PowerStart clinics every third week! (Incidentally, thanks to those of you who stayed after this week's meeting - you saw first hand our PowerPlans activity, and I hope it's helped you form a strategy for how to tackle things this week.)

This week's discussion was focused particularly on planning meals, something I firmly believe has been a huge factor in my success. I do my weekly grocery shopping on Friday evenings (so stay away from the Clairemont Sprouts at about 5:30pm on Fridays if you don't want me seeing what goes in your cart!), so I tend to spend some time on Wednesdays and Thursdays figuring out what kind of meals I'll be having and figuring out what needs to get added to my shopping list.

In a happy coincidence, one of the healthy eating blogs I follow featured a great post about meal planning. The Broccoli Hut says it's all about planning and before you click, let me tell you that what you'll read is the A+ version of meal planning. In my perfect world, that's what I would do every week!

But say you're not that...ahem...particular. You don't want to be held to such strict plans. I totally get that. Planning can still be a part of your life, it'll just take a different approach. Weight Watchers has put together a nice shopping guide. It could be as simple as stocking up on healthy basics, and then preparing your meals as your schedule and tastes dictate.

What's that? Your oven is a storage space? Your refrigerator lives to chill your favorite beverage? Planning can still be a part of your healthy eating plans. Look up your favorite restaurant items in eTools or our Dining Out Companion. Customize the nutrition information of your favorite fast food meal using this awesome nutrition calculator. That way when you pull up to the order window, you know exactly what you'll be getting into.

There are millions of ways to approach meal planning. The key is finding the tools that fit with your eating style. For example, if you love lots of variety, big batch cooking that results in tons of leftovers might not be your best choice.

What's your best meal planning advice?

Week #1: Believe - and Achieve!

It's the first week of January, and everywhere you turn, there's talk about New Year's Resolutions. As a Weight Watchers leader, I know that the next month or two are going to be the busiest of the year. I wish I could bottle the excitement in the meeting room and save it up for later in the year (the day after Thanksgiving, I'm looking at you!) when the typical resolution has long been forgotten.

One of the hardest things about weight loss is the belief that it's possible. Sure, you know what to do in theory. But being able to do it? Daily? That's a different story.

I have a secret for you.

I believe in you.

And do you know why? Because in October of 1996, I was exactly like you. I walked into a Weight Watchers meeting and registered for the third time. I'd tried twice and failed. I didn't have healthy eating habits, and I wasn't exercising on a regular basis.

And yet here I am now, having maintained my weight loss for over 14 years. I am not a superhero. I am a normal person, just like you. I have food cravings. I sleep through my alarm. I have lazy days. I have an overweight family tree. I work with food pushers.

If I could do it, why not you? And look around the meeting room the next time you attend - there are other people, just like you and me, who are also doing it. There is no magic. There is no secret. Just lots of dedication, lots of hard work.

This is your year. I mean, why shouldn't it be?

What are you going to do to make sure this is the year you really get it done? Do you have goals? A plan? I want to hear about them!

Welcome to 2012

Goodness me, I didn't post at all in the second half of December! Between the holidays and a bout with the flu, before I knew it the end of the year here.

The new year is always a time to rethink, retool and restart, and this blog is no different. For a few years now I've used this as a place to post a quick recap of the prior week's Weight Watchers topic, and a teaser of the next week's. I've linked to many a recipe, some of which I've tried, many of which I haven't.

As this year begins, I think about maximizing the use of my time. I see this website as a place that can hopefully keep you thinking about your weight loss journey outside of the thirty minutes we see each other face to face each week. I think most of you know that Weight Watchers is a paying job for me, but it's not the only job I have. Any time I spend "Outsmarting the Fat" online or in email is done when I can, when I'm not on the clock at my two jobs. And while I love thinking about health, weight loss, smart eating and being active, it's not the only thing I do.

To that end, things will change a little here. I will still post a weekly entry. It will be after my meetings are finished for the week, and will be a short musing on whatever the topic was. It might be something we discussed, or something that came up in one meeting but was interesting enough to share with everyone. It might even be my own personal opinion on the topic. There probably won't be a recipe all that often, unless I've actually tried something new that rocks my socks off. You all know how to search the internet, and there's no shortage of healthy recipes out there. If I can't add value, simply posting a link doesn't really make much sense.

I hope you'll keep reading. And more importantly, I hope that with my new format, you'll start commenting! My entries are always open for comment, but now that I'll be sharing some thoughts, there might be something worth your time to respond to.

Roundup, week of December 18th

What Happened Last Week?

We discussed Power Foods, and how they can unlock the key to eating satisfaction. And if you're ready to take the plunge and go All Power Foods All The Time, we've got the Simply Filling Technique for you. Try it for a day, switch back when you need to. It's flexible!

We had a fantastic week of celebrations, and it's even more impressive when you figure out how close we are to the holiday parties and various celebrations that make weight loss a challenge. Bailey and Yolanda received their first five pound stars, Kay got a ten pound star, and Lorie reached 25 pounds lost. Elizabeth has now lost 30 pounds, and Marie broke the 50 pound mark! We gave 10% keychains to Catherine and Marianne, and on Wednesday night we celebrated Darla becoming our newest Lifetime Member. Wow!

So What's Coming Up?

How many of you participate in a regular exercise program? Would an activity goal help? We'll discuss how to get active, what barriers there might be, and how to bust through those barriers.

Thought for the Week

If you put off everything till you're sure of it, you'll never get anything done. ~ Norman Vincent Peale

Weekly Recipe: Pumpkin Vegetarian Chili

I'm certain I'm not the only one that loves to have a lot of pumpkin flavored dishes when it turns to fall and winter. A chili recipe caught my eye in O Magazine back in October, and I finally got around to figuring out the nutritionals on it. (By the way, I hate when I find a recipe that sounds fabulous and it doesn't provide the nutrition information - make it easy for me, people!)

Pumpkin Vegetarian Chili

This is going on the meal planning list in the next week or two, I guarantee it. If you make it sometime soon, let me know how it tastes!

Roundup, week of December 11th

What Happened Last Week?

We rolled out PointsPlus 2012! Some of you received new Daily PointsPlus Targets, all of you gained the ability to do some tweaking to the amount you eat, and hopefully you also got some inspiration to keep it up during the holidays.

One thing to note: after leading three meetings this week, I can tell some of you aren't convinced on these changes. Guess what? You are not obligated to use any of them. If you don't like the thought of being able to adjust your daily target, don't. If you don't like the thought of fiddling with your 49 WPPA, don't. They are just that: options. If you need structure, not flexibility, you can continue to use the plan as written.

Congratulations to Denise - this week she reached her 50 pound weight loss milestone!

So What's Coming Up?

Ever heard of the Simply Filling Technique? I mentioned in a few meetings this week that we made a tweak to that plan as well. If you don't even know what I'm talking about (not many people do!) I'll teach you all about it this week. In that discussion we'll be focusing on Power Foods, and why they are good choices. Make a list of your favorite Power Foods so we can share with each other this week!

Thought for the Week

Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice. ~ Wayne Dyer

Weekly Recipe: Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto

I saw this recipe and immediately knew it needed to be in my belly. When I worked up the nutrition information as written, it was a little bit more than I wanted to be spending, even on a dinner. So I reworked it a little bit until it was in a range that would fit my day.

I'm not even kidding, this pesto pasta is fantastic!

You'll need a breath mint after it, but you won't care. This was a great tasting dish. You're welcome.

Roundup, week of December 4th

What Happened Last Week?

We talked flexibility, and I gave you a quick preview of some of the 2012 changes we'll be rolling out to PointsPlus this week. Some of you might get an early preview if you log into eTools over the weekend!

Overall I'm proud of you all and how you handled Thanksgiving. Most of you that were in the meetings before the holiday showed up to check in after, and many of you did better than expected! We got to celebrate first five pound stars for Leonor, Melina and Paula Ann, and Nancy became our newest Lifetime Member in the Wednesday meeting! See, the holidays don't have to be a time of weight gain.

So What's Coming Up?

Introducing PointsPlus 2012! Now, compared to last year these changes are minimal, but as always, we look for ways to keep delivering a better plan than we did before. You'll find some new options available to you that will give you the most flexible and personalized plan ever.

Thought for the Week

"Things come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle." - Abraham Lincoln

Weekly Recipe: Paula Deen's Healthier Mac & Cheese

I am a fan of Dr. Oz on Facebook, and he apparently suggested to Paula Deen that she come up with a lighter version of one of her recipes. This makes me chuckle, because, well...

Anyway. She went ahead and lightened a mac and cheese, and someone out there has got to try it and see if it's worth it! Bonus points if you can build it and get some nutrition information on it. I couldn't bring myself to get off my duff and do it for you.

Roundup, week of November 20th

What Happened Last Week?

I donned my turkey hat and we talked PointsPlus values for many of the traditional holiday dishes. I hope you found that helpful to plan your Thanksgiving day strategy. You've got one more set of meetings this week to ask any last minute questions or get a final burst of motivation!

This week we also celebrated Heather achieving her 30 pound weight loss star. What a great way to head into the holidays!

So What's Coming Up?

So now you know the important food values for Thanksgiving, but that's really only part of the battle. Holidays often bring stress with them for a variety of reasons. We'll talk about how to handle it, deal with it, and emerge victorious through this holiday season.

Thought for the Week

Men stumble over pebbles, never over mountains. ~ Emilie Cady

Weekly Recipe: A Traditional Thanksgiving Menu

In our meetings this week we discussed the PointsPlus values of many of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes. If the numbers shocked you or seemed too high for your needs, our website has a bunch of great resources to help you skinny down those favorites:

A Traditional Thanksgiving Menu

That article has links to just about every course you can think of for turkey day. You may find it necessary to log into eTools to get all the recipes, but it's worth checking out. If you try any, let me know how they work out!

Roundup, week of November 13th

What Happened Last Week?

Time spent sitting isn't as productive calorie-wise as time spent being up and active. Were you able to identify ways to sit less and move more? Or if not, ways to be more productive WHILE you sit?

Celebrations this week include five pound stars for Kim (who has lost 21 pounds), Erin (who has lost 26.4 pounds, and Denise (who has lost 42.2 pounds). We also celebrated the fact that Robin is our newest Lifetime Member!

So What's Coming Up?

This week we'll be doing our annual Thanksgiving Plate meeting. If you're not prepared for the big turkey feast yet, and have no idea how many PointsPlus values you might be spending, this is the week for you! You'll get lots of information on the standard turkey dinner items so that you can plan ahead and decide on your Thanksgiving strategy.

Thought for the Week

In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure. ~ Bill Cosby

Weekly Recipe: Baked Potato Soup

Here's a tried and true recipe from me that I think will be great all this fall. Seriously, this soup is SO GOOD you have to try it.

Baked Potato Soup

You cannot tell there is any cauliflower in this soup at all. It's all potato all the time.