CROCKER— TOPS MO 1002, met Monday, Nov. 2, in the Pulaski County Health Department, 102 12th St., with our leader, Randy, presiding.
The Pledge to the Flag was said followed by the TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) Pledge. We did not have any birthdays or anniversaries. Roll call showed 16 members weighing in with a net loss of 12.75 pounds.
The minutes were read and approved. Our treasurer’s monthly report was given and filed for audit. Our weight recorder gave the monthly report and our chapter had a net loss of 11 pounds for the month of October. Four members pledged to lose this week.
During the business portion of the meeting, Randy thanked everyone for all their help in making our Halloween Open House a successful, memorable, fun-filled evening. We had 39 attend our Open House.
We had a discussion regarding the date for our Christmas Party and decided on Monday, Dec. 14. Our families are welcome to attend. We will have a low-calorie carry-in meal, a Christmas gift exchange game and our Secret Pals will be revealed.
Randy read a letter from Randy Paul, our Western District Coordinator.
He complimented chapter members for their creative ability for table decorations and chapter cheers for the Fall Rally. He stated there is a lot of talent in TOPS. He has requested members to help decide next year’s Fall Rally Summer Contest and theme. He encourages us to present our ideas to him and we could win special seating at next year’s Fall Rally.
He also stated we can order “The Choice is Mine” and the new Weight Loss Bankbooks at this time. We are to take precautions during this flu season and to encourage members to use hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes.
Randy P. also reminded us our year is almost over, just November and December left in 2009. He want us to make these two months our “Best!” Let’s show a loss on the scale and always remember YOU CAN DO IT, AND YOU ARE WORTH IT!
Our weight-recorder gave a year-to-date weight-loss report and it was very impressive.
Keep up the good work! Certificates were presented to our Chapter’s Monthly Division Winners: Division 2—Kathy; Division 3—Linda; Division 4—Telia; Division 5—Shirley E.
Two members were in the “Black” (no gains) in October: Marge and Lori.
Joy chose a gift from the “Gift Box” for having four losses in a row.
Linda presented eight members with October Perfect Attendance certificates. They were Lori, Joy, Linda, Shirley H., Marge, Nancy, Barbara and Vernetia.
Randy had the program for the evening entitled— “TOP 10 FLU FIGHTING FOODS.” The first five were presented tonight and the last five next week:
n Green Chile Peppers. They contain vitamin C, a powerhouse antioxidant, which help fight colds and flues. Foods rich in vitamin C are hot chili peppers (1/2 cup contains 182 milligrams of Vitamin C), guava, bell peppers, kale, broccoli florets, papaya, oranges, strawberries, cantaloupe and Brussels sprouts. The food with the highest amount of Vitamin C is acerola or West Indian cherry. It has in one cup 1,677 milligrams of Vitamin C.
n Sunflower Seeds: It has vitamin E which is crucial in maintaining your immune system and it helps the activity of the white blood cells that protects us from viral (colds and flues), fungal and other infections.
Foods which are rich in Vitamin E are almonds, hazelnuts, filberts, peanut butter, spinach, greens (mustard, collards etc.) avocado, guineo, seeds, olives, spices and vegetable oil.
A tip on whole sunflower seeds: Put seeds in a bowl of an electric mixer and pulse until shells break but do not crunch seeds. Pour seeds in a bowl of cold water. The shells will float and then skim them off with a slotted spoon. Sunflowers are good in salads (greens, chicken or tuna) and ground they can replace flour in coating meat or chicken.
n Carrots, Carotenoids — Carotenoids and beta carotene is a class of nutrients that help regulate or enhance the immune functions. Beta-carotene and other carotenoids are made into vitamin A which helps cells fight infections. Foods rich in carotenoids are sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, pumpkin, winter squash, greens, broccoli, rabe, parsley, red peppers, cantaloupe, apricots and spices.
n Cod Liver Oil, Vitamin D — Vitamin D helps regulate the immune system so it is not under active or overactive. New research implicates vitamin D in the prevention of cancer and diabetes. Foods rich in vitamin D are: Cod liver oil, salmon (canned), herring, mackerel, oysters, sardines, tuna (canned), beef liver, eggs, cheese, clams, shrimp and milk enriched with vitamin D.
n Yogurts— Probiotics are good bacteria that live in all healthy digestive systems. They guard against microorganism attacks and improve immune functions. Foods high in probiotics are: Yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, tempeh and miso soup. Note, when probiotics are heated, they can easily be destroyed and become ineffective.
The Best Loser with the most “fresh” weight was Kathy. She won the fruit basket and signed her name on the “gift.” Randy’s name was drawn from the incentive jar and he won $1. Kathy’s challenge for the week was to bring in a recipe using tomatoes and/or zucchini squash. Kathy also won the Dollar contest. The Best Loser with the most weight loss was Nancy and she won a gift from the “box.” The Best Loser for the month of October was Kathy and she won the “fine” money.
Randy closed the meeting with, “The less we look with our eyes, the more we will see with our hearts.”
For more information on TOPS, call Randy at 573-793-6782, our national toll free number is 1-800-832-8677, or attend our meeting on Monday. Weigh-in is from 5 to 6 p.m. and our meeting is from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Pulaski County Health Department.
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