Newsletter - Jan 2013 for Norfolk and Bristol Counties

Area Captains Newsletter January 2013 for Norfolk and Bristol Counties

Gail Lewis 46 Elm Street East Bridgewater, MA 02333 (508)378-0459 gailistops@verizon.net

Quote for the Month:

Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.
Helen Keller

Hey Everyone.......

Another new year is here and it's going to be a good one – let's start with a positive thought and everything is bound to be POSITIVE going forward. Oprah Winfrey said in a quote I just read, “Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right”. Let's do it like Oprah – let's get it right this year.

CHAPTER IDEAS – Any chapter ideas to share? Let me know and I will print them in the monthly newsletter. Thanks!!!!

INSPIRATION

The next letter is one from Barbara Cady, our TOPS President. This was written on the calendar TOPS created last year and the letter is worth repeating......

Dear TOPS Friends,

I am often asked what makes TOPS different from other organizations, groups, companies and businesses that deal with weigh-loss issues. This is an extremely important question because TOPS is, in fact, different from all of these.

Simply put, TOPS is not a company: it is not a business or a brand. TOPS is people....caring, giving people who band together to help and support one another to lead their best lives. In the purest sense of the word, we love one another. We accept one another as we are and encourage one another to succeed.

When you look inside your hear, how will you make this year different? You cannot travel the road to success unless you begin. Where does your chapter want to go this year? Where do you want to go? Now is the time to plan your adventures for the year and begin! If you are ready to make this year different or better, TOPS will be here for you every step of the way.

I care..........Barbara Cady.

Here is a very good article sent to me from Dianne Therieau in Franklin – it was a really interesting one. Thanks so much! Dianne!!!!

Weight Management: Fact and Fiction

Knowing the truth about losing weight can help you separate what works from what doesn’t. Don’t bee taken in by expensive weight-l0ss fads like pills, herbs, and special foods. There’s no magic way to lose weight. If you have questions about weight loss, ask your health care provider.

Fiction: The faster I lose weight, the better.

Fact: Rapid weight loss is usually due to loss of water or muscle mass. What you’re trying to get rid of is extra fat. Aim to lose ½-2 pounds a week. Then you’re more likely to lose fat then water or muscle.

Fiction: Skipping meals will help me lose weight.

Fact: When you skip meals, you don’t give your body the energy it needs to work. Hunger makes you more likely to overeat later on. It’s best to spread your meals throughout the day. Eat at least 3 meals a day.

Fiction: The fewer calories I eat, the better.

Fact: This seems like it should be true, but it’s not. When you eat too few calories, your body acts as if it’s on a desert island. It thinks food is scarce, so it slows down your metabolism (how fast you burn calories) to save energy. By eating too few calories, you make it harder to lose weight.

Fiction: I can’t start exercising until I lose weight.

Fact: The sooner you start exercising the better. Exercise helps burn more calories, tone your muscles, and keep your appetite in check. People who continue to exercise after they lose weight are more likely to keep the weight off.

Fiction: Once I lose weight, I can go back to living the way I did before.

Fact: Going back to your old eating habits and giving up exercise is a sure way to regain any weight you’ve lost. The lifestyle changes that help you lose extra weight can also help keep it off. This is why you need to make changes you can stick with.

Fiction: Low-fat and fat-free mean low-calorie

Fact: All foods, even fat-free ones, have calories. Eat too many calories and you’ll gain weight. It’s okay to treat yourself to a fat-free cookie or two. Just don’t eat the whole box!

Why Diets Don’t Work

Research clearly shows that most diets don’t work. Even those of us who lose weight on a diet generally regain most or all of the weight within a couple of years. That’s not to say that once you’re overweight there’s no chance to reach and maintain a healthy weight. It just means that they way most diets are set up often leads to failure.

Consider:

• Diets deprive you. Many diets involve eliminating certain foods or even whole groups of food. This is not only unhealthy but also unrealistic for the long term.

• Many diets don’t fit into normal life. Weighing and measuring food may help you lose weight, but they aren’t practical as long-term strategies for most people.

• Dieting can be expensive. Buying special “diet” foods can rack up a big hill quickly.

• Dieting actually lowers your metabolism. When you cut back on calories, your metabolism tends to slow down. You burn fewer calories and the diet becomes even less effective. Worst of all, this slowdown can last after the diet ends.

• Eating is only half the equation. Lifetime weight management is not just about what you eat. It requires physical activity as well. Physical activity speeds up the metabolism to help make a healthy weight for the rest of our lives.