WW Studio of Herndon, VA

Want to know how to deal with Discouraging Thoughts?
Don’t miss your in-person or Virtual WW Workshop this week.

Reflect on Non-Scale Victories
Recognizing positive changes helps develop more confidence
which can encourage us to keep making changes.
Non-scale victories (NSV) remind us the journey isn’t JUST about weight loss, but also about creating healthier habits, doing things we enjoy, and improving how we feel. These are the things that can inspire us to keep up our healthy habits.
Reflecting on our NSVs before stepping on the scale can be helpful in shifting our perspective right before seeing the number on the scale.
This helps us respond effectively if the number is not what we were expecting.

Do What Moves You
Choosing to do an activity based on how it makes us feel has been shown to help people consistently participate in physical activity in the future.
Engaging in an activity we enjoy increases the likelihood we will keep doing it because it feels rewarding, satisfying, and is reinforcing.
When we engage in a physical activity we enjoy, it can increase our confidence in our ability to engage in regular physical activity, which increases the likelihood we’ll repeat the activity.

Embrace ‘No’
When working toward a goal that requires making behavior changes, we typically need to make shifts to our priorities.
When we say no, our natural tendency is to focus on what we’re giving up or missing out on.
For example, if we say no to dessert, we may focus on missing out on that dessert.
When we shift our focus toward what we gain from saying no, we can begin to look at our journey from a place of abundance and benefits.

Identify New Foods
Reflecting on why you enjoy your favorite foods and how they help you stay on track provides valuable feedback on why they work within your eating pattern.
Recognizing how you’ve incorporated them into your routine can help you find and fit in more enjoyable foods.
This adds variety to your eating patterns!
Finding what foods work for you is what makes the journey successfully yours, plus sustainable and livable in the long-term.

Recognize Your Strengths
Recognizing and leveraging our personal strengths feels good to us—it's positively reinforcing!
When we recognize and remind ourselves of our strengths, it can increase our ability to accomplish things or to develop a new skill).
Intentionally using one of the strengths that comes naturally to us can increase our happiness for the longer term.
Research shows that happier people make healthier choices.

Get Flexible
Giving yourself the flexibility to do another type of movement than what you usually do can help you stay consistent with your activity routine.
Stretching can promote flexibility, helping the body to move, more comfortably, which can encourage more movement overall.
Just a few minutes of stretching each day can help to improve flexibility, range of motion, and decrease risk of injury.

Adding PersonalPoints
~The PersonalPoints Program, with the ability to add Points, has
been rigorously tested and proven to work and be effective for
weight loss.
WW tested this program for over two years with more
than 6,000 members across the globe.
~Adding PersonalPoints is all about helping us build healthy habits
by focusing our attention on day-to-day behaviors that drive
improvements in wellness.
~Adding Points is one of the many ways the PersonalPoints
program is livable and flexible, by letting us adjust our Budget to
fit our lives. Everyday we can watch our Budget grow

Adjust Your Approach
Our environment has a big impact on our behaviors.
When our environment changes, our behaviors often change too.
When we can anticipate that our environments will temporarily
change, we can plan new actions or routines that the new
environment can actually support in order to help us stay on track.
HOLIDAY NOTE:
In observance of the July Fourth Holiday, the Studio will be closed on Monday, 7/4 and there will be no in-person Workshops. Commit to a different in-person Workshop that week, or, if you like your Monday Workshop routine, join a Virtual Workshop. You can find the Virtual Workshop schedule on Workshop Finder.

Find Your “Go-to” Foods
“Go-to” foods are foods we can confidently reach for and include
often—across many situations.
Identifying our go-to foods can help us stay on track—or get back
on track—throughout our journey.
Planning when and how we can lean on these foods ahead of time
can help us reduce the burden of in-the-moment decision making.

5-4-3-2-1
The 5-4-3-2-1 technique is one way to tune into the present moment. As you sit here today,
you may not be feeling stressed, but I’m going to walk you through the steps for practice. You
can find the steps in the WW app on the Discover tab.

Build a Morning Routine
Our morning routines consist of:
the actions we perform regularly,
in the same order,
at the start of each day.
Behavioral science research shows that routines make our daily life
activities more orderly and efficient.
Consistent morning routines can help us effectively plan for and
perform healthy behaviors.
As the day goes on, it may become more difficult to do certain healthy behaviors.
As other priorities arise, our inspiration decreases, or we feel exhausted from a long day.
What is the first small step you will take tomorrow morning?

Find Right-for-You Portions
A SERVING SIZE is the amount of food listed on a product’s
nutritional label. While these serving sizes are often referred to as “recommended,” this number is guided by national regulators to show nutrition information in a consistent way across products and may not be relevant for everyone.
A PORTION SIZE is how much food you choose to eat at one time,
(in a restaurant, from a package, or in your own kitchen).
Portion sizes are personal. What one person needs to feel satisfied
and stay within their Budget is likely very different from what
another person needs. What is yours?

Visualize Your “Why”
Our ‘WHY’ can guide and motivate us throughout our journeys
because they represent what’s most important to us.
Taking actions that line up with our ‘why’ can increase our quality of
life and help us keep moving closer to our goals.
Reflecting on our why can help us keep going and feel inspired
during both the calm and rough waters on their journey.
What is your WHY?

Choose Your Cue
The more often a behavior is repeated after the same cue, the more likely it will become a habit.
Simple, specific behaviors are more likely to turn into a
habit—and do so more quickly—than complex behaviors
For example, taking three deep breaths when you wake up is more likely to turn into a habit than practicing 60 minutes of yoga when you wake up.
The most effective cues are ones that we come into contact with
frequently and in the same context.

Add Movement to Your Day
Around the world, government health guidelines emphasize that all
activities add up—from running to chair yoga to “activity in disguise”
like cleaning the house or playing with kids.
Fitting movement into our everyday routines (taking the stairs
instead of the elevator, parking far away from the grocery store,
etc.) is a meaningful way to be active.
Research suggests that when we acknowledge these everyday
movements and believe they’re beneficial, we see greater
improvements in health and weight loss.

How Would You Treat a Friend?
Self-compassion means treating ourselves with
kindness and acceptance, instead of judgment or criticism.
At WW we know that how you think about—and talk to—yourself is
instrumental in creating change.
While we know it's common to feel we need to be tough on ourselves to be
successful, research shows that tough love actually makes us
less likely to reach our goals.
Approaching challenges with kindness and reminding ourselves
that we’re human has been shown to increase
motivation to get-up-and-try again.
When we replace self-critical thoughts with
self-compassionate thoughts, we begin to naturally treat
ourselves more kindly.

How Carbs fit in Your Eating Plan
There are many types & sources of carbs.
Not all are created equal.
Often we think of foods that
don’t offer much nutritional benefit….cakes, cookies, breads.
However, many ZeroPoint foods, like beans, lentils, and fruits do contain carbs, rich in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients (think fiber) This helps you feel fuller longer.
Carbohydrates are an essential macronutrient and are part of a
healthy pattern of eating.

Go-to Foods When Hunger Strikes
Eating regularly throughout the day can help us manage internal
hunger and reduce overeating.
Meals and snacks rich in protein and fiber can help us stay fuller
longer.
Pausing to recognize external hunger in the moment can help us
interrupt the automatic habit and respond differently. This is helpful
even if we still decide to eat!

5 S’s Technique
Dealing with ‘unexpected foods’
Before we eat a certain food—we can run through the 5 S’s by asking ourselves:
Do I want this food because I can see and/or smell it?
Do I want this food because of the situation I’m in right now? In other words, would I want this just as much tomorrow?
Do I want this food because I think of it as special?
Do I want this food because it’s description tickles my senses?
(Sight, Smell, Situation, Special, Sounds)

Eating When NOT Hungry? 100% Normal
Urges to eat due to external hunger are brief, relatively predictable,
and defeatable.
When we step back to observe our emotions and cravings, we can
recognize urges to eat as a passing moment.
This can often reduce our
desire to eat.
Learning to respond to emotions and cravings in new ways can
help us lose and maintain weight.

Internal and External Hunger
Most of us regularly experience two types of hunger: internal
and external.
With internal hunger, our bodies cue us to eat because they need more fuel. We often feel physical sensations, like lightheadedness or a growling stomach.
With external hunger, we are cued by other things, like our environment, cravings, habits, and emotions.

Move the Goalposts
When we’re struggling to reach a goal we’ve met in the past,
self-critical thoughts often arise and can reduce confidence in our ability
to achieve our goal or even stop us from trying.
Breaking the goal down so it is more within our reach, can help us quiet
this unhelpful voice and makes it more likely we’ll reach our goals

First off, let’s clear something up: Your eating pattern isn’t just about what you eat, it’s also about how you eat: the timing of your meals and snacks, how much you serve, and whether you eat quickly or mindfully.
Being aware of your personal pattern can help you figure out what’s moving weight loss in the right direction, and what needs to be tweaked.
Remember that a magic equation for eating “perfectly” doesn’t exist—it’s about what works for you. Begin with one small step at a time (like leaning on your ZeroPoint™ foods or planning ahead for special occasions) until your momentum moves you toward a pattern that is healthy, enjoyable, and doable

People we surround ourselves with—directly or indirectly—matter in a whole lot of ways, especially on a weight-loss and wellness journey.
Noticing how they impact helps us realize how a support system matters when it comes to achieving goals.
Helpful people are like fuel………
fuel makes it easier to do something and keep doing it.
*This is a good thing*

If only I was more motivated……
This month we’re unpacking a slew of tools you can use when you find yourself in that very real, uninspired, ho-hum place. They’ll help you build some needed momentum.
Check in your WW App for this months’ weekly techniques for great steps and tips to help!

Rewind the Tape for “Self-Sabotage”
When we get off track, we may think that we’re “sabotaging ourselves” or we “just don’t want it enough.”
Getting off track, hitting a setback - isn’t intentional!
Recognizing this is the first step in moving forward.
Take a step back, identify the many factors that contributed to the challenge.
See what direction you can take next for the WIN!

Outcome (Weight) Goals
Research shows that people who set achievable weight-loss goals are more likely to be successful.1
When we break down our overall goals into smaller, doable ones, each small success helps us develop more confidence in our ability to reach our goal, thus making it more likely we’ll achieve it.

Tune In~
Pay attention to your thoughts after a setback
Get Specific~
Decide the steps to take
Make a Plan~
What….When….How….????

In-the-Moment Favorites
~Over time, our brains have learned to “turn on” and become very focused when we think about foods we especially enjoy.
~Swearing off foods we enjoy can backfire, making us want them more and often leading us to overeat them in the long run.
~When we unexpectedly find ourselves face-to-face with our favorite foods, our default is often to reach for them. Pausing to make a conscious decision can help us have more control over what and how much we eat.

Shift Perfectionistic Thinking
Striving for perfection makes us less likely to make healthy
choices, like eating healthier and moving more.
This is likely due to worries that nothing we do will be good enough.
Research shows that when we strive for perfection, we’re less
likely to alter a goal that we’re having trouble achieving.
This can lead us to giving up on the goal entirely—or to try to reach one
that we might never meet.
When we accept imperfections, we’re more likely to make
healthy choices and adjust our approach when we hit
setbacks.

Plan Your Meals
Pre-track your meals in the WW app and earn Wins in our WellnessWins ® rewards program.(Track your ‘Streak Meal in real time to get extra Wins!)
The WW Insider Guide provides tools to help make meal planning easier, including shopping lists and 5-day meal plans.
Explore recipes in the WW app to decide what you’re going to make

Start an Activity Routine That Sticks
Choosing an activity we enjoy, breaking it into smaller, doable amounts, and building on it over time can help us reduce friction and create a routine we can stick to.

Tracking Reset
Our natural tendency is to “bury our heads in the sand”, avoid potentially unpleasant information, feelings, or self-judgments. This is called the Ostrich Effect.
The Ostrich Effect helps explain why food tracking can be challenging when we’re getting started and why we often stop tracking when we lose momentum with our healthy habits.
BUT, getting back to tracking can help us reset because it makes us more aware of the choices we’re making and what changes we need to make.

Use STAR goal setting to break down New Year's Resolutions into actionable, doable behavioral goals.
STAR Principle (STAR Goal guidelines)
● Specific:
● Truly doable:
● Active:
● Relevant