Thanksgiving Challenge: Week 2 - Friends Without Food

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Sorry that I left you hanging last week without anything about the Thanksgiving Challenge. I cannot believe that there are just six more weeks until Thanksgiving!!

Last week's step was to find opportunities to socialize without eating. I have a hard time with this one, because my family and friends like to eat! When I spend time with my friends and/or family foods is always involved. I think that this is just the routine we have gotten into, because we cannot come up with anything else to do. Just in case you are like me, I have included a list from Debbie Brzozowski that gives us some great ideas of ways to have fun without food.

Is this a challenge for you to? Last week, what were some ways that you began to socialize without food?

- Go to your local Chamber of Commerce/Visitor’s Center (or go online) and find out about all the free, fun stuff to do in your town.
- Go to a local museum (libraries have free passes!)
- Check out your city-center or downtown area.
- Visit the historical sites in your town.
- Take a ride on public transportation. You see things differently when you are not driving.
- Visit a state park.
- Walk your dog.
- Go roller-skating.
- Go fishing.
- Go for a bike ride in your neighborhood.
- Have a picnic.
- Go bird watching.
- Hike through the woods.
- Go to the beach.
- Watch a sunset.
- Find a non-profit that you are passionate about and get involved.
- Play “Design on a Dime” and change up a room in your home
– swap out towels, placemats, flower vases, etc. and recreate a room with stuff you already have.
- Make crafts that can later be given as holiday gifts.
- Make a home movie.
- Make sock puppets.
- Have your kids put on a play.
- Write a letter to a friend or family member (preserve the lost art of hand-written notes).
- Plant an indoor herb garden.
- Scrapbook.
- Play board games.
- Put a puzzle together.
- Listen to music.
- Plan an at-home spa day.
- Borrow a DVD from the library or rent a $1.00 movie at BlockBuster Express or Redbox.
- Read a book or magazine.
- Take a nap.
- Find free games to play online.
- Connect with friends on Facebook.
- Reconnect with an old friend and send them an email.
- Pile up in the car and go for a ride in the country.
- Learn how to juggle.
- Make a video for "Funniest Home Videos".
- Take up competitive chess.
- Go for a walk in the park.
- Study something part-time that's always caught your interest.
- Invite someone for a game of tennis.
- Go for a ride on a bike.
- Spend an afternoon looking through your old photos and organizing them.
- Go to an art gallery for a browse.
- See what's on at your local theatre go check it out.
- Go to the top of a nearby mountain and check out the view.
- Call an old friend you haven't spoken to for a while to see how they're doing.
- Go to the local cinema and take in a film.
- Go bowling.
- Dance.
- Challenge yourself to learn a foreign language.
- Go to the zoo.
- Paint or draw something.
- Join a public speaking society such as toastmasters.
- Organize a poker evening.
- Go for a swim at your nearest lake, river or beach.
- Kick a football in the local park with a friend.
- Go out to a local festival or carnival.
- Form a book club and meet up to discuss what you've read once a week.
- Go camping.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Week 3 - Track and Snack

Don't forget that this week we are going record everything little snack that we put in our mouths!

Adding Nutritional Facts

For a while now I have been receiving emails and comments from readers asking me if I would be willing to post nutritional facts, instead of just the pointsplus values, on the recipes on my blog. Up until yesterday, I have been putting it off and telling people that I am not willing to do that at this time. I knew what a HUGE undertaking this would be and that I really do not have time to do it right now. I thought that maybe I would get around to doing it, but I was not in any kind of hurry.

However, yesterday everything changed after I conversation I had with my youngest sister, Vivian.

Me and Vivian at her wedding in May 2011

Vivian is the mother to two beautiful children! She is blessed to be able to stay home with them full-time. Since having her baby girl in April, it has been Vivian's desire to lose her baby weight and get healthy. It has not been easy, but she is doing it with My Fitness Pal. She is tracking her calories each day to make sure that she does not go above the amount that her body needs.
Vivian's desire to lose weight and count calories is what pushed me over the edge to add additional nutritional facts to the recipes on my blog. I want my sister to be able to visit my blog and use my recipes as she is on her weight loss journey!

I'm so sorry that I did not realize how important this was sooner! I am so thankful that God's using my sister to teach me how to help the rest of you who are trying to lose weight and be healthy!

This process is going to take some time and with my new baby coming soon it might take longer, so please be patient with me. So far, I've only got nutritional facts for six of my most recent recipe reviews. I will continue to work on them and hopefully get done sooner than later. Below is a sample of what my recipes will look like with the added nutritional facts.

I am so excited about this change. However, as I said above, please be patient with me as I work on this project! I hope that this hardwork pays off and continues to help you all as you lose weight!!

Stop Waiting for Tomorrow

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I really enjoy receiving emails and Facebook messages from YOU my readers! Thank you so much for taking the time to open up and be vunlerable with me, someone you have never even met. I take time to pray for each one of you as I read your stories. Receiving your emails helps me to know what you all are struggling with, and it gives me some direction to know what to write about on my blog throughout the week!

This morning after reading and responding to several emails I was overwhelming with this desire to talk to you about getting out of the "waiting for tomorrow" mindset. Last week, I shared a meeting summary with you about Turning Slip Ups Into Success. If you have not read it, I would highly recommend that you check it out. 

If you are traveling the road called, weight loss, you have probably experienced your fair share of slip ups and failures. Anytime when we get off track and/or off plan we have two choices.

Option #1: The first thing we could choose to do after a slip up is to throw in the towel altogether. We can let discouragement take us farther and farther away from our goals until we have gained most, if not all, of our weight back. We choose to focus on the negative and see ourselves as a failure.

Option #2: The other option that we have after a slip up, is to decide to learn from our mistakes and setbacks. We decide that all of our hardwork is too important to throw away, because of one mistake. We find the courage necessary to get back on the scale and get back on plan.

When you choose option #2 you begin to realize the strength that God has given you to be successful on your weight loss journey. With every slip up you learn a little bit more, but each time you choose to continue to persevere. Before you know it, you will reach your weight loss goal and have developed a little bit more character along the way.

If you had a slip up last night or six months ago the solution to your problems is one in the same. Get back on plan TODAY! Stop waiting for tomorrow and making excuses for why you can't do it. This morning decide to change your mindset and choose to learn from your mistakes. It's not going to be easy, but you are worth it!

Below I've included a video of Mandisa's song and lyrics for, "Waiting For Tomorrow", because it has been such an encouragement to me. I pray that it will give you the encouragement you need to get back on plan today.

If you are committing to get back on plan, please leave me a comment, so that I can be praying for you! 



"Waiting For Tomorrow"
By, Mandisa
Maybe tomorrow we'll start over
Maybe tomorrow I will finally change my ways
Said the same things yesterday
Don't know why I'm so afraid
To let you in
To let you win
To let you have all of me
Can't spend my whole life wastin'
Everything I know I've been given
'Cause you've made for so much more than
Sittin' on the side lines
I don't wanna look back and wonder
If good enough could've been better

Everyday's a day to start over
So, why am I waiting for tomorrow

Maybe today I'll start believing
That you're mercy is really
As real as you say it is
It doesn't matter who I used to be
It only matters that I've been set free
You rescued me you're changing me
Jesus take everything

Can't spend my whole life wastin'
Everything I know I've been given
'Cause you've made for so much more than
Sittin' on the side lines
I don't wanna look back and wonder
If good enough could've been better

Everyday's a day to start over
So, why am I waiting for tomorrow

Oh, I'm makin this my moment now
To grab the hand that's reachin down to save me You saved me
And I'm makin this my moment now
To grab the hand that's reachin down to save me You saved me

Can't spend my whole life wastin'
Everything I know I've been given
'Cause you've made for so much more than
Sittin' on the side lines
I don't wanna look back and wonder
If good enough could've been better

Everyday's a day to start over
So, why am I waiting for tomorrow
I'm gonna grab the hand that's reachin down
And I'm not gonna wait until tomorrow
Oh, tomorrow

Spousal Sabotage Survey

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Last week, I received an interesting email. Amanda, a PhD candidate at Clark University trained in Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy, is seeking volunteers to participate in her survey on spousal interference/spousal undermining with weight loss.

Amanda needs volunteers to complete an anonymous online survey as part of her research for her dissertation. Amanda is offering to donate $1 to charity for each survey completed (the 5 charities she’s selected are: Playworks, The Carter Center, Teach for America, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, or MAP International) Additionally, Amanda is offering a total of $325 in gift cards to participants, via drawing.

In order to participate in the survey, you have to answer ‘yes’ to the following questions:

1) Are you at least 18 years of age?

2) Have you been participating in a weight loss program for the past consecutive 5 weeks?

3) Have you been in a committed, cohabitating relationship for the past two years?

4) Do you ever feel like your partner/spouse gets in the way of your weight loss?

So, if you’re eligible and willing to doing so, please take the anonymous survey here. It should take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete and responses cannot be traced back to you. Any question may be left unanswered. Participation is voluntary and may be withdrawn at any time. Upon survey completion, you will be provided with an email address and subject line to enter a drawing for 1 of 10 gift cards (one $100 card and nine $25 cards). Each participant who completes the survey may also select to have $1 donated to one of the charities mentioned above.

More on Amanda’s research: her advisor is James Cordova who has been on the Rachael Ray Show to discuss “The Marriage Checkup,” on which she was a founding student-therapist. She completed her pre-doctoral internship in health psychology at Duke University Medical Center.

From Amanda: “This dissertation brings my interests in couples and health psychology together in order to develop a measure of partner undermining. My aim is to help individuals and weight management professionals better understand the barriers to weight loss introduced specifically within the couples context.”

We all know that the people around use have a huge impact on our weight loss efforts! I am excited to see what comes out of Amanda's research!

Flashback Friday: Two Years at Lifetime

This past Wednesday, November 9, 2011, I celebrated my two year anniversary at Lifetime!! I just love that my anniversary date and Lifetime date are so close together!! Remembering how far I have come keeps me motivated to keep going!!

This morning I want to talk about how important it is to have people in your life that support your weight loss efforts. Hands down, my Jon, has been my biggest supporter of my weight loss efforts. He sacrificed financially so that we would have enough money for me to join Weight Watchers. He believed in me when I did not believe in myself.

However, there are others who have supported me throughout my weight loss journey as well. This morning, I would like you to meet my my Weight Watchers leader and friend, Amanda. I've talked about Amanda before, but I don't think I have ever formally introduced you to her.

Amanda and I the night I made Lifetime, Monday, November 9, 2009.

Amanda became my Weight Watchers leader in March 2009. By the time I met her I was already halfway through my weight loss journey. She jumped right into my life and has become such a good friend.

Amanda is an incredible Weight Watchers leader! Her meetings are fun and creative, but that's not all. Amanda really cares about her Weight Watchers members and she wants to see them succeed in their weight loss journeys.

Amanda and I one year later at the Year in Review Red Carpet Debut. That was my one year anniversary at Lifetime.

After reaching Lifetime with Weight Watchers it was Amanda who encouraged me to become a Weight Watchers leader. It has been such a blessing to be able to work alongside Amanda this year. I have learned so much from her!

Amanda and I last Saturday, at the Success Stories Event, just a few days before my two year anniversary at Lifetime.

I am so thankful for the people who supported me during my weight loss journey and continue to support my new healthy lifestyle! I would never have been able to do this without them! Do you have people in your life that support you? Who are they? I would love to hear about the people that support you!

To read more about my previous Lifetime anniversaries, please click the links below.
2009 Reached Lifetime
2010 One Year at Lifetime

Visit Jen for more flashbacks.

Create a Supportive Environment

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Here is the meeting summary from May 31, 2011.

Understand the power that friends and family can have in motivating you to manage your weight.

For good or bad, the people around you—your friends, family and colleagues—play a part in your weight-loss efforts. That's why it's so important that whenever possible, you surround yourself with supportive people.

When there are people around you who are also trying to lose weight, they can give you the assurance that you are not alone. That's why the people in your meetings are such a great source of support.

But empathic friends and family members are important, too. They can provide you with encouragement and new ideas, give you a heightened sense of accountability and help you stick to the changes you're making to your lifestyle.

They can only do that if they know how, though. So help your loved ones help you. Here's how:

Start small.
Think of one thing that a person could do—or stop doing—that would help you to lose weight. Write it down. For example, you might want your partner to ask you how you're doing with your efforts, or you might want your children to keep their treats in a particular cabinet, designated off limits to you.

Practice asking for help.
Use Mental Rehearsing, one of the tools in Weight Watchers Tools For Living: Put yourself in the other person's shoes. Will they have any objections? Will they feel threatened in any way? Really think it through. What if they say no? Imagine ahead of time what you'd say to a negative response and have a standby response prepared.

Assertively and clearly communicate your needs.
Use Asserting, another tool from Weight Watchers Tools For Living, to be clear and confident when you ask for help.
• Plan exactly what kind of support you want.
• Anticipate how those around you will feel about you losing weight.
• Ask for what you need.
• Negotiate with your supporters about the help they can give you.
• Be flexible if what they're willing to offer isn't exactly what you had in mind.
• Be grateful. Thank them for what they can offer, or reward them with something that shows you really appreciate their efforts.

Keep it up.
Every day, think of something that somebody can help you with. It doesn't have to be directly related to food and eating. If you are getting help with other things — like certain chores—that might leave you more time to better plan meals or get in more exercise.

Be creative and be active, and remember: Your loved ones would likely love to help you lose weight.

Take the time to thank all of the people in your life who have been supportive in your weight loss efforts. May it be friends, family members, neighbors, or maybe someone from the meeting room. Tell the people in your life how wonderful and helpful it is to have their support.

You can thank them in person, or maybe write them a little note.
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like taking the time to wrap a present and then not giving it.”

Remember one of the best places to find the support you need is right in the meeting room. Studies show that the people who regularly attend meetings lose 3 times more weight than those that try to do it alone! Be there to help offer support to a fellow member. Let’s finally get this weight off together!