small changes that make a big difference

Hey, slow down! Weight loss is no sprint, it's a marathon. So abruptly and drastically changing your routine is only going to leave you breathless and worn out. A more realistic approach to weight loss is to take it one step at a time, one day at a time. Little by little, it'll make a big difference.

Do Sweat the Small Stuff"Making small changes one at a time is a great strategy," agrees Howard Rankin, PhD, a South Carolina psychologist. "It's not overwhelming, and it results in a slower, steadier weight loss." Think of it this way, maybe cutting the cream out of your coffee seems like a small feat to you. But once you've got that down you can add another small feat, then another.

So, we asked people just like you — on the WeightWatchers.com Message Boards and in Meetings rooms — what small steps they've taken in order to make their way toward their weight goals. Here's what they had to say:

… About Small Eating Changes

• Water, water, water, water. (Your skin will look great, too!)
• Order half portions at restaurants, or share a full portion with somebody. Or ask for a "to-go" container when you order your food, and pack up half the portion before you even start eating.
• Cut back on butter and mayo.
• Limit fried foods to once or twice per week.
• Use less or no sugar in your coffee or tea.
• Replace ground beef with "Boca" products or ground turkey.
• Try at least one new food every week. If you're bored with what you're eating, you're more likely to give up.
• Eat fresh, raw veggies with sandwiches instead of chips.
• Measure your portions until you're sure you know what a cup, a half-cup, and a tablespoon look like. This will help you practice portion control, an essential key to weight-loss success.
• Try not to drink high-calorie beverages.
• Dip your fork in a side of salad dressing before each bite, instead of pouring it directly on your salad. You'll find that you are satisfied with much less than you usually put on.
• Find healthy alternatives to all your favorite foods.
• If you don't really love it, don't eat it.
• Never eat out of a bag or box. Take out a measured/counted quantity of food and put it in a bowl. This way, you know exactly how much you're having.
• Always eat something for breakfast.
• Read food labels. Check serving sizes.
• Add vegetables to everything.
• Plan meals in advance; use that information to make out a complete shopping list.
• Give food to guests to take home.
• Write down everything you eat and drink, without fail.
• Plan ahead for special occasions by accounting for higher-calorie foods before you eat them.

… About Small Exercise Changes

• Take the stairs every single time they're an option. No more elevators or escalators.
• Make exercise a priority, not an inconvenience.
• Park far from your destination, so you're forced to walk — this works at the supermarket, the mall, wherever. (This also helps you waste less time looking for a parking space!)
• View tiring chores (shoveling snow, cleaning the house, weeding the garden, taking the garbage out, grocery shopping) as a chance to get in some activity.
• Take the grocery cart back to the store when you're done loading your bags into your car.
• If you take public transportation, get off one stop early.
• Work out with a buddy.

top tips for weight loss

Odds are, you already have a dieting trick – a behavior that helps you to stay on top of your weight loss. There are the usual strategies: Eat before serious hunger strikes, order dressing on the side, drink water to feel a little fuller. Then there are the more unusual strategies that people enlist, like taping motivational notes to the fridge, chewing gum through the afternoon munchies or even symbolically "closing" the kitchen after dinner.

Here are some of the best dieting tips I've seen on the WeightWatchers.com Community message boards. Maybe one of them will work for you, too!

What's Your Top Tip?
"I brush my teeth when I get cravings. I love the fresh, minty feeling, and it fools my sweet tooth. I don't even mind the stares in the office bathroom!"

"I imagine a particular food super-glued to my rear, hips or tummy. It isn't so hard to resist when I realize where it's going after it leaves my taste buds."

"I keep lots of healthy snacks in my purse, my car and my desk. If I get really hungry, I will grab at anything, so this works well for me."

"Try new things. I discovered this weekend that I actually like raw spinach. I'm willing to try almost anything to keep my diet interesting and healthy."

"I list all the reasons I want to lose weight and put them in random places around the house, along with older, thinner pictures of myself."

"Wear really tight clothing. I wear tight jeans so that I stop eating when I feel 'fat.' It works for me!"

"Go to the grocery store every week and stock up on healthy foods. If you're well-prepared, it's easier to have a successful week!"

"Set small goals and reward yourself with fun stuff. When I reach 10 percent, I'm going to get a pedicure."

"Only eat the reduced-fat foods that really taste good to you."

"I don't put anything in my mouth unless I write it down and hold myself accountable for it."

"Don't deprive yourself. It usually leads to eating lots of substitutions that won't satisfy you, and you'll end up having the chocolate, anyway."

"My favorite tip? I look at myself in the mirror! I like where I'm headed, but I'm not there yet."

9 Fast-Food Facts...or Fiction?

What's your fast-food IQ? Uncover the truth to these common fast food myths.

Fast-Food Nation
Fast food is a mainstay of the American diet. In fact, in any given day, 1 in 4 of us fills our stomachs at a fast-food chain. What does this mean to our health? America is the fattest nation in the world, with 61 percent of adults and children weighing in at overweight or obese, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Like our bellies, the fast-food phenomenon is growing too: we plunked down $3 billion on the speedy burgers, fries, and tacos in 1992, and today that number tops a whopping $110 billion. In 2004, Morgan Spurlock chronicled his experience of eating solely fast food for one month in his Academy Award-nominated documentary Super Size Me. The filmmaker gained 25 pounds and put his health in jeopardy, according to a panel of doctors. (Next up for this one-month fast-food junkie: His one-hour TV reality show 30 Days, which premiered June 15th on the cable channel FX. In the series, an individual takes up a completely different lifestyle -- whether religious, economic, or ethnic -- for 30 days.)

In the meantime, here are some bite-size nuggets of info about fast food that can help you navigate the counters:

Fact or fiction: Fast foods are always unhealthy and should be avoided at all costs.
Fiction: Sometimes, pulling into the drive-thru is unavoidable -- on that family car trip, for instance -- but it doesn't have to ruin your diet. When you have to make the stop, your best bet is to "minimize the damage," says Linda Spangle, RN, MA, a nutritionist outside of Denver, and the author of Life Is Hard, Food Is Easy (Lifeline Press, 2003). Some strategies: Avoid supersizing, opt for water or nonfat milk instead of soda, and choose salads and grilled foods. If you must have the fries, munch on the smallest portion size, says Spangle. And try to limit stops at the local fast-food place to once a month.

Fact or fiction: Willard Scott posed as the first Ronald McDonald.Fact: Yes, this familiar face from the Today Show did don the red wig and nose. However, Scott was shown his walking papers when higher-ups deemed him too plump to represent a "healthy" restaurant like McDonald's.

Hot Sauce and Fried Chicken

Fact or fiction: Taco Bell hot sauce can clean dirty pennies.
Fact: Apparently this condiment can reinstate shine to your small change. But before you opt for south of the border fare without flair, consider this: Two of the product's ingredients, vinegar and salt, in combination seem to cause a reaction that cleans the pennies. The product itself is safe to ingest.

Fact or fiction: French fries are the most commonly consumed vegetable in America.
Fact: But you'll be much healthier if you start piling your plate with dark, leafy greens or sweet potatoes instead.

Fact or fiction: Kentucky Fried Chicken was renamed KFC because its products don't contain chicken but rather meat from genetically engineered mutant animals.
Fiction: Not true. KFC was borne of a marketing ploy to remove the word "fried" (and its unhealthy connotations) from the chain's name.

Fact or fiction: There's no dairy in the McDonald's McFlurry.
Fiction: With this myth, McDonald's is not getting a fair shake. Its shakes are made by combining prefabricated "shake mix" with flavoring syrup and milk, which is then dispensed from a refrigerated unit. It's faster (hey, it is fast food) and this delivery method guarantees a more consistent product.

Milkshakes and Thickburgers

Fact or fiction: Burger King's milkshakes contain seaweed.
Fiction: The idea, however, is rooted in some truth. The sweet treats contain carrageenan, a substance derived from carrageen, a type of seaweed. Carrageenan is commonly used as a suspending agent in foods, a clarifying agent in beverages, and for controlling crystal growth in frozen products. Label sleuths will see carrageenan on the package of many processed foods, and it is in shakes for other fast-food chains as well.

Fact or fiction: A 140-pound woman would have to walk for four hours to burn off the Hardee's Monster Thickburger.
Fact: Weighin in at 1,420 calories, this sandwich packs the caloric equivalent of two Big Macs or five McDonald's hamburgers. If you throw in an order of fries, you'd be consuming more than 2,000 calories in one sitting -- that's more than many people eat in a day. Run from this Monster!

Fact or fiction: Only seven items on McDonald's entire menu contain no sugar.
Fact: Spurlock touts this factoid in his documentary Super Size Me.

week twenty

This week I hope to see the illusive 136! I'd even like to meet Mrs. 135 ;~)

136 eludeth me no more! ;~)

twentieth meeting

1.6 lbs. total with 4 unaccounted for. (One had an unexpected death in her family and another is on a mission trip.) I contributed to the total with a .4 lb. loss and I have .6 lb. to go to my goal. Next week... :~)

The best exercises for trouble spots

It's time to get off the couch and get ready for swim season! But why the horrified look? "Lots of women dread the thought of putting on a swimsuit after a long winter," says Michael Wood, a certified personal trainer and assistant coach of athletic strength and conditioning at the University of Connecticut. "If you haven't been working out, you're probably self-conscious about showing your body. Even when you're in good shape, you feel better about some spots than others." But don't fret: By performing the following exercises three days a week, and doing some aerobic exercise -- such as walking, hiking, or cycling -- on the other days, you can build a beach-bound body in just eight weeks:

Winter body woe: My arms are jiggly!
Arm-slimming exercise #1: Push-upsUse an inflatable exercise ball to seriously work the upper body, says Bonne Marano, a certified trainer in New York City. Lay face down on the floor, positioning a 55-centimeter ball beneath your thighs. Get into push-up position, hands under shoulders and elbows bent. Raise, and then lower body until your nose almost reaches the floor, keeping your spine in one straight line, then push back up. (12-15 reps) This exercise tones the triceps at the back of the upper arms. Sit or stand, working one arm at a time. Hold a five-pound dumbbell behind your head, bent elbow pointing toward the sky and beside your ear, palm facing your head. Extend the weight straight up, keeping upper arm in line with body. Bend elbow and slowly lower weight back down to shoulder. (12-15 times each arm)

Winter body woe: My bottom is unbearable!
Bum-busting exercise #1: Traveling lungesTeale Dotson, a personal trainer at the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas, recommends this bum-buffing exercise. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and take a big step forward with your right leg, making sure your knee stops above your ankle and doesn't bend more than 90 degrees. Foot planted, shift your weight onto your right leg and bring your left foot beside the right. Alternate lead legs. (10-12 reps each leg)
Bum-busting exercise #2: Lateral hopsBust your bottom with explosive movements. Pick two points on the floor about two feet apart to serve as markers (floor tiles or pieces of tape will work). Stand at one marker, with your arms at your sides, knees slightly bent. Hop sideways, to land at the second marker. Jump back again quickly. (Set of five to 10)

Winter body woe: My midriff is miserable!
Tummy-tucking exercise #1: Reverse crunches. The secret to a sleek stomach is toned abdominals. Lie on your back, knees bent, with an inflatable exercise ball between your ankles. Contract your abs, point your legs skyward and lift your hips an inch. Reach skyward with your arms and take the ball from between your ankles, then slowly lower your hips. Repeat, this time putting the ball back between your ankles. (10-12 reps)

Tummy-tucking exercise #2: Roll up, roll down. Adapted from Pilates, this exercise uses an elastic band. Sit up tall with your legs extended in front of you, knees together. Position the band so its middle section is across the soles of your feet. Wrap the ends around each hand enough to create tension in the band with arms extended. Contract your abdominals and pull your torso down toward your hips. Keeping both your abs and the band taut, roll very slowly backward until your shoulder blades touch the floor. Return to starting position. (10-12 reps)

Winter body woe: My thighs are thunderous!
Thigh-toning exercise #1: Plie squats. This move is borrowed from ballerinas. Stand up straight, feet apart a few inches wider than your shoulders, toes pointed out at a 45-degree angle. Keep your head up, knees slightly bent, hips and lower back relaxed. Move hips and buttocks back and down, as if sitting in a chair, until thighs are parallel to floor. Hold for a few seconds, then return to starting position. (Repeat 12-15 times)

Thigh-toning exercise #2: Crescent kicks. Straight from the boxing ring, this move will tone your gams. Start in fighter's stance, left foot a few inches in front of the right (and bearing most of the weight), knees and elbows bent and hands in front of face. Lift your right leg and kick it around in a half-circle, from left to right, keeping your foot flexed and toes toward the ceiling. (15-20 reps each leg)

the illusive 136

I have been teetering between 137 and 138 for a week now. One morning it's 137 the next it's 138 and then the next it's back to 137, then 138... and so on.

136 seems to be eluding me and I will be so glad to see it!

weight-dropping tips to get you started

You've decided. You're committed. You're ready to drop some weight. Time to slash your food intake and rent a room at the gym, right? Not necessarily. Small, subtle changes can make a big difference over time. And small changes are easier to work into your current routine.

Think in terms of manageable baby steps, like swapping your afternoon soda from regular to diet. There are lots of little changes you can make — in your diet and your daily routine — that will add up to healthy weight loss over the long haul.

Take a look at our 25 tips below. You'll learn to eat smarter, fit exercise into your busy day and revamp your daily routine. Start by picking five changes that you're sure you can tackle and put them into practice this week. Then try another five next week. (Print this article for easy reference.)

Not every idea is right for everyone, so experiment and see what works for you. Lots of little changes can yield big weight-loss results — and a healthier new you!

Eating Tips
Good things come in small packages. Here's a trick for staying satisfied while still keeping portions under control: Cut high-calorie foods like cheese and chocolate into smaller pieces. It will seem like you're getting more than you actually are.

Don't give up dips. If you love creamy dips and sauces, don't cut them out of your diet completely. Just use low-fat sour cream or mayo instead of the full-fat stuff.

Get water-wise. Make a habit of reaching for a glass of water instead of a high-calorie snack. It will help your overall health as well as your waistline. Add some zest with a twist of lemon or lime.

Herb it up. Stock up your spice rack, and start growing a small herb garden in your kitchen window. Spices and herbs add fantastic flavor to foods without adding fat or calories.

Slim down your soup. Make a big batch of soup and refrigerate it before you eat it. As it cools, the fat will rise to the top. Skim it off the surface for reduced fat content.

Doggie-bag that dinner. At restaurants, ask the server to put half your entrée in a doggie bag before bringing it to your table. Putting the food away before you start your meal will help you practice portion control.

Listen to your cravings. If you're craving something sweet, eat something sweet — just opt for a healthier nosh, like fruit, instead of a high-calorie one. The same goes for crunchy cravings — for example, try air-popped popcorn with soy sauce instead of high-fat tortilla chips. It's just smart substitution!

Ease your way into produce. If you're new to eating lots of fruits and veggies, start slowly. Just add them to the foods you already enjoy. Pile veggies on top of your sandwiches, or add fruit to your cereal.

Look for high-fat hints. Want an easy way to identify high-calorie entrees? Keep an eye out for these words: au gratin, parmigiana, tempura, alfredo, creamy and carbonara, and enjoy them in moderation.

Don't multitask while you eat. If you're working, reading or watching TV while you eat, you won't be paying attention to what's going into your mouth — and you won't be enjoying every bite. Every time you sit down for a meal, sit down. Chew slowly and pay attention to flavors and textures. You'll enjoy your food more and eat less.

Taste something new. Broaden your food repertoire — you may find you like more healthy foods than you knew. Try a new fruit or vegetable. (Ever had jicama, plantain, bok choy, starfruit or papaya?)

Leave something on your plate at every meal. One bite of bagel, half your sandwich, the bun from your burger. See if you feel satisfied eating just a bit less.

Get to know your portion sizes. It's easy to underestimate how much you're eating. Don't just estimate things — make sure. Ask how much is in a serving, read the fine print on labels, measure your food. And learn portion equivalents: One serving of pasta, for instance, should be around the size of a tennis ball.

Make a healthy substitution. Learn to swap healthier foods for their less-healthful counterparts. Find a substitution that works for you: Use skim milk instead of whole milk; make up a batch of brownie mix with applesauce instead of oil; try a whole-grain bread instead of white.

Bring lunch to work. Packing lunch will help you control your portion sizes. It also provides a good alternative to restaurants and fast-food joints, where making healthy choices every day can be challenging (not to mention expensive).

Have some dessert. You don't have to deny yourself all the time. Have a treat that brings you pleasure, but this time enjoy it guilt-free — be sure you're practicing portion control, and compensate for your indulgence by exercising a little more or by skipping your afternoon snack.

Ask for what you need. Tell your mother-in-law you don't want seconds. Ask your sweetie to stop bringing you chocolates. Speak up for the salad bar when your coworkers are picking a restaurant for lunch. Whatever you need to do to succeed at weight loss, ask for it. Make yourself a priority and assert yourself.

Fitness Tips
Improve your treadmill technique. When walking on a treadmill, don't grip the rails. It's fine to touch them for balance, but you shouldn't have to hold on. If you do, that might be a signal you should lower the intensity level.

Simon says ... get fit. Here's an easy way to fit in exercise with your kids: Buy a set of one-pound weights and play a round of Simon Says — you do it with the weights, they do it without. They'll love it!

Make the most of your walks. If your walking routine has become too easy, increase your effort by finding hills. Just be sure to tackle them at the beginning of your walk, when you have energy to spare.

Shop 'til you drop ... pounds. Add a workout to your shopping sessions by parking your car as far from the store as possible, to get more walking in. And try walking up the escalator — getting to your destination faster will be an added bonus.

Walk an extra 100 steps at work. Adding even a little extra exercise to your daily routine can boost your weight loss. Today, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or stroll down the hall to talk to a co-worker instead of sending an e-mail or calling.

Lifestyle Tips
Brush your teeth after every meal and snack. This will be a signal to your mouth — and your mind — that it's time to stop eating. Brushing will also give your mouth a nice fresh taste that you'll be disinclined to ruin with a random potato chip. At work, keep toothpaste and a covered toothbrush in your desk drawer.

Clean your closet! First, it's great exercise. Second, it's an important step in changing your attitude. Get rid of all the clothes that make you look or feel bad. Throw out anything that's too big — don't give yourself the option of ever fitting into those clothes again. Move the smaller clothes up to the front to help motivate you. Soon, you'll be fitting into those too-tight jeans you couldn't bear to part with.

Take your measurements. You might not like your stats now, but you'll be glad you wrote them down when you see how many inches you lose. It's also another way to measure your success, instead of just looking at the scale. Sometimes even when the numbers on the scale aren't going down, the measurements on your body are.

fight PMS - break out the yogurt

A new study shows that taking in more calcium and vitamin D can help fight PMS! Women who ate four servings a day of lowfat dairy or fortified OJ had a significantly lower risk of suffering from PMS than those who didn't.

week nineteen

Well, a 1.4 lb. loss last week was GREAT, especially considering the wedding reception disaster and how close I am to my goal. ONLY 1 lb. to go. That sounds pretty amazing! I've lost a total so far of 30.4 lbs. YES, my 6th 5 lbs. this last week!

This weekend I run another 5K. I hope to improve on my time of 32 minutes which sounds like a lot but considering I started last fall (weighing 30 more than I do now) at 43 minutes or 47 (something like that) it's really pretty good.

The race on Saturday did not yield the results I had wished for. I had hoped to run it in under 30 minutes and instead I came in at 32.30. I'll have to push myself harder to get it under 30. I believe I will start running outside each Saturday morning a nice 3 mile run (approximately 5K). The difference in running outside on the pavement as compared to inside on the treadmill is astounding. I run inside every day (except Sundays) for 40 minutes but running outside for 30 minutes once a month or so really takes a toll on the of joints and muscles - mostly the joints.

I used my 35 points this weekend on the "Best-ever Chocolate Cake" I made for Father's Day. The recipe is on my Blah Blah Blog at http://starbucksgirl42.blogspot.com/ if you are interested. It was well worth the 35 points!

diet blunders

You're eating less and exercising more. Why won't that scale budge? Even when you feel like you're doing everything right, there are certain behaviors that can still get in the way.

Are you guilty of any of these habits?

1. Skipping BreakfastRunning late for work again? Before you bolt out the door on nothing but a cup of coffee, be aware that skipping breakfast can be bad news for weight loss. Chances are, you're going to feel hungry later, and that may be when you have less access to healthy food and are more likely to reach for a doughtnut.
Antidote: Keep something on hand that you can eat on the run, such as fruit, yogurt or fat-free cereal bars.

2. Feasting on Family FavoritesWhen your kids or spouse have a favorite family meal, it's hard to ban it from your menu list. Family favorites, such as lasagna, are often high in fat and calories.
Antidote: Treat yourself to a smaller serving of the main meal and a large serving of vegetables or salad. It's also a good idea to try to find a lower-fat version of the family favorite.

3. Social OvereatingEating whatever you wanted at a restaurant was okay in the days when people ate out only a few times a year. But these days we eat out every week, if not every day.
Antidote: Search the menu for meals cooked using low-fat methods, such as grilling or stir-frying, and ask for sauces and dressings on the side. That way you can control how much you have.

4. Not Counting NibblesA few potato chips while you clean the house. Just a sliver of cake while you cook dinner. When we snack, we tend to be standing up or have our attention focused on another task. This can lead to thinking the calories "don't count." Unfortunately, they do.
Antidote: Set ground rules, such as "I don't eat in the car or while I'm watching television." And always, always keep track of everything you eat during the day. Knowing you'll have to write it down will make you think twice about having that one bite.

5. Expecting Too Much Too SoonAfter several months of dedication you're down in the dumps — you feel the scale has barely moved. Expecting too much weight loss too soon is an extremely common diet blunder. A healthy rate of weight loss is up to two pounds a week. But many people aim for more than that, then feel like failures and give up when they don't reach that unrealistically high goal.
Antidote: Make "slow and steady" your diet mantra. If you really don't believe that one to two pounds amounts to much weight loss, lift two pounds of butter the next time you're at the supermarket. You'll realize how well you're doing.

nineteenth meeting

1.4 lbs. for me last night! 6.6 lbs. for the group all together with only 1 unaccounted for -- she's at Disney World, now THAT doesn't sound very fair does it?

getting more satisfaction out of your food

Satiety, that lasting feeling of fullness at a meal's end, the feeling that you're no longer hungry or deprived, isn't a luxury when it comes to losing weight. In fact, it may be your ticket to lifelong weight management."To get more satisfaction out of food, the idea is to fill up on foods that give you a lot of volume for relatively few calories," says Karen Miller-Kovach, MS, RD, chief scientist at Weight Watchers International. For example, 1/4 cup of raisins and 1 2/3 cups of grapes have the same number of calories, but with the grapes, you obviously get to eat much more, and you're apt to feel more satisfied when you're through.
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Besides fresh fruit like grapes, other satiating high-volume foods include complex carbohydrates that are high in water, air and/or fibre, such as air-popped popcorn, vegetables and whole-grains like brown rice, says Miller-Kovach. But lean protein-rich foods, such as a skinless chicken breast, low-fat or nonfat yogurt or skim milk can also contribute to satiety, she adds. That's why, for maximum satisfaction, you might want to make sure your meals also contain some lean protein, says Miller-Kovach.Super-Satisfying Temptation TamersOther mealtime tricks for pumping up the volume in your food to maximize your satisfaction on fewer calories:
Start meals with a first course of broth-based soup, vegetable juice or a salad with reduced fat or low-fat dressing. One caveat: "Make sure that first course isn't more than 100 calories," says Barbara Rolls, PhD, Guthrie Chair of Nutrition at Pennsylvania State University. Otherwise, you could end up eating too many calories at that particular meal. According to Rolls' research, which has been published in her book Volumetrics (Harper Collins, 2000), subjects who began their meals with a high-volume, low-calorie starter like soup or salad ate 100 fewer calories over the course of the entire meal compared to those who started their meal with the entrée.
Eat more vegetables, such as leafy greens, lettuce, tomatoes, green beans, summer squash and onions. In fact, stash them in stews, soups, pasta sauces, pizza and meat loaf. They're high-volume, high-satisfaction, low-calorie superstars because they're loaded with water and fibre, Rolls says, two top filler-uppers.
Limit very dry foods, such as pretzels, crackers and chips. Dry foods lack water and thus are low in volume. "Dry foods pack a lot of calories into a small portion and are easy to overeat," says Rolls.

Q. On a recent Oprah Winfrey show, she talked about a fudge bar that was fat free and sugar free, and only about 40 or 45 calories. She would not give out the company name on the air. Any idea on what brand it could be?
A. I've gotten a lot of email about those bars. And since those emails started coming in, I have been searching high and low for the answer. From watching the show, I know they're supposedly sugar free and fat free. And they come in a white wrapper with two pops attached. After doing extensive research (i.e.: calling everyone I know, scouring every supermarket known to man, and googling every frozen fudge bar under the sun), I have come to a conclusion. The pops that were featured are Popsicle brand's No Sugar Added Fudgesicles. They are not completely fat free (they are almost fat free), and they have 40 calories each, but based on the way they look, and on all of my research, these must be the pops that were featured on the show. In any event, these bars are delicious and chocolatey and very low cal. I'm also a huge fan of Healthy Choice's Premium Fudge Bars (80 cal. 1g fat and they are HUGE) and Smart Ones Giant Fudge Bars (80 cal., 1g fat). You really can't go wrong with any of these. Pssst...the 80 calorie bars are much larger than the 40 calorie ones. 

Is eating an 80 calorie cookie the same as eating an 80 calorie apple?

Good question! I actually wanted to call on a nutrition expert to help with this one. So here's what my good friend, Amy "Health Gal" Hendel, had to say about this. According to Amy, "If someone merely counts calories as a dietary approach to losing weight or gaining some measure of health - they are missing an important ingredient. Foods that are high in fiber require the body to expend some extra calories digesting those fiber calories. That fiber rich food is often also a source of nutrient dense calories that the body can use to offset disease or simply maintain quality of health. So though you may choose to eat a cookie that's 100 calories as opposed to an apple with skin - you are losing out on the extra calories needed for digestion of that apple and you're losing out on all the vitamins that apple has. And the fiber and antioxidants it contains." Amy also points out that processed foods often contain harmful ingredients like Trans or saturated fats. So what about eating cookies that have been infused with vitamins and fiber? Amy says there's a good chance that the body doesn't absorb the man made nutrients put into processed foods as efficiently as it does those from natural foods. Both Amy & I agree that it's best to have a diet that consists of a fair amount of fresh fruits and veggies, with a few guilt-free processed treats thrown in for good measure!

Are you losing your keys all the time? If you want a sharper memory, munch on an apple or a pear. Turns out these yummy fruits contain a mineral called boron, which improves memory and alertness levels. Experts also say mashed potatoes and barley can cause almost instantaneous memory boosts. (Pssst...go easy on the barley and potatoes, people. They're calorie-packed!) Wondering what other foods that are great for memory improvement? Blueberries, strawberries and spinach. Yum! 

People who suffer from headaches are usually lacking magnesium. Luckily, increasing levels of the mineral in your body can help fight dull aches, or even sharp migraines. Cereal is a fantastic source of magnesium (we love and recommend trying Kashi Organic Promise Cranberry Sunshine, or Low Carb Special K). Leafy green veggies and nuts are also high in the mineral. Many people use ginger to thwart and prevent migraines. And calcium, found in skim milk, yogurt, etc. is another headache-stomper.  

Garlic helps combat cold and flu infections. So sprinkle some garlic powder onto your Pizza Fit 'n Free , add sauteed garlic to your grilled veggies or into your pasta sauces if you feel a cold coming on. You can even microwave garlic until tender, then spread the softened garlic onto bread instead of butter (Heads up! You will likely become 40 percent less smoochable after you do this). If eating all that garlic doesn't sound appealing, take garlic supplements instead. 

Protein (especially from sources that are also high in iron) is great for giving people an energy boost. When you're feeling sluggish, just reach for some lean beef, chicken, turkey, clams, shrimp, or eggs, and you'll start to feel more alert. Just be sure not to pair that lean protein with fats, since the two nutrients eaten together can make you feel tired. 

People who suffer from depression often lack vitamin B. There are plenty of mood-lifting foods, though, that can come to the rescue. Avocados, for example, are one of the richest sources of this vitamin, and bananas (packed with magnesium) can help relieve stress and anxiety. The selenium found in Brazil Nuts and the in folic acid found in asparagus can also help stabilize your mood. Other "happy foods" are orange juice, oatmeal, turkey, low fat cheese and chocolate! 

is this what's coming?

Futuristic office keeps
workers fit on the job
Obesity researcher dreams up
alternative to cubicles
Dr. James Levine keeps a 1 mph pace on his treadmill while checking his e-mail May 26 in Rochester, Minn. The obesity researcher and his team at the Mayo Clinic have developed an alternative to traditional cubicles by combining a computer, desk and treadmill in one unit.

well, I totally blew it!

Today, I went to a wedding. I had planned all week to use my 35 extra points at the reception to have a piece of wedding cake. When I got to the reception I started through the line and they had the nicest, biggest plates. I proceeded to fill mine up! 2 sausage balls, 2 chicken nuggets, 2 mints, a cracker with cheese spread (I would have gotten 2 but it took too long to spread the cheese spread on the cracker) a few nuts, 4 shrimp, and 2 rolled up winnie things. I totally bypassed the fruit and the vegetables. I got a cup of punch (full of sugar) and then proceeded to the "Ice Cream Sundae" line. YES! They actually had ice cream sundaes. I've never been to a wedding where they served ice cream at the reception before. All the toppings you could want for. I got 2 scoops of vanilla (they were small scoops), some caramel topping, some chocolate topping, and whipping cream. I found a table and consumed it all! After a while, they cut the cake -- here's my chance to use my 35 points, as if I hadn't already. Oh, and then there was the groom's cake - I only had a very small piece of it. ;~[

WHAT WAS I THINKING?

Haven't I learned to eat better than this? I thought I had. I've been doing this Weight Watchers thing for 18 weeks now and this is the first time I've blown it so I really shouldn't be too hard on myself but then on the other hand I am REALLY disappointed in myself.

If I had it to do over again, this is what I would do:

I would skip the sausage balls, chicken nuggets, mints, rolled up winnie things, cheese spread and cracker, ice cream and toppings, and groom's cake.

I would have loaded up on fruit and veggies first, gotten some shrimp and nuts, a piece of wedding cake, MAYBE a scoop of ice cream and I would have asked for some water - hope that wouldn't have been too rude.

What do you think?

week eighteen

I have a wedding to go to on Saturday. I think I will use my 35 extra points for the week and I shall have CAKE ;~) I've been a good girl!

eighteenth meeting

Only one was unaccounted for tonight -- that's pretty good for summer with vacations and all. The group total was 11.8 lbs., a lot better than last week! I personally contributed to that total with a 2 lb. loss. I have 2.4 lbs. more to go to meet my Weight Watchers goal. ;~)

Runners & walkers alike should check this out! www.roadid.com  

discovering your comfort zone

Your tummy is rumbling, you dig into a scrumptious meal, and before you know it you're absolutely stuffed. It's called eating beyond your comfort zone, and according to Roberta Anding, MS, RD, clinical dietician at Texas Children's Hospital, it's a common problem that most often occurs when you allow your hunger to dip into the "starving" zone. "People often cut back on eating to speed up their weight loss," says Anding, "but in actuality they just end up eating more because they let themselves get too hungry."

But learning to gauge your hunger can help free you from this overeating trap. Ask yourself on a scale of 0-5 how hungry you are. If you're at 0, you've let yourself become famished, and if you're at 5, you've allowed yourself to overeat. But if you can learn to eat when you feel yourself getting hungry, around the 1-2 range, and then stop when you feel full and satisfied, around the 3-4 range, you can avoid feeling uncomfortable on either side of the spectrum. Read on for smart tips on mastering your comfort zone:
1. Avoid no-food marathons. Learning how long you can go without food before you get too hungry is key. Anding suggests that you space your meals and snacks out evenly over the course of a day so that you never become starved and are never tempted to make up for a lack of food with too much of it.
2. Eat defensively. For example, if you know you have a long commute after work, bring a piece of fruit or a diet soda, suggests Anding. "It's important to realize the times of day you're most vulnerable, and plan accordingly."
3. Focus on volume. Try starting a meal with soup or a large salad – something with high water volume – and you'll be able to recognize fullness better when the main course is served. "The science of nutrition states that human beings tend to eat a consistent volume of food each day," says Anding. "By expanding the volume of healthy food you eat initially, you let your body know that there's food coming and overeating can be avoided." But use common sense. 50 calories of raisins and 50 calories of soup have very different volumes. The raisins won't make a dent if you're starving, the soup will.
4. Get mental. "Choose foods that mentally feel like a meal," says Anding. "Visually seeing a large amount of fruits and vegetables in front of you helps to achieve the feeling of fullness better than eating a handful of chips."
5. Set the table. Even if you get home starving, says Anding, put your food on a plate – don't pick! "A meal on a plate always feels more satisfying than a snack that you're eating from the box." And taking the time to enjoy your food will send the signal to your brain that you're filling the hunger void.
Take away the guilt. Most importantly, forgive yourself a few indiscretions. "Know that your biology will always win," says Anding. "Just like you would never get mad at yourself for falling asleep if you were tired, you shouldn't get upset with yourself if you've eaten too much because you were starving." Just recognize what triggered your overeating so that you'll know how to cope the next time you're in a similar situation.

I have broken into the 130's!

Dum vivimus, vivamus

While we live, let us live

week seventeen

I hope this week to drop below that 140 mark and into the 130s. Last week wasn't very good for me and still the plumbing is not working properly which I have a difficult time understanding since I'm eating all of these whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables. But, I guess it happens to the best of us.

I did a bit of retail therapy yesterday and today -- that always makes me feel better. I'm wearing a size 10 again - finally! That's good news.

seventeenth meeting

I got a BIG M tonight! I thought the lady wrote a number on my card that would have represented the weight I lost this week but I couldn't figure out what the number was. I thought that her hand writing was just really, really messy. But it wasn't at all - it was an "M". M, I found out, stand for Maintained. I didn't lose at all. But on the bright side, I didn't gain either. I didn't think it was going to be a very good week. My internal plumbing has been kind of clogged this week and I feel really, really fat. I knew it wasn't going to be a good week when I stepped on the scale and the lady said, "Now don't get discouraged, sometimes this happens..." ;~[ I'm not discouraged. I'll just keep plugging away. 4.4 lbs. to go. Next week has GOT to be better -- I hope. The group as a whole only lost 2.4 lbs. So it was an off week for most all of us. Next week WILL be better!

do you know when to say when?

Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're satisfied. Simple advice? Yes. A simple philosophy to practice? Not so much. But becoming better in tune with your body's satiety signals is the first step in mastering your food comfort zone. Here are some basic guidelines that can help you better understand when to say when:

Stop. "At the first thought of being hungry, individuals have trained themselves to eat," says Noralyn Wilson, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). Wilson warns that by doing this "we have developed a false sense of what it feels like to be truly hungry." So, if you struggle with wanting to eat even when you're not hungry, how do you know if you actually do require food? When you do begin to feel hungry, drink water or go for a short walk, and wait for the feeling to come around again. Eventually you'll learn to discern when you're actually hungry, and when your emotions are trying to get the best of you. On the other hand, it is important not to let yourself get so hungry that when you do eat, you go overboard. So be mindful of keeping a balance.

Look. When you're eating, eat, says Wilson. Don't try to multitask! Working on a document at your desk or watching TV will distract you from the project at hand – which in this case should be supplying your body with nutrients. So slow down and think about what you're eating. "The stretching of the stomach takes a while to register," says Wilson, "and if you're eating quickly, you can surpass fullness without even realizing it."

Listen. If you are eating a balanced meal – that is, a 7-9-inch plate filled half with veggies and the rest with a lean protein and a starch – you should be satisfied at one serving, says Wilson. But if seconds are calling your name, take a 20-minute breather and listen to your body to see if you really are still hungry. "Go outside, engage the family in a game, play trivia, go for a walk or do the dishes to take your mind off of eating for a moment," suggests Wilson. "The food will still be there," reminds Wilson, "you can always go back for more."

Feel. "It's really easy to confuse physical hunger and fullness with emotional hunger and fullness," says Cynthia Sass, RD, spokesperson for the ADA and author of Your Diet is Driving Me Crazy (Marlowe & Company, 2004). So if it's emotions that are causing you to overeat, Sass suggests keeping a food journal to help better understand your emotional overeating triggers. To do so, ask and answer some of these "Why" questions when you realize you have overeaten:

"Why did I eat that particular food?" Did you really want it, or did you eat out of boredom, obligation or because you were upset/angry/anxious?

"Why did I decide to stop eating?" Were you full or did you finish what was on your plate or what the bag said was a serving size?

"Why did I eat?" Were you honestly hungry, or were you trying to ward off boredom or some other emotional cue?

Only once you begin to understand your emotional overeating triggers, says Sass, can you take steps to change your behaviors. "Food tastes good, eating feels good, and most people will need to try several things before they find what will make them feel good as an alternative to eating," says Sass.

It won't happen overnight, but with a little effort, the signals your body is sending you can be heard clear as a bell. So get reacquainted with your body's signals – it might just make all the difference in your weight-loss success.

CHEW ON THIS...

June is National Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Month. Celebrate with a yummy summerlicious fruit salad of watermelon, peaches, honeydew melon & grapes!

If there are only trace calories in each tiny serving of something, a company is allowed to say their product has zero calories. The problem? There are a whopping 350 - 600 plus servings in one can of cooking spray (depending on the size and brand)! And each of those "servings" translates into a frighteningly quick 1/3 of a second spritz. Who on Earth uses so little spray (or even has good enough reflexes to spray that quickly)? The truth is that there are about 7 calories per each 1 second spray (Pam even states this on their website ). I estimate that the typical spray-time required to thoroughly lightly coat a pan is around 2 seconds. That still adds up to less than 15 calories (much, much less than what you'd be taking in if you used regular cooking oil). The problem, though, is that people think nonstick cooking spray is absolutely calorie free and practically drench their pans, skillets and foil with the stuff. Try not to fall into that trap. Stick with the spray, but use it sparingly. Pssst...the same goes for "I Can't Believe it's Not Butter" spray.