Four Keys to Weight Loss Success & A Healthier Chocolate Holiday Treat

I have become a huge fan of Joyce Meyer and her writing. Beginning my day with her inspirational teachings makes everything better.

Today’s Four Keys to Success from The Power of Being Thankful: 365 Devotions for Discovering the Strength of Gratitude, while true of any endeavor, seem particularly applicable to weight loss.

Here’s what I learned:

Four Keys to (Weight Loss) Success

There are four keys to success in any endeavor you undertake. If these character traits and habits become part of the routine of your life, they’ll enable you to move toward the success you long for.

#1 Key to Weight Loss Success: Commitment

Without commitment, people give up easily; they have no staying power at all.

How true is this? We want to eat better and lose weight and the first time we stray, we say to heck with it and dive into the nearest bag of corn chips or carton of ice cream. We stop taking our walks, planning our meals, going to our meetings, drinking our water. Commitment is key to success.

There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses – only results.
~ Kenneth H. Blanchard

#2 Key to Weight Loss Success: Determination

Determination enables us to achieve goals and pursue dreams that seem impossible.

We must be being willing to keep going when the going gets rough, to keep trying new approaches, and learning from our mistakes. We must have plenty of persistence.

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
~ Calvin Coolidge

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#3 Key to Weight Loss Success: Patience

When success does not come easily, we need to wait for the Lord and find our strength in Him.

I call this patience and ask for generous amounts of it daily. Weight loss is not linear, it can be a long and winding road with lots of bumps in it. Patience with yourself as you develop the new skills required to lose weight and keep it off is crucial. That’s why the first step in Weight Watchers new Beyond the Scale Plan Guide is, “Treat yourself with respect, patience and kindness. Because when you change the way you think, you change the way you feel.

There is something good in all seeming failures. You are not to see that now. Time will reveal it. Be patient.
~ Sivananda Saraswati

#4 Key to Weight Loss Success: Rest & Renewal

We all need extended times of restoration and renewal to prepare us for new challenges ahead.

I think this is one of the aspects of the new WW Beyond the Scale Plan I like best. It’s emphasis on the importance of self care. We are living in crazy frenetic times where we never seem to pause to catch our breath as we jump from one challenge to the next. I’m so grateful I have my yoga practice to remind me of the importance of balancing activity with stillness.

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.
~ John Lubbock, The Use Of Life

Joyce says to, “Examine your life and ask yourself if you need to improve in any of these areas and be thankful that you don’t have to do these things on your own. God is with you and, as you seek Him, He will give you the commitment, determination, the ability to wait on Him, and the renewal you need to succeed. ”

Do you need improvement in any of these areas? I certainly do, especially with patience and taking time for restoration and renewal. It’s an ongoing practice and I try to remember each and every day to ask for what I need!

 

Weight Watcher’s Recipe of the Day: Chocolate Almond Coconut Truffles

Today’s recipe is one from the archives: Chocolate Almond Coconut Truffles

If what you happen to need is a healthier alternative to an Almond Joy® candy bar, you may want to whip up a batch of these Chocolate Almond Coconut Truffles from our recipe archives instead. Peter and I made them for the first time last year. We both loved them.

Skinny on Healthier Chocolate Almond Coconut Truffles

One of these smooth and creamy homemade chocolate truffle balls has about half the calories of a snack size Almond Joy®!

According to Hershey’s website, one snack size Almond Joy® bar has about 80 calories and *1 Weight Watchers PointsPlus and 2 WW SmartPoints.

And a less than appealing ingredients list: Corn Syrup; Milk Chocolate [Sugar; Cocoa Butter; Chocolate; Milk; Lactose; Milk Fat; Nonfat Milk; Lecithin (Soy); PGPR (Emulsifier)]; Coconut; Sugar; Almonds (Roasted in Sunflower Oil); Contains 2% or Less of: Vegetable Oil (Palm Kernel and Palm Oil); Cocoa; Whey (Milk); Salt; Hydrolyzed Milk Protein; Lecithin (Soy); Sodium Metabisulfite (To Maintain Freshness)

I’m really beginning to think one key in overcoming our attraction to sweet treats is to read the INGREDIENTS OUT LOUD  before consuming!

I just did and I tell you it’s a desire killer 🙂

By contrast these little homemade babies contain just six ingredients, all of which I can pronounce 🙂

While not exactly health food, made with avocado instead of butter, they’re a more wholesome chocolate treat.

Click here for the Chocolate Almond Coconut Truffles Recipe

Related Recipes for Weight Watchers:

• Easy Healthy 4-Ingredient No Bake “Brownies”
• 35+ Easy Sweet Treats with 3 SmartPoints or Less
• 3-2-1 Microwave Mug Cake
• No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
• Skinny Holiday M&M Cookies
• No Bake Peanut Buttery Cookie Dough Balls

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