Drum roll ...

I am doing the happy dance today!

I just returned home from my Saturday morning Weight Watchers Weigh In and drum roll, ...  I lost 3.2 lbs. this week!  Okay, I need to mention that this was really a two week period since I missed last Satrday due to the ice, ...but I'm so excited because I learned that using up my 49 additional points and any activity points really does provide the real benefit!!!

On average I lost 3 times the weight I was loosing by "not" using them.  So, no more saving them like they are gold, ...just going to continue to eat healthy and use them as my body needs them!

What's the surprise ...

I've been getting a few emails asking about the "surprise" in my recipe called Tuna Salad Surprise. 

Well, there's not really a surprise, but, ...more of a "surprise factor."  You see, I really don't like the taste of tuna fish (or the smell) so for me to actually make and eat a recipe containing tuna fish ranks from challenging to impossible.

Staying true to this weeks "theme" of facing fears I took a tuna challenge and turned the impossible into not only possible but into something that is delicious and leaves you satisfied yet somehow wanting more! 

So, to answer the question about the surprise, ...it's tuna salad and the fact that I came up with a tuna recipe that I truly like was a huge "surprise" for me!

Raspberry Vanilla Protein Shake

Ingredients:

1 cup - Almond Milk

1/4 cup - Greek Yogurt (plain)

1 scoop - Designer Whey French Vanilla Protein Powder

1 cup - Red Raspberries

1 - banana

6 - ice cubes

Procedure:

Put all ingredients into a blender, whirl (blend until smooth) and Enjoy!!!

Additional Information:

• Weight Watchers Points Plus = 3 pts.

7 Ways to Pass Your Weight Loss Plateau

 

What to do when you hit the weight loss wall, and how to get over it.

One of the most common frustrations in weight loss is when all progress halts despite the fact that you are diligently following your plan. Such plateaus are predictable and explainable. Basal metabolic rate (BMR)—the energy required to keep the heart pumping, lungs expanding, kidneys filtering, and all other vital bodily functions going when the body is at rest—accounts for 60 to 70 percent of the calories you burn and depends, for the most part, on body mass. When weight loss occurs, body mass goes down; so does BMR.

Consider an example: You weigh 162 pounds and eat 1,900 calories a day. To lose a pound a week, you've got to cut between 500 and 600 calories per day. So you restrict yourself to 1,400 calories, and the weight comes off. But suddenly, after week six, the scale refuses to budge. This is because with the weight loss, your BMR has also declined (say, from 0.95 to 0.75 calories per minute), and where your body used to burn 1,368 calories per day, now it's using only 1,080. At this weight, there's also less of you to move around, so you burn fewer calories working out and waste fewer calories as heat. All in all, your daily calorie expenditure is now pretty close to what you're taking in. You've hit a new—and probably very annoying—equilibrium. Now that you know why it happens, here's what to do:

1. Hang in there.
You may feel stuck, but you're probably still losing weight—just not enough to register on the scale. But even dropping a third of a pound per week means that in a year, you'll be down a whole 17 pounds.

2. Avoid fuzzy math.
It's common to overestimate calories burned and underestimate calories eaten. Look for places where calories may hide—dressings, spreads, sauces, croutons, and condiments. Are you tasting a lot while cooking? Finishing what the kids leave on their plates? Absentmindedly grabbing handfuls of nuts, chips, or candy? You might try keeping a detailed food diary. Remember that for each pound you want to lose, you need to cut at least 3,500 calories—and if you don't want to eat less, to lose the same pound you'll have to add about ten extra hours of brisk walking or the equivalent.

3. Put up some resistance.
Increasing physical activity is particularly useful for moving beyond a plateau because exercise both uses calories and builds muscle. The more muscle you have, the higher your BMR, which is why working out with light weights or doing some kind of resistance training can be especially helpful. In fact, increasing your muscle mass as you lose body fat can compensate for the decline in BMR induced by weight loss.

4. Up your protein quotient.
There is some evidence that shifting fat and carbohydrate calories to protein calories may help preserve BMR during weight loss. But don't overdo it—20 percent of daily calories from protein is as high as you should go.

5. Shake it up.
Many fitness gurus claim that surprising your body with a change in diet, workout, or both can jostle you out of a weight loss rut. The science is pretty thin here, but the advice is reasonable because variety can keep you interested. Instead of constant dieting, you might try alternating calorie-cutting days, for example, with less-restrictive maintenance days. Switch to a new type of exercise. Alternate aerobic workouts with light weight training. A change may be just what you need to get the progress rolling again.

6. Recharge your drive:
If your motivation is flagging, write down all the reasons you originally wanted, and still want, to lose weight. Look at the list every day. Also let friends and family know what you're up to, and ask for their support.

7. Reconsider the skin you're in:
A plateau is an opportunity to reassess whether further weight loss is worth all the work it will take—and to reconsider whether you may, in truth, now be at a perfectly healthy weight and don't need to go any lower. If you do choose to stop where you are, turn your focus toward maintaining what you've achieved and keeping your body in good shape. Remember, eating well and being physically active are good for you. Do a little of both every day, and you will be a total success.

More Ways to Stay Healthy:

• 4 ways to spot a diet scam
• The top 10 rules for maintaining a healthy weight
• 25 superfoods to incorporate into your diet now

David L. Katz, MD, is a professor at Yale University School of Medicine and the author of The Way to Eat (Sourcebooks).

Printed from Oprah.com on Tuesday, January 24, 2012

© 2012 Harpo Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

7 Ways to Pass Your Weight Loss Plateau

Oprah.com   |   From the August 2003 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine



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01/23/12

PointsPlus® Tracker entries


Monday, January 23, 2012

Morning
1  large banana(s)	0
1  item(s) ready-to-eat shredded wheat cereal	2
1  cup(s) Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze®	1
1  serving(s) Capella New York Cheesecake Flavor Drops	0
Subtotal	3
Midday
2  slice(s) Organic Ezekiel 4:9 Low Sodium Sprouted Grain Bread	4
1  serving(s) Lipton Instant Soup, Spring Vegetable	1
1  Tuna Salad Surprise Sandwich	1
Subtotal	6
Evening
1  serving(s) Birds Eye Corn, Super Sweet	2
1  pattie(s) cooked 80% lean ground beef	6
2  cup(s) tossed salad without dressing	0
2 tbl.- Wishbone 1000 Island Salad Dressing - Quick-added food - Quick-added food	4
1/8 serving(s) Blue Diamond Almondmilk, Vanilla, Unsweetened	0
1  serving(s) Marzetti Croutons, Large Cut, Cheese & Garlic	1
1  serving(s) French's Mustard, Honey	0
1/4 serving(s) Heinz Tomato Ketchup	0
2  tsp olive oil	2
Subtotal	15
Anytime
1 - Nature Valley Protein Bar (PBC) - Quick-added food - Quick-added food - Quick-added food - Quick-added food	5
2  large whole hard-boiled egg(s)	4
1  cup(s) cherries	0
1  serving(s) Weight Watchers Sorbet & Ice Cream Bars, Giant Wildberry & Orange	3
1  cup(s) fresh blueberries	0
1  serving(s) Nature Valley Granola Bars, Crunchy, Oats 'N Honey	5
Subtotal	17
Food PointsPlus values total used	41
Food PointsPlus values remaining	0
Activity
BootCamp - Activity I created	11
Activity PointsPlus values earned	11
Check off these important items daily:
Liquids          Milk & Milk Products     Fruit & vegetables          Multivitamin/Mineral   Healthy Oil     Activity

Notes

 

© 2012 Weight Watchers International, Inc. © 2012 WeightWatchers.com, Inc. All rights reserved. WEIGHT WATCHERS and PointsPlus® are the registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. and are used under license by WeightWatchers.com, Inc.



01/22/12

PointsPlus® Tracker entries


Sunday, January 22, 2012

Morning
1  Strawberry Ricotta French Toast	8
Subtotal	8
Midday
1  serving(s) Jillian Michaels Whey Protein Va	2
1  cup(s) Hemp Milk Hemp Milk Vanilla	4
Capella Vanilla Cupcake Flavor Drops - Quick-added food - Quick-added food	0
1  large banana(s)	0
Subtotal	6
Evening
1  cup(s) cooked brussels sprouts	0
1  serving(s) Sesmark Sesame Thins, Original	3
1  Tbsp balsamic vinegar	0
1  medium uncooked baby carrots	0
Subtotal	3
Anytime
1  cup(s) grapes	0
1  serving(s) Kraft Tomato Basil String Cheese	2
27  cracker(s) Crackers Cheez-it made with whole grain	4
Subtotal	6
Food PointsPlus values total used	23
Food PointsPlus values remaining	3
Activity
No entries for activity.
Activity PointsPlus values earned	0
Check off these important items daily:
Liquids          Milk & Milk Products     Fruit & vegetables          Multivitamin/Mineral   Healthy Oil     Activity

Notes

 

© 2012 Weight Watchers International, Inc. © 2012 WeightWatchers.com, Inc. All rights reserved. WEIGHT WATCHERS and PointsPlus® are the registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. and are used under license by WeightWatchers.com, Inc.