Weight Watchers Chat #308: How To Build Healthy Habits That Stick!

News and Reviews February 2023

Anna Rahmanan, a New York based writer and editor published her findings after joining Weight Watchers in a Forbes Health article dated Feb 20, 2023. Anna has devoted most of her life to healthy eating and exercise, but was struggling after the recent birth of her second child. She decided to try Weight Watchers and announced that, “After four weeks on the program, I lost 5 pounds and found WW to be a great option for people looking for a lifestyle change as opposed to a short-term crash diet.” A “great option for people looking for a lifestyle change as opposed to a short-term crash diet”. It’s not new news but I thought it was worth reminding everyone after I read the article. To read her entire article visit WW (Weight Watchers) Review 2023

Last week in Chat #307: How To Way to Weight Loss I reminded you that if you’re not sure how to snack wisely? We’ve got a chat for that!

Apparently we talk about snacking a lot…why? It’s a small meal in between other meals that can make or break a day! So how can you snack your way to weight loss?

Snack versus Treat
First we all need to admit that a snack is a small meal that is used in between a planned regular meal. Snacks are real food meant to tide you over, not a sleeve of Girl Scout cookies eaten instead of lunch because they were so dang cute in their little uniforms (hand to God almost happened to me today, but thank goodness we were having this chat!)

“Snacks Allow You to Eat Dinner with Dignity”
I wish I had made that one up…it’s a keeper. We already discussed that snacks are mini meals but sometimes they are planned and sometimes they aren’t. Having a real food snack (not a treat) including a low point protein can sometimes keep your sugar, your energy, your ability to drive past the golden arches from dropping and allow you to have dignity at your next meal 🙂

#PurseChecks are my #1 way to be snack savvy
If you don’t believe me, go back and check how many times I’ve used that hashtag on Instagram. Having something on hand and available at all times has saved me more times that you know. I keep snacks in my purse, my backpack, my desk, my Nonna bag…you name it I got it

Your homework for last week was #SnackPacker. Literally your easiest homework ever. Hands down. Put a snack in your bag, purse, desk drawer, wherever you need it and snap a picture tagging #SnackPacker and/or #PurseCheck …. 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!

Marlene was headed out for a busy day of rummaging and thrifting so she packed a WW string cheese and unsweetened fruit cup to keep herself energized for all that shopping!
Deanna is a pro Snack Packer with her cooler of snacks ready to go for the entire day!
Sandra is my kind of girl and keeps Skinny Pop ready to go in her car!

Bravo, you did it!

This Week’s Topic: How To Build Healthy Habits That Stick!

Raise your hand if you spent most of your life trying to quit bad habits instead of creating good ones?

Yeah, me too. We talk a lot about moving towards things in a positive way rather than avoiding things we find negative. John and I are creating a different kind of vision board at home for our businesses and I see us both writing “stop doing this” or “don’t be bad at that” all over it. The problem? How can we ever create a habit and measure what we are NOT DOING???

Power of Positive Picking

First – pick a habit you’d like to start (and keep) that is moving you in a positive direction like “pay off X bill by the end of this time period” rather than “stop creating new debt.” I know we are here for weight loss and wellness tips, but this works in any area of our lives!

The Power of 3

The rule of 3 follows the brain’s mapping rules which makes things much easier to remember. Once a pattern is formed, the brain can easily digest the information and process it in memory. Pick 3 things (not 2, not 4…just 3) that are easy to do and will help you focus on the habit you picked Examples:

Put my change in a separate container every day and use it to pay on that bill at the end of each week
Pay in cash for similar expenditures rather than add them to new debt
Start a spreadsheet that is easy to follow and watch the amount disappear!

Be Quick to Quantify

I used to hate the word Quantify (if you have about an hour another time I will be happy to explain) but I realize that’s really the only way you will know if your positive habit is sticking and if you are succeeding. Find a way to quantify (measure, record, evaluate) how it’s going!

This Week’s Homework: #PowerPicker

Your homework for this week is #PowerPicker. Pick your positive habit and then tell us 3 ways (again, not 2 or 4 or even 7…just THREE!) easy things you can do to focus on that habit…. 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 #PowerPicker 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: Egg Lady Labs – Let’s Try RED!

In the second half of today’s chat we’re going to be doing a little bit of cooking and experimenting with a new treat!

The lovely folks at RED Chocolate have invited us to taste test their product and tonight is the night! They are the first chocolate in the world with so few calories and all of their products have no added sugar. It’s full of real ingredients, has no preservatives, and is made and shipped from Europe. On top of that, this chocolate is keto and Weight Watchers friendly!

You can find RED Chocolate at Kroger, Hy-Vee, and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. Or, if you choose to order their chocolate online at red-chocolate.com you can use the code KELLY10 at checkout for 10% off your first order.

In the box I received, I got dark chocolate, milk chocolate, extra dark chocolate, orange and almond dark chocolate, blonde caramelized white chocolate, and hazelnut and macadamia milk chocolate. Point values and reviews for each are below:

Type	Points	Review
Dark Chocolate	5 points for 6 pieces 1 point per piece	Very smooth!
Milk Chocolate	6 points for 6 pieces 1 point per piece	Incredibly smooth and absolutely delicious
Orange and Almond Dark Chocolate	5 points for 6 pieces 1 point per piece	My favorite!
Blonde Caramelized White Chocolate	7 points for 6 pieces 1 point per piece	Interesting flavor – it’s just right!
Hazelnut and Macadamia Milk Chocolate	7 points for 6 pieces 1 point per piece	Yum! This would be great with a hazelnut coffee
Extra Dark Chocolate	4 points for 6 pieces 1 point per piece	I’m shocked! This wasn’t bitter at all like I had expected

Now that we’ve tried all of the chocolate flavors, it’s time to make something out of the rest! With the rest of our time we’re going to use some of the dark chocolate (not the extra dark) to make a batch of Double Chocolate Pumpkin Protein Balls.

What would you make with RED no-sugar-added chocolates?