Go for the Goal(d)

Obstacles are thost frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal

~Henry Ford

This week I want to talk about the importance of setting goals - both ultimate and interim. One of the first goals that we recommend at WW is your 10% goal. Research has shown that there are incredible benefits to losing 10% of your body weight including:

• A healthier heart
• Lower risk of type 2 diabetes
• More energy

Sometimes the 10% goal isn't best for everyone, so it's great to set goals along the way. In the meeting room we celebrate milestones along the way with 5 and 10 lbs stars, as well as Bravo stickers.

Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another
~John Dewey

Once reaching a goal (10% or other) it's important to set another, whether that be another interim goal or an ultimate weight goal. If your meetings member who has achieved a goal, sit down and chat with your Leader who can help you set another goal.

This week I challenge you to think about what goal you are currently working towards - is it an interim goal like your 10% or your ultimate goal weight? If you're already at your goal weight, what is another goal that you've set for yourself?

Setting goals (both interim and ultimate) are integral to your success. Setting goals along the way can help strengthen your motivation because your next success is never far off!!

It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward
~Old Chinese Proverb

Funny Article in Wired

Check out this article a fellow ww.ca member posted today. If you really think about it Weight Watchers really is like a game. I know some of my members even think of the Weekly Points allowance as "bonus points". Keeping this kind of playful attitude while on WW could really help keep things interesting and fun while enjoying the countless benefits of your Lifestyle change!

This made my morning

Check out this link to my friend Jess' youtube site and her weekly weigh in video. Congratulations to Jess on reaching her 10% goal and a special thank you for reading my blog and participating in the Good Health Guideline challenge!!

Cooking on a Sunday - Smackeroni & Tortilla Pie Edition

I'm currently in rehearsals for my new show, which means Joey & I need lunches and dinners for the week. While I trust him to cook on his own, I know that making meals for him is more nutritious and delicious and it keeps things interesting for me and ensures that we spend less money on fast food as well as groceries.

Last week I made my famous lasagna and the Ladle in Red chili from ESBM. This week I figured I would post the recipes I made as well as some pictures of the results.

First up...
Smackeroni & Cheese from ESBM

We had some for dinner and it was so good that Joey went back for seconds. This recipes is easy, cheesy and delicious!!

Next up...
Rose Reisman's Layered Tortilla, Bean, Tomato & Cheese Pie

I love this recipe and it's so easy to make. I took some pictures as I went through the process of layering this yummy vegetarian dish

This is what the filling looks like when it's all mixed together in the pan. You've got two types of peppers, roasted corn, tomato sauce spices and two types of beans. I love how colourful it is!!

This is the first layer of the pie. That's a whole wheat tortilla on the bottom with a layer of the veggie mix and then a cheese layer (I didn't have mozzarella so it was only cheddar with a bit of parm mixed in. You repeat this step 3 times.

Here is a picture of the finished product!

I like to serve a piece of this pie with a dollop of sour cream and salsa with a green salad on the side. The leftovers taste awesome too!

My Sunday is starting to become a tradition and I'm really starting to enjoy doing it. A couple hours in the kitchen means great meals for the week and happy bellies and wallets!

Olympic Challenge - Week Two

How is everyone's activity going? Have you found something that you love? At last week's meetings my members told me about all the fun things that they love to do including:
Tap dancing
Rock Climbing
Walking
Running
Working out at the gym
Cycling
Swimming
Golf
Modern Dance
And many more!!

We agreed that activity is a lot more fun when you truly enjoy it!
At this week's meeting we're talking about how far Weight Watchers has come since it's inception. Weight Watchers was founded by Jean Nidetch and the company was incorporated in 1963. It's gone through a lot of changes over the years. There's a great article on dwlz.com about the program rules in 1972. Check out these recipe cards with pictures of recipes from the program in 1974. They don't look very appealing!! I wouldn't have survived!! There were so many rules, so many banned foods and it just wasn't as flexible and as liveable as it is today, nor did any of the recipes look very good!
I love the current Weight Watchers program. It has changed slightly since I started in 2006, but much of it is the same and I adore it!!
So for this week's challenge we're going to eat like Olympians and focus on one of the wonderful aspects of the current program and that is the...

Good Health Guidelines

It's time to re-quanit yourself with your GHG's if you've been neglected them or just continuing feasting on their goodness if it's already something that you're very good at. The Good Health Guidelines are:

1. Eat at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables each day
2. Choose whole grain foods whenever possible
3. Include 2 servings of milk products each day
4. Have 2 tsp of healthy oil each day
5. Make sure you get enough protein
6. Limit added alcohol and sugar
7. Drink at least 6 glasses of water each day (1 glass = 250 mL or 8 oz)
8. Take a multi vitamin mineral supplement each day

This week I challenge you to choose 1 GHG that you've been neglecting and encorporate it into your week

Check out your Week One booklet for further details on the guidelines or check out this article on ww.ca

Post details of the guideline you've chosen and how you're doing it on a daily basis in the comments section of this post

Have an amazing week

Olympic Challenge - Week One

Friday marks the opening of the 2008 Summer Olympics. I love watching the Olympics and enjoy a variety of sports including swimming, diving, gymnastics, boxing among others.

This week I'm starting a challenge for my members. Each week there will be a new challenge to complete and something to bring into the meeting the following week. At the end I'll do a draw for a fun prize :)

If you're not a member of one of my meetings, please feel free to participate online. I can't promise you a fun prize, but I love hearing what everyone else is doing and I think a challenge is always good to ramp up motivation!!

I'll post some quotes tomorrow (I can't seem to find them online), but Olympic athletes truly love what they do. They enjoy their sports so much and are truly passionate about training. As a non-Olympic athlete I find that I can approach exercise and activity with a sense of dread if I don't enjoy what I'm doing. This is exactly the reason I quit the gym where I was a member. I didn't like the facilities, the people who worked there nor did I particularly enjoy the act of running on a treadmill. I've found that once I found something I really liked doing (bellydancing and softball to be specific!) I really enjoyed my activity and actually looked forward to it!

So this week's challenge is...
Find an activity you love and do it!

Maybe you already know what that activity is or maybe you haven't found it yet. This week I encourage you to either partake in an activity that you already enjoy, or try something new! Maybe you've always wanted to take a pilates class or you've wanted to join in that pick-up softball game at the park. This week is your opportunity!!

Whether you're one of my members, or not, please join in the "Olympic spirit" and post a comment about the activity you did this week and why you love it!!