My view on "Why Weight Watcher's Won't Make You Healthy"

What an interesting day! So, today I read a post on my husband's Facebook page, which you can find here:

http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10151167619610123&id=817435122&ref=notif&notif_t=wall#!/pages/Real-Bodies/149810095045112

This particular post was from PV Nutritional Therapy on Why Weight Watcher's Won't Make You Healthy and wow the turmoil that this has caused. I love it; let’s face it I live for this stuff! I have been chomping at the bit to get a lunch break so I could blog post my opinion as Facebook would probably limit my comments to too few characters and seriously people, I have alot to say on this topic.

Here is the link, and in my opinion well worth the read:

http://www.pvnutritionaltherapy.com/why-weight-watchers-wont-make-you-healthy/

For anyone who has been following my blog already you will know that many years ago (gotta be 10-11 years ago) I was obese. I turned to Weight Watchers to begin my weight loss journey. I lost 110 pounds with Weight Watchers and learned about portion control, the power of being accountable to someone other than yourself, the power of support and guidance and the fact that a bit of friendly competition is often a great way to kick your ass into gear!

So, because of the above notations re WW, I cannot knock them in the fact that they certainly assisted me on my journey to where I am now.

HOWEVER

As far as what this article is saying in that WW won’t make you healthy,

I TOTALLY AGREE!

Weight Watchers did not make me healthy! Now, as I am about to put forth my arguments please bear in mind that I have not counted a point since 2003, I have not reviewed the changes that they have made to their programs or their systems, I can only go on the knowledge that I gained way back then.

When I went to WW I could have eaten nothing but McDonald’s each and every day and as long as I stayed within my point range and drank my allotted water I would have lost weight and honestly over the years I know people that did exactly this! Were they healthy, hell no, did they drop weight yes because they restricted their calorie intake. Did they keep the weight off, NO, did they learn any healthy habits, NO.

Could I have gotten to the size I am today with Weight Watchers?

HELL NO!

Back then I had to get down to 164 lbs in order to reach Lifetime member status. What that meant was that I was in the healthy weight range for my height….and just so you know if memory serves me right I believe I lied about my height and gave myself an inch so I could weigh more! No joke, ask my sister, I embellished a bit…I’m sure of it!

From one of my earlier blog posts – September 2, 2011:

“Weight Watchers was a great foundation for me, but it wasn't enough. It took me nearly 2 years to shed 110 pounds. The last 6 months were the hardest. The last 10 pounds that I had to lose in order to be the size that WW deemed as my healthy range was the worst. I couldn't eat much by that point, I walked for hours a day and the results were just not happening. When I finally hit the 110 pound loss, I quit and gained the 10 pounds back, it just wasn't enough. I can't knock WW as I still maintained that 100 pound loss and WW did provide me with the foundation that I was so lacking.”

My caloric intake was so restricted that I could not maintain that last 10 pounds that I fought so hard to lose.

Weight Watchers had me eating Fat Free, Low Fat, and Chemical Filled GARBAGE! And don’t get me wrong, I am not perfect, I still enjoy chemically filled crap on occasion but you can bet my calorie intake for 80% of the time is whole foods (fruits and vegetables), whole and alternate grains, healthy fats (I EAT REAL BUTTER PEOPLE and will never purchase chemically filled margarine again!), raw nuts and seeds, high protein, low sugars and alternate sweeteners such as Maple Syrup, Stevia(on occasion), and honey (and I do not EVER use artificial sweeteners – unless I drink the odd diet Pepsi – see below).

Weight Watchers led me to a Diet Pepsi addiction, where on earth can you show me that aspartame is in any way healthy? I still love the taste of this terribly unhealthy product and personally know I’d be better to reach for the sugary regular Pepsi if I was indeed going to drink it, however for the few occurrences that I drink it I still go for the Diet…even though I know it’s completely unhealthy, it falls in an 80/20 rule….I am only human and far from perfect.

I have been studying nutrition for the past 4 years (roughly). I am getting close to finalizing my courses thru The Edison Institute of Nutrition and when I am done I will have the credentials after my name as a Nutritional Consultant. Once I started to learn, experiment and explore the world of nutrition and once I started to eat what I consider “real foods”, “healthy foods” I quickly dropped down to a size way smaller than I ever thought possible and that WW was not ever able to get me even close to.

Again, I will reiterate that WW taught me portion control as it was something that I certainly was lacking and it was a great group of people to be accountable to each week, however did it make me healthy, again

HELL NO PEOPLE

We are all entitled to our own opinions and when looking to drop weight it can be a scary road to venture down. There are many “diets” out there and each person will tell you a different answer as to what worked for them and why they back it up or they don’t. It’s simply how the world works. If you find something that works for you, great! All the power to you all! Just keep in mind if you are looking to make changes then the first thing you need to do is stop doing what you’ve always done because obviously it’s not working! And remember it’s a lifestyle and not a diet. Change is change and some people are receptive to it and others fight it the whole way through. Find your motivation and follow through. And if one thing works for now be sure to remain open to new suggestions as it may not always work, you may find a time when you need to change again.

Keep in mind that we are all biochemically unique. Weight Watchers does not take this into account and either does Jenny Craig or Atkins or any of the “fad diets” out there. Do they look at the person as a whole? Do they know your family history; do they consider your lifestyle habits? Do they know that you have trouble sleeping, do they know that your thyroid is acting up or that your digestion is so wacky that you are not utilizing what you are taking in? Face it people, most of us are truly FULL OF SHIT! Do they take into consideration that you may not be eating enough protein and because of this are suffering from low blood sugar drops throughout the day are binging out of control on whatever you can get your hands on?

A diet is a diet….make a lifestyle change to see lasting results. Utilize the tools that are available to you and gain as much knowledge as you can along the way.

How’s that for a rant? Thinking I just may of sparked a few more controversies over this!

Happy reading folks! Game on!

Tomato Meatball Soup

(As per usual, this recipe was created from what I had on hand, as with most cooking please don’t despair if your fridge or pantry is missing something in the ingredient list – don’t be afraid to adapt and substitute with something else, go ahead I dare you!)

1-2 Tbsp Coconut oil (or olive oil or butter)

1 small onion - chopped

1-2 large carrots - chopped

1-2 ribs of celery – chopped

1 can (6 cups) tomato juice – or your favorite V8, or tomato type juice

2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 lb lean ground chicken

2 cloves of garlic – pressed or finely chopped

1 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped

black pepper

1 rounded tsp oregano (use fresh if available)

1 large sweet potato peeled and chopped

2-3 bay leaves

• In a large pot melt your oil of choice (preferably one of the ones listed above)
• Add the onion, carrots and celery
• Cook until translucent (approx 10 minutes)
• Add your tomato juice and broth
• Mix with a hand blender or put through a regular blender at this point
• Add back to the pot
• Let simmer on medium/low heat

 To create your meatballs:

• Mix chicken, garlic, ginger, pepper and oregano
• Roll into bite size (small) balls
• Drop one by one into the pot of soup

•  Add sweet potato (if you would prefer you can cook this with the carrots/onions/celery and puree in the blender before adding the meatballs)
• Add bay leaves
•  Let cook 20 minutes
• Remove bay leaves before eating

 As with most soups, this is probably best left to sit (in the fridge) until the next day to let the flavours mingle.

Notes – when using canned or boxed products be sure to scrutinize the label. You may think you are doing yourself a favour by using “broth” however many (including Campbell’s) has added sugar and that is not what you are looking for. I tend to use Pacific Foods Organic Vegetable Broth (I often find it at Vince’s).

Also when using canned tomato juice be sure to read and compare the labels. Watch the sodium content and look for added sugars.

Feel free to season to your taste, I'd prefer it spiced up, however not everyone in my household would agree, therefore I've left this fairly low on the spices. 

The ginger adds a different flavor to the meatballs, I used it here simply because I seem to be on a garlic/ginger kick these days. They would be great spiced with cumin and chili powder, could easily turn this into a "taco" style soup, do with it what you wish!

Happy Cooking!

Dropping the holiday weight

It’s been just over a week or two and I can happily say I have dropped those terrible holiday pounds! Yeah!

Now, its not like I gained a ton of weight, a mere 3 extra pounds, I say mere simply because this time I was able to quickly drop them. If you don't take those pounds seriously and take a stand against them they will continue to grow in number. That 3 or 4 pounds can quickly become 5 or 6 and even higher if you don't take some control over the out of control holiday season and that's when the trouble begins.

Most people gain a few pounds over the season, the problem is that they gain a few with each holiday and get familiar with the new number on the scale, that's when the problem just continues to grow. Take a stand now and decide to find no comfort in those few extra pounds, and realize you are the only one that can get rid of them.

Now, not everyone will drop the pounds so quickly. I revved up my metabolism, cut out all of the crap (except for Bill's birthday cakes!) and trained hard as well; a combo that certainly worked.

When I say cut the crap, that’s exactly what I mean. Drop all of the processed junk, reduce or remove the whites (sugars, flours etc) eat as clean as possible, crank up the protein (high quality at that - fish, chicken, beans), high quality fats, fresh fruits and veggies, loads of water and nothing processed; really it's not as hard as people seem to think, there is an abundance of food out there that is "clean" and quick to prepare. Many think its rocket science; really it just takes some thought. And don't cut the fat, people seem to think fats (butter, oil etc) make you fat, however your body needs fat to work properly so just be sure to utilize the correct fats. Throw out the margarine and vegetable oils; those will certainly do more harm than good. Reach for butter, olive oil, raw seeds and nuts, avocados and coconut oil etc.

The more "clean" you keep your diet, the less cravings for junk you will have, really, if you've never tried it you should. It may take a few days but it will remove those terrible cravings and help you to gain some control back in your life.

Take a look at your current “go to” recipes or foods and revamp them. Start making gradual changes to your recipes, you can go drastic but I don’t want anyone to go too far overboard and get frustrated and go back to the old ways. Not every change you make will work; trust me! I have had many changes that have not necessarily turned out the way I had hoped, just don’t lose faith and remember to try again.

Don’t be afraid of the unknown; take it as a challenge and face it head on, you never know what the outcome may be.

Hummus

For some unknown reason I have been purchasing hummus for the past few months. I'm not sure why I keep thinking one will taste better than another, none of them are as good as the homemade real deal. It's not hard to make, I often have most of the items on hand, its cheap, its fresh. Really, there are many reasons why I should insist on always making it fresh but for some reason I have been buying it....so unlike me!

Hummus is great as a veggie dip. It's far superior to any creamy salad dressings and dips. Homemade makes it that much better, without all sorts of additives and preservatives that you can't say let alone spell. Do yourself a favor and read the label on whatever you are currently using as a vegetable dip, you may just be surprised by what is inside that bottle.

Todays version of Hummus is full of garlicky goodness!

1 can chick peas (garbanzo beans) drained and rinsed (if using dried beans you will need to cook them first)
3 cloves of garlic (adjust to your taste)
4-5 slices of fresh ginger
1 rounded tsp cumin
3 Tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
olive oil - a good glug
juice of 1 lime (or lemon)
sea salt, black pepper
water - add 1 Tbsp at a time to reach the desired consistency

Mix everything in a magic bullet or food processor of some kind. If you don't have a food processor you can mash the chick peas with a fork, smash the garlic in a press, chop the ginger and stir in the rest of the ingredients till mixed through.

Hummus is great used as a dip for fresh vegetables, mixed with leftover rice, spread on crackers or as part of a sandwich. My preference is for dipping veggies.

Garbanzo beans are a great source of both fibre and protein.

If you've never tried the homemade version you should, its well worth it. Give it a go and let me know your thoughts.

If I could just convince the kids to eat it more often I'd be happy!

Garlic and ginger are create spices for the cold and flu season so feel free to use in excess!

Fallen off track

I have certainly fallen off track these days, my blog is far from being kept up to date, school work has been on complete hold for a few weeks...ok so probably pushing closer to 2 months, healthy habits have gone astray and finding time for the gym has become a bit of a memory for the past 4-6 weeks. Time to catch up!

Even though a lot of the things on my to do list have taken a back seat lately, I can say that I have not been feeling as stressed for time, I’ve had more family time, I’ve had more chill time and certainly had more make the pants fit tighter time as well! All of this down time has not been kind to my healthy habits, my oh my why is it so easy to fall off track?

Now I shouldn’t be so pessimistic on the situation. Its not like I’ve completely fallen off track, just dipped my toes into some days (maybe even some weeks) of complete lack of self control. Ok, scratch that, who am I kidding? I did not dip my toes into it, I jumped in with both feet, hands held high screaming woohoo, which has now turned into a few pounds gained and a boohoo.

So, why is it that it is so easy to totally forget all that you have learned and just dive back into old habits and lose the brain for a while? Obviously the old habits didn’t work before; obviously the old habits brought excess weight, lack of energy, lack of motivation etc, so why do we still get called back so often. We say its comfort, comfort food, comfort clothes etc. Really, I don’t know what’s so darn comfortable about feeling crappy, tired, slow, bloated, heavy, foggy, need I say more? I don’t find the extra little weight to be comfortable; I find my jeans tighter, my dress pants tighter and find I'm pissed at myself for getting further behind in my schoolwork, someday I'd like to complete the course in full.

Last week I decided to give myself until after my husband's birthday to get back on track (considering it’s less than a week away). However, really what am I waiting for? Seriously, that’s like a ticking time bomb, ok do whatever you want for the next week and then magically all will be well after that. Why set a time in the future to begin something? Why not today? Why give yourself that extra time to over indulge and get further behind on whatever it is you are avoiding? It certainly doesn't help. If you know you need to change then now's the time. Baby steps are ok, but big change is better and certainly provides a greater outcome in the end.

So, today it begins. I’m not perfect, but certainly need to at least be following the 80/20 rule with the 80% being good and 20% not (since it’s been reversed this holiday season). Clean up the diet, rearrange my calendar to fit in my 3 x week gym time, get some school reading done and get moving in the right direction.

What are you doing to get back on track? Don’t wait for the New Year to change something you know needs to be done today. Find some support if that’s what you need, you’re never alone in your struggles and help is always within reach if you’re willing to speak up when it’s needed. Be sure to make time for yourself and reach for your goals. Remember that everything is attainable and within your reach you just have to be willing to take the first step.

Birthdays

Well another year older and so far I can say that I'm not feeling any different. When you're a kid you can't wait for that next big day to arrive, you want to be that one-year-older. Kids think the world will change with a new number. I guess for some things in life the number really does make a difference.

When you’re a kid that number means you reach the age where you are able to go on that ride at the amusement park, ride in the back of the bus with the big kids, you are allowed to ride in the car in a normal seat (without a booster), as you get older you can get a license, go to the bar in Canada, then you are legal to drink in the US. Really when I think about it these are all milestones that we all anticipate, or most of us anticipate. I have memories of each of them. Beyond this there are the decade birthdays, 30^th, 40^th, 50^th, 60^th and so on.

I can honestly say my 30^th came in pretty mild, as I was pregnant with my daughter. For my 40^th (which is still a ways away) I would love to hop on a plane and take a trip, however am pretty certain that it may have to wait till my 50^th but a girl can dream!

Birthdays come and go, we tend to see a few more gray hairs in the mirror, we may have a few more wrinkles, but we’ve also created another year of memories, some good and some bad. It’s a great time to take some time to reflect on the year that has passed by and set a plan for the year ahead. Many people do this at New Year’s but birthdays are a great time to do it as well, however if you’re like me it all happens at once anyway.

Some years we may reflect and find that really not much has changed since last year, other years we may find that alot has changed. Take note of whether you learned the lessons and moved ahead or if you simply got stuck in a rut and stayed static. Without learning the lessons you will simply repeat as you have always done.

Remember, no regrets either, if at once it made you smile then it was worth it.

December has arrived, filled with all things Christmas!

It’s hard to believe just how quickly December seems to be passing us by. Forget November, where did 2011 go? Really, everyone I chat with says the same thing; days, weeks, months and years are flying by! 

Christmas is approaching just as quickly as ever! This year I vowed to myself that I would partake in a few of the Christmas season events that I missed out on last year. It really is a busy time of year but I wouldn't pass up December for anything.

Last night I was fortunate enough to have a night out with my mom and my sister to pay a visit to my Mom's church in Goodwood for “Carols by Candlelight”. The Goodwood United Church is the prettiest church around and the ladies (and gents) who keep the place going are extraordinary as well!  The place is always full of smiles and laughter and I can say that I have many memories in this pretty little place. This time of year it is always decorated so beautifully and the glow of the candle light in the evening always sets the mood perfectly.

The One Voice Choir from Uxbridge sang for us last night (which I can happily say my Aunt Donna is a part of), as well as an exquisite performance by Michael Hardock, Hayden Kerry, Victoria Ianou, Raphaella Cameron and Anthony Holt. Mixed in with the local talent was a Christmas story and a sing along which we all participated in. I have to say I sound much better in the car, alone, belting out Christmas carols than what I did last night! But no one was there to hear me sing and Christmas just doesn’t feel like Christmas without a visit to mom’s church and a night of singing carols.

Saturday we were fortunate enough to get a private session with Santa! Sweet World Media, Deborah De Ville, John Wood and Glen Buchanan put on a Photo with Santa event to raise funds for the Bonner Boys splash pad and Abby and I just couldn’t pass it up! Her pretty pic arrived today in my email box and made my day so I thought I would share it here.

They did such a fantastic job that I’m really hoping they do it again next year. Santa couldn’t have done a better job too! He’s a pretty busy guy this time of year with lots of events on the go but always a jolly soul with much love to share.

This time of year is filled with Christmas parties, baking, gingerbread house building, parades, the Living Nativity, the Festival of Lights, School concerts, Daycare Christmas and so on but you can bet I’m looking forward to making memories at each one.

I’m hoping you all find time in your busy schedules to enjoy some of the great festivities that are going on around you this time of year. You don’t have to be religious, you don’t have to celebrate Christmas and you don’t have to have children in order to find the spirit of the season and enjoy.

It's early, but Merry Christmas to everyone!

On a funny note, it was just yesterday that I was declared to be the meanest mommy ever which Abby quickly continued with "you are on Santa's naughty list and he's going to bring you coal in your stocking"! Could be an interesting December in our household!