WW (Weight Watchers) Chat #256: 2021 – And That’s a Wrap!

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WW News January 2022:

  • “That’s a wrap on 2021” video! If you haven’t seen it yet on your app, you should be prompted to view, edit and post a cute video bragging about your accomplishments in 2021. If you accidentally skipped the prompt, go to the homepage of your app, and scroll down past the tracking areas. It’s informative and fun…I didn’t realize I had walked over 2.5 million steps last year!
  • If you are brand new to WW or to the Personal Points program welcome! You have several options for support even if you are online (digital) only.  
    • Visit Living WW here to access your Personal Points program materials, access to a digital version of the same program book given at some in person workshops, a complete and PRINTABLE Zero Points food list, and more
    • Use Connect in your app to reach out to others on a similar path like Walking, In my 50’s, 100+ lb Club and more.  To access a new group use your app and: Click on the 3 silhouettes in the lower right hand corner → scroll down to Groups → click Browse Groups → and either enter a search term or scroll through some suggestions
    • Join a Facebook Group like If You Have an Egg or find a favorite YouTuber who can explain it all!

The month’s theme is “Start Strong” and we will spend the entire month finding ways to Start Strong and then Stay Strong.  New Year doesn’t always mean New You. Sometimes it means big plans with little follow through. Stick with us this month to find out how to stay excited and keep that momentum going!

 

Last week during Chat #255 Let’s Do You in 2022! we chatted about common new year phrases like “New Year, New Me!” and this year’s “I’m all new in 2022!”

It’s great to be excited about a fresh start and new beginnings, but the clock ticking over a new number is just the start. We are going to be chatting a lot over the next few weeks about STAR goals (goals that are Specific, Truly Doable, Actionable, and Relevant to YOUR journey). We will even chat about setting a few of those in the second half of this chat, but for the next few minutes let’s look in the rearview mirror and check out your 2021 year in review!

If 2021 was worse than 2020

  • What is something that happened in 2021 that you want to do differently in 2022?
  • If you could pluck one moment in time from 2021 would you let it happen again?
  • Were there any supply chain issues that kept you from reaching goals you had set?

If 2021 was just another year

  • What goals did you set at the beginning of the year? Would you set the same ones again?
  • Is there anything in particular you can credit to letting 2021 be just another year?
  • Did you make any conscious decisions that kept your year “normal”?

If 2021 was so good you want to repeat this year!

  • What was one goal you set toward the beginning of the year that really took off?
  • Did your support system change or improve?
  • What is one thing you would tell a new member to make sure 2022 is everything they hope it will be?

Your homework for last week was  #Let’sDoYouIn22. With this new personalized program and what we’ve seen in our rear view mirrors I sincerely believe this could be YOUR year! For your homework simply list one thing that went well last year that you want to repeat this year and would share with a new member if they asked ….and 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!

  • Mary Ann says that even though 2021 was rough, she had some success by attending workshops and exercising, plus the Sunday night chats! 
  • Tina says that after rocking 2020 she derailed in 2021.  Her advice to herself and someone new is to watch the weekly chats even if you have to binge watch!
  • Deanna has one habit she will be keeping because it’s such a winner…she posts pictures of her meals to inspire new people AND herself when she’s at a loss of what to eat or needs ideas!

Bravo, you did it!

 

This Week’s Topic: 2021 – And That’s a Wrap!

We are officially in week two of the new year so it’s time to consider 2021 a wrap! It’s still ok to look in the rearview, but keep your eyes forward…on the new year, on some new goals.

 

I promised we would be talking a lot about STAR Goals this month, and the WW Weekly did not disappoint. Most New Year’s Resolutions are grandiose ambiguous “dreams” which in the wise words of Jiminy Cricket means it’s a wish that your heart makes. You may want whatever this “resolution” is with all your heart, and wish that it will come true, but if it’s too big, too vague, too overwhelming and especially if you won’t know if you did or didn’t do it it’s still just a wish that your heart made.

Let’s break down a STAR GOAL

Specific

Make sure the goal is Specific. “I want to reduce my food waste” isn’t specific, it’s not measurable, how would you know when you reached the goal? “I want to reduce my food waste by 50% by the end of the year” is measurable and very specific! Even if you didn’t  make 50% you can still measure how far you did come in the specified timeline.

 

Truly Doable

Is this something you can truly do? If the task is too big, adjust it. If the timeline is too short, extend it!  If your goal was to become a 5’ 10” blonde and you are a 5’ 5” redhead only one of those tasks is truly doable!

 

Actionable

For a goal to be successful it should be something you are going to DO and not something you will NOT do. Saying “I will never eat french fries again” probably won’t happen. An actionable goal instead would be “I will only eat french fries when they are hot, crisp, and fresh and when I can share them with someone”

 

Relevant

The goal you set has to be relevant to YOU. This is not something your mother in law’s cousin said you should do or ever something I said you should do. This is about YOU  Is the goal relevant to you, your journey, your wishes that your heart makes? If not, drop it like a hot potato and move on to something just for you!

 

This Week’s Homework: #ShootingSTAR

Your homework for this week is #ShootingSTAR. You are all my shooting stars and you deserve to get the wishes that your heart makes. Tell us one STAR goal you have made for this year, this month or even just this day ….and then type it, snap it, share it however you like, and then tag me for your next cool badge!

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

 

Extra Credit: Reducing Food Waste – Double Duty Recipes

I think it’s pretty clear that my Resolution for the new year is to reduce my food waste by 50% by the end of the year. After doing a quick inventory here at KC Kitchen Center and at home and finding this I’m even more determined:

  1. A kitchen garbage bag full of unidentifiable bags, containers, and who knows what’s in the foil that has been in the fridge or freezer for who knows how long
  2. 7 bottles of partially consumed and some crusted over salad dressing bottles
  3. 2 almost but not quite empty mayonnaise containers
  4. Probably 20 or so tiny 1 Tbsp plastic condiment containers from various food trucks
  5. Outdated ketchup, jelly, etc packets (some so old they were oozing or nearly dehydrated…yikes!

I could go on but you get the picture.

 

We talked earlier about STAR Goals and how important it was to make sure that the goal is Specific, Truly Doable, Actionable and Relevant to you. We also need to talk about ladders. Yes, ladders.

My fearless leader Gwen drew a simple but insightful visual demonstration during our meeting last Tuesday night. She drew a picture of someone under an apple tree “wishing” for an apple. Next to this person she drew two ladders. One had only 5 rungs that were spread apart evenly, the other one had 10-12 rungs spaced closely together. Looking at that it was easy to say “well using the 5 run ladder looks easy but you would fall or be worn out before you reached the top. The 12-15 rung ladder may take a little more steps but all of us could get there”. You’ve got your STAR goal…so how’s your ladder?

One of the reasons I have so  much food waste is my rungs are too far apart. I try to meet my other goals like recipe experimentation and food prep without enough steps on my ladder. Check it out.

 

Reducing Food Waste – Double Duty Recipes

  • If your food prep rungs are too far apart – trying to make too much can be worse than making nothing at all. Don’t throw away what’s left in the crockpot or those containers that have so much fur they are walking on their own
    1. Make a smaller batch or share it with friends at work or another family 
    2. Only prep enough for a few days at a time
    3. Prep in easy to grab servings and freeze, pressure can, or make your own tv dinners

 

  • If your kitchen stock rungs are too far apart – you bought one of everything, all the new flavors, every ingredient for the recipe and then didn’t use it 
    1. It’s hard but clean out your pantry, fridge and freezer now of items that have expired or have been open so long they are “crusty”
    2. Commit to not open a new sauce or condiment until you have finished another one
    3. Find a substitute for ingredients in a recipe with something you may already have 

 

  • If your list of recipes is bigger than the number of people you have in your household – example the recipe makes 24 servings and there are two of you
    1. Find similar recipes with similar ingredients that can “share” the base ingredients
    2. Save new recipes for when you have family or friends over
    3. Plan a monthly “recipe” party with some WW friends and try out the new recipe together, sharing ingredients and a good time!

This week I am finishing my recipes for a contest I was invited to participate in with Big Mountain Foods. I struggled with opening all of these yummy looking vegan options they sent while knowing I had just made a big commitment to reduce my food waste. What to do, what to do?

It would be irresponsible of me to make these tonight because a) they deserve to be tried at their warmest, freshest and bestest and b) there is no one here with me to try them!  So following my own advice for reducing food waste by creating double duty recipes, I am:

  1. Only preparing as much as can and will be consumed in just a few days
  2. Substituting ingredients I already have for ones I considered purchasing for this contest.  I want to win, but I also want to win my food waste reduction goal!
  3. I will be making both of these at work here at KC Kitchen Center so that I know they will be eaten AND get their feedback on how they taste!

So what am I making? Stay tuned for a Caribbean Slaw Dog and Caribbean Skillet Hash coming soon to a recipe blog near you!

In the meantime, here are a few of the products Big Mountain sent over to us that I’m loving:

Use Big Mountain’s store locator to find their products near you: https://bigmountainfoods.com/store-locators/ 

 

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