*GIVEAWAY* Celebrating 5k Twitter Followers

Annddddd the winner IS:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CONGRATS!!!!

***

I can't thank you all enough for helping me hit the amazing milestone of 5k Twitter followers!

I never imagined my little haven would ever grow to be what it is today. It is an honor to share my journey 140 characters at a time with all of you.

As promised I am ready to give away a Weight Watchers Success Kit to one lucky follower.

So let's get right to it!!

Here's how to enter:

The giveaway will run from Wednesday August 27 (2pm ET) to Wednesday September 3 (2pm ET)!

Winner will be chosen and announced on Wednesday!

Weight Watchers: More Than Just A Weight Loss Program

Why Weight Watchers?

Plain and Simple.

Okay okay there is more to it than that.

To me: Weight Watchers is MORE than a weight loss program ... far more.

What do I mean by this?

I have battled with weight problems my whole life - especially the mental issues that come along with it:

* Low self-esteem

* Binge eating

* Closet eating

* Emotional Eating

* Eating Disorders: Anorexia and Bulimia

* Depression

For years, I just wanted to be skinny and didn't care what it took to get there. I never thought the self-loathing and self-mutilation would ever end. I yearned for a place where I wouldn't feel like an outsider where people would understand what I was going through...

And then I went to my first Weight Watchers meeting on November 2, 2009.

Halloween 2009 - the picture that drove me into Weight Watchers open arms

The above picture was taken on a Saturday Night - Halloween 2009, showed up on Facebook on Sunday and I walked into my first Weight Watchers meeting on the Monday.

I clearly had tried losing weight on my own before. Heck I even attempted WW on my own in college with success, but it didn't stick.

What made the difference? Attending a meeting.

But why? How could 30 minutes with complete strangers alter my success with weight loss and beyond.

Well here's why:

1) Judgement Free Zone

This was the first place where I openly admitted to eating an entire box of Cheez-Its in about 20 minutes. And you know what? People understood. No one pointed or snickered at me. Instead people nodded and shared how they had their own "Cheez-Its" incidents.

Wow! I knew this would be a place where I would feel comfortable sharing my successes, but more importantly my slip-ups without a judgy eye asking why they heck I didn't just stop at one serving.

Ummm hi person - 1) a serving of Cheez-Its should really just be the entire box and 2) Once the box is open the Cheez-Its will go bad if I don't eat them all at once.

Duh!

Phew... moving on.

2) Support

I loved being in a room full of complete strangers yet feeling like I was with family.

I even made friends with two women - Casey and Naomi - who I would sit with every week. We would share our journeys, celebrate the ups and discuss the downs.

I can remember Casey and I each had our first gains on the same night. We had been doing WW maybe a month or so and we both went up. I was pouting in the back of the room with tears in my eyes and Casey was next to be bawling as well. C'mon, it can happen your first gain when you think you are going to lose every week. ;) But we both stuck through the meeting, let out the feelings and moved on. That one gain wouldn't keep us down and we had each other to lean on.

3) Motivation

Hearing others share their stories, struggles and celebrations kept me moving each week. I always tell my WW members:

When you are struggling, you need your meeting When you are doing well, your meeting needs you!

And it is true!

Not everyone in our every day life is going to understand our healthy lifestyle journey, but the folks in that room do. You have an instant cheerleading section.

4) The Leader

I was blessed with two amazing leaders in Chicago (both named Lisa).

Lisa, a WW member, Lisa & I at the Jennifer Hudson WW Center Opening in Chicago

These two women were great inspirations to me as well as wealths of knowledge. They would lend an ear when no one else would. They understood that it wasn't always about the cupcake, but the feelings behind the cupcake. As a leader you have been through the program before and you know that the game of weight loss is MORE than what you put in your mouth.

Having someone so accessible through email, Facebook, etc made me want to be that same kind of WW Leader, which is why I am so available to my members. I know that occasionally the only person we can truly turn to is a third party that gets it.

I get so excited when members tell me they leave the meeting room feeling motivated every week. It pumps me up and makes me want to have an awesome week myself.

I am a WW Leader to pay it forward. I want to share how important WW meetings are to me with them.

5) Tips & Tricks

To this day I leave a Weight Watchers meeting learning something new whether it be a product or an idea on how to handle emotional eating.

It was in a WW meeting room that I learned you can handle emotions without turning to french fries. YES I know. It was mind blowing. I thought food was the only thing to turn to, but it isn't. Through other WW members, I started an arsenal of ideas when the emotional eating started rearing it's ugly head: go for a walk, journal, talk to a friend, count to 10, if you are going to snack choose healthy options, etc.

Yes these sound like common answers, but I needed those ideas from others because I was sooo lost in my own problem. I needed options because let's face it when emotional going for a walk isn't always going to save the problem. Am I right?

So through the WW meetings I was able to stop learn to curb my emotional eating. But the biggest thing was recognizing the triggers. Before I would never stop to ask if it was real hunger or not, I would just dive in. Now I ask:

How am I feeling right now?

Then I can check to see if it is hunger or something deeper.

6) Being Honest

I have to 100% be honest with myself. This took me a long time to realize. Whether it be with my tracker, my head, my heart or my emotions. Lying to myself and saying everything is okay when it isn't - won't fix anything.

Thanks to WW, I have stopped lying to myself. I have learned that it's okay NOT to be okay. If I want to continue to have a balanced, healthy lifestyle, I need to continue to work on the mental side of weight loss as much as the physical - if not more.

Hitting goal didn't mean all the negative self-talk would magically go away. Far from it. I continue to work on nixing the negative with the help of WW and my meeting.

I can also say that I can count on one hand the number of relapses I have had with my bulimia since starting WW and for that I am eternally grateful to the program.

7) Love Clapping, Bling & Bravos

I never thought I would get such joy out of a tiny green star sticker that says BRAVO on it... but I do.

Like my BRAVO necklace?

Clapping for successes and bling to commemorate milestones. It all plays into my long-term success. Looking at them reminds me of how far I have come.

***

The love felt in a meeting room when a group is connecting, supporting and motivating each other is unparalleled. THAT is the feeling I bottle up after each meeting and keep in my back pocket for truly tough times. THAT is what has made a difference this time around and has helped me to push through the forest of maintenance.

Because there is always a Welcome Sign on one of those lime green chairs in a WW meeting letting me know I'm home!

Face It Friday: Unexpected Gain 8/8/14

I'm grumpy! I yelled at the scale this morning. I called it some names that I am not proud of, but I did it.

Why?

Because of that stupid unexpected gain. You ever have one of those?

You do every. single. thing. right and how does the scale repay you????? By going in the wrong direction.

It's just rude. Plain and simple.

So I had my hissy fit (it was good one too). I got the emotions out and then I talked to myself like I would talk to one of MY Weight Watchers members.

^ The scale does NOT dictate my worth.

^ My BODY just happened to forget that it is supposed to weigh the lightest for the week at 6:25am on Friday! *How rude!*

^ A gain does not take away all of the good work I did the past week.

^ Unexpected gain does not give me liberty to say SCREW THE UPCOMING WEEK, but to buckle down and keep at it.

^ Focus on the positives from the past week...

So what are those positives?

** I tried my first Barry's Bootcamp class on Tuesday ... and lived to tell the tale about Butts & Legs!

** For the first time in weeks, I came out of the weekend WITHOUT being in the negative!! I was right at zero. :P

** I did my first 3-hour training bike ride - outside - by myself!

** I am listening to my body and taking a couple of much-needed rest days to try and fix these tight quads.

** I feel in control, lean and overall awesome! Clothes are loose again and I feel stronger in my workouts (pre-injury).

And the best of all...

** I am happy again! Through and through I am overall feeling more positive about life, which is a great bonus.

So if you ever have one of those weeks where the scale forgets to repay you for your hard work just remember: Your Check Is In The Mail!

The scale will catch up to your awesomeness.

But if for some reason it doesn't then simply remember:

***

Before I get back to icing my quads, I would LOOOOVVEEE your daily vote in the following two Got Chocolate Milk contests… each ends on August 15!

Chocolate Milk Contest

^I am currently in fourth place (by a lot I know), but the top three vote getters secure the prizes. 1st prize is valued just over $5k, 2nd prize just under $1,900 and 3rd prize around $775. Holy cow they are sweet.

and

Team Chocolate Milk

^The prize? $500 in sponsorship money, which I will use to fund my first Ragnar Relay experience, new training gear and free race entries. Each time you vote $1 is donated to the Challenged Athletes Foundation. How awesome is that?

Thank you all so much!!!

***

How do you get past an unexpected gain?

I'm Struggling: One Month At New Job

One month. A lot can happen in one month's time. For me it has been a complete overhaul on the life I knew for the last two years.

Leading Weight Watchers meetings had me always on the move - not only going from meeting to meeting, but it gave me the flexibility to work out often. I could hit the gym or the pavement when no one else was there to bother me.

Oh 11am swim pool to myself- sure thing.

Bang out 5 miles at 3pm on a Wednesday afternoon - why not.

That all came to a crashing halt when I returned to an office job.

I've been nervous about this impacting my fitness and weight loss goals ... and it has.

And not in a good way.

My Fitbit and Weight Watchers Activelinks aren't happy with me.

I'm not happy with myself.

I just feel ... blah!

I've been trying all of the suggestions I give to other folks that have office jobs. I mean in case you didn't know - I am not the only person who works 10 hour days, is training for a marathon and trying to lose weight. So I know there are folks out there doing that ... and more!

So why haven't I shared these feelings before?

Because I was lying to myself that I had my sh%t together.

In case you aren't picking up on it - I don't.

I am struggling.

The decrease in workout time and flexible schedule is messing with my mind and my confidence. For anyone that follows me on other social media channels - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc - I think you have picked up on that lately.

This is the longest stretch of struggling that I have experienced since starting my healthy lifestyle change in 2009. So it is making me feel like a failure. I mean I bawled HARD on my run Tuesday morning. Thinking that I have let everyone down because I don't have everything figured out.

But guess what ... not everyone does? Did you know that?

It was news to me. :P

This is a learning process. The job hours won't change. The training for a marathon or Half Ironman won't change. The desire to lose weight won't change.

(Note: I am not trying to lose a ton of weight - just maybe an additional 3-5 lbs. I love my goal weight of 155.)

So what has to change ... me!

Here is the latest plan of attack:

1) I will stop lying to myself that everything is okay. That is how I got into the mess of being 235 lbs to begin with.

2) I will share. I have always been open in this blog space and that starts by Point 1 - being honest with myself.

3) I will ask myself "Will this get me to my ultimate goal?" when faced with the free snacks at work. Don't get my wrong I am grateful for free lunch and free snacks, but not all of that is really on my plan.

So game plan 34634783 since starting the new gig begins. What is the biggest positive I can take out of this? I keep recognizing the triggers and warning signs - and wanting to change them.

THAT shows me that this shall pass and I will overcome this struggle.

Who has faced a similar situation? What has helped you make the adjustment?

***

I will leave you with a great sentiment brought up at my Weight Watchers meeting on Monday Night by a member Erin:

"Life isn’t about figuring out what to do. The real challenge is simply doing the things we know we should be doing."

*GUEST POST* Never Say Never... By Suzi Storm

Regaining weight after hitting goal or getting close to goal is something I get asked about often. Thankfully, I do not have first-hand experience with gaining weight back (besides after healing from my eating disorders - which isn't the same). Soooo I asked my dear friend Suzi (aka Suzi Storm) to share her story about regaining weight after hitting her goal weight and starting the weight loss journey all over again!!

Suzi & I at her wedding in June 2013

Take it away Suzi!

***

Never Say Never…

Dani is a friend that is near and dear to my heart. So when she asked me if I would be interested in writing a guest post I said “hell yeah”…

So if the title didn’t give it away already…this is a post about where I come out…for my love of Justin Bieber.

Just kidding.  ‘Never say never’ is his song right?! Otherwise this post is already heading in a horrible direction.

My “success” story in a nutshell…I lost 101 lbs following the Weight Watchers program in 2010.  In 2011 my life went on the wildest rollercoaster that I have yet to experience in my 30 years on this planet. It kind of goes like this…go to NYC to do a success story shoot for Weight Watchers Online…get chosen to go to Chicago to be on Oprah & be one of the 100 people who have lost 100 lbs or more for her very last weight loss episode...do numerous amounts of local news and newspaper interviews who want to display my story…get chosen to be featured in the Weight Watchers Winter/Spring ‘Believe’ campaign & go on to be featured in magazines along with having numerous television commercials…am asked to contribute my story and have my very own little section in former Weight Watchers CEO David Kirchhoff’s book ‘Man Meets Scale’.  Oh and within this year I would go to Boston to train and become a Weight Watchers meeting leader not once…but twice (well I didn’t train twice, I just was a leader for a few months, stopped, then became a leader again…and stopped).

That literally happened all in ONE YEAR!! Oh and did I mention that I made Lifetime (that’s when you have hit your goal weight and maintained it for 6 weeks) on December 23^rd 2010…and in January I was off to NYC…pretty much all of the events I mentioned above were spaced out within a few months of each other.

When you lose weight, no matter the amount, the questions are generally all the same.  “How did you do it?” “How long did it take you?” “What was your AHA moment?” “How do you feel about yourself now?”…

In mostly all of my interviews I used to say “I will NEVER go back to being THAT person again!!”  Before losing the weight I was depressed, angry, and hated myself every day for the choices I was making…of course I thought I would never go back to being THAT person again!! I was a size 6 and feeling AMAZING!! And did I mention all the cool shit I got to do?!

I will never be THAT person ever again…what a naïve thing to say. Because guess what…it’s 2014 and I am THAT person again. Did I *want* to end up back in this situation? Did I *want* to repeat the whole weight loss journey again? Hell no!! Who ever wishes for stuff like that?! But sometimes we lose control and sometimes we are so lost that we can't grab a hold of ourselves until we are hanging out with George Clooney & Sandra Bullock in space. Never say never, because you never know what will happen.

I have gained all of my weight back, plus another 30 lbs. I am officially the heaviest I have ever been in my life. I even had to be put on blood pressure medication and last year I thought I was having a heart attack and had to be hospitalized.  Come to find out, it was just a panic attack.  Something that was happening often and I had to be put an anxiety medications.

I didn’t *feel* anxious per say.  But when I think about it now I guess I did have a lot of anxiety. I feared going to public places where I might run into someone who saw me when I was at my goal weight.  I dreaded seeing family members who hadn’t seen me in a few months.  See, I gained the weight back very quickly.  After I ran my first (and to date my only) marathon in October of 2011 I pretty much stopped running.  Then I started drinking more (Beer is my poison and my most tempted lover) which of course lead to eating more…which lead to more hangovers, which lead to less movement, which lead me back into my couch with my sweats on and a beer in my hand…the same exact picture of the girl I said I would never be again.

See, I never got to just *BE* with my new body. Losing weight is hard and is a transformation for anyone but losing 100 lbs is some serious life changing stuff, and I am not talking because of all the amazing experiences I got to have but I am talking about your body. Your physical body and your mental state…they take a dramatic change. And I never really got to understand that until it was too late.

I think around spring of 2012 was when I really fell back in the hole. I was up about 30 lbs so you would think I would’ve stopped there, but my self-hatred for those 30 regained lbs ate me and ate me and I just continued to drink and eat and drink and eat and drink and eat. Everyday I would ask myself “How in thee f*ck did I get back here?!”  But that wouldn’t stop me. Sad part is, this wasn’t the first time I had gained weight back. Years prior I had lost 55 lbs on the program. I didn’t hit goal weight. I didn’t even have one set. But I was pretty close to a healthy weight and felt great. But then I had gained that back plus another 50 lbs.

So here I am now…2014 and at my highest weight yet.  Do I give up?? Do I throw in the towel and believe that I can’t lose weight and successfully keep it off for more than a year and half at a time?? HELL NO!!!!

I got married last June and it was the happiest time of my life. But aside from my wonderful marriage (& I must say that I am so lucky to have a husband who has loved me & has supported me no matter what)…I have been living in my own personal hell over the past year.  My drinking might be the worst it has ever been and it has forced me to look at my patterns and my habits. This is something I am still seeking answers to and not something I am ready to publicly share until I come to peace with it myself.

And my food intake?? If it’s cheesy and bad for me, well then I will put it in my body.  Sure, every now and then I get these so-called AHA moments (I always hated this question and I think that I now truly believe that there is no one AHA moment) and I start to track my food again and count my points…this usually lasts for a week or two but then I am right back into my old, disgusting habits again. And my exercise??  I sign up for races and then never train again to them. I went from running ½ marathons and a marathon to not even being able to run a ¼ mile straight.

Something over the past few weeks has changed though.  I don’t know if I am just, as they say, sick and tired and of being sick and tired. But I have really been taking a good look over the past 8-9 years of my life to try to see what the patterns are…what the triggers are.  I think I have figured some of them out.  Others, well they are a work in progress.  I never did this before though. It was just about weight and unhappiness. I knew I had bad eating and drinking habits but I think that my mental thought was “well if I track them they are OK.” That’s not always the case.

But one thing is for sure…I will NEVER give up!! I may fall and I may fall really ‘effing hard, but I will always try to get back up. It’s not easy.  Especially since all I want to do is get back to being healthy and fit again.  But I have to try to keep learning to be patient with myself.  Change never happens over night.  And even though I have learned SO many valuable lessons along the way about this journey, I still have many more to learn.  I have *so* much more to learn about myself. I’m not a quitter. I am a fighter.

You know what…I am NEVER going to be THAT girl again…I am going to be BETTER!!

Maybe you are or have been in this situation.  Maybe you are at your goal weight and struggling.  Or maybe you have maintained your weight for 10 years. Either way, we are all in this together. But we all have our own individual seats on this ride.  All we can do is scream and cheer for not only ourselves but for each other. Never give up and most importantly...never stop believing in yourself.

***

Suzi can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Check In!

So I haven't checked in on the normal life here for a while. I think since the Fall of 2013 I have been stuck in racing/training mode.

This space is set up for both the emotional and physical side of my journey.

I can honestly say that for now I am OK.

I am not horrible. I am not AMAZING.

I am fine.

I am currently going through a 31-year-old crisis as to what I need to do in life.

But I know I can't and won't go back to where I started.

You all keep me super motivated to continue on my healthy lifestyle.

There are times however that I struggle. You all know that. I am happily honest about it.

I wish maintenance was all rainbows and unicorns, but for me it isn't. I am two years into maintenance and still trying to find the balance as my life changes.

When I was losing weight, my life was work, work and more work. I never had to worry about social engagement or vacations or parties. It was easy to focus.

When we decided to move to Boston, I felt like I was becoming a New Member at Weight Watchers all over again.

I am still working to find the balance ... especially since I travel so often now for races (which I am wicked thankful for!).

So for now I keep trying different combinations of food and activity that work for me and my racing schedule.

While I may stumble and struggle emotionally, I will never derail myself enough to go back to where I came from.

I have moved on leaps and bounds from the girl who started this blog back in May 2011.

Thanks for tuning in for this journey!

Weight Watchers: Girl Scout Cookie Cheat Sheet

Ggaahhh it is THAT time of year again.

The cuteness.

The little faces.

The puppy dog eyes.

It is Girl Scout Cookie Time...

Are YOU ready?

If you are feeling worried ... Not sure of the Points Plus Values of those tasty little treats ... I'm here for you!

NOW in my world a serving of thin mint cookies used to be an entire sleeve.

Anyone else? Anyone? Bueller?

But can you believe that isn't an actual serving size?

Shocking I know!

So let's break down the Points Values of the 12 current types of Girl Scout cookies. Thanks to the Girl Scouts website - Meet The Cookies - for having this information so readily available. :P

NOW again I cannot have just one so I am going to share the PPV of up to 3 or 4 cookies. Just keepin' it real. Especially since in Weight Watchers math, 1+1 doesn't always equal 2.

Let's get the party started:

***

Thin Mints

1 is 2 PPV, 2 are 4 PPV, 3 are 7 PPV

***

Samoas/Caramel deLites

1 is 2 PPV, 2 are 4 PPV, 3 are 6 PPV

***

Peanut Butter Patties/Tagalongs

1 is 2 PPV, 2 are 4 PPV, 3 are 6 PPV

***

Trefoils/Shortbread

1 is 1 PPV, 2 are 2 PPV, 3 are 2 PPV, 4 are 3 PPV

***

Do-si-dos/Peanut Butter Sandwich

1 is 2 PPV, 2 are 3 PPV, 3 are 5 PPV, 4 are 6 PPV

***

Lemonades

1 is 2 PPV, 2 are 4 PPV, 3 are 6 PPV, 4 are 9 PPV

***

Savannah Smiles

1 is 1 PPV, 2 are 2 PPV, 3 are 2 PPV, 4 are 3 PPV

***

Thanks-A-Lot

1 is 2 PPV, 2 are 4 PPV, 3 are 6 PPV

***

Dulce de Leche

1 is 1 PPV, 2 are 2 PPV, 3 are 3 PPV

***

Cranberry Citrus Crisps

1 is 1 PPV, 2 are 2 PPV, 3 are 3 PPV, 4 are 4 PPV

***

Chocolate Chip Shortbread

1 is 1 PPV, 2 are 2 PPV, 3 are 3 PPV, 4 are 4 PPV

***

Thank U Berry Much

1 is 2 PPV, 2 are 3 PPV, 3 are 5 PPV

***

I can tell you that 10 of the 12 types of Girl Scout cookies can be found in the Weight Watchers eTools database. The only two not found were Cranberry Citrus  Crisps and Chocolate Chip Shortbread.

In eTools you can calculate the points based on any increment of cookies eaten.

Also I highly recommend writing the PPV values right on the cookie boxes as soon as you receive them.

I hope this is helpful information for everyone as you place your Girl Scout cookie orders.

I know it will help me from going all Cookie Monster on my order.

Because c'mon I can't quit those Thin Mints!

Dani Dishes 12-16-13

On this episode of Dani Dishes, I want consistency and I am asking for your suggestions. I'm trying to curb the trend I have been on since moving back to Boston January 2012.  

My Losing List

Motivation wears off.

Now this is not a post about how everyone should be bathing daily - that is a whole different topic. ;)

During this week's Weight Watchers meetings, we are talking about creating a "Losing List." A losing list is a place for members to compile the reasons why they are looking to lose weight, create a healthy lifestyle or maintain the weight loss they already have.

The topic is wicked important to me. Since hitting goal in January 2012, I have found that I constantly need to remind myself why I lost the weight to begin with. Now it isn't because I really forget, but when I entered maintenance I found it more difficult than losing. I wasn't having the excitement of seeing a lower number on the scale each week.

I had to change my mindset. And with a new mindset came a new list of hurdles and a new level of motivation.

So I decided to create my own "Losing List."

1) Health - I didn't want to end up with high blood pressure, heart disease, etc.

2) Chairs - I wanted to comfortably fit in a chair with arms, airplane seats, movie theatre seats, etc.

3) Shopping - I wanted to be able to shop at "regular" clothing stores instead of the plus size stores.

4) Pants - I was tired of wearing sweatpants or pants that used a M-L-XL sizing chart just because I was avoiding seeing the actual size I had let myself reach ... which was a size 20.

5) Knees - I have knee pain (thanks genetics), but I learned that for every 1 lb I lost - it would relieve 3 lbs of pressure from my knees. Isn't that crazy?

6) Back - I had back surgery for a herniated disc midway through my weight loss journey and learned the more weight I kept off my back the better it was for my discs.

7) Stairs/Ramps - I was tired of getting winded by walking up stairs or trudging up the ramps at Wrigley Field during work.

8) My Wife - I wanted to start a healthy lifestyle so I would have a long future with my wife.

But to me, these are the easy answers. The ones that many people rattle off when starting a weight loss journey. But, I know in my heart of hearts there were deeper and truer reasons why I took that first step into Weight Watchers on November 2, 2009.

So here they are:

1) Self-Esteem - I HATED myself. I wanted to finally like - and over time learn to love - the person that I am.

2) Worth - I needed to prove to myself that I was WORTH making the change.

3) Eating Disorders - I wanted to prove to myself that I could lose weight and keep it off in a healthy manner. After battling two eating disorders for years, I knew there was a healthy way to lose weight.

4) Depression - Tired. I was so so tired of being unhappy with my outward appearance and the internal struggle I had to find the good inside myself. Which circles back to self-esteem.

5) Suicide - I hoped that as the weight began to disappear that the suicidal thoughts would do the same. I was so unhappy (see depression) for so long that the thoughts of suicide followed (especially in high school).

6) Hiding - I wanted to stop hiding behind my weight and start living!

Now, I didn't want to have so much of my self-worth tied to my weight, but it was. I thought that once the weight was gone I would be "cured," which I wasn't. But it has improved leaps and bounds.

Wow! Seeing all these things in writing really brings back the memories of how truly unhappy I was before embarking on this journey.

I can't always carry this list or blog post around with me so I need a physical object that can encapsulate the list. Weight Watchers calls these "anchors." I have more than one anchor - shocking! :P

One of my anchors is a tattoo. No I am not telling you you have to get yours tattooed on you too. ;)

Ancora Imparo is a Michelangelo saying in Italian which means: "I Am Still Learning."

This simple message helped easy my perfectionist mind deal with the ups and downs of a weight loss journey. I have it on my right wrist, which allows me to see it daily and touch it if I need an extra dose of motivation.

Will this list and anchor helped me through every single tough situation? No.

But that's why I have this list, this blog and this community - to pick me up when I need it.

***

What is your #1 reason for losing weight or embarking on a healthy lifestyle change?

Thanksgiving Day Cheat Sheet & Tips

With six days to go before Thanksgiving and with an influx of interest from social media, I am going to share the Weight Watchers Turkey Day Cheat Sheet that I have been handing out to my meetings over the past several days. I also added a few Hanukkah items on there as well at the bottom. Obviously it doesn’t have every candy available on there, but I think I covered the most popular items.

Feel free to click on the above list and print out your own copy

*Points values taken from WW eTools.

***

Here are some of the tips to navigate the dreaded the HoliDAY that my members came up with this week:

My #1 recommendation is to wear clothes that fit!! That's right friends - keep the sweatpants at home. I don't want to see anyone pulling a Joey from Friends and borrowing maternity pants from a friend for the day. ;)

*Ask yourself before each food or beverage choice: "Is it worth it?"

*Start the day right by eating a healthy breakfast.

*Use recipe builder to figure out Points values of homemade dishes!

*Eat something BEFORE you head to the event itself. Does it ever work out well when we try to "hoard" our Points until the event begins? Has showing up to an event ravenous ever ended well?

*Bring a "safe" dish, which will help set your space up for success.

*Get moving and earn those Activity Points - bank some before, earn some during and do damage control after the day!! Go for a walk or do a Turkey Trot the day of with friends and/or family.

*Allocate your 49 weekly points for those "must-have" holiday favorites.

*Keep the Weight Watchers Portion Estimator Quick Guide handy!! View it here!

*Do a drive-by of the food before filling your plate so you can devise a game plan.

*Load up half your plate with fruits/veggies.

• When wanting blueberry pie, load up a bowl with fresh blueberries and a tiny piece/bite of the actual blueberry pie.

*Leftovers. If you are hosting, load up on tupperware containers and send the food home with your guests. If you are a guest, politely decline the leftovers or take the healthier items home.

*Drink lots of water. If you need to make it more appealing, you can:

• Put it in a wine glass or a pint glass.
• Add a strawberry, mint leaf or a lime as a garnish.

*TRACK TRACK TRACK!

• Experiment with pre-tracking. Many holidays have many dishes you can expect to encounter so pre-tracking may help with temptations.
• Use the mobile app. Excuse yourself to go to the bathroom if you want to try to Track in privacy. ;)
• If you are unable to use your phone, snag a paper tracker from your meeting or use any scrap of paper to jot down the food as you go.
• Utilize the Snap&Track feature on your mobile app. So many people take pictures of their food and Instagram it anyway - you won't look out of place. :)

---If tracking seems overwhelming on Thanksgiving or just not something you will do, pick it up on Friday - make it mandatory on that day to get back on track!

*2 fun mantras that came out of some meetings:

• "Nobody ever died because they didn't have a dinner roll."
• "Did they really bring over mashed potatoes on the Mayflower? No? Then you can probably have those next week."

And last but certainly not least - remember the Weight Watchers BLTs!! For every Bite ... Lick ... or Taste, mark down 1 pt. Would having to do that stop some of the mindless snacking or unnecessary tasting while cooking?

***

If the day gets away from you then start fresh on Friday!! Each day is a new beginning.

Have a Happy Thanksgving! And remember:

"It's called THANKSgiving not EATgiving" - Melanie, WW Leader