Explore. Dream. Discover!

Dear Weight Watchers Friends,

Wedding bells rang last Saturday, October 11, 2008, for two of our wonderful Tuesday night members, Shae and Kelly. And thank you, Lyddia (Shae's best friend and another of our wonderful members), for sharing this wonderful photo of the happy couple! Shae, you make an incredibly beautiful princess bride and, Kelly, you're definitely her handsome prince. Congratulations from all your friends at WW.

Some Highlights of This Week's Meeting. I loved this meeting topic. As is always the case, I learn so much from you during our meetings. We had some very "deep" thoughts shared and I'm certain I wasn't the only one who experienced some "ah-ha" moments. I appreciate so much how many of you open up in our meetings and discuss some of the ups and down of this journey. And thank you, too, for everyone for being so respectful and listening when comments are shared! You're an amazing group of people and I feel VERY lucky to know you and to spend each Tuesday night with you.

During our meeting, we spoke about how the weight-loss journey has many similarities to the journeys taken by "discoverers" of the past (i.e., Christopher Columbus, Thomas Edison, Tina Turner, etc.)--those amazing people who paved the way for us either by discovering things that have made our lives better, or showing us, by their examples, that we can do hard things! We talked about the importance of:

Defining a specific winning outcome

Initiating a plan

Seeking out resources and information

Considering (learning from) experiences

Opening ourselves up to the unknown

Visualizing the treasures or reward we will find

Examining and renewing our commitment (often)

Resolving to keep going (in the face of obstacles and disappointments)

What needs to happen for you to discover success this week?

Can taking any of these discover steps take you closer to your own "Discovery Day"?

Can you accomplish it with the help of something you heard in our meeting this week?

Will you do it?

Mark Twain wrote the following:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Next Week's Meeting Topic . . . What are you really hungry for?

Do you ever feel puzzled by a desire to eat--even though you've already had a good meal or snack? If so, you'll definitely want to attend next week's meeting to discover what you could really be hungry for, and how you can get "it" in better ways.

AWARDS

Several of you discovered that when you diligently follow the program, you find success! I am always so impressed with the number of 5-lb. stars that are given out each week. Congratulations to each of you who earned a star this week--or who made a "behavior" breakthrough that will eventually result in success on the scale. BRAVO!

Congratulations, Camilla Pucket, for earning your 16-Week Stay & Succeed award, and Grace Edwards--WOW--you've lost 25 lbs. Thank you for your excellent examples!

Recipes

I am hoping that some of you have some great Weight-Watchers friendly "Thanksgiving Day" recipes to share with us in the coming weeks. The holidays are rapidly approaching and we're all going to want to discover the many ways we can explore the holidays without gaining weight!

In the meantime, here's a great recipe I found on the Internet:

Swanson® Heart Healthy Chicken Sandwich

From: Campbell's Kitchen
Prep: 10 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. nonfat plain yogurt

2 tbsp. light mayonnaise

1/3 cup chopped celery

2 tbsp. finely chopped onions

1 can (9.75 ounces) Swanson® Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained

8 slices Pepperidge Farm® 100% Whole Wheat Thin Sliced Bread 8 slices tomatoes 4 lettuce leaves

Directions:
Stir the yogurt, mayonnaise, celery, onion and chicken in a medium bowl.
Divide the chicken mixture among 4 bread slices.
Top with the tomato, lettuce and remaining bread slices.

To make 2 sandwiches: Use 1 can (4.5 ounces) Swanson® Premium Chunk Chicken Breast, drained, 1/4 cup chopped celery and reduce all other ingredients by half. Prepare as directed above.

To make 1 sandwich: Use 1 can (3 ounces) Swanson® Premium Chunk Chicken Breast, drained, 2 teaspoons nonfat plain yogurt, 2 teaspoons light mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons chopped celery, 2 teaspoons finely chopped onion, 2 slices Pepperidge Farm® 100% Whole Wheat Thin Sliced Bread, 2 slices tomato and 1 lettuce leaf. Prepare as directed above.

Nutrition Information
Calories 232, Total Fat 6g, Saturated Fat 1g, Cholesterol 28mg, Sodium 516mg, Total Carbohydrate 29g, Dietary Fiber 5g, Protein 15g, Vitamin A 19%DV, Vitamin C 14%DV, Calcium 8%DV, Iron 9%DV

Motivational Thought

It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult. – Seneca

Have a great weekend! See you Tuesday.

Debra

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

Good morning, wonderful Weight Watchers friends! (I'm thinking I'll just shorten this to "WWWF")

Thank you so much for another DELIGHTFUL meeting last night. I marvel at how close our group has grown. It is wonderful to see how much you care for each other and how close we're all becoming. I watched last night as as you interacted with each other in our "Build A Soup" activity and it just warmed my heart. Wasn't last night's meeting FUN? I love it when we can laugh and share. For those of you who have the information about the "soups" your group created, including the CLEVER names that you came up with for them, I would really appreciate it if you'd e-mail that information to me so we can add it to our blog! The soups all sounded DELICIOUS and I seriously think we should make them. If any of you have other great soup recipes, please send them to me, too. THANK YOU. I had requests from several of you who want the list of optional ingredients that were used last night, and I'll definitely add that list to our blog soon, too.

I have GREAT news! Our "Weight Walkers" t-shirts arrived this morning, so I will have them for you Saturday morning at Liberty Park. I will be at the park by 8:00 am and I will stay at the Weight Watchers booth (I believe the booth will be at the southeast corner of the park, close to 700 East) and will distribute the shirts there. If you didn't order one of our team shirts, and you want a t-shirt, the American Cancer Society will be selling dark blue shirts that you can purchase on Saturday. You don't need to buy a shirt to participate--and there's no registration fee. But, of course, the ACS will gratefully accept any donations you feel you can make to this very worthy cause. If you have ANY questions, please let me know. I received the following message from the ACS with the "details" you'll need.

* * * * * *

Dear Debra

It's the day we've all been looking forward to - and it's finally here (almost)! The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer® of Salt Lake City, Utah will take place - Rain or Shine - this Saturday, October 11th at Liberty Park. The park is located at 600 East 1000 South, Salt Lake City.

We can't wait to see you there! Here are a few day of reminders:

• The walk will take place rain or shine... Because Breast Cancer happens rain or shine too!
• Registration will begin at 8:00 am
• Event begins at 9:00 am
• It can take between 1 & 1/2 to 2 hours to walk the 4.2 miles route
• Each individual should bring their own donations they have collected to the registration tent to turn it in
• Unfortunately, we cannot provide the number of walkers and money raised by each company. This event is too large for us to be able to track that information.
• Parking is available around the park itself but is limited
• CARPOOL! CARPOOL! CARPOOL!
• Please secure all your valuables

Click here for a map.

Before we get together to honor our survivors and celebrate the progress we've made in the fight against breast cancer, we want to thank you one more time for lending your time and energy to the American Cancer Society. There are not enough words to express our appreciation!

Why is Making Strides a success? Because of people like you!

So thank you - and see you this weekend!

Sincerely,

Your American Cancer Society
Utah Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

* * * * * *

Okay, that's it for today. I'll update our blog later on this week, so be watching for that ... AND REMEMBER ...

HAVE A "SOUPER" WEEK (you knew it was coming, right?)

Debra

P.S. See you Saturday morning (unless you're getting married that morning--Shae and Kelly--then you're excused)!

Soup's On!

Dear Wonderful Weight Watchers Friends!

This was another fantastic week. We were able to, once again, discuss the weight-loss journey and share what works, laugh about what doesn't, and get one step closer to our goals.

Some highlights of this week's meeting:
Our meeting this week was titled "Soup's On." We talked about all the amazing benefits (health, money- and time-savings, etc.) associated with eating soup for an appetizer, meal, or snack. Thank you so much for your great participation in our build-a-soup activity. We had such fun! Many of you asked for the list of ingredients we used during our discussion and, as promised, here's the list:

Vegetables
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Corn
Onion
Peas
Peppers
Spinach
Squash
Tomatoes

Starches & Grains
Barley
Beans
Brown Rice
Bulgar
Couscous
Lentils
Potatoes
Whole-wheat pasta

Lean Meats
Beef
Chicken
Lamb
Pork
Turkey

Other
Herbs
Soy Sauce
Spices
Taco Sauce
Teriyaki Sauce
Broth/bouillon (beef, chicken, or vegetable)
Tomato Juice
Tomato Paste

Combine 1-4 items from each group of ingredients to make a nutritious and filling soup.

If you have a favorite soup recipe or have the recipes we "created" during our meeting, please share those with me and I will include them in future blog posts. You may either bring a copy of your favorite recipes to our meeting, or send me an e-mail message. My personal e-mail address is lifeisglorious@gmail.com.

Next week's meeting topic . . . "Explore. Dream. Discover."
On Monday, we celebrate Columbus Day (aka Discovery/Discoverer's Day). You won't want to miss our meeting when we'll be discussing what Columbus and other discoverers can teach us about weight loss! This is going to be a great meeting. You will learn the steps you need to DISCOVER your dream!

Awards. I am thrilled with the number of awards we continue to celebrate during our meeting. Many (many) of you earned 5-lb. stars. In addition, our congratulations go out to the following successful members: Randy and Lisa each earned their "16-week Stay & Succeed" award and Candice and Linda have each lost 25 lbs. and earned their 25 lb. medallions! Thank you for letting us celebrate with you--and thank you for being such fantastic role models to all of us.

A few of you came up to me after our meeting and mentioned that you'd been attending for at least 16 weeks, but hadn't yet received your 16-week Stay & Succeed award. It is never our intention to neglect anyone who has earned an award (whether it's the 16-week award, 10%, 25 lb., 50 lb., 75 lb., goal, lifetime, etc.). Please forgive us--and remind us ANY TIME you have earned an award and we neglect to acknowledge it. Although we, as a Weight Watchers staff, work very hard to recognize all the milestone moments of each and every member, we often get so busy at the scale that we may occasionally overlook an award. There is no excuse--and we will work harder to make sure we give you each award that you earn--but please remind us if we do ever forget.

I wish to express a BIG "Thank You" for those of you who participated in the "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" event that took place at Liberty Park yesterday morning. They announced at the event that more then $50,000 had been raised. WOW! If you ordered a t-shirt and were unable to attend the event, I will have your shirt(s) for you on Tuesday at our meeting. Although it was cold, the event was a huge success. It didn't rain or snow until the event was over--so we were lucky! I know many of you gave donations at the park, and I don't have a record of all the donations that were made, but I do know that, prior to Saturday, our team "Weight Walkers" collected at last $250 in donations! AMAZING. You are absolutely wonderful, generous people and it's a privilege to know each one of you. I got to walk with three of you (and a 4-legged angel) and it was a privilege to get to know you better. Thank you, Tif (and Traveler), Amy, and Margel for walking with me and making the event so enjoyable.

One final HUGE congratulations goes out to Shae and Kelly who were married on Saturday morning! Congratulations, newlyweds. Best wishes from all your friends at Weight Watchers.

Finally, thank you, Jill, for the recipes you provided (below). They both sounds delicious!

Motivational Thought:

There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not. Robert F. Kennedy

In anticipation of Tuesday night's meeting, please come prepared to discuss YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS DREAMS!

Warmest regards,

Debra

TACO SOUP

1 lb ground beef

1 large onion diced

16 oz can chili beans with liquid (I use the one in the hot sauce)

15 oz can kidney beans with liquid

15 oz can black beans with liquid

15 oz can corn with liquid

6 oz can tomato sauce

15 oz can peeled diced tomatoes

4 oz can diced green chili peppers (I use the hot version)

4 oz can diced jalapenos (optional)

1.25 oz package of taco or chili seasoning

1-2 cups water

Sautee onions and brown beef (lightly season or salt the beef).

Add the onions, beef and all other ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

(I usually do it just in a stockpot on the stove. I don’t think its necessary to cook it for 8 hours)

1 cup = 3 Points or CORE!

CHICKEN FIESTA

1 can corn drained

1 can black beans drained

Put into crock pot

Place 4 chicken breast halves on top. Cover with 16 oz jar of picante salsa

Cook on low 6-7 hours

4 servings = 4 Points

With ½ cup brown rice = 6 Points or CORE!

Top with fat free sour cream, if desired.

*NOTE* After cooking the chicken shreds easily; it’s really tasty wrapped in a tortilla as well!

Look Back and Learn

Dear Wonderful Weight Watchers Friends!

This was another fantastic week. We were able to, once again, discuss the weight-loss journey and share what works, laugh about what doesn't, and get one step closer to our goals.

Some highlights of this week's meeting.

This week, we talked about learning from the past--both the positive things that we've done that have worked well, and the negative things that we need to change (or avoid). When asked the question, "By show of hands, who here has ever been successful losing weight before?" every hand in the group was raised. Because we know ourselves better than anyone else, we likely know what works and what doesn't, when it comes to our losing weight.

• We know, for example, what motivates us (and what doesn't). During our discussion, a member shared that it's not helpful to her when seemingly helpful friends and family members monitor her "food intake" too closely (couldn't agree more). I look forward to our future discussions on learning to be assertive.


• We know what's the best way (for us) to add physical activity. I very much appreciated the comment about increasing activity by parking farther away in parking lots, taking stairs instead of elevators, and just simply MOVING MORE!


• We know what foods are winners for weight loss. A big "thank you" to those who shared some great "fabulous finds" (WW friendly foods) and discussed the benefits of eating low-POINT veggies, low-POINT ice cream, etc.


• We know what snacks we can enjoy (and what snacks we should avoid).

Almost everyone, at one time or another, has had a weight-loss setback. When we stop to reflect about the setback(s) and realize what HELPS and what HINDERS our weight loss, then we can ultimately turn every experience into a success! So, rather than criticize yourself for not being perfect, become curious about setbacks and decide how to manage similar situations more successfully next time.

We each have many experiences--some from months or years ago, and some as recent as a few hours, days or weeks ago--that can truly help us be successful, if we will just learn from those experiences. Everything that has happened before can be helpful to us now. Remember: FEEDBACK, NOT FAILURE.

So, take a look in your rearview mirror and learn from your past experiences. And remember, in a car's rearview mirror, "objects are often closer than they appear." Your goals are also closer than they sometimes appear. Learn what you can from the setbacks you have, and move forward. You WILL reach your goal.

Next week's meeting topic--"Soup's On"

We will continue our discussion about "learning more about ourselves." We'll be discussing, specifically, how soup can become our personal secret weapon for weight loss. If you have a great WW friendly soup recipe, PLEASE bring a copy of the recipe with you. I will be more than happy to post the recipes on our blog.

Speaking of recipes, I know many of you already have this recipe (it's a WW favorite), but for those of you who don't, I think you're going to really like it! It's one of MY favorites.

1 POINT Chocolate Muffins (makes 24 - 1 POINT each)

3 cups All Bran (or Fiber One) cereal

2 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

1 pkg. Krusteaz fat-free brownie mix (other fat-free muffin mixes work well, too)

Soak cereal in water for 10 minutes (it'll swell and become mushy). Add baking powder, vanilla and muffin mix. Mix well. Spray muffin cups before filling.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Upcoming Events:

Next Saturday, October 11, is the "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" walk/run at Liberty Park. Registration begins at 8:00 am, the walk begins at 9:00 am. For those of you who ordered t-shirts, I hope to have them by Tuesday (they are being shipped to my house and I haven't received them yet), but if they don't show up by then, I will definitely have them for you at Liberty Park next Saturday morning. WW will have a booth and you'll be able to find me there! Our team is "Weight Walkers" and, if you're able to make a donation, please do so. It's for SUCH a great cause. You can find our team at the following location (just copy and paste this link).

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/MakingStridesAgainstBreastCancer/MSABCBlueprint?px=8155896&pg=personal&fr_id=11683

And congratulations, Amy (our team's co-captain), for raising $215 (so far) in donations. You're an inspiration.

Awards
Sincere congratulations to each of you for your success this week (whether or not the results showed up on the scale). Many of you earned additional 5-lb. stars and we had two major milestone awards, as follows:

• Lisa earned her 10% award, and has also now lost 25 lbs.


• Karen has lost 50 lbs. WOW.

Thank you for letting us celebrate with you--and thank you for being such fantastic role models to all of us. You're definitely STARS!

I'll leave you with this thought, which, by the way, ties in nicely with this week's discussion:

"There are two ways of meeting difficulties: you alter the difficulties, or you alter yourself to meet them." Phyllis Bottome

Have a wonderful weekend. I hope to see you again next Tuesday!

Warmest regards,

Debra