Weighty Matters

Tomorrow night, we shall again sing "Auld Lang Syne" and bid a big ol' sayonara to 2010! I think we ought to sing a different tune: "You say you wanna revolution, well, you know...." Last year, I wrote that I had decided I would not do resolutions, but do revolutions instead: " Revolution: a turning around. What are you doing to turn your health ... your lifestyle ... your family's health ... around? How are you moving from the negative into the positive? Join the revolution. " In 2010, we had revolutions along with revelations. And I'm glad that I was part of a move toward being even healthier. I learned to be proactive and take charge for health -- both mine and for others. The words that kept coming up for me, over and over, were "educate and advocate" ..... in ways I never imagined, I find that I am doing exactly that. I took great joy in learning more about preparing food, and finding just how much better my own food could ...

In the holiday madness, I just realized it's been a while since my last post. So how did the holidays go? I will be so glad to have the Season of Carbs behind me, I won't know what to do!! I love this time of year, but I'm tired of the endless parade of carbs (especially sweets!). Oh, don't get me wrong.... I love the taste but holy cow, it's gotta end. I am on a mission to get back to the basics: good lean protein, more fruits and veggies. Real foods. And I have to get my rear back in gear with exercise. With this event and that event, and this thing to do and that, it's been pretty hard to stick to a routine the last few days. I did manage, of all things, to hit the gym on Christmas Eve .... but that was my last visit. OOPS. And I have a couple more events just after the New Year. As much as I enjoy my strength training, I have neglected my cardio workouts. That needs to change as soon as possible -- but how to work it all in? Much to ponder as 2011 comes arou...

Today, my dad found some old photos from a family Christmas dinner, circa 1993. There are a couple I want to share....... First, this is a picture of myself and my cousin; I'm on the right, as if you couldn't guess. I apparently must have been trying to do an impression of the Michelin Man ... or auditioning for the next Ms. Stay-Puft (because "puft" I was!) And next up is a small shot from a picture where I was enjoying dessert; I couldn't tell you if it was a first trip, a return trip, or a "hey let me eat something for the road" plate..... Now I ask you: what in heck was I doing with TWO monster slices of red velvet cake? You know, I can't even tell you whether or not it was worth it. I mean, red velvet is pretty much the same, no matter who makes it. You would think I'd want to distance myself from those days as much as possible: shred every picture, never to be seen again. But actually, I want to remember. I want to recall what it was like t...

Need a good boost right about now? I did too – and I got a great one yesterday afternoon. It was a cold, blustery day here in the South. It was starting to get dark already on my way out the door from work. I had already decided that morning that while I was going to work out, I would do so within the comfy and warm confines of my home and not at the gym. I think that with the weather, my homing instinct kicked in and I couldn’t think of any place I would rather be. Yeah, odd for me….. There I was, on my way out the door when I stopped to thank our marketing director for all she had done to make our office party a hit. She said, “Oh, I’m glad – you looked like you were having a great time. You had tons of energy!” What a fantastic thought!!! That was a feeling I couldn’t buy five years ago: not only the glow of the compliment, but the reason itself. Yes, I did have a lot of unexpected energy for 9:00 PM and a pretty busy day. This Saturday was even busier for me than normal. I had work...

"So ... how YOU doin'?" It's been 10 days with all the tools at my disposal and I am PROUD to say I'm down 2 pounds from where I was last Thursday! YAHOO!!!!! I am up a bit still from a couple of mornings ago, but it's a goal to work toward. So if you've joined (or rejoined) us this week with PointsPlus, how is it going for you? It's definitely an adjustment, but the changes are wonderful! If you're brand-new to Weight Watchers, WOW, what an introduction, huh? One of my fellow members tonight had just joined last week, and she kicked butt: down nearly 8 pounds!!! WOW!!!!!! If you're having trouble making the transition, keep working PointsPlus. It may take you a little while longer to adjust but your body is going to say, "Oh wow! Look at all the good stuff you're feeding me!" And you may even find that the things you ate on Points (because of a low value) aren't really worth it on PointsPlus -- or that you have to work them i...

If you haven't been to this week's meeting then make sure you get to one this week .... because PointsPlus is here!!!! PointsPlus is the newest program offered by Weight Watchers, combining the best information in nutritional science with the well-known successful Weight Watchers approach! Most of my readers know (or at least have figured out) that not only am I a Lifetime WW Member, I am also a Weight Watchers employee. I have been using this new plan for about 8 weeks now, and it has definitely helped me maintain my weight loss -- which is what I wanted anyway..... Now, I am ready to ramp it up even more to lose about five more pounds. I truly believe that PointsPlus will help me do just that. One of the things I appreciate most about PointsPlus is the sense of extra flexibility -- not that the previous plans didn't have that built in, but I really feel it with this one. I don't want to give away too many spoilers, especially for readers who will be hitting their la...