If you know me well you know I love rice krispy treats.  I cannot keep marshmellows in the house.  We have treats on Sunday and frequently these are the treats of choice.   Usually I make a point of using up all the marshmellows on Sunday so there won’t be any to call my name on Monday morning.  As you may know a full bag of marshmellows makes two batches of rice krispy treats - yesterday I only made one batch.  Here’s how this morning went - get up, step on the scale, see the usual Sunday bump up (I really don’t want to see that since I’m working on losing that last 5 lbs… but I expected it… no details necessary) come downstairs, pray, plan my day, go for my run.  Here’s where it gets interesting.  I come home and start preparing oatmeal, my breakfast plan, but there, staring me in the face, are the marshmellows.  I feel myself going into automatic pilot - my brain pushing down my spirit as it tries to remind me of what I really want.  I take out the box of rice krispies and tell myself I’ll just make a small batch but then it happens - the thing I’ve learned to do that has changed my life from a fat girl wanting to be thin to a healthy girl wanting to stay that way. 

 Here’s the internal conversation I had with myself.  “Don’t go mindless Lanette - let’s think about this.  If I have rice krispy treats (hereafter referred to as RKT) this morning how will the rest of my day go?  Not good - I won’t stop until the bag of marshmellows is gone.  Is that what you want? No!  Ok how about you eat breakfast and then if you want RKT I’ll make them.  OK.”  I make the oatmeal and realize I’m feeling stronger about the RKT resistance.  “Here’s a better idea, how about saving them until tonight after dinner when everyone is home - that way you can have one, enjoy it, count it and stay in control?  Sounds fabulous!”  That’s my plan for today and I know it will work - I have gathered strength from the resistance.

 Believe it or not I volunteered to make a million RKT for the wedding - we’re having a chocolate fountain….  As I was debating my morning battle I realized that making a truck load of RKT is going to present a hazardous situation.  Since I love them my plan has been to make a couple of batches each day this week (that way I can eat the remains on the pan several times and have a couple of RKT from each batch - they have to be cut up for the reception anyway and some will surely be the wrong size….we wouldn’t want unsightly RKT at the reception).  Realizing that it sounded like fun but will not help me reach my goal I started rethinking the wedding RKT.  So my new plan is to have a marathon RKT making session on Wednesday afternoon, set aside one RKT to enjoy when the cooking is done and take them to Cate on Wednesday night so they’re out of the house.  I’m so happy with my new plan.  Here’s a review you might use with your favorite healthy eating buster obsession.

1.  Don’t go mindless.

2.  Put some time between thought and consumption.

3.  Force yourself to think about what you really want.

4.  Make a plan

5.  Stick with your plan.

6.  Enjoy your fabulous healthy life!

Life = Stress 

The last 2 days have been stressful - happy stress but stress none the less.  I anticipate that the coming week will be equally crazy stresswise (wedding Friday!).  Interestingly I realized that yesterday I didn’t eat a vegetable!  Honestly it’s been months since I had a day without a vegetable.  Vegetables do not relieve stress - have you noticed?  Carbs and fat relieve stress, MRI’s have shown that when we eat high fat/carb foods, hormones are released that counteract stress hormones.  It turns out we’re not crazy - we use food because it works!  The problem is that if we use food to relieve stress all the time we’ll be unhealthy and overweight.  Here are a few suggestions:

1.  Don’t increase your stress by beating yourself up when you get off your healthy living track.  Realize that you have fallen back on a strategy that works to give you a little break from a stressful situation.  Also recognize that you can make another choice.

2.  Choose to eat vegetables, lean protein and whole grains so you are not hungry on top of stressed.  When you know it’s going to be a stressful day make an eating plan so you don’t have to think about food.

3.  Choose to relieve stress in another way - walk, read, breathe etc.

4.  Get the garbage out of the house - when you’re in stress you grab and go.  Do yourself a favor and set yourself up for the best outcome.

5.  This is big - are you stressing yourself for no good reason?  I’ve been stressing about painting the baseboards….I finally realized I’m not going to have time to paint the baseboards and frankly who cares?  If someone doesn’t like me because my baseboards are thrashed I’ll just have to deal with it.  Analyze your stress and get off your own back!

 We could spend our lives stressed about stress and our reactions to stress or we can recognize that we tend to get off track during stress and plan accordingly. 

Hi all,

So sorry I’m a day late!  Things are getting a little crazy over here.  A week from today Doug will marry Cate – Yeah another girl!!  Steven (19) is going on a mission for our church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints aka Mormon).  He’ll get a letter telling him where he’ll be serving for the next two years any day now.  We expected it yesterday but sadly it didn’t come.  He could be sent anywhere in the world.  Dave (hubby) went to

It’s like that with weight isn’t it?  Often we’re motivated by an upcoming event to lose weight.  It would be much less stressful and much more beneficial to our general health and well being to do the little things every day that will keep us healthy and fit.  After all, events come and go and we still need to exercise and eat wisely.  Too often we slide back into bad habits when the pressure is off.  Like a home that will eventually fall apart if we don’t keep up with maintenance, our health will eventually suffer if we don’t stick with eating healthy foods and moving more.

My tracking-seriously is going well.  I continue to learn so much from writing down what I eat.  Yesterday I learned that Pistachios cost far too many points (1 oz.= 4 pts. 1 cup shelled =16 pts.). I also learned that if they’re in the cabinet in the kitchen they call to me and I can eat a handful before I even realize I’ve done it.   If I put them in the garage I have time to talk myself out of it before I get to them.  Lessons learned…. again…  Please join me in tracking seriously and share your lessons learned.

This week we talked about Weight Watchers – then and now.  There were many fun memories of past programs.  There were some ideas that seem strange to us (ie. Liver once a week) now but in their time they were based on the best science available.  Over the years Weight Watchers has been dedicated to focusing on solid research and member feedback to develop programs that will help members lose weight in a safe and sustainable way.  Every year new things are introduced that keep the program fresh and successful. 

I love what Jean Nidetch said, “I don’t believe [the Program] has changed all that much….[Members] will always need to know that first of all, they’re not alone; secondly, they’re not bad people for being overweight; and third, if they really want something, it’s within their power to go and get it.”

That’s why I love Weight Watchers.  We need the encouragement and support of a group.  I know how it feels to be overweight and to feel hopeless and I also know that it’s possible to change.  For years I thought I was doomed to being overweight and felt helpless to change.  Little by little that attitude has changed as I’ve learned that making small adjustments in what I do and, most importantly, in how I think, has made all the difference.  As we say every week at the end of each meeting Never Give UP~  That’s the only difference between now and all the times I failed at losing weight.  I refuse to give up on being healthy and fit.  Day after day we keep trying and that’s all it takes.  Weight Watchers gives us the information and the framework, the support and feedback but the real success comes when you keep walking back into the meeting room determined to get what you want.  I’ll be there waiting to cheer you on!

Have a wonderful, healthy weekend!

Hugs,

Lanette

Eat Wisely, Move More and NEVER GIVE UP!!

Hi all,

What a beautiful, glorious day!  A perfect day for a birthday party – yes in a few hours 5 teenagers will be running around my house with nerf dart guns trying to shoot each other.  Nerf dart guns are just one bonus of being the youngest.  The older 4 boys never had guns – I felt very strongly about not having them in the house.  Johnny’s begging skills won me over and now he has 6 or 7 nerf dart guns.   So far I’ve survived the whining of the older boys telling me it’s not fair…

If you missed this weeks meeting, you missed a lot.  I announced my current weight!  Can you believe it?  I reasoned that I know what you weigh so it’s only fair that you know my weight.  Here’s the background to the announcement.  When I got my drivers license I put my weight a little lower than I actually weighed – I know it’s shocking – you’ve never heard of such a thing.  Well I’ve never actually weighed that – I’ve been living a lie for 35 years…  I’m ready to try to get to that magical driver’s license number at least once in my life.  Actually I think I’d like to stay there but we’ll see when I arrive.  I know I can maintain at the top of my healthy weight range – I’ve done it for 2 years so I can always go back if the lower weight doesn’t work out. 

I decided that I need someone to be accountable to, someone who will know my goal and ask how I’m doing.  So now I have about 100 of you.  I’ll be bringing my tracker to meetings and you are welcome to look at it and give me suggestions.  I’ll be reporting my weight loss each week during August.

Last Thursday I started tracking – seriously.  I took the quiz to determine my daily points for weight loss (about 6 less than I use to maintain).  I pulled out the scale and the measuring tools and have tracked everything that I put in my mouth for 1 week.  I’m on my way down and really loving it.  I’ll be sharing all the things I’m learning and loving as the weeks go on.  Stay tuned to see when the scale number matches my license!

This brings me to the August challenge – track – seriously!  This is a habit that you’ll need, not just to get to goal but to maintain your healthy weight.  I don’t think anyone can get excited about writing down everything they eat for the rest of their lives and I don’t think it’s necessary but there are times when weight creeps up.  That is the time you’ll pull out the old tracker and get serious for a time until your weight returns to its new “normal”.  So will you join me?  There’s no time like the present to buckle down and do your best.

For you fabulous core people, I wouldn’t dream of having you track – it’s not the plan, except for the non-core foods – you must keep track of those points.  You might also keep an eye on how well your day is balanced, eating from all the food groups on the core food list.  If you want to write down what you eat just for fun for a few weeks – jump in!  It might help those considering core to see how it’s done.

This truly will be the summer of love of tracking!!

The Olympics start tomorrow – it so exciting!  This week we talked about developing a “love of the game”.  Thinking of exercise as something we love which would inspire us to keep doing it and striving to do our best.  Would it help to challenge yourself?  Athletes often have a goal in mind as they train.  We could do the same thing.  It might be to walk a certain number of miles in a week or to participate in a race.  Remember to use the week 2 booklet on moving more for ideas about how to ramp up your exercise.  We talked about using the Perceived Rate of Exertion scale to be sure that you’re working hard enough to make the best use of your exercise time.  Beware of the myth of the “fat-burning zone” that may keep you from improving.  Here are a few of the activities members mentioned this week.  Is there an activity on the list you’d like to try?  Go for it!

Walking, Biking, Hiking, Swimming, Dancing, Running, Tennis, Golf, Horseback riding, yoga, weights, spinning, pilates, tai bo, karate, Raquetball, gardening, step class… The skies the limit!

Consider these Olympic athlete habits.  They are important as we continue to work on becoming and then staying healthy and fit.

-         Coaching is Critical  (ie. Don’t miss WW meetings!)

-         Keep a positive Mindset.

-         Always know how you’re doing (Step on the scale)

-         Believe in yourself

-         Do better

-         Reward your best efforts

We may never stand on a metals platform in the Olympics but as we “train” everyday we’ll be sure to be ready for the important “events” of our lives.  Olympians spend 4 years preparing themselves for their chance at the gold.  I don’t think it’s just in the hope of getting a gold metal – they love the game – they love what they do.  Find the activity that you love and then jump in with everything you’ve got.  Go for the Gold (the gold weight watcher lifetime key that is!)

Hugs,

Lanette

Eat Wisely, Move More and Never Give Up!!

This is an amazing phenomenon.  When you pay attention to your eating by writing down everything that goes in your mouth and tracking the points, you enjoy your food more.  When I’m not paying attention and on a spree it seems that I’m always thinking about the next thing I can gobble down - hardly noticing how whatever I have in my mouth at the moment tastes.  When I’m carefully planning and tracking I’m very aware of every bite - each one is precious because I’m limiting myself.  I savor the flavors and I don’t waste my time and points on things that I don’t really love and guess what?  I lose weight!!  Give it a try - eat less and enjoy it more.

Hi all,

Can you believe it’s the end of July?  Summer is half-way over!  I haven’t spent nearly enough time enjoying the weather.  A friend reminded me recently of wonderful memories of sitting on lawn chairs in the yard chatting with neighbors on a lazy summer evening.  It’s sad that we’re so seemingly busy that we don’t do that these days.  Maybe August can be our get outside month.  It’s a good chance to get away from food and reconnect with nature and people.

This week we talked about Keeping Your Control.  Here’s that great quote:  “Meticulous planning will enable everything a person does to appear spontaneous.”   I spent many hours in college rehearsing for vocal performances.  We’d go over and over notes and movements until I would perform in my dreams.  I remember in grade school practicing to be Mrs. Cratchett in our presentation of “A Christmas Carol”.  The director encouraged me to “become” the person we were portraying.

To lose weight you have to change something.  Often we focus in on what we need to “do”.  What should I eat?  How much should I exercise?  We often forget the importance of what we think.  There is an important mind-body connection that must be recognized if we want to really change our lifestyle.  If we want to behave in a new way, it will start with thinking about the new behaviors, rehearsing them in our mind. 

I’m sure you’ve attended a play or concert where the performance looked effortless.  You can be sure that there were hours of practice behind the final product.  On the other hand you’ve probably cringed when attending a performance that was unrehearsed. 

Do you expect yourself to “perform” well simply by deciding to do it?  I’m sure we’ve all felt the frustration of trying to change and then going back to the old way of eating.  We may have been practicing unhealthy behaviors for years, it’s effortless.  In order to change it’s going to take some practice.  Mental rehearsing is the way we can practice new ways of eating and moving.

In the meetings you thought of a specific situation you find challenging.  You wrote a “movie” of how you’d like to handle the situation in order to move toward health and fitness.  We talked about the end of the story and how wonderful it feels to have successfully navigated a challenge.  That’s a happy ending! 

Spend some time mentally rehearsing the way you want to live and it will be easier to make it happen.  This tool has been very important for me in my journey of weight loss.  At first it was hard to think about being a healthy fit person and making choices that a person who wants to live that life would make.  The more I practiced it in my mind the more likely I was (and am) to make those good choices. 

I hope you’ll consider making this an important part of your day.  It doesn’t take long – just close your eyes and see yourself making good choices – experience as much detail as possible.  Try it right now.  I’m going to ask you how you did in next weeks meeting so please don’t forget to give it a go.

I’m looking forward to next weeks meeting.  We haven’t talked about exercise for awhile and as you know it’s one of my favorite subjects.  I’ve spent a lot of time studying fitness and though I don’t have all the answers I know where to find them so bring any questions to the meeting room this week and we’ll get excited again about the amazing possibilities of our fabulous bodies.

Have a wonderful week – maybe you can spend some time outside in the lazy, hazy crazy days of summer.

Hugs,

Lanette

Eat Wisely, Move More and NEVER GIVE UP!!

Today I’m sad - I ran into two members who have decided to stop attending WW meetings.  I understand it - I’ve been there many, many times  myself.  They have life stresses and as one friend said, “My heads just not in it”.  The problem with spending so much time trying to help people lose weight is that most of the time people give up.  I can’t help but think there must be something I could say or do to make a difference….  I know, I know you’re going to say there’s nothing I could do, everyone has to decide for themselves, if that’s true then maybe I’m wasting my time?  This isn’t a pitty party - I really want to figure out how I can help people stay with it.  I know that the secret is to never give up but how do I convince discouraged people of that?

 I can see it happening - for a few weeks the member is excited and into the meetings and losing weight.  Then I see them drift to the edges of the meeting room - sometimes even staying by the door, then they don’t come for a week or two, maybe back for a week and then they’re gone.  I talk to them, send postcards, nothing seems to help.  I would love it if you could give me any ideas or insights from your experience.  I really want to figure this out so I can help….

So I was chatting with a friend the other day about weight loss.  She shared that she had eaten 2 packs of rolos.  She didn’t think I knew about rolos….she’s only known me as a healthy, fit person and couldn’t imagine that I ever eat candy.  This is a very common misconception that I held on to in my overweight life.  You think you have to be perfect in order to stay at your goal weight.  This is a very discouraging thought because there’s no way to do it.  I thought thin people never eat sweets, never lose control and exercise constantly.  The thoughts of living that life were impossible and unappealing.  I think the prospect of having to “give up” things that I really enjoy kept me from staying with a healthy eating plan.  You know the drill - you’re “perfect” for a day or two - you blow it and give up, thinking you’re just not strong enough or good enough to lose weight. 

Here’s the real deal - eat lots of fruits and vegetables, lean protein and whole grains - feed your body what it needs to be healthy and strong.  Get out and move, even sweat on most days of the week.  Every now and then have a pack of rolos (or cookies or ice cream) and enjoy every bite.  This is the way “normal” (meaning people in a healthy weight range) people live.  If you need to lose weight you’re going to have to kick up your efforts a bit, eating less than you want so that your body is forced to dip into your fat stores to provide the energy you need.  Plan to lose 1/2 pound to 1 pound a week.  Wrap your mind around it!  I’ve been working with Weight Watchers for 2 years and have seen 100’s of people try to lose weight - no one loses weight quickly.  Think about it - if you’d lost 1/2 pound a week last year you’d be down 25 pounds - that’s great!  If you do that again this year you’ll be down 25 pounds - that’s 50 pounds all together.  How many years have you been trying to lose weight?  Get real and be reasonable about changing your lifestyle for good.

 The great news is that when you get to your goal, the way you’ll stay there is to eat healthy, exercise and keep an eye on your weight - when it starts creeping up you’ll be careful for a few days and get right back down.  You are a person who can eat healthy, exercise regularly and eat rolos now and then.  You’re no different than anyone else seeking health and fitness, no matter what your current weight is, determine to do what it takes to make your dreams come true.  NEVER GIVE UP!! 

Hi all, 

It’s been an interesting day.  Steven had his wisdom teeth removed this morning so I’ve been running up and down the stairs with frozen peas, (the best thing to keep the swelling down since it molds to the face) milkshakes and pudding.   Thanks to modern technology, when he needs me he just calls me on his cell phone!  Let’s just say the phone has been ringing more than usual…

This morning when I was at Safeway stocking up on “supplies” for Steven I overheard a conversation between two employees.  One was at the blood pressure machine and said, “It’s 165 over 95.”  A guy who was stocking the freezer section said, “That’s really high.”  They went on to discuss it as the first lady tried the machine again – this time it was 159 over 95.  I couldn’t help myself, I had to chime in saying – “That is really dangerously high, forgive me for eavesdropping but my mother died of a sudden heart attack so I hope you’ll get to a doctor.”  She smiled and said, “I have blood pressure medicine but I haven’t taken it for 3 days.”  As I walked down the frozen aisle the stocking guy said, “Several of us are on blood pressure medicine, I’m trying to get off of it.”  I told him he has to exercise to which he replied, “I know, I really need to do that.”

This little interchange reinforced in my mind how much the world needs Weight Watchers.  We have got to get serious about taking care of our health.  You are doing that!  You are responsible for what you take into your body and exercising so that you can be healthy.  It’s unlikely that your doctor will call to see how you’re doing.  You have to make appointments to check your health.  If medications have been prescribed be sure that you take them until a doctor tells you to stop.  Health doesn’t happen without effort so do what is required to be as healthy as possible.

It’s still the summer of love of tracking!  Learn to Love, Love, Love tracking!  Be sure you have a healthy breakfast – that’s the July challenge.

This week we talked about 10 ways to look slimmer now.  Part of getting healthy is feeling worth the effort.  When you take the time to look your best no matter what your weight, you feel deserving of the effort required to get healthy.  Think of the advantages of looking your best.  Here are the 10 ways we discussed:

1. Perfect your posture.
2. Accentuate your positive features.
3. Minimize figure/physique challenges.
4. Make accessories work for you.
5. Lengthen your silhouette
6. Wear trends that flatter.
7. Choose clothes that fit.
8. Wear slimming colors, prints and fabrics.
9. Follow the Good Health Guidelines for water (6 – 8 oz. glasses per day)
10. Pose like a celebrity.

It’s about taking care of yourself which is one of the 8 helpful habits.  Present yourself in your best light.  Doing these things will help you develop a positive Body Image which can be challenging for those of us who’ve been overweight for many years, as you lose weight be aware of the changes and enjoy your success.

We talked about outward appearances but the most important and beautiful changes are in the organs and tissues we can’t see.  Think about the fat that has clogged your vessels and how the most important changes happening as you lose weight are happening where the eye can’t see.  That’s a beautiful thing!

What will you do this week to move closer to your best healthy life?  Will you need to focus on tracking?  How about exercise?  Maybe it’s giving more attention to your appearance to boost your mood.  Make a plan and then work that plan and keep trying – that’s what we call success.  Here’s a great poem Jill sent to me:

Remember What is Most Important

Don’t put off living until tomorrow.

Don’t be afraid to dream some time away.

Don’t look too far ahead,

     don’t look back with regret;

          just look with hope

               to the horizon of today.

Don’t be afraid to reach for your goal,

     no matter how distant it might seem.

And don’t be surprised if you succeed.

The truly special people in this world,

          the ones who reach their dreams,

     are the ones who do the things

          they really want to do.

Don’t be one of the many…

     be one of the few.

~~~Collin McCarty

     ~Creeds to Live By, Dreams to Follow, Susan Polis Schutz

Isn’t that a great poem?  It was great to be back with you this week.  I’m happy to be back from vacations and girls camp.  I look forward to all the success we’ll celebrate in the next few weeks and months.  You still have a big chunk of summer to get closer to your dreams – make it happen!

Hugs,

Lanette

Eat Wisely, Move More and Never Give Up!!

It’s obvious - the choices we make everyday either lead to health and fitness or away from it.  Those choices start with thoughts.  If you’re trying to lose weight those thoughts usually lead to a mental debate.   Let’s look at a typical debate.  The topic: Should I be fit and healthy?  Defending the Con of this question will be Z-Y, in our family this stands for “lazy” it just takes too much effort to spell or say the entire word.  Defending Pro is the Fit, Athletic, Sizzling, Healthy, Energetic, Excited, Zesty, Youthful part of you, otherwise known as FASHEEZY.  Let’s look in on a couple of debate cycles:

 The question: Should I be fit and healthy?

The situation: It’s 6:00 a.m. and the alarm goes off which you set for your morning run.

ZY: It’s way too early and I’m too tired to get up.

FASHEEZY: It’s not too early - the sun is up - you’ll feel less tired if you exercise!

ZY:  I’ll exercise later in the day.

FASHEEZY:  You know you probably won’t exercise later- you’ve tried that before and it doesn’t work.  Now let’s get up and get going.

You decide - which one wins the debate?

The question:  Should I be fit and healthy?

The situation:  It’s 3:00 in the afternoon and I want something sweet - now!!

FASHEEZY:  You can get through this time - eat some yogurt or fruit or vegetables - don’t give in to your craving.

ZY:  That healthy stuff is not going to make me feel better - I need a quick fix and sugar will do the trick.

FASHEEZY:  You may feel good for a minute but you’ll feel lousy later and you won’t stop with one treat - it will probably set off a binge and you’ll be so mad at yourself.

 ZY:  Who cares about losing weight - I can always start again tomorrow - or maybe Monday.

To lose weight and get healthy the FASHEEZY side of you has to win.  Every time you make a healthy choice you strengthen your FASHEEZY.  Toss ZY to the curb and make your dreams come true.