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June 13, 2010
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Healthy Thoughts/Healthy Actions
Weight Watchers Newsletter #67
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Hi Everyone!
Lately Weight Watchers has begun to train all of us on the science of weight loss, so that we can be more knowledgeable in answering your questions or dispelling the myths. I went to a training last weekend and here are just a few tidbits we learned...I guarantee you will be surprised by some or all of this.
The only liquid the body recognizes as food is milk. Other liquids bypass the body's hunger signals.
Our bodies need to ingest 10-35% of our calories in lean protein. It repairs and builds muscle tissue, satiates us more than any other food, provides essential amino acids, and minimizes the risk of chronic disease.
Our bodies need sodium, as it balances our liquid intake, but we need VERY LITTLE. We actually should have no more than 1 teaspoon of salt per day!!
Our bodies also need healthy oils. Vitamin E, which is present in oil, is essential for skin, hair, and also for preventing heart disease.
and my favorite factoid...
We burn 75% of our calories in a RESTING STATE! Yep, you read that right...while we sleep we burn most of our calories. So want to know how to burn them more efficiently? Increase your lean body mass.
What is "lean body mass"? It is everything in the body that is not fat: organs, blood, bones, muscles, etc. Decrease the fat, increase the lean body mass, and your body will burn calories much faster! How do we increase lean muscle mass? By doing some sort of resistance training. Lifting weights, pilates, certain types of yoga, swimming, and isometric exercises are all resistance training methods. Let's take a nap and lose some weight!!
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MEETING TOPICS:
WEEKS OF
June 13 & June 20, 2010
 The week of June 13th the topic is
Keeping Track
Yes, I know I said we were going to talk about tracking this past week but, well, I read my booklet wrong (hey, I am allowed to make a mistake now and again...). Some of us are diligent trackers, some are moderate in
their tracking, and some do not do it at all yet seem to be successful.
What works (or doesn't) for you? Let's share ideas and tips for paying
attention to what goes into our mouths.
Estimations
is the topic for the week of June 20th.
We got into this a bit when we talked about counting points this past week, but how do we guess when we have no clue what a food might be worth, point-wise? And how do we fake it on portions? This is a great topic for all of us to explore.
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RECIPES FOR THIS ISSUE
Well it must be chocolate week, as two members gave me delicious-sounding recipes which are chocolaty treats. Both are Weight Watchers recipes, and I cannot wait to try them!
And just as an added idea, Deanna, who lives out of the area, but is a newsletter reader, has a great suggestion below the recipes...so check it out!
For more great recipes check out the recipe page on my website: HEALTHY THOUGHTS/HEALTHY ACTIONS RECIPES
CHOCOLATE APPLESAUCE CAKE
Ingredients 1 1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup egg substitute
3 Tbl reduced fat margarine
1 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup light whipped topping
Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350. Coat an 8" square pan with spray oil.
2) Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3) Beat together egg substitute, margarine, and applesauce. Add to the dry ingredients.
4) Spoon into pan and bake for about 25 minutes, or until cake feels slightly firm in center. Cool completely before serving. Top with whipped topping.
8 Servings/4 points a serving
Ingredients
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 Tbsp brown sugar, firmly packed
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 tsp vinegar, cider
1 1/2 tsp margarine, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In
a second bowl stir together remaining ingredients. Pour water mixture over flour
mixture and stir until batter is smooth.
Pour into a nonstick 12-hole muffin tin coated with cooking spray, filling
until half full. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out
clean, 18 to 20 minutes.
Remove from oven. Let sit 5 minutes, then turn out onto rack to completely
cool.
12 servings. 1 pt per serving!
UNUSUAL IDEA FROM DEANNA:
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PRODUCT SUGGESTIONS
Members brought in some very cool products to the meetings this week. Both were new to me and the one I tried was delish. Please feel free to bring in packages or send me ideas for the newsletter. My request is that the food is "clean", i.e. not artificially flavored or sweetened, and not a bunch of chemicals, additives, etc.
KODIAK CAKES
Dave in Sonoma recommended these awhile back, and then Nancy came in with the box and concurred. These sound like an excellent, very light, very healthy pancake. I am including their website link so you can find them in your area. She said she found them at Safeway, which is great.
http://www.kodiakcakes.com/
CHOCOLATE GOJI TREATS Susan in Petaluma raved about these, and gave me one to try. I have to admit they were quite rich and tasty. The whole package (6 coconut covered truffle-like treats) is 6 pts, although in doing the math on the individual serving (2) comes out to 1. But these are the kind of thing you might eat more than 2 of... I would count them as 1 pt each. Worth it! They are super healthy and delicious! Whole Foods was the resource here. They are pretty expensive. by the way, but as Susan pointed out, you wouldn't have hesitated to buy individual truffles for the amount these add up to, so think of it that way and enjoy!
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BEFORE AND AFTER...YOUR FEARLESS LEADER!!
 
So many of you commented on the before and after photos of Linda Koning in the last issue I decided it was time to show mine again, as there are so many new people reading this newsletter these days.
I have lost 80 lbs in total, but I often have to explain to people that this did not happen all at once, In fact, truth be told, it took me almost 30 years. I began WW when I was 16, lost 35 lbs, left and gained it back (and then some). Came back again several times, losing and gaining back again and again, and then when I was 30 I lost 70 lbs. I managed to keep 50 of that off for quite awhile, but when that began to creep up I came back and lost that added 20, and an additional 10. At that point I was 45 years old, so 29 years of the same pattern. I guess it took me awhile to learn the lesson I needed to learn.
And the lesson learned: keep coming to meetings no matter how lamely I was actually doing the program. I came to realize that the meetings were crucial to me feeling a responsibility towards thinking about what I was eating. I didn't always make the right choices (I still don't...), but at least the awareness was there. The second I quit it was a message that I didn't have to think about it anymore, and well, we know what happens then...
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FUN VIDEO CLIP
I have to admit to a certain bias regarding sending you all this video. I participated in this "Flash Mob" dance at the Marin Farmers Market last weekend. If you have never seen one of these they are spontaneous (albeit very choreographed) dance routines which happen in public places, much to the surprise of the public. I appear in a nanosecond of this, as we were dancing in 3 sections throughout the market, so not all of us were filmed. It was one of the most joyful and wonderful things I have ever done. Let me know what you think!
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Subscribe to this newsletter! For some reason I have not been getting subscription requests through the link here. So if you had this forwarded to you and want to receive it bi-monthly just email me (click this link) and say "Subscribe to the Newsletter" in the subject line. Thanks!
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MY WEBSITE IS A GREAT RESOURCE!
If you have not visited my website find out why it is a truly helpful addition to your Weight Watchers efforts.
My Products Page features dozens of low-point food suggestions from Trader Joes and lots of other markets.
The Recipe Page has been updated but I have kept some classics, including the to-die-for oatmeal pancakes I talk about all the time.
The Healthy Tips page has lots of great ideas which we talk about in the meetings, but you might need to have at your fingertips when you are not in the meeting room.
And last, but not least, if you are coming to the meetings and finding yourself not actually taking the action you want to be taking to lose your weight, or maybe you cannot even seem to get motivated to come back to the meetings, maybe there is something deeper going on. I am a Certified Lifecoach, specializing in weight managment. I do free sample sessions and would love to talk to you about this or any other dream you have which is unfullfilled. |
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"Attitude: the difference between ordeal
and adventure."
Lots of love and joy to all of you!
~Janet |
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