Psalm 118:24

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

I couldn't help but notice at our WW meeting tonight that alot of people referred to having "bad days" or a "bad week". I too have found myself thinking and saying this as well. Why? What really made it so "bad"? We were all able to wake up, some didn't. We were able to spend time with our families, some can't or don't have any. We were able to eat whatever we wanted to, even if it wasn't the best choice for us WW wise. And something tells me that we enjoyed every bit of it too! LOL Some people have to go with out food. They don't even have enough to feed their families and I'm sure all of us have no problems with that. We were able to spend the holiday with family and friends and other's are over seas, they are the reason we have this holiday that we just celebrated. We have the support and encouragement of WW buddies, friends and family to help us during these difficult times. Many struggle on there own to lose weight. So why do we let the scale dictate what kind of day or week we've had? We focus so much on the negative that we forget the great things that we've done. Be it the total weight we've lost, the newfound energy we have, maybe even the great wardrobe we're getting into. Maybe it's being able to work out on the elliptical machine for 20 minutes now instead of just the 5 we huffed and puffed through? Or perhaps it's being able to get a hug from your kids or grandkids and getting a "whole body hug" instead of a half one?

There have been times that I've fallen off the wagon. Heck, there's been time's I've fallen off the wagon and been ran over by it. I've also had days that I've become so fustrated with myself and my slow weightloss that it turns into a "bad day". (That will have to be another posting for another day!) So, I am going to start remembering this verse and receiting it daily. It will become my new mantra. Not to say that I won't have a "bad day", but perhaps this will make it easier. I hope this helps you. I know it's not really a "tip", or a food find, but sometimes we need a "tip" for our souls too.

Excercise

Ok...I HATE to excercise. Does anyone else have this problem?

I paid for a gym membership, but rarely went. Then, I renewed the darn thing!!! I have good intentions, but those don't help the flab fall off. I've even got friends from church that are willing to meet me there to work out as well and this week I've been unable to show up everyday so far. What am I to do? I already know the answer so you don't have to say anything. I need to get my rear in gear and get to the gym. My biggest excuse though, and one that I don't even try to find a solution for is that I have noone to watch Emma. And get this, one friend has older sons that are willing to help babysit her, and still I'm a no-show. I just hate to bother someone with babysitting. Does that even make sense? And I'm sure if she reads this, she'll let me know what she thinks :) (Love ya NS!)

Know what else? I've even bought a dance it off work out DVD and have used it twice! I work at a school that has it's own walking track and don't use it. I could use it after school when I really have don't have much to do, I could make the kids walk with me at recess, but still I DON'T!!! What is wrong with me? I severly lack self motavation!!

Oh look at that! It's 9:09 p.m. and the gym closes at 10!! And I've already gone through every excuse I have in my head not to go and they all worked!! Another day without exercise....maybe tomorrow.

Food Finds

I have found (with the help of my friend, Karen B.) the BEST salad dressing!! It's All Natural Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette Lighten Up! It has 50% less fat and 50% fewer calories than regular Balsamic Dressing. The serving size is 2 T, which is pretty standard for all dressings and has a points value of 1 point!!! I know that fat free Italian is zero points, but I'm not really a fan of it, so I feel like I'm having to choke down my salad. Not cool at all. Now, I'm not saying I will never use FF Italian again, because it is good to use a marinade for veggies and chicken, just it won't be on my salad anymore if I can help it. Oh! Who has tried the Weight Watchers cookies yet? Sidnee and I tried the chocolate chip ones Thursday and they were pretty darn good!! I was really surprised. The cookie is an ok size, for 1 pont, but they were nice and soft and the taste made up for the size.

Also, I know some don't actually attend WW meetings, but are still trying to follow the plan solo and some are just trying to cut back on calories and eat healthier, so with that being said, here are some more food finds.


Nature's Own now makes hamburger buns and hot dog buns that are 1 point each!! They are Whitewheat and taste pretty good. The only thing, the hamburger buns are kind of small, but once you add your "fillings" to it, they still seem to be pretty filling. Nature's Own also has there Light Honey Wheat sandwich bread, the points value is 1 point for 2 slices.

La Tortilla Factory makes 0 point tortillas!! I've only tried the original low carb ones and I've only found these in Gatesville at Wal-Mart.

Kraft has cheese slices that are fat free and some that are 2%. In my opinion, just buy the 2% ones, they are the same in points (1), as the FF ones, but taste a ton better.

The same goes for milk. I use the 1% not skim...why drink cloudy water when you're not saving any points? Both are 2 points for a 1 cup serving.

Pregresso has some Weight Watchers inspired soups 5 different flavors. One serving is 1 cup for 0 points, the whole can will cost you two though, but still 2 points for a whole can of soup is not bad. They have a Vegetable and Noodle, Zesty Southwesteren-Style Vegetable, Homestyle Vegetable and Rice, Italian-Style Vegetable & Savory Vegetable Barley.

Nabisco makes Multigrain crackers that are 1 point for 5 crackers. I think the serving for FF crackers is 7 for 1 point, but FF crackers taste like cardboard to me, so I opt. for losing 2 crackers for taste.

Well, I hope this short starter list helps some of you out. I want to try to keep posting food finds as I find them or remember them. If anyone else has some they know off the top of their head, please feel free to share!

Websites

Ok, now that I have a few more minutes, I want to compile a list of helpful websites. I've used these websites numerous of times and have found helpful information on all of them.

1. Weight Watchers Online=http://www.weightwatchers.com/
There is information on here that is FREE. You can even sign up for the free newsletter, read message boards and get recipes too!
2. Hungry Girl=http://www.hungrygirl.com/
This too has a FREE newsletter that you can subscribe to, recipes to get, and helpful information.
3. Aimees Adventures=http://www.aimeesadventures.com/
This one has lots of recipes that you can print off for FREE, plus links to other sites that can be useful to you as well.

Please, if anyone has any other sites that they use or have heard of but haven't had time to try out, leave feedback for us all!!

First Time Around

Well, this is my first attempt at creating a blog. I hope all goes well.

The major goal is this, to create a place where the women and men of Central Texas can get more local Weight Watchers advice. On the message boards for WW, I often see food sold at places that aren't even around our "neck of the woods". Also, people are sometimes more apt to talk about their problems, concerns, tips and tricks with people they know.

With that being said, this will first be shared with family and close friends. Please share what you think of this idea!