Weight Watchers Chat #306: How To Be Kinder To Yourself!

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News and Reviews February 2023

  • Tonight is our nation’s second largest food consumption day outside of Thanksgiving! That’s right….it’s Super Bowl Sunday! What are you planning for the big game?
  • Speaking of the Super Bowl, if you didn’t see them yet, Jeanne shared a snapshot of all the amazing game day goodies posted on the WW app today. Thanks Jeanne, y’all go check them out!

 

Last week in Chat #305: How To Set Simple Goals, I asked who woke up this morning and thought, “I think I’ll run a marathon today!”?  

Yeah, me either. I think we can all agree that even if we wanted to run a marathon some day (this year, next year, before we turn 60) that’s just too big of a goal to take on without creating some simple baby steps to get ready. Let’s break it down!

Big Picture, Baby Steps
I want to run a marathon. Or I want to lose 50 pounds. Or even I want to track all of my meals every single day. Let’s take tracking all of my meals every single day as an example goal. If you’ve been tracking only occasionally (or maybe even never) try something less overwhelming. How about a STAR goal?

Specific – I will track one meal a day, 3 days this week
Truly Doable – I have time to sit down and do this three times and will put it on my planner
Actionable – I am DOING something, not avoiding doing something
Relevant – I know tracking helps me on my journey so being a more consistent tracker is on my list!

Make a List (and check it twice!)
Do you have what you need to track one meal a day, three days this week?

  • Tracker on your phone or paper?
  • Time?
  • A menu or idea of what you are planning on eating for that meal?
  • What else might you need?

Pen to Paper
Now do my favorite thing and write it down! You are 100% more likely to do something if you can see it written down, especially if you post it somewhere you can see it every day!

 

Your homework for last week was #GoalGetter. You needed to show your work on this one! No pressure, it doesn’t have to be artsy fartsy, I just want to see it written down. Write down that goal plus three tools you have that will get you there …. 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! 

  • Lynn didn’t have a great week so she went and sat in the corner and pouted. JUST KIDDING! This seasoned pro set her small, manageable goals and is planning to cook 3 healthy meals this week, will plan those meals, will make sure she has ingredients on hand for them, and she will succeed!
  • Go check out Mary Ann’s artsy fartsy Small Goals vision board in our IYHAE Group…so clever and it’s not just for weight loss. Small steps will gain her some big rewards!
  • Sylvia was FIRST to do her homework this week and made a clear, easy to read, and very realistic STAR goal vision board!

Bravo, you did it!

 

This Week’s Topic: How To Be Kinder To Yourself

I ride the struggle but with this one. Heck, I drive that bus most days!

 

It’s easy for me to say “hey girl, just look at yourself in the mirror and say it will all be ok. You’re ok” and then turn right around and beat myself up for the very same thing. WW nailed it this week so I’m not reinventing the wheel. Here are three fast yet absolutely true facts about being kinder to yourself!

Fact #1 – “Responding to a setback with self-criticism can fuel the setback”

If you beat yourself up for eating one sleeve of cookies will you set the others down? Or go back for more since you “blew it”?

What would you tell a friend who did the same thing?

  • Hey at least you didn’t eat both sleeves, you got this!
  • It’s one sleeve of cookies. Right it down, dust off and let’s go
  • What could you say to yourself in the same situation?

 

Fact #2 – “Treating ourselves with compassion can increase our motivation to get up and try again”

Well isn’t that just a fact in itself? Gwen’s mom used to say something to the effect of:

  1. Get up
  2. Dust off
  3. Go again

And if you can replace the “you’ll never do this” with a mantra that tells your brain “hey, you can just dust off and go again…you got this” imagine how much easier that will be!

 

Fact #3 – “We have the power to change our self critical thoughts to more self compassionate ones”

Tuesday night we were encouraged to choose and adopt a mantra. Just like Fact #2, using a mantra to replace those self critical thoughts is key to your self compassion. I liked one in particular that I heard from another member “fall down 7 times, get up 8 times.” What will your mantra be?

 

This Week’s Homework: #MantraMaker

Your homework for this week is #MantraMaker. Find a mantra. Make up your own. Steal one from Pinterest. I don’t care where you get it, we want to hear you say it! …. 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 #MantraMaker and tag me when you share on social media!

 

Extra Credit: Egg Lady Labs – Testing the Harvest Grain Bowls from Aldi

During last week’s Aldi grocery haul, I bought a couple of their Harvest Grain Bowls and haven’t gotten an opportunity to try them yet, so tonight we’re going to try them together!

 

While I was shopping, I picked up two options from Aldi – their Italian and Southwest Harvest Grain Bowls. Both bowls are packed with 13 grams of protein, but the points differ between the two. The Italian bowl is 5 points and the Southwest is 4 points.

During tonight’s chat we’ll be making the Italian bowl, which includes a tuscan-style blend of wheat berries, lentils, broccoli, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and onions lightly seasoned with parmesan and herbs. 

Once you’ve microwaved your Harvest Grain Bowl you could stop there and enjoy the meal as is, but this wouldn’t be a true Egg Lady Lab if we didn’t #bulkitup! And honestly, once it’s cooked down

First off, I’m going to prepare some air fryer spaghetti squash and add it to one of my trusty Le Tauci half bowls.To the bowl, I’m also going to add the contents of my Harvest Grain Bowl, some steamed broccoli, prepared That Man’s Chicken Breast, and top it off with some end of season tomatoes (without the added sugar). And if you can believe it – the whole bowl is still only the original 5 points we started with!

After all of my #bulkitup additions, I thoroughly enjoyed the bowl! I would say, though, that it wouldn’t be my first choice to eat on its own. Once they’re cooked down, there’s not as much food as I would have expected and it looks nothing like what’s pictured on the box but the flavor isn’t bad and it’s a great base for a flavorful meal.

Have you tried Aldi’s Harvest Grain Bowls? Let us know what you thought in the comments!

 

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