Weight Watchers Chat #332: The Joy of Movement

News and Reviews

#1 The offending tooth comes out TOMORROW! Wish me luck, say a prayer, just don’t try to call me because I’m sure I won’t be able to speak LOL. (This is an update from Kc. She did great!)

#2 Do NOT underestimate the effects of illness and medication on your weight. When the infection in my tooth was raging and I had started the mega antibiotics I had a 3 pound swing in my weight. I could barely eat applesauce…I guarantee I didn’t actually “gain” 3 pounds. When the antibiotic was done and the infection was under control, guess what? You guessed it, 3 pounds back in the other direction. I can’t explain why it happens, just please know it does and don’t get frustrated if you are under the care of a physician and / on strong meds

Karen H posted an eye opening countdown over in the group today!

Review Last Week: Last week was Chat #331 “Stop Emotional Eating in 5!”

It’s been a long day at work. No one who was supposed to be there showed up, you feel so _______________ (fill in the blank)

You arrive at a celebration of family and can’t wait to introduce your clan to the special people you grew up with and feel so ____________________ (fill in the blank)

This week you were up and down all night, every night. You forgot to try the WW topic from last week and just didn’t get any rest at all. You feel so __________________ (fill in the blank)

No matter what you answered I already knew before the chat started none of you filled in that blank with “hungry”. So why in these emotional situations (angry, happy, exhausted were my answers) is food often the first thing we go to?

Three Fast Facts from WW:

Habits die hard

Whether the emotion is happy or sad, emotional eating is a learned behavior over time that becomes a habit. I see the Noom commercials where people seem surprised at this realization. I’m here to say WW has been reminding me for years that I learned how to eat in response to certain emotions and that does not make me broken. It makes me human.

Recognize and Redirect

When you can recognize that the answer to the question isn’t food (I’m feeling so _________) you have already given yourself an opportunity to redirect and do something besides eat in response to that emotion.

Stop For Five

If we can retrain our brains to stop for just five minutes rather than reach for food a few things happen:

The neural pathways in your brain start to train themselves to go to another answer besides food when an emotion happens
A new habit forms the more times you take that 5 minute break
If you’re like me you’ll forget why you were waiting five minutes 🙂

Your homework was #StopForFive. Let’s go ahead and decide how you will stop for those five minutes NOW so that you have a plan for later. Will you set a kitchen timer? Will you ask Siri to set a timer? Will you find a YouTube Video that is a five minute timer? (this one I found even has soothing ocean waves and a pretty picture.)

Whatever it is let us know, I promise your decision to participate this week will help you AND someone else! Then type it, snap it, share it however you like, and then tag me for your next cool badge!

Vickie says when she’s looking for food but it’s not a mealtime; she drinks water and takes time to evaluate if she’s just really hungry or just bored!
When Lynn feels the refrigerator calling she’s going to do dishes or put away laundry for 5 minutes to see if she’s really hungry. Killing two birds with one stone! (although I would never throw a stone at a bird LOL)
Mary Ann says when she feels like eating and isn’t hungry, she will set her phone or go for a walk. When the timer goes off she is confident she will have forgotten about the food and just go ahead and finish the task she started!

Bravo, you did it!

This Week’s Topic: “The Joy in Movement!”

For those of you who just zoned out because you think we are talking about exercise again…we are not, so jump right back in!

Raise your hand if you’ve ever just had a meh, bleck, or bah humbug day. Raise your hand again if it was today LOL.

Three Fast Facts from WW (sort of, I took some creative license because they don’t pay me so I can):

Sometimes you just need a nap

WW is not using this topic to undervalue the very real need for self care, therapy, and yes sometimes just a nap. The next two fast facts are just a way to bust that bad mood but not always the only way, ok?

Movement doesn’t equal sweat

When I heard this week’s topic was about movement I immediately started thinking exercise. Again. But the Merriam Webster definition of movement is:

The act or process of moving

: especially change of place or position or posture

A particular instance or manner of moving

Moving can bust a bad mood!

Have you ever been in such a meh mood that it seemed nothing would cut thru that fog, and then your cute puppy asks for a quick trip outside to bark at bugs and roll in the leaves. You can’t stay blah watching that!

Maybe it’s a particularly bleck day and your co-worker asks you to make the loop at work to check out the new birdfeeders that maintenance just put in. Feel those dark clouds lifting?

Or you’ve just had a bah humbug week but then the grandkids ask to spend the day with you in the woods, splashing in a creek, and not answering your cell phone. Bad. Mood. Busted.

This Week’s Homework: ##BadMoodBusted

Your homework for this week is #BadMoodBusted. What’s something that happened this week (or something you can pre-plan for next time) that was just a little movement that busted that bad mood? Whatever it is let us know, I promise your decision to participate this week will help you AND someone else! Then type it, snap it, share it however you like, and then tag me for your next cool badge!

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: Meal Prep for a Soft Food Diet on Weight Watchers

As you already heard, I spent last week eating super soft, no way to aggravate it, foods for my abscessed tooth. Originally it was out of necessity because the entire side of my head was about to come off my shoulders. But now, it’s in preparation for this tooth getting pulled and the after care.