WW (Weight Watchers) Chat #236: Confidence In The Kitchen!

WW News August 2021:

Good news…Sunday afternoon in person workshops with Gwen are back to the Kingston Pike location! Bad news…last week was the last Sunday afternoon Zoom with Gwen at 2:30pm. I know many of you have been visiting from other workshops and even other states are sad to see this end, but what a blessing to those Knoxville girls who have been patiently waiting. Gwen still has a Zoom on Thursdays at 6:30pm eastern if you can join her!
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). Please note: MASKS ARE OPTIONAL FOR THOSE FULLY VACCINATED
- Central Baptist of Fountain City Church (Knoxville)
  - Mondays at 5:30pm with Gwen R
- Beaver Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Powell)
  - Tuesdays at 9:30am with Gwen R

Tuesdays at 6pm with Gwen R

- WW Studio Kingston Pike (Knoxville)
  - Mondays at 12:15pm with Gwen R
  - Thursdays at 9:30am with Sandi P
  - Thursdays at 12:15pm with Sandi P
  - Saturdays at 8am with Sheryl M
  - Saturdays at 9:30am with Sheryl M
  - Sundays at 2:30pm with Gwen R!
- To find a wellness check in: Go to WW → Connect → and find the Kingston Pike – W Knoxville, TN group for more info.

The month’s theme is “Build Confidence” and will focus each week on a different way to remind us that feeling more confident can help with our weight loss and well journey!

Last week during Chat #235: Reality Check! we found out that naturally skinny people (civilians) eat too much too. You know what’s different? They are wired to somehow just accept it as fact, it never crosses their minds to beat themselves up over it, and they can carry on as if nothing really happened. That doesn’t make the rest of us broken, we just need to stop and do a reality check!

You are human, things are gonna happen! Let’s say you were at a party and everyone else was having cake. You decided not to have any but when you got home you felt (_____) and ate an entire box of (____)

You tell yourself: Everyone else got to have cake, I never get to have cake. And because I never get to have cake I always make stupid decisions like eating a box of (_____)

Reality Check: Is it true that you NEVER get to have cake? Do you always make stupid decisions?
Smart Talk: I’m not stupid. I tracked every other day this week and simply could have made a better decision. Next time I know the party will have cake I’ll save some Smart Points and plan ahead to be able to enjoy a slice!

Not good at talking to yourself like this? Do a Friend Check instead! Call a friend and tell him or her what happened… because you know they are going to say the same thing!

Your homework for this week was #FriendCheck. Think of a time a friend told you they messed up and then what you said. Write that down (or post is as your homework) to do your own #FriendCheck the next time you need it! And then type it, snap it, however you want to share it, and tag me for your next cool badge!

Let’s see how you did!

Lynn says this week has been “one of those weeks…” and she has eaten many things she normally would not have. She talked to herself like a friend would and said, “I am in control of my actions. I will refocus on doing better the rest of this week because I am worth it!”
Sandra really over ate one day this week but told herself, “It was just today…one day…tomorrow you can and will do better!”
Barbara was craving sweets this week and caved in. But she talked to herself like a friend would and said, “Pull in the reins and eat fruit to curb that cookie and sweet craving!”

Bravo, you did it!

This Week’s Topic: Confidence In The Kitchen!

I want you to put yourself in one of these categories and comment either during the Live Chat or in the comments later on If You Have an Egg or YouTube:

Which kind of cook are you?

___ Granny Green: 3 meals a day, 7 days a week mostly from scratch (bonus points if you raised your own ingredients)

___ Vegan Nana: I’ll try anything, anywhere, anytime…bring it on

___ Gladys Gertrude: Cook? Is heating up some bagel bites in the big oven instead of the toaster oven cooking?

I grew up with three very different examples of great women, but VERY different cooks.

My dad’s mom “Granny Green” literally grew all her own meat and vegetables then prepared 3 meals a day 7 days a week. My sister is still trying to perfect her parkerhouse roll recipe because she measured everything with her hands.

My mom’s mom “Gladys Gertrude” always kept a bowl of fruit front and center and never served us dessert, but we found stacks of empty Lean Cuisine trays in her basement when she passed away. A dinner of frozen pizza rolls and microwaved broccoli was not at all uncommon.

My mom on the other hand “Vegan Nana” wasn’t scared to try anything. Grow your own garden – check. Teach yourself how to can fruits and vegetables – done. Appliances and gadgets to poach, prepare, process… she had them all and tried them all. Cooking in a traditional sense wasn’t her thing, but finding a way to make things she loved and her family would enjoy just as much was… well just her!

The WW graphics in this week’s Weekly are amazing but I want you to channel your inner Vegan Nana (no, you don’t have to stop eating meat hahaha) and try one of these confidence builders!

Visit your local library – Online resources are nice but there is just something about flipping through a book on a shelf to find just the right tip, idea or trick.
Test a tool – If you’re nervous about using your new Air Fryer, how to boil an egg without water, or haven’t taken a gadget out of the box… I promise you there is a YouTube channel to show you how to do it or better yet, ask a friend to try theirs out!
Better together – Anyone is good at something… everyone is great at everything! Join an air fryer group on Connect, raise your hand and ask at a workshop, join us Live on Sunday nights and post a comment! I promise we are a village that can learn to do anything we want!

This Week’s Homework: #KitchenConfidence

Your homework for this week is #KitchenConfidence. Channel your inner Nana and try one of the kitchen confidence builders above….and 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 #KitchenConfidence 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: How I Lost 7.4 lbs in Three Weeks on WW Purple!

First let me say that averaging more than 2 pounds per week is not a normal amount to expect and was quite frankly a shock to me. But using the tools in my WW toolbox and a lot of mindful and intentional actions it happened. I do NOT expect to keep this same rate of weight loss up and I encourage you to be happy with ANY weight loss. If I had accepted my 0.2 pounds per week losses I would have reached goal in 1998.

So how did I lose 7.4 pounds in just three weeks? Using my toolbox of course! Every week we talk about using something we’ve learned, whether you learned it 25 years ago or during this week’s chat. Each thing you learn becomes a tool. And if you’ll put enough of these tools in your “toolbox” they are there when you most need them!

The 10 Tools I Used to Lose 7.4 Lbs in 3 Weeks!

In person workshops – If you can’t find or get to an in person workshop, I am so sorry. Having another person record my weight (without judging!) is critical to me mentally. Being with like-minded people is critical to success along this journey in my opinion. If you can’t get to a place to sit your bottom in a chair please join our Live chats, find a Zoom to attend on Connect or meet with some other WW’ers for coffee and chatting each week
Accountabilibuddies – If you don’t have one, get one!
Tracking is the new black – I never watched the show that I got that name after but it still sounds cool soooo….tracking what you eat works. Intentional tracking REALLY works! Intentional tracking means thinking about everything (every. thing.) before it goes in your tracker and in your mouth. Cover your rear tracking won’t work for this kind of weight loss
Hold the salt! – I don’t know about you but I can hold or lose 2 to 3 pounds just in retained water from salt. It also makes my feel swell —> which makes my toes hurt —> which makes me less active —> which well you see where this salt cycle is heading
Don’t hold the H20! – While you are holding that salt, kick up your body’s natural fat-flushing power by adding an extra bottle or two of just plain water. If you don’t like water drink a cup real quick before your first cup of coffee. Or add some ice, squeeze in a little lemon, and some sweetener and pretend you are drinking handcrafted lemonade…just do something to get that in.
Keep It Simple Susan – I don’t know who Susan is, but I used things all week like pre-cut watermelon, pre-prepared grapes or bagged salad greens, protein bars, and commercially prepared yogurts to save time and keep me from losing my mind.
Correct “the creep” – In several previous chats we talk about what I call “the creep”. The creep happens when you get some weeks under your belt, know what you’re doing, eat some of the same things frequently and then get lazy. I know what a tablespoon of peanut butter looks like, don’t you? But when I let the creep start creeping, one turns into almost two tablespoons real quick. Everything I ate was measured if possible or if not I used my perfect portions guidelines from Chat #197: Find Your Perfect Portion
Stay curious – We all know that Ole Extreme Wellness Low Carb tortillas are only 1 SP. But I was cramming so much into those huge tortillas I was adding unnecessary calories even if they were low points. Two weeks ago I found La Banderita Carb Counter tortillas which were much softer, much more like a real tortilla, and much more realistic in size. This week however the shelves were restocked with La Banderita Carb Counter STREET TACO size! 1 tortilla is zero points on purple and it’s just 2 SP for 2. This is an even more manageable size and if I want one I’ll eat one. But if I’m hungry I can grab a second one without feeling guilty!
2 On, 1 Off – Last week was a busy one for us with four days of pop-up markets and food trucks here at KC Kitchen Center. I pre-planned to participate in the once a month festivities and ate two meals each day “on plan” and one meal at the market “off plan”. I counted the off plan meal as 30 points and just moved on. Might have less, could have been more but I didn’t fret…I just tracked what I had planned and moved forward.
Have fun! – I could drive myself crazy being perfect, eating the same things every single day, but I am most successful when my perfectly planned week contains some fun! Last week I showed you how to make Fat Free Cream Cheese from regular nonfat plain greek yogurt. I’m still in awe over how good it is. Several of you suggested I try using a coffee filter next time so to keep things fun, that’s what I’ll do this week!