Wow! Happy Spring. What crazy Ohio weather we’ve been having.

How are you all doing? I’m sure there are some new folks that started in the last two weeks. I’m Jenn, been a leader for 8 years, lifetime member since December 2003.

Before we get started, the end of March is here. I asked those of you here a month ago to set a goal for yourselves. We discussed needing to know where we were going before we could get there. We also talked about earning those 14 APP’s weekly.

Anyone want to share some successes on our weight loss journey? What have you accomplished? What steps did you take?

I missed the last two weeks. Stomach bug got me two weeks ago and Jack was on Spring Break last week. I kinda liked the last two weeks’ meeting topics so do you mind if I do a little review and present my view? I’d like to find out some stuff also.

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Good morning! Wow, totally great weather outside. No complaints! Ready for Spring.

Weather putting you back into a positive motivation mode?

It is March 1st First quarter of 2012 is almost over. If you think of your weight loss journey like a business, are you in the red or in the black? Making some progress on your way to your goals? Goals. Remember those? Can’t get to where you want to go if you don’t know where you are going folks.

Last week we had a great discussion about stress. It seemed to touch a soft spot with a lot of folks. We came to the immediate conclusion that stress DOES most definitely negatively affect our weight loss journey if not handled. Many of us have learned to squash our emotions and eat them instead of feel them. Remember, my cookie story.

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Morning once again. What great weather we have been having. No coat, no socks, bike riding in February. Amazing.

How we doing?

Last week I was sensing folks were having a tough time, losing their mojo. I had a few emails, saw a few facebook posts, so I decided to go off the WW topic and focus on what I think you all needed. Some reassurance that you all CAN do this if you only have faith in yourselves and the WW program.

I asked you all to basically make peace with the process, to be OK with the fact that you might need to be aware of your food and activity choices forever IF you want to be healthy. By focusing on how your weight affects the rest of your health, you will avoid all sorts of issues as we age. I’m sure you want to live a full healthy life until it is time for you to meet your creator.

I know I am determined to live a long time. I even made it legal. I recently changed the name of my ZUMBA Fitness “business” to an LLC. My name, is Century Body. Anyone want to venture a guess as to why I chose that name, or maybe what it means? Not many of my students know this yet, so you are the first (Share why).

I am determined that I will do what is in my power, my control, to live till 100. I can’t control everything, but there is a lot more than I can control than not.

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Morning all!

Good to see everyone, some new faces, experienced faces, returning faces.

It is mid February and I’ve sensed folks having a tough time on their weight loss journey. I have chatted with folks on FB and in person about body image, how long it is taking and the financial aspect of weight loss, and how much they hate “dieting.” It is that time of year. Sort of winter blahs and we start to get kinda moody.

Don’t lose faith guys! WW is a diet yes, of course, but think! We are here, all of us are here b/c we want to make a change in our lives, in the health of our body and mind. WW and weight loss in our program is a process. It is about changing habits, ditching old unhelpful ones and learning new healthy habits. Like anything it takes time, but if you put in the effort, and it does not have to be a great amount of effort, you will see results slowly but surely. One step at a time.

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Morning! Winter said hello for a brief moment this week. Gotta love this weather.

Hope you all had a great week!

Any questions/challenges/suggestions, etc. to share before we get going here? This is your meeting! I’ll take over when it is time but if you have anything you need to chat about now is the time.

Brief review of last week – snacking! Purpose was twofold. One, and most importantly, snacking is part of our weight loss journey. We need to eat between meals in order to be successful. We are awake too long in a 24 hour day to only eat three meals. That is reality. We all should have enough DPPT to allow us to eat throughout the day. The key is making smart choices. Determining the difference between a snack due to hunger and a treat due to just wanting something sweet/salty. Snacking on ice cream is not going to eliminate your hunger, but snacking on fruit or other power foods will take that hunger away.

Super Bowl was Sunday..big snack day. How did you do this week? What choices did you make?
Were you more aware of mindless snacking/eating this week?

Excellent, let’s get into this week’s topic.

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Good morning! Everyone good? Happy February!

Take a room check – room still busy? Commitment to health and fitness still a priority? I saw someone post on facebook a picture of an empty gym and it said “now that the New Year’s resolution rush is over, the gym is empty.” Well, I am glad to see my WW folks are still committed.

Our January meetings began with my Believe and You can Achieve lecture. I introduced you to Jack Canfield. In order to be successful on any personal journey, you need to take 100% responsibility for your actions, make no excuses, no blaming and no complaining. Take the actions needed to make your weight loss a priority. It is up to you to make the change. Change is not easy but necessary!

We then discussed the importance of planning for success, management our food environments and last week we focused on stretching our PP budget by focusing on Power Foods. Power foods are the quads and glutes of the WW program. They are the foods designated by our scientists that give you the staying power along with nutrition.

A b’fast of oatmeal and blueberries goes a much longer way than frosted flakes. Lean proteins are the strongest category of power foods. They take the body the longest to break down, to digest, they also build muscle which helps burn fat. Did you include more power foods this week? Did it help you feel more satisfied? If not, what are the challenges? How can you be convinced they are the key to your success? PF are the magic “pill.”

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Morning all! Have a good week? So much for Winter. Hard to believe January is coming to an end. Feels like the holidays were forever ago.

New Year’s Resolution to get fit and healthy still a priority for you and so many. Love to see a busy room, love to read the WW Buddy Board on FB and see folks working hard to make changes, love to see my ZUMBA classes super busy with new folks wanting to exercise. 2012 will be a healthy year where goals will be reached!!

Jack Canfield – reminder that it is our responsibility, 100% to make sure we are successful and that we make weight loss a priority. No excuses, no blaming, no complaining. Take actions every day to reach your goals.

Few weeks ago we talked about planning. We need to plan meals and activity. What’s for b’fast/lunch/dinner and snacks? How are you earning your AP’s for the week?

Last week we discussed how very important it is to manage the environments in which we live. Change is part of the weight loss process. Environmental change is the most basics of the Levels of Change. It is our responsibility to make sure we have what we need in our homes, offices, cars, etc. to stick to plan.

Questions??

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Morning all! Have a good week?

Hopefully our 2012 is off to a great start! As I mentioned a couple week ago, I am determined that it will be a good year b/c I WANT it to be a good year. I believe I have the power to control my destiny. Do you?

Again, Jack Canfield says take responsibility, no excuses, no blaming, no complaining. Just take the actions necessary to make your goals a reality.

Last week was about the importance of planning. We decided that it really doesn’t take that much time to plan our meals for the week or actually cook them. A few of the members said they do it once a week and it takes maybe 15 minutes. To cook the meal, maybe a full hour start to finish, but many said the time spent with family either cooking or at the table was truly worth it. Lastly, food can taste good and be WW friendly. You can even make mac and cheese low pointsplus if you try.

Planning - we just gotta do it. We must be one step ahead of the meal game. We can’t leave it to chance, what we have for b’fast/lunch/dinner. Despite the fact that food companies would have you believing it is cheaper/faster/easier to go out to dinner to hit the local fast food joint, true as it MAY be, it has ruined our health.

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Make Powerful Plans

Good morning all! How’s 2012 so far? Last week I said I thought it as going to be a great year…. Beacasue I want it to be a great year.

Our meeting last week was about believing you can achieve your weight loss goal. Usually we start off the New Year in WW with goal setting, e.g., I wanna lose 10 pounds this quarter. However, Jack Canfield tells us that before we can achieve goals we need to actually believe we can achieve them. We need to eliminate the word CAN’T from our vocabulary, eliminate the work try, either do it or don’t do it. We need to take responsibility for our actions, quit making excuses, stop blaming and complaining. Take a good hard look at yourself and say, If it is to be it is up to me!!!

I asked you all to write down on the back of your WW weekly why you believe you will achieve your weight loss goals this year? What will be different? Anyone want to share?

Did last week’s meeting give you any motivation? Buy the book?


OK, well this week we get back to some basics of being successful on WW. There were several new folks last week (glad to see you are back). If you are new this week, welcome. Be sure to stay after class for our Power Start session and activity.


Big question! What are you going to have for lunch today?? What about Dinner? Snack?

This shouldn’t be an overwhelming question, but for those of us looking to eat healthy sometimes it feels like one. We want something that is quick and easy to make, that looks and tastes good and that will fill us up and still help us stay on Plan. Can we have it all?

Today we are talking about a key component of the PP2012 program, actually a key component of every WW program. PLANNING!!


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I will be posting my meeting recap each week directly from my meeting notes. This way those of you that missed the meeting, well, will not have missed very much.

Happy New Year! 2012..I think this year will be a good year? Why. Simply because I want it to be a good year. Do you believe this year will be different than last year, in a good way? Do you believe that you have what it takes to no to only lose weight but to keep it off…for life??

Or are you feeling a little like this? (this is directly from a friend that posted on private message board).

"So I've been watching the new WW commercials with J Hudson talking about believing. I really like these new ads but they made me realize that I don't think I believe that I can do this. I don't know why either. I don't know if it's some subconscious sabotage or just too much negative talk with myself. Does any one else deal with this and if so, how do you start making yourself believe that you can do it, that you are worth it, etc.???"

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I love to celebrate our successes along our weight loss journey. Two weeks ago we wrapped up the Lose for Good campaign. The weight loss of all our members will be turned into funds donated to hunger relief organizations home and abroad. In the Mobile Drive meeting room along over 1000 pounds were lost!! That is amazing.

In order to have rid ourselves of the weight we no longer want to carry, we need to make weight loss goals, goals that we can measure, so we know if we are on track or off track. WW calls this our Winning Outcome and we can have several along our journey. Many folks had a 7 week Lose For Good Goal, e.g., down 4 pounds, or some folks just wanted to make sure they made their weekly meeting :)

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Catching up on meeting recaps. Hope you have all been enjoying the crisp Fall weather.

Two weeks ago we discussed the importance of managing your environment when on your weight loss journey. An environment is any area where you spend a considerable amount of time. We realized that we just don't have one environment but many. Our home is the main environment, but we also spend time in our car, at work, out to dinner, with family, etc.

Key for successful members is learning how to manage the various environments to avoid temptation and make following the Points Plus program easier. Our challenges were living with tempting indulgences purchased for the rest of your family; feeling torn between pleasing your family and pursuing your weight loss effort; and not knowing hot to eating healthy in the face of unhealthy options.

We have control over many of our environments, especially our home. Managing that one key environment, and feeling in control, can lead to successfully controlling temptations while away from home.

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I love using Facebook and surfing the web! Do you? I remember a time I said I would NEVER use Facebook, how silly! Technology is here and it is here to stay. Why not use it to our advantage to boost our weight loss and assist on the journey.

I used my cool new Ipad to do a Powepoint presentation on all the various forms of technology available. The most important tool offered by Weight Watchers is etools, our on-line companion to the meetings. The WW website is chock full of great information for our members. The etools portion is a subscription service available at a discounted rate for our meeting members. There is a blue card included in your Getting Started Book that gives you two free weeks to try it to see if you like it. My suggestion was to TRY it.

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What's my motivation? Isn't that what actors say when considering a movie or television role? On our weight loss journey, we need to ask ourselves the same question. Why am I doing this? What brought me to my first WW meeting?

One major key for successful members is using the tools you have available to remind yourself why you are doing this, even when the going gets tough.

I gave everyone a straw and asked what their "last straw" was, what pushed them to join WW in the first place. Many remembered right away. Most of us have that moment when we say "enough." I'm tired of being sick and tired, which is what I heard a lot of folks say. A few folks got emotional remembering that moment, a doctor's diabetes diagnosis, a family member passing away, not being able to fit in that roller coaster.

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Loved last week's meeting! If you were in my class, or any WW meeting, the topic hit home with many folks.

To begin with, I asked everyone if they had a magical week, if they stuck to the program 4 days. I then asked if on the days they stuck to the program, if their world around them fell apart (haha). Point was that WW is flexible enough that you can be successful and still life your life.

Our topic was a bit serious. A key to long term success on WW is to make the time to be successful, to make time to do whatever it takes to get healthy. We are all busy, moms, dads, grandparents, students, etc. We are an over-committed society! We try to fit in 26 hours worth of "stuff" in only 24 hours.

The reality is that we all have to make time for what is important. In doing so we need to let go of some things, delegate and learn to say NO!! Getting organized is also very helpful, e.g., making lists, using a calendar, prepping meals ahead of time.

Bottom line, you need to Take Care of Yourself, one of our helpful habits. You need to decide that you are IMPORTANT and that you deserve to take the time to get healthy. Make Time for Success...no one will make it for you!!

Morning all! Sorry for the late post. Had a busy Zumba weekend.

Magic. Is being successful on the WW program magical? Do we need magic? Of course not. We talked last week about what we could all do to have one magical week on the WW program. What steps we could take to make the scale reflect our efforts.

What we realized is that by just following the program guidelines, the same guidelines we learned about in our very first meeting and that were reviewed last week, we could see the results we want. Many folks have trouble following the program consistently, mainly b/c they find it overwhelming. When we chunk it down in the 4 main steps (all outlined in your Pocket Guide and Getting Started Book) we realized that it is pretty simple. The difficult part is making the commitment to yourself.

Weight loss is not magic. It does require you do actually do something, but that "something" is relatively easy. Eat, write, exercise, repeat!

This week we'll talk about time. I hear folks tell me frequently they don't have time to commit. Well, I'll show you how to make the time.

School's all around the nation are back in session. Labor Day has come and gone. You've attended your WW meeting most of the Summer, on and off maybe, and now you are ready to get back to business. This week our meeting focused on getting ourselves restarted, back to business, just like the kids do every year in school.

We pulled out our Getting Started Book and our Pocket Guides (blew the dust off them in some cases) and reviewed the 4 main components of the WW Program. It was awesome to have class participation, proof positive that folks do know how to follow the program. There is a lot to the WW PointsPlus program, but much of it is common sense. Let's review.

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Labor Day weekend! Hard to believe we are almost at the official end of Summer. It has been a busy one for me that's for sure.

This week started our Lose For Good campaign in our meeting rooms. Join Jennifer Hudson as we turn your pounds lost into food for those in need. For each pound lost, WW will donate up to $1 million dollars to Action for Hunger and Share our Strength. This is the 4th annual campaign and I am confident those of us here in central Ohio will do what they can to support this great cause.

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Thanks to Elizabeth for sending the TGIFriday's Nutrional information which was added.

Matcha's nutritional information was corrected as there was an error (too high). The numbers are much more reasonable now.

Matcha Yogurt is shown in serving sizes of 1/2 cups or 83 grams. 83 grams is about 2.92 ounces. Enjoy!

Hello everyone! I hope you have had a great Summer. Mine has been busy for sure. Hard to believe the kiddos are heading back to school...some already have this past week.

Routine. Schedule. Regular. All these words seem to head out the door during the warm, relxing Summer months. How many of you managed to stick to your WW program, either continuing the loss or hanging tight with a maintain? How many of you succumbed to the Summer temptations? Missed meetings? Lost your tracker?

A great way for me to get back into the swing of posting on Makegoal. With the weather being as rainy as it has been, then getting super humid, lots of folks would like to use this as excuses not to exercise! But, in order to lose weight, keep it off and get healthy we must exercise. This week in class we'll chat about challenges and strategies for being successful.

One way to be successful, find something you LOVE.

See you all this week!!

PointsPlus to the rescue. The sun is shining longer, the clouds are moving away and we've been teased with some warmer weather. Let's get back on the weight loss wagon.

Let's just review the 4 basic pieces of the PointsPlus program.

1. Stick to your daily PointsPlus target. 29 is the minimum, 71 is the maximum. Are you having trouble with this important aspect? Are you way over, way under, or right on target? If you are over, why? I am betting too many high fat, low protein meals, too many processed foods, too much eating out. If you are under, check those Healthy Guidelines. Fruits and Vegetables are great, but be sure to get in balance.

Along with sticking to your PP Target is journaling. How is that going? Research tells us that folks that journal 75% of the time are more successful. That is 5 of 7 days of the week. If you are not journaling, you do not know how you are really doing.

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