Still waiting on Mom, Dad and Will!!

Marisha clearly didn't take it too easy at the beach - is there any hope to catch up??

Updated Points!

The weekly update is complete!  I had such a bad week last week - I couldn't stay away from the sweets.  One day I did wog (walk/jog) on the treadmill for 30 min specifically to counteract the loss of my sweets point (for eating an entire pint of Ben and Jerrys).

Marisha still has quite the lead and it looks like she's not vacationing from working out while in Newport.  Megan is close behind and the race for Bronze is tight - only .4 difference between Taylor and Will.  Not to be biased, but I'm rooting for Will to pull ahead this week!

Love you all, keep it up!

Importance of Daily Breakfast

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?art_id=841&tabnum=1&sc=3046&subnav=Health

Updated Points!

Marisha, Taylor, Megan and Will are pretty tight and they are killing the rest of us!  I'm going to bed before Ross and Jenny update theirs, so I'll add theirs tomorrow - hopefully they had a lot of physical activity last week in Lake Powell.  :)

Leader Board Updated - Look Left

I know some people (dad at least) didn't finish filling out their sheets for the week yet, but we need to keep up the competitive spirit, right??

Marisha starts out with an early lead.  However, I know she's headed to Newport soon for a week of fun, so you might be able to catch up with her.  :)

Another Great Article - Remember to Reward Yourself

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_articles.asp?id=86

Everyone likes a pat on the back every once in a while. And there’s no better time to get one than when you’re out of your comfort zone, challenging yourself to improve, nervous about whether you can succeed.

Most people approach changing their health habits from a position of "pain". They constantly nag themselves, berate themselves and expect nothing but perfection, no matter how much progress is made. Tools of the trade are guilt, doubt, shame and self-flogging. Instead of celebrating the 24 pounds they’ve lost, they see the six they still haven’t lost. Sound familiar? To people used to beating themselves up, it may seem like the best way to get motivated. But consider this: if you attempted to motivate an employee like that, how long do you think they’d stick around? How successful would they be?

Let’s do it differently this time. Try to approach your goals from a position of "possibilities" instead. Find ways to use regular rewards to pat yourself on the back and give a word of encouragement. Instead of focusing on what you do wrong, try paying more attention to what you do right. While straight talk and brutal honesty are often good for getting your butt moving, for sustained motivation, the positive approach will keep you from burning out.

Here’s how to set up a good rewards system:

• Choose some benchmarks and reward levels. You can also reward yourself for levels of consistency.
• Make the reward meaningful to you. As a reward, a new pair of shoes may not hold as much motivation as a simple night alone with a book. Then again, it might.
• Choose two or three options from the Reward Roster below or come up with a few reward options of your own. It doesn’t take much. Sometimes, the best rewards are those you can’t buy.
• A lot of small rewards, used for meeting smaller goals, are more effective than relying solely on the bigger rewards that require more work and more time.
• Don’t use food as a reward. Even good food. It’s just too much of a slippery slope. Don’t even mess with it.
• Plan to celebrate. Figure out now how you’re going to celebrate reaching your health, fitness or nutrition goal. Involve other people, tell them about it. Create a celebration that you can anticipate and then keep it within sight all the time.
• Be honest with yourself. Fudging the numbers mentally, or "borrowing" against the next reward hurts the cause of building a lifetime habit. Remember to keep your focus on building a habit, not just figuring out how to get the reward.

REWARD ROSTER CHOOSE YOUR FAVORITES AND USE THEM LIBERALLY

• Compliment yourself. Write down what you would say to anyone else who accomplished what you did.
• Create an actual plaque or trophy.
• Give yourself badges of honor for different levels of accomplishment.
• Take a vacation or weekend getaway.
• Take a day off from any goal activities.
• Put $1 in a jar every time you meet a goal. When it gets to $50, treat yourself.
• Create a Trophy Scrapbook, where you keep mementos from your accomplishments.
• See a movie.
• Make a grab bag of little prizes. When you reach a significant goal, reach in and get your reward!
• Go for a spa treatment or massage.
• Buy yourself a gift certificate.
• Take a limo ride.
• Subscribe to a magazine you always wanted.
• Go canoeing or do something outdoorsy.
• Watch your favorite TV show.
• Buy something for your hobby.
• Read a funny book.
• Celebrate "100% Days". If you reach 100% of your goals that day, choose two rewards.
• Find some time to be by yourself.
• Pay someone to do the yardwork or house cleaning this week.
• Fly a kite.

Great Article on Snacks

I read an article this weekend on good, quick, portable snacks and thought I'd share the list.  The full article can be found here:  http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=137

Check out these suggestions.

• Celery sticks with peanut butter and several raisins on top
• Rice cakes with peanut butter (good for getting a protein punch)
• Low-fat cheese cubes
• Hardboiled eggs
• Deviled egg (wrapped in plastic wrap)
• Fruit yogurt cup (add in some fresh fruits or nuts for a boost
• Trail mix
• Nuts or nut mix (stick to just a handful)
• Vegetable sticks with a little packet of dip (lowfat salad dressing packets found in salad bars work as easy-to-pack dip)
• Broccoli or cauliflower bites
• Half of a turkey or tuna sandwich on whole-wheat bread
• Cucumber slices (lightly salted or with nonfat Italian dressing)
• Yogurt and granola
• Leftover chicken or turkey slices (great to eat cold)
• Healthy fiber-rich or grain cereal (great to eat dry from a baggie)
• Pickles (wrapped in foil or plastic wrap)
• Box of raisins or other dried fruit
• Half a large whole wheat bagel with light cream cheese
• Apples, bananas, strawberries (any fruit works, these are naturally portable)
• Mixed berries (these freeze well in plastic bags)
• Whole-wheat crackers and low-fat string cheese
• Grapes in a baggie
• Fruit smoothie in a thermos
• Tuna and cottage cheese in mini-containers

The trick here is to be prepared and get creative! Get your fresh fruits and vegetables on the weekend in preparation for the week’s snacking. Keep small-sized plastic containers for packing up small portions. Take note of the healthy foods you need to keep stocked in the house for future quick and healthy snack preparation. These will become automatic items for your grocery list. You may find that you start to replace a few nonessential, calorie-wasting items with your new healthy snack list.

Salty

Being off sweets, I find myself eating salty treats to stop between meal cravings. Anyone else? I think I might have sweets today to give my body a break from chips and dips. Haha. Guess I should be having fruits/vegetables at these times. Maybe I'm not so great at this.