Looking Forward to 2011

Our group has been going through a period of transition but I am happy to inform you that we are still meeting on a regular basis. Sat. mornings at 8:15 a.m. Thankfully, even in these transitory stages, that groups often take on, a lot of us still attending enjoy what we are learning together on weight loss. During this last period of our W.O.W. meetings, we had a rotating schedule and each taking a turn to present a few thoughts geared toward weight loss then we have a nice discussion. We choose a theme, which our last one was "Lighten Up," and we think of things we could do to lose or control our weight. Amazingly, together, we came up with and had what I describe as an enlightenment of ideas. Or at least this is how our meetings have felt to me. I think it's nice that we have kept trying even if our numbers are low and we are still gaining new members all the time. We welcome them warmly and can't wait to hear their thoughts and ideas.
I have taken a lot of notes and I've wanted a place to share them. I was trying to re-invent that place but I've only now realized that it is here already. I had planned to come here today to delete this blog but I've had a change of heart and I can't. I want to share my notes with you. Old and new so please bear with me if things get a little out of order. We have other authors who I hope may eventually contribute but for now I'm going to give what I can, post what and when I can and hope I can muster up enough insight to give a renewal to this blog. I've put a little work into this blog and I'd like to keep it this way for a while. Also, perhaps those who've missed out on the information we've been sharing will be able to gain from my note-taking abilities. I'm sure I may not always make sense but the whole point of this from the beginning stages was for a group of friends to come together and make an effort to lose weight. And in the end, we are all still friends doing just that by our little efforts each day. These moments of encouraging meetings have taken shape and mean so much to me now as I have lost some weight. I know I couldn't have done this without W.O.W. I will always appreciate the beginning efforts of Melanie, Erin and many others whose hard work and support as from the starting out of our W.O.W. group has not gone unnoticed. I'm glad to still be able to feel comfortable to talk to them about weight loss among other things when I see them. Thanks for having faith in me and giving me a chance to set up this blog in the first place.

Now, without further ado and thanks for reading this far ~ here's my notes from our W.O.W. meeting today, Jan 8th, which I hope these ideas will help us each look forward to 2011:

First off, we chose a theme suggested by Cindy L. which will be based on the scripture Luke 1:37
Our discussion today was based on this article: 7 Habits that Make You Fat

Although, these are quite general ideas I thought there were a few good points brought out in the article. Basics like

*drinking more water

*increasing our activity

*finding others to encourage us & give us guidance

*maintaining good sleep habits

All of these will be helpful to us. If you happen to read the aritcle, please comment and let us know what is your favorite loosing the habit tip.

Also, in our discussion April shared an idea about menu planning that I really liked. She said to plan eating the same breakfast and lunches for two weeks. Dinners may vary. For instance, if you plan eating the same breakfast(oatmeal & an apple) and lunches(salad) for two weeks with a little planning you'll know exactly what calories you'll be eathing. Then plan another two weeks of breakfast and lunch that is completely different. Planning them out for two weeks at a time then rotating them around will signal to your brain that you'll be getting a change eventually and you can eat those salads for lunch because you can do anything for two weeks, right? This will keep you from those binge breakfast or lunches just because you can't see or eat another salad. I could tell how switching things up can really help and how menu planning can be a key factor.

Heidi shared a tip that she had seen her friend, Cherie do; instead of having the urge to order soda when you go out to eat - carry the single serve drink packets (like Crystal Light) in your purse. Go ahead and order water. Pour the drink packet in your water and wa-la you have a tasty drink that isn't soda and a better choice for you than even the diet soda available.

Can you think of any other simple healthy tips? Share with us in a comment.

Another thing, it was shared about setting short term goals to help you to exercise like training to walk/run a 5K. There are a lot of these around and many support good charities. Look to find ones scheduled on days other than Sundays and plan to participate. Couch to 5K is a great website to help you in your goal.

If anyone is ready for a 5K right now, there is one in the Selma/Schertz area on January 22nd. Here's the link. Let me(Julie) know if you want to join my team.

Most of all, this is a New Year and we can set new goals which will help guide our transition into healthier living and the ultimate goal of losing weight. Don't give up!