Why am I doing this?

Since the beginning of September, we've been talking about what the PointsPlus program is about, about what we need to do to stay on plan the entire week. We've come up with ways to make time in our busy schedule to take all those steps that we need to take to plan ahead, eat right, move more and do all the things that lead to success. We know what needs to be done, and how to do it.

Still, sometimes when the alarm clock rings at 5:30 in the morning, I want to roll around a sleep, lets just say that motivation isn't always at its peak that early in the morning. I know that I need to get up and go to the gym, otherwise I won't have time to go later, still I don't wanna. It's one thing to know what to do, it's another to actually do it. Sometimes what I want "now" comes ahead of what a "really" want.

Motivation doesn't appear from the sky in a ray of light and with a little heavenly music. It's a fire that you need to build up, light up, and keep fueling if you want it to last for the long run.

Come to the meeting this week and we will gather fuel for a long lasting motivation!

Recipe Club

We met last Wednesday for the first time and it was FUN! See what we came up with here:

September 2011 meeting

The next meeting will be October 12th, at 7pm at the Stonestown Center. The plan is to meet the second Wednesday of every month.

Theme will be determined shortly. Don't miss it!!

Lose for Good

We are more than halfway thought the Lose for Good Campaign already! Can you believe it?

It's time to look back, evaluate, and adjust if necessary. We still have time to make a huge difference in someone's life by helping ourselves. It's a winning situation all around!

Here's how you can get involved:

Losing weight

Weight Watchers will donate 1 dollar for each pound lost up to a million. We want to pass last year's total of 4 million pounds lost. We are doing good and we can so do it!!

Connect with the Lose for Good Community

Look them up for support, inspiration and motivation: http://weightwatchers.com/loseforgood

There is still time to make a huge difference, set your goal, plan ahead and GO!

Tools

Have you ever tried the Weight Watchers Smoothies?

They are high in proteins, count as a milk serving and of course they are delicious!

You can have them cold with water, with milk, you can throw in frozen fruits, or fruit and ice! My favorite way to use them is to throw a package of the chocolate smoothie in 2 cups of coffee. Instant Mocha!

Did I mention that they are also low PointsPlus? Only 2 P+ for the mix itself! Keep an eye out for the new Creme Brulee flavor!! How delicious does THAT sound?

Etools first log in:

People who use Etools regularly lose 50% more weight than people who don't. Knowing that, Weight Watchers encourages members to select the monthly pass; not only it's cheaper, but Etools is included in the price.

You don't have to be a computer wiz to figure out how to use Etools, it is very user friendly, if you can log in that is! We've found that many members are finding it challenging to log in for the first time after purchasing their Monthly pass.

Comes in Bg the wonderful, who came up with a simplified list of instructions to log on Etools with the Monthly pass and registration number. I thought I'd put it on here for you to refer to in case of troubles:

Setting up your eTools for the first time:

Go to www.WeightWatchers.com/login

Q. Where do I find my temporary eTools username?

It’s your Monthly Pass number, located on the back of your temporary Monthly Pass card. The Receptionist placed the computer-generated bar code sticker on the back of the card. On that sticker will be the member’s name, Monthly Pass number, & expiration date.

This Monthly Pass number starts with either an “M” (if you bought it at the center) or a “W” (if you bought it online), followed by numbers.

Q. Where do I find my temporary eTools password?

It’s your registration number—found either on the sticker on the bottom of your registration card (or printed on the barcode sticker) that is on your Weight Record or Pocket Guide. (It’s a series of numbers.)

You won’t need to memorize these numbers—these are temporary until you create your own username and password.

Thank you Bg!! You're da bestest!

In the Kitchen

This is a fall favorite for me. Once September comes to an end, and it starts smelling like fall, I bring up this soup and make it almost once a week until January. It's simple, it's easy, and it's DELICIOUS!

Spiced-up Pumpkin Soup
6 servings, 2 pts/serving

Ingredients
2 limes
2 tsp olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, chopped
2 tsp ground cumin (roast and grind yourself, so much better!)
½ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne (I put more)
5 cup vegetable broth
2 cans (15 oz) solid-pack pumpkin puree (not pie filling!!)
½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 TBSP sugar
¾ tsp salt
3 TBSP fat free half & half*

Zest one of the limes, then squeeze enough juice from the limes to equal 2 TBSP. Set zest and juice aside.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden about 6 minutes. Add cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove the mixture from the heat and let cool about 5 minutes.

Transfer the onion mixture to a food processor and add 1 cup of the broth; puree. Return to the Dutch oven; add the remaining 4 cups of broth, the pumpkin, the apple sauce, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, about 2 minutes. Stir in the reserved lime juice.

Ladle the soup into 6 bowls. Drizzle each with ½ TBSP half & half (or yogurt) and swirl lightly with the tip of a knife. Sprinkle with the reserved lime zest.

That soup is truly delicious and keeps well for a few days!

*I use plain non-fat yogurt instead of half & half just because fat free half & half sounds spooky to me. If you like it use it!

Source: Simply Bueno, Weight Watchers p.41

Move It!

Wednesday at the evening meeting we were joking about people getting all made up to go to the gym. I rarely do any people watching at the gym, I have too much to think about to bother, but I have to admit that when I see someone walk in with 2 inches of make up and a push up bra to work out, I fail to take them seriously. Really? Working out is the goal here? Really?

This being said, I spend a fortune in workout apparel. I do. I shop bargains for my work clothes, for my every day clothes, but will not cut back on my workout clothes. I make sure that the WO pants and top I’m wearing flatter my behind and show off my shoulders and upper back while hiding my tummy. It’s my shameful little secret (well, not anymore) I’m vain and like to look good as I’m enjoying torturing myself.

Apparently I’m not the only one! Read all about it on the Move It! blog.

Have a great week

It's fall! Time to get outside! We're having our summer here in San Francisco, the fall vegetables are coming out, the apples and pears are wonderful, enjoy it!!

As always I'm only an email away, I answer any question except "How many PointsPlus is this?" ;op

See you in the meeting room!

Melanie

“He who has a why can endure any how”
Friedrich Nietzsche

Maximize the Minutes

How did your Magical Week go? Were you 100% on plan? How did that work? What lessons are you taking out of it?

I learned a lot and enjoyed myself, but I have to admit that my biggest challenge was time. There never seems to be enough hours in the day to do everything.

It takes time to plan ahead; it takes time to eat right, it takes time to work out. We can't just put everything aside: work, family, social life. So what to do?

This week we will discuss how we can make time so that we can do everything that we need to do to be successful without having to put everything else aside. It's tricky, but it IS feasible!

Recipe Club

I am so happy to have the first meeting of the Recipe Club this week! I've been wanting to do this for so long, and here it is!

We are meeting this Wednesday (Sept. 21st) at the Stonestown Center at 7pm. Here's how it works:

This month the theme is Soups & Stews

 You need:

• A soup or stew recipe that you love.
• The source (very important for legal reasons!)
• The PointsPlus value (of course!) and serving size
• Any additional information you think we need to know to make the recipe.

We want everybody to have a chance to share their recipes, so we need to keep it short. We will make sure to have time for mingling after everybody presented their recipes, so you'll be able to ask any questions you might have about a given recipe!

It is the very first time we do this, so we will learn as we go. I'm hoping to have this become a monthly thing. Wouldn't that be fun?

Don't be afraid to email me if you have questions. This will be so fun! I can't wait to hear what everybody brings in!

Lose for Good

It's week 4 of the Lose for Good Campaign! Lets keep the momentum going! We have committed to 5 days of tracking, and 4 days of moving this week. How are you doing?

Remember that when we say tracking, it means however you can make tracking work for you, from Etools to sticky notes, going around by the clicker. It's all good!

We also said moving 4 times, again don't over think this. When we say moving, we agreed that it means get ready and do something active 4 times in the week. It can be 5 minutes, it can be 2 hours. It all counts!

Here's the different ways to get involved with the Lose for Good Campaign:

Losing weight

We have done very well on the weight loss, but we can always do a little better! :o) Remember that for every lb we lose, Weight Watchers gives a dollar to the kids who need it. Help others by helping yourself. It cannot get cooler than this!

Plug in for Lose-A-Palooza

It's tomorrow!!! Monday September 19th. Find information here: http://loseapalooza,com

Connect with the Lose for Good Community

Look them up for support, inspiration and motivation: http://weightwatchers.com/loseforgood

Food Drives

There are also be food drives at the centers! It's time to help others by helping ourselves! I know times are hard for a lot of us, and money isn't exactly raining. It's not about giving a lot, it's about giving whatever you can afford to give. Every little bit counts!

Travelers, I will be taking donations this week and bringing them to the Center. If you can't make it to a center to give, bring it to the traveler meeting (JCCSF, Century Club) and I will put it in my super Matrix and bring to to Stonestown.

Tool of the Week

When I don't have time to make it to the gym, that's when I make sure to wear my Pedometer so that I can keep track of how many steps I'm taking.

Not only it's a good way to monitor myself (number of steps, miles, Activity PointsPlus earned) but it's also a great motivator. If I know how many steps I've taken, I can set a goal for the day.

In the Kitchen

One of the many things Weight Watchers has always been good at is coming up for ways of making cooking quick and easy. A few years ago, the cookbook "Shortcuts" came out, and my husband and I have used it extensively. Still do!

Those are not Foofy cuisine, but quick and easy satisfying meals for those days when you just don't have time for anything else.

Scallop and Vegetable Stir-Fry

4 servings, 4 P+/serving

Ingredients

2 tsp canola oil

1 1/2 pound sea scallops

1 tsp dark asian (dark) sesame oil

1 12 oz bag assorted fresh vegetable cut for stir-fry

1 TBSP minced, peeled fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves minced

1 1/2 TBSP reduced-sodium soy sauce

1- Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles on it. Add the canola oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the scallops and stir-fry just until opaque in the center; about 3 minutes on each side (do not overcook!). Transfer to a plate.

2 Heat the sesame oil in the skillet. Add the vegetables and stir-fry just until tender; about 1 minute. Add the ginger and garlic; stir-fry just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in 1/4 cup water and cook, covered, until the vegetables are crisp-tender; about 1 minute. Stir in the scallops and the soy sauce; cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until heated through, about 30 seconds. Serve at once.

Note: It always cracks me up when a recipe says to serve "at once", I feel like I have to run to the dinning room as soon as I turn off the fire. "Quick, quick! It has to be served AT ONCE!" ;o)

Source: Shortcuts, Weight Watchers, p. 27

Move it

I live in the Richmond District, a few blocks from Golden Gate Park. I love walking/running in the park, having picnics, reading under the trees, but I had not realized how much stuff is going on in there! Isn't it funny that we sometimes fail to see what's right in front of us? This week is going to be beautiful, the sun is out FINALLY! Why don't we head to the Park and see what's out there?

Golf

Ok, I played golf 1 time in my life, took 86 hits to do a 9 hole. Lets just say that it's not my thing. If it is your thing though, did you know there's a 9 hole golf course at the western end of the Park? You can rent equipment and everything! It works on a first come first serve basis, so no need to call ahead or anything!

Volley Ball

There is the Monday Volley Ball at Kezar Pavilion on Mondays (7pm-9pm, $2) but have you thought about taking it outside? Sharon Field is a great place for it (and for many other things). Gather your buds and head for the South-west end of the park.

Of course, with a net with good anchors (it's windy out there! Don't let your net fly away!), Ocean Beach is always neat for beach volleyball. With the wind, the sun and the waves, what can be better really?

Baseball

There's always the choice of playing at Sharon Field, or other big open areas in the Park, but Big Rec Ball Field at 7th Avenue and Lincoln is THE place to play some ball. Bring your own equipment and to make sure you can have the spot, make reservations by calling 831-5510.

Remember that you don't want to park near the field, but rather on the street, and be careful for kids while driving around there!

Basketball

There's always indoor at the Kezar Pavilion but if you want to shoot some hoops in the sun, what about the playground at the Panhandle? The playground is between Stanyan and Masonic, and is fairly easy access with public transportation!

Dancing

I've posted about this before. Lindy in the Park is there, free every week and fun!!

Walking, Running, Biking

The Golden Gate Park counts a massive amount of trails, paths, paved and not paved. It's a beautiful setting,  most of it is sheltered from the wind and mostly flat! It's the perfect place to get moving, without being overwhelmed with traffic, noise, fuel smells and whatever else that sometimes makes exploring the city a little less fun.

Be Safe

Sadly things do happen in the Park. You want to be safe and aware of your surroundings. Things like reflecting clothing and staying in the paths can go a long way toward protecting you from the drivers who use the Park as a commute short cut.

If walking/running at night, stay on the well traveled, well lighted paths. I like to wear only 1 of my headphones, that way I can still hear the music AND hear what's happening around me.

Golden Gate Park (along with Ocean Beach) is my favorite part of San Francisco. There is always something to do, if only sitting down and listening to the wind in the trees, and things to see. The museums, the gardens, the pedal boats at Stow Lake (hilarious! They sink one every other week!), the Windmill (they repaired it!!).

Just go in there and enjoy yourselves!

For more information go to: http://www.golden-gate-park.com/

Have a Great week!

Remember that the Recipe Club meeting is this Wednesday!! Also, we are about midway into the Lose for Good Campaign, it is not over yet! We're in this together!!

As always, email me if you need anything. I am here for you!!

Your leader,

Melanie

“Don’t count every hour in the day, make every hour in the day count.”
~Anonymous

But then again:

"How long a minute is, depends on which side of the bathroom door you're on."
~Zall's Second Law

One Magical Week

How many days this week were you "on program" 100%? What does that even mean to be on program 100%?

Everybody have their strength and their weakness when it comes to following the PointsPlus program. Be it food choices, portion control, activity or stick-to-it-iveness. Am I somebody who follows the plan a little all the time? Or someone who's perfect 3 days out of the week?

Do I work out 2 hours a week, all on Monday morning? Or do I have a routine that spreads through the week? Are my Friday evening portions twice as big as my Monday night portions?

What if I told you that you can do anything for a week. That you can, for an entire week, follow the PointsPlus program successfully?

Lets get together to figure out how to make that magical week happen. Here's a hint, magic has very little to do with it!

Recipe Club

The Recipe Club is finally starting! Tired of cooking the same old, same old week after week? Out of inspiration? Come with us on Wednesday September 21st, 7 pm a the Stonestown Center to share your favorite soup/stew recipe and see what the others have to share.

Here's how it works:


September Theme: Soups & Stews


Where: Weight Watchers Center Stonestown (577 Buckingham Way)


When: Wednesday September 21st at 7pm

You need:

• A recipe relating to the theme (keep it simple, ideally a favorite that you know well)
• The source (where you got it from)
• The PointsPlus value and serving size
• Any comments (difficulty level, tools needed, shortcut you've found, substitutions, etc)

We want everybody to have a chance to share their recipes, so we need to keep it short. We will make sure to have time for mingling after everybody presented their recipes, so you'll be able to ask any questions you might have about a given recipe!

Don't be afraid to email me if you have questions. This will be so fun! I can't wait to hear what everybody brings in!

Lose for Good

It's week 3 of the Lose for Good Campaign! What are you doing to help other by helping yourself?

We are doing great, but we can always do better!! Keep it up!! Here's the many ways to get involved:

Losing weight

How cool is that? Weight Watchers will donate 1 dollar for each pound lost up to a million. We want to pass last year's total of 4 million pounds lost. We can so do it!!

Plug in for Lose-A-Palooza
It's happening September 19th. Find information here: http://loseapalooza,com

Connect with the Lose for Good Community

Look them up for support, inspiration and motivation: http://weightwatchers.com/loseforgood


There are also be food drives at the centers! It's time to help others by helping ourselves!

Sale - Sale - Sale

From September 4th through the 24th all Mini Bar, Oatmeal, and Smoothies will be on sale for only $4.95!

It's time to stock up on those goodies!

Tool of the Week

This little tool is great for crazy times! Yeah ideally you want to write it all down in details, break it down, make an analysis... Sometimes you just don't have time for that, or you plain don't feel like it! Enters the Weight Watchers Clicker!

It's a tiny tool that fits anywhere.It's the simplest thing to use, you set it to your Daily PointsPlus Target and click down the PoinstPlus as you use them. That's it! How much simpler can anything get?

In the Kitchen

I have so many cookbooks that it takes me some time to work my way through new ones. Last spring we got the Fresh Fabulous, Fast cookbook here at Weight watchers, and I am now working my way through it. Here's my favorite so far:

Chicken and Broccoli with Black bean sauce

4 servings, 6 P+/serving

Ingredients

3/4 pound chicken tenders, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices

4 cup small broccoli florets

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 cup plus 2 TBSP water

2 TBSP black bean sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 (8.8 ounce) package cooked brown rice (about 1 3/4 cups)

1- Spray a large wok or skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add chicken and stir-fry until browned and just cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to plate.

2- Add broccoli, bell pepper*, and 1/4 cup of the water to wok; stir-fry until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add chicken, black bean sauce, sugar, and remaining 2 TBSP water; stir-fry 1 minute.

3- Heat rice according to package directions for microwave. Serve chicken and vegetables over rice.

* You can add more vegetables to this and bump the volume and the taste!

Source: Fast, Fresh, Fabulous Weight Watchers p. 129.

Move it

Since we are trying to lose weight, or maintain our weight after a weight loss, we often put a lot of focus on cardio when it comes to our choices of activity. It makes sense after all, cardio burns more calories, earns more Activity PointsPlus, so evidently we tend to deduce that it's a better choice to make it to our goal weight in a hurry and stay there. Cardio absolutely has its place in a healthy lifestyle, but so does resistance training!

Resistance training by itself burns less calories since it is less taxing on the cardiovascular system, but it certainly has definite advantage when it comes to reaching our goals. Studies show that building more muscle mass speeds up your metabolism (at rest even, the more muscles you have, the faster your metabolism) so that your body will burn more calories while you are doing nothing! Resistance training also makes you look better, at any weight, by helping you maintain a better posture, and help us fight off the effects of time and gravity on the body.

You can do all sort of resistance training: Yoga, pilates, core training, anything really that makes you work your muscles until they are too tired to go on. My first choice when it comes to resistance training is, by far, lifting weights. I've talked about it before, but I still see members, generally women, who are intimidated by the idea of pumping iron. There are so many myths and misinformation about weight training, here are the main ones debunked:

http://bodybuilding.about.com/od/womensfitnesstopics/a/womenmyths.htm

The Weight Watchers website has some good articles about weight training:

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=32301&sc=3046

Free weights or machines?

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=11501&sc=128

Here's a few article from my go to website about weight training (www.stumptuous.com) that might help you get started. Those are from Krista's website and her language/humor is particular, still the information she gives is very helpful and interesting! I have learned a lot from her, even if her site really is geared toward women, I think anybody can learn a lot from her.

Still have weight to lose? Look up this article:

http://www.stumptuous.com/no-fat-chicks

Think you're too old to lift weight? You are NOT!

http://www.stumptuous.com/old-broads-the-golden-years-of-pumping-iron

Here you can find other articles she has written over the years for people who are just getting started:

http://www.stumptuous.com/category/starting

Yes weight training burns less calories while you are doing it than a cardio work out would, but it increase the calories you burn at rest, it helps fight off bone mass loss over the year, and it makes life easier (I can open my own jars thank you!). This is all very good and pretty, but honestly to me the biggest advantage of resistance training is that it significally slows down the effect of gravity on the body.

I do want to be healthy, of course, but here's what I'm really pumping iron for: To keep my weight down... and my behind up where it belongs!

Have a great week!

There is so much going on! Lose for good, Bike-o-rama, the Recipe Club starting, sales, Success Stories Live on the 18th, Wow! It IS a great time to be a member! Make sure to look up the Event Blog to keep up  with everything that is going on.

We are working our way back on the way to our goals, as always I'm only an email away!

Have a skinny, healthy week everybody!

Melanie

Getting Re-Started

Summer has its own rhythm. Kids are off school, vacations interrupt our routine, and summer just has this feeling of "I want to take it easy a little bit". This doesn't mean that we are not trying anymore, but rather that our efforts are maybe a little less focused, and maybe not as constant as they should have been.

Now that the kids are back to school and that, hopefully, we have recovered from the scramble of getting them ready for it, it might be a good time to hit the reset button and refocus our efforts for greater success.

To do that the overall theme for the September meetings is "Refresh and Renew". What best way to refocus our efforts than starting right at the beginning with the basics of the PointsPlus program.

Together we will review and reaffirm our knowledge of the plan and see where we might need to focus our efforts.

Promotions

There's a lot going on at Weight Watchers in the San Francisco/Upper Peninsula and in the rest of North America! Here's what's going on in September (check the Event Blog for further events in our territory). Very exciting! It's a great time to be a Weight Watchers member!

Lose for Good

Lose for Good has started and started in a good way! We have a ton of ways to get involved and help others by helping ourselves. How cool is that?

Losing weight

How cool is that? Weight Watchers will donate 1 dollar for each pound lost up to a million. We want to pass last year's total of 4 million pounds lost. We can so do it!!

Plug in for Lose-A-Palooza

It's happening September 19th. Find information here: http://loseapalooza,com

Connect with the Lose for Good Community

Look them up for support, inspiration and motivation: http://weightwatchers.com/loseforgood


There will also be food drives at the centers! It's time to help others by helping ourselves!

Sale - Sale - Sale

From September 4th through the 24th, all Mini Bars, Oatmeal, and Smoothies will be on sale for $4.95
It's time to stock up!

Bike-O-Rama

You might have noticed the bikes in the centers lately. I see you downtown members laughing as saying "Of course we did, you tripped over it enough!" True!! Well, here's what it's all about:

Follow YOUR Path Contest
When: Sept 4th - Oct 30th

What: 3 Ways” to be entered into the contest

1. When you Bring a Friend who enrolls and they buy a Monthly Pass,you will get a ticket to enter.
2. Stay and Succeed - When you attend 6 out of the 8 meetings,you will get a ticket to enter (your location will bravo or punch your special card).
3. When you attend ALL 8 out of 8 meetings, you will get another ticket to enter (even when you travel, go to a meeting then let us know).

* drawing to be held on Oct. 30th - each winner will then be notified One winner per center!

Lots of exciting stuff going on and more coming but I can't tell yet (it's KILLING ME!!! I want to tell SO BAD!!). Keep coming, bring your friends and stay tuned!

Tool of the Week

If you want to refocus your efforts, and get your plan back on its tracks, it's important to have the right tools. The Member kit has everything you need to follow the plan successfully without breaking your head in the process.

It contains the Complete Food Companion, the Dinning Out Companion, the 3 Month Journal, a Fabulous cookbook, a coupon for a free calculator and a little booklet of coupons to save money on all sorts of Weight Watchers products (including a discount on a food scale!).

All of this is packaged in a convenient little binder that is perfect to keep all your Weight Watchers stuff together and out of the way.

In the Kitchen

If we think basic recipe when following the Weight Watchers program, what do we think of?

Yup! The 0 PointsPlus soup! Here's a few variations found on the website. The possibilities are endless. Feel free to modify!

Fresh vegetable soup
12 servings, 0P+/serving

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, minced (medium)
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium carrot, diced
1 medium sweet red pepper, diced
1 stalk celery, diced (medium)
2 small zucchini, diced
2 cups green cabbage, shredded
2 cups Swiss chard, chopped
2 cups cauliflower, small florets
2 cups broccoli, small florets
2 tsp thyme, fresh, fresh, chopped
6 cups vegetable broth
2 Tbsp parsley, or chives, fresh, chopped
1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, optional

Instructions
Put garlic, vegetables, thyme and broth into a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, about 10 minutes.

Stir in parsley or chives; season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Yields about 1 cup per serving.


Asian-Inspired Vegetable soup
12 servings, 0 P+/serving

Ingredients
2 cups bok choy, chopped
2 cups chinese cabbage, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (medium)
1/4 cup ginger root, thinly sliced and julienned
4 small raw oyster mushrooms, chopped
2 cups scallion, chopped
1 cup canned water chestnuts, sliced
1/2 cup sweet red pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
6 cups vegetable broth
2 cups snow peas, stringed
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Instructions
Put bok choy, Chinese cabbage, garlic, ginger root, mushrooms, scallions, water chestnuts, red pepper, red pepper flakes and broth into a large soup pot; stir to combine. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes. Toss in snow peas during the last 3 to 4 minutes of simmering.

Stir in soy sauce and cilantro. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Mexican-Style Vegetable Soup
12 servings, 0P+ serving

Ingredients
2 cups green snap beans, fresh, cut into bit-size pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced (medium)
2 small zucchini, cubed
14 oz canned diced tomatoes, Mexican-style preferred
1 medium spanish onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped tomatillos
1 medium jalapeٌno pepper, finely chopped (don't touch seeds with bare hands)
1/2 medium poblano chile, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin,
6 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, water-packed (about 2 peppers)
1 Tbsp canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 cup cilantro, fresh, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
3/4 tsp table salt

Instructions
Place green beans, garlic, zucchini, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, tomatillos, jalapeno, poblano, oregano, cumin and broth into a large soup pot. Puree roasted peppers with chipotle in adobo sauce in a blender or food processor; stir into soup. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low, and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes.

Stir in cilantro, lime juice and salt. Serve. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Italian-Style Vegetable Soup
12 servings, 0P+/serving

Ingredients
2 cups escarole, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (medium)
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cups spinach, baby leaves
2 small zucchini, cubed
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
6 cups vegetable broth
28 oz canned diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
3/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup parsley, fresh, chopped
1/4 cup basil, fresh, leaves

Instructions
Put escarole, garlic, onions, spinach, zucchini, red pepper, fennel, vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes, thyme and oregano into a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes.

Stir in salt, black pepper, parsley and basil. Serve. Yields about 1 cup per serving.


See how easy that is? Fat free broth, 0 P+ vegetables, and fat free seasonings. One basic recipe, endless possibilities!

Activity

Ah September in San Francisco! The worst of the tourists go home, the sun comes out (well, hopefully), the kids are back in school, and the vacations are done for the most part.

With most of the distractions out of the way, it's the perfect time to set a new routine. The Good Health Guidelines tells us that we should move at moderate intensity most days of the week and that is for health, not necessarily to lose weight. It might be a good idea to aim toward a little more than that.

In theory that sounds beautiful, but in practice sometimes it's not that easy to achieve. Playing taxi driver for the kids, work meetings, house work, emails, homework, everything seems to get in the way. That's where setting a routine becomes extremely helpful. If you do the same thing, at the same time everyday, it becomes almost automatic. We don't forget to brush our teeth before bed because we do it every night, so if we don't something is missing. Getting your work out in can become as natural to you as brushing your teeth before bed is, if you stick to your routine long enough.

There's a few things to consider when setting up your routine:

What do I want to do? 

It's a good idea to have a basic work out (or a basic activity) that you will do regularly. You can add to it on the days that you have more time, or when you are feeling bored, but the basic routine makes it easier to build a work out in which you don't have to reinvent the wheel every time. It is also a time saver on those week when you don't have time to be overly creative. You just go and do it, without having to think about it too much.

When do I want to move?

That's the big question! Are you a morning person? Can you work out after work? What about a Lunch time work out? There is no right or wrong answer to this question. The best answer is the answer that works the best for you. If the thought of getting up early in the morning gives you nightmares, then maybe you want to think about stopping by the gym on your way home after work. If you hit a wall every day at 4:30 and body and mind just stops functioning, an after work work out might not be ideal.

What can I realistically commit to do?

You are far better to start small and build up your routine than to commit to a huge work out 7 days/week and feel like a failure 4 days into it because you couldn't keep up. Depending on the kind of activity you decide to practice, and the intensity of each work out, you might want to start with 2 or 3 work out per week, and then add to that when you are ready.


The bottom line is that you want to be very honest with yourself and realistic about your expectations. Nobody goes from couch potato to  athlete overnight. None of us, I think, is getting ready for the next Olympics, the old adage of "No pain, no gain" does not apply to us (or to anybody else anymore for that matter). So set up a challenging but realistic routine and see where you can go from there. Take your time, and of course enjoy yourself!

Have a good week

There is so much going on right now and all of it is good and exciting! As I said earlier it is a good time to be a Weight Watchers member! Make sure to come to your meeting so that you can be part of the Lose for Good campaign and take advantage of all the promotions we have going on.

As always I'm just an email away if you need me. Not that I have added an "Email me" link just under my picture (top right of this page) to make it easier to contact me.

It's September, time to take ourselves in hand. So let's hit the reset button and start this fall with great gusto!

I will see you in the meeting room,

Melanie
Leader

Life is not about how fast you run or how high you climb but how well you bounce. 
~Vivian Komori

Shop Smart

Ever went to the grocery store to get carrots and a pack of skinless/boneless chicken breast and came back with 5 bags full of baked chips, ice cream treats, crackers, 4 different kinds of bread...

You know what I mean? Or at Trader Joes! Love that store, but I always go in for 1 thing, and come back with full hands. Last time one can of blackbeans turned into $120 of all sorts of stuff. The worst part is that the very next day, I realized I had 30 different kinds of snacks, but nothing to cook with!

I really do love to shop for food, but it takes time, and there are some pitfalls to be aware of. So this week we will explore ways to save time at the grocery store, and strategies to avoid the challenges that we come across when we go food shopping.

Don't miss it!

Lose for Good

Lose for Good is finally here! Starting this week, we have a ton of ways to get involved and help others by helping ourselves. How cool is that?

Weekly challenge: This last week we committed to tracking at a minimum 4 days of the week to help add up to our weight loss. How are you doing with that? Can you do 5 days? 6? What else can you do help others by helping yourself?

Losing weight

How cool is that? Weight Watchers will donate 1 dollar for each pound lost up to a million. We want to pass last year's total of 4 million pounds lost. We can so do it!!

Plug in for Lose-A-Palooza

It's happening September 19th. Find information here: loseapalooza.com

Connect with the Lose for Good Community

Look them up for support, inspiration and motivation: weightwatchers.com/loseforgood

There will also be food drives at the centers! It's time to help others by helping ourselves! If you have ideas for weekly challenges please share!

Tool of the week

I like to call my calculator "The little blue dude". It follows me everywhere, and helps me in all sorts of ways, even more at the grocery store.

The little dude calculates the PointsPlus value of any packaged food, tracks your day, give you your daily target, everything!! Over all that, it's a regular calculator too, so at the grocery store, you can calculate PointsPlus values and money.

In the Kitchen

This recipe is simple, quick and gives a lot of taste to simple pork chops. I have used the same recipe on chicken with great results.

The recipe calls for oven baking, but I've done it on the grill too. It's just one of those easy, good for everything recipe!

Cotelettes de porc a la jamaicaine (Jamaican style pork chops)

4 servings, 5P+/serving

Ingredients

4 boneless pork chops (about 1 lb total)

1 TBSP soy sauce

1 TBSP orange juice

1 TBSP olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 green onions, minced

1 tsp Jamaican pepper

1 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp salt,

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1- Make little cut on the side of each chop of about 1 inch. In a bowl mix all remaining ingredients. Rub the mixture on each pork chops and put in an oven safe dish in one layer.

2- Cook pork chops for 18 minutes or so at 375 F, or until they are golden but still pink inside, turning once.

Source: Coup de Pouce, Au menu ce soir, p. 36

September Events!

It might be the teacher (and daughter of two teachers) in me, but September is filled with positive happy energy!

Recipe club meeting TBD
I'm in the process of putting together the bases to start a recipe club. Keep your eyes peeled for further information. I'm hoping to have it all figured out on time to start in September!

Lose for Good August 28th-October 15th
Help yourself by helping others. Make sure to come to your meeting, we can't let the team down!

Bike A RAMA September 3rd-October 30th
Did you see the bikes in the meeting room? Come to the meetings to learn what this great promotion is all about!

Lifetime member meeting September 4 th - 11:00 Stonestown Center
Lifetime members get together to discuss the challenges of long term motivation and maintenance. How do you keep this lifestyle interesting and fulfilling for a lifetime? We figure it out together :o)

Second Sunday Stair climb September 11th
Fun time with Michael and his fearless walkers! Once a month, a little bit of a challenging walk, but a wonderful discovery of beautiful San Francisco.

Success Stories Live September 18th Stonestown Center
The perfect event to recharge your motivation for the fall. Listen to local success stories and learn how people have overcome hurdles, pushed through plateaus and succeeded!

Facebook

We now have our very own Facebook page for the Weight Watchers members of San Francisco and the Upper peninsula (San Bruno, Pacifica, and surroundings that's you!).

Look it up! Little contests, idea exchanges, all yours! Also a good place to know what's going on in our local Weight Watchers community!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Weight-Watchers-Peninsula/181660318539142?sk=wall

Activity

Some of us are just getting started with our activity routine, but some of us have been at it for a while, and are eager to renew, rev up, and re-energize our work out routine. We talked a little bit about that with the "Get Unstuck" meeting this last week, but maybe it's worth looking at a little more closely.

How do you know if it's time to renew, rev up and re-energize your routine? Hopefully this might help you give it another look:

Renew: Is your activity routine very, well, routine? Do you ever feel like you are in an endless cycle of "Get up, get dressed, hit the machine (pavement, bike, whatever) take a shower, get on with your day"? Has the fun leaked out of your routine?

Rev up: Are your work outs easy? Have you stopped coming home, or going back to work, feeling like "Woah, I really worked it"? Did you have a fitness goal set and now see that you have stopped seeing significant results? When you first started, you improved almost with every workout, now months later you've been at the same distance/intensity/duration/weights for weeks.

Re-energize: Have you sort of forgotten why you are doing this? You are working out because you are working out, but the driving force behind somehow has lessened. You know what to do, how to do it, but you've sort of forgotten why?

OK, now what? If any of these sounds about right to you, that's ok, we've all been there! The solutions really are simple:

Diversify your routine: You don't have to reinvent the wheel every week. Make a list of a few activities that you would like to try and see how you can incorporate them to your routine. If you are a member in a gym, add a class to your week. If your week is very booked up, add a weekend activity; a hike, a bike ride, go kayaking on the bay, go climb the stairs with Michael on the 11th! Bring some friends, you can have fun and burn calories at the same time!

Increase Duration/Intensity: For your work out to be effective, it has to be challenging. That doesn't mean that you have to work until you fall apart, but that you have to come out of it feeling like your muscles are tired.

There's only 2 ways to make your work out challenging: Add time, or boost up the intensity. If the time constrain is a big issue, you want to add weights, add inclination, increase the resistance on the machine so that your body has to work harder to do the same work. If you have a little more time, or if you can't add intensity because of physical issues, then you want to make your work out a little longer. Either ways will add the number of calories burned, and force your body to improve with each workout.

Be wary of over-training! You want to rev up your work outs progressively and listen to your body. If you added weights and your forms are suffering, back up and lower your weights a little, you're lifting too heavy. If you added 2 miles to your run, and your ankle (or knee, or back) are suddenly hurting, take a break and start with a smaller distance, you might have overdone it.

Here's information about over-training: http://www.brianmac.co.uk/overtrn.htm

Find a motivator: This might be the simplest and yet most difficult part of this, figuring out what it is that makes it worth the effort for you. You need to sit down and really think hard about why it is worth it to you to get up in the morning and work out. What are you working for? Are you training for a race? Running away from a medical condition? Looking forward to wearing a sexy pair of jeans or a swimsuit and feeling great in it? Or are you trying to build up the stamina to keep up with the kids?

Whatever the motivator is for you (and it is as personal as it can get) it has to be powerful enough for you to be willing to work for it. Yes working out can be fun, but nobody I have ever met is enthusiastic about working out every time they hit the gym, or go out for a run. Your motivator is what is going to make you go ahead and do it on the mornings (or whenever in he day you work out) when you really don't wanna.

Have a great week

September is a few days away, and we are going to have a great one! Lose for Good is there, we have all sorts of good events coming, and it's time to get on with losing! I don't know about you, but I'm just in a "I'm ready, bring it on!" kind of mood these days. What about you?

If you need me don't be afraid of emailing me. I'm there for you and will do my best to answer any questions or concerns you might have.

It's time to come back home, and to recommit to our goals and ourselves. I will be looking for you in the meeting room!

Melanie

“You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six.”
~ Yogi Berra (sorry, I couldn't resist this one! hehehe)

Get Unstuck

Ever get stuck in traffic? You know that helpless feeling of "no matter what I do, I'll be sitting here not going anywhere for a while". I hate that feeling!

You see, patience is not one of my strong point*s*, and that's an understatement. Whatever I am doing, I want to be done now. Wherever I'm going, I want to be there now. You can imagine how well (not!) I dealt with plateaus on my weight loss journey. Not pretty!

Still, like a majority of people, I did have to deal with the scale ignoring my impatience, and refusing to budge even a smidgen for weeks. Plateaus are a normal part of the weight loss process, and as exasperating (and lets be honest, scary) as they are, you can work your way through them and even learn great lessons in the process.

This week we will discuss how we can get past a weight loss plateau to get ourselves back to losing weight.

Tool of the week

My first go to helper when I'm struggling is my food scale. I know I talk about it all the time, but really, I don't understand how one can do this program without this easy and useful tool.

The Weight Watchers Electronic food scale is not only easy and quick to measure foods, but it also has a lot of healpful features:

• Food bank: Give you the PointsPlus value of the food you have on there quickly and easily.
• Integrated calculator: Permits you to calculate the PointsPlus of any food that might not be in the original food bank by entering the nutritional info and serving size.
• Add: Permits you to calculate the PointsPlus value of additional foods in the same dish and keep a running count of the total PointsPlus Value of all ingredients added

You can also add new foods to the original food bank, zero out the scale after you put your dish on it... It's just a great tool! What can I say?

In the Kitchen

This recipe is a creation of mine. I was looking for a good fennel salad, and was tired of my usuals, so I experimented. I'm not beyond bragging, this was really good!

I've shared it on Facebook already, but thought I'd share it here for posterity (HA!)

Apple -Fennel slaw
6 servings, (recipe builder says 1p+/serving, but that counts the apple and fennel. I protest!)


2 granny smith apple, thinly julienned
1 fennel bulb, cored, thinly julienned
2 TBSP lemon juice (or so)
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar, divided
1 (generous) TBSP dijon mustard (I use whole grain, it's prettier)
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 packet stevia (or 1 tsp sugar)
1/2 TBSP (or more) poppy seeds
Salt & pepper to taste

Mix 1 TBSP of the vinegar with the lemon juice and pour over the apple juliennes as soon as they are cut (to keep from browning). Put in a big bowl

Mix the mustard, the remaining vinegar, the oil and the stevia in a little bowl, pour over the slaw. Add poppy seeds, salt and pepper and toss well.

Source: My own brain, please credit said brain if you're going to reuse ;op

Loose for Good

The Lose for Good campaign is starting next week. We have done wonderfully well the previous year, but we can do better! Get involved, get inspired, lose for the good cause! Get involved by:

Losing weight

How cool is that? Weight Watchers will donate 1 dollar for each pound lost up to a million. We want to pass last year's total of 4 million pounds lost. We can so do it!!

Plug in for Lose-A-Palooza

It's happening September 19th. Find information here: loseapalooza,com

Connect with the Lose for Good Community

Look them up for support, inspiration and motivation: weightwatchers.com/loseforgood

More to come as the campaign takes off. Keep your eyes peeled cause we're on starting August 28th!

Activity

While I was on vacation, I found myself on the grounds surrounding the port at "L'Etang du Nord". I was waiting for my Mom to be done with a meeting, and had nothing with me but my camera, my MP3 player and my walking shoes.

Instead of just sitting around, I decided to go wander around to take pictures. I started the music, and just took off, stopping to take pictures when something caught my attention.

Now, I'm certainly no photograph, don't even know enough about it to be a wannabe, and my camera was an ok one... 8 years ago! I had the best time!

"What on earth does that have to do with activity?" you ask... Well, I walked (with frequent stops that's true) for well over 2 1/2 hours.

Moving is moving right? Who knew that you could burn calories taking pictures? HA!

See the Move it! blog to see some example of my attempt at photography! He he he!

Have a good week

Don't let slow downs and plateaus turn you away from your goals. Those are normal, and happen to everybody. The first step to getting ourselves back on the losing track again is to keep coming to the meetings so that we can find solution and remain connected to what we are trying to do.

As always I'm there for you, never be afraid to ask! See you in the meeting room.

Be good n stuff!!!

Melanie

“If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere.”
~Frank A. Clark

Is a Meatless Day for Me?

As I unpack my luggage from my vacation, and realize upon stepping on the scale that I shouldn't wait before I step into my routine again, I realize that my routine needs a little kick.

The last few months my meals have been "on program" but nothing to write home about. So, cookbooks in hand, I'm planning my week. The funny thing is that 3 of my 5 weeknight dinners are vegan. What a shift!

When I started Weight Watchers, the idea of a meal without meat was ridiculous to me. Of course then I thought vegan meant some nasty looking fake meat, with some half cooked unknown grain and 3 over steamed broccoli floret. Boy was I wrong!

Vegetarian/vegan cooking can very easily be weigh-loss friendly and healthy, but also cost effective! Add to that that it can be absolutely delicious and filling, what's not to love? The possibilities are endless. This week we will talk about how to incorporate vegetarian/ vegan cooking to our routine, for our health and our wallet's!

Tool of the Week

Did you know that the PointPlus Cookbook not only has a great side dish chapter (page 204 to 233) which has a lot of vegetarian and/or vegan sides, but also a vegetarian main meal section?

Look in the "The main lean event" chapter, page 190 to 203! 11 main meals, some of them vegan, some of them vegetarian, but all of them delicious! The perfect tool to dip your toes in the art of vegetarian cooking.

In the Kitchen

I have entirely too many cookbooks, and I am purging them every once in a while. I do however have a very extensive and, if I say so myself, well researched vegan cookbooks collection.

This recipe is from a favorite of mine: Appetite for reduction from Isa Chandra Moskiwitz. Isa's recipes are sometimes a little complicated and out there, but her cooking is very creative, and inspiring.

This recipe is one of the simplest most satisfying "whole meal" that I've gotten out of that book.
Don't let the cooking time and long instruction get to you, it is very easy to make and a good way to deal with eggplant when one feels a little intimidated. :o)

Eggplant-Chickpea Curry
6 serving, 4 P+/serving

Ingredients
1 tsp oil
1 small white onion, chopped finely
3 clove garlic, minced
1 TBSP fresh ginger, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, spicy!)
1 pound tomatoes, chopped roughly (about 2 cups)
2 pound eggplant, cubed (3/4 inch)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp mild curry powder
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup vegetable broth
1 (15 ounces) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (1 1/2 cup)
Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)


Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Saute the onion in the oil for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Use a little nonstick cooking spray if needed. Add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes (if using), and saute for another minute. Mix in the tomato, eggplant, and salt, and cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute. The tomato should deglaze the pan (if not I cheat and throw in a TBSP or a little more vegetable broth).

Mix in the curry powder, garam masala, and ground cumin. Add the vegetable broth, stir and cover the pot. Bring the mixture to a slow boil and cook with the pot covered for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. The eggplant should be mostly broken down by this point. Add the chickpeas and cook uncovered for another 10 minutes,stirring for about a m inute at first (to further break down the eggplant) and then occasionally.

Taste for salt and serve garnished with cilantro.

Source: Appetite for Reduction, Isa Chandra Moskowitz p. 230.

Activity

Today (Sunday) we went for a stair walk with my fellow leader Michael Hamlin.

Michael gets together with his members (and anyone who wants to join) and pick a walk in the book Stairway Walks in San Francisco, by Adah Bakalinsky off he goes!

We started at the Stairs that can be found at the corner of Moraga and 16th Avenue, and then walked around the neighborhood climbing several stairs and hill until we made our way to Golden Gate height park and then came down.

It was such a fun and beautiful walk, and challenging too!

There are tons of such books about walks in San Francisco, some more challenging than others. What a fun way to move, discover new places and just enjoy this beautiful city!

Thanks to Michael for clue me in on that one, I'm getting the kindle edition of the book tonight! ;o)

Have a great week!!

It's the last few instants of smmer, soon school will start again, and we will step back into our routine. It's also a great time of the year to roam the Famer's Market! Get out there and enjoy yourselves!!

As always, I'm only and email away, never be afraid to contact me. I haven't seen most of you in over 3 weeks, I can't wait to see you in the meeting room and hear all about how those weeks went! Be there!!

Melanie

My meetings

“There is no such thing as a failed experiment, only experiments with unexpected outcomes”

~Richard Buckminster