News and Reviews
- If you happen to be a Knoxville Weight Watcher I need to remind you there are NO Tuesday meetings on July 4th at any location
- Tuesday is July 4th, how are you celebrating?
We are less than two weeks away from being in the KC Kitchen Center Showroom for our chats and Lilly has been helping me get ready! We have our Presto Digital Pressure Canner, Instant Pot, Simple Living Air Fryer(s), Food Processor, Souper Cubes, Dak’s Spices and more ready to go. This week we made a fantastic Chimichurri recipe as a practice run!!
Last week in Chat #323 Enlist Your Civilian Team, I defined the term “civilian” as usually being used as a descriptor for a person who is not currently enlisted or actively serving in a military, law enforcement, naval, or emergency services capacity. Today, I am using it in terms of anyone who is not currently enlisted or actively participating in the Weight Watchers program 🙂
Civilians…you are surrounded by them. Family, co-workers, the server at a restaurant, even strangers at a campsite. If someone is eating with, near, or around you and they are not following the Weight Watchers Program they are civilians.
If you are a civilian in a situation with a firefighter trying to get a family to safety, you would never ever do anything to hinder their success or get in the way. The firefighter doesn’t have to tell you not to run into the burning building, not to turn off their water, and not to drive away in the ladder truck no matter how tempting it may be.
Along those same lines, your family, coworkers and even complete strangers would likely not get in your way to reaching your health and weight goals. But they may inadvertently be running into your “burning building” with you hot on their heels unless you tell them how to help.
Civilians Don’t Like Surprises
As much as they want to help, no one likes that kind of surprise. Do yourself a favor and don’t get to the Mexican restaurant with your co-workers and proceed to pout because there is nothing there you can eat.
- Gather your posse and get their input on how you can choose a place to eat BEFORE anyone gets in their car or the door dash app is open
- Make a fun map before traveling to show where rest stops are with picnic tables (also a good time to stretch your legs and maybe toss a ball or frisbee!)
- Give your Civilian a written list of foods to choose from if they are prone to stopping and getting something or surprising you. You would be shocked how many people would love to know instead of the classic shoulder shrug when they ask what you want
YOU Don’t Like Surprises
As much as I love a good surprise gift, I certainly don’t appreciate thinking one thing was happening for dinner and finding out that’s not at all what’s happening. If that happens to you try one of these!
- Quickly scan the app for a similar restaurant or food and pre-track as best as you can
- During a cool and calm time LATER, have a little chat with your Civilian to explain why that threw you off your plan and ask for help for NEXT time
- Decide NOW to get right back on plan with your next meal or at least the next day
Enlist Your Civilian Through Food
You heard me. As much time as we spend talking about not using food for anything other than fuel, I want you to use it to enlist your civilian!
- For a cookout why not bring some fresh corn on the cob, peaches or watermelon to throw on the grill? Civilians are often shocked to learn how delicious they are and you can gnosh on some zero point delights
- Offer to make a giant salad or low point soup to share with coworkers. I haven’t made and shared anything yet that didn’t get a round of “I need the recipe!”
- Plan a picnic. It’s June. It’s picnic season. You can turn almost any situation into a picnic: eating on the tailgate or hatchback, sitting in your driveway, heading outside at work, bringing a cooler or basket to the zoo/aquarium/hiking trail
Your homework was… #PlanAPicnic. Find a reason to have a picnic with your civilian in any of the ways I mentioned above or come up with your own (bonus bravo if you include a picture of your civilians enjoying it!) Then type it, snap it, share it however you like, and then tag me for your next cool badge!
- Always one to do her homework…Deanna has created quite the spread for her July 4th celebration. Her son is a 911 dispatcher and sadly may be very busy on the actual 4th so she has created a picnic EXTRAVAGANZA for the 3rd. I want to be a civilian at her party…please…pretty please? Head on over to the IYHAE Facebook Group and check it all out!
- I’m not going to lie, I was a little disappointed in the participation in homework this week…it was so easy even a 5 year old could do it! Alyssa has been listening and it fills my heart with joy. She keeps asking questions about what is healthy and why I’m “so healthy”. She heard me talking about our picnic coming up on Tuesday and decided to treat her little group of civilians to one today. She had me prep some strawberries, slice up a banana, and add some baby carrots and then packed it all in a basket for her and her little sister Beau to have with Papaw!!
Bravo, you did it!
This Week’s Topic: “Fuel Versus Friction!”
According to Kelly Clarkson if something doesn’t kill you it will make you stronger.
I don’t know about you but just avoiding a melodramatic unlikely death scenario isn’t always necessarily a motivational speech to get me to do something.
The 3 Fast Facts from WW this week:
FUEL
Behavioral Scientists call anything that makes a behavior easier for us to do “fuel”. Think having fruits and veggies pre washed and ready. That would be fuel because we just have to grab them and go…easy right?
FRICTION
In that same line of logic, anything that makes a behavior more challenging to do is “friction”. Like looking outside and seeing a torrential downpour would make it more challenging to go out for your morning walk
Fuel Versus Friction
Humans tend to do the things that require the least amount of friction. An example of fuel might be what I said before, washing and prepping your zero point fruits and veggies and then putting them in a CLEAR container at eye level in the fridge. Or if snacks in the house are an issue you could add some friction by moving them out to the garage, putting them in an opaque container so you don’t have to see them every time you open the pantry, or not even bringing them home.
This Week’s Homework: #FuelOrFriction
Your homework for this week is #FuelOrFriction. Find something you want to make easier (FUEL) or something you’d like to make a little harder (FRICTION) 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 #FuelOrFriction 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: Garden Greens Chimichurri
We combined tonight’s fuel with a garden haul! Not really, but we’ve got a few things that came from my little garden. This also ties in really well with 4th of July or any summer cookout!
I made some corn and some thinly sliced steak, and sliced cucumbers before the chat to showcase the recipe I am making tonight. This Garden Greens Arugula Chimichurri will make your mouth water and won’t add many points to your meal!
This recipe is SO simple! Two steps and you are ready to eat! The link to all of the ingredients and instructions, please click here: Garden Greens Arugula Chimichurri. There is also a YouTube short of Lilly and I making the Chimichurri, so please leave a comment to tell Lilly how well she did!
What’s your favorite way to use veggies fresh out of your garden or Farmer’s Market? Comment Below!
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