Weight Watchers New Plan.....

[AnnieW625]

What do you all think? I just logged in and my new PowerPlus Points total for the day is a whopping 29 points! I tried that many points when I was nursing DD2 and well it backfired I lost no weight at all and as soon as I went back to my normal 22 to 25 pts. per day I started losing weight. I have been at a plateau for the last 6 weeks so I know I need to get my butt in gear and back on the program, but I am very skeptical that 29 pts per day, plus 49 extra per week is going to work. I most likely won't go to a meeting until Saturday morning, but would love to hear all of your thoughts, and the particulars of the new program before then.

TIA:)

[bubbaray]

I was reading a bit about it and they have re-jigged the points. Things are not the same point value as before. Fruit & veggies are zero, but other things will be higher to compensate.

I personally think its a good thing. One thing that turned me off of WW was the reliance on low calorie, low nutrition foods. One woman at a meeting was all proud of herself for having a 1 point breakfast, which involved 2 slices of WW bread, zero point cream cheese and zero point jam.

[elektra]

I need to rejoin. I haven't looked into the details but I also read that its basically taking away points from starchy veggies.
I also think it's a good thing as it incentivizes you to eat more veggies instead of other foods that aren't as good for you in the long run. I always thought it was ridiculous that carrots and corn were a few points, but other chemical-y foods were not.

[weech]

... its basically taking away points from starchy veggies.
I also think it's a good thing as it incentivizes you to eat more veggies instead of other foods that aren't as good for you in the long run. I always thought it was ridiculous that carrots and corn were a few points, but other chemical-y foods were not.

:yeahthat:

I think I'm going to be a lot more successful on the new plan. Previously, a cup of Froot Loops was 1 point and a banana was 2. Those hostess 100 calorie chocolate cakes were 1 point, too. It was definitely allowing me to "cheat" a lot. I'm total carb addict (rice, cereal, potatoes, baked goods, etc) and all of the sudden WW has become a LOT more difficult.

ack!

[maydaymommy]

I go to my meeting tomorrow to meet the new plan! But, from what I've read your points allowance is higher, but many foods are recalculated to be more points.

I like WW, but I have felt like it rewards you for eating crappy fake foods with no nutrition. Hopefully, that is remedied now.

I hope it's not tooooo hard!

[DebbieJ]

this is good to hear!

[LexyLou]

I might actually like this new plan. I'm a clean eater believer and my biggest issue with WW was that it didn't matter if you ate crap as long as it was within your points. I lie being rewarded for eating healthy and clean.

[snowbunnies300]

Just got back from my meeting. WHAT A ZOO!!! I've never seen that many people at the Wed morning time. The meeting started late and I had to leave early so I didn't hear everything. You are told to put all of your old materials in a box and send it packing. You can't use the old Momentum program and the new. Just won't work. They talk about how there is new scientific research about how your body uses calories etc.. So most veggies are 0 points and all fruit(s) are 0 points. Most foods are now higher in points. The focus seemed to be that the body processes fiber and protein differently than carbs and fat (more to this in the materials and of course they are upstairs and I am downstairs!).

If you have an old tracker you can't use it anymore. You now need to know calories, fat, protein and carb/fiber to calculate the new point values. They are having specials on the new program materials and trackers. They also had all new boxes of the WW snacks, shakes and bars.

So we shall see. This is really suppose to help jump start your diet. Our leader lost an additional 4 pounds in the last month following the new plan. anything to help on this journey is welcome here. I've got a very long way to go and anything that makes it easier is greatly appreciated by me. I just hope this wasn't a smoke and mirrors thing to get people to buy new merchandise. I guess time will tell.

[LD92599]

Those hostess 100 calorie chocolate cakes were 1 point, too. It was definitely allowing me to "cheat" a lot. I'm total carb addict (rice, cereal, potatoes, baked goods, etc) and all of the sudden WW has become a LOT more difficult

I'm realizing this too! Apparently i love my carbs.........

And those hostess cupcakes, YUM! And even better frozen....

[jgenie]

How tough would it be for a newbie to get started? I've never done WW. I'm still carrying around pregnancy weight and would love to drop it this winter. What is the cost? TIA

[bubbaray]

How tough would it be for a newbie to get started? I've never done WW. I'm still carrying around pregnancy weight and would love to drop it this winter. What is the cost? TIA


WW is pretty easy. It runs around $10US a week, sometimes they have specials. I think you have to purchase the new points calculator (it used to be included in the registration fee).

[LD92599]

VERY crowded...i went on Monday to a lunch time meeting soley to get familiar w/ it and get the materials. My usual weigh in is Thursday AM so i'll get weighed tomorrow and then dive in.

Also, etools weren't working and I'm sad to see they added alot of flash so i can't use etools on my ipad, though there's an ipad app in the works at least!

In addition, as a PP mentioned, all of the existing calculators, etc are history! And there's no paper slide rule calculator either, you pretty much either need eTools on a smartphone or their calculator.

This also means the sites such as dottie's are no longer updated (most likely!).

I think we should start another post of our favorites and what the pointsplus values are.

[LD92599]

is the weekly allowance. 49 points.

[maydaymommy]

... And 29 points is the default minimum. No one's points allowance is lower than that.

It would be a good time for anyone to get started, a more difficult time to continue if you've been having some success.

[bubbaray]

I sure hope Dotties is updated.

[weech]

What's Dotties?!

[snowbunnies300]

Dottie's website has the point totals for many resturants. Now of course, those totals can be off but it gives you a better idea of what food is served and their point. To find her site just google.

And yes I believe the total weekly allowance is 49.

[mskitty]

You'll convinced me to go to my WW at work meeting for the first time in months. I still made lifetime. Waaahoooo!


WW is pretty easy. It runs around $10US a week, sometimes they have specials. I think you have to purchase the new points calculator (it used to be included in the registration fee).

I paid $12 today as I had not weighed in for months. Our leader said that the calculater is half off in December ($5.95 I think). Limit one.


is the weekly allowance. 49 points.
35 points for lifetime/maintence.

I think this is a positive change. I never quite followed the previous plans as I ate too many servings of fruit to do the regular program and a little too much "crap" to do CORE as recommended. This will help people to make truly healthier choices. Bring on the fruits and veggies :)

mskitty

[swrc00]

I know in the Atlanta area it is $13 a week. Does anyone know if there are any registration deals right now?

[elektra]

I sure hope Dotties is updated.

ooh I bet it's not. :(
I eat out so much and I always used that site!

[weech]

So I stayed within my points and gained .6 pounds this past week.

Awesome.

[diegosmom]

Anyone nursing exclusively and using the plan. I haven't done WW in a long time. I just had my 3rd child so I'm much heavier than I've ever been before but the daily point allowance seems really high. I know they have reworked the plan but so far I haven't seen a dramatic increase in point values for the food I eat. Granted this is my first day back but it seems off.

[AnnieW625]

I tried the plan last week just by tracking online, plus it was the time of the month and I hadn't weighed in in 3 weeks so I was up 2.6 lbs. :( . My meeting was packed at 7 am on a Saturday morning.

I have tracked everyday so far and honestly I was a horrible tracker with the old plan (and because I was a Lifetimer and maintaining I didn't have to be strict about it), but I am somewhat regenrized with the new plan and it makes me track.

In the US they have the Monthly Pass which is $40 a month and includes online tracking. It's the best deal I have found. I didn't buy the new points calculator (or the old one, I just used the slide rule).

Crossing my fingers I lose this week or I might just have to find another day of the week to weigh in, I am starting to think that Saturdays aren't great days for me.

eta: just went to login to WW.com to log in my daily points and found this article from the NY Daily News about the new WW Points Plan (http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2010/12/07/2010-12-07_new_weight_watchers_point_system_may_encourage_ dieters_to_eat_healthier_experts_.html)

[LD92599]

Anyone nursing exclusively and using the plan. I haven't done WW in a long time. I just had my 3rd child so I'm much heavier than I've ever been before but the daily point allowance seems really high. I know they have reworked the plan but so far I haven't seen a dramatic increase in point values for the food I eat. Granted this is my first day back but it seems off.

I'm nursing FT and in the beginning i thought wow that's a ton of points (on the old). I'm trying to stick to my regular points and not consider the nursing points but in the end i'm probably using the nursing points here and there. I need to track better and i've noticed a HUGE improvement in tracking w/ the etools and iphone app this time around. I'm losing about 1-2 lbs per week which i'm content with. I know i totally over did it yesterday on a few things but i hope i counterbalanced it enough in the end. Will find out in 36 hours.

[diegosmom]

How did you figure out the number of nursing points? Hope it goes well for you tomorrow. Keep me posted.

[BabyBearsMom]

Okay, so I am late to this thread. I started doing the on line membership this weekend and so far, I am loving it. I love how it really pushes you towards really healthy food. I am eating tons of fruits and veggies and it is delicious. Anyone want to share any great recipes that they have made on WW? I am feeling really inspired and positive.

[Green_Tea]

No recipes or tips, but I joined and attended my first meeting today. I want to lose 25 lbs. I really should have had breakfast AFTER the meeting, because if I had realized how my (now) 10 pt breakfast would have impacted my day, I would have made different choices.

I think the new way of calculating that includes carbs is going to require a big adjustment of mindset for me. I have always been a carb-lovin' girl. I am also a little panicky about wine being 1 pt per ounce! :shake:

ETA: OMG, just calculated my beloved Vitatops: they went from 1 pt each to 3 pts. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[BabyBearsMom]

No recipes or tips, but I joined and attended my first meeting today. I want to lose 25 lbs. I really should have had breakfast AFTER the meeting, because if I had realized how my (now) 10 pt breakfast would have impacted my day, I would have made different choices.

I think the new way of calculating that includes carbs is going to require a big adjustment of mindset for me. I have always been a carb-lovin' girl. I am also a little panicky about wine being 1 pt per ounce! :shake:

ETA: OMG, just calculated my beloved Vitatops: they went from 1 pt each to 3 pts. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I love Vitatops too. So far, I have found that with fruit being free, I tend to have a lot of points left over at the end of the day, so I am trying to evenly distribute my points throughout the day. Here is what I have eaten today:

Breakfast (7am):

4 point breakfast sandwich (by the brand that makes vitatops)

Mid-morning snack (10am):
1/2 Grapefruit and 6oz of fat free greek yogurt 3 points

Lunch (12:30pm):
Salad with 1 oz cheese, 2 Tbsp sliced almonds, 2 slices of turkey bacon and 4 Tbsp of light dressing 9 points. And a 100 calorie cookie pack for 3 pts (I need somethign sweet)

Right now I am eating an apple and I have 1/4 of a cup of hummus (4pts) and some carrot sticks for my late afternoon snack. For dinner, I am having 6 oz of chicken with 1 cup of couscous and mixed veggies. So that will leave me with enough points for 1/2 cup of fat free/sugar free pudding with some raspberries and fat-free cool whip for my snack tonight.

[Green_Tea]

I love Vitatops too. So far, I have found that with fruit being free, I tend to have a lot of points left over at the end of the day, so I am trying to evenly distribute my points throughout the day. Here is what I have eaten today:

Breakfast (7am):

4 point breakfast sandwich (by the brand that makes vitatops)

Mid-morning snack (10am):
1/2 Grapefruit and 6oz of fat free greek yogurt 3 points

Lunch (12:30pm):
Salad with 1 oz cheese, 2 Tbsp sliced almonds, 2 slices of turkey bacon and 4 Tbsp of light dressing 9 points. And a 100 calorie cookie pack for 3 pts (I need somethign sweet)

Right now I am eating an apple and I have 1/4 of a cup of hummus (4pts) and some carrot sticks for my late afternoon snack. For dinner, I am having 6 oz of chicken with 1 cup of couscous and mixed veggies. So that will leave me with enough points for 1/2 cup of fat free/sugar free pudding with some raspberries and fat-free cool whip for my snack tonight.

How are those breakfast sandwiches? I saw those and wondered if they were any good!

[BabyBearsMom]

They aren't bad. Not as delicious as something much worse for you, of course, but totally edible. I was impressed that they kept me full until around 10ish. I had the veggie one.

[Green_Tea]

They aren't bad. Not as delicious as something much worse for you, of course, but totally edible. I was impressed that they kept me full until around 10ish. I had the veggie one.

I am going to try them.

I did MUCH better with points today because I got off to a much better start. I am slowly figuring out what's a good use of points and what's not under the new system. I was delighted to find that my fav TJ's string cheese is only one point! And I sought out the nutritional info for my fav seasonal beer (Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale) and an entire bottle is only 2 POINTS! Apparently it has quite a following of people trying to lose weight :p. I am going to stock up tomorrow because it's only available at this time of year!

Oh, and I went to the movies and didn't buy any popcorn, soda or candy (not that I would have had much of an appetite during Black Swan...)

I am going to keep bumping this thread in hopes that more people will weight in (ha!) and contribute. I need all the advice I can get!

[weech]

I'm having a bit more luck on the plan than I did initially. I'm still trying to figure out how to allocate points throughout the day and what the best things to eat are, though. It's hard work.

One good thing, though, is that I figured out a breakfast that works for me. Now that oatmeal is a million points, I started bringing 1/2 cup of eggbeaters to work and I microwave them with one-two slices of fat free american cheese. 2 points! Add in a banana or an apple, maybe a slice of toast and voila. great breakfast. It seems much more luxurious to me, too :ROTFLMAO:

Probably the most difficult part of this is actually eating fruit. I may be the only person on earth who hates fruit. I like bananas, and I like apples and cantaloupe, but they have to be pre-cut because I hate getting my hands dirty when I eat (weird quirk, I know). Any ideas for cramming in more fruit?

[AnnieW625]

I weigh exactly the same as I did six weeks ago when they started the new program. I only went up .8lbs over Christmas and all the lady who weighed me said, oh that wasn't bad for the holidays. What kind of encouragement is that? I am still trying my best. I have a love/hate relationship with my local meeting and their scales. I like weighing myself naked on my own scale in my bathroom. So I am giving myself another month of meetings and if it doesn't work I will just do etools and do it on my own. I have tracked everyday since Saturday. So I am really hoping for a loss of at least that weight, plus a few extra ounces. I'd like to be 20lbs down by DD2s first birthday at the end of April. A lb. a week would be nice, but that's pretty doubtful based on past weight loss.

Sorry for being a Debbie Downer, but I had to get that off my chest!

[Green_Tea]

I weigh exactly the same as I did six weeks ago when they started the new program. I only went up .8lbs over Christmas and all the lady who weighed me said, oh that wasn't bad for the holidays. What kind of encouragement is that? I am still trying my best. I have a love/hate relationship with my local meeting and their scales. I like weighing myself naked on my own scale in my bathroom. So I am giving myself another month of meetings and if it doesn't work I will just do etools and do it on my own. I have tracked everyday since Saturday. So I am really hoping for a loss of at least that weight, plus a few extra ounces. I'd like to be 20lbs down by DD2s first birthday at the end of April. A lb. a week would be nice, but that's pretty doubtful based on past weight loss.

Sorry for being a Debbie Downer, but I had to get that off my chest!

Not a downer at all :hug:. I am still in the enthusiastic stage because I haven't had a second weigh in yet! But I am nervous because I have had a hard time losing over the past year, and I'm not at all optimistic that I will lose this time either.

[alirebco]

I weigh exactly the same as I did six weeks ago when they started the new program. I only went up .8lbs over Christmas and all the lady who weighed me said, oh that wasn't bad for the holidays. What kind of encouragement is that? I am still trying my best. I have a love/hate relationship with my local meeting and their scales. I like weighing myself naked on my own scale in my bathroom. So I am giving myself another month of meetings and if it doesn't work I will just do etools and do it on my own. I have tracked everyday since Saturday. So I am really hoping for a loss of at least that weight, plus a few extra ounces. I'd like to be 20lbs down by DD2s first birthday at the end of April. A lb. a week would be nice, but that's pretty doubtful based on past weight loss.

Sorry for being a Debbie Downer, but I had to get that off my chest!

How much fruit are you eating? Sometimes overdoing it on fruit will cause you to stall or even gain because of all the sugar.

Also, look at your carbs. I have done WW before but I think a better use of points are protein and good fats. If you're eating a lot of bread, pasta, rice, etc, some people won't lose weight, even if you're staying within your points.

[BabyBearsMom]

How much fruit are you eating? Sometimes overdoing it on fruit will cause you to stall or even gain because of all the sugar.

Also, look at your carbs. I have done WW before but I think a better use of points are protein and good fats. If you're eating a lot of bread, pasta, rice, etc, some people won't lose weight, even if you're staying within your points.

They changed the plan so now it looks at fat, protein, carbs and fiber, instead of calories. They did make fruit and veggies free now.

[alirebco]

They changed the plan so now it looks at fat, protein, carbs and fiber, instead of calories. They did make fruit and veggies free now.

I know about all fruit being free now, even bananas, that's why I was asking how much she was consuming. Even if it's free, it still has an impact because of the sugar in it. It's best to stick to low sugar fruit - berries, green apples - when trying to lose weight.

[BabyBearsMom]

I am going to try them.

I did MUCH better with points today because I got off to a much better start. I am slowly figuring out what's a good use of points and what's not under the new system. I was delighted to find that my fav TJ's string cheese is only one point! And I sought out the nutritional info for my fav seasonal beer (Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale) and an entire bottle is only 2 POINTS! Apparently it has quite a following of people trying to lose weight :p. I am going to stock up tomorrow because it's only available at this time of year!

Oh, and I went to the movies and didn't buy any popcorn, soda or candy (not that I would have had much of an appetite during Black Swan...)

I am going to keep bumping this thread in hopes that more people will weight in (ha!) and contribute. I need all the advice I can get!

Woohoo! And bravo for refraining from pop corn! So far I am really liking it, although I haven't checked my weight yet. I'm still having trouble eating all of my points, but I think its because I haven't been eating a lot of carbs because they are so high in points. That is probably why I have had a little bit of a head ache the past few days. I went to the gym today and yesterday during lunch, just walked for 45 minutes, but I feel so proud of myself :)


I'm having a bit more luck on the plan than I did initially. I'm still trying to figure out how to allocate points throughout the day and what the best things to eat are, though. It's hard work.

One good thing, though, is that I figured out a breakfast that works for me. Now that oatmeal is a million points, I started bringing 1/2 cup of eggbeaters to work and I microwave them with one-two slices of fat free american cheese. 2 points! Add in a banana or an apple, maybe a slice of toast and voila. great breakfast. It seems much more luxurious to me, too :ROTFLMAO:

Probably the most difficult part of this is actually eating fruit. I may be the only person on earth who hates fruit. I like bananas, and I like apples and cantaloupe, but they have to be pre-cut because I hate getting my hands dirty when I eat (weird quirk, I know). Any ideas for cramming in more fruit?

Oooooh, your breakfast sounds awesome! I might start doing that. If you don't like fruit, do you like veggies? As we "speak" I am eating a salad with baby romaine, sugar snap peas, cucumbers and carrots, that is at least 2 servings of veggies. I top it with a low fat sesame vinagrette, some left over grilled chicken and some sliced almonds to make it filling. The big pain is having the diligence and commitment to prepare my lunch every night.


I weigh exactly the same as I did six weeks ago when they started the new program. I only went up .8lbs over Christmas and all the lady who weighed me said, oh that wasn't bad for the holidays. What kind of encouragement is that? I am still trying my best. I have a love/hate relationship with my local meeting and their scales. I like weighing myself naked on my own scale in my bathroom. So I am giving myself another month of meetings and if it doesn't work I will just do etools and do it on my own. I have tracked everyday since Saturday. So I am really hoping for a loss of at least that weight, plus a few extra ounces. I'd like to be 20lbs down by DD2s first birthday at the end of April. A lb. a week would be nice, but that's pretty doubtful based on past weight loss.

Sorry for being a Debbie Downer, but I had to get that off my chest!

:hug: It can be so hard, and yuo did great not even gaining a full pound over Christmas. That is such a hard time. Are you tracking consistently? I found in my past attempts at WW, I do great until I stop tracking. The other way I fall off track is that I stop weighing and measuring and my portion sizes go up. Maybe, if you are still having trouble and are comfortable with it, you could post what you've eaten for a few days and we can share ideas about what we are eating that is working? Let me know if there is any way I can help support you and don't worry about being a Debbie Downer. This is very hard to do. If it was easy to lose weight, we wouldn't be on this thread!

[weech]

Woohoo! And bravo for refraining from pop corn! So far I am really liking it, although I haven't checked my weight yet. I'm still having trouble eating all of my points, but I think its because I haven't been eating a lot of carbs because they are so high in points. That is probably why I have had a little bit of a head ache the past few days. I went to the gym today and yesterday during lunch, just walked for 45 minutes, but I feel so proud of myself :)

Oooooh, your breakfast sounds awesome! I might start doing that. If you don't like fruit, do you like veggies? As we "speak" I am eating a salad with baby romaine, sugar snap peas, cucumbers and carrots, that is at least 2 servings of veggies. I top it with a low fat sesame vinagrette, some left over grilled chicken and some sliced almonds to make it filling. The big pain is having the diligence and commitment to prepare my lunch every night.


Seriously, you have trouble eating all your points?! Share your secrets, woman! What are you eating?! :ROTFLMAO:

I do love veggies, but I'm not a huge salad eater. I will, however, eat an entire bag of steamed veggies (broccoli, green beans, brussels sprouts, spinach, etc) by myself.

I'm curious --- how do you guys structure your eating for the day? I know some people do breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack/dessert. I typically eat breakfast at 9:30a, maybe a small snack around 11 or 12, lunch around 2, dinner around 7, and dessert. Maybe I should build in more snacks? I like to eat a lot at a time rather than a little bit here and there, which is probably not good.

[hellokitty]

Weird question. Do they have different points for women who are nursing and EBF, vs ones who are nursing babies who are eating solids? Or is a nursing woman just lumped into one category regardless of whether her baby is on solids yet or not?

[BabyBearsMom]

Weird question. Do they have different points for women who are nursing and EBF, vs ones who are nursing babies who are eating solids? Or is a nursing woman just lumped into one category regardless of whether her baby is on solids yet or not?

They give you extra points when you nurse and fewer extra points once your baby goes on solids. It used to be 10 pts for exclusively nursing and 5 pts for nursing with some kind of supplement (solids or formulas). Not sure what it is on the new plan.

[BabyBearsMom]

Seriously, you have trouble eating all your points?! Share your secrets, woman! What are you eating?! :ROTFLMAO:

I do love veggies, but I'm not a huge salad eater. I will, however, eat an entire bag of steamed veggies (broccoli, green beans, brussels sprouts, spinach, etc) by myself.

I'm curious --- how do you guys structure your eating for the day? I know some people do breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack/dessert. I typically eat breakfast at 9:30a, maybe a small snack around 11 or 12, lunch around 2, dinner around 7, and dessert. Maybe I should build in more snacks? I like to eat a lot at a time rather than a little bit here and there, which is probably not good.

I eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. Here is what I am eating today (I have a 42pt a day allotment...I am embarassingly overweight):

Breakfast 7am:
Vitatop breakfast sandwich - 4pts
Coffee with milk - 1pts

Morning Snack 10:30am:
Grape fruit - 0 pts
6oz Greek Yogurt - 3pts

Lunch (1pm):
Granola Bar - 4pts
Salad with 3oz grilled chicken, 2 Tbsp almonds and 4 TBSP of Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing - 7 pts

Afternoon snack (planned for 3:30pm):
2 clementines - 0 pts
1c carrot sticks - 0 pts
1/4c hummus - 4pts

Dinner (planned 6:30pm):
Salisbury Steak (WW Recipe) - 5pts
Roasted Potatos - 4pts
Steamed broccoli - 0 pts

Snack (planned 8:30pm):
1c fat free/sugar free pudding - 2pts
2 Tbsp fat free ready whip - 0 pts
1c frozen raspberries, thawed - 0 pts
100 calorie pack of cookies mixed into pudding - 3pts

So that adds up to 37 points, and since i have 42 points according to the calculator, I need to use up an extra 5pts somewhere along the way. I will probably drink a glass of milk with dinner to use up some of it.

[Green_Tea]

So I've done well with day 2. Went to TJ's today and got the Laughing Cow Light Bleu Cheese wedges and OMG they are so good and only 1 pt! I need to get some Wasa Bread to spread them on :).

Also sort of invented a yummy soup recipe - sort of a takeoff on the zero point veggie soup. I wanted something with protein in it that was hearty enough to serve for dinner. Even DH liked it. It is not zero points, but I estimate it to be about 3 pts a bowl. I did the math and there are 21 points in the entire pot! Really good with a little parm on top.

Seat Of My Pants Soup

2 carrots
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 32 oz box of fat free chicken broth
1 14.5 oz can of fat free chicken broth
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can of cannellini beans
1.25 lbs ground turkey
Half a bag of baby spinach
1 small zucchini

Put chicken broth and crushed tomatoes in a large pot set to low/medium to warm. In a frying pan saute onion, garlic and carrots (I used olive oil cooking spray for zero points) until softened but not mushy. Add to broth/tomato mixture. Wilt baby spinach in the frying pan (use more spray if necessary) and add to soup. Saute ground turkey until fully cooked and add to soup. Dice the zucchini and rinse beans, and add both to soup (do not saute). Bring to a boil for a few minutes to adequately soften veggies. Serve hot with parmesan cheese and wine (because you saved a bunch of points!).

I am guessing it makes at least 8 servings, so a little less than 3 points per serving. Super yummy!

[AnnieW625]

How much fruit are you eating? Sometimes overdoing it on fruit will cause you to stall or even gain because of all the sugar.

Also, look at your carbs. I have done WW before but I think a better use of points are protein and good fats. If you're eating a lot of bread, pasta, rice, etc, some people won't lose weight, even if you're staying within your points.

I am starting to think that the grains might be part of the problem carb wise, plus I have IBS w/constipation which gets worse when I eat too much wheat so I am starting to think that the wheat needs to go for a while. I did pretty well when they had the core plan in 2004 pre DD1; I would use most of my points for full fat cheese, and a <4 pt. treat daily. I am definitely not eating a whole lot of fruit because I am super picky about fruit. I eat tomatoes, avocado, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, and apples. I do eat an occasional orange, canned pineapples in juice, and canned peaches in light syrup. So there is definitely no worry about getting too much water weight from watermelon or eating too many bananas. I eat way more veggies, but carrots are my weakness veggie wise.

[AnnieW625]

They give you extra points when you nurse and fewer extra points once your baby goes on solids. It used to be 10 pts for exclusively nursing and 5 pts for nursing with some kind of supplement (solids or formulas). Not sure what it is on the new plan.

When I was nursing DD2 they gave me 10 points which put me at 32 pts. per day which was entirely too many points. I knocked it back down to 27 points and no extra weekly points and it was much better for me. I don't recall anyone has asked about the extra points for nursing.

[hellokitty]

They give you extra points when you nurse and fewer extra points once your baby goes on solids. It used to be 10 pts for exclusively nursing and 5 pts for nursing with some kind of supplement (solids or formulas). Not sure what it is on the new plan.

Thanks for that info!

[weech]

I eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. Here is what I am eating today (I have a 42pt a day allotment...I am embarassingly overweight):

Breakfast 7am:
Vitatop breakfast sandwich - 4pts
Coffee with milk - 1pts

Morning Snack 10:30am:
Grape fruit - 0 pts
6oz Greek Yogurt - 3pts

Lunch (1pm):
Granola Bar - 4pts
Salad with 3oz grilled chicken, 2 Tbsp almonds and 4 TBSP of Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing - 7 pts

Afternoon snack (planned for 3:30pm):
2 clementines - 0 pts
1c carrot sticks - 0 pts
1/4c hummus - 4pts

Dinner (planned 6:30pm):
Salisbury Steak (WW Recipe) - 5pts
Roasted Potatos - 4pts
Steamed broccoli - 0 pts

Snack (planned 8:30pm):
1c fat free/sugar free pudding - 2pts
2 Tbsp fat free ready whip - 0 pts
1c frozen raspberries, thawed - 0 pts
100 calorie pack of cookies mixed into pudding - 3pts

So that adds up to 37 points, and since i have 42 points according to the calculator, I need to use up an extra 5pts somewhere along the way. I will probably drink a glass of milk with dinner to use up some of it.


Awesome! It always helps me to see how and where different people allocate points. I think I need to do better at snacking so I can eat smaller meals. I also want to try the vitatop breakfast sandwiches!

Do you eat low or non-fat diary? I read somewhere that women who eat higher fat dairy actually lose more weight, but I've always gone for reduced/0% stuff.

[BabyBearsMom]

So I've done well with day 2. Went to TJ's today and got the Laughing Cow Light Bleu Cheese wedges and OMG they are so good and only 1 pt! I need to get some Wasa Bread to spread them on :).

Also sort of invented a yummy soup recipe - sort of a takeoff on the zero point veggie soup. I wanted something with protein in it that was hearty enough to serve for dinner. Even DH liked it. It is not zero points, but I estimate it to be about 3 pts a bowl. I did the math and there are 21 points in the entire pot! Really good with a little parm on top.

Seat Of My Pants Soup

2 carrots
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 32 oz box of fat free chicken broth
1 14.5 oz can of fat free chicken broth
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can of cannellini beans
1.25 lbs ground turkey
Half a bag of baby spinach
1 small zucchini

Put chicken broth and crushed tomatoes in a large pot set to low/medium to warm. In a frying pan saute onion, garlic and carrots (I used olive oil cooking spray for zero points) until softened but not mushy. Add to broth/tomato mixture. Wilt baby spinach in the frying pan (use more spray if necessary) and add to soup. Saute ground turkey until fully cooked and add to soup. Dice the zucchini and rinse beans, and add both to soup (do not saute). Bring to a boil for a few minutes to adequately soften veggies. Serve hot with parmesan cheese and wine (because you saved a bunch of points!).

I am guessing it makes at least 8 servings, so a little less than 3 points per serving. Super yummy!

oooh, I am totally going to make that soup this weekend. The awesome thing about the laughing cow cheeses is that 2 wedges are STILL 1 point if you double the nutrition information. This morning I had a bagel with 2 wedges and it was only 5 points. So yummy and decadent feeling. I love to spread them on celery too.


Awesome! It always helps me to see how and where different people allocate points. I think I need to do better at snacking so I can eat smaller meals. I also want to try the vitatop breakfast sandwiches!

Do you eat low or non-fat diary? I read somewhere that women who eat higher fat dairy actually lose more weight, but I've always gone for reduced/0% stuff.

I eat non-fat dairy, sometimes some low-fat. I wonder why it works?

[Green_Tea]

oooh, I am totally going to make that soup this weekend. The awesome thing about the laughing cow cheeses is that 2 wedges are STILL 1 point if you double the nutrition information. This morning I had a bagel with 2 wedges and it was only 5 points. So yummy and decadent feeling. I love to spread them on celery too.


Juts had another bowl of soup for lunch, and it really is quite good. I find the parm on top really makes it extra yummy, and a Tbsp. is only 1 point! Let me know of you make it!

[alirebco]

I am starting to think that the grains might be part of the problem carb wise, plus I have IBS w/constipation which gets worse when I eat too much wheat so I am starting to think that the wheat needs to go for a while. I did pretty well when they had the core plan in 2004 pre DD1; I would use most of my points for full fat cheese, and a <4 pt. treat daily. I am definitely not eating a whole lot of fruit because I am super picky about fruit. I eat tomatoes, avocado, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, and apples. I do eat an occasional orange, canned pineapples in juice, and canned peaches in light syrup. So there is definitely no worry about getting too much water weight from watermelon or eating too many bananas. I eat way more veggies, but carrots are my weakness veggie wise.

It's not so much the water weight but the amounts of sugar in fruit. Canned pineapple and peaches are going to have a lot so be careful there.

[Green_Tea]

So I went to another WW meeting today (my first was on Monday) and asked them to weigh me because I really want Friday to be my weigh-in day long term. They did a "courtesy weigh" (they weighed me, but didn't enter the data into their system) and I am already down 2.4 pounds! I am sure that this is likely because I have made a big change to the amount of refined carbs I am taking in, so I have lost some "bloat", but it is exactly the kind of encouragement I needed to push through the weekend.

Yay! :cheerleader1::cheerleader1::cheerleader1:

[weech]

So I went to another WW meeting today (my first was on Monday) and asked them to weigh me because I really want Friday to be my weigh-in day long term. They did a "courtesy weigh" (they weighed me, but didn't enter the data into their system) and I am already down 2.4 pounds! I am sure that this is likely because I have made a big change to the amount of refined carbs I am taking in, so I have lost some "bloat", but it is exactly the kind of encouragement I needed to push through the weekend.

Yay! :cheerleader1::cheerleader1::cheerleader1:


That is AWESOME mama! Keep it up! :jammin:

[BabyBearsMom]

So I went to another WW meeting today (my first was on Monday) and asked them to weigh me because I really want Friday to be my weigh-in day long term. They did a "courtesy weigh" (they weighed me, but didn't enter the data into their system) and I am already down 2.4 pounds! I am sure that this is likely because I have made a big change to the amount of refined carbs I am taking in, so I have lost some "bloat", but it is exactly the kind of encouragement I needed to push through the weekend.

Yay! :cheerleader1::cheerleader1::cheerleader1:

Woooooooohooooooooo!:cheerleader1:

[BabyBearsMom]

Anyone want to share ideas about what kind of starches you are eating? I just have to have some kind of starch with dinner or I go off the deep end with my night-time snacking. So far, I have had couscous (4pts/cup), sliced potatoes roasted with herbs and a bit of cooking spray (4pts for 1 large potato) and red beans and rice (5pts/cup). Any other suggestions?

[alirebco]

how about brown rice or sweet potatoes?

[weech]

Anyone want to share ideas about what kind of starches you are eating? I just have to have some kind of starch with dinner or I go off the deep end with my night-time snacking. So far, I have had couscous (4pts/cup), sliced potatoes roasted with herbs and a bit of cooking spray (4pts for 1 large potato) and red beans and rice (5pts/cup). Any other suggestions?

We eat a lot of brown rice, wild rice, baked potatoes, and butternut squash (that's starchy, right?). Also, what about corn? DH loves corn on the cob in the summer - me, not so much.

[BabyBearsMom]

I did my first weigh in yesterday and I lost 3.1lbs :cheerleader1::cheerleader1::cheerleader1::cheerle ader1:

[AnnieW625]

YAY! I didn't weigh in last week; bad excuse couldn't find the time, but overall I feel a bit lighter, and will most likely weigh in mid day on Thursday as I am planning to go to the gym in the morning before work that day.

[Green_Tea]

I did my first weigh in yesterday and I lost 3.1lbs :cheerleader1::cheerleader1::cheerleader1::cheerle ader1:

That's GREAT!! So excited for you :yay:!!!

[BabyBearsMom]

I'm hosting a dinner party Saturday night. Anyone have a great idea for a low point dessert? I downloaded some recipes from the weight watchers website, but any recommendations would be awesome!

[weech]

I'm hosting a dinner party Saturday night. Anyone have a great idea for a low point dessert? I downloaded some recipes from the weight watchers website, but any recommendations would be awesome!

Hmm.. chocolate covered strawberries, an apple crisp (with optional vanilla ice cream), a diet soda (or greek yogurt) chocolate cake topped with sliced strawberries and whipped cream (or Cool Whip Free, my fav).

Also check out www.skinnytaste.com. It's my favorite blog, I get nearly all my recipes from there. She has a ton of dessert recipes - chocolate ricotta mouse, sweet potato pie, red velvet cupcakes, etc. I just made her carrot cake two nights ago and it was divine :)

[happy2bamom]

Can I join you guys? I attended my first meeting last week and have my weigh-in tonight. I really don't like weighing in at night. I feel like whatever I eat today is going to effect my weigh-in. Plus the scale is much more friendly in the mornings :) I've tracked everything and stayed within my points, so I'm expecting a loss. Here's hoping anyway ....

[Green_Tea]

Can I join you guys? I attended my first meeting last week and have my weigh-in tonight. I really don't like weighing in at night. I feel like whatever I eat today is going to effect my weigh-in. Plus the scale is much more friendly in the mornings :) I've tracked everything and stayed within my points, so I'm expecting a loss. Here's hoping anyway ....

Of course you can join us!! Welcome!! :love-retry:

Good luck at tonight's weigh in! (I feel the same way about evening weigh ins, FWIW!)

[BabyBearsMom]

Can I join you guys? I attended my first meeting last week and have my weigh-in tonight. I really don't like weighing in at night. I feel like whatever I eat today is going to effect my weigh-in. Plus the scale is much more friendly in the mornings :) I've tracked everything and stayed within my points, so I'm expecting a loss. Here's hoping anyway ....

Welcome!! And congratulations on staying within your points and tracking, I'm sure you will have a successful weigh in!

[BabyBearsMom]

Hmm.. chocolate covered strawberries, an apple crisp (with optional vanilla ice cream), a diet soda (or greek yogurt) chocolate cake topped with sliced strawberries and whipped cream (or Cool Whip Free, my fav).

Also check out www.skinnytaste.com. It's my favorite blog, I get nearly all my recipes from there. She has a ton of dessert recipes - chocolate ricotta mouse, sweet potato pie, red velvet cupcakes, etc. I just made her carrot cake two nights ago and it was divine :)

Thanks for the recommendations. I'm allergic to strawberries though :(

I think I am going to try this one: http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/prt/recipe.aspx?Type=1&RecipeID=129171

Random side note, I made the chicken with broccoli rabe over polenta recipe that is in the most recent WW magazine for dinner last night. It was FABULOUS. I replaced the water with chicken broth when I made the polenta and DH asked me how I could have possilby made that for just 7 points.

[Green_Tea]

I have to try some of the WW recipes. I find myself afraid to eat meals I cook for the family because I am worried about underestimating the points.

[BabyBearsMom]

I have to try some of the WW recipes. I find myself afraid to eat meals I cook for the family because I am worried about underestimating the points.

I am loving the recipes. First, it is great to get some new foods into the rotation. Second, they actually taste really good. DH is sort of doing weight watchers with me and has said that since we started he thinks his dinners are better than before we started. Plus, DD, who eats finger foods, can eat most of what I cook, since it is a lot of fresh veggies and grilled meats. Now I don't have to make her separate healthy food because we are eating junk. Plus, its saves me time by only having to make one meal.

[weech]

Okay ladies, I need your help! My fabulous egg beaters breakfast worked for a while, but now I'm getting tired of it.

What do you eat for breakfast?

[BabyBearsMom]

Okay ladies, I need your help! My fabulous egg beaters breakfast worked for a while, but now I'm getting tired of it.

What do you eat for breakfast?

I usually have either a Vitamuffin Breakfast sandwich with fruit (4 points) or a Thomas' Bagel Thin with a wedge of the laughing cow cheese (I like the onion flavored cheese) with fruit for 4 points. On the weekends, I make a veggie omlet with one real egg, one egg white and fat free cheese and will usually broil 2 slices of turkey bacon for 6 points. Nothing super exciting though. I'm interested to see what other people are eating.

[boolady]

I have to have a sturdier breakfast, or it will bite me on the rear later in the day. I've been having coffee w/just a splash of skim milk (1 pt.) and Trader Joe's frozen steel cut oatmeal (4 points) with 1 TBSP. of organic peanut butter stirred in (3 points). You could cut up an apple or banana into that and add no extra points. I just really need the protein in the morning.

I know that for some, 8 points for breakfast is a lot, but I don't usually get the chance to have an a.m. snack and it's got to get me through until at least 12:30 or later. If I do get the chance for an a.m. snack, I have a couple of clementines, since they're no points.

[weech]

I have to have a sturdier breakfast, or it will bite me on the rear later in the day. I've been having coffee w/just a splash of skim milk (1 pt.) and Trader Joe's frozen steel cut oatmeal (4 points) with 1 TBSP. of organic peanut butter stirred in (3 points). You could cut up an apple or banana into that and add no extra points. I just really need the protein in the morning.

I know that for some, 8 points for breakfast is a lot, but I don't usually get the chance to have an a.m. snack and it's got to get me through until at least 12:30 or later. If I do get the chance for an a.m. snack, I have a couple of clementines, since they're no points.


Interesting approach. I'm wondering if maybe I'm not eating enough points at breakfast. I usually eat 4-5 pts at 8-9am, and then I don't eat lunch until 2pm. Maybe I'm letting myself get too hungry? I feel like I'm way too hungry in the afternoon and evening.

[boolady]

Interesting approach. I'm wondering if maybe I'm not eating enough points at breakfast. I usually eat 4-5 pts at 8-9am, and then I don't eat lunch until 2pm. Maybe I'm letting myself get too hungry? I feel like I'm way too hungry in the afternoon and evening.

Yeah, this would never work for me. I think going on 4-5 points until 2 p.m. has to be very difficult...if you get 29 points minimum for the day, not including the 49 for the week, you're not going on much at all for at least 4-5 hours. I've actually been feeling really good doing it this way, I usually eat a smaller 5-6ish point lunch (I've been taking leftovers for lunch, but in a lesser portion), then have some fruit or carrots or something late afternoon/before I leave work. That way when I get home and we still have to START making dinner, I'm not ravenous and crazed for food.

It's been leaving me plenty of points, because I'm finding that with most vegetables 0 points, we're not having huge point dinners...for example, last night we had Pork Tenderloin with Red and Yellow Peppers (5 pts.), roasted zucchini (I used a spray of Pam in the pan, so no points, but you could add a teaspoon of olive oil for 1 point), DD and DH had some leftover salad, and I had an apple b/c I didn't feel like salad. That's a pretty healthy but also pretty filling 6 point dinner, b/c believe me...I ate at least 2 cups of the zucchini, and with the peppers and the apple, I was full. We're not big after-dinner snackers, and my main period of weakness has always been late afternoon. Eating breakfast seems to help quash breakthrough hunger for me as does the ability to eat a piece or two of fruit or veg. if I need to to get me through until dinner.

[BabyBearsMom]

Interesting approach. I'm wondering if maybe I'm not eating enough points at breakfast. I usually eat 4-5 pts at 8-9am, and then I don't eat lunch until 2pm. Maybe I'm letting myself get too hungry? I feel like I'm way too hungry in the afternoon and evening.

Wow, aren't you starving by 2? I usually eat at 7, 10, 12, 3, 6 and 8, because if I get hungry, it gets ugly. I think boolady's breakfast sounds super yummy!

[weech]

Yeah, this would never work for me. I think going on 4-5 points until 2 p.m. has to be very difficult...if you get 29 points minimum for the day, not including the 49 for the week, you're not going on much at all for at least 4-5 hours. I've actually been feeling really good doing it this way, I usually eat a smaller 5-6ish point lunch (I've been taking leftovers for lunch, but in a lesser portion), then have some fruit or carrots or something late afternoon/before I leave work. That way when I get home and we still have to START making dinner, I'm not ravenous and crazed for food.

It's been leaving me plenty of points, because I'm finding that with most vegetables 0 points, we're not having huge point dinners...for example, last night we had Pork Tenderloin with Red and Yellow Peppers (5 pts.), roasted zucchini (I used a spray of Pam in the pan, so no points, but you could add a teaspoon of olive oil for 1 point), DD and DH had some leftover salad, and I had an apple b/c I didn't feel like salad. That's a pretty healthy but also pretty filling 6 point dinner, b/c believe me...I ate at least 2 cups of the zucchini, and with the peppers and the apple, I was full. We're not big after-dinner snackers, and my main period of weakness has always been late afternoon. Eating breakfast seems to help quash breakthrough hunger for me as does the ability to eat a piece or two of fruit or veg. if I need to to get me through until dinner.

Agreed, I probably need to step it up with breakfast. I tend to load up on food at night (I like to eat a big dinner and usually want dessert), so I guess I was trying to offset that.

I think I'll try to make two veggies at dinner instead of a carb and a veggie. So hard! Getting much better with the fruit eating, though. yay!

[boolady]

Agreed, I probably need to step it up with breakfast. I tend to load up on food at night (I like to eat a big dinner and usually want dessert), so I guess I was trying to offset that.

I think I'll try to make two veggies at dinner instead of a carb and a veggie. So hard! Getting much better with the fruit eating, though. yay!

Believe me, I love me some carbs, too. That's one of my biggest problems, and that's why I am feeling really motivated by Points Plus vs. the old way, which I started last year and gave up on really quickly-- I could still cheat by loading up on carbs, and since they charged you points for fruits and veggies, there was no incentive (in my carbaholic mind) to choose them instead.

The amount of fruits and vegetables I've eaten this week has been amazing, and in moments of extreme hunger [i.e. the after-work hunger I mentioned or whatever], it feels great to eat 1/2 an apple and not feel like I'm doing something wrong for it. I do feel like finally it's retraining me to eat the right kinds of things. So yes, most nights, we've been doing 2 vegetables and a protein, but last night, we had a chicken dish (Cooking Light recipe) that was 5 points, and they suggested pasta on the side, so instead of the enormous mound of pasta I would have had before, I had 1/2 a cup, which was 3 points. It was enough to enjoy the sauce from the chicken, and then we also had steamed green beans. I ended up peeling a few clementines around 8:30, but it worked out well. I don't intend to avoid all carbs-- I know that's completely unrealistic for me, I'm just shifting the amounts and the types.

[BabyBearsMom]

The amount of fruits and vegetables I've eaten this week has been amazing, and in moments of extreme hunger [i.e. the after-work hunger I mentioned or whatever], it feels great to eat 1/2 an apple and not feel like I'm doing something wrong for it. I do feel like finally it's retraining me to eat the right kinds of things.

:yeahthat: to the extreme. I feel way more in control this time around. I have done WW several times but I always feel like I am trying to find ways to cheat. This time, I feel really inspired to eat healthy foods. It is also encouraging me to buy fruit and veggies that I don't normally buy but like. So this week, I bought a bunch of pineapple at Costco. I have been cutting it up and eating it for snacks and tonight I am making a shrimp pineapple asian stir fry. I also like it cut up in a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese for breakfast. Its fun to incorporate something we don't usually eat into my diet.

[weech]

Believe me, I love me some carbs, too. That's one of my biggest problems, and that's why I am feeling really motivated by Points Plus vs. the old way, which I started last year and gave up on really quickly-- I could still cheat by loading up on carbs, and since they charged you points for fruits and veggies, there was no incentive (in my carbaholic mind) to choose them instead.

The amount of fruits and vegetables I've eaten this week has been amazing, and in moments of extreme hunger [i.e. the after-work hunger I mentioned or whatever], it feels great to eat 1/2 an apple and not feel like I'm doing something wrong for it. I do feel like finally it's retraining me to eat the right kinds of things. So yes, most nights, we've been doing 2 vegetables and a protein, but last night, we had a chicken dish (Cooking Light recipe) that was 5 points, and they suggested pasta on the side, so instead of the enormous mound of pasta I would have had before, I had 1/2 a cup, which was 3 points. It was enough to enjoy the sauce from the chicken, and then we also had steamed green beans. I ended up peeling a few clementines around 8:30, but it worked out well. I don't intend to avoid all carbs-- I know that's completely unrealistic for me, I'm just shifting the amounts and the types.


I'm kind of torn. I want to learn to eat healthier, because like you, I am a HUGE carb addict. But I also cheated a ton on the old plan (eating carbs, not extra points) and lost 30lbs. Now I'm on the new plan and barely losing, and I feel kind of lost. Maybe it'll just take a few more weeks to get into a groove. Going from eating carbs and packaged food to fresh fruits and veggies is a pretty big lifestyle change for me!

This thread is super helpful. :thumbsup:

[weech]

:yeahthat: to the extreme. I feel way more in control this time around. I have done WW several times but I always feel like I am trying to find ways to cheat. This time, I feel really inspired to eat healthy foods. It is also encouraging me to buy fruit and veggies that I don't normally buy but like. So this week, I bought a bunch of pineapple at Costco. I have been cutting it up and eating it for snacks and tonight I am making a shrimp pineapple asian stir fry. I also like it cut up in a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese for breakfast. Its fun to incorporate something we don't usually eat into my diet.


You plan on sharing your stir fry recipe, right?! :D

[BabyBearsMom]

You plan on sharing your stir fry recipe, right?! :D

I will see how it turns out. So far, it is basically me looking at the veggies in my fridge that are about to go bad and throwing them in :) Hopefully it will turn out yummy and I will of course share.

P.S., I think that the weight loss on this plan will be a little slower, but I think it will be easier to maintain.

P.P.S. I love this thread! I am not going to meetings because it is just too hard to get them on my calendar right now and actually go, so you ladies have been my life savers :hug5:

[boolady]

P.S., I think that the weight loss on this plan will be a little slower, but I think it will be easier to maintain.

I think you're right. I do think that it will be a bit slower, especially at first, but will be the kind of steady, 1-2 lbs. per week that stays off, because it's really a total lifestyle change. And I agree...this thread is great. I'm doing it online alone, too, so this is a really good tradeoff as opposed to meetings, which I would never get to.

[BabyBearsMom]

Okay ladies, the result of my stir fry was kind of meh, but I have ideas for improvement. This makes two big servings:

I heated 2 Tbsp of dark sesame oil in a pan. I added some diced onions, and sliced mushrooms and let those cook up until softened. Then I added some fresh sugar snap peas, and some shredded carrots and a little bit of left over peas from last nights dinner and some large diced up pieces of pineapple. I sprinkled liberally with some ground ginger (probably about 1 TBSP). Then I added the shrimp and cooked until they were pink. I served on top of 1 cup of steamed brown rice. If you count the peas as a serving (which is being conservative since there was maybe 1/2 cup in the entire dish) it was 14 pts. Shrimp - 5 pts, Rice - 5 pts, Oil - 3 pts, Peas -1 pt. It was a lot of shrimp and I think it would have been fine with less shrimp to lower the points.

Next time, I want to add some garlic and some soy sauce to give it a little more flavor, but all in all a very yummy meal. DH said it "wasn't bad" which is saying a lot since he hates asian food.

[weech]

Okay ladies, the result of my stir fry was kind of meh, but I have ideas for improvement. This makes two big servings:

I heated 2 Tbsp of dark sesame oil in a pan. I added some diced onions, and sliced mushrooms and let those cook up until softened. Then I added some fresh sugar snap peas, and some shredded carrots and a little bit of left over peas from last nights dinner and some large diced up pieces of pineapple. I sprinkled liberally with some ground ginger (probably about 1 TBSP). Then I added the shrimp and cooked until they were pink. I served on top of 1 cup of steamed brown rice. If you count the peas as a serving (which is being conservative since there was maybe 1/2 cup in the entire dish) it was 14 pts. Shrimp - 5 pts, Rice - 5 pts, Oil - 3 pts, Peas -1 pt. It was a lot of shrimp and I think it would have been fine with less shrimp to lower the points.

Next time, I want to add some garlic and some soy sauce to give it a little more flavor, but all in all a very yummy meal. DH said it "wasn't bad" which is saying a lot since he hates asian food.


This sounds yummy! I'll definitely try it. It makes me want grilled pineapple kabobs - can't wait for the summer!

Are you guys working out at all? I figured I should try to get back in gear and work out some, so I've done 40 minutes so far this week on the treadmill (:bag I know, not a lot). I'm hoping that will give me a little extra boost.

[BabyBearsMom]

This sounds yummy! I'll definitely try it. It makes me want grilled pineapple kabobs - can't wait for the summer!

Are you guys working out at all? I figured I should try to get back in gear and work out some, so I've done 40 minutes so far this week on the treadmill (:bag I know, not a lot). I'm hoping that will give me a little extra boost.

I'm trying. I have been walking on the treadmill. I try to do 45 minutes 4 days a week during my lunch hour. It isn't much (just walking at 3.5 MPH and a 3% incline) but I guess its better than nothing, right?

[boolady]

I'm trying. I have been walking on the treadmill. I try to do 45 minutes 4 days a week during my lunch hour. It isn't much (just walking at 3.5 MPH and a 3% incline) but I guess its better than nothing, right?
Sounds good to me!

[BabyBearsMom]

We had our dinner party tonight and it was a success! I served veggies with dip (I just didn't dip) for appetizers. I made a roast chicken, baked potatoes and steamed green beans for the meal. And for dessert, I made the Warm Brownie Sundae Cake recipe from the weight watchers on line recipes. It was AMAZING! My friend who came to dinner bakes a lot and she was shocked when I told her that it was a WW recipe. It is 6 points, so it is a bit of an indulgence, but that includes the fat free ice cream and chocolate sauce. If you don't do WW on line and need the recipe, let me know. So yummy!

[weech]

I'm trying. I have been walking on the treadmill. I try to do 45 minutes 4 days a week during my lunch hour. It isn't much (just walking at 3.5 MPH and a 3% incline) but I guess its better than nothing, right?

That's awesome! You put me to shame :thumbsup: I wish I had a lunch break, it would be awesome to get that mid-day boost.


We had our dinner party tonight and it was a success! I served veggies with dip (I just didn't dip) for appetizers. I made a roast chicken, baked potatoes and steamed green beans for the meal. And for dessert, I made the Warm Brownie Sundae Cake recipe from the weight watchers on line recipes. It was AMAZING! My friend who came to dinner bakes a lot and she was shocked when I told her that it was a WW recipe. It is 6 points, so it is a bit of an indulgence, but that includes the fat free ice cream and chocolate sauce. If you don't do WW on line and need the recipe, let me know. So yummy!


That sounds delicious! I'll have to try that recipe. I've been craving chocolate like CRAZY lately.

[BabyBearsMom]

This week was kind of depressing. Even though I tracked like crazy, worked out 4 times and stayed within my points every day, I only lost .8 lbs. I know any loss is a good loss, but when it is a fraction of a pound, it is just plain depressing especially when I feel like I was being good :tongue5:

It could be because AF should be starting soon, so I am going to focus on that being the cause.

[weech]

This week was kind of depressing. Even though I tracked like crazy, worked out 4 times and stayed within my points every day, I only lost .8 lbs. I know any loss is a good loss, but when it is a fraction of a pound, it is just plain depressing especially when I feel like I was being good :tongue5:

It could be because AF should be starting soon, so I am going to focus on that being the cause.

It's totally frustrating, but remember, every week is different. There are so many little things going on in the background, who knows the cause. You're doing a great job and your body will catch up when it's ready :)

Having said that, I weigh in tomorrow morning and I'm super nervous!

[BabyBearsMom]

Good luck, weech! I have my fingers crossed for you.

[weech]

Good luck, weech! I have my fingers crossed for you.


Yayy!! I lost 2.8lbs! (Part of me is wondering if my scale is broken...)

:cheerleader1::cheerleader1::cheerleader1:

[boolady]

Yayy!! I lost 2.8lbs! (Part of me is wondering if my scale is broken...)

:cheerleader1::cheerleader1::cheerleader1:

Don't do that! I'm sure your scale is fine. I lost 2 lbs., haven't exercised at all, and was surprised, because I feel like I'm constantly eating, but then I calmed down and really thought about the fact that what I've been eating is so much better for me, and it renews my hope that this will be a positive change for the long term.

[BabyBearsMom]

Congratulation Weech and Boolady!! :cheerleader1:

[Green_Tea]

Congratulation Weech and Boolady!! :cheerleader1:

:yeahthat:
:jammin::jammin::jammin:

[BabyBearsMom]

Ugh! Just had a break down and ate two oatmeal raisin cookies. I calculated the points and they are 8 points. I don't know what is wrong with me today. Yesterday, I sat for a meeting with the cookies right in front of me and didn't touch them. Today, I just couldn't deal. So finally I said, okay eat your lunch, and if one hour after lunch you still want them, you should have them. Sure enough, an hour later, I was still jonesing. So I know I did the right thing, not depriving myself and just writing it in my tracker...but I still feel guilty about eating them.

[Green_Tea]

Ugh! Just had a break down and ate two oatmeal raisin cookies. I calculated the points and they are 8 points. I don't know what is wrong with me today. Yesterday, I sat for a meeting with the cookies right in front of me and didn't touch them. Today, I just couldn't deal. So finally I said, okay eat your lunch, and if one hour after lunch you still want them, you should have them. Sure enough, an hour later, I was still jonesing. So I know I did the right thing, not depriving myself and just writing it in my tracker...but I still feel guilty about eating them.

Let it go and move on. There's nothing else you can do :hug:. DON'T let it give you an excuse for blowing off the whole day (or week!).

FWIW, I have a TON of food guilt I need to work through. I find that whenever I have a treat - even when I stay within my points for the day and budget for it - I feel guilty. Last night I had a beer because I had 12 - TWELVE - points left at the end of the day. I regretted it instantaneously. I am not sure why, but feel like I am failing if I am not super strict with myself. So I can relate to feeling angry about a food choice.

Make good choices for the rest of the day and maybe have a little dance party to burn off a few calories and call it good!

[sarahsthreads]

Ugh! Just had a break down and ate two oatmeal raisin cookies. I calculated the points and they are 8 points. I don't know what is wrong with me today. Yesterday, I sat for a meeting with the cookies right in front of me and didn't touch them. Today, I just couldn't deal. So finally I said, okay eat your lunch, and if one hour after lunch you still want them, you should have them. Sure enough, an hour later, I was still jonesing. So I know I did the right thing, not depriving myself and just writing it in my tracker...but I still feel guilty about eating them.

Don't feel guilty. You wrote them down and tracked them! That's a good thing. :)

And I'm not sure if you live somewhere with snow, but it occurred to me yesterday that shoveling snow (especially the four inches of wet slushy mess that I was trying to get off my 30' driveway before it froze overnight) might count as an activity. Sure enough, 20 minutes of snow shoveling later, I earned myself 2 activity points. So go shovel some snow to make up for it!

Sarah :)

[BabyBearsMom]

Thanks ladies. No snow here. We had an ice storm yesterday but today it is all melted and gone.

[weech]

Ugh! Just had a break down and ate two oatmeal raisin cookies. I calculated the points and they are 8 points. I don't know what is wrong with me today. Yesterday, I sat for a meeting with the cookies right in front of me and didn't touch them. Today, I just couldn't deal. So finally I said, okay eat your lunch, and if one hour after lunch you still want them, you should have them. Sure enough, an hour later, I was still jonesing. So I know I did the right thing, not depriving myself and just writing it in my tracker...but I still feel guilty about eating them.


I do similar things all the time. If I'm in a bad mood, I'll eat cookies or marshmallows and then instantly feel super guilty.

What I try to do, though, is build in dessert or "whoops" points into my day. I try to plan what I'll eat that day (I meal plan, I'm a nerd), and then I can say "you'll have X amount of extra points today. If you eat that cookie now, you can't have dessert/wine/whatever later." Sometimes it works :rotflmao:

And you know what? That's what weekly points are for anyway. Track it, enjoy it, and keep on truckin!

[BabyBearsMom]

Weech, if meal planning is nerdy, then we can wear matching pocket protectors. I meal plan every week and it is a savior.

What is everyone drinking? I don't do caffeine or soda (I gave up caffeine when I got pregnant with DD and it was so hard for me, I refuse to do it again, and soda upsets my stomach), so all I really drink is water. I'm getting sick of water. Any suggestions?

[Green_Tea]

So I braved the snow this morning and drove to WW to weigh in and despite the fact that I stayed well within my points range (splurged last weekend, but did NOT exceed my extra 49 points, and never went over 29 during the week) AND exercised this week, I only lost .8 lb. :( :( :(

I know I should be happy that I lost something, but I really expected that since I have been SO on track and making such good choices that I would lose at least 2 lbs. I have a really hard time staying optimistic and upbeat when my loss is so meager.

It makes me sort of question the new points targets. I am only 4'11". I would like to lose 20 lbs, so I am not tremendously overweight, just a bit fluffy. There are other people at my meetings who are much taller and have more to lose who get the same # of points per day (29). I am not sure how it can possibly work that I can eat as much as those people and still lose 2+ lbs a week (as WW suggests will be the case). Way back in 1999 when I did WW, I got 18-24 points a day, and I lost 2 lbs a week ONLY if I stayed at the bottom of that range. I almost NEVER ate more than 19 points a day. I attribute that mainly to my size - a petite, small person needs fewer calories, right?

It's really hard to head into the weekend and make great choices when I feel like the choices I made this week didn't really pay off, you know?

[BabyBearsMom]

Hey Green Tea,

My weight loss is also slow. I actually think my points target is too high and posted on the WW message board to see if I got any responses. My first week was great 3lbs, but then the second week was next to nothing nad this week is looking like the same. I will tell you if I get any responses over at WW.

BBM

[BabyBearsMom]

DH is doing WW with me, and he went on line and calculated the points for all of the options at Chipotle. Figured I would share (cutting and pasting from excel, sorry for the funky formatting):

Chipotle WW Cheat Sheet

Ingredient Point Plus Value

Tortilla/Burrito 8
Rice 3
Pinto Beans 2
Black Beans 3
Chicken 5
Steak 5
Barbacoa 4
Carnitas 5
Tomato Salsa 1
Green Salsa 0
Red Salsa 1
Corn Salsa 2
Cheese 3
Sour Cream 3
Guacomole 4
Lettuce 0


HTH!

[weech]

About the slow weight loss, I'm sort of in the same camp. I've been doing WW (this time around) since last May, and I feel like I made so much more progress with the old program. I lost about 30lbs. When I switched to the new program, my weight loss slowed down immediately, even though I stay within my daily and weekly points. Yes, its healthier, but I'm still frustrated.

[weech]

.4 pounds this week and I exercised 4 times :(

[happy2bamom]

.4 pounds this week and I exercised 4 times :(

A loss is better than a gain. A loss is better than a gain. A loss is better than a gain.
This has been my mantra. I've weighed in twice and have lost a total of 1.6 pounds. That's after eating complete junk for 2-3 months before I started the program 2 weeks ago. I have been super disappointed with the rate of weight loss so far (and historically I lose faster in the beginning of a program). On a positive note, I do feel better with all the fruits and vegetables that I'm eating.

[BabyBearsMom]

.4 pounds this week and I exercised 4 times :(

It is still a loss!

I did 1.3 lbs this week and was thrilled, after my pathetic showing last week. I didn't do anything different, so who knows.

P.S. Are you guys posting on any of the WW boards? I posted a question to see if other people were also experiencing very slow weight loss, and the participants are so hostile. One person wrote "You are OBVIOUSLY new to the program, it's HEALTHY to lose weight slowly" with those caps. I'm not wishing to loose 8 lbs a day, I just think .5 a week is pretty sad. Another person wrote "You think 3 weeks is slow? I spent a year without losing a pound!" I hope we aren't so mean to new people on BBB. I definitely won't be posting there again.:tongue5:

[weech]

It is still a loss!

I did 1.3 lbs this week and was thrilled, after my pathetic showing last week. I didn't do anything different, so who knows.

P.S. Are you guys posting on any of the WW boards? I posted a question to see if other people were also experiencing very slow weight loss, and the participants are so hostile. One person wrote "You are OBVIOUSLY new to the program, it's HEALTHY to lose weight slowly" with those caps. I'm not wishing to loose 8 lbs a day, I just think .5 a week is pretty sad. Another person wrote "You think 3 weeks is slow? I spent a year without losing a pound!" I hope we aren't so mean to new people on BBB. I definitely won't be posting there again.:tongue5:

DUDE. I've checked out the WW boards a few times hoping for another community to get involved in... and every time, it was awful. People are mean, sarcastic, and strangely okay with losing little to no weight. ack! I thought I was the only one who thought that!

[happy2bamom]

DUDE. I've checked out the WW boards a few times hoping for another community to get involved in... and every time, it was awful. People are mean, sarcastic, and strangely okay with losing little to no weight. ack! I thought I was the only one who thought that!

That's too bad. I wish that they were more supportive. I haven't been on their boards in a LONG time (years) but back then I found a few sub groups (BF moms and gals regional to me) and they were very nice and supportive. I used to frequent the Recipe Review board too, just to get some food ideas. Those were my safe zones. HTH

[BabyBearsMom]

DUDE. I've checked out the WW boards a few times hoping for another community to get involved in... and every time, it was awful. People are mean, sarcastic, and strangely okay with losing little to no weight. ack! I thought I was the only one who thought that!

Glad its not just me, I thought I must seem unlikeable. But seriously, I felt like the chubby girl on the first day of school...and isn't that the feeling I am trying to escape with WW?

[nfowife]

I'm planning on joining next week and doing the nursing program... What are some staples you eat a lot? I want to start right away after the meeting but with a newborn I need to shop and be ready beforehand or I might not get to the store at all. I did the old plan a while back with success so I know the basics but the new plan seems different. Are all fruits and veggies 0 pts?

[weech]

I'm planning on joining next week and doing the nursing program... What are some staples you eat a lot? I want to start right away after the meeting but with a newborn I need to shop and be ready beforehand or I might not get to the store at all. I did the old plan a while back with success so I know the basics but the new plan seems different. Are all fruits and veggies 0 pts?

All fruits and most veggies are 0 pts, so stock up on those. Eat them any way you can. I also eat a lot of egg beaters and/or egg whites, hard boiled eggs, fish (less fatty kind like tilapia), shrimp, broth-based soups, vita muffins, yogurt, natural applesauce.

Good luck! We've got a sweet WW support system here, so you're in the right place :)

[Green_Tea]

Weighed in the morning and was positively THRILLED to have lost 2 lbs after losing only .8 lb last week!! Right now I weigh exactly what I did in 1999 when I started WW before my wedding. I was heavier than I wanted to be (and I ended up losing 28 lbs, which made me *too* thin, but I was 24 and foolish) but that was post-college and pre-kids. Even though I have a good 15-20 lbs to go before I reach my goal weigh, I am proud to have reached the weight I was 12 years ago because a little voice inside me told me that I would never be as thin as I was before I had kids. If I lose 12 more lbs, I will weigh exactly what I did on the day I found out I was pregnant with my firstborn!



I'm planning on joining next week and doing the nursing program... What are some staples you eat a lot? I want to start right away after the meeting but with a newborn I need to shop and be ready beforehand or I might not get to the store at all. I did the old plan a while back with success so I know the basics but the new plan seems different. Are all fruits and veggies 0 pts?

I have been successful by cutting out most refined carbs (crackers, pretzels, bread, pasta, rice) and alcohol. I still have a slice of whole wheat bread with some PB, or I measure out 5 oz of wine a few times a week, but cutting those things while adding in lots of fruits and veggies has made a huge difference. The bonus is that I feel WAY more energetic and less lethargic and droopy.

Here are some things I eat a lot (remember, you get more pts on the new plan):

fruits and veggies - apples, grapes, oranges, bananas, brocolli, asparagus, carrots - all 0 pts
TJ's lowfat string cheese - 1 pt
tbsp peanut butter with apple - 3 pts
wasa crackers - 1 pt each
laughing cow cheese wedges - 1 pt
deli turkey - 1 pt for 2 oz
hard boiled eggs - 2 pts
low sugar oatmeal packets - 3 pts
chicken breast (1 pt per oz) brushed with 1 tsp of mayo (1 pt) and parmesan cheese sprinkled on top (1 pt) - bake for 25 minutes. YUM! This is my favorite dinner, served with a big pile of steamed brocolli.
Quaker reduce sugar choc chip granola bars - 3 pt

Good luck!

[BabyBearsMom]

Weighed in the morning and was positively THRILLED to have lost 2 lbs after losing only .8 lb last week!! Right now I weigh exactly what I did in 1999 when I started WW before my wedding. I was heavier than I wanted to be (and I ended up losing 28 lbs, which made me *too* thin, but I was 24 and foolish) but that was post-college and pre-kids. Even though I have a good 15-20 lbs to go before I reach my goal weigh, I am proud to have reached the weight I was 12 years ago because a little voice inside me told me that I would never be as thin as I was before I had kids. If I lose 12 more lbs, I will weigh exactly what I did on the day I found out I was pregnant with my firstborn!


Woohoo!!!!! I am so happy for you! :cheerleader1::cheerleader1::cheerleader1:

[BabyBearsMom]

I'm planning on joining next week and doing the nursing program... What are some staples you eat a lot? I want to start right away after the meeting but with a newborn I need to shop and be ready beforehand or I might not get to the store at all. I did the old plan a while back with success so I know the basics but the new plan seems different. Are all fruits and veggies 0 pts?

Hi NFOWife! Congratulations on joining the program. So far, I love it. I agree with PP about stocking up on fruits and veggies. The only veggies I have found that are actually points are corn, peas and avocado. Everything else is zero points. Other staples for me are Thomas' Bagel Thins. They are 3 points, but great for breakfast (spread with a little peanut butter or low fat cream cheese) or for a sandwich for lunch. I also love the laughing cow spreadable cheeses. They are 1 pt and awesome spread on a bagel thin or on some celery. I am a big fan of the low fat string cheese (most are 1 pt) and low fat cottage cheese (2pts for 1/2 cup). I eat a big salad every day for lunch but try to put something fun and interesting in it (for example I am doing snow peas this week, last week I did a table spoon of sliced almonds, next week I am going to roast fresh beets and put them on it) to keep it from getting boring. I am loving fat free/sugar free pudding to satisfy my sweet tooth or the Vitamuffin Vitatops that PP mentioned. Good luck!

[BabyBearsMom]

I got the Lite Kettle Corn from Trader Joes. You can have a bag (which is HUGE...28 grams) for 3 points. I am in salty/sweet heaven.

[weech]

Weighed in the morning and was positively THRILLED to have lost 2 lbs after losing only .8 lb last week!! Right now I weigh exactly what I did in 1999 when I started WW before my wedding. I was heavier than I wanted to be (and I ended up losing 28 lbs, which made me *too* thin, but I was 24 and foolish) but that was post-college and pre-kids. Even though I have a good 15-20 lbs to go before I reach my goal weigh, I am proud to have reached the weight I was 12 years ago because a little voice inside me told me that I would never be as thin as I was before I had kids. If I lose 12 more lbs, I will weigh exactly what I did on the day I found out I was pregnant with my firstborn!


Wow. A HUGE congratulations to you!!! That is such a great accomplishment! :jammin::cheerleader1::yay:

[boolady]

Congrats, GreenTea! I am having a not-so-great week, compliance-wise, due to a retirement dinner, lunch with friends, not being able to be very active due to the weather, etc., but I'm just going to keep on trying to stay on course. My feeling is that life is like this, some weeks are better than others, and it's a good reminder not to give up the ship over a harder week than normal.

Congrats again!

[LexyLou]

Hey ladies. I'm thinking of joining back up. I only have about 6 lbs to make me happy but I find these are the hardest to lose because I get complacent about it.

I'm a fitness instructor so I work out a ton (6+ days a week of intense workouts) but I tend to rely on my working out too much and brush off the eating.

I love to eat. I have never ever had a small appetite and working out doesn't help that. I also have a ridiculous sweet tooth.

I just need to do something that will hold my eating accountable. My goal is to be at pre-pregnancy weight by bathing suit season.

[BabyBearsMom]

I just weighed in and lost 2.5lbs!!! I am down 8 overall. I am thrilled :yay:

[bubbaray]

FYI, there is a sticky in this forum for WW February check in as this thread is getting really long! :)