Experiencing our extremes serves a purpose to help us to find balance. Satyadaya
Oh man, -11oC that’s just wrong on so many levels! I’m not loving the weather at all, please keep your eye on your elderly neighbours, I had to pick up and take home an old man who fell outside my house yesterday all because he was out posting a letter! We can all help in some way, don’t forget to feed the birds and anything else that looks hungry, remember the food freezes pretty damn quickly out there!
Anyway despite the weather, I’m excited, NO not about Christmas, about the new iphone Weight Watcher app – whoop, whoop. What can I say, I’m a gadget girl and I have an iphone so now I and anyone else who has a monthly pass can track on their phone and use it as a ProPoints calculator, weight tracker, I’m loving it. It might be just what I need to get me back into the zone; I’ve already weighed out my bran flakes and added them to my tracker ;-) and planned to have faggots and Aunt Bessies roasters for lunch, nice.
This time of the year especially you need some fuel to start you off in the morning, so make sure you eat breakfast. If you skip breakfast it's difficult to get your blood sugar, energy and hunger under control all day. Also not eating first thing means getting ambushed by hunger mid morning and you'll be more likely to succumb to crisps or biscuits! If times an issue buy some healthy snacks (Weight Watchers fruit bars are good), fresh fruit or make smoothies the night before that can be eaten on route. In coffee shops steer clear of doughnuts, pastries and full fat lattes and opt for low sugar, high fibre, high protein choices like a bagel with cream cheese or wholegrain muffin. Or keep a box of wholegrain cereal, a bowl and a spoon at work, and then you only have to pick up some milk on the way in.
Breakfast is the one meal that gets overlooked, we love food but we don’t give breakfast the respect or thought that we do others, most people tend to grab the same old thing every day, porridge or toast and yet there’s so much more that doesn’t need to take that much longer to prepare.
Here’s a few ideas;
Crumpet Breakfast = 7pp
2 Crumpets
1 teaspoons Butter
1/2 serving(s) (1/4 pint) Milk, Skimmed
Croissant Breakfast = 7pp
1 croissant(s) (medium) Croissant, Plain 6
1 teaspoons Butter 1
Strawberry Breakfast Sundae 5pp
1 tub(s) (small) Cheese, Cottage Cheese, Plain
1 pot(s) (small) Yogurt, Virtually Fat Free, Plain
1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 teaspoons Splenda Low Calorie Sweetener Granulated
1 portion(s) (medium) Strawberries
Combine cottage cheese, yogurt, sweetener and vanilla in a small bowl. Spoon into a tall glass and top with berries. Shopping tip: Fresh berries not in season? Use frozen unsweetened berries, thawed, instead.
Turkey Rasher Breakfast 5pp
1 rasher(s) Turkey, Rasher, Raw
Mushrooms
Tomato
Egg, Poached (without fat)
1 slice(s) (medium) Bread, White, Sliced
Banana Rice Breakfast = 5pp
1/2 medium Banana
1 teaspoons Splenda Low Calorie Sweetener Granulated
1 pot(s) (small) Yogurt, Virtually Fat Free, Plain 2
1 portion(s) (small) Rice, Brown, Boiled 3
Combine banana with 1 sachet of artificial sweetener in a small bowl. Stir the other sachet of sweetener into yogurt in another small bowl. Mix rice and banana into yogurt until well-combined.
Vegetarian Sausage Breakfast = 13pp
2 slice(s) (medium) Bread, White, Sliced
2 serving(s) Spread, Low Fat
1 medium Egg, Whole
1 spray(s) Cooking Spray, Calorie Controlled
2 sausage(s) (medium) Sausage, Vegetarian
1 large Tomato
1 medium Grapefruit
Fruit Scone Breakfast = 9pp
1 scone(s) (individual) Scone, Fruit
1 teaspoons Butter
1/2 tablespoons Marmalade
1 glass(es) (small) Fruit Juice Drink, Carbonated
3 small Plums (without stone)
Spiced Banana Breakfast = 3pp
1 tub(s) (small) Cheese, Cottage Cheese, Plain
2 tablespoons Milk, Skimmed
1/4 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoons Artificial Sweetener
1 portion(s) (standard) Banana
1/8 teaspoons (level) Nutmeg, Ground
Combine cottage cheese, milk, artificial sweetener, nutmeg and vanilla in a blender container. Purée and spoon mixture into an attractive serving dish. Top with banana slices. Storage tip: Bananas ripening faster than you can eat them? Place them in the fridge to stop them from turning to mush. The banana peel will turn black but the fruit will stay firm.
Or if you really are a fan of Mince pies, you could always have one of those and a coffee! It’s one way of including it in your day rather than adding it as an extra!
Whatever you have, why not post it on the group or page wall to give others ideas.
It might be cold but a good brisk walk can shiver some ounces off!
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Monday, 6 December 2010
6th December 2010 facebook email
Be bold in what you stand for and careful what you fall for.
So how did you make it through the first December weekend, did you fly through or eat your way through! This Christmas don't let your thighs bear the brunt of the mince pies!
Make December about moderation rather than strict diets and guilt when you give in to temptation. With wise choices and small changes to your lifestyle, it's possible to enjoy the festive season and still feel food.
Christmas dinner is full of goodness, leafy greens such as kale and sprouts are winters ultimate veggies, packed with vitamin B and magnesium, which helps with stress. Eat these and your energy levels will always be high. Turkey is high in vitamin B and magnesium as well as tryptophan, which is a natural sedative. It's a good choice if your eating out a lot over Christmas and like fish it's lighter than most of the rich dishes on Christmas menus.
Try not to stray too far from your routine so as well as not having too many 3 course meals, it's important not to skip breakfast to try and counteract the overindulgence of the night before, instead have a smoothie this will help maintain your blood sugar levels and ensure you have a steady flow of energy coming in.
December is about damage control which of course is easier said than done, the odd chocolate is always within reach around this time of year and just a couple can play havoc on your blood sugar levels. They'll give you a sugar high for an hour or so, but then you crash feeling even more exhausted, better slow release festive foods include nuts, especially almonds (high in magnesium) dates and liquorice. Of course that's not going to make it any easier to resist the chocolate orange! You could try mantras or affirmations to remind you of your goal, "just one slice of cake" or post it notes stuck around the house reminding you of your hard work and plans.
Booze! Oh dear now there's a toughie - have a sip then put the glass down. Use smaller wine glasses, don't buy rounds when you’re out. If you don't want to drink have soda water with a slice of lemon people then think your drinking and won't pressure you!
If you do drink too much try and avoid the following mornings fry up, this will slow down your already sluggish liver, instead drink hot lemon and honey (lemon to aid the liver, honey to give you a dose of sodium, potassium and fructose) adding Ginger to soothe an acidic stomach. Milk thistle tablets taken before a night our and the morning after will help your liver too. And get active as soon as possible as exercise forces your body to sweat out the toxins and aids lymphatic drainage to flush out more toxins. Go for a good brisk walk, put yourself first, give yourself a bit of time and you will be more energised and patient because your not running on empty.
Christmas can be an emotional time, we think we're showing love by going that extra mile but this can be taxing so realise you don't need to do it all to have a wonderful Christmas. Buy Aunt Bessie roasters no one will know nor care! Plus they taste great.
Most importantly enjoy yourself - its only once a year! It's not what you do over Christmas that decides your weight it's what you do the rest of the year!
And go treat yourself to something shiny, the outer sparkle helps the inner sparkle shine through ‘-)
So how did you make it through the first December weekend, did you fly through or eat your way through! This Christmas don't let your thighs bear the brunt of the mince pies!
Make December about moderation rather than strict diets and guilt when you give in to temptation. With wise choices and small changes to your lifestyle, it's possible to enjoy the festive season and still feel food.
Christmas dinner is full of goodness, leafy greens such as kale and sprouts are winters ultimate veggies, packed with vitamin B and magnesium, which helps with stress. Eat these and your energy levels will always be high. Turkey is high in vitamin B and magnesium as well as tryptophan, which is a natural sedative. It's a good choice if your eating out a lot over Christmas and like fish it's lighter than most of the rich dishes on Christmas menus.
Try not to stray too far from your routine so as well as not having too many 3 course meals, it's important not to skip breakfast to try and counteract the overindulgence of the night before, instead have a smoothie this will help maintain your blood sugar levels and ensure you have a steady flow of energy coming in.
December is about damage control which of course is easier said than done, the odd chocolate is always within reach around this time of year and just a couple can play havoc on your blood sugar levels. They'll give you a sugar high for an hour or so, but then you crash feeling even more exhausted, better slow release festive foods include nuts, especially almonds (high in magnesium) dates and liquorice. Of course that's not going to make it any easier to resist the chocolate orange! You could try mantras or affirmations to remind you of your goal, "just one slice of cake" or post it notes stuck around the house reminding you of your hard work and plans.
Booze! Oh dear now there's a toughie - have a sip then put the glass down. Use smaller wine glasses, don't buy rounds when you’re out. If you don't want to drink have soda water with a slice of lemon people then think your drinking and won't pressure you!
If you do drink too much try and avoid the following mornings fry up, this will slow down your already sluggish liver, instead drink hot lemon and honey (lemon to aid the liver, honey to give you a dose of sodium, potassium and fructose) adding Ginger to soothe an acidic stomach. Milk thistle tablets taken before a night our and the morning after will help your liver too. And get active as soon as possible as exercise forces your body to sweat out the toxins and aids lymphatic drainage to flush out more toxins. Go for a good brisk walk, put yourself first, give yourself a bit of time and you will be more energised and patient because your not running on empty.
Christmas can be an emotional time, we think we're showing love by going that extra mile but this can be taxing so realise you don't need to do it all to have a wonderful Christmas. Buy Aunt Bessie roasters no one will know nor care! Plus they taste great.
Most importantly enjoy yourself - its only once a year! It's not what you do over Christmas that decides your weight it's what you do the rest of the year!
And go treat yourself to something shiny, the outer sparkle helps the inner sparkle shine through ‘-)
Sunday, 5 December 2010
5th December 2010
Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or to lose. Lyndon B. Johnson
A member commented the other day that she wished she had my confidence, have you noticed how some people never seem to panic before an important occasion, where do they get their confidence? They know exactly who they are, and how to be themselves in any situation. Self-confidence is not a birthright; it can be lost or shaken. We need to keep boosting it and repairing dents. But the good news is – confidence can be learned.
Going out at anytime not just Christmas when you have a weight problem can be traumatic, the actual build up of “what am I going to wear?” can be just awful if you believe you look bad to start with. If on the other hand you realise that we can all look good with the right clothes, makeup, hairdo etc, then you can actually start to enjoy the idea. It’s important to remember no ones perfect, but everyone’s gorgeous!
If you’re lacking in self-confidence the actual ‘having to talk to people’ part of the night can be really daunting. However you have less to be worried about than you think. If you want to be able to walk through the door feeling really confident, the way you hold yourself has an enormous impact on how you feel and the state you’re in. So if you want not only to feel confident but also to exude confidence, the best thing you can do is to take on the physical bearing of confidence. First, stand up straight, keep your head erect and make good, direct eye contact. Don’t forget to smile, and breathe deeply (this sends a signal to your brain that you’re relaxed). Remember you won’t be the only person there who feels a little out of place or even inadequate, so be brave and mingle. At parties people are rarely purposely rude so if you go over to chat you’re guaranteed they’ll talk back, and the key to chatting success at parties lies in being curious about people, and that involves listening and asking questions. People like to talk about themselves, so if you’re prepared to listen you’re already winning new friends.
Remember that no one is perfect. Even the most confident people have insecurities. At some point in any of our lives, we may feel we lack something. That is reality. Learn that life is full of bumps down the road. A lot of the times, at the root of insecurity and lack of confidence is a feeling of not having enough of something, whether it's emotional validation, good luck, money, etc. By acknowledging and appreciating what you do have, you can combat the feeling of being incomplete and unsatisfied. Finding that inner peace will do wonders for your confidence.
Until you are confident in situation - Fake it. Smile and act confident, it might actually make you believe it. Pretend you're a completely confident version of you; go through the motions and see how you feel!
Be Positive, even if you don't feel the same way. Avoid self-pity, or the pity and sympathy of others. Never allow others to make you feel inferior - they can only do so if you let them. If you dislike or belittle yourself, others are going to do and believe likewise. Instead, speak positively about yourself, about your future, and about your progress. Do not be afraid to project your strengths and qualities to others. By doing so, you reinforce those ideas in your mind and encourage your growth in a positive direction.
I used to be very self-critical, I was never good enough and always felt I could do better or look better or be slimmer, be cleverer. These days I love me just the way I am, don’t get me wrong I try to improve myself still but I do it in a loving way not a critical “you’re not good enough” way!
We’re all gorgeous ;-)
You are a Chocolate Button of LOVELINESS on the great Caramel Pudding of Life!
Have a great Sunday xx
A member commented the other day that she wished she had my confidence, have you noticed how some people never seem to panic before an important occasion, where do they get their confidence? They know exactly who they are, and how to be themselves in any situation. Self-confidence is not a birthright; it can be lost or shaken. We need to keep boosting it and repairing dents. But the good news is – confidence can be learned.
Going out at anytime not just Christmas when you have a weight problem can be traumatic, the actual build up of “what am I going to wear?” can be just awful if you believe you look bad to start with. If on the other hand you realise that we can all look good with the right clothes, makeup, hairdo etc, then you can actually start to enjoy the idea. It’s important to remember no ones perfect, but everyone’s gorgeous!
If you’re lacking in self-confidence the actual ‘having to talk to people’ part of the night can be really daunting. However you have less to be worried about than you think. If you want to be able to walk through the door feeling really confident, the way you hold yourself has an enormous impact on how you feel and the state you’re in. So if you want not only to feel confident but also to exude confidence, the best thing you can do is to take on the physical bearing of confidence. First, stand up straight, keep your head erect and make good, direct eye contact. Don’t forget to smile, and breathe deeply (this sends a signal to your brain that you’re relaxed). Remember you won’t be the only person there who feels a little out of place or even inadequate, so be brave and mingle. At parties people are rarely purposely rude so if you go over to chat you’re guaranteed they’ll talk back, and the key to chatting success at parties lies in being curious about people, and that involves listening and asking questions. People like to talk about themselves, so if you’re prepared to listen you’re already winning new friends.
Remember that no one is perfect. Even the most confident people have insecurities. At some point in any of our lives, we may feel we lack something. That is reality. Learn that life is full of bumps down the road. A lot of the times, at the root of insecurity and lack of confidence is a feeling of not having enough of something, whether it's emotional validation, good luck, money, etc. By acknowledging and appreciating what you do have, you can combat the feeling of being incomplete and unsatisfied. Finding that inner peace will do wonders for your confidence.
Until you are confident in situation - Fake it. Smile and act confident, it might actually make you believe it. Pretend you're a completely confident version of you; go through the motions and see how you feel!
Be Positive, even if you don't feel the same way. Avoid self-pity, or the pity and sympathy of others. Never allow others to make you feel inferior - they can only do so if you let them. If you dislike or belittle yourself, others are going to do and believe likewise. Instead, speak positively about yourself, about your future, and about your progress. Do not be afraid to project your strengths and qualities to others. By doing so, you reinforce those ideas in your mind and encourage your growth in a positive direction.
I used to be very self-critical, I was never good enough and always felt I could do better or look better or be slimmer, be cleverer. These days I love me just the way I am, don’t get me wrong I try to improve myself still but I do it in a loving way not a critical “you’re not good enough” way!
We’re all gorgeous ;-)
You are a Chocolate Button of LOVELINESS on the great Caramel Pudding of Life!
Have a great Sunday xx
Saturday, 4 December 2010
4th December 2010 - facebook email
The proverb warns that 'You should not bite the hand that feeds you.' But maybe you should, if it prevents you from feeding yourself. Thomas Szasz
How do you decide what and how much to it? What is your idea of a portion? Do you suffer from the deeply-ingrained mentality “we have to “clean” our larger-than-average plates”. Does your plate size decide your portion size? Does the restaurant or pub you eat in get to decide?
There are lots of subconscious factors responsible for our overeating habits. New research shows that there are additional visual cues, which affect our sense of hunger and likelihood to gorge. These subtle visual “tricks” used by restaurants and food manufacturers are leading us to buy (and eat) more and more without even realizing it. Have you fallen into these traps?
The Photo Says it All - Snack foods usually have a photo prominently on the front of the packaging. For example, a packet of biscuits might show a photo of five biscuits and a bag of sweets might show an image with fifteen sweets. A recent study found that the number of items shown in these product photos affects how we judge an appropriate serving size, how we evaluate the number of items in the entire package, and ultimately, how much we eat.
The study, published in October’s Journal of Consumer Psychology, showed that people given a package of cookies with more cookies shown on the front would assume there are more total cookies in the entire package and more in the appropriate serving size than those given the exact same package with fewer cookies shown in the photo. Since they assumed the serving size to be larger, the people given the package with a greater number of cookies shown ended up eating more.
Small, Medium, Large? - Another recent study in the similarly-named Journal of Consumer Research found that consumer behavior is greatly influenced by how manufacturers name their serving sizes, such as “small,” “medium,” and “large.”
In this study, testers were offered the exact same packages with different size labels. People offered a large item with a “small” label ate more than those given larger size labels. Additionally, it made these people feel less guilty about overindulging, an effect which the researchers call “guiltless gluttony.”
Hungry Colors - Finally, something as simple as the colors in a logo, product packaging, or on the walls of a restaurant can change the way we eat. Have you ever noticed that almost every fast-food franchise is decked out in bright reds and yellows? It should be no surprise that these colors attract our attention, make us excited, increase our heart rate, and stimulate hunger.
Interesting stuff, what are your thoughts…Do you agree we can be influenced by others, the best example I can think off is Maltesers, they have so many different sized packets it’s crazy, treat size, standard, big bag, fun size, pot, tube, box – are so many different versions necessary and can I add there’s nothing FUN about a fun size packet of Maltesers.
Apparently some people actually pay attention to serving sizes? I personally just eat as much as I feel like at that time and ProPoint it accordingly. What you could do is get rid of the packaging as soon as possible. Put biscuits in a barrel maybe, but remember to ProPoint them first.
Don’t let anything other than your stomach decide how much you should be eating, and in most cases we need to learn to recognise the signals our stomachs send us too, sometimes we mistake thirst for hunger, other times the hunger signals are coming from our heads not our belly’s, that’s emotional hunger that will never be totally satisfied with food.
Always remember you’re gorgeous whatever you weigh xx
How do you decide what and how much to it? What is your idea of a portion? Do you suffer from the deeply-ingrained mentality “we have to “clean” our larger-than-average plates”. Does your plate size decide your portion size? Does the restaurant or pub you eat in get to decide?
There are lots of subconscious factors responsible for our overeating habits. New research shows that there are additional visual cues, which affect our sense of hunger and likelihood to gorge. These subtle visual “tricks” used by restaurants and food manufacturers are leading us to buy (and eat) more and more without even realizing it. Have you fallen into these traps?
The Photo Says it All - Snack foods usually have a photo prominently on the front of the packaging. For example, a packet of biscuits might show a photo of five biscuits and a bag of sweets might show an image with fifteen sweets. A recent study found that the number of items shown in these product photos affects how we judge an appropriate serving size, how we evaluate the number of items in the entire package, and ultimately, how much we eat.
The study, published in October’s Journal of Consumer Psychology, showed that people given a package of cookies with more cookies shown on the front would assume there are more total cookies in the entire package and more in the appropriate serving size than those given the exact same package with fewer cookies shown in the photo. Since they assumed the serving size to be larger, the people given the package with a greater number of cookies shown ended up eating more.
Small, Medium, Large? - Another recent study in the similarly-named Journal of Consumer Research found that consumer behavior is greatly influenced by how manufacturers name their serving sizes, such as “small,” “medium,” and “large.”
In this study, testers were offered the exact same packages with different size labels. People offered a large item with a “small” label ate more than those given larger size labels. Additionally, it made these people feel less guilty about overindulging, an effect which the researchers call “guiltless gluttony.”
Hungry Colors - Finally, something as simple as the colors in a logo, product packaging, or on the walls of a restaurant can change the way we eat. Have you ever noticed that almost every fast-food franchise is decked out in bright reds and yellows? It should be no surprise that these colors attract our attention, make us excited, increase our heart rate, and stimulate hunger.
Interesting stuff, what are your thoughts…Do you agree we can be influenced by others, the best example I can think off is Maltesers, they have so many different sized packets it’s crazy, treat size, standard, big bag, fun size, pot, tube, box – are so many different versions necessary and can I add there’s nothing FUN about a fun size packet of Maltesers.
Apparently some people actually pay attention to serving sizes? I personally just eat as much as I feel like at that time and ProPoint it accordingly. What you could do is get rid of the packaging as soon as possible. Put biscuits in a barrel maybe, but remember to ProPoint them first.
Don’t let anything other than your stomach decide how much you should be eating, and in most cases we need to learn to recognise the signals our stomachs send us too, sometimes we mistake thirst for hunger, other times the hunger signals are coming from our heads not our belly’s, that’s emotional hunger that will never be totally satisfied with food.
Always remember you’re gorgeous whatever you weigh xx
Friday, 3 December 2010
3rd December 2010 facebook email
It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways. Buddha
You know it really is true that the best things in life are free! It’s almost 7.30 and I’ve had a lie in, slept till 7am and bless him Alfie let me for a change, I’m now sat here laughing because I’m listening to Alfie and mom have a barking competition – I think mom’s winning ;-)
The snow has not made for an easy week for anyone and I’m grateful to all my members that made it to my meetings, most were rewarded with a weight loss and for the rest of you that didn’t make it don’t think you’ve got the week off, I still expect you to still to the plan and stay within your ProPoints. Don’t make the mistake of believing that everything you have that isn’t in your daily allowance will fit in that weekly 49 because 49 is not a neverending allowance!
It’s December and I’m guessing lots of you will be eating out, so with a good attitude and by taking advantage of the following tips, you can continue to enjoy restaurant eating even while you're losing weight.
Special occasions, Christmas do’s, nights when you get home late — sometimes restaurants are simply the only option. Eating out may seem like a dicey proposition when you're trying to lose weight, but a night out doesn't have to mean a night off your plan. It is possible to eat out, with good health in mind.
Here’s some ideas;
Be Prepared
Take pre-packaged low fat dressing with you, so you're not at the mercy of the restaurant's selection.
If you're not familiar with the restaurant, try to call ahead or look up their menu online before going out.
Keep a bag of small apples or some other healthy snack in your car at all times, and eat one before you go into a restaurant with friends. This will not only satisfy your hunger, but will remind you to eat wisely.
Take a small container of low fat spread for bread or baked potatoes.
Before you leave home, make an educated choice about which dishes fit best within your 'budget' for the day. Then, at the restaurant, if the daily special sounds just too good to miss, do some last-minute calculations to be sure you really want to change your choice.
Start Off On The Right Foot
Order a bowl of soup before your meal — not a creamy soup, but a stock-based vegetable or French onion. It's very satisfying and can keep you from overeating.
Start with a side salad (minus bacon, cheese and croutons). Ask for low fat or fat free dressing on the side; and be sure to dip your fork into the dressing, then into the salad.
Try to drink water with your meal. If you decide to order a juice, fizzy drink or alcohol, always order water with it, too. If you want a second drink, ask for a refill of the water.
Choose Wisely
Don't even open the menu! Simply know what you want to eat before you get there.
Avoid anything fried. In Cosmo avoid the first two sections in the middle, it’s all fried or creamy Indian food!
Ask for dressings, sauces, butter and sour cream on the side, instead of on the dish itself.
Whatever you order, make sure that it has loads of vegetables. Even if it's pizza, make it a slice loaded up with veggies, or a grilled vegetable sandwich instead of a mile-high sandwich shop creation, or a vegetable omelette instead of a cheese one, or fruit salad instead of pastry.
Don't be afraid to ask for substitutions. Most restaurants will accommodate your requestsyou’re your favourite salad at a fast food place comes with fried chicken, request it with grilled chicken. I think it’ll taste better and it cuts out fat and calories.
Manage Your Portions
When eating at a buffet, survey the food items before you put anything on your plate. The key is to remind yourself that you're eating to be satisfied, not to get your money's worth! It’ll cost you again at the scales if you’re not sensible!
If the portions are large, why not ask if you can get a smaller portion of the item you order. If not, have the waiter bring a takeaway box with the meal. Before you start to eat, put half the meal in the box.
Split your starter with the person you're with. If you have the impulse to finish everything on your plate, it's better to not have all that food in front of you.
Have a Good Attitude
Do your best and practise the art of BAM: Breathe, Accept, Move On.
The celebration is about being out with your family and friends, not about food being served. Enjoy yourself and remember that the meal does not need to be your enemy.
Definitely go out! Don’t Stay Home - When you go out you feel like your a normal person, and your not losing out on anything. Losing Weight the Weight Watchers way is about still living and enjoying life.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
You know it really is true that the best things in life are free! It’s almost 7.30 and I’ve had a lie in, slept till 7am and bless him Alfie let me for a change, I’m now sat here laughing because I’m listening to Alfie and mom have a barking competition – I think mom’s winning ;-)
The snow has not made for an easy week for anyone and I’m grateful to all my members that made it to my meetings, most were rewarded with a weight loss and for the rest of you that didn’t make it don’t think you’ve got the week off, I still expect you to still to the plan and stay within your ProPoints. Don’t make the mistake of believing that everything you have that isn’t in your daily allowance will fit in that weekly 49 because 49 is not a neverending allowance!
It’s December and I’m guessing lots of you will be eating out, so with a good attitude and by taking advantage of the following tips, you can continue to enjoy restaurant eating even while you're losing weight.
Special occasions, Christmas do’s, nights when you get home late — sometimes restaurants are simply the only option. Eating out may seem like a dicey proposition when you're trying to lose weight, but a night out doesn't have to mean a night off your plan. It is possible to eat out, with good health in mind.
Here’s some ideas;
Be Prepared
Take pre-packaged low fat dressing with you, so you're not at the mercy of the restaurant's selection.
If you're not familiar with the restaurant, try to call ahead or look up their menu online before going out.
Keep a bag of small apples or some other healthy snack in your car at all times, and eat one before you go into a restaurant with friends. This will not only satisfy your hunger, but will remind you to eat wisely.
Take a small container of low fat spread for bread or baked potatoes.
Before you leave home, make an educated choice about which dishes fit best within your 'budget' for the day. Then, at the restaurant, if the daily special sounds just too good to miss, do some last-minute calculations to be sure you really want to change your choice.
Start Off On The Right Foot
Order a bowl of soup before your meal — not a creamy soup, but a stock-based vegetable or French onion. It's very satisfying and can keep you from overeating.
Start with a side salad (minus bacon, cheese and croutons). Ask for low fat or fat free dressing on the side; and be sure to dip your fork into the dressing, then into the salad.
Try to drink water with your meal. If you decide to order a juice, fizzy drink or alcohol, always order water with it, too. If you want a second drink, ask for a refill of the water.
Choose Wisely
Don't even open the menu! Simply know what you want to eat before you get there.
Avoid anything fried. In Cosmo avoid the first two sections in the middle, it’s all fried or creamy Indian food!
Ask for dressings, sauces, butter and sour cream on the side, instead of on the dish itself.
Whatever you order, make sure that it has loads of vegetables. Even if it's pizza, make it a slice loaded up with veggies, or a grilled vegetable sandwich instead of a mile-high sandwich shop creation, or a vegetable omelette instead of a cheese one, or fruit salad instead of pastry.
Don't be afraid to ask for substitutions. Most restaurants will accommodate your requestsyou’re your favourite salad at a fast food place comes with fried chicken, request it with grilled chicken. I think it’ll taste better and it cuts out fat and calories.
Manage Your Portions
When eating at a buffet, survey the food items before you put anything on your plate. The key is to remind yourself that you're eating to be satisfied, not to get your money's worth! It’ll cost you again at the scales if you’re not sensible!
If the portions are large, why not ask if you can get a smaller portion of the item you order. If not, have the waiter bring a takeaway box with the meal. Before you start to eat, put half the meal in the box.
Split your starter with the person you're with. If you have the impulse to finish everything on your plate, it's better to not have all that food in front of you.
Have a Good Attitude
Do your best and practise the art of BAM: Breathe, Accept, Move On.
The celebration is about being out with your family and friends, not about food being served. Enjoy yourself and remember that the meal does not need to be your enemy.
Definitely go out! Don’t Stay Home - When you go out you feel like your a normal person, and your not losing out on anything. Losing Weight the Weight Watchers way is about still living and enjoying life.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Thursday, 2 December 2010
2nd December 2010 facebook email
Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look at what they can do when they stick together. Vesta Kelly
What a week of weather eh! There was SNOW WAY some of my members weren’t getting weighed yesterday and they were glad they did most loving an average of 2lb each and a few just knowing they had to get weighed otherwise they’d end up on the sliding downhill slope that is December/Christmas!
I had cheese and potato pie for my tea last night, mmm mmm mmm, its been ages sinces I’ve had it but on this new plan cheese is a much better option and it was delicious. Normally I’d have lots of tomato ketchup which is lots of ProPoints with it but instead I had roasted red pepper ketchup which someone made for me, it’s delicious and healthier because it has no additives, here’s the recipe;
Makes about 700ml (1 ¼ pts) = 24pp total, you could try the recipe using saccharin sugar for zero ProPoints.
4 large red peppers, quartered and deseeded.
350ml (12floz) red wine vinegar
2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 cooking apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
2 red chillis, deseeded and chopped
1 bay leaf
Sprig of thyme
8 level tablespoons granulated sugar (24pp)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sterilized bottles, with vinegar proof seals (mines in a mini wine bottle!)
1. Spread the red pepper quarters out on a grill plan, skin-side up, and cook them under a hot grill until the skins char. Remove peppers from the grill and place them in a freezer bag to leave and them to cool. it should then be easy to peel off the skins. Discard the skins and roughly chop the pepper flesh.
2. Place the red pepper flesh in a large pan with the vinegar, onion, apple, chilli (add chilli seeds if you prefer a spicier ketchup), bay leaf and thyme. Pour 600ml (1pint) water into the plan. Place it over a moderate heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes until the vegetables have softened.
3. Remove the bay leaf from the pan and then puree the vegetables or whizz them using a stick blender. Press the mixture through a sieve and discard the pulp.
Return the puree to a clean plan and add the granulated sugar and seasoning. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 45-60minutes, over a gentle heat until the ketchup has thickened.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and use a funnel to fill warm bottles. Leave ketchup to cool before sealing bottles. It may be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 3 months. Once opened keep the bottles in the fridge.
Well it’s now 6am and I’ve got to get my paperwork done, walk the dog and get to my Bloxwich meeting, enjoy your day, be safe and careful on the roads.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
What a week of weather eh! There was SNOW WAY some of my members weren’t getting weighed yesterday and they were glad they did most loving an average of 2lb each and a few just knowing they had to get weighed otherwise they’d end up on the sliding downhill slope that is December/Christmas!
I had cheese and potato pie for my tea last night, mmm mmm mmm, its been ages sinces I’ve had it but on this new plan cheese is a much better option and it was delicious. Normally I’d have lots of tomato ketchup which is lots of ProPoints with it but instead I had roasted red pepper ketchup which someone made for me, it’s delicious and healthier because it has no additives, here’s the recipe;
Makes about 700ml (1 ¼ pts) = 24pp total, you could try the recipe using saccharin sugar for zero ProPoints.
4 large red peppers, quartered and deseeded.
350ml (12floz) red wine vinegar
2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 cooking apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
2 red chillis, deseeded and chopped
1 bay leaf
Sprig of thyme
8 level tablespoons granulated sugar (24pp)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sterilized bottles, with vinegar proof seals (mines in a mini wine bottle!)
1. Spread the red pepper quarters out on a grill plan, skin-side up, and cook them under a hot grill until the skins char. Remove peppers from the grill and place them in a freezer bag to leave and them to cool. it should then be easy to peel off the skins. Discard the skins and roughly chop the pepper flesh.
2. Place the red pepper flesh in a large pan with the vinegar, onion, apple, chilli (add chilli seeds if you prefer a spicier ketchup), bay leaf and thyme. Pour 600ml (1pint) water into the plan. Place it over a moderate heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes until the vegetables have softened.
3. Remove the bay leaf from the pan and then puree the vegetables or whizz them using a stick blender. Press the mixture through a sieve and discard the pulp.
Return the puree to a clean plan and add the granulated sugar and seasoning. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 45-60minutes, over a gentle heat until the ketchup has thickened.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and use a funnel to fill warm bottles. Leave ketchup to cool before sealing bottles. It may be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 3 months. Once opened keep the bottles in the fridge.
Well it’s now 6am and I’ve got to get my paperwork done, walk the dog and get to my Bloxwich meeting, enjoy your day, be safe and careful on the roads.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
1st December 2010 facebook email
Dear Lord, put your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
Happy advent everyone, it’s December at last and if you’re opening a window on a chocolate advent calendar remember to ProPoint it – at least 1 each.
I had a bit of a realisation yesterday, I’d had a lovely weekend away, on my return I didn’t get back on track immediately because I’ve been doing so well, back at goal, in the zone etc. Treated myself to toast at the meeting Monday morning, had a Chinese Monday night, ate the rest for my breakfast Tuesday morning, then got on the scales! Guess what, ProPoints is just the best plan Weight Watchers has ever come up with BUT… It only works if you follow it! Yep, unfortunately it’s true, if you decide to go to Brussels and drink mulled wine, beer, Irish coffee, eat MacDonald’s, steak and chips, croissants, and have hot chocolate with lots of cream then guess what, that adds up to more than those weekly 49 ProPoints even if you add on the 30 activity ProPoints I earnt. Which may explain why I’m 4lb heavier than I was this time last week!
So now I’ve had my weekend (which I have to say started Thursday with a MegaBrunch in Sainsbury’s and finished Tuesday morning with cold egg fried rice, I think that’s 6 days not a weekend) I’m back in the zone, going to get me some smoothies made and get my recipes cooking. I’ve got 2 meals out this weekend so I’ve already decided to stay within my ProPoints and make wise food choices so that I don’t gain anymore, it’s only just December after all and there’s still a month of Christmas to get through. Just imagine if I can gain 4lb in 6 days – how much damage could I do in a month if I stop now!
So please stay focused and on track, don’t let the snow put you off getting weighed, by all means snuggle up indoors in front of the tv but not with excess amounts of treats and takeaways.
Thanks to everyone who made it to my meetings yesterday, as you all know I only get paid if you get weighed ;-)
Looking out of the window this morning, I think a stew maybe called for or as I have lots of potato, maybe a corned beef hash mmm.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Happy advent everyone, it’s December at last and if you’re opening a window on a chocolate advent calendar remember to ProPoint it – at least 1 each.
I had a bit of a realisation yesterday, I’d had a lovely weekend away, on my return I didn’t get back on track immediately because I’ve been doing so well, back at goal, in the zone etc. Treated myself to toast at the meeting Monday morning, had a Chinese Monday night, ate the rest for my breakfast Tuesday morning, then got on the scales! Guess what, ProPoints is just the best plan Weight Watchers has ever come up with BUT… It only works if you follow it! Yep, unfortunately it’s true, if you decide to go to Brussels and drink mulled wine, beer, Irish coffee, eat MacDonald’s, steak and chips, croissants, and have hot chocolate with lots of cream then guess what, that adds up to more than those weekly 49 ProPoints even if you add on the 30 activity ProPoints I earnt. Which may explain why I’m 4lb heavier than I was this time last week!
So now I’ve had my weekend (which I have to say started Thursday with a MegaBrunch in Sainsbury’s and finished Tuesday morning with cold egg fried rice, I think that’s 6 days not a weekend) I’m back in the zone, going to get me some smoothies made and get my recipes cooking. I’ve got 2 meals out this weekend so I’ve already decided to stay within my ProPoints and make wise food choices so that I don’t gain anymore, it’s only just December after all and there’s still a month of Christmas to get through. Just imagine if I can gain 4lb in 6 days – how much damage could I do in a month if I stop now!
So please stay focused and on track, don’t let the snow put you off getting weighed, by all means snuggle up indoors in front of the tv but not with excess amounts of treats and takeaways.
Thanks to everyone who made it to my meetings yesterday, as you all know I only get paid if you get weighed ;-)
Looking out of the window this morning, I think a stew maybe called for or as I have lots of potato, maybe a corned beef hash mmm.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Tuesday, 30 November 2010
30th November 2010 facebook email
Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art. Eleanor Roosevelt
So the snows made its way to my front door, I’m not complaining though as compared to other parts of the country, we’re getting off lightly for sure!
It’s the last day of November, so advent starts tomorrow, to remind you just how important it is to stay on track leading up to Christmas, I thought I’d share a little Christmas poem with you!
There once was a fairy
Who was to plump for the tree
She fell of her branch
And injured her knee
Oh no said the fairy
I sit at the top
But if I do so this year
The tree might flop
The other decorations were smiling with glee
All of them fighting to be top of the tree
The only friend she had was the small wooden clown
Who said don’t worry fairy just lose a few pounds
But it’s December this week the poor fairy cried
How can I slim down and sit there with pride
Follow ProPoints, it’s a wonderful plan
You eat what you like - nothing is banned.
So she followed the diet and filled in her tracker
Determined to be a real Christmas Cracker!
She lost so much weight she could not believe
And was at the top by Christmas Eve!
Everyone’s done so well the last few weeks on the new plan, let’s not lose the momentum, don’t be put off by the snow, we had an average weight loss yesterday of a pound a person and at this time of year it’s better off than on!
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
So the snows made its way to my front door, I’m not complaining though as compared to other parts of the country, we’re getting off lightly for sure!
It’s the last day of November, so advent starts tomorrow, to remind you just how important it is to stay on track leading up to Christmas, I thought I’d share a little Christmas poem with you!
There once was a fairy
Who was to plump for the tree
She fell of her branch
And injured her knee
Oh no said the fairy
I sit at the top
But if I do so this year
The tree might flop
The other decorations were smiling with glee
All of them fighting to be top of the tree
The only friend she had was the small wooden clown
Who said don’t worry fairy just lose a few pounds
But it’s December this week the poor fairy cried
How can I slim down and sit there with pride
Follow ProPoints, it’s a wonderful plan
You eat what you like - nothing is banned.
So she followed the diet and filled in her tracker
Determined to be a real Christmas Cracker!
She lost so much weight she could not believe
And was at the top by Christmas Eve!
Everyone’s done so well the last few weeks on the new plan, let’s not lose the momentum, don’t be put off by the snow, we had an average weight loss yesterday of a pound a person and at this time of year it’s better off than on!
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Monday, 29 November 2010
29th November 2010 - facebook email
To fear is one thing. To let fear grab you by the tail and swing you around is another. Katherine Paterson
Have you missed me ;-) We had a lovely weekend in Belgium although I kept telling people I was in Prague and my mate said she was in France! The Christmas market was wonderful and all the more Christmassy after a glass of mulled wine and a turn on the big wheel to view it from the air.
Of course being me, the weekend didn’t go without drama - some bloke tried to snatch my bag on the Sunday afternoon! I don’t recall much of it, my mates filled me in later, but this morning I ache from head to foot! See depending on how you look at it, I was a little bit silly and didn’t let go of my bag, he pulled me over, banging my head on the floor and dragged me about 20 yards along the cobble stones. Luckily he gave up when he realised I wasn’t letting go and a few men started chasing him. They didn’t catch him but at least I still had my bag, which had my camera, iphone, passport, wallet etc in! I have to say I was glad to be back home last night and Alfie is now sat on my lap helping me type ;-)
So if you go Christmas shopping anywhere or just in general, take care with your handbags! Mine’s now all ripped and ruined and I’d only bought it the day before ;-(
So back to food, as let’s be honest that’s far more important! We weren’t too bad this weekend, I think I may have stayed the same on the scales; I enjoyed the mulled Christmas wine and indulged in a local beef dish which was delicious and of course a few glasses of Belgian beer. We had a little chocolate when we went to a demonstration but didn’t overindulge too much at all.
Getting back to a temperature of minus six was a bit brisk; it’s really is winter stew weather isn’t it! I might even have a pie for my dinner today. Of course I won’t be baking it but I can use a can opener to remove the lid off a Fray Bentos ‘classic’ steak and kidney! Half a pie is 10 ProPoints, mmm, I’m going to serve it with mashed potato and vegetables, lovely – can’t wait. And maybe porridge with honey should be on the menu for breakfast to warm me up before I walk Alfie.
This weather is also great for zero or low ProPointed soup to keep you warm and full throughout the day, I might make some of that too later when I get back from my meeting. Next weekend shouldn’t be so eventful although I do have a couple of meals planned so I’d better save some if not all of my weekly allowance for those.
A sure way to lose motivation is depriving yourself of the foods you love. So, don’t do it! With the weekly ProPoints allowance, you have 49 ProPoints values for anything you want to spend it on; treats, extras or unexpected dinner invitations The extra ProPoints values will help you stay on track to your weight-loss goal, and you’ll have fun getting there!
And remember for even more flexibility, you can earn activity ProPoints values that can be swapped for food. You can earn them by getting active – anything counts. Just start by doing more activity than you did before. We must have walked miles round Brussels this weekend, we never got on the trams or metro once and the hotel was a good 30 minute walk from the main centre.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Have you missed me ;-) We had a lovely weekend in Belgium although I kept telling people I was in Prague and my mate said she was in France! The Christmas market was wonderful and all the more Christmassy after a glass of mulled wine and a turn on the big wheel to view it from the air.
Of course being me, the weekend didn’t go without drama - some bloke tried to snatch my bag on the Sunday afternoon! I don’t recall much of it, my mates filled me in later, but this morning I ache from head to foot! See depending on how you look at it, I was a little bit silly and didn’t let go of my bag, he pulled me over, banging my head on the floor and dragged me about 20 yards along the cobble stones. Luckily he gave up when he realised I wasn’t letting go and a few men started chasing him. They didn’t catch him but at least I still had my bag, which had my camera, iphone, passport, wallet etc in! I have to say I was glad to be back home last night and Alfie is now sat on my lap helping me type ;-)
So if you go Christmas shopping anywhere or just in general, take care with your handbags! Mine’s now all ripped and ruined and I’d only bought it the day before ;-(
So back to food, as let’s be honest that’s far more important! We weren’t too bad this weekend, I think I may have stayed the same on the scales; I enjoyed the mulled Christmas wine and indulged in a local beef dish which was delicious and of course a few glasses of Belgian beer. We had a little chocolate when we went to a demonstration but didn’t overindulge too much at all.
Getting back to a temperature of minus six was a bit brisk; it’s really is winter stew weather isn’t it! I might even have a pie for my dinner today. Of course I won’t be baking it but I can use a can opener to remove the lid off a Fray Bentos ‘classic’ steak and kidney! Half a pie is 10 ProPoints, mmm, I’m going to serve it with mashed potato and vegetables, lovely – can’t wait. And maybe porridge with honey should be on the menu for breakfast to warm me up before I walk Alfie.
This weather is also great for zero or low ProPointed soup to keep you warm and full throughout the day, I might make some of that too later when I get back from my meeting. Next weekend shouldn’t be so eventful although I do have a couple of meals planned so I’d better save some if not all of my weekly allowance for those.
A sure way to lose motivation is depriving yourself of the foods you love. So, don’t do it! With the weekly ProPoints allowance, you have 49 ProPoints values for anything you want to spend it on; treats, extras or unexpected dinner invitations The extra ProPoints values will help you stay on track to your weight-loss goal, and you’ll have fun getting there!
And remember for even more flexibility, you can earn activity ProPoints values that can be swapped for food. You can earn them by getting active – anything counts. Just start by doing more activity than you did before. We must have walked miles round Brussels this weekend, we never got on the trams or metro once and the hotel was a good 30 minute walk from the main centre.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Friday, 26 November 2010
26th November 2010 facebook email
A difference, to be a difference, must make a difference. Zig Ziglar
My members weight loss to date on ProPoints in 2 weeks is 1,789lb or 128 stone - NOW that's a RESULT!
Well I’m off for a few days so you won’t be getting an email this weekend as I’m going to Brussels – YAY!
I’m hoping to maintain as I’ve saved all my weekly allowance and my activity points but if I don’t manage it, there’s always next week to lose weight isn’t there, weight loss and maintenance is a continual lifelong effort.
With Christmas getting closer by the day I think this is a really important fact to remember because it’s not always possible to lose weight every week especially from now till the end of the year if you plan to do a lot of celebrating, so some weeks it’s important to aim for damage limitation and do the best you can.
A little word on nutritional labels, these days they are on almost everything, sometimes they’re inside the packaging so you have to open the food to find out what you want to know and of course you can’t do that in the shop. Sometimes they can be very misleading and offer you the cooked info, or a strange portion size you don’t want, you can always work the ProPoints out from it though.
If they are not there you can only guestimate the ProPoints, for example sweets! A Wham bar or any kind of sticky, chewy candy is just pure sugar, so you can weigh it as such. Worse case scenario weigh whatever the food is as LARD or BUTTER! Nothing really is going to be more ProPoints than that! And it’s better to have a number down than no number at all, just because it doesn’t have nutritional information on it doesn’t make it zero ;-)
I can’t remember if I shared this soup recipe with you or not, but because it was so delicious I’m going to give it you again just in case;
Celeriac and Apple Soup – 4 servings, zero point
1 medium Onion, All Types, chopped
2 cube(s) Stock Cube, Vegetable, (make 1 1/2 pints)
1 teaspoons Curry Powder, or paste (optional)
250g Celeriac, about half a standard size, cut into 1 cm cubes
1 medium Apple, cooking, peeled, cored and cut into quarters
1 sprig(s) Parsley, fresh, chopped, to garnish (fresh)
Instructions
Put the onion in a large pan, with enough stock or water to cover and the curry powder or paste, if used. Cover the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the celeriac and the remaining stock, cover and cook for a further 15 minutes. Add the apple and cook for a further 5 minutes, until the apple has collapsed. Either mash the soup with a potato masher or liquidise it in a food processor or liquidiser. Serve sprinkled with parsley.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
My members weight loss to date on ProPoints in 2 weeks is 1,789lb or 128 stone - NOW that's a RESULT!
Well I’m off for a few days so you won’t be getting an email this weekend as I’m going to Brussels – YAY!
I’m hoping to maintain as I’ve saved all my weekly allowance and my activity points but if I don’t manage it, there’s always next week to lose weight isn’t there, weight loss and maintenance is a continual lifelong effort.
With Christmas getting closer by the day I think this is a really important fact to remember because it’s not always possible to lose weight every week especially from now till the end of the year if you plan to do a lot of celebrating, so some weeks it’s important to aim for damage limitation and do the best you can.
A little word on nutritional labels, these days they are on almost everything, sometimes they’re inside the packaging so you have to open the food to find out what you want to know and of course you can’t do that in the shop. Sometimes they can be very misleading and offer you the cooked info, or a strange portion size you don’t want, you can always work the ProPoints out from it though.
If they are not there you can only guestimate the ProPoints, for example sweets! A Wham bar or any kind of sticky, chewy candy is just pure sugar, so you can weigh it as such. Worse case scenario weigh whatever the food is as LARD or BUTTER! Nothing really is going to be more ProPoints than that! And it’s better to have a number down than no number at all, just because it doesn’t have nutritional information on it doesn’t make it zero ;-)
I can’t remember if I shared this soup recipe with you or not, but because it was so delicious I’m going to give it you again just in case;
Celeriac and Apple Soup – 4 servings, zero point
1 medium Onion, All Types, chopped
2 cube(s) Stock Cube, Vegetable, (make 1 1/2 pints)
1 teaspoons Curry Powder, or paste (optional)
250g Celeriac, about half a standard size, cut into 1 cm cubes
1 medium Apple, cooking, peeled, cored and cut into quarters
1 sprig(s) Parsley, fresh, chopped, to garnish (fresh)
Instructions
Put the onion in a large pan, with enough stock or water to cover and the curry powder or paste, if used. Cover the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the celeriac and the remaining stock, cover and cook for a further 15 minutes. Add the apple and cook for a further 5 minutes, until the apple has collapsed. Either mash the soup with a potato masher or liquidise it in a food processor or liquidiser. Serve sprinkled with parsley.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Thursday, 25 November 2010
25th November 2010 todays facebook email
No person is important enough to make you angry!
My members weight loss to date on ProPoints plan = 1,521lb! That's 108½ stone! Weight Watchers is the only place it feels good to be a loser ;-)
I’m chuffed I still have my 49 weekly points still intact, this is a first for me as I usually dip into them each day, but as I’m away at the weekend I’m going to need them, I’ve also earned an extra 17 of activity ProPoints on my pedometer so I’m going to be able to have the odd glass of mulled wine at the Christmas market ;-) YAY, I love ProPoints.
I won’t be going on the Ice Rink whilst there though! I’m a bit too clumsy for that, and I can’t afford a broken limb. It’s important to find an activity you enjoy so that you continue to do it on a regular basis, that’s why I walk Alfie, because we both enjoy it and I earn activity points on my wineometer, oops I mean pedometer!
If you do fancy trying your hand at ice skating though, there’s a place in Cannock and one in Telford, "Skating is very good for working the glutes (bottom) the quads/hamstrings (thigh area), the core (tummy area) and triceps (in holding the arms up for balance)," Depending on the level of energy being put in by the person (if working around 60% of maximum heart rate) then the person will burn fat in performing the exercise. Skating is a good cardiovascular work out and all-over body toner. As the person becomes more experienced in skating, they can add more and more moves to their skill level, and once they do this, the work-out also includes improving flexibility, joint mobility and also strengthens and lengthens muscles, making them more toned, stronger and leaner looking."
Dancing seems to be popular these days too, I heard we have Ann Widdecombe and strictly come dancing to thank for that! Zumba is another hugely popular activity right now too. (facebook search Zumba Walsall for class info)
The thing I’m noticing about the latest ways to get active is they are enjoyable. In Walsall there are quite a lot of classes that are free, just ask at your library, health centre or council for information and I’ve been told that the free Salsa class is really Zumba, and even held by the same lady!
The hardest part of getting active is starting! Just taking that first step out of the door, so say to yourself, I’ll just walk to the end of the street, that way there’s no pressure, and I’m guessing once you’re at the end of the street, you’ll continue a bit more.
If you’re tired, it gives you energy, if you’re a little down, it give you a lift, and if you’re not losing weight, it can give you that extra boost you need to burn those extra calories.
Just today, think about how you can move that little bit more, walk instead of drive somewhere, or at least park further away. Anything that’ll burn a few extra calories.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
My members weight loss to date on ProPoints plan = 1,521lb! That's 108½ stone! Weight Watchers is the only place it feels good to be a loser ;-)
I’m chuffed I still have my 49 weekly points still intact, this is a first for me as I usually dip into them each day, but as I’m away at the weekend I’m going to need them, I’ve also earned an extra 17 of activity ProPoints on my pedometer so I’m going to be able to have the odd glass of mulled wine at the Christmas market ;-) YAY, I love ProPoints.
I won’t be going on the Ice Rink whilst there though! I’m a bit too clumsy for that, and I can’t afford a broken limb. It’s important to find an activity you enjoy so that you continue to do it on a regular basis, that’s why I walk Alfie, because we both enjoy it and I earn activity points on my wineometer, oops I mean pedometer!
If you do fancy trying your hand at ice skating though, there’s a place in Cannock and one in Telford, "Skating is very good for working the glutes (bottom) the quads/hamstrings (thigh area), the core (tummy area) and triceps (in holding the arms up for balance)," Depending on the level of energy being put in by the person (if working around 60% of maximum heart rate) then the person will burn fat in performing the exercise. Skating is a good cardiovascular work out and all-over body toner. As the person becomes more experienced in skating, they can add more and more moves to their skill level, and once they do this, the work-out also includes improving flexibility, joint mobility and also strengthens and lengthens muscles, making them more toned, stronger and leaner looking."
Dancing seems to be popular these days too, I heard we have Ann Widdecombe and strictly come dancing to thank for that! Zumba is another hugely popular activity right now too. (facebook search Zumba Walsall for class info)
The thing I’m noticing about the latest ways to get active is they are enjoyable. In Walsall there are quite a lot of classes that are free, just ask at your library, health centre or council for information and I’ve been told that the free Salsa class is really Zumba, and even held by the same lady!
The hardest part of getting active is starting! Just taking that first step out of the door, so say to yourself, I’ll just walk to the end of the street, that way there’s no pressure, and I’m guessing once you’re at the end of the street, you’ll continue a bit more.
If you’re tired, it gives you energy, if you’re a little down, it give you a lift, and if you’re not losing weight, it can give you that extra boost you need to burn those extra calories.
Just today, think about how you can move that little bit more, walk instead of drive somewhere, or at least park further away. Anything that’ll burn a few extra calories.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
24th November 2010
Make the iron hot by striking it. John Haggai
My members weight loss to date on ProPoints plan = 1,351lb! That's 96.5 stone!
Willenhall did brilliant yesterday losing a total of 197lb or 14 stone – WOW, it seems this year that you lot aren’t afraid of Christmas you’re looking forward to the challenge ;-) It’s only 31 sleeps away! 4 members this week already have achieved their 50lb weight loss, which is just awesome. That’s 4 fifty-pound certificates I’ve ordered in two weeks, which is just wonderful. There’s nothing better than celebrating the weight loss milestones from silver seven’s to 10% to goal, they all count and the all deserve to be celebrated because you all work so hard to achieve them.
I had a fabulous dinner yesterday, Co-op tinned minced beef with onions (15pp in the whole tin ¼ can each) - depending on your taste, I add a couple of oxo cubes and a bit of cornflour. Mash made with 200g potatoes (4pp), and zero veggies. I had mine with julienne carrots, roast peppers & savoy cabbage. For 8 points it was delicious and easy, it was so good I had the spare dinner for my tea!
Today I think I’m going to do something with turkey pieces I’ve defrosted, maybe sweet and sour, I’ve just found a recipe on esource mmm, yeah I’ve got everything but the water chestnuts, not sure if I have the sauce but I do know I’ve got a sweet plum sauce or something similar which will do. Keep this recipe for Christmas to use the leftovers and just throw the cooked turkey in when you add the pineapple.
Sweet and Sour Turkey
Serves 4 at 4 ProPoints each.
2 teaspoons Oil, Sunflower
350 g Turkey, Breast, Skinless & Boneless, Raw, cut into strips
2 medium Spring Onions, cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) lengths
2 medium Pepper, All Types, 1 red, 1 yellow, de-seeded and sliced
227 g Water Chestnuts, can, drained
350 g Uncle Ben's Oriental Sweet & Sour Cooking Sauce, Light
115 g Pineapple, canned pieces in natural juice, drained
1 pinch Salt, season to taste
1/2 teaspoons Pepper, Black (Whole, Cracked or Ground), season to taste (ground)
Instructions
Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying-pan or wok. Add the turkey and stir-fry briskly for 2-3 minutes, until sealed.
Add the spring onions, peppers and water chestnuts and stir-fry for a further 3-4 minutes.
Pour on the sauce and add the pineapple. Mix well, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Season to taste and serve.
Weight Watchers esource is brilliant for finding meal ideas, if you haven’t already got a monthly pass make it this years Christmas present you yourself, the first month is only £12.95 and you’ll be able to log on over Christmas to keep you motivated. (buy it in your meeting)
I’m sat drinking a smoothie, it’s not my best work I have to admit, a bit too thick and I shouldn’t have put the apple in! But I’ll drink it because it’s good for me. Whatever you’re having for your breakfast, I hope you’re enjoying it more, speaking of which we have fruity cereal bars arriving today I think! Mmm can’t wait to try those, only 2pp.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
My members weight loss to date on ProPoints plan = 1,351lb! That's 96.5 stone!
Willenhall did brilliant yesterday losing a total of 197lb or 14 stone – WOW, it seems this year that you lot aren’t afraid of Christmas you’re looking forward to the challenge ;-) It’s only 31 sleeps away! 4 members this week already have achieved their 50lb weight loss, which is just awesome. That’s 4 fifty-pound certificates I’ve ordered in two weeks, which is just wonderful. There’s nothing better than celebrating the weight loss milestones from silver seven’s to 10% to goal, they all count and the all deserve to be celebrated because you all work so hard to achieve them.
I had a fabulous dinner yesterday, Co-op tinned minced beef with onions (15pp in the whole tin ¼ can each) - depending on your taste, I add a couple of oxo cubes and a bit of cornflour. Mash made with 200g potatoes (4pp), and zero veggies. I had mine with julienne carrots, roast peppers & savoy cabbage. For 8 points it was delicious and easy, it was so good I had the spare dinner for my tea!
Today I think I’m going to do something with turkey pieces I’ve defrosted, maybe sweet and sour, I’ve just found a recipe on esource mmm, yeah I’ve got everything but the water chestnuts, not sure if I have the sauce but I do know I’ve got a sweet plum sauce or something similar which will do. Keep this recipe for Christmas to use the leftovers and just throw the cooked turkey in when you add the pineapple.
Sweet and Sour Turkey
Serves 4 at 4 ProPoints each.
2 teaspoons Oil, Sunflower
350 g Turkey, Breast, Skinless & Boneless, Raw, cut into strips
2 medium Spring Onions, cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) lengths
2 medium Pepper, All Types, 1 red, 1 yellow, de-seeded and sliced
227 g Water Chestnuts, can, drained
350 g Uncle Ben's Oriental Sweet & Sour Cooking Sauce, Light
115 g Pineapple, canned pieces in natural juice, drained
1 pinch Salt, season to taste
1/2 teaspoons Pepper, Black (Whole, Cracked or Ground), season to taste (ground)
Instructions
Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying-pan or wok. Add the turkey and stir-fry briskly for 2-3 minutes, until sealed.
Add the spring onions, peppers and water chestnuts and stir-fry for a further 3-4 minutes.
Pour on the sauce and add the pineapple. Mix well, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Season to taste and serve.
Weight Watchers esource is brilliant for finding meal ideas, if you haven’t already got a monthly pass make it this years Christmas present you yourself, the first month is only £12.95 and you’ll be able to log on over Christmas to keep you motivated. (buy it in your meeting)
I’m sat drinking a smoothie, it’s not my best work I have to admit, a bit too thick and I shouldn’t have put the apple in! But I’ll drink it because it’s good for me. Whatever you’re having for your breakfast, I hope you’re enjoying it more, speaking of which we have fruity cereal bars arriving today I think! Mmm can’t wait to try those, only 2pp.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Tuesday, 23 November 2010
23rd November 2010 - facebook email
If you judge people, you have no time to love them.
My members weight loss to date on ProPoints plan = 1,091lb lost on ProPoints so far, that's 78 stone!
Bloxwich lost 53lb yesterday morning and Wednesfield lost 76lb last night so still going well, someone wrote on my facebook page last night that they may come back after Christmas to see what its all about, but why wait, I have members losing now and still going out on nights out, for meals and to Christmas do’s and losing weight. Rather lose half stone before Christmas & gain it over Christmas so you’re the same weight January than ;-), not bother and gain half stone over Christmas so you’re even heavier than you are now ;-(
Well I was proper cold all day yesterday from the time I got up to the time I went to bed! It’s stew weather that’s for sure, and luckily I had made one on Sunday but I ended up having a veggie stew as Alfie ate the meat! He’s great for my diet ;-)
I did have a delicious fish finger sandwich for tea though, using salmon fishfingers and 50/50 bread, made the sauce with low fat mayo, chopped up red pepper, spring onion and capers mmm. Delicious.
Today I plan to have mince beef and onions (from a tin! It takes me back to my childhood as it used to be one of mom’s specials, with extra onions and oxo cube) and I’m having it with smash and mushy peas mmm nice, can’t wait for dinner time. Foods more than just sustenance isn’t it; it’s comfort, memories, flavours, and tastes so it’s really important not to make food the enemy. I’m off to Belgium at the weekend with friends and I plan on eating and drinking at the Christmas market so I’m saving my 49 points and all my pedometer points for then.
Oh and can I just point out if like me you’ve been tempted by the bottles of Baileys reduced in the stores, it’s 108 ProPoints for a litre bottle! That’s 3pp for 25ml ;( I bought a bottle of ginger wine instead which is the same points as ordinary wine but has more of a wintery sweet taste to it, and I’m loving the mulled wine recipe in this months Weight Watchers magazine.
Yes for me I finally realised Christmas is almost upon us yesterday, after watching a couple of Christmas films at the weekend, yesterday I walked round the shops in Cannock and could hear the Christmas tunes playing, then driving home from work last night there were lights and decorations up in some house.
So holidays are around the corner, it’s that time of year, they start earlier each year in the shops and bring out bringing out the holiday treats immediately after Halloween. Next thing you know they'll leave the displays up year-round. With all the colorful packaging staring at us now, weeks before Christmas, instead of, "I’ve got to get some now because it won't be
here long" frame of mind, we can realize, "It's not going anywhere. I can eat these foods any time I want."
They're making what used to be special seem not so special after all. That, for me, was always part of the allure of the season: treats you don't see the rest of the year, pretty wrapped boxes and ribbons that seemed far more special when it was just for a few weeks. Now it's just pretty paper and the food is ordinary. I used to love the mini party foods but you can buy those all year round now and suddenly a mini quiche is no different from a slice of quiche ;-(
Don’t get SSD!!!!
If you start buying your Christmas food goodies early it's more than likely you'll start sampling those goodies early as well. I call that SSD (Seasonal Sugar Disorder)
So how to start getting things you need ready for Christmas without eating half of them before the event? If you have to buy them now or want to because they’re on offer or it’ll save you time later on, like the Baileys I’ve bought, you could try the out-of-sight out-of-mind" trick. Once you’ve got it home, put it way somewhere out of sight then forget about it. I’ve found stuff in April that I’d bought specially for Christmas in the past which proves I didn’t need it!
If you’ve bought selection boxes or any edible gifts wrap them up immediately and put them in a cupboard, you’ve got to keep your wits about you cos those things talk to you!
Just because things look lovely, doesn't mean you need to forget your resolve to eat when hungry, stop when satisfied. If you want a treat, have one, but eat it slowly and really taste it. See if you can tell the difference between cheap and expensive chocolate by taste or texture, if you want. Enjoy the treat. Make it special.
Now where was that Baileys? ;-)
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
My members weight loss to date on ProPoints plan = 1,091lb lost on ProPoints so far, that's 78 stone!
Bloxwich lost 53lb yesterday morning and Wednesfield lost 76lb last night so still going well, someone wrote on my facebook page last night that they may come back after Christmas to see what its all about, but why wait, I have members losing now and still going out on nights out, for meals and to Christmas do’s and losing weight. Rather lose half stone before Christmas & gain it over Christmas so you’re the same weight January than ;-), not bother and gain half stone over Christmas so you’re even heavier than you are now ;-(
Well I was proper cold all day yesterday from the time I got up to the time I went to bed! It’s stew weather that’s for sure, and luckily I had made one on Sunday but I ended up having a veggie stew as Alfie ate the meat! He’s great for my diet ;-)
I did have a delicious fish finger sandwich for tea though, using salmon fishfingers and 50/50 bread, made the sauce with low fat mayo, chopped up red pepper, spring onion and capers mmm. Delicious.
Today I plan to have mince beef and onions (from a tin! It takes me back to my childhood as it used to be one of mom’s specials, with extra onions and oxo cube) and I’m having it with smash and mushy peas mmm nice, can’t wait for dinner time. Foods more than just sustenance isn’t it; it’s comfort, memories, flavours, and tastes so it’s really important not to make food the enemy. I’m off to Belgium at the weekend with friends and I plan on eating and drinking at the Christmas market so I’m saving my 49 points and all my pedometer points for then.
Oh and can I just point out if like me you’ve been tempted by the bottles of Baileys reduced in the stores, it’s 108 ProPoints for a litre bottle! That’s 3pp for 25ml ;( I bought a bottle of ginger wine instead which is the same points as ordinary wine but has more of a wintery sweet taste to it, and I’m loving the mulled wine recipe in this months Weight Watchers magazine.
Yes for me I finally realised Christmas is almost upon us yesterday, after watching a couple of Christmas films at the weekend, yesterday I walked round the shops in Cannock and could hear the Christmas tunes playing, then driving home from work last night there were lights and decorations up in some house.
So holidays are around the corner, it’s that time of year, they start earlier each year in the shops and bring out bringing out the holiday treats immediately after Halloween. Next thing you know they'll leave the displays up year-round. With all the colorful packaging staring at us now, weeks before Christmas, instead of, "I’ve got to get some now because it won't be
here long" frame of mind, we can realize, "It's not going anywhere. I can eat these foods any time I want."
They're making what used to be special seem not so special after all. That, for me, was always part of the allure of the season: treats you don't see the rest of the year, pretty wrapped boxes and ribbons that seemed far more special when it was just for a few weeks. Now it's just pretty paper and the food is ordinary. I used to love the mini party foods but you can buy those all year round now and suddenly a mini quiche is no different from a slice of quiche ;-(
Don’t get SSD!!!!
If you start buying your Christmas food goodies early it's more than likely you'll start sampling those goodies early as well. I call that SSD (Seasonal Sugar Disorder)
So how to start getting things you need ready for Christmas without eating half of them before the event? If you have to buy them now or want to because they’re on offer or it’ll save you time later on, like the Baileys I’ve bought, you could try the out-of-sight out-of-mind" trick. Once you’ve got it home, put it way somewhere out of sight then forget about it. I’ve found stuff in April that I’d bought specially for Christmas in the past which proves I didn’t need it!
If you’ve bought selection boxes or any edible gifts wrap them up immediately and put them in a cupboard, you’ve got to keep your wits about you cos those things talk to you!
Just because things look lovely, doesn't mean you need to forget your resolve to eat when hungry, stop when satisfied. If you want a treat, have one, but eat it slowly and really taste it. See if you can tell the difference between cheap and expensive chocolate by taste or texture, if you want. Enjoy the treat. Make it special.
Now where was that Baileys? ;-)
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Monday, 22 November 2010
22nd November 2010 - facebook email
The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction not a destination. Brother Angelus
Well I’m rested and ready for another week of ProPoints – are you? I hope you had a great weekend and have recharged your batteries.
I’d been starting to put together a Bev’s Bites over the last few weeks, a bit here and a bit there but yesterday I spent about 8 hours solid on it – I got a little engrossed! At least it stopped me eating ;-) So it’s done and will be available as soon as I can get some printed, all proceeds to charity of course. There’s over a month of menu plans and recipes (104 meal ideas). Hopefully it’ll help you all get into the plan even quicker and easier.
Just a quick reminder of the weekends emails, if you read them and took on board what they said, you should now know that the most powerful and influential person in your life is you. You are the thinker of your thoughts. You have the ultimate responsibility, the final say in defining who you are and how your life is. In particular, you have sole responsibility for choosing your response to any and every situation in your life, past, present and future.
So today’s all about taking responsibility for yourself, taking ownership of your attitude and approach to life. You may not always be in control of what happens in your life but you can be in control of your response.
It’s so easy to blame others, I know so many who are still blaming there parents for the way they are! Once you’re over 16 you gotta stop blaming the parents! It’s so easy to blame others, friends, partners etc, the truth is people can hurt each other no matter how much love they share. There is not perfect partner or parent who will never hurt or disappoint. But if you can come to terms with the concept of forgiveness, you can make allowances for human weakness and start making amends.
For some there will always be someone to blame for something, in this country we have a reputation for moaning and blaming, 52% of us say we’re not happy and we want to change but according to a survey conducted by American Express our main excuse for not changing is “Who can’t find the time”!
So if you’d like to change, first work out how you’d like to change and then the steps towards that change, then identify your excuses and take responsibility.
The reason most people moan is because they think they are powerless and don’t have a choice, they see themselves as victims. Never believe that thought, you always have choices, they may not be easy ones but remember staying stuck and complaining is a choice in itself.
I’m not saying you have to look on the bright side, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea. Instead of dwelling on negative images from the past, reliving things that went wrong, decide from today to look at the good stuff instead. Count your blessings, rather than your burdens and this will improve your mood, it’s been proven.
According to medical findings – laughter really is the best medicine! So start to enjoy life, laugh at the stuff you can’t change, learn to be happy with your lot or change it!
If you’re holding onto a grudge or something negative that happened to you – let it go, don’t let it eat you up. Remember what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger – The choice is yours.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Well I’m rested and ready for another week of ProPoints – are you? I hope you had a great weekend and have recharged your batteries.
I’d been starting to put together a Bev’s Bites over the last few weeks, a bit here and a bit there but yesterday I spent about 8 hours solid on it – I got a little engrossed! At least it stopped me eating ;-) So it’s done and will be available as soon as I can get some printed, all proceeds to charity of course. There’s over a month of menu plans and recipes (104 meal ideas). Hopefully it’ll help you all get into the plan even quicker and easier.
Just a quick reminder of the weekends emails, if you read them and took on board what they said, you should now know that the most powerful and influential person in your life is you. You are the thinker of your thoughts. You have the ultimate responsibility, the final say in defining who you are and how your life is. In particular, you have sole responsibility for choosing your response to any and every situation in your life, past, present and future.
So today’s all about taking responsibility for yourself, taking ownership of your attitude and approach to life. You may not always be in control of what happens in your life but you can be in control of your response.
It’s so easy to blame others, I know so many who are still blaming there parents for the way they are! Once you’re over 16 you gotta stop blaming the parents! It’s so easy to blame others, friends, partners etc, the truth is people can hurt each other no matter how much love they share. There is not perfect partner or parent who will never hurt or disappoint. But if you can come to terms with the concept of forgiveness, you can make allowances for human weakness and start making amends.
For some there will always be someone to blame for something, in this country we have a reputation for moaning and blaming, 52% of us say we’re not happy and we want to change but according to a survey conducted by American Express our main excuse for not changing is “Who can’t find the time”!
So if you’d like to change, first work out how you’d like to change and then the steps towards that change, then identify your excuses and take responsibility.
The reason most people moan is because they think they are powerless and don’t have a choice, they see themselves as victims. Never believe that thought, you always have choices, they may not be easy ones but remember staying stuck and complaining is a choice in itself.
I’m not saying you have to look on the bright side, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea. Instead of dwelling on negative images from the past, reliving things that went wrong, decide from today to look at the good stuff instead. Count your blessings, rather than your burdens and this will improve your mood, it’s been proven.
According to medical findings – laughter really is the best medicine! So start to enjoy life, laugh at the stuff you can’t change, learn to be happy with your lot or change it!
If you’re holding onto a grudge or something negative that happened to you – let it go, don’t let it eat you up. Remember what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger – The choice is yours.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Sunday, 21 November 2010
21st November 2010 todays email
I discovered I always have choices and sometimes it's only a choice of attitude.
Sunday morning, I love this day, I love Sunday’s because I’m usually back to full energy after my busy week, and I’ve got nothing planned so I can just go with the flow which is fabulous when you have had such a busy week – was in bed last night before 8pm! So today, I’m chilling; I’m thinking movies, magazines, maybe a bit of cooking and walking Alfie. Bliss.
As everyone seems to be doing so well on the new ProPoints plan I thought for today’s email we’d stick with the feel good stuff and continue working on your Indestructible self believe. When you look around you’ll notice two types of people. Those that life has taken its toll on and they’ve sunk under the weight of it all, you can see a defeated look in their eyes. The other type look fresh, they’re undefeated, they’ve had their share of knocks and challenges but they handle themselves differently. They haven’t allowed themselves to be ground down, worn out. They refuse to resign or give up on themselves. This is because of that INDESTRUCTIBLE SELF BELIEF. Take every day as a miracle; enjoy your day, because nothing can guarantee you are going to see another sunrise! Don’t worry if you’ve become a little defeated, as long as you’re willing, you can change.
So what do you think of you? Do you think you’re amazing? I know you are, I’ve just got to get you to realise it!
What do you want to believe about you? The reality is you can believe anything you decide to. Whatever you choose to believe will be your truth, because that’s the view that you’ll give out. Seriously, I believe I’m the best damn Weight Watcher leader on the planet, I’m guessing there’s a few leaders out there and my boss on occasion who’d disagree with me, but hell “what do they know!” ;-)
As a race we have a need to be right, so whatever we believe, whatever that perspective is becomes our reality. I’m really lucky whatever situation I’ve found myself in I’ve never felt any less special than anyone else, I’ve always been as good as everyone else, I’ve always been good enough. I thank my mom for this, she always made me feel beautiful and special and capable of doing anything I wanted to and being as good as everyone else.
Sadly a lot of women don’t think they’re amazing and feel depressed when looking in magazines at supermodels, they don’t feel good enough next to other people; maybe you weren’t lucky enough to have a mom like mine. Luckily though now you’re a grown up, the most important influence in your life is YOU. This gives you unstoppable power to influence yourself. You have the power to be your greatest ally or your deadliest enemy. What is it to be? Enhancing your self-belief begins with a decision, the decision to improve your view of yourself! Are you ready to feel great about yourself no matter what? Are you willing to have indestructible self-belief?
What is your opinion of you? Is it good enough? Could you think better of yourself?
From this day forward, choose to be a “Believer in YOU”, don’t wait for someone else to show faith in you, back yourself. Know in your heart that you are far bigger than anything that can happen to you. xx
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Sunday morning, I love this day, I love Sunday’s because I’m usually back to full energy after my busy week, and I’ve got nothing planned so I can just go with the flow which is fabulous when you have had such a busy week – was in bed last night before 8pm! So today, I’m chilling; I’m thinking movies, magazines, maybe a bit of cooking and walking Alfie. Bliss.
As everyone seems to be doing so well on the new ProPoints plan I thought for today’s email we’d stick with the feel good stuff and continue working on your Indestructible self believe. When you look around you’ll notice two types of people. Those that life has taken its toll on and they’ve sunk under the weight of it all, you can see a defeated look in their eyes. The other type look fresh, they’re undefeated, they’ve had their share of knocks and challenges but they handle themselves differently. They haven’t allowed themselves to be ground down, worn out. They refuse to resign or give up on themselves. This is because of that INDESTRUCTIBLE SELF BELIEF. Take every day as a miracle; enjoy your day, because nothing can guarantee you are going to see another sunrise! Don’t worry if you’ve become a little defeated, as long as you’re willing, you can change.
So what do you think of you? Do you think you’re amazing? I know you are, I’ve just got to get you to realise it!
What do you want to believe about you? The reality is you can believe anything you decide to. Whatever you choose to believe will be your truth, because that’s the view that you’ll give out. Seriously, I believe I’m the best damn Weight Watcher leader on the planet, I’m guessing there’s a few leaders out there and my boss on occasion who’d disagree with me, but hell “what do they know!” ;-)
As a race we have a need to be right, so whatever we believe, whatever that perspective is becomes our reality. I’m really lucky whatever situation I’ve found myself in I’ve never felt any less special than anyone else, I’ve always been as good as everyone else, I’ve always been good enough. I thank my mom for this, she always made me feel beautiful and special and capable of doing anything I wanted to and being as good as everyone else.
Sadly a lot of women don’t think they’re amazing and feel depressed when looking in magazines at supermodels, they don’t feel good enough next to other people; maybe you weren’t lucky enough to have a mom like mine. Luckily though now you’re a grown up, the most important influence in your life is YOU. This gives you unstoppable power to influence yourself. You have the power to be your greatest ally or your deadliest enemy. What is it to be? Enhancing your self-belief begins with a decision, the decision to improve your view of yourself! Are you ready to feel great about yourself no matter what? Are you willing to have indestructible self-belief?
What is your opinion of you? Is it good enough? Could you think better of yourself?
From this day forward, choose to be a “Believer in YOU”, don’t wait for someone else to show faith in you, back yourself. Know in your heart that you are far bigger than anything that can happen to you. xx
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Saturday, 20 November 2010
20th November 2010 today's facebook email
It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult undertaking which, more than anything else, will determine its successful outcome. (William James)
Yay it’s the weekend, and hopefully most of you will have your 49 weekly ProPoints to spend it with ;-)
Smoothies seem very popular with the new plan, remember though for them to be zero pointed you have to make them yourself, innocent smoothies have juice as well as whole fruit in and I’ve worked them out at 15pp a litre carton!!!
Also if you enjoy eating out, then invest in the eating out guide, its under a fiver and worth every penny, saves making those huge mistakes, just quickly looking at the Indian food section main courses vary from 15-40 so it’s best to check!
Cinema Popcorn appears to have disappeared out of the listing though ;( When you can’t find exactly the food you’re looking for you need to look for similar, so I would suggest searching your shop guide. Using popcorn as an example, Butterkist make a sweet cinema style popcorn which is 5pp per 50g, unfortunately the salted isn’t less! Using esource if you have a monthly pass, just type in popcorn that brings up a list of different suggestions which include, sweet or salted popcorn 75g = 9pp. Please remember I’m not a mobile food list ;-) I don’t mind on the odd occasion but …..
Kebab Meat!!! I’ve been asked why have we not given the ProPoints values of kebabs in the Eating Out guide?
The answer is that there are foods that, if Weight Watchers do not know what the nutritional content is of that food, they cannot ‘work out’ the ProPoints values. Kebab meat is one of the few.
We’ve managed to ProPoint crocodile, alligator, even frogs legs - but we don’t have kebab meat. When this happens it’s either the manufacturers will not give us the information – or they have not had it analysed so they can’t give it to us. Despite repeated attempts to get the nutritional content of kebab meat, we have no idea what it is. PERSONALLY I think that speaks volumes and would seriously make me consider whether I should be choosing to eat it at all!!!!!
If you decide to have another type of meat at the kebab house, such as chicken skewers or slices of lamb, you can easily work out the ProPoints values using your Pocket Guide, SHOP or eSource by adding up the separate parts of the dish - for example add chicken with a pitta and any sauce you may have. You can do this with anything you eat outside your home that you can’t find listed.
I have to admit, I’m still smiling over my members losing 69 stone, and it’s just fantastic and proves that the ProPoints plan certainly does work as long as you do.
We’ve spent so much time talking about ProPoints this last two weeks we haven’t do any feel good stuff. I think that needs rectifying ;-) Although I think you’ll agree when you eat well, you feel good anyway.
So Let’s do a little bit of work in giving you Indestructible Self-Belief! Fancy that? It really is the greatest asset you can have in life. Self-belief is feeling good enough; it’s feeling that you can handle anything that life throws at you. It’s having a healthy appreciation of your talents, characteristics and abilities. It’s seeing yourself as special and entirely unique like no other person on the planet. That’s fabulous and so are you!
So the first step I’d like you to make towards having this INDESTRUCTIBLE SELF BELIEF, is don’t belittle yourself!
Sounds obviously, so why would anyone want to make life harder for themselves? But so many of you do it and I witness it from you, you may be doing it in a joke manner but you’re still doing it. You many not to it intentionally, but constant self-criticism can really turn you into the kind of person you’re so desperate not to be. So start to become aware of the relationship between your thoughts and how you behave. If you constantly belittle yourself, or tell yourself you’re not good enough, you’ll start behaving in a way that reinforces that thought pattern. But if you tell yourself you are talented and special, you’ll behave in a way that fulfils that belief.
Trust me, I’ve met almost every one of you reading this and I can confirm you are amazing and wonderful and gorgeous! And for those I haven’t met, trust me you’re gorgeous too!
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Yay it’s the weekend, and hopefully most of you will have your 49 weekly ProPoints to spend it with ;-)
Smoothies seem very popular with the new plan, remember though for them to be zero pointed you have to make them yourself, innocent smoothies have juice as well as whole fruit in and I’ve worked them out at 15pp a litre carton!!!
Also if you enjoy eating out, then invest in the eating out guide, its under a fiver and worth every penny, saves making those huge mistakes, just quickly looking at the Indian food section main courses vary from 15-40 so it’s best to check!
Cinema Popcorn appears to have disappeared out of the listing though ;( When you can’t find exactly the food you’re looking for you need to look for similar, so I would suggest searching your shop guide. Using popcorn as an example, Butterkist make a sweet cinema style popcorn which is 5pp per 50g, unfortunately the salted isn’t less! Using esource if you have a monthly pass, just type in popcorn that brings up a list of different suggestions which include, sweet or salted popcorn 75g = 9pp. Please remember I’m not a mobile food list ;-) I don’t mind on the odd occasion but …..
Kebab Meat!!! I’ve been asked why have we not given the ProPoints values of kebabs in the Eating Out guide?
The answer is that there are foods that, if Weight Watchers do not know what the nutritional content is of that food, they cannot ‘work out’ the ProPoints values. Kebab meat is one of the few.
We’ve managed to ProPoint crocodile, alligator, even frogs legs - but we don’t have kebab meat. When this happens it’s either the manufacturers will not give us the information – or they have not had it analysed so they can’t give it to us. Despite repeated attempts to get the nutritional content of kebab meat, we have no idea what it is. PERSONALLY I think that speaks volumes and would seriously make me consider whether I should be choosing to eat it at all!!!!!
If you decide to have another type of meat at the kebab house, such as chicken skewers or slices of lamb, you can easily work out the ProPoints values using your Pocket Guide, SHOP or eSource by adding up the separate parts of the dish - for example add chicken with a pitta and any sauce you may have. You can do this with anything you eat outside your home that you can’t find listed.
I have to admit, I’m still smiling over my members losing 69 stone, and it’s just fantastic and proves that the ProPoints plan certainly does work as long as you do.
We’ve spent so much time talking about ProPoints this last two weeks we haven’t do any feel good stuff. I think that needs rectifying ;-) Although I think you’ll agree when you eat well, you feel good anyway.
So Let’s do a little bit of work in giving you Indestructible Self-Belief! Fancy that? It really is the greatest asset you can have in life. Self-belief is feeling good enough; it’s feeling that you can handle anything that life throws at you. It’s having a healthy appreciation of your talents, characteristics and abilities. It’s seeing yourself as special and entirely unique like no other person on the planet. That’s fabulous and so are you!
So the first step I’d like you to make towards having this INDESTRUCTIBLE SELF BELIEF, is don’t belittle yourself!
Sounds obviously, so why would anyone want to make life harder for themselves? But so many of you do it and I witness it from you, you may be doing it in a joke manner but you’re still doing it. You many not to it intentionally, but constant self-criticism can really turn you into the kind of person you’re so desperate not to be. So start to become aware of the relationship between your thoughts and how you behave. If you constantly belittle yourself, or tell yourself you’re not good enough, you’ll start behaving in a way that reinforces that thought pattern. But if you tell yourself you are talented and special, you’ll behave in a way that fulfils that belief.
Trust me, I’ve met almost every one of you reading this and I can confirm you are amazing and wonderful and gorgeous! And for those I haven’t met, trust me you’re gorgeous too!
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Friday, 19 November 2010
19th November 2010 - facebook email
Positive anything is better than negative nothing.
Absolutely astonishing week, Bloxwich yesterday WOW, 148lb on the night 180lb on the morning, which brings the total for the week in all my meetings to 962lb that’s a
DRUM ROLLING TOTAL OF 69 STONE - WoW WoW WoW WoW
As a comparison that’s the weight of your average horse or an Alaskan grizzly bear, neither as scary as having that fat on your waistline!
Well I have to admit this time last week I was a little nervous about how successful ProPoints would prove on the scales and what the first week would show, but I didn’t dream it would be this fabulous. So well done to you all and let’s aim for another loss next week for all.
Don’t forget you can ProPoint everything just like you used to Point everything, you do it in exactly the same way but with different information, so use your tools. If for example something isn’t in your eating out guide then use what is as a guideline.
Fish & Chips isn’t in the eating out guide because it’s in your folder on page 54 of pocket guide. Alcohol is in that pocket guide too.
Below is the link for my facebook page which is the page I can access easily from my phone and keep you in touch throughout the day on offers I find and other tidbits of information you might find useful, so if you haven’t already add yourself to it.
Bev's Weight Watcher Facebook page
As I said earlier in the week I’m working on some meal ideas, recipes etc but if you wanna save a few of your daily points for a drink tonight, here’s a 1 ProPoint stir fry recipes to help you with that;
1 ProPoint mushroom stir fry
Takes 20 minutes, serves 2
100g tender stem broccoli
225g fillet steak, cut into strips
low fat cooking spray
2 garlic cloves, sliced
25g fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
400g mixed mushrooms such as shitake, oyster, chestnut
½ red pepper, de-seeded and diced finely
3tablespoons teriyaki sauce (2pp)
Juice of a lime
Cut the florets from the broccoli stalks and set aside. Then cut the broccoli stalks in half lengthways and then in half again to make short stems. Set aside.
Heat a wok or non-stick frying pan until really hot. Spray and add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Add the mushrooms, pepper, broccoli florets and stalks. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally until just tender, then add the teriyaki sauce. Remove from the heat, as it will bubble very quickly due to the heat of the pan. Squeeze over the lime, stir once more and serve immediately.
Either serve alone or with 40g dried rice noodles per person cooked according to packet instructions for 2 points each.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Absolutely astonishing week, Bloxwich yesterday WOW, 148lb on the night 180lb on the morning, which brings the total for the week in all my meetings to 962lb that’s a
DRUM ROLLING TOTAL OF 69 STONE - WoW WoW WoW WoW
As a comparison that’s the weight of your average horse or an Alaskan grizzly bear, neither as scary as having that fat on your waistline!
Well I have to admit this time last week I was a little nervous about how successful ProPoints would prove on the scales and what the first week would show, but I didn’t dream it would be this fabulous. So well done to you all and let’s aim for another loss next week for all.
Don’t forget you can ProPoint everything just like you used to Point everything, you do it in exactly the same way but with different information, so use your tools. If for example something isn’t in your eating out guide then use what is as a guideline.
Fish & Chips isn’t in the eating out guide because it’s in your folder on page 54 of pocket guide. Alcohol is in that pocket guide too.
Below is the link for my facebook page which is the page I can access easily from my phone and keep you in touch throughout the day on offers I find and other tidbits of information you might find useful, so if you haven’t already add yourself to it.
Bev's Weight Watcher Facebook page
As I said earlier in the week I’m working on some meal ideas, recipes etc but if you wanna save a few of your daily points for a drink tonight, here’s a 1 ProPoint stir fry recipes to help you with that;
1 ProPoint mushroom stir fry
Takes 20 minutes, serves 2
100g tender stem broccoli
225g fillet steak, cut into strips
low fat cooking spray
2 garlic cloves, sliced
25g fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
400g mixed mushrooms such as shitake, oyster, chestnut
½ red pepper, de-seeded and diced finely
3tablespoons teriyaki sauce (2pp)
Juice of a lime
Cut the florets from the broccoli stalks and set aside. Then cut the broccoli stalks in half lengthways and then in half again to make short stems. Set aside.
Heat a wok or non-stick frying pan until really hot. Spray and add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Add the mushrooms, pepper, broccoli florets and stalks. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally until just tender, then add the teriyaki sauce. Remove from the heat, as it will bubble very quickly due to the heat of the pan. Squeeze over the lime, stir once more and serve immediately.
Either serve alone or with 40g dried rice noodles per person cooked according to packet instructions for 2 points each.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Thursday, 18 November 2010
18th November 2010 todays facebook email
For success, attitude is equally as important as ability. Harry F. Banks
Well it’s my last day of meetings for the first week on ProPoints losing and the Amazing Ashmore Park Angels did not let me down last night, they lost WHOOP WHOOP and double WOW, 147lb, how awesome is that, for those not fab at the maths, that's 10.5 STONE!!!! GO ASHMORE!! ;-) Running total this week 45.5 stone (634lb) OMG! How proud am I of all my members, probably even more so of the few that didn’t lose and have gone away more focused and determined to get a loss next week because attitude is everything!
Just for info there’s a typo in shopping guide Mullerlight Strawberry Fruit Corner is 5pp not 2pp (p103). Please if you check something using the packaging and it differs always go by the packaging as errors occur (of course they can occasionally occur on packaging too!) Let me know if you find any.
I think I realised last night that the one thing members need right now are meal ideas, menu plans and recipes so I’m working on it honestly and over the next few weeks I’ll have some stuff sorted. In the meantime here are a few zero point soup recipes to help you on these cold, damp days.
Asian-Inspired Zero ProPoints Value Soup
Makes 12 servings, ProPoints® value
0 per serving
Ingredients
140g pak choi, chopped
150g Chinese cabbage, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
20g fresh ginger root, thinly sliced and julienned
100g oyster mushrooms
100g spring onions, chopped
140g canned water chestnuts, sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1440ml vegetable stock
70g beansprouts
200g mangetout
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
25g coriander, finely chopped
Instructions
Put pak choi, Chinese cabbage, garlic, ginger root, oyster mushrooms, spring onions, water chestnuts, pepper, red pepper flakes and vegetable stock into a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes. Toss in beansprouts and mangetout during the last 3 to 4 minutes of simmering. Add soy sauce and coriander. Serve.
Italian-Inspired Zero ProPoints Value Soup
Makes 12 servings ProPoints® value
0 per serving
Ingredients
40g chicory, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
160g onions, chopped
30g baby spinach
2 small courgettes, cubed
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1440ml vegetable stock
800g canned chopped tomatoes
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
25g fresh parsley, chopped
25g fresh basil
Instructions
Put the chicory, garlic, onions, spinach, courgette, red pepper, fennel bulb, vegetable stock, chopped tomatoes, red pepper flakes, thyme and oregano into a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes.
Stir in salt, black pepper, parsley and basil. Serve.
Mexican-Inspired Zero ProPoints Value Soup
Makes 12 servings ProPoints® value
0 per serving
Ingredients
200g sugar snap beans, cut into bite-size pieces
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 small courgettes, cubed
120g tomatillos, chopped (optional)
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
400g canned chopped tomatoes
25g green chilli
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp fresh oregano
1440ml vegetable stock
2 roasted peppers, pureed with …
1 Tbsp chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
¾ tsp salt
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
25g fresh coriander, chopped
Instructions
Put sugar snap beans, garlic, courgettes, tomatillos, jalapeno, chopped tomatoes, green chilli, onion, green pepper, cumin, oregano and vegetable into a large soup pot. Puree roasted peppers with chipotle in adobo sauce in a blender or food processor, and add to soup. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes.
Stir in salt, lime juice and coriander. Serve.
So no excuses and no need to buy ready made soup! I bought a fresh carton from Tesco garage the other day that was 11pp for the carton – ouch! Won’t be doing that again.
If the ingredients in those soups are too fiddly, just remember you can use any veggies, any herbs or just stock cubes and water, it'll still taste good.
Good look to all my Bloxwich Babes today, let’s take the roof off!
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Well it’s my last day of meetings for the first week on ProPoints losing and the Amazing Ashmore Park Angels did not let me down last night, they lost WHOOP WHOOP and double WOW, 147lb, how awesome is that, for those not fab at the maths, that's 10.5 STONE!!!! GO ASHMORE!! ;-) Running total this week 45.5 stone (634lb) OMG! How proud am I of all my members, probably even more so of the few that didn’t lose and have gone away more focused and determined to get a loss next week because attitude is everything!
Just for info there’s a typo in shopping guide Mullerlight Strawberry Fruit Corner is 5pp not 2pp (p103). Please if you check something using the packaging and it differs always go by the packaging as errors occur (of course they can occasionally occur on packaging too!) Let me know if you find any.
I think I realised last night that the one thing members need right now are meal ideas, menu plans and recipes so I’m working on it honestly and over the next few weeks I’ll have some stuff sorted. In the meantime here are a few zero point soup recipes to help you on these cold, damp days.
Asian-Inspired Zero ProPoints Value Soup
Makes 12 servings, ProPoints® value
0 per serving
Ingredients
140g pak choi, chopped
150g Chinese cabbage, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
20g fresh ginger root, thinly sliced and julienned
100g oyster mushrooms
100g spring onions, chopped
140g canned water chestnuts, sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1440ml vegetable stock
70g beansprouts
200g mangetout
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
25g coriander, finely chopped
Instructions
Put pak choi, Chinese cabbage, garlic, ginger root, oyster mushrooms, spring onions, water chestnuts, pepper, red pepper flakes and vegetable stock into a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes. Toss in beansprouts and mangetout during the last 3 to 4 minutes of simmering. Add soy sauce and coriander. Serve.
Italian-Inspired Zero ProPoints Value Soup
Makes 12 servings ProPoints® value
0 per serving
Ingredients
40g chicory, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
160g onions, chopped
30g baby spinach
2 small courgettes, cubed
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1440ml vegetable stock
800g canned chopped tomatoes
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
25g fresh parsley, chopped
25g fresh basil
Instructions
Put the chicory, garlic, onions, spinach, courgette, red pepper, fennel bulb, vegetable stock, chopped tomatoes, red pepper flakes, thyme and oregano into a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes.
Stir in salt, black pepper, parsley and basil. Serve.
Mexican-Inspired Zero ProPoints Value Soup
Makes 12 servings ProPoints® value
0 per serving
Ingredients
200g sugar snap beans, cut into bite-size pieces
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 small courgettes, cubed
120g tomatillos, chopped (optional)
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
400g canned chopped tomatoes
25g green chilli
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp fresh oregano
1440ml vegetable stock
2 roasted peppers, pureed with …
1 Tbsp chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
¾ tsp salt
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
25g fresh coriander, chopped
Instructions
Put sugar snap beans, garlic, courgettes, tomatillos, jalapeno, chopped tomatoes, green chilli, onion, green pepper, cumin, oregano and vegetable into a large soup pot. Puree roasted peppers with chipotle in adobo sauce in a blender or food processor, and add to soup. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes.
Stir in salt, lime juice and coriander. Serve.
So no excuses and no need to buy ready made soup! I bought a fresh carton from Tesco garage the other day that was 11pp for the carton – ouch! Won’t be doing that again.
If the ingredients in those soups are too fiddly, just remember you can use any veggies, any herbs or just stock cubes and water, it'll still taste good.
Good look to all my Bloxwich Babes today, let’s take the roof off!
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Wednesday, 17 November 2010
17th November 2010 facebook email
You've done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.
As you can imagine I’m crazy busy at the moment with the new plan but yesterday I sat and read the latest Weight Watcher magazine which has the new ProPoints plan in and I couldn’t believe it was the Christmas edition, actually made me realise it really is that close now. I’m loving the recipes in their though, especially the one for Mulled Wine. There’s a very inspiring story from a lady named Nicola who says ‘Life’s to short to be unhappy’ how true is that statement!
The quote at the top of the page is directed at anyone who feels that learning something new is too much like hard work, trust me the rewards will be well worth the effort. So far this week we’ve lost a staggering 417lb in my meetings that’s 30 stone in just 2 days worth of weight loss!
I received the following email yesterday which I think sums up how a lot of members are feeling about the change to ProPoints, so rather than try and explain it, I thought I’d let the member do it for me with her email.
- - - - - - - - -
Hi Bev,
Hope you are ok,
I am away this week so will not be able to attend the meetings - the good news this should be the last time this year.
WW plan news
Like anything that's different and new it can seem a little daunting especially if time is an issue learning a whole new programme - and that's what I found last week and so it was Saturday before I sat down to go through everything. I have the food and eating out guides and calculator and your sticky labels and when I started, I could not stop pointing up everything and looking through the books for low points options. I am eating better so that's a plus I have been aware for a while I was in a rut using my points unwisely just because as you said it was nice not filling.
I really enjoyed your evening meeting last week and although I find it useful to weigh in the morning I am going to make more time for myself and come along to your evening class when I can as I really felt I got a lot out of it.
I liked the idea of putting the ingredients list on to eSource and getting menus.
I also like the fact that everything we do...eating all your points early in the day or even early in the week you have done and admit to so there's no pulling the wool over your eyes!
Lastly I want to change to the monthly pass will it still be on offer next week?
Regards,
- - - - - - - - -
So as you can see it is worth putting in the effort, I think this member has summed up in an email everything that is great about Weight Watchers, the plan and the importance of staying to your meeting. Attending a meeting to get the diet folder and never coming back will not help you get to goal and be successful, there’s so much more to weight loss and changing. I hope you all agree and I know I will enjoy and take great pleasure in helping your all on your weight loss journey to goal.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
As you can imagine I’m crazy busy at the moment with the new plan but yesterday I sat and read the latest Weight Watcher magazine which has the new ProPoints plan in and I couldn’t believe it was the Christmas edition, actually made me realise it really is that close now. I’m loving the recipes in their though, especially the one for Mulled Wine. There’s a very inspiring story from a lady named Nicola who says ‘Life’s to short to be unhappy’ how true is that statement!
The quote at the top of the page is directed at anyone who feels that learning something new is too much like hard work, trust me the rewards will be well worth the effort. So far this week we’ve lost a staggering 417lb in my meetings that’s 30 stone in just 2 days worth of weight loss!
I received the following email yesterday which I think sums up how a lot of members are feeling about the change to ProPoints, so rather than try and explain it, I thought I’d let the member do it for me with her email.
- - - - - - - - -
Hi Bev,
Hope you are ok,
I am away this week so will not be able to attend the meetings - the good news this should be the last time this year.
WW plan news
Like anything that's different and new it can seem a little daunting especially if time is an issue learning a whole new programme - and that's what I found last week and so it was Saturday before I sat down to go through everything. I have the food and eating out guides and calculator and your sticky labels and when I started, I could not stop pointing up everything and looking through the books for low points options. I am eating better so that's a plus I have been aware for a while I was in a rut using my points unwisely just because as you said it was nice not filling.
I really enjoyed your evening meeting last week and although I find it useful to weigh in the morning I am going to make more time for myself and come along to your evening class when I can as I really felt I got a lot out of it.
I liked the idea of putting the ingredients list on to eSource and getting menus.
I also like the fact that everything we do...eating all your points early in the day or even early in the week you have done and admit to so there's no pulling the wool over your eyes!
Lastly I want to change to the monthly pass will it still be on offer next week?
Regards,
- - - - - - - - -
So as you can see it is worth putting in the effort, I think this member has summed up in an email everything that is great about Weight Watchers, the plan and the importance of staying to your meeting. Attending a meeting to get the diet folder and never coming back will not help you get to goal and be successful, there’s so much more to weight loss and changing. I hope you all agree and I know I will enjoy and take great pleasure in helping your all on your weight loss journey to goal.
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
November 16th 2010 facebook email
Never keep up with Joneses. Drag them down to your level. It's cheaper.
As Kylie Minogue would say, WoW, WoW, WoW, WoW! What a great first day of ProPoint results at the scales, yesterday my scales saw a massive 159lb weight loss; I saw lots of smiling and surprised faces. The feedback has been fantastic, a few members hadn’t had time to sit and read the folder so were going to do that this week, but those that had were happily walking round the supermarket and sitting on the floor in the kitchen with their new little ProPoints calculator working out all the new points and boy was it worth it when they lost weight.
Some members were a little concerned about the Zero ProPoint fruit, remember it’s about eating until you are satisfied which we all know takes a bit of practice but can be mastered. And to reassure you, I’ve never had anyone join Weight Watchers with a fruit problem!
A satisfying amount of fruit and veg has been taken into account in a members daily allowance – so if you cut back because you’re nervous it’s free, then you are actually depriving yourself of something that’s already been allowed for.
On the other hand – if you’re stuffing yourself on fruit then it’s likely you are eating more than the system has built in. Eat until satisfied is the message with fruit. Don’t make fruit the baddie. Remember fruits are some of the healthiest foods there are.
When you get yourself a piece of fruit, take one piece (this can be used with any food) and remind yourself you can have seconds (after all Weight Watchers has given you a 49 weekly ProPoint allowance for such an occasion with none zero foods)! Eat a bit slower, and then check in with your stomach before grabbing for something else.
It’s brilliant to see such weight losses in the middle of November when people are usually struggling to stay afloat because their thinking about Christmas and losing the will. But it’s still 6 weeks away and a lot of weight can be lost in that time, I mean 159lb was lost in just one day!
I just about managed my meat-free Monday but it was difficult, I can’t believe I was a vegan for 8 years! I did succumb to a chow mein from the Chinese takeaway, I’ve been wanting one for weeks now, so it was Alfies lucky day because I picked out all the chicken for him ;-) I had to have the Chow Mein, it had started coming to me in my dreams!
In the words of Oscar Wilde "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself." (The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1891)
Translated – a little of what you fancy does you good, I still managed to still within my daily allowance of 29!
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
As Kylie Minogue would say, WoW, WoW, WoW, WoW! What a great first day of ProPoint results at the scales, yesterday my scales saw a massive 159lb weight loss; I saw lots of smiling and surprised faces. The feedback has been fantastic, a few members hadn’t had time to sit and read the folder so were going to do that this week, but those that had were happily walking round the supermarket and sitting on the floor in the kitchen with their new little ProPoints calculator working out all the new points and boy was it worth it when they lost weight.
Some members were a little concerned about the Zero ProPoint fruit, remember it’s about eating until you are satisfied which we all know takes a bit of practice but can be mastered. And to reassure you, I’ve never had anyone join Weight Watchers with a fruit problem!
A satisfying amount of fruit and veg has been taken into account in a members daily allowance – so if you cut back because you’re nervous it’s free, then you are actually depriving yourself of something that’s already been allowed for.
On the other hand – if you’re stuffing yourself on fruit then it’s likely you are eating more than the system has built in. Eat until satisfied is the message with fruit. Don’t make fruit the baddie. Remember fruits are some of the healthiest foods there are.
When you get yourself a piece of fruit, take one piece (this can be used with any food) and remind yourself you can have seconds (after all Weight Watchers has given you a 49 weekly ProPoint allowance for such an occasion with none zero foods)! Eat a bit slower, and then check in with your stomach before grabbing for something else.
It’s brilliant to see such weight losses in the middle of November when people are usually struggling to stay afloat because their thinking about Christmas and losing the will. But it’s still 6 weeks away and a lot of weight can be lost in that time, I mean 159lb was lost in just one day!
I just about managed my meat-free Monday but it was difficult, I can’t believe I was a vegan for 8 years! I did succumb to a chow mein from the Chinese takeaway, I’ve been wanting one for weeks now, so it was Alfies lucky day because I picked out all the chicken for him ;-) I had to have the Chow Mein, it had started coming to me in my dreams!
In the words of Oscar Wilde "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself." (The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1891)
Translated – a little of what you fancy does you good, I still managed to still within my daily allowance of 29!
Remember life starts now?
Are you living yet?
You’re not alive unless you’re living!
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