Change

The only constant is change.

The plan is changing again.  I was doing WW the last time the plan changed and I'm doing it again.  The last time it changed I was scared and angry.  "The old was working for me, why did they have to go and mess it up?" I thought.  But the new way worked too.  In fact it worked better for me. 

The plan is new starting today.  I haven't made the time to study the changes online yet.  I'm counting my Points through the end of the week and then I'll learn a new program.  But I'm not scared about it this time.  The people at WW have put a lot of studying and time in this.  They think I can do it. 

And frankly, I need to shake up my routine. I've been stuck at this weight for a long time now with no celebrations.  I need to make some changes to get out of this rut.  So I'm looking forward to the change.  I'm going to the meeting next week with an open mind ready to learn the new system.  Just in time for Christmas!

The other big change next week will be that we have a new leader.  Kay is retiring.  So please join me in wishing the best for Kay!  And to welcome our new leader (I think her name is Elizabeth).   We all hope to see you at some of the meetings Kay!  It's been great to know you! Good luck!!!

ATTENTION!!! BAD WEATHER WARNING

If the temperature is below 15 degrees F the Thanksgiving day walk will be cancelled.  The trail is unlikely to be plowed and will potentially be pretty icy.  To be safe that walk will be cancelled, unless someone else has an idea for an alternate route.  If you do have an alternate, let me know and I'll post it here. 

Thanks! 
Kay and Krista

Give Blood, Please.

The Inland Northwest Blood Center is in need of blood.  Please take the time before Thanksgiving to donate.  It doesn't take long and you can save 3 lives at once.   

My family is thankful for the people who donate.  My father's life was saved after a traumatic car accident only 18 months ago, by blood donation. 

The need is great at this time of the year, and while it's difficult to make the time and get to the blood center your efforts are worth it!  Save a life!!

Also, please keep in mind that A PINTS A POUND THE WORLD AROUND!!!   It's good for your body as well as the recipient!

Thanksgiving Day Weight Watchers Walk

 

3rd Annual Thanksgiving Day Weight Watchers Walk

Thursday, November 25

8 a.m.

Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive

First Parking Lot (off Sherman on Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive, past golf course and new condos, first parking lot is just past the overpass for Potlatch Road, on the right.)

Walk as far as you have time for!!!!

To the base of Bennett Bay Hill and back is about 4 miles

To the top of Bennett Bay Hill and back is about 5 miles

To Higgens Point and back is about 9 miles

 

We saw 5 eagles yesterday (Sunday, November 21)

 

Bring kids, husbands, wives, dogs, cats, aunts, uncles, parents, neighbors---everyone welcome!!!

It takes time

"I didn't put the weight on overnight, why should it come off overnight?"

We have all heard it said and it makes sense deep down, but it doesn't change our feeling that this takes soooo long.  Losing weight is hard and it takes time.  And I'm not talking about just the time from your first weigh in when you registered for WW to the time you make lifetime.  That can be a very long time for some of us (and multiple times for others.  This is the 4th time I've registered for WW). 

I'm also talking about the time each and every day we consider, fret, count, and plan our days.  It seems like it can take a lot of time to do all those things we need to do to be successful.  Think about it.  It would be easier to be fat!  We would no longer have to plan our meals, shop for healthy food reading labels as we go and making better choices even if they may not be cheaper. We may not include exercise in our days or track our Points.  Wouldn't it just take less time to be fat?

It might.  But I'll bet we end up with less time in the long run.  I'll bet our lifespan would be shorter.  I'll bet the time we spent with our children and grandchildren would be less enjoyable as we work so much harder to keep up.  I'll bet we would spend less time with friends and family because of health problems, or even embarrassment. 

Personally, I'm rethinking where I spend my time.  My family and my health is important to me and in order to have more time for the things that are important, I'm choosing to spend some more time on those things that will make me time in the end. (Does that even make sense?  It does to me!)

Where are you going to spend your time?

Kay's message!

Hi All,

Let's do our snow dance!  Weather is a'turnin'.  And Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  Are you all mental rehearsing how your plates are going to look?  On Thanksgiving?  And the day after?  And the day after that?  See you all shortly and we will talk about the stresses of the Holiday season.

Happy Points!!!

Kay

More Pumpkin cake!

Cake Mix + Canned Pure Pumpkin
PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 183 calories, 3.5g fat, 301mg sodium, 37g carbs, 1.25g fiber, 20.5g sugars, 2g protein -- POINTS® value 4*

Ingredients:One 18.25-oz. box moist-style cake mix
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly -- batter will be VERY thick -- and transfer to a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray; bake in the oven until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (Refer to cake-mix box for pan size and approximate bake time.)

MAKES 12 SERVINGS

As promised Holiday recipes!!!

Wayne's Pumpkin Smash
PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/9th of recipe): 65 calories, <0.5g fat, 81mg sodium, 12g carbs, 1g fiber, 7g sugars, 5g protein -- POINTS® value 1*




Ingredients:One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin
One 12-oz. can evaporated fat-free milk
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
3/4 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and mix thoroughly.
Place mixture in a baking dish (8" X 8" works well) sprayed lightly with nonstick spray, and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. (It will remain a little soft, like pie filling.)
Once ready to serve (it's delicious eaten hot or cold), cut into 9 pieces.
Serve and enjoy!
MAKES 9 SERVINGS
There it is -- hope you love it! BTW, store leftovers in the fridge... if you have any!

	HG's Perfect Pumpkin Bread
	Right Said Bread
	After getting a BAZILLION requests for pumpkin bread, we figured it was time to make some. And after EIGHT attempts, we got it just right. Try it and see! Ingredients: One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin 1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Original Egg Beaters) 1/2 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated) 1/4 cup brown sugar (not packed) 1/4 cup Ocean Spray Craisins Original Sweetened Dried Cranberries (or regular raisins), chopped 2 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. salt 1/3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine both types of flour, Splenda, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and pumpkin pie spice (in other words, all dry ingredients except for the Craisins or raisins). In a medium bowl, mix together pumpkin, egg substitute, and vanilla extract (all the wet ingredients). Add this mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients, and stir until just blended. Slowly sprinkle chopped Craisins or raisins into the batter, making sure they don't all stick together, and mix to distribute them. Spoon batter into a large loaf pan (about 9" X 5") sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the top of the loaf is firm to the touch. (Bread may be moist inside. This doesn't mean it's undercooked.) Allow to cool, and then cut into 8 slices. Enjoy! MAKES 8 SERVINGS
	Serving Size: 1 (thick!) slice Calories: 143 Fat: 0.5g Sodium: 281mg Carbs: 31g Fiber: 4.5g Sugars: 9g Protein: 5g POINTS® value 2

HG Alternative! To make this bread into muffins, evenly distribute the batter among 8 cups of a muffin pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Cook for 35 minutes at 350 degrees, let cool, and enjoy

The Big Three

I can't believe I missed the opportunity to write about the pitfalls of Halloween.  There is a lot of material there to blog about.  I think we pretty much all know it all though.  We know what to do.  We know that we shouldn't raid the kids Halloween candy stash.  We know that we should give away handfuls of the stuff just to get it out of the bowl that we can reach and put it in someone elses home ( That makes me think of this; Lord, if you can't make me skinny, please make all my friends fat.)  We know that we should keep healthy options around so we don't cave to the call of the mini chocolate bar.  We don't always do those things though.  So now that Halloween is over, lets that the time to start preparing for the next of the THE BIG THREE (Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas). 

The three hardest months of the year for most of us are the last three.  October, November, and December.  There are so many reasons why.  We all have different ones, but for me a lot of it has to do with the seasons.  It has gotten cold, and it has gotten dark.  In a month from now I will drive to work in the dark and I will drive home from work in the dark.  It is very hard to get up earlier in the morning to go for a walk because the sun is still hours away from showing up.  I actually don't mind the cold as much.  I like to wear my warm fuzzy hats and mittens, knowing I can come home and warm up.  Which incidentally is another pitfall.  How do you come home and warm up?  Hot chocolate!!!  That's tradition right?  Come in from the snow and make cocoa?  I got out the Wii fit this weekend.  I can turn on all the lights in the living room and pretend it is light out as I take my walk around Wii Island. Then I can make a cup of hot tea instead of cocoa. 

Halloween is over, Thanksgiving comes next, then Christmas.  My sister has already started making her Christmas caramels to give away.  It's already time to start thinking about what to do with all the cookies and candies that your well intentioned friends and family leave on your table when they visit or drop by your house with their good cheer.  What I try to do is enjoy just one, I give the kids one or two, then I take them to work to share.  I hate to say that I end up throwing food away, but I do end up throwing a lot of holiday sweets away. 

Leave a comment here with your plans for how to survive the Big Three....  What are you plans??

I'm looking for input here folks!!

Starting to look like FALL!!!

Hi everyone!  I'm sorry I haven't been around much.  I thought summer was busy, but fall got busier!!  Flag football season is over now, but we are ramping up into winter and Christmas season (less than 2 months away, as of today).   Now that it's raining (and dark) I'm afraid my morning walks with my walking buddy may be over.  What does everyone else do in the fall and winter when the weather gets bad?  We have to keep out activity points up.  I'm thinking it's time to break out the Wii Fit again.  Wahoo!!

 

And now... our weekly message from KAY!!!

 

Hi Everyone,

Good to see all of you this last week.  Are you treating yourself to something special this week?  For those of you who were not able to attend, last weeks topic was "Celebrating Your Successes".  I think the second meeting on Saturday came up with more than twenty ways (non-food rewards by the way) to celebrate those successes.  I am looking forward to hearing what you did when I see you this next week.

And we should have totals on the weight losses for "Lose For Good".

Happy Losing Everyone

Kay

Kay is back!!

Greetings All!

I am back from sunny Florida and it was good to see all of you there on Saturday.  I will be back in full force starting this next week.

Think about our topic this last week----what tools that WW makes available are your favorites?  Hope that you are taking advantage of all of those things that help all of us with this weight loss journey.  I learned a lot about e-tools and don't think that I have been taking full advantage of that tool.  Will make that my priority for the week.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon.

This is our last week for Lose For Good.  Be sure and enter your guess for the pounds of food that we will be donating to the Food Bank the week of 10/25.  Announcement of winners will be as soon as I get the total pounds from them. 

Don't forget our saying this week:  "Nothing ventured, Nothing LOST"

SMART goals

I have been lucky enough to have worked in several places where the company brings in a lecturer to help teach you how to do your job better. The one that worked the best for me (at least the one that I remember the best today) was the person who taught me about making SMART goals.

I always thought that making goals was as easy as saying "I will loose 15 pounds". Well, it is and it isn’t. That is a great goal. But it needs more to be a SMART goal. There are 5 components to a SMART goal.

     Specific
     Measurable
     Achievable
     Recordable and
     Time bound

To make your goal, "I will loose 15 pounds", a SMART goal it just has to include those 5 things.

Maybe "I will loose 15 pounds by Thanksgiving Day, by sticking with my daily Points Targets and adding a 15 minute walk each morning before work. I won’t dip into my 35 extra (flex) Points, instead I will earn those points back with my Points Booster."

Is this goal Specific? Pretty much! I’m saying how I will achieve my 15 pound weight loss, by sticking with my daily Points target and adding 15 minutes of exercise.

Is this goal Measurable? You bet. I weigh in at each meeting and measure my weight. I also record my Points in my tracker.

Is this goal Achievable? I think so. 50 pounds by Thanksgiving probably isn’t, but 15 is reasonable. That’s approximately 2 pounds per week.

Is this goal Recordable? It’s recorded in my WW book each Saturday!!

Is this goal Time Bound? Yep. I gave myself the deadline of Thanksgiving day. That is 7 weeks from now.


I think that there are two other important parts to making a goal. The first is to share it. Tell someone who supports you what kind of goal you set and how you plan to reach the outcome. The second is to review it. You should have it written somewhere you will look at it to remind yourself that you actually have a goal that you are working towards.


Does anyone else have some tricks you use to write or reach a goal?

Grape Salsa Request

I had a request to put a shout out for the grape salsa recipe that was shared at the meeting a few weeks back.  Fortunatly, that recipe is a favorite in our family (it was my mother, Gayle, who brought the salsa to the meeting).  I had it handy!!!  Instead of using the bread/baguette that this recipe calls for, we quarter sandwhich thins, then toast them under the broiler.  You get 8 triangles for only 1 point (not including salsa) that way.   ENJOY!!!

A Bobby Flay Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Stand Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
6 servings

Ingredients

    1     cup red grapes, diced
    1     cup blue and/or black grapes, diced
    1/2     small red onion, finely chopped
    1     jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
    3     tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, plus leaves for garnish
    2     tablespoons red wine vinegar
    4     slices whole grain bread, quartered, OR 1 baguette, thinly sliced into 16 pieces
    6     ounces herbed goat cheese, slightly softened
    1/3     cup Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise

Methods/steps

Combine grapes, onion, jalapeño pepper, cilantro and vinegar in medium bowl. Season, if desired, with salt and pepper. Let stand at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange bread on large baking sheet in a single layer and bake, turning once, 8 minutes or until lightly golden brown and crisp on both sides. Remove and let cool.
Combine goat cheese with mayonnaise in small bowl until smooth. Season, if desired, with salt and pepper. Evenly spread cheese mixture onto crostinis, then top with grape salsa.

Spuds?!

Did any one hear about the Executive Director of the Washington State Potato Commission, Chris Voight, who decided to eat only potatoes for the next 60 days?  He was tired of the bad press associated with the spud, which is really quite a good food.  If your interested in reading the article I have linked it here.   http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/archives/223293.asp?from=blog_last3.  It did make me think
about low point potato recipes.  I guess living in Idaho has rubbed off on me over the years.  I love potatoes.  I love baked potatoes with out most of the toppings (the toppings are where the Points hide).  Roasted potatoes and veggies, scalloped (whoa now, I don't eat that any more.  I can't stop with just one serving), hash browns, fries, chips, you name the potato dish and I probably like it.   So I looked up one that is only 3 Points (look at all the Fiber!) and is FANTASTIC!!    This recipe is from Cooking Light. 


Fingerling Potatoes With Oregano Pesto

Any kind of potato will work in place of the fingerlings. Just cut them up into 2-inch chunks.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 4 potatoes)

Ingredients

• 2  cups  torn spinach leaves
• 2  cups  fresh parsley leaves
• 1  cup  fresh oregano leaves
• 2  tablespoons  grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 2  tablespoons  sliced almonds, toasted
• 1  tablespoon  lemon juice
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 2  large garlic cloves, peeled
• 2  tablespoons  olive oil
• 16  fingerling potatoes (1 1/2 pounds)

Preparation

Combine first 8 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth. With food processor on, slowly add oil through food chute; process until well-blended. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 425°.
Place potatoes on a jelly-roll pan. Bake at 425° for 20 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Place potatoes in a large bowl; add 1/3 cup pesto, tossing gently to coat.
Note: Store remaining pesto in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 188 (25% from fat)

Fat: 5.3g (sat 0.9g,mono 3.4g,poly 0.6g)

Protein: 5.9g

Carbohydrate: 31.2g

Fiber: 4.9g

Cholesterol: 1mg

Iron: 4.1mg

Sodium: 135mg

Calcium: 96mg

Kay's weekly message!!

Hi fellow Bloggers!

Hey, how about having that voice in your head (hope you have named it by now) help you in Asking for Help with your weight loss journey.  Turn that voice into a positive that can get you some assistance at the restaurants, in your kitchen, at Aunt Tillie's, with your co-workers and that spouse and kids.

I will be on vacation a couple of weeks, see less of you on the 16th!

Kay

Weekly message from Kay!!

Hi Saturday morning,

Soooooo, did anyone come up with a name for that voice in your head that gives you all of those negative messages?  And have you had a good long talk with it and told it to buzz off???

I am thinking about putting a "question" box out every week.  Some may be a little reluctant to ask a question in the meeting and I will address the questions anonymously but I can assure you that if you have a question that is bothering you, someone else is more than likely dealing with the same thing!  So what do you think about having that available?

Cheers to all of you.  Have a great week and I will see you next Saturday.

Kay

Spinach, Leek, and Potato Soup

I saw this recipe on Sunset.com today.  It looks fantastic!  I can't wait to make it.  I LOVE fall, if just because it is the beginning of Soup Season!!  It's only 4 points, but I think a lot of that is the croutons, which I can totally do without.

Spinach, Leek, and Potato Soup

Time: 30 minutes. The venerable vichyssoise, but without cream and with spinach--making it a beautiful electric green and good for your waistline.

Total: 30 minutes
Yield: Serves 4 (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients

• 1  pound  leeks
• 2  tablespoons  butter
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 4  cups  vegetable or chicken broth
• 1  large (12 oz.) Yukon Gold potato, peeled and chopped
• 1  pound  spinach, roots and stems discarded
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• About 1 cup croutons

Preparation

1. Slice leeks crosswise and immerse in a large bowl of water to rinse off dirt; lift out to a colander, leaving dirt behind, and rinse again in fresh water if necessary. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add leeks and salt and cook until limp, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add broth and potato. Bring to a boil, covered; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced, 10 to 15 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
2. Purée in a blender, in batches if necessary, holding lid down with a towel. Pour back into saucepan and thin with more broth if you like; reheat until hot. Season with salt and pepper. Divide soup between 4 serving bowls and top each with about 1/4 cup croutons.
Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 198 (30% from fat)

Protein: 5.5g

Fat: 6.7g (sat 3.7)

Carbohydrate: 30g

Fiber: 3.9g

Sodium: 2001mg

Cholesterol: 16mg

Sunset, OCTOBER 2009

2nd Place!!

2nd Place

Hi CanWin4Losing group!!  We made it to second place in the weight loss competition!!  Keep it up!  Let's whip some Thursday behind!  Wahooo!!!

Is everyone bringing in canned food?   How many pounds of food have you donated?  As much as you have lost?  I'm going to try to remember to bring mine in this week.  I have already forgotten to bring some in every week before this.  It is very motivating to hold a can of food and know that weight isn't carried around my middle anymore.  You'd think we'd notice carrying that weight around, but we don't until there are sooo much of it.  I notice more when I don't have to carry it around anymore.

Message from Kay

Greetings Saturday morning,
Hope this week brings you great success, satisfaction and fun with the Weight Watchers program. Be sure and put next Saturday on your calendar, we are going to be talking about the power of visualizing your success. And in case you forget, please be sure and check the back of that index card for a little boost.
See you Saturday
Kay

ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Use 1 box angel food cake mix, one step directions (the kind where you add water only)
Betty Crocker may be one brand

Directions:

Preheat over to 350, add whichever you want from below, beat as directed on box, pour into ungreased 9 x 13 pan or muffin tins, cool upside down for best results—if you don’t, it falls quite a bit, still tastes good but is more dense


**Pineapple:
Add 20 ounce can pineapple I own juice (I have used tidbits but hard on mixer)

**Lemon:
Add 1 cup + 3 T water, 2 T lemon juice and 2 tsp grated lemon peel

**Orange Citrus:
Add 1 ¼ c water and 2 tsp grated orange peel

**Cherry:
Add 1 can (20oa) light cherry pie filling

**Black Forect:
Add ½ cup coca to Cherry version

**Cotton Candy:
Add 1 small 3.4oz sugar free jello, any flavor, 1 ¼ cup water

**Margarita:
Add 1 Cup plus 2 T water, 2 T fresh lime juice and 1 ½ tsp grated lime rind

**Pina Colada:
Add 1 T each coconut and rum extracts to pineapple directions
OR
Mix 1 cup shredded coconut with cake mix, then continue as above

**Pumpkin:
Add 1 (15 oz) pumpkin, ¾ cup water, 1 T vanilla and 1 T pumpkin pie spice

Let's Get Started!!

Hello Can Win For Losing Group!!   Here goes the first Blog Post!!!  


It is starting to feel like fall and it is definitely the beginning of apple season.  So I'm posting an apple recipe.  This came from Sunset magazine and is only 4 points.  I haven't tried it yet, but it looks great!


Chicken with Green Apple-Chipotle Salsa
(makes 4 servings)


1 cup diced Granny Smith apple (unpeeled)
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground dried chipotle chili or cayenne
4 boned, skinned chicken breast halves
Chili spice mix (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon olive oil


1. to make salsa, in a bowl, mix apple, onion, bell pepper, cilantro, apple juice, vinegar, and chili.  Cover and chill.


2. Rinse chicken and pat dry.  Rub chili spice mix (below) all over chicken.  Grill or saute chicken breast. 


3. Transfer chicken to plates.  Serve with green apple-chipotle salsa over top.


Chili Spice mix:  In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon firmly packed brown sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne. 


4 POINTS