My first attempt at WW

[gr8tpanther]

Well, I spent the day charting and goaling... I determined that my daily points are 24. Ok, so then I spend a day on Dotties. Well, after all my careful tracking, I STILL used 42 points!!!!

How DO you do it?

 

[KathyTX]

So, tell us what you learned today?

That planning is important? Fried stuff and burgers just aren't worth the points they cost? That we really need to have some low or no points stuff to munch on between meals? That, just maybe, portions are much larger than we really need?

Spill it! Today was not a failure- tell us what you learned!!!

(Sounds like you're off to a good start- just realizing that the what we're eating is what has gotten us into the shape we're unhappy with is the first step. Now you'll get more familiar with points values and learning sensible portions and good food choices. Be patient, it takes a while for it to become second nature, but it will.)

 

[gr8tpanther]

Well, I learned that a salad has LOTS of points...

I think that is where I racked up the majority of my points... A SALAD!! But then I put shrimp and chicken in it and croutons. And eggs.

Other than that, i think I did pretty good. Instead of 2 french bread pizza slices, I had ONE, which also was a few extra points, but I ate ONE, not TWO!

And I drank water (48 oz) I need to get in a bit more water. I drink ALOT of Diet Dew, and that is going to be hard to give up.

But... yes, I need some LOWER point snacks to munch, cause night is the hardest time! I NEED midnight snacks some nights more than others... any suggestions?

 

[KathyTX]

Oh, yes. The salad pitfalls!

Just because the word "salad" is there, don't assume it's healthy or low-fat/low-cal! The toppings we put on salads (croutons, bacon, cheese, dressing, etc.) can be real killers.

Fast food and restaurant salads are tricky. You'll want to look for simple salads, possibly with grilled chicken or shrimp. Avoid bacon/cheese! I avoid Cobb, club and caesar salads. Opt for a low point dressing- just ask, most restaurants have at least one "light" choice. Then don't dump the dressing on the salad. Try dipping your fork in the dressing, then spearing the salad- you'll get the dressing flavor without dousing your lettuce.

(If you're not careful, you can wind up with 8 points or more in dressing alone. When you've got 24 points allocated for an entire day, that dressing's pretty expensive!)

 

[gr8tpanther]

The bad part is, I sat BEFORE I went (our local supermarket has a salad bar) and I get the same thing EVERYDAY, so I knew what I was going to put on it.... and I tallied it up. I am not SURE that my calculations were totally correct, I estimated high. I couldn't find a point total for Shredded Cheddar Cheese. Do you know what this might be?

The bulk of my salads are broccoli and lettuce. Grilled chicken and baby shrimp. Some cheese, eggs, croutons. I don't put much of these items, so I am sure that I over estimated.

 

[KathyTX]

Cheddar cheese would be 3 points for 1 oz. That's about a 1"cube, or 4 tbsp shredded.

For the croutons, figure 3 points for 1/2 cup. (Croutons take up a lot of space, 1/2 cup isn't really a lot.)

The chicken and shrimp are really good choices- high in protein, low in points.

3 oz of chicken would be 3 points. For estimating how much 3 oz would be, it's about the size of your hand not counting the fingers.

Shrimp is GREAT!!! 1/2 cup (2 oz.) is only 1 point!

The broccoli and lettuce are free- no points.

Dressings can be a pitfall. Creamy dressings (ranch, bleu cheese, thousand island) are 4 points for 2 tbsp. (and 2 tbsp doesn't go a long way!)

 

[gr8tpanther]

well, I figured my salad to be about 17 points, maybe I over estimated, lol...

First time thing ya know...

Maybe about 10 or 12...

 

[sharoncity]

I too have 24 points per day. I try to keep breakfast to 3 to 4 points, lunch 5 to 6 pts. That leaves me with plenty of points for dinner and maybe snacks.

I stay away from pizza - just WAY too many points for not enough food. Chicken and fish *usually* have less pts than beef and pork. Pasta is also only occasional, too many points. You need to get used to veggies to fill you up. Salad - leave off the croutons and bacos. A *little* cheese for flavor is fine, just remember moderation! Look through your book for food items you like that are only 1 or 2 pts. That is what you need to gravitate towards. It does get easier the longer you do it. It's just a matter of figuring out what foods will fill you up for the least amount of pts.

Snacks - microwave popcorn. I don't bother with the fat free one, only 1 or 2 pt difference from full flavored one. Peanuts 40 of them for 4 pts. Kudos M&M bar 2 pts. Goldfish are also not too bad 3 pts for about 50 of them.

Good luck today!

 

[r3ngels]

Okay here is my 2 cents... I have a salad almost everyday but this is how I cut points.
I use fat free croutons and I cut them smaller so it seems that there is more in my salad or I use soy nuts it sounds yuck but they are good.
Next egg whites are 0 pts so I throw away the yolks on a hard boiled egg.
I use either shredded reduced fat parm cheese or shredded 2% cheese.
I use a reduced fat dressing I hate fat free. I like "Just 2 good", "2liteful", or "light done right".
Last thing I do is I put it in a sealed plastic container and shake it so the dressing gets all over.
I look at everything I put in my salad and see if I can limit the quanity of the items with points and add veggies. If you use a 1/4 cup of something try 2 TBSP. I started putting less cheese and crountons just enough to taste some but not enough to kill my days worth of points.
Think of your points as a puzzle... trying to fit the right amount of food to keep you satisfied but in the right point range for you. I used to think of every bit I put in my mouth and try to think of what would be lower points than I am eating- so I can survive.

You will love WW, I know so many people who have done it sucessfully. It really works.

KathTX- what was that thread this summer about "WW pantry" that helped alot of us out to trade WW ideas? I got alot of food tips from that thread...

Good Luck... And let us fellow WWers know how you are doing and if you find any great food item.

 

[gr8tpanther]

I think I am doing SOOO much better today. I went out and bought the Wonder Lite bread, 4 slices is 1 point! So for Breakfast, I had 2 eggs and 3.5 slices of toast, couldn't finish it. And I threw in a half a glass of milk.

Slept till noon (my day off)

So for lunch, I had a tuna salad sandwich.

I am keeping a journal. And I visit Dottie often.

We have Girl Scouts tonight... THAT is going to be the kicker. Sometimes we have some really major snacks, but I think I am going to take water and something for ME for MY snack.

 

[KathyTX]

Originally posted by r3ngels
KathTX- what was that thread this summer about "WW pantry" that helped alot of us out to trade WW ideas? I got alot of food tips from that thread...

Good idea!

What do you keep in your WW Pantry?

 

[gr8tpanther]

That is a GREAT thread, I am going to put my kids on this too, lol, that way I have NO temptations.... if they are eating what i am eating when they are with me, then this might be alot easier, lol.

I will send snack money to school so they can get their sugar fixes there.

 

[CookieGVB]

Wonder Lite is 4 slices per point? Wow, that's even better than the WW bread at 2 slices per point.

I've been doing the Core Plan, and find that although I've had to cut out bread or count it towards my weekly points (no way - that's what dessert is for!), it's much easier to do the salad thing on Core - stick to lean meats, veggies, fat free dressing, even a hardboiled egg is ok. Our office salad bar even does couscous once in a while, and that's a Core food.

You can eat until you are "satisfied", but not falling off the chair stuffed.

I've done better with Core the last few weeks, but had to really keep reminding myself that I wasn't hungry every time I would reach for food - that is the biggest obstacle.

 

[Tera]

Lynn...

I've been doing WW for about 7 weeks now and keep low points stocked up in my house. I love the 100 points Chips Ahoy, Oreos and Wheat Thins. I also love the WW brownie and carrot cakes for 1 point each. Those are great when I need a sweet treat. Also love the fat free chocolate pudding with a Tbsp of fat free cool whip for about 3 points (can you tell I love sweets )


Good Luck!

 

[gr8tpanther]

hehehe, yes, I can tell that you love sweets. Is there any place to get WW foods without going to WW? I haven't gone there, I am just following from here on the boards. I can't afford WW so I am doing it on my own. I do need to get a scale, I don't own one. Sometimes though, I think that is a good thing.

I was craving chocolate so bad today, but I did enough housework to forget about it...

Great... now I want chocolate again!

I am going shopping over the weekend to get stuff that I can have

 

[KathyTX]

First- DEFINITELY get a scale! Weigh yourself once a week, always on the same day, and write down that number! Don't be afraid of the scale, it's only a tool for measurement. It just shows you a number, but looking at that number over the course of a few weeks tells you whether you're doing the right things to move toward your goals.

Don't be afraid to face it. It's only a number, and the scale is only a tool to help you measure your progress.

And you certainly don't need to attend a WW meeting to buy special WW food! Actually, there's not much food sold at a WW meeting. Some shake mixes, snack bars and such. But nothing you need, and nothing you can't find a good alternative for at your grocery store.

You can buy WW frozen meals at pretty much any grocery store. They're handy when you want to grab something fast and have the points already calculated for you, but you don't need to use them. Real food, with an emphasis on low fat choices and fresh vegetables, is really the core idea of the program.

Learn to calculate points for the things you currently have in your pantry. I use a black sharpie, and write the points per serving right on the packages! I'll also take things like pretzels and figure the points, then put one serving in a ziploc bag and use my sharpie to write the points right on the bag. (I have to admit that DH makes fun of me for doing this, but it sure saves me time. And it motivates me to reach for the low point snacks when I open the pantry and see the numbers staring back at me!)

 

[Tera]

Lynn - Yes, what she says (points to Kathy Definitely get the scale, but also measure yourself. I've lost almost 13 pounds, but also almost 9 inches around my body. Sometimes the weight might slow down, but the inches could still be coming off.

Like what Kathy said about the WW meals, you can get them anywhere. I find the WW brownie/carrot cakes and also WW muffins at Super Walmart. The 100 calorie snacks I find at any grocery store and LOVE those.


Kathy - LOVE the idea about pretzels in a bag with the points written on it

 

[gr8tpanther]

Eh, can't really use what is in my pantry... trust me, lol, alot of NO NO food... mac 'n cheese, spaghettios, that sort of thing. So, I have to go shopping. basically all I been living off of is wonder Lite bread and eggs.

Will change that this weekend

 

[disneygoof]

I just wanted to add that spending some time with Dotti at the end of the day when you're starting out is a GREAT thing to do. Before long, you'll know how much things are BEFORE you eat them, and then you can make some choices about whether the short-term satisfaction is worth the long-term sacrifice. Dotti taught me that it's worth the 6 pt bagel at Dunkin Donuts, but not necessarily worth the 11 pt muffin.

I always have a couple frozen entrees on hand for emergencies, but found, after a while, that they don't fill me up as much as home cooking. Check out the Lean Cuisine meals, too, for some variety. They have point values on the boxes now too.

When you are at it for a bit, your tasebuds will adjust and you'll actually need less fat to enjoy a meal. My favorite and most filling meal now is a tossed salad with grilled chicken with low fat basil balsamic. Believe me, I've come a long way baby!

And all those things that you say are no-no's are not. You can eat anything in moderation, and if a small portion of mac-n-cheese will keep you from eating the Ben and Jerry's after your egg sandwich, then eat the small portion of mac-n-cheese. You may also be surprised how the low-fat prep version tastes very much the same as the butter and whole milk version. Give it a shot!

Hope it's going well!

 

[disneyfan551]

disneygoof... What type of dressing do you like? How many points does it have? I get tired of standing in the aisles, trying to count points!