WW (Weight Watchers) Chat #282: How To Put The “F” Back in Fitness

News and Reviews July 2022

Tomorrow is August! That means we have:
- 115 days until Thanksgiving
- 146 days until Christmas
- 153 days until 2023
One of the recent updates on the WW app allows those of you who selected “diabetic or pre-diabetic” during your assessment to track your sugar levels! If you haven’t checked it out yet I encourage you to do so and if you have any questions we have several “group experts” over on IYHAE who can help out

August is National Wellness Month! And one of the suggestions from Web MD is both a good one and a sub topic of this week’s chat!

The month’s theme is “Live Flexibly” and we will spend the entire month learning how to avoid life’s curveballs when they come your way!

Last week during Chat #281: How To Grow Your Personal Points Budget, I told you that this is the most controversial topic I think I’ve ever seen in my quarter century on WW…

While I rested my voice last week I had time to see what everyone else was saying about this week’s topic instead of worrying about what I was going to say. Until now. Daaaaannng people. Calm. Down.

I want you to listen to me, we are going to sort ourselves into two teams. There are no winners, no losers, no one is right and no one is wrong though ok? Just two teams.

Raise your hand (or comment below) if you are Team “yes I think adding back points is fun and a great way to get me to add more veggies, water, and exercise into my day”

Now give me a heart (or comment below) if you are Team “Are you kidding me? We will never lose weight if we have 80 points left at the end of the day because I ate my weight in broccoli today!”

I actually had to mute a group because they were so almost violently verbal about their outrage at the idea that adding back points could lead to anything but doom, gloom, and impending disaster. I’m here to tell you it’s ok, you’re ok, we are all going to be ok 🙂

Add Back 1+ Point with 60 ounces of water:

Yes, it has to be plain water
No, you do not have to participate
Yes, if you drink more than 60 ounces of water consistently you will not only add back 1+ point to be used or not used you WILL get in some extra steps going to the bathroom 🙂

Add Back Points with Activity:

Please understand you cannot out run what you eat. Trying to do so is not realistic or sustainable or in some cases mentally healthy. Also, the old Activity Points we were used to are greatly modified. Adding back a point or two a day is a great way to “reward” yourself with some mood boosting movement and also to not feel guilty if you need to dip into those points for an occasional treat

Add Back As Many Points as You Like with 1 Cup of Non Starchy Vegetables

This is where people lost their minds. Their questions, my personal opinion answers:

Q: If I add back 30 points a day how do “they” expect me to lose weight?

A: You don’t have to use all of the points you add back, and come on…if you are eating 30 cups of non starchy veggies where the heck were you planning on putting that extra food??

Q: If I eat enough vegetables to add back points to my day I will still be consuming that many calories. You obviously have to be in a calorie deficit no matter what it is to lose weight

A: I simultaneously agree and disagree with you. You do have to be in an overall calorie deficit to lose weight. BUT, most non starchy vegetables when eaten in their unprocessed form (1 cup of spinach, not 1 cup of blended spinach) actually are high in water and fiber, but low in energy density.

Q: So you’re telling me if I add back 20 points to my day I have to stay up late enough to make sure I eat them all and get my blue dot.

A: Nope. No one said tha. Adding back points is a great encouragement and if you have a few extra points at the end of the day for a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of milk then go for it. But no one said you have to consume them all nor should you consume them all. And for the love of Pete, don’t use those extra points to sit in front of the tv and eat skittles every night. The plan is to encourage you to fill your body with things it needs, not to cheat your way back into an old habit. Get behind me skittles, you have no power over me!

Your homework for last week was #FlexYourPointsBank. I want you to pick ONE way to add back at least ONE point for ONE day this week. Many of you will blow past this, but I want to hear from the people who are nervous that adding points will derail their weight loss ….and then type it, snap it, share it however you like, and then tag me for your next cool badge!

Let’s see how you did!

Mary Ann flexed her points bank this week with water and checking out some new exercise routines on YouTube!
Deanna reminds us that flexing your points bank doesn’t have to always be on a treadmill…this week she enjoyed adding back those points by walking the zoo!
Julie had lunch at Olive Garden one day this week, but by adding back points with her salad, weeklies from working out, and her point for water she easily fit everything in with her 14 regular points for the day plus 3 she had added. Easy Peasy!

Bravo, you did it!

This Week’s Topic: How To Put the “F” Back in Fitness

I started to name this week’s chat “F Words” but I know y’all would never believe me LOL.

So it feels like we talk about exercise, fitness, moving, or some similar topic every other month. Apparently getting our behinds up off the couch (or the work from home office chair) is pretty important right?

Sitting for extended periods of time can be accredited to higher risks of diabetes, heart disease and even death. Excuse me…death? From sitting too much? Yep. And with so many of us working remotely from home the risk is increased exponentially. So what can you do? Put the “F” back into fitness:

Fitness can be FAST:

According to an article from Web MD for National Wellness Month, employers should encourage employees to engage in physical activity during the workday.

Exercise has traditionally been something employers expected workers to do on their own time. Now, we realize that incorporating bursts of movement during the workday is essential. If possible, it’s even better for employees to step outside the office for the activity. Offer ways for employees to move more at work—including walking meetings, lunchtime strolls, steps challenges, rewards for not using the elevator, things like that. Remote workers should also be encouraged to take a break during the day for at least a 20-minute walk to refresh before jumping back into productivity mode.
A “burst” could be walking to the mailbox or carrying a load of laundry up one at a time
Notice it said “during the day” and not once a day

Fitness can be FLEXIBLE:

The definition of flexible is:
capable of being bent, usually without breaking; easily bent
susceptible of modification or adaptation; adaptable: (a flexible schedule)
willing or disposed to yield; pliable

You can be flexible in your fitness by adapting a schedule if something else changes (job change, you move, etc)
You can also be flexible in the movement itself by doing something like stretching! If you are now working from home, why don’t you incorporate stretching?
Web MD says we “all need to stretch to counteract the effects of the day, whether we’ve been sitting at a desk for hours, working on our feet, or simply trying to overcome all the stress we’ve taken in. It may feel silly at first but if you’re holding a long meeting, build in some group stretch breaks. Or, as part of a wellness update, suggest stretches and yoga poses employees can do on their own time. Better yet, offer a free yoga class virtually or in-person to reap the centuries-old benefits that yoga offers—calming the mind, lowering blood pressure, and slowing the heart rate”

Fitness Can Be FREE:

Do you already own shoes? Walk the dog
Do you already have two cans of soup? Do some arm exercises
Do you have 5 minutes? Do some stretching, let’s do some now!

This Week’s Homework: #FlexYourFlexibility

Your homework for this week is #FlexYourFlexibility. I want you to pick one way you can be flexible in your fitness (getting up a little earlier, changing a route, finding a new friend) OR getting up from your desk/couch/out of the car and stretching every hour for just one day this week ….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 #FlexYourFlexibility and tag me when you share on social media!

Tag @ifyouhaveanegg on Instagram
Tag @ifyouhaveanegg on our Facebook Page
Tag @Kelly Green Milligan in our Facebook Group
Tag @ifyouhaveanegg on WW Connect

Extra Credit: Summer of Savings – Save Money by Reducing Food Waste

We’ve spent the summer talking about ways to save money because, no matter where you’re located, prices are going up up up! And tonight is no different – this time we’re focusing on saving by reducing our food waste.

What do you think is the best way to reduce food waste? If you said “to not throw it away” you’re right! There are a wide variety of ways you can accomplish this, including:

Don’t buy in bulk if you don’t need it or can’t use it in time. It may seem cheaper to buy in bulk at stores like Sam’s Club and Costco, but if you throw away a significant portion that’s money going directly into your trash can. Instead opt for things like ½ loaves of bread and skip the B1G1 sales if you don’t truly need double.

Know the difference between a true “expiration date” and a “use by” or “best by” date before you throw out perfectly good food.
- Milk is dated with a “best by” or “use by” date. That date is set for quality and not an indication of when you should throw it out. Unopened milk generally stays good for 5 to7 days past its listed date, while opened milk lasts at least 2 to 3 days past this date
- Canned vegetables can still be good for up to 1 to 2 years beyond their “expiration” or “use by” date. Avoid open or dented cans though!
- I found myself sniffing a yogurt that was past its “best by” date this week and thought, “How do you even know if yogurt is bad? It already smells sour when you buy it!” Depending on how it was made and how you stored it, yogurt can actually last up to 1-3 weeks beyond its “best by” date.
- For more information on expirations, best by and use by dates on specific foods visit http://www.eatbydate.com/

Preserve food when possible. If you do take advantage of bulk discounts or B1G1 sales but you can’t eat it all before it goes bad, find a way to preserve it! Whether you freeze it, ferment it, dry it, or pressure can it – save that food anytime you can!

Using leftovers in inventive ways!
- Potatoes – turn your leftovers into potato soup, mashed potatoes, potato pancakes, etc.
- Stale bread – this can become croutons, breadcrumb topping, Weggos, breakfast casserole, bread pudding, and more
- Open cans of beans, corn, pumpkin – add the leftovers to another recipe or freeze them in individual servings using Souper Cubes
- “End of Season” fruits and veggies (tomatoes, apples) – cook up small batches for a fresh treat!
- Keep it interesting by repurposing your leftovers. Repurpose foods like meatloaf into stuffed peppers, leftover shredded cheese and cream cheese can be made into homemade pimento cheese, and so much more!