WW (Weight Watchers) Chat #223: Ready to Get Stronger?

WW News May 2021:

KNOXVILLE GIRLS! IN PERSON Workshops are changing rapidly, currently you can attend any of these (keep checking Connect for W Knox, Thompson Lane and Franklin to stay up to date for middle and east TN)
- Monday at 12:15pm with Coach Gwen R at Cedar Bluff main location
- Tuesday at 9am with Coach Gwen R at Powell (Beaver Creek Cumberland Baptist Church)
- Thursday at 12:15pm with Coach Sandi P at Cedar Bluff main location
- Saturday at 8am with Coach Sheryl M at Cedar Bluff main location
- Saturday at 9:30am with Coach Sheryl M at Cedar Bluff main location

Wellness Check-Ins (no workshop, just check in)
- Cedar Bluff Main Location (9208 Kingston Pike)
  - Thursdays 10am – 11:30am as of April 22
  - Saturdays 9am – 11am
- Powell( Beaver Creek Cumberland Church)
  - Tuesdays 8:30am – 9:30am
- Maryville (Maryville Church of Christ)
  - Saturdays 8am – 10am

Thank you for the break on Mother’s Day! We had breakfast with the Bohanan clan, went to Sunday School, I bought myself a new pair of white tennies to wear with my t-shirt dresses, we checked the garden and then did NOTHING…and it was glorious 🙂
To find a wellness check in: Go to WW → Connect → and find the Kingston Pike – W Knoxville, TN group for more info. You can also join me on Sunday afternoons at 2:30pm eastern in this same virtual workshop with hostess Gwen, my fave WW’er and the inspiration for the name of our group If You Have an Egg! East TN Lifetime Members who were in good standing when COVID started have had their membership extended again until the end of June 2021. You will need to attend a Wellness Workshop during the month of June to continue those privileges.
The month’s theme is “Get Stronger” and focuses on finding ways to help keep our brains strong…even though your brain is not a muscle it’s so important to exercise it!
May’s way to support IYHAE! I’ve decided each month I will list a new way you can help keep this FREE content coming. This month we are asking you to simply visit our RECOMMENDATIONS page and if you see something you like, want to try, or would like to send to a friend please click on it and check it out! Shopping via a link to our Amazon recommendations provides a tiny affiliate sponsorship and all the littles can really add up! http://www.ifyouhaveanegg.com/product-category/recommendations/?orderby=price

Last week during Chat #222: Habit Stacking we expanded on this idea of using other positive and productive habits that we have perfected to create or encourage new ones. Stacking might sound like the same thing as piggy backing,, but it’s really about taking the “big picture” habit and breaking down into smaller or micro steps that you can stack on top of each other. Think about it this way…

You want to get back to tracking but it seems overwhelming. The act of tracking is a “big picture” habit…what are the micro steps you need to take you there? An example list of micro steps might be:

Decide if I’ll track Blue, Green or Purple
Update my WW app
Check out the tools on my WW app since the last time I tracked something
Save a few things I eat often as a favorite food, meal or recipe

Once you have a few micro steps what are some micro actions you could take?

Scan packaged foods
Plan a meal for the next day
Check the points values for common convenience foods

We are much more likely to create a habit and then stick with it if it’s broken down into smaller steps or those micro actions. Let’s break it down!

Choose the habit you want to break down (example: Tracking)
Make a quick list of micro actions (remember, the tiniest action!) you would need to do (Example: getting out my phone, opening my WW app, scanning a barcode, etc)
Pick a micro action (Example: scanning a barcode)
Find a cue that reminds you to do the micro action (Example: picking up my phone before I start eating)
Practice makes perfect…practice doing that every time!
Move on to step # next…once that micro action becomes a micro habit move on to the next one!

Your homework for last week’s chat #HabitStacking was to choose a habit you want to start (or re-start!) then tell us how you will find and practice one teeny tiny micro habit that helps you stack into a new habit…then type it, snap it, however you want to share it and then tag me for your next cool badge!

Let’s see how you did!

Gratefulheart2021 over on Connect is habit stacking by taking the task of knowing how many SP to track and breaking it down into two micro steps: mark each thing with the SP value and put it away as soon as she gets home, good stacking!
Mindi is stacking after a long few months traveling hundreds of miles to care for her mom and now helping her sisters after their mom’s passing. Mindi is a successful WW’er and knows she can’t just jump back in with both feet or she will burn out. Instead she’s stacking smaller habits she already had (and wants to get back to) like hydrating, adding protein at meals, and checking out the new Obé exercise opportunity on the WW app!
Sherry has been looking for some inspiration and found it by stacking some micro tasks: revisiting the WW app, rewatching our chats (yay, extra bravo for just that hahaha!), searching recipes that fit her smart points allotment, decluttering and downsizing those clothes that are now too large woo hoo!

Bravo, you did it!

This Week’s Topic: Ready to Get Stronger?

The month of May is all about getting stronger: mentally, physically, emotionally. Strength training has long been seen as an opposition to weight loss because we think of bulky muscles and bulging shirts while a trainer “pumps…you up!”. But strength training can do so much more than build big muscles. A strong core is critical for balance. Strong muscles can help burn more calories and keep you motivated to get up and get moving. Our muscles start to lose their oomph as we get older so you literally have to use them, or lose them!

Your WW Weekly from May 9th has a great “Gear” Graphic. I suggest re-visiting and maybe even printing it out. This quick chart lets you match up 3 “gears” with 3 levels of current activity to help decide where to jump in

This Week’s Homework: #GearUpGetStrong

Your homework for this week is #GearUpGetStrong. Gear might be a tennis racket or it may be your kitchen countertop. List your gear, if you’re New, a Dabbler or All In, and what you plan to do this week…then type it, snap it, however you want to share it and then tag me for your next cool badge!

Don’t forget to do your homework #GearUpGetStrong and tag me when you share on social media!

Instagram tag @ifyouhaveanegg
Facebook Page tag @ifyouhaveanegg
Facebook Group tag @Kelly Green Milligan
WW Connect tag @ifyouhaveanegg

Extra Credit: Smart Swaps – A La Mode Edition

When I was growing up my dad was out of town…a lot. He traveled for work and even when he was home he was (you guessed it) working. So once a month he took us for a special treat to make up for all that time spent away. We would load up in the station wagon and head to a local dive called Taco Rancho (who’s ever been to a Taco Rancho?) and then to a drive-in ice cream place for a scoop. One scoop. But we loved it and we were satisfied until the next outing.

As the years flew by and those special times became less and less I started using ice cream as a “feel good getaway”. The only problem was I was “getting away” to my bedroom and the one scoop became a pint or on rough days the better part of a half gallon. I even got really good at polishing off a half gallon one spoon at a time so that I didn’t sit down with the entire container with witnesses. Always have witnesses!

I still have plenty of food abuse baggage but ice cream is one I’ve gotten waaaaaay better at. Without even realizing it I have developed some Smart Swaps A La Mode that work well, keep me satisfied and I think you will find get back to the special treat without the guilt feeling!

Smart Swaps: A La Mode Edition (all point values listed below are for the Purple plan)

We’ve already established ice cream was a pitfall for me and if I let it, can become one again…really fast. Here are my favorite A La Mode Smart Swaps, let me know what yours are by commenting below!

Portion control:

On vacation (specifically Disney hahaha) I swap out a ridiculous frozen treat by sharing a Mickey Head ice cream with someone or share a Dole Whip. The first couple of bites are the best anyway 🙂
If we get ice cream out I swap out one scoop, occasionally two if we’ve gotten in a lot of steps. But I avoid the places that cram the ice cream as far as they can in a giant waffle cone that ultimately weighs about half a pound. I can be just as happy with one scoop as I am trying to finish that giant one before it melts
Swap out the giant spoon and eating out of the carton by using an ice cream scoop at home. They are approximately ¼ cup serving
Swap regular size cake cups like these from Food City or Aldi on hand for a 1 SP holder for your one scoop of ice cream instead of a 2-3 SP sugar cone

Hot pie perks:

Who doesn’t like a good hot apple pie with a scoop of ice cream? Don’t know if you’ve ever bothered to look them up but a restaurant style serving packs a whopping 18 to 33 SP. Whaaaa?? Swap this out by making one of my Air Fryer Baked Apples stuffed with your favorite granola and then top with a scoop of Halo Top or Enlightened ice cream for a staggering 13 to 27 point savings!
I don’t know if fresh fruit cobbler is as popular everywhere in the country but here in the south when peaches start coming in (insert drooling sounds here haha) or wild blackberries are at their best the cobblers start hitting the tables. Swap out all that heavy butter, cream and points by making my Air Fryer Peach Cobbler for one and topping with a scoop of your favorite low point sweet treat for only 3 to 5 SP

Banana Split anyone? For a quick treat at home with the kiddos (or another adult, everyone likes a banana split!) use these Smart Swaps to enjoy the quickest, yummiest, smartest treat around – my Smart Swap Banana Split! This quick and easy recipe will net you 3 to 5 SP per serving (versus 28 to 33 SP for a regular banana split!)

Now that’s a Smart Swap!