Tag Archives: weight watchers

Number one!

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I have a confession to make…I am a magazine junkie. One in particular that I absolutely love is Consumer Reports. I know, not what you expected was it?

I have purchased many items based on how something was rated in Consumer Reports. Weird? Maybe. But I don’t care. I figure, “Why not let someone else do the research for me!”

Well, we received our February 2013 issue recently and as my husband was perusing through it, he was quick to point out an article he knew I would be interested in…VERY interested in, as a matter of fact.

It’s just another example of why I am so thrilled/excited/blessed to work for such an awesome company – Weight Watchers – the best weight loss/healthy living plan around (at least in my opinion!).

Not only are we rated the number one weight loss program by U.S. News and World Report, we also now received the highest score in the commercial weight loss plans in Consumer Reports. Yeah!

I know, I am probably not supposed to do what I am about to do, but I am super excited about the article, so I am sharing all with you! I tried highlighting some of it, but when I scanned it in, the highlighted part doesn’t really show up. If you don’t want to take the time to read the whole article, at least look at page four, where the headline reads: “Get the most out of Weight Watchers.”

It’s AWESOME information!

So, without further ado, here’s the article (all four pages of it!):

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

So, that’s it. Pretty cool, huh?

Why wait?

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I over did it.

With food, not exercise. Unfortunately.

And…fortunately!

This holiday season, I kind of let myself slip a little. Okay, maybe more than a little.

But, you want to know what? I’m okay with it. And you want to know another thing? I think my husband is, too. The last few Christmas seasons, I’ve been, well, let’s just say, a little tense. Okay, maybe a little more than just a little. And truthfully, I think it had to do with food.

Both my husband and I commented this year about how much more calm I’ve been and how much less stressed I’ve been. I didn’t really think anything about it, until this morning – this really, really early morning, like 5 a.m. when I couldn’t sleep because my mind wouldn’t shut off. I came to the realization that the last couple of Christmases, I was so freaked out about gaining weight and not overeating that it kind of made me a little too tense and a little too stressed. And unfortunately, I took it out on my poor husband and my poor son. Sorry, guys!

I realized this year, that I didn’t want to be SO concerned about the food and just enjoy the holiday and you wanna know what? I am so glad I did. So what if I gained a little weight? I thoroughly enjoyed my Christmas Eve dinner. I mean, REALLY enjoyed it. But, who wouldn’t with these super delicious, super cheesy, super creamy, super awesome potatoes that my mom made – at, MY request!

Yummy goodness. (I know the picture isn’t the best and I know it doesn’t really do the potatoes any justice, but rest assured, they were THAT good!)

I also enjoyed the delicious ham, the delicious lettuce salad, the delicious strawberry tapioca pudding salad, the cookies, the caramel marshmallow treats, the chips and dip, the rice Krispie bars, the peanut brittle, the pretzel Rolo treats, the cheese and crackers, the wine and THE EVERYTHING else I am forgetting about.

But here’s the cool part. I don’t have to wait until January 1 to get back on track. I don’t have to wait until the New Year, the new day, the new whatever! I don’t have to wait for anything. I can get back on track TODAY. I get to make that decision. And that makes me happy. That makes me less stressed and able to enjoy the holiday season even more.

But now, here’s the biggest question…will I?

I’m. Not. Tracking.

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I am on vacation in Las Vegas, Nevada and I am not tracking.

There, I said it.

I made a plan before I left where I gave myself a 5-pound leeway. I am okay if I end up gaining five (5) pounds. Really, truly, I am.

On Friday, which is when we left, I weighed myself at home and I was at 144.4, which was actually pretty good considering I have been maintaining at about 148. I was actually pretty happy with what the scale said. So, I decided that I was okay if….and I mean IF….I end up gaining five pounds while we are vacationing in Vegas.

And, I have absolutely no intentions of tracking. None. At all. Nada.

For those of you who are Weight Watchers members, you will know what a big deal this is. For those of you who aren’t, in WW, we track everything. And, I mean EVERYTHING. Or at least I usually track everything.

By that, I mean that everything I eat – every last morsel – gets recorded and assigned what we call a PointsPlus Value. But, while on this vacation, I have absolutely no intentions of tracking. Anything. At. All.

HOWEVER….and this is a pretty big however. I plan on keeping my portions in check. I plan to not go overboard (except for maybe a few more beverages than I usually have!). I plan on getting in lots of activity (of course, I will be wearing my ActiveLink! And I can’t wait to see what kind of activity points I will be getting!), and I plan on taking photos of everything I eat, which will help in keeping my portions and my choices in check.

I know this is not usually the ideal situation, but, when it comes to vacations, my philosophy is that I want to have fun, but at the same time, I don’t want to go overboard. I don’t want to be consumed by Weight Watchers. I want to have fun, indulge and yet, still have a plan. By setting myself up for a five-pound gain, I am not setting myself up to fail; I am setting myself up to succeed. I know I won’t actually gain those five pounds – or at least I really don’t think I will – but, by allowing myself to do will not make me feel upset or guilty or bad if I actually do.

I hope this makes sense. It makes perfect sense in my mind.

So, my dear readers, wish me luck on this vacation as I am about to embark on my biggest quest so far…running a half-marathon down Las Vegas Boulevard!

Stay tuned for an update after Sunday evening’s race!

 

November 19, 2008…when it all began!

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So, I guess it’s been awhile, huh? Wow! I guess I let life get in the way. Or, maybe it’s because I’ve been lazy. Or, maybe it’s because I didn’t feel like I had anything else to say. Or, maybe I did’t think anyone was really interested anymore. Whatever the reason, I decided to come back. At least for now. :-)

Although I really don’t want to make any promises, I am going to try – really, really hard – to post at least once a week. Okay? Sound like a plan? Tell you what, I’ll make you a deal…I’ll post once a week if you, my dear readers, promise to check in on me and read what I write and maybe, just maybe, comment once in awhile. Provide me with some feedback. Is it a deal? Yes? Good.

Then, let’s begin.

November 19, 2008. Four years ago today.

Who knew back then how much my life would change? Who knew that walking through the door of my very first Weight Watchers meeting would make that big of a difference? I mean, really, it was supposed to be “just another diet.” Because, let’s face it, I had tried just about every other diet under the sun, why would this one be any different?

Let’s just say, it was different. WAY different.

For starters, it isn’t a diet. I repeat…IT IS NOT A DIET! It is one hundred percent – 100% – a lifestyle change. And if anybody thinks any differently, they don’t want/need it bad enough. That, my dear friends, is the difference.

A DIET. This is where you just want to lose weight as quickly and as effortlessly as possible. No change, really. No learning. No adapting. Not long term. No work. No effort. No desire. Nothing, really. Just get the weight off…fast and with very little effort. Truly, I don’t think I have met one person who has “dieted” and kept the weight off that they lost. Really. Truly. We’ve all been there. We’ve all done that.

A LIFESTYLE CHANGE. This one, on the other hand, takes work – HARD WORK, determination, desire, dedication, a willingness to change, much effort, support, trust and oh-so-much more. Truly, it is one of the hardest things to do short term, let along long term.

I can’t even begin to explain how grateful I am that I decided – FINALLY – to do the lifestyle change and not “just another diet.” It has been one of the most rewarding journeys I have ever taken. Truly. Honestly.

CHANGES over the last four years:

  • No more high blood pressure.
  • No more high blood pressure medication.
  • No more high cholesterol.
  • No more yelling stern talks from my doctor.
  • No more diabetes lingering.
  • No more obesity – yes, I was in the obese category.
  • A healthier body mass index (BMI).
  • Less fat and more muscle.
  • More energy.
  • An expanded, healthier diet – as in the foods I eat on regular basis. (Don’t get me wrong, I still eat my favs – cake, ice cream, cheese, crackers, cookies, chips, etc. Just not on a regular basis.)
  • A more active lifestyle – I am now a runner. (In 2012, my husband and I will have competed in 27 races, ranging from a 1-mile sprint to 5K races, to 10K races, to a 10-mile race, to our first half-marathon!)
  • A new career – I quit my job of 12 years as a newspaper reporter to becoming a leader with Weight Watchers. I now try and do what my leader did for me – give me a life, a much better life.
  • A different and better attitude.
  • More confidence.
  • A better relationship with my husband. (Not that it really could have gotten better as we have a pretty awesome relationship the way it is.)
  • A better outlook on life.
  • An active YMCA membership.

I know I could go on and on with all the changes that have taken place, but I won’t bore you any longer. All I know is that I am glad I walked through that door the very first time and I’m glad I kept walking through it, week after week, year after year. As cliché as it sounds, Weight Watchers truly changed my life. And I know, it’s only going to get better.

 

 

Hitting home

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Wow, this week’s topic in my Weight Watchers meeting sure hit home…not just for my members, but for me as well.

The topic was being kind to ourselves and how easy it is to beat ourselves up when we think we have failed. We talked about how we tend to turn to food when things turn ugly…we skipped the gym, we made a bad decision, we’re feeling depressed, we’re celebrating, etc.

I have to say it was my best meeting so far. It was the kind of meeting that really made my members – and myself – think, dig deep into the heart of our feelings and so much more. Yes, some of my meeting rooms were awfully quiet this week, but I didn’t mind. I could almost see the wheels turning inside my members’ brains.

I loved it. Sometimes, we touch on the surface of our eating problems or we just give tips on what we can do to pump up our exercise or change up our food, but sometimes, we got to get down and dirty, we have to get to the nitty gritty of our food issues. And that’s what they are. Issues.

At the end of the meeting, I read a saying – the author was unknown – about what food CAN do for us and basically what it can’t. It was AWESOME! Which, is the reason I am sharing it with all of you. My hope is that it hits home for all of you, like it did for me…especially the last one!

Here it is:

Please take this to heart!

A simple, but delicious date night dinner

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My husband and I discovered that we really love tuna steaks – ahi tuna, albacore tuna, yellowfin tuna – you name it, we love it. However, unlike much of the world, we don’t like tuna tar-tar, which is pretty much raw tuna. We love it grilled – all the way through. When cooked all the way, tuna really can be compared to eating a pork chop – or at least that’s what we think!

Last night (Saturday, April 21), we dined on a wonderfully simple recipe my husband found on the Internet called Grilled Mediterranean Ahi Tuna. Although it didn’t have very many ingredients, it had a lot of flavor. We paired it with a Weight Watchers recipe, roasted asparagus and red peppers. Again, simple, but oh-so-flavorful!

Below are pictures of our meal and the recipes. Enjoy!

The meal!

Close up of the tuna

Close up of the veggies

The tuna recipe

The veggie recipe

Disgusted and appalled!

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This week in my Weight Watchers meetings our topic was portions and portion control. One of my members recently returned from Las Vegas and shared a story with our group. I think the entire time she spoke, my jaw – along with everyone else’s jaws – were hanging on the floor.

Heart Attack Grill.

Have you ever heard of it? I wish I never had. In a world where obesity is now an epidemic and continues to spiral out of control, restaurants such as this should not be able to open. Plain and simple, they should not exist. It is utterly disgusting and repulsive. They celebrate obesity like it’s a good thing.

I mean, seriously, HEART ATTACK GRILL??????? What kind of name is that anyway? You want your customers to HAVE a heart attack? Like this is something good? Obviously, you don’t value peoples’ lives. I am angered by this restaurant. Seriously angered. How can the owner celebrate obesity? How can the owner celebrate an unhealthy lifestyle? Why does the owner wish ill health upon customers?

So, what is this restaurant all about? Well, for starters, if you weigh over 350 pounds, you get to eat for free. Really? You’ve got to be kidding me. There is a scale to weigh the customers and it’s not in private. Oh no, it’s in-your-face in front of everyone so people can cheer you on, hoping and wishing you tip the scale over that 350-pound mark so you can eat for free. And by the way, cheering heavy people on? What? What the hell is this world coming to? Utter disgust.

The waitresses, apparently, are dressed in nurses outfits. Really? Like if someone had a heart attack they would know what to do. Don’t think so. And speaking of that, apparently some guy had a heart attack in the restaurant recently and had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital. Really? It was publicized like it was cool. O.M.G!!!!!!!! Give me a break. Luckily, the guy didn’t die.

Shouldn’t this be a wake-up call? Come on people…QUIT patronizing the restaurant!!!!!!! Quit celebrating obesity!!!!! Quick celebrating an unhealthy lifestyle!!!!!!

I found some pictures, via the restaurants website, that I thought I would share with you all. Really, I can’t even find the right words anymore to explain how disgusted I am. It truly is repulsive. Plain and simple.

Check ‘em out:

The outside of the building

Yep, here are the waitresses (I'll keep my comments to myself on this one!)

Apparently, this is called the quadruple burger. For real? I wonder how many Points Plus Values this has?

The outside of the menu

The inside of the menu

Can you feel my blood pressure rising? This is so utterly ridiculous. But I guess it fits in Vegas, doesn’t it?

Like P.F. Chang’s lettuce wraps? Try these!

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Last week, one of my Weight Watchers members gave me a recipe for lettuce wraps. The recipe was supposed to be similar to P.F. Chang’s signature lettuce wraps. Well, I am here to tell you…they were DELICIOUS! And yes, very close to the ones at the wonderful Chinese restaurant.

My guess, however, is that these are just a wee-bit healthier!

My awesomely, wonderful chef-of-a-husband made them for us today. Because I enjoyed them so much, I thought I would share the recipe with all of you. So, here you go…ENJOY!

Turkey mixture

1 lb extra lean ground turkey

8 scallions, white & green part chopped

1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, drained, rinsed & chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped fine

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp ginger (either from a jar or freshly grated)

1 tbsp water

2 tsp sesame oil

1 large head butter lettuce, washed, dried & leaves separated

Sauce

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tbsp ginger (either from a jar or freshly grated)

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp garlic

1. In a large pan, brown the turkey, breaking up the pieces. Pour into a colander in the sink and drain the fat. Return chicken to pan. When cool enough to handle, break the turkey into pieces until minced.

2. Add the scallions, water chestnuts, red pepper, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, water and sesame oil. Cook for a few minutes until the scallions and red pepper are soft. Keep warm.

3. In a small bowl, add all the dipping sauce ingredients together and mix well.

4. To assemble each wrap, spoon about 2/3 cup mixture onto one lettuce leaf, top with about one teaspoon of sauce and then roll it up and enjoy!

Makes: 8 lettuce wraps – Use about 2/3 cup mixture, one lettuce leaf & 1 tsp of dipping sauce per wrap

PointsPlus Value per serving: 2

Lettuce wraps

Where have I been?

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Wow, it has been a long time since I last blogged. Time just kind of got away from me. So, I suppose you would like to know how things have been going. I don’t even know where to start!

How about I start with a photo comparison of me? I just posted these pictures to my Confessions of a [former] Fat Girl Facebook site, which you can find here. Check this out:

Yep, this is me.

Okay, so now I got that out of the way. Well, kind of. Sometimes, when I look in the mirror, I see the person on the left. It’s when I look at pictures – side by side – like this that I can actually see a difference.

I am proud of myself, I won’t lie. And I won’t lie and say that it’s been easy. It hasn’t. I have good days and then, I have bad days – well, weeks. Sometimes, I need reminders, like the picture above to prove to me how far I’ve actually come.

So, I suppose you’re wondering why I haven’t posted in such a long time. I guess it’s because things haven’t been the best. I have been on this downward spiral since probably Christmas. One of my Weight Watchers members made me realize this week as to why I have probably been in this slump. Two words: My sister.

As many of you know, my oldest sister, Donna, died last year – January 31, 2011. I went through a really rough time after her death – I thought eating my way through the pain was going to help. It didn’t. It made it worse. Well, this past Christmas was our first Christmas without her and it has been since then that things started going down hill. Then, when the one-year anniversary of her death came, I didn’t realize it, but it really hit hard. Again, I tried to mask the pain with food. And again, it didn’t help. It only made it worse.

I reached my highest weight in a long, long, long time…I hit 149.2. So. Not. Cool.

I realized I hit rock bottom when, while traveling back from St. Cloud, I stopped at a grocery store and bought this:

 

Yep, this is what I bought.

I ate half of it before I even realized what I did. When I got home, I wrapped the box – the evidence – in  some plastic bags and then threw it in the garbage – the outside garbage – so no one would know. Well, now all of you know. I think that has been my problem lately, is that I haven’t been honest – with myself – or with others. I have been “closet eating” again, which is why I haven’t felt like blogging.

In the last few months, I have had good days, but I have had some really bad days. One of the things that I think has saved me from gaining even more weight is that my husband and I have been going to the YMCA. So, at least I haven’t lost that part…I am still exercising. Thank goodness.

But, I am back on track. FOR REAL! I have lost about five pounds and am working on five more. I would like to stay right around 138-140. That is where I feel the best. And I know I can do it.

Thanks for all of your support. And I apologize for being MIA for so long. I will try not to do it again. Thanks for reading my blog and remember, you can keep up-to-date with me on my Facebook page, which you can find here.

Take care and remember, even when you feel like you can’t continue, you can. You can do anything you put your mind to. Baby steps. One foot in front of another. YOU CAN DO IT!

Is it time for a new start?

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The new year is almost here, which is always a great time to jump on board the healthy living train. But nothing says you have to wait until the new year. Why not start now?

If you have ever thought about joining Weight Watchers, why not come to a meeting to check us out. Everyone is always invited to attend one meeting for free. So, what are you waiting for. Come visit me and my staff to find out about the program – which by the way was rated as the number one weight loss diet (Yes, I despise this word, but whatever) by U.S. News and World Report.

Below, I have listed all the meetings that I do each week. You can also go to the Weight Watchers website and click on the “meeting finder” to find one if your area. Click here for more information.

Okay, so here is where you can find me each week:

Monday

CentraCare Clinic, Melrose – weigh-in starts at noon and the meeting starts at 12:30 p.m.

Senior Center, Sauk Centre – weigh-in starts at 5:30 p.m. and the meeting starts at 6 p.m.

Tuesday

PrimeWest Health, Alexandria – weigh-in starts at 6:45 a.m. and the meeting starts at 7:15 a.m.

University of Minnesota-Morris – weigh-in starts at 11:45 a.m. and the meeting starts at 12:15 p.m.

Morris Community Library, Morris – weigh-in starts at 4:30 p.m. and the meeting starts at 5 p.m.

Wednesday

Senior Center, Alexandria – weigh-ins start at 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. and the meetings start at 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.

Ambulance Garage, Wheaton – weigh-in starts at 3:30 p.m. and the meeting start at 4 p.m.

Thursday

Encore Capital Credit, St. Cloud – weigh-in starts at 10 a.m. and the meeting starts at 10:30 a.m.

Wolters Kluwer, St. Cloud – weigh-in starts at 12 p.m. and the meeting starts at 12:30 p.m.

Glacial Ridge Hospital, Glenwood – weigh-in starts at 5 p.m. and the meeting starts at 5:30 p.m.

Friday

Weight Watchers Center, Waite Park – weigh-in starts at 11:45 a.m. and the meeting starts at 12:15 p.m.

If you have any questions about Weight Watchers or the meetings, PLEASE send me an email and I will do my best to answer! You can send an email to celbeam@gmail.com. I would LOVE to hear from you!!!!!