March 20, 2011                              


                  apple butterfly logo    
                 
  Healthy Thoughts/Healthy Actions
 Weight Watchers Newsletter #87
Join Our Mailing List
 

chipmunk and carrot 

 

Hi Everyone!

 

The topics in the meeting room these past two weeks kind of tied together: celebrations and deprivation. How do they connect? Well as Weight Watchers oftentimes we get it in our brains that we must not celebrate our successes because we "have a long way to go", or "it is only a pound", or "I gained last week". And we certainly do not believe it is a good idea to celebrate in any way with food, even though throughout our lives we have done just that.  

 

So then the deprivation mindset clicks in. "I used to party with wine and brie...now I have carrots and celery". I love the photo above because even though that little chipmunk is in heaven with his tasty treat, for many of us this might as well be hamster pellets. That's how we feel about what we're doing.

 

So here's the dilemma? How can we indulge, celebrate and enjoy food, and our lives in relation to food, and lose weight? Is it impossible? Nope...but it does take a different mindset.

 

Here are some ideas...

 

Instead of saying "I can't have..." say "

I can have anything I want...in moderation."

 

Instead of saying "I shouldn't eat that...", say "

I don't want to eat that...I want to eat this instead."  

(in other words, be picky: don't have it all, or if you want it all have little bits of each thing)

 

Instead of sneaking to indulge, do it deliberately, with thought and planning.

 

Instead of eating on large dinner plates, big bowls and regular sized wine glasses try smaller versions of all of these so your brain thinks you are getting more  than you really are. 

 

Instead of beating yourself  up over every actual or perceived indulgence, use the experience as a learning:

How did I feel after I ate it?  What would have been a better choice? What do I want to do the next time this happens?

 

Attitude is everything...You can do this easily, painlessly and joyfully...really! I know many of you reading this are nodding and agreeing with me. But there are many many more of you who make it a struggle because you look at it through a deprived mindset. Let go of that and embrace the wild notion that this is an amazing gift you are giving yourself, by learning to eat like a healthy person for life!

 
 
  MEETING TOPICS:
WEEKS OF
March 20, 2011 & March 27, 2011

    woman looking wistful 

MARCH 20 - 26

 
THE GIFT OF HINDSIGHT
Along this path we have learned so much about ourselves and our relationship to food. We have figured out our patterns, the things that do and don't work for us. We have discovered a whole new set of rules for ourselves, and for many of us created a whole new life. Let's share our ahas in the meeting room.

      

MARCH 27 -APRIL 2    


PAL POWER

 We have shared the power of friendships many times in the meeting room: how we join up with a buddy or a family member, and it just is SO much easier and more fun. This week I thought I would do something outrageous, and have a mingle time when people talk to others they have never met, and perhaps make a friend in the meeting room. I won't share the details here, but suffice to say you will have great laughs and a party-like time so don't miss it!! 

RECIPES FOR THIS ISSUE

 

I was talking about these wonderful corn fritters in a meeting this week and was asked to republish the recipe.

 

And I also decided to reprint a yummy eggplant parmesan-like dish that will satisfy any Italian in the house. These are great as a main course but also as a an appetizer. Enjoy! 

 

Click below for more recipes on my website recipe page. 

CLICK HERE FOR WEBSITE RECIPE PAGE

 

(including favorites like: Oatmeal Pancakes, Crab and Shrimp Cioppino, Italian Stuffed Zucchini, Chocolate Pudding Cake, Butternut Squash Risotto and Black Bean Brownies...)  

 

 
corn fritters   

LIGHT AS A FEATHER CORN FRITTERS

 

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 large egg
1/2 cup minced yellow onion
1 (14 oz) bag of frozen corn (try the Trader Joes Roasted Corn...yum!!)
3 egg whites
Olive oil, and spray oil

DIRECTIONS

1) Mix dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.  

2) Beat egg and mix in buttermilk and onion. Add the dry ingredients and the corn. 

3) In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until peaks form.

4) Fold in the egg whites and mix just until blended.  

5) Drop from rounded tsp into large non-stick fry pan, coated with oil for the first batch, and spray oil as need for the subsequent batches.

Yields: 24-30 fritters, Depending on how many you get from the batch approximately 2 for 1 points plus.

 

 

eggplant rounds 

 

JANET'S ITALIAN EGGPLANT ROUNDS

 

INGREDIENTS:

spray olive oil

1 large eggplant sliced thin: larger slices can be halved, if desired

1 cup egg substitute

3 squares Dorot frozen garlic (see the product page of my website) or 3 cloves garlic pressed

2 squares Dorot frozen basil or fresh basil chopped very finely

1 cup oat bran

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper or to taste

1/2 jar marinara sauce (I like Newmans Own Sweet Onion)

1 cup grated reduced fat mozzerella cheese

 

DIRECTIONS:

1)Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 large baking pans with olive oil. 

  

2)Pop the squares of frozen garlic and basil into a small dish and melt in the microwave. Pour egg substitute in medium bowl and mix in melted combo.

 

3) In a medium bowl mix the oat bran, salt and pepper. Pour 1/4 of the oatbran mixture into a medium sized zip-lock baggie.

 

4) Dip the eggplant slices in the egg mixture and then put into baggie, in multiples of 4, or so. Shake to cover and lay on baking pan. Repeat, adding more oatbran as necessary. In some cases the eggplant slices may not get covered entirely, but this does not matter.

 

5) Spray the coated eggplant with spray oil and bake for approximately 10-15 minutes, flipping once to brown on each side. Watch them as they can burn easily. 

 

6) When done remove pan from oven and put one dollop of marinara sauce on each slice and a sprinkling of cheese. Put pan back in oven and bake for another 5-7 minutes, or until melted.

 

Makes 4 servings at 5pts plus each.   


 

             
FEATURED PRODUCT
 
double rainbow sorbet
 
DOUBLE RAINBOW 99% FAT FREE CHOCOLATE SORBET
I was at a friend's house last week and she served me this delicious sorbet, which tastes pretty similar to the Gelato Massimo I rave about all the time. It is 3 points plus a serving, very rich and creamy and non-dairy, so those of you with lactose intolerance will love it! My guess is it is much more easily found than the Massimo brand. This was from Olivers but I know many markets carry it, including Trader Joes. Enjoy!! 

 

HOME MADE BANANA (PLANTAIN) CHIPS!!

 

plantain chips 

Marybeth in Petaluma sent this great video on how to make your own banana chips from plantain. They sound so yummy and in checking the point value I found the information a bit confusing. It appears they are 5 points plus a cup but I am doing the research to see if this is correct.  

 

http://www.fasttracktofatloss.com/network/kimlyonsblog/healthy-chips-alternative.html?f=2

 


ANOTHER FUN DANCE VIDEO!

 

lindy hoppers 

You all know I am an avid swing dancer. I even did a little demo last week with member Noel in the 12:15 Santa Rosa Meeting. But this video blows away most I have seen. This pair are actually acrobats and this will be obvious. If you like Dancing With the Stars check this out...

 

 

   

IF YOU RECENTLY JOINED AND WERE UNABLE TO GET A CALCULATOR...

 

For some reason (probably because WW is having a stellar, outrageous and fabulous year so far: our best in WW history!!) we have run out of the Points Plus Calculators and there will be none until late March as far as we know. So there is now a way to access the calculator functions via the Weight Watchers website, and it will be available until the calculators are back in stock. Just click the link below and you will be able to calculate the points for any food!

   

Below this link is another one, which helps everyone who is challenged by the new program, so if you are struggling to move from old to new this may give you some valuable tips!   

CALCULATOR  

weightwatchers.com/calculator  

 

 

  tips for transitioning to the new program

Being Kind to Ourselves...

Check out this New York Times blog...so so true!!

  

kindness 
In a truly delightful piece for the New York Times "Well" blog, Tara Parker-Pope outlines new research which urges, of all things, self-compassion as a road to health.  We need to go easier on ourselves, she suggests, a notion that runs counter to much of the mainstream self-help literature, which tells us that discipline is the key to health and professional success.  Not so, says Parker-Pope, who says that people who "score high on tests of self-compassion have less depression and anxiety, and tend to be happier and more optimistic."  Self-compassion may even help some people lose weight.

The column opens with a simple question: "Do you treat yourself as well as you treat your friends and family?"  For me, the answer was more complicated.  It amounted to "sometimes, but not really," a response that I suspect would resonate with many other people.  I know that I tend to have higher expectations for myself than for others, and am more disappointed when I don't live up to them.  This is despite the fact that, as Parker-Pope points out, if I had a friend who was struggling in any arena of her life, I would do my best to support her, but also urge her to forgive herself for being human.  Forgiving myself is much harder, but it may be key to health and well-being.

One fascinating study, which provides hard evidence to corroborate these "warm and fuzzy" sentiments, showed that self-esteem was connected to eating habits.  Female college students were asked to take part in what they thought was a food-tasting experiment, where they were asked to eat doughnuts, but one group was given a lesson in self-compassion beforehand.  "I hope you won't be hard on yourself," the instructor said. "Everyone in the study eats this stuff, so I don't think there's any reason to feel real bad about it."  Later, when the women were asked to taste candies from a bowl, the ones who had been part of the self-compassion group ate less than the women who had not been exposed to the brief lesson in forgiveness.

"Self-compassion is the missing ingredient in every diet and weight-loss plan," said Jean Fain, the author of the new book "The Self-Compassion Diet."  "Most plans revolve around self-discipline, deprivation and neglect."

Dr. Kristen Neff says that self-compassion is not to be confused with self-indulgence.  She suggests some exercises for people who have low tolerance for their own weaknesses, like writing yourself a letter of support or listing best and worst traits and reminding yourself that nobody is perfect.

This article was, for me, a breath of fresh air.  As a senior in college, I'm surrounded by constant pressure to conform to ideals of effortless perfection (you have to do everything right, but not call attention to your difficulties or challenges), it's a relief to hear that there are concrete positive benefits associated with giving myself a break.  Although I've always thought that we should always aspire to be kind to ourselves, it's great to have another reminder.

 HEALTHY THOUGHTS/HEALTHY ACTIONS

me at teresa's house 2010

 

I am a certified co-active Life Coach, specializing in the field weight management. If you know what you should be doing but do not seem to act on it there is likely something deeper going on. I do free 1/2 sample sessions if you would like to explore how coaching can benefit you.