I won today!

Have you ever been blindsided by an action of a person you thought was part of your support team?  Part of you is surprised and then the other part of you is not.  I had this happen to me today.  And I will say that years and even months ago, I would have consoled myself with some type of food.  The unnecessary points would have just been a knock to my journey and my program.  But today was different.  I realized that the only person that could survive this situation was me.  Food would not survive but I would survive.  So I turned away from food and the emotional desire to eat.  The satisfaction and strength I gained during the day was immeasurable.  I am sure that the days ahead will be just as challenging as today but emotional eating lost today and I won!!!  It was a great day plus I walked 3 miles!

When you are blindsided, how do you beat emotional eating? Please share your stories of strength and survival…it is part of everyone’s journey.

Please Pardon the Interuptions

Does life ever get in the way of your journey?  For the past few months, I have been hit by one interruption after another.  We all have had weather issues in Alabama but from school events, ww events, and family events it has been difficult to stay focused and on task.  I have maintained so that is great but my "me time" is suffering!  The realization of this came to focus as I looked ahead to the meeting topic for next week....exer-cuses! So how are you handling life, interruptions and your journey? Your success may be just the idea I am looking for, so please share.

Challenge Yourself

Grab your Walking Shoes and Join Us!!!!

Sunday, May 22 2011

Aldredge Gardens - Hoover

3:30

Join us for the third annual WW Walk It Challenge!

Wow - What a Day!

While I could have gone to a public library for electricity to access the Internet, I find great comfort in a public restaurant with a hot cup of coffee. I should be thankful the kitchen was not able to serve!

Like so many of you the straight line winds took my power Wednesday morning.  So off to school I went with the "best face"" I could put on in the dark.  After arriving we found out we were leaving.  School is a crazy thing when it comes to weather.  Trying to maintain comfort and safety for so many students.  It is not just about the 8 to 3 time frame administrators have to consider but also the transportation home.  Thursday was announced a no school day early on and now mid-day, Friday has been cancelled as well.  I teach with the Jefferson County system where 29 of our 55 schools do not have power.  So just imagine the number of students without power and the devastation to the roads the buses would have to travel.  My daughter, niece and nephew (all students at UA) are safe and sound.  UA has cancelled finals giving the students the option to take their current grade.  May graduates will receive their degree in August.

We have WW staff and members who have also suffered from the devastation of this storm.  WW would like to hold a clothes/necessities drive to help in the efforts to assists families who lost everything.  This would be a great time to clean out our closets and share those items we may be holding on to in case we need them.  If we share them, we can't need them and so many in our state do NEED them.  You can drop off your items at any of our centers; Hoover, Trussville, or Tuscaloosa.  If you attend a meeting at a different location, I will be happy to take your donation to the center.

I hope you all are safe and will see you soon in the meeting room.

Tornado Closings

Due to extensive damage in our Territory, Weight Watchers has closed all meetings in our Central Alabama area for Thursday, April 28, 2011.  Be safe.

A Slice of Pie and TV

Are you tired of eating the same food choices each week?  Check out http://www.hungrygirl.com/ for some great recipes plus her tv show on Saturdays on the Cooking Channel.  Hungry Girl has great recipes with the PointsPlus values calculated for you.  But here is a great recipe which was featured on our Weekly several weeks ago.  This Lemon Pie has received great reviews and tends to be a favorite for our spring holidays.

Creamy Lemon Pie

PointsPlus Values      4

Servings                     10

Prep Time                   15 minutes

Cooking Time             15 minutes

Rich and creamy….  Make two – serve one and freeze the other for up to two weeks.

Ingredients 6 whole reduced-fat cinnamon graham crackers

2 Tbsp butter

11 oz fat-free sweetened condensed milk

2 large egg(s)

1/2 cup(s) fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp lemon zest

Directions

·         Preheat oven to 350ºF.

·         Grind graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Or place crackers in a resealable plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Place crumbs in a small bowl.

·         Melt butter on stove top or in microwave and pour over graham cracker crumbs, mixing with a fork until completely moistened. Press crumbs evenly onto bottom of a 9-inch pie pan; place crust in refrigerator while preparing lemon filling.

·         In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk and eggs; mix until smooth. Add lemon juice and zest; stir until incorporated and pour into prepared crust.

·         Bake pie for 15 minutes. Cool completely and for best flavor, serve chilled. Yields 1 piece per serving.

One Delayed Flight and a Weekend of Changes

My weekend “to do” list began on Thursday and it looked like a roadmap from Birmingham to who knows where.  Since I had so craftily explained storyboarding in the meeting room last week, I thought why not approach my weekend the same way.  The ultimate goal would be survival and a great weekend.

Each box was a day with a “to do” list.  I find great pleasure in crossing off the simplest of task such as dusting! After school Thursday, I ran to the grocery store and then home to begin dinner before leading my night meeting.  After all of the running, B calls to say his flight home was delayed 40 minutes.  This began the red marks of rearranging events and the skill of being adaptable. A haircut had to be re-scheduled as well as other Friday morning plans thanks to SW! By Saturday an unexpected death re-arranged Sunday. K changed her plans to go to the lake and my Sunday Supper meal was cancelled.

All of this to say, my storyboard now resembles one of my early term papers with items crossed off, arrows pointing items to a new day and a refrigerator full of food.

This weekend reminds me of the value of being able to be flexible with your self and with your weight watchers journey and NOT giving in or giving up!  With all of the changes, I actually had a few minutes for my self to do nothing!  Taking time for me allows me to realize I did survive the weekend.  All family members still love each other. And most importantly, I did not stress out and eat for comfort!

So take time this week for yourself and share how you handle those best laid plans that can change with one delayed or unexpected event?