Nix the Negative Talk and Be Positive

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This morning, I want to give you the meeting summary from my Weight Watchers meeting on Saturday, March 17, 2012.

Think Yourself Thin: Weight-Loss Affirmations That Work

Find the motivation you need for the body you’ve always wanted. 

An excerpt from "Six Weeks to Skinny Jeans," by Amy Cotta

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Wouldn’t it be great if all you had to do were snap your fingers and—poof!—you're a size 2? We all know weight loss isn’t nearly that easy, but there is some truth to thinking yourself thin. Your attitude and perspective are absolutely essential to dominating a weight-loss and/or shape-up plan (like the one in Six Weeks to Skinny Jeans). Your thoughts are what will guide you to success or to failure. If you’re in the wrong state of mind, you won’t stick it out through the exercises or follow the eating plan.

Garbage In Your Mind = Garbage In Your Mouth
Sometimes your biggest saboteur can be the enemy within. That’s right: we're talking about you! Power-thinkers from Jack Canfield to Deepak Chopra say that the average person has about sixty thousand thoughts per day (too bad negative thinking doesn’t burn calories, we'd all be a size 2) and that 80 percent of those thoughts are negative. Anthony Robbins' book Awaken the Giant Within tells us that there are over three thousand words in the American language that relate to human emotions, and of those words, 2,086 of them are negative!

So what does all of this tell us? That the average person thinks 80 percent negatively? That two times out of three, the average American chooses a negative word out of the hat? Yes, maybe. But you are not average! Average people have little willpower. Average people don’t stick to the plan. And average people can’t button up their skinny jeans.

The Only One Who Can Hold You Back is You
While we may feel that we live in a negative world, it's up to us to go against the grain. Taking personal responsibility for what you do, think, feel, say, and eat are all a part of inducing change.

What would you do if your computer got a virus? I’m assuming you’d clean the virus off your system so that your computer ran properly. Think about negative feelings and self-deprecation as a computer virus of the brain. You’ve got to clean out your hard drive and replace it with clean programming. No one can do it but you.

Here is a list of some positive affirmations. Take the time to write some of these down somewhere.

Positive Affirmations for Weight Loss
• I achieve my weight loss goals
• Losing weight comes naturally to me
• I choose nourishing, healthy foods
• I think before eating
• I drink lots of water
• Losing weight is fun
• Healthy foods taste better
• I am motivated by both successes and failures
• I accept and love my body as it is, and work to make it better
• I love challenges and embrace them
• I lose weight systematically and I keep it off permanently
• I am losing weight
• I exercise because it makes me feel good
• I respect my body and treat it with respect
• I do everything I need to do to achieve my healthy weight
• I am encouraged by every success
• I am motivated by every shortfall
• Losing weight and I are one
• I dissolve all blocks to reaching a healthy weight
• I forgive myself
• I learn from my mistakes
• I fill all physical appetites in physically healthy ways
• I am aware of my eating habits and how they affect my weight
• I am willing to change my eating habits and I do so easily
• I build lean muscle and I lose fat
• I enjoy the process of reaching a healthy weight
• I see myself at my healthy weight and I achieve it
• I have non-stop daily determination to reach my healthy weight
• I like long walks
• It is easy for me to stay on my plan to obtain my healthy weight
• I picture myself at my perfect weight
• I have a positive attitude about what I eat, how I eat, and when I eat
• My body burns fat like a furnace
• Developing healthy eating habits becomes easier each day
• I stay on a healthy eating plan and maintain my healthy weight easily
• Each day, I automatically and successfully get healthier and healthier

Quaker Life Soft Baked Cereal Bars

Sorry for the poor quality I took this with me phone.

This morning I was in a hurry and needed something quick for breakfast. I remembered that my Weight Watchers coworker had given me a new bar to try out. Up until this morning I had forgotten about it, but being that I was short on time I knew that this would be the perfect morning to try out this new bar.

{Quaker Life Soft Baked Cereal Bars}

Serving Size: 1 bar
  4 pointsplus+

This morning, I ate a Banana Nut Bread Quaker Life Soft Baked Cereal Bar. I heated up the bar for 15 seconds in the microwave. I also cut up some strawberries to eat along with my cereal bar. This new cereal bar was delicious!! It was soft and tasted just like banana bread. It has 5g of fiber and so I am interested to see how long this cereal bar keeps me satisfied. If you have not tried these I would highly recommend them!!

More Food Options

I really enjoy being a Weight Watchers leader. On Saturday morning I get to lead a group of the most wonderful Weight Watchers members. The truth is that most of the foods I share with you I learned about in the meeting room. My members are good about bring new foods that they find to share with the group. I might be the leader, but I am just as excited as everyone else about the new food that is being shared with the group!

Recently, I've received so many ideas that I have not been able to blog about them all. Last week tried by writing a blog post with several new food options, click here if you missed it! As it turns out there are even more foods that I wanted to share with you, but forgot! Here are a few more foods that I learned about in my weekly Weight Watchers meeting.

{Lavish Dark Chocolate Oatmeal}

Serving Size: 1 pouch
  4 pointsplus+

{Yoplait Frozen Yogurt Bites}

Serving Size: 1/2 cup
  6 pointsplus+

{Popcorn, Indiana Original Kettlecorn}

Serving Size: 1 snack size bag
  3 pointsplus+

Lingering Benefits of Exercise

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Here is the latest Get Fit email from Dr. Jacobs.

We all know that doing exercise is good for you.

Now it turns out that our bodies continue to work out long after we have stopped exercising.

Anyone undertaking a vigorous fitness session continues to burn calories for hours after they finish, research shows.

Men who exercised on a stationary bike for around 45 minutes burned an additional 190 calories over the 14 hours afterwards, the study found.

The same theory should apply to any intense activity, be it football, swimming or running, researchers say – and for the fairer sex.
However, to get the extra calorie-burning benefits, the workout needs to be enough that ‘you’re sweating, your body temperature is up and your heart beats fast’.
Ten volunteers, aged 22 to 33, each burned an average of 519 calories during their biking tests.

Afterwards, however, they burned another 190 calories – meaning their bodies carried on working when physical activity ceased.

Researcher David Nieman, of Appalachian State University in Kannapolis, North Carolina, U.S. said: ‘That means a person would lose one pound after five intense exercise bouts if they resisted the temptation to eat more.

‘This shows that intense exercise can have a meaningful impact on your body fat stores if you don’t counter it with an extra piece of cake. I hope this will motivate people to get out there to do sweat-producing activities. You get so much bang for your buck.’

Mr. Nieman added that although only men were used as test subjects, there is ‘every reason to believe that the findings apply to women, too’.

The researchers used a metabolic chamber for the study, which is a silicone-sealed room with a bed, sofa and sink. Food was sent in through an air-locked entrance.

This allowed scientists to measure how much oxygen a volunteer consumed and how much carbon dioxide was produced, before calculating the number of calories burned.

Each of the men was given a rest day in the chamber and did little physical activity for 24 hours, bar stretching every two hours for two minutes.

They then spent a second day in the room doing exactly the same despite cycling vigorously for 45 minutes at 11am.

Measurements were taken immediately afterwards and again at 1am the following morning.

Other research has looked at the number of calories burned during exercise, but this is the first study to identify that it happens afterwards as well.

Weight Watchers Caramel Spice Cake Yogurt

Weight Watchers Caramel Spice Cake Yogurt = 2 PointsPlus

Have you tried the new flavors of Weight Watchers yogurt yet? I had not until this week. 

Let me just tell you that this yogurt in really good!

I had seen a Weight Watchers coupon which showed some new flavors of Weight Watchers yogurt. However, I had not been able to find it at any of the stores in town. This past Saturday while Jon and I were shopping, I went to get some yogurt. I was so excited to find a new flavor of Weight Watchers yogurt! 

Wal-Mart had finally received Weight Watchers Caramel Spice Cake flavored yogurt! 

I tried this for the first time on Monday and it was very tasty! I do not like yogurt for dessert, but this flavor was incredible and I think it would satisfy my evening sweet tooth. 

Smart Supermarket Shopping Guide

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For some of us the Supermarket can be an extremely intimidating. There are tempting foods around every corner!!

This was such a fun meeting to lead, because I love the grocery store! I have so much fun grocery shopping with my husband. Jon is so supportive of my weight loss. He even helps me calculate PointsPlus values of different foods, to try and find the largest serving size for the least amount of PointsPlus.

If you find the grocery store overwhelming please read the meeting summary below. If you have already learned how to navigate the grocery store, please share your tips with me! I would love to know how you do it!

Here is the meeting summary from September 3, 2011.

More than 30,000 food products fill the shelves of approximately 34,000 supermarkets in the U.S., according to the Food Marketing Institute. Supermarket superstores offer endless aisles of food choices, and wholesale centers encourage us to consume in bulk to save money.

Without a clear game plan, double coupons, weekly specials and free samples can encourage you to buy more food than your family needs and derail your weight-loss efforts.

Weight Watchers has created a Smart Supermarket Shopping Guide with tips to help you make wise food choices, save time and plan your ultimate 40-minute shopping trip.

Plan Ahead 
• Write down your shopping list. It helps you stay focused while strolling the aisles.
• Post your shopping list on the refrigerator and add to it as you need to replenish your food and household items. This saves time when you are ready to shop.

Review Your List
• Before heading out to the store, use the shopping circular to help plan the major meals for the week. After planning your menu, check your pantry and fridge to take inventory of what you need.
• Always add a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables for side dishes and snacks.
• Include a few treats to avoid feeling deprived.
• Do not forget the staples: milk, eggs, juice, cereal, bread, and yogurt. These basic food items are a good place to reduce fat and calories because you can choose lowfat or nonfat versions of most of these items. Some of these items help increase daily fiber intake also.

Shopping Strategy 
• Get through the supermarket quickly by organizing your list according to the store layout. Most supermarkets are similarly designed, with perishable foods, such as fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, eggs and breads around the perimeter of the store, and aisles and end-displays containing cleaning and paper products, health and beauty aids, packaged and canned goods, and frozen foods.

• Purchase only the items on your shopping list. Resist impulse purchases which tend to be high fat and high calorie. However, we all fall prey to impulse shopping and if you deny yourself you will wind up spending even more. Allow yourself three impulse items and write them down as you buy them, that way you will feel satisfied and still stay on budget.

• Eat before you shop. Never go to the supermarket with an empty stomach. You are likely to end up with more food than you need and more fattening selections.

Encouraging Others to Exercise

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Here is the latest Get Fit email from Dr. Jacobs.

The Sedentary Lifestyle
Posted on August 1, 2011
Article Author: Kati Trammel

Some people have an inner desire to go for a run or a walk, ride a bike, or just get outside and play, while others prefer to stay inside and read a book, watch TV, cook, or eat a delicious meal.

You can help someone learn to, well, tolerate exercise.

Although neither person is better than the other, there is one lifestyle that is clearly a healthier choice.

So what can be done for those who lead a sedentary lifestyle that may be creating unhealthy circumstances?

Here are five tips to help get them up and moving:
1. They will not like your routine.
I learned several years ago as a personal trainer that not everyone enjoys feeling sore the next day. One client who was inactive appeared quite fit. She asked for a rigorous leg-training routine for the first session. I gave her exactly what she asked for, and she never returned. Her friend later informed me she was so sore from the routine she was not willing to go through it again!

2. Remember that they hate exercise.
Asking someone who clearly hates to exercise to run on a treadmill for 30 minutes is futile. Remember, exercising is more effective when the brain is fully engaged and the body feels exhilarated. Without stimulating the muscles to work, exercise is not as effective. Find something enjoyable that encourages movement. Window-shopping or mall-walking is not a good idea because there are so many temptations to stop walking (eating, shopping, etc.). Try going to a zoo and chart each animal you will see or to a botanical garden and plan the path to walk. Visual stimulation is helpful to keep one's motivation up to finish the walk.

3. Allow them to motivate you.
Give a less-active person the opportunity to see you struggle a little by getting out of your own comfort zone and allowing him or her to help you through an exercise. One other client only wanted to walk/jog rather than lift weights. Lifting weights for her was torture, but she enjoyed being outside. Further, when I run, I turn my iPod on and go. However, this client wanted to talk about diet, children, work, etc. This made the exercise difficult for me because I wanted to take off and listen to my music. She convinced me to enjoy the conversation and actually take time to talk about the stress and joy in my life-something my body probably needed more than another stressful competition to see how fast I could go!

Don't be a scary fitness coach.

4. Teach patience.
Remember that sedentary people generally become discouraged if they do not see immediate results. This is why infomercials are so effective. It is amazing how many people still buy weight-loss gimmicks like vibrating belts that supposedly will produce rock-hard abs or a 5-minute ab routine that helps them lose 6 inches in 3 weeks. Teach patience through small achievements. Oftentimes you can teach people to trade off what they love for short bursts of exercise. "OK, if you want to read that book, why not download it and listen to it while you walk?"

5. Accept where they are in the process.
Sedentary people are typically sporadic in their exercise routines. Accept that they need to build up a habit and that the process is entirely up to them. No one can change a lifestyle by imposing change. While encouragement helps, the choice is ultimately up to the individual to build on an exercise routine or limit it to strictly walking three times a week. Running or weight-lifting may not be in the future, but the key is to be healthier-not competitive.

A Plate Full of Good Health

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Here is the meeting summary from August 12, 2011.

This week in the meeting room we talked about what a healthy day really looks like by using Weight Watchers Good Health Guidelines and the USDA's MyPlate icon. It's easier than you think!

When you were a kid, your mother probably made sure that you ate three balanced meals a day. Meat, veggies, fruit — the works. But as soon as you moved out of the house, you gained a lot more than your independence. You gained the right to eat whatever you wanted.

You may have wanted to continue eating good-for-you foods. But in this fast-paced, fast-food world, where preparing a healthy meal might occasionally lose out to a quick bite, eating right can be downright hard. Fortunately, there are some great cheats out there. New dietary guidelines from the USDA, along with the Weight Watchers Good Health Guidelines, can take the guesswork out of getting a healthy, balanced diet.

The USDA's "MyPlate" icon
In June, the US Department of Agriculture replaced the food pyramid icon with the MyPlate icon. The new image (you can see it below, linking to an article with more details) is a simple prompt to fill half your plate with fruits and veggies; something that many Weight Watchers members were already doing! The icon also prompts people to eat whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy in reasonable portions. Sound familiar?

The Good Health Guidelines
By now, you're probably familiar with the Good Health Guidelines. These explain that a balanced diet consists of vitamins, minerals and macronutrients – the same qualities of food that can help you lose weight. The most nutritious foods are lower in fat and carbohydrates, and higher in fiber and protein, and should keep you satisfied longer. Read on to better understand the basics of eating right:

Fruit can be a delicious and filling replacement for sugary desserts. Plus, it's loaded with vitamins and, as long as it's fresh fruit, has 0 PointsPlus® values.

Vegetables can be enjoyed cooked or raw, just make sure to eat your five servings of fruit and vegetables each day to get the nutrients you need.

Whole-grain foods are a great source of fiber. Choose them over processed foods whenever possible.

Dairy products can help keep your bones strong by offering you a very necessary nutrient: calcium. Try to have two (low-fat or fat-free) servings each day.

Healthy oils, like olive, canola, sunflower, safflower or flaxseed, provide your body with essential fatty acids and Vitamin E.

Protein like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dried beans and soy products can really provide the staying power you need to feel satisfied longer. Go for at least one or two servings each day.

Limit added sugar and alcohol. Feel free to enjoy the occasional sweet treat or alcoholic drink, just don't overdo it. Too much can lead to excess calories – and excess calories can really add up!

Water is essential to maintain a healthy body. Aim to drink at least six glasses a day to stay hydrated.

Multiple vitamin-mineral supplements can provide any nutrients that are missing from your diet. Look for a supplement that provides no more than 100% of the Daily Value (%DV), Recommended Nutrient Intake (RDI), or Dietary Reference Intake (DRI).

Healthy Eating Without the Hassle

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Here is the latest Get Fit email from Dr. Jacobs.

The latest nutritional science points toward a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, paired with healthy sources of protein and fats. A largely plant-based diet with protein from fish, skinless poultry, nuts, legumes, and small amounts of lean meats opens the door to good health.

Equally important is to choose foods in forms that are as close as possible to the way they came from nature. A cherry, for example, is a better choice than a cherry fruit bar. Whole-grain bread trumps white bread.

While it may seem like a lot of extra effort to eat more healthfully, it doesn’t have to be. You only need to keep in mind three simple steps: eat more plant-based foods, fewer animal-based foods, and only as much food as your body needs. Here are some ways to do this:

Focus on unprocessed or minimally processed foods.
By doing so, you’ll naturally consume foods that have the amounts and combinations of fiber and nutrients that nature intended. Many factory-made foods, in contrast, are stripped of natural fiber and nutrients and filled with ingredients made to stimulate appetite and keep you eating more. Processed meats, in particular, are linked with heart disease and cancer. Unprocessed foods have no added sugar, fat, or salt. Most also have more fiber.

Be adventurous.
To get a broader range of disease-fighting nutrients, think beyond whole-grain pasta and broccoli. Try new grains, vegetables, and fruits. Bulgur and quinoa are good grain alternatives. Novel kinds of beans, fruits, and vegetables abound. You can experiment with new recipes that rely less on meat and make use of different ingredients and herbs and spices for flavor sources.

Mix it up.
A good rule of thumb for each day is to try to get three servings of fruit, three to four servings of vegetables, some lean protein, some whole grains, healthy oils, some nonfat or low-fat dairy, and a serving of nuts or legumes. At each meal, look at your plate: about one-half should be fruits and vegetables, one-quarter lean proteins (fish, poultry, beans, or tofu), and one-quarter whole grains.

Drink enough liquids.
Because many foods contain water, most people get sufficient liquid each day without making a special effort. But it can be helpful throughout the day to drink water or another no-calorie liquid as an alternative to snacking or to wash down meals. Plus, as you increase your fiber content with whole-grain foods, water helps ferry it smoothly through your digestive tract and protects you from constipation. Drinking 4 to 6 cups of water a day is a reasonable and healthful goal.

Keep protein portions small.
For proteins like meat and chicken, 3 ounces for lunch and slightly more for dinner is a good goal. Keep in mind that 4 ounces of meat is the size of a deck of cards.

Aim for at least two servings of fish each week.
However, avoid large, predatory deep ocean fish (such as swordfish, shark, king mackerel, and blue fin tuna) because of their higher mercury content.

Plan ahead.
If you snack, plan ahead for healthy snacks to minimize the risk of impulsively eating unhealthy foods. Stay away from sugary drinks and their empty calories.

Changing It Up

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I worked my first meeting in our new Weight Watchers center last night! It was such a crazy evening! We were all trying to get used to a new place, so we did not know where everything was stored. Our members were also trying to figure out how the new set up was supposed to work. I think it is going to be great, it just might take a few weeks for everyone to get settled.

Last night, I also weighed in for the week. I have been weighing in on Tuesday nights since October 2008. It has been my night. However, for the past few weeks I have been gaining! This week was no different as I gained 0.6 pounds.

While driving home from my meeting last night I began to think through some changes that I could make to help me refocus, so that I will STOP gaining weight. Changing my weigh in day seemed like the perfect solution!

I lead a Saturday morning Weight Watchers meeting and I am going to begin to make that my weigh in day starting this week.

Here are just a few benefits to weighing in on Saturday morning.
1. Weighing myself in the morning is nice, because I do not have to eat anything before I weigh myself. I will be weighing on an empty stomach, which will help to give me an accurate view of how well I did throughout the week. Weighing on Tuesday evenings has been challenging, because I do not want to eat anything that might make the number on the scale go up.

2. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are my WORST Weight Watchers days. I have trouble staying on plan during the weekend. If I weigh in on Saturday morning, it will help me to stay within my daily pointsplus+ target on Friday so that I do not gain weight Saturday morning.

3. Weighing in on Saturday means that my 49 weekly pointsplus+ allowance starts over that day as well. So, I will begin the weekend armed with all of my 49 weekly pointsplus+! On top of that I will have the rest of the week (Monday - Friday) to earn extra activity pointsplus+ to help counteract any overeating that might have taken place on Saturday and Sunday.

Sometimes our bodies get very used to the routine and just need a change. Is there something in your routine that you should consider changing this week? Tell me about it!

Fitness Mistakes

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Here is the latest Get Fit email from Dr. Jacobs.

Ten Common Fitness Mistakes
If you are experiencing pain while working out, not seeing the results you want or becoming bored, you may be making common exercise mistakes.

Many people don’t realize there is a right and wrong way to workout. Cooper Fitness Center Professional Fitness Trainer Loren Maine gives us ten common mistakes you might be committing during your exercise routine.

1. Exercise frequency - Too little exercise can lead many health problems. However, too much exercise can cause aches and pains, fatigue, weakened immune system, decrease in performance and more. Aim for four to five days of physical activity each week for around 30 minutes each day.

2. Keeping the same routine - Your body will stay at the same level of fitness if exercises aren’t new or challenging. At this point, your body is said to be on a plateau. Change is good!

3. Only practicing cardio - Your exercise program needs balance. A successful training regime should address both cardiovascular training and resistance training.

4. Keeping the same volume - When the body gets used to an amount of weight, fitness improvements are limited. Change the number of sets, repetitions and weight being lifting to avoid reaching a standstill.

5. Eating too little – You might not think that your diet affects your work out. If you aren't eating enough, your body goes into "protection mode" and actually stores fat to survive. Also, exercise performance will be hindered if the body is not properly nourished.

6. Skipping the warm up - Properly warming up reduces the risk of injury. At the beginning of the exercise routine, dedicate approximately ten minutes to prepare the targeted muscle group.

7. Lifting too much weight - Lifting weight that is too heavy alters proper posture. This can lead to muscle and joint compensations that increase risk of injury. Lift a weight that is challenging enough that the muscle fatigues by the last few repetitions.

8. Not drinking enough water - Drink plenty of water before, during and after exercise. Dehydration alters exercise performance and may cause dizziness, cramps, lethargy and more.

9. Working through an injury - Acute pain could turn into chronic pain if not properly addressed. If you have an injury, consult an expert and/or remember the acronym RICE: rest, ice, compression and elevation.

10. Forgoing a professional fitness trainer –Utilizing a professional trainer keeps you on task, challenges your body and provides expert assistance. As a motivation factor, it’s easier to go to the gym when you know you have an “appointment.

De-stress Your Life

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Here is the latest Get Fit email from Dr. Jacobs.

10 simple steps to help de-stress
There is no shortage of angst-inducing news these days: natural disasters, economic woes, political unrest. Add to this backdrop stresses in our personal lives, layoffs, illness, money woes, temper tantrums, and traffic jams, and it is clear that stressful situations are constant and inevitable.

Just as serious as the stressors themselves are the adverse effects stress can have on your emotional and physical health. Many well-respected studies link stress to heart disease and stroke — the No. 1 and No. 3 causes of death, respectively, in the United States. Stress is also implicated in a host of other ailments such as depression and anxiety, chronic lower respiratory diseases, asthma flare-ups, rheumatoid arthritis, and gastrointestinal problems.

Stress is not all bad. Your perception of a real or imagined threat can spark the stress response, which prepares the body to fight or flee. That swift reflex was encoded in you for survival. Thanks to the stress response, you might suddenly jump out of the path of a speeding car or flee from a burning house. But when your stress response is evoked repeatedly, your body experiences unnecessary wear and tear — such as high blood pressure — that can lead to poor health.

Even if you only have a few minutes to spare, the stress-busting suggestions described below can make your days calmer, if not easier.

Take the sting out of 10 common stressors
Sometimes just thinking about embarking on a program of stress control can be stressful. Rather than freeze in your tracks, start small and bask in the glow of your successes. Give yourself a week to focus on practical solutions that could help you cope with just one stumbling block or source of stress in your life. Pick a problem, and see if these suggestions work for you.

1. Frequently late? Apply time management principles. Consider your priorities (be sure to include time for yourself) and delegate or discard unnecessary tasks. Map out your day, segment by segment, setting aside time for different tasks, such as writing or phone calls. If you are overly optimistic about travel time, consistently give yourself an extra 15 minutes or more to get to your destinations. If lateness stems from dragging your heels, consider the underlying issue. Are you anxious about what will happen after you get to work or to a social event, for example? Or maybe you’re trying to jam too many tasks into too little time.

2. Often angry or irritated? Consider the weight of cognitive distortions. Are you magnifying a problem, leaping to conclusions, or applying emotional reasoning? Take the time to stop, breathe, reflect, and choose.

3. Unsure of your ability to do something? Don’t try to go it alone. If the problem is work, talk to a co-worker or supportive boss. Ask a knowledgeable friend or call the local library or an organization that can supply the information you need. Write down other ways that you might get the answers or skills you need. Turn to CDs, books, or classes, for example, if you need a little tutoring. This works equally well when you’re learning relaxation response techniques, too.

4. Overextended? Clear the deck of at least one time-consuming household task by hiring help. If you can, hire a housecleaning service, shop for groceries through the Internet, convene a family meeting to consider who can take on certain jobs, or barter with or pay teens for work around the house and yard. Consider what is truly essential and important to you and what might take a backseat right now.

5. Not enough time for stress relief? Try mini-relaxations. Or make a commitment to yourself to pare down your schedule for just one week so you can practice evoking the relaxation response every day. Slowing down to pay attention to just one task or pleasure at hand is an excellent method of stress relief.

6. Feeling unbearably tense? Try massage, a hot bath, mini-relaxations, a body scan, or a mindful walk. Practically any exercise — a brisk walk, a quick run, a sprint up and down the stairs — will help, too. Done regularly, exercise wards off tension, as do relaxation response techniques.

7. Frequently feel pessimistic? Remind yourself of the value of learned optimism: a more joyful life and, quite possibly, better health. Practice deflating cognitive distortions. Rent funny movies and read amusing books. Create a mental list of reasons you have to feel grateful. If the list seems too short, consider beefing up your social network and adding creative, productive, and leisure pursuits to your life.

8. Upset by conflicts with others? State your needs or distress directly, avoiding “you always” or “you never” zingers. Say, “I feel _____ when you _____.” “I would really appreciate it if you could _____.” “I need some help setting priorities. What needs to be done first and what should I tackle later?” If conflicts are a significant source of distress for you, consider taking a class on assertiveness training.

9. Worn out or burned out? Focus on self-nurturing. Carve out time to practice relaxation response techniques or at least indulge in mini-relaxations. Care for your body by eating good, healthy food and for your heart by seeking out others. Give thought to creative, productive, and leisure activities. Consider your priorities in life: is it worth feeling this way, or is another path open to you? If you want help, consider what kind would be best. Do you want a particular task at work to be taken off your hands? Do you want to do it at a later date? Do you need someone with particular expertise to assist you?

10. Feeling lonely? Connect with others. Even little connections — a brief conversation in line at the grocery store, an exchange about local goings-on with a neighbor, a question for a colleague — can help melt the ice within you. It may embolden you, too, to seek more opportunities to connect. Be a volunteer. Attend religious or community functions. Suggest coffee with an acquaintance. Call a friend or relative you miss. Take an interesting class. If a social phobia, low self-esteem, or depression is dampening your desire to reach out, seek help. The world is a kinder, more wondrous place when you share its pleasures and burdens.

Are You Nuts?

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Here is the latest Get Fit email from Dr. Jacobs.

Nuts — A healthy treat

Could nuts be one of the secret ingredients to weight loss? A couple of studies have found a correlation between relatively high nut consumption (two or more servings a week) and avoidance of weight gain and obesity. Researchers at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center reported results in 2010 from a small (20 volunteers) study that showed walnuts at breakfast gave people a pre-lunch feeling of fullness that might make it easier to eat less. Ultimately, weight loss is about reining in calorie consumption (and increasing physical activity). But if nuts make people feel full, perhaps they can help lower calorie counts over all, even as they add to those totals.

Nuts are dense little packages of fat and protein, with most of the fat being the healthful, unsaturated kind. They don’t contribute much in the way of vitamins but make up for it by supplying respectable amounts of potassium, magnesium, and several other required minerals.

Dieters have tended to stay away from nuts because the fat content makes them a high-calorie food. It doesn’t help that we tend to shovel them in as snacks, not as part of meals. But nuts contain very little carbohydrate, so they’re showing up in low-carb diets these days, particularly the ones that emphasize plant-based foods.

Nutrients in nuts per 1.5 ounces (43 grams)

Calories/Fat (grams)/Protein (grams)

Almonds 254/22.5/9.4

Brazil nuts 279/28.2/6.1

Cashews 244/19.7/6.5

Hazelnuts 275/26.5/6.4

Macadamias 305/32.4/3.3

Peanuts 249/21.1/10.1

Pecans 302/31.6/ 4.0

Pistachios 243/19.6/ 9.1

Walnuts 278/27.7/6.5

Source: Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, 2010.

Nuts and your heart
Apart from weight issues, nuts seem to have some protective effects against heart disease. Numerous studies have shown that if you put people on nut-filled diets, favorable effects on cholesterol levels, blood pressure readings, and inflammatory factors follow. And in large epidemiologic studies, high nut consumption has been associated with lower rates of heart disease. An analysis of data from the Harvard-based Nurses’ Health Study showed that having one serving of nuts a day is associated with a 30% lower risk of heart disease compared with having one serving of red meat a day.

A plate full of walnuts for dinner tonight?

Nuts as a meal may not sound very appealing. But cookbooks are full of recipes that incorporate nuts into pasta dishes and the like. And it would be easy for most of us to add almonds or walnuts to a bowl of cereal or low-fat yogurt at breakfast and occasionally eat a meatless lunch or dinner.

Nuts may help with diabetes, too. The lack of carbohydrate content means nuts don’t add appreciably to the surges in blood sugar we experience after many meals. In fact, they can blunt the effects of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels. Those “postprandial” spikes in blood sugar contribute to the development of diabetes in people vulnerable to getting the disease and must be controlled in those who have already have it. Yet the evidence for nut consumption reducing the risk for developing diabetes is mixed, as are results of studies of the effect it has on blood sugar levels.

What to Eat

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Here is the latest Get Fit email from Dr. Jacobs.

New Dietary Guidelines — 8 foods to eat more of, 7 to cut back on
The latest nutrition guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Human Services have a new emphasis: weight control. In previous years, the guidelines focused on nutrients: What proportion of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates is optimal for health? Or, what amounts of different vitamins and minerals do you need to protect yourself from diseases?

The slogan for the new guidelines is: “Calories in, calories out.” Put another way: Americans should strive to maintain a calorie balance, eating no more calories than they burn each day. If you are overweight, the goal is to eat fewer calories than you burn each day to reach a healthy weight. Calorie control and daily physical activity are the cornerstones of the new guidelines.

Why the emphasis on weight control? The Dietary Guidelines report explains it this way: “Poor diet and physical inactivity are the most important factors contributing to an epidemic of overweight and obesity affecting men, women, and children in all segments of our society. Even in the absence of overweight, poor diet and physical inactivity are associated with major causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States.” With this in mind, the Dietary Guidelines include these recommendations for foods to cut back on and foods to increase:

7 foods to reduce
1. Reduce daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) and further reduce intake to 1,500 mg among persons who are 51 and older and those of any age who are African American or have hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease.
2. Consume less than 10% of calories from saturated fatty acids by replacing them with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
3. Consume less than 300 mg per day of dietary cholesterol.
4. Keep trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible.
5. Reduce the intake of calories from solid fats and added sugars.
6. Limit the consumption of foods that contain refined grains, especially those with solid fats, added sugars, and sodium.
7. If alcohol is consumed, it should be consumed in moderation — up to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men — and only by adults of legal drinking age.

8 foods and nutrients to increase
Eat more of these foods while staying within your calorie goals.

1. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, especially dark green, red, and orange vegetables, fruits, and beans and peas.
2. Consume at least half of all grains as whole grains. Increase whole-grain intake by replacing refined grains with whole grains.
3. Increase intake of fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, such as milk, yogurt, cheese, or fortified soy beverages.
4. Choose a variety of protein foods, which include seafood, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans and peas, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds.
5. Choose seafood in place of some meat and poultry.
6. Replace protein foods that are high in solid fats with proteins that are low in solid fats and calories.
7. Use healthy vegetable oils to replace solid fats where possible.
8. Choose foods that provide more potassium, dietary fiber, calcium, and vitamin D, which are nutrients of concern in American diets. These foods include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and milk and milk products.

Save Your Heart

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Here is the latest Get Fit email from Dr. Jacobs.

These five habits can save your heart — here’s how
According to hard data, five harmful habits herald the coming of heart disease. These five are smoking, being inactive, carrying too many pounds, eating poorly, and drinking too much alcohol.

Alone and together, they set the stage for artery-damaging atherosclerosis and spur it onward. They do this by deranging metabolism and changing how cells and tissues work. They also disturb the markers of health we worry about so much: blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar. All too often, the end result of these five habits is a heart attack, stroke, peripheral artery disease, valve problem, aortic aneurysm, or heart failure. And the damage they cause isn’t limited to the cardiovascular system, but extends to the kidneys, bones, and brain.

What can making better choices do for health and longevity? Consider this provocative finding from the Nurses’ Health Study. Nonsmoking women with a healthy weight who exercised regularly, consumed a healthy diet, and had an alcoholic drink every other day were 83% less likely to have had a heart attack or to have died of heart disease over a 14-year period, compared with all the other women in the study. The results were almost identical in a similar study in men. In these two studies, more than two-thirds of all cardiovascular events could be chalked up to smoking, excess weight, poor diet, and drinking too much.

Five strategies for change
Count on these five white knights to protect your heart, your arteries, and the rest of you. They will make you look better and feel better. And it’s never too late to start.

1. Avoid tobacco. Smoke from cigarettes, cigars, and pipes is as bad for the heart and arteries as it is for the lungs. If you smoke, quitting is the biggest gift of health you can give yourself. Secondhand smoke is also toxic, so avoid it whenever possible.
2. Be active. Exercise and physical activity are about the closest things you have to magic bullets against heart disease and other chronic conditions. Any amount of activity is better than none; at least 30 minutes a day is best.
3. Aim for a healthy weight. Carrying extra pounds, especially around the belly, strains the heart and tips you toward diabetes. If you are overweight, losing just 5% to 10% of your starting weight can make a big difference in your blood pressure and blood sugar.
4. Enliven your diet. Add fruits and vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fat, good protein (from beans, nuts, fish, and poultry), and herbs and spices. Subtract processed foods, salt, rapidly digested carbohydrates (from white bread, white rice, potatoes, and the like), red meat, and soda or other sugar-sweetened beverages.
5. Drink alcohol in moderation (if at all). If you drink alcohol, limit your intake — one to two drinks a day for men, no more than one a day for women.

Making change
If you have one or more habits that are working against you, now is as good a time as any to set a course for better health. How? The American Heart Association recommends “cognitive behavioral strategies for promoting behavior change.” They aim to help you think more positively about yourself as you make healthy changes. Here are some of those strategies:

Set goals. Having specific, achievable goals is a key strategy for successful change. Goals that involve behaviors (“I will eat three servings of whole grains a day”) tend to work better than physiological goals (“I will lower my cholesterol”).

Track your progress. With all the things you have to remember each day, it’s hard to know whether you are meeting your daily goals. Data from dozens of studies show that self-monitoring is an important attribute of successful changers. You can track your exercise or pounds lost with a notebook, a computer, a smart phone, or an invention of your own.

Motivation. Changing a habit or behavior is easier if you have a good reason for doing it. Motivation can be something big, like getting in shape for a walking trip with a grandchild, or small, like fitting into a slimmer suit for a wedding. The more personal the motivator, the better.

Get support. Starting a change isn’t nearly as challenging as sticking with it. Support from family, friends, a doctor, or someone else — even from an online community — can provide feedback and encouragement, especially when you are feeling low.

You don’t need to aim for a complete transformation all at once. Small changes in diet, exercise, or weight can make a big difference in your health. Setting goals you can realistically achieve, and then meeting them, can snowball into even bigger improvements.

Canned Black Beans

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One of our most valuable ingredients is canned black beans.

Canned black beans are an economical and nutritious pantry staple. Here are ways to bring this fiber and protein powerhouse into your regular repertory.

A limited budget doesn't have to mean limited flavor. Our Most Valuable Ingredient series highlights those powerhouse products that are versatile, healthy, tasty and cheap, giving you the best bang for your buck.

Black beans are aptly named: a shiny, ebony packet of flavor and nutrition. They maintain their prized, earthy, hearty flavor even when canned. Once you pop the top, they’re ready to eat after a quick rinse, or they can be simmered in soups and stews without losing their firm bite. No wonder they’re a staple across the world — and should be in your kitchen, too.

The Stats
Black beans are a legume, a class of foods that includes all beans, peas and lentils. Although black beans are indeed available dried, most of us use canned. And why not? Without much effort, they’re so versatile: great in soups, salads, side dishes, bean burgers and spicy dips. You can enjoy them hot or cold.

Like most legumes, canned black beans are loaded with dietary fiber, an essential key to good health (and good blood serum cholesterol numbers). One cup of canned black beans will give you almost half of what the USDA has determined as your daily fiber need.

But that’s not all: black beans are loaded with protein, folate, magnesium and antioxidants — about 10 times the antioxidants of oranges!

- It’s incredible that so much nutrition is so economical. Canned black beans run about 90 cents for a 15-ounce can. That can contains 1 3/4 cups. Since canned black beans have a PointsPlus™ value of 1 per 1/4 cup, canned black beans ring up at about 13 cents per PointsPlus value. Now that’s a value!

The Score
Don’t mistake canned black bean soup for canned black beans — they’re sometimes stocked next to each other on supermarket shelves.

Canned black beans are available in regular or reduced-sodium varieties. The latter is the best choice for our healthier lifestyles.

Stock up when those cans are on sale! They can last a year in your pantry. You can often make a satisfying lunch or dinner with a can of black beans and no more than what’s in your fridge or pantry: a well-stocked salad, a quick soup or even a vegetarian casserole.

Black beans have such a firm texture, they hold their shape better than most other beans when canned. You will rarely find split ones as you often do in cans of white or navy beans.

Black beans are sometimes called “turtle beans” or “Venezuela beans.”

Black beans are also available dried. These require more work (hours of cooking and possibly soaking) but they cost much less than canned, ringing in at only about 7 cents per PointsPlus value. Look for packages with whole, firm black beans, few shards, little dust and certainly no wrinkled, dried-out skins.

In Play
Although canned black beans are ready to eat, they should be drained and rinsed first — to wash off some of the slippery slime common to all beans and to get rid of excess sodium (even in the reduced-sodium varieties).

Don’t just swirl them in the can with some water. Pour the beans into a colander in the sink and give them a shower under cool water, stirring a couple of times to make sure they all get a good rinsing.

Because black beans are so firm, they don’t dissolve in soups and stews the way some beans do. In fact, if you’re looking for a smooth or puréed texture in dips and soups, you must mash these beans — with the back of a wooden spoon, in a food processor, or even in a blender.

Make a simple chili thickener with some drained and rinsed black beans and a clove or two of roasted garlic. Just whir them in a blender or food processor, then stir into the pot a few minutes before you’re ready to serve dinner.

Consider rinsing a can or two at the beginning of every week. Keep them covered in a bowl in the fridge, at the ready when you are.

Turn green salads into a full meal by sprinkling them with canned black beans and a little grated cheese. A creamy dressing is the best choice!

Take eggs south of the border by stirring canned black beans into scrambled eggs or folding them into omelets. Make sure you’ve got some salsa at the ready!

And while we’re on the subject, make salsa even more chunky by stirring black beans into your batch.

Don’t forget pizzas! Black beans are great on top. Consider using barbecue sauce instead of tomato sauce — and a grated smoked Cheddar or Gouda on top.

Canned black beans don’t need much to become a spread. Pour a can of rinsed and drained beans into a food processor, then add a couple of tablespoons of a wet condiment: mustard, ketchup, cocktail sauce, Ranch dressing, mayonnaise, chutney, barbecue sauce or salsa. Whirl the whole thing up until smooth; scrape the purée into a small bowl; and store, covered, in the fridge to spread on sandwiches, in wraps or even just on whole-grain crackers.

Here are some great recipes featuring black beans:
Black Bean Brownies
Lentil and Black Bean Chili
Tex-Mex Rice and Bean Casserole

Try New Things

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Here is the meeting summary from April 26, 2011.

In the meeting room this week we talked about learning to spice up our meal choices. It seems that we fall into the habit of eating the same meals over and over again. We do this because we know we like these foods, we know the points plus values of them, and they are easy for our routine. But, if you find yourself not being satisfied by these foods (meaning you are reaching for other foods when that meal used to satisfy your hunger) then that means you have gotten bored…and you need to shake things up. Challenge yourself to try a new food or a new recipe this next week. Below I have featured a food that can be shaken up in very different ways.

Let’s start with quinoa (ha some of you may not even know what that is…honestly I didn’t either):
Quinoa is high in protein and nutrients, tastes great, and is one of the fastest whole grains you can make. Add that it’s economical, and you’ve got a kitchen miracle in the making.

A limited budget doesn't have to mean limited flavor. Our Most Valuable Ingredient series highlights those powerhouse products that are versatile, healthy, tasty and cheap, giving you the best bang for your buck

Quinoa has been called the “miracle grain” because it achieves the trifecta of culinary perfection: It’s nutritious, satisfying and easy to prepare. Best of all, you can make a bowl of cooked quinoa and store it in the fridge all week, a boon to many meals to come. A staple in South America for centuries, it should become one in your kitchen, too.

The Stats
Quinoa is an ancient food from high in the Andes, grown by the Incas long before the Spanish arrived on the scene. Quinoa thrives in frigid, desertlike, high-altitude environments, places that would be the death of almost all other grains.

Although called a grain, quinoa is actually the seed of specific plants in the goosefoot family — a group of plants that includes spinach and chard.

Quinoa has the highest protein content of any grain. Every single PointsPlus™ value gives you 2.3 grams of protein. And ounce per ounce, it has more calcium than milk. Plus, quinoa is a great source of manganese, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and zinc. All that, and quinoa is gluten-free, too!

Quinoa cooks really fast, in just minutes — a great whole grain for busy weeknights.
You’ll most often find two types of quinoa at the store: red or white (sometimes also called “yellow” quinoa).

Black quinoa is a rarity, usually found only in health-food stores.

Quinoa can also be ground into a flour for use in reduced-gluten or even gluten-free baking and cooking.

At just 1 PointsPlus value for every 1 1/2 tablespoons raw quinoa (or 1/4 cup cooked quinoa), this grain’s got a lot to offer!

And it’s economical, to boot. At 30 cents per ounce, it comes out to about 18 cents per PointsPlus value. No wonder it’s a miracle grain!

The Score
Quinoa is fairly mild-tasting with a slight nuttiness, maybe even a little grassy like wild rice.

In truth, quinoa is all about the texture: great crunch and pop in every bite. Consider it the caviar of whole grains!

Individual quinoa grains are tiny, smaller than wheat berries, barley, or even millet grains. When cooked, the quinoa germ unfurls to form a small, translucent halo around the grain.

Because quinoa is so high in polyunsaturated fats, it can go rancid rather quickly and should be stored in the fridge for up to 4 months. If possible, buy it from a health-food store or gourmet market where there’s a high turnover of product on the shelves. Quinoa flour should be stored in the freezer.

Although quinoa flour is by nature gluten-free, it may be processed in a facility that also processes wheat and other gluten-laden grains. If important, check the manufacturer's website to make sure yours is made in a gluten-free facility.

As they develop, quinoa seeds coat themselves with a natural insect repellent called saponin — which has a bitter, soapy taste. Most quinoa sold in the United States is prewashed to remove the saponin.

If your pot of quinoa has a soapy film on top, the grains were not properly prewashed. Drain repeatedly and wash these seeds thoroughly before continuing to cook.

That said, all quinoa, even the prewashed kind, should be rinsed in a fine-mesh colander before cooking to remove any saponin dust that may still adhere to the seeds.

In Play
Toasting the raw seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat for a minute or two will enhance their nutty flavor. But be careful: Quinoa is one of the few whole grains that will pop over high heat!

Substitute a small mound of cooked quinoa for the starch at any meal — in place of rice, pasta, couscous or potatoes.

There are two methods for cooking quinoa. For one, mix 2 parts water to 1 part raw quinoa in a saucepan, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Here are some great recipes featuring quinoa:
Stuffed Peppers with Mediterranean-Spiced Quinoa
Asian-Flavored Quinoa Salad
Quinoa and Shrimp Salad

Cook Once, Eat All Week

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Like many of you, Jon and I have very busy schedules right now. We have Bible study on Sunday night, I work for Weight Watchers on Tuesday night, I teach a different Bible study on Wednesday night, we hangout with friends on Thursday night, we go grocery shopping on Friday night, and once a month I work for Weight Watchers on Saturday morning. Yikes!!

Please do not misunderstand me...I am not trying to complain. However, it just makes for a very long week. This busy schedule that we are sporting for the next several weeks means that I have to be very intentional about the meals I cook.

Maintaining my weight loss is a priority in my life. I try to put it and myself before these other things. I find that by making my menu at the beginning of each month, I am able to know what we are going to have for dinner without thinking about it too much!

Below is a Weight Watchers article from their Cook Once, Eat All Week series, that I found extremely helpful. This is a great idea for people like me, who are busy and trying to stay on plan.

Cook Once, Eat All Week: Soups, Chilies and Stews
From: Weight Watchers
Article By: Melissa Sperl

All day long, you watch what you eat. But then when it comes time to make supper, you're so hungry, tired and frazzled that you can't help but snack while you cook. It's hard to stay on plan when you're busy and your stomach is rumbling!

Sound familiar? Nibbling while you're preparing dinner is a common phenomenon, but that doesn't mean it has to undermine your weight-loss efforts. The trick is planning ahead so you eliminate the stress and effort of having to fix a meal at the last minute.

That's why, with the help of an expert chef and a nutritionist, we've created the Cook Once, Eat All Week series. We'll give you great recipes and tell you what you need to know to prepare an entire week's worth of dinners, plus some leftovers for lunch, in just a couple of hours over the weekend.

So, this weekend, spend a couple of hours shopping, chopping, cooking and storing. It'll go by faster than you think (especially if your family will be around to help). Next week, when it's a breeze to stay on plan, you'll be glad you did it!

Cooking on the weekend: It's worth it
You'd rather spend the weekend relaxing, you say? Look at it this way: If you plan ahead, combine prep steps, and store well, you can get most of an entire week's worth of cooking done in one afternoon. That means more time to relax during the busy workweek, when you really need it to help you stay on Plan.

There are five recipes in total, enough for a week's worth of dinners. Here's what on the menu:
* Layered Mexican Chicken
* Vegetable-Peanut Stir-Fry
* Green Beans With Caramelized Onions and Dill
* Tri-Color Pesto Rotini
* Green Bean, Pearl Onion and Dill Frittata

Step 1: Prepare
This weekend, after you've taken your shopping list to the grocery store and gotten all the ingredients you'll need, make the chicken, the stir-fry, the green beans and the pesto rotini. Save time on chopping by cutting up the veggies for the stir-fry and the pasta all at once.

Step 2: Store
The Layered Mexican Chicken can be stored for up to five days in the fridge (perfect) — just cover it with a casserole dish cover or aluminum foil. For extra plan-ahead power, make two batches. Freeze the second batch in individual portions for four to six months; on days you know you'll have no time to make dinner, just transfer them to the fridge in the morning so they'll be defrosted when you get home.

The pasta is fridge-friendly for a week, too. And the stir-fry and green beans will stay fresh in the fridge for up to three days.

Step 3: Enjoy
Our recipes will give you plenty of food for multiple meals that you can mix and match according to your eating habits, your plans and the size of your family.

We've even anticipated that you might want to take some of the food to work for healthy lunches. There are lots of ways to do it: Take some of the pasta to work in a plastic container — the rotini is hot when you first make it, but it can be eaten as a cold pasta salad, too. The stir-fry would be good rolled up into a tortilla and enjoyed as a lunchtime wrap. Feel free to add grilled chicken strips for a heartier midday meal.

The green beans are a perfect side dish for the Mexican chicken, and they can be eaten cold at lunchtime, too. Just make sure you save some to make the super-easy frittata mid-week.

What you do with the dishes you make is entirely up to you. But here's a sample plan for a family of four, assuming one portion per person:
* Sunday: Cook for the week. Enjoy Stir-Fry for dinner.
* Monday's dinner: Mexican Chicken with Green Beans on the side.
* Tuesday's dinner: Finish up Stir-Fry.
* Wednesday's dinner: Make Frittata with leftover green beans (it only takes 30 minutes!). You can store the leftovers for up to two days.
* Thursday's dinner: Pesto Rotini. Enjoy with some bagged baby carrots on the side.
* Friday's dinner: Mexican Chicken. Accompany with steamed veggies of your choice.

Planning Ahead

Last week in the Made to Crave Bible study I am teaching Lysa TerKeurst talked about counting the costs...literally.

Lysa explained that if anything tempts us that before giving in and eating it we should do the math. Taking time to count how calories or pointsplus+ that milkshake will cost us. Then calculating how many minutes or hours it would take to work off that milkshake.

When we see it laid out in front of us like that, suddenly that milkshake is no long appealing, because we know we would have to workout for 4 hours to burn the entire thing off!

Last Friday's Hungry Girl email about "Restaurant & Supermarket Shockers!" was a perfect example and just too good, not to share with you!!

At the end of March, my co-workers and I went to the Olive Garden for lunch. Before our lunch I went to the Olive Garden website to create a plan of what I was going to eat. I calculated the pointsplus+ on my favorite dishes, trying to decide what was going to fill me up, taste good, and be low in pointsplus+.

When all was said and done, I decided on this...

Grilled Chicken Spiedini (lunch portion) - 5 pointsplus+
Zuppa Toscana for - 3 pointsplus+
Total Meal - 8 pointsplus+

I am so thankful that I went to the Olive Garden with a plan!

The day of our lunch came and many of my co-workers choose the Olive Garden Herb Cheese Soffatelli with Sautéed Chicken. Sure it looked good, but I knew it would ruin my pointsplus+ plan for the day. I stuck with what I had planned and was happy that I had not given into temptation!

Do you want to know what dish was on the Hungry Girl Springtime Restaurant Shockers list?

That's right the Olive Garden Herb Cheese Soffatelli with Sautéed Chicken! Take a look at that stats listed below and what Hungry Girl has to say about this dish.

Olive Garden Herb Cheese Soffatelli with Sautéed Chicken

PER SERVING (1 order): 1,530 calories, 107g fat, 1,940mg sodium, 76g carbs, 7g fiber, sugars n.a., protein n.a. -- PointsPlus™ value of at least 35*

The first thing you might think when you see this dish? "Did someone drop a couple of cheese Danishes on my chicken?" And here's the kicker -- this chicken version of the meal is even heavier than the beef option! Uhhhh... WOW. Skip it and order the Herb-Grilled Salmon (510 calories, 26g fat); at least the fat from the fish is the good-for-you kind. Click here for more need-to-know info about Olive Garden!

It is a good thing that I stuck to my plan, because 35 pointsplus+ for one dish is NOT worth it to me! From now on, I will continue to plan ahead like this!

If your do not get the daily Hungry Girl email you should visit their website and sign up here.