WW Tips

[kayeandjim00]

So tomorrow is my first WW meeting and I'm looking forward to this fresh start and giving this 100%. WW will work with my life I think and the accountability will help tremendously. So tell me what are your tips? Foods you can't live without that are WW friendly, weigh in secrets , your WW success stories, general tips! Anything you want to share I'd love to hear.

 

[Mamajules]

Welcome to WW and good luck! As for hints, tips, etc:

Drink LOTS of water!
Wear the same outfit every week to get weighed in.
Go to the meetings - lots of support, hints, tips, recipes
Use your meal tracker, it helps keep you accountable and on plan.
Don't deny yourself something you really like, work it into the plan.
Try looking for Weight Watcher recipes - I've tried a lot of new dishes, eaten well and still lost weight.
Switch to whole grains - whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, etc. (not always less points, but better fiber for you)
If you go off, have a bad day, get right back on the next day!

Good foods to keep on hand:
Lofat yogurt
I Can't Believe Its Not Butter spray
Fresh veggies (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc) and low fat dip for munchie attacks
Salsa (great for adding zest to about anything)
Egg beaters
Low fat popcorn
Fat free sour cream
Sugar free jello
Fat free pudding cups

Also, there is a web site, Dottie's Weight Loss Zone (dwlz.com) that has her personal journey, plus LOTS of recipes and points for food at just about any restaurant you can think of. One of my favorites for lunch is a Wendy's side salad - no dressing (0 points) topped with a small Wendy's chili (3 points).

Good luck and keep us up on how you're doing!

 

[tinkamom]

Pay attention to portion size! You can have just about anything you want if you eat the right amount of it! Check the points of everything before you eat it and if the points are too high just have half a serving or 1/4! Take your serving and then put away the rest before you eat it. Do not have tempting foods in the house and then you can't have a weak moment you may regret! If you must have treats for someone else in youe house then store them in the basement or the trunk of your car!

 

[cinmell]

Write down everything you eat in your weekly journal, even if you go over your daily points allowance.

Keep plently of low points snacks on hand. For example, air popped popcorn, I can't believe it's not butter, WW frozen bars, carrots, cucumbers, etc., fat free salad dressing, salsa, ff pudding snacks and Quaker mini rice cakes.

Invest in a food scale and measuring cups.

Go to your meetings/weigh ins even if you have a bad week, don't skip them b/c you may have splurged.

Exercise, drink plenty of water and take your vitamins.

Good luck!

 

[kimwim8]

A few foods I make sure to have in the house at all times (mostly snacks!):

-Fat Free Sour Cream & Onion Pringles (15 chips for 1 point)
-WW Smartones Chocolate Chocolate Chip muffins (3 points for what I consider a big muffin)
-Nabisco 100 calorie packs (assorted varieties, all 2 points)
-Lean Cuisine frozen meals (IMHO better tasting than WW frozen meals). I love the stuffed cabbage (and only being 3 points including mashed potatoes makes it taste even better!) & the mac n' cheese.
-veggie dip (made w/Knorrs veggie soup mix & light sour cream). I tend to eat a whole lot more veggies for snacks, if I have some dip made. I think it's 1 point per tablespoon, and I don't use a lot...just need to have the taste on the veggie .

Good Luck!

 

[MelanieC]

Congratulations for starting WW's!! It really is a wonderful program that is fairly easy to do if you work the program.

1. Journal your food- MOST IMPORTANT
2. Plan your meals-
3. Eat 3 meals & 2 or 3 snacks per day (spread your meals throughout the day to keep your bloodsugar even).
4. Get a good balance of carbs/protien/fat at each meal/snack -
5. Make each snack fill a nutritional requirement. The day I stopped eating junky snacks (like 2 point ice cream type things) and filled my day with low fat string cheese, whole wheat crackers, almonds, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese & fruit was the day it became a lifestyle and not a diet.
6. EXERCISE- This is up there with Journaling- Its not required to loose weight, but I the day I started exercising It made me more responsible for what I put in my mouth. I look at eating as a way to fuel my body to become a better exerciser. Lifting weights is just as important as cardio.
7. This is a lifestyle change not a diet (Its a journey, not a destination). Make sure you look at this as a lifestlye chane. If you treat it as a diet you will go on and then get off once you reach goal you will not succeed. I did this last year and gained back 25 pounds. I must always live this lifestlye.
8. Take it one day at a time, one week at a time.
9. Measure your food. I have a digital scale that weighs in grams and oz, plus WW has servings spoons that are 1/2 cup and 1 cup. I use these daily and it helps me make sure I am not eating too much or not eating too little.
10. Eat your Flex & AP points. You can slow down your metabolism if you don't eat enough. If you are exercising, eat your Activity points. Also eat your flex points. Training your body to loose by eating more is better than having your metabolism slow down because you aren't eating enough. I never dropped down to 20 points when I went under 150lbs. I got to goal on 22 points and ate all my flex and target points. Everyone is different though, so you have to play around with this.


You are going to do fantastic.

 

[Rachie0507]

Everyone has already given you great advice so I will post my one top tip:

Never let your water bottle sit empty!!!

I keep a sports bottle with me all the time and it is always full of water or Crystal Light. When I finish it, I fill it again, even if I am not thirsty right then. I get all my water requirements, then some, and I don't feel hungry as often.

 

[lacool]

I lost 45 lbs on WW and have kept it off for 3 years. IMHO, it is the only weight loss system that you can maintain as a way of life. You can eat anything at all that you crave, you just have to make up for it in other meals throughout the day. I love that concept! I don't count points all of the time anymore, but they are burned into my brain. I know when I am going overboard, but I also know exactly how to undo any damage I have done on a splurge, and how to eat on a daily basis. Good Luck!

My advice.... always pee before weighing in. Keep fat free Cool-whip on hand - 0 points and tastes good with anything from fruit to graham crackers. Plan ahead -- if you know what you are having for dinner tonight, it makes choosing breakfast and lunch much easier.

 

[gypsydoodlebug]

I lost 65 lbs. and kept it off for 3 years. Then got pregnant, discovered Cheetos as a meal replacement for breakfast, lunch and dinner and gained 75. Two years later, I have 30 lbs. to go...

Here is my biggest water tip: Keep a measuring cup by the sink. I down two cups (16 oz. total) before I walk out the door for work. I top off all my water glasses at work with Crystal Light...about 2 oz. it flavors the water enough. I don't let myself have a soda or flavored drink until I have had 8-10 glasses of water a day. That usually means I can have a Coke or whatever with dinner.

I also take an adult tap class that works my butt off (literally!) for excercise. It's hilarious to see the 6-year-olds leaving class and mine filing in to start dancing.

96% FF popcorn is a lifesaver for snacking. I pop a bag before work and snack on it all day. It's only 4 pts. I think.

WEIGH and MEASURE EVERYTHING!! I known WW Flex forward and backward and have a tendency to get lazy and eyeball my portion sizes. I bought a scale about 6 months ago and weigh everything or measure it out into measuring cups. I also prepackage my food for lunch into tupperware containers. For instance, my bagel for tomorrow morning (3 pts.) is in a baggie and the 1/4 cup of hummus (2) I'll put on it after I toast it is in a container so I can just run out the door in the morning. I actually count out 50 pretzel sticks into snack baggies to keep me from reaching in the bag and grabbing out handfuls.

HTH! Good luck.

 

[gabbygrennell]

i find it easier to get my water in if i use a straw... and the bigger around it is, the better!
I also make myself get in all my water before i can have a coke or coffee etc...
If you dont like water, crystal light is great! And no points!

I always have no point veggies on hand, and those little 100 calorie packs are all 2 pts per pack, they are great when you need a snack, and i find myself using them when i must get in 2 more points for the day....

Also, for salad dressing... we tried light done right, (i think its from kraft) and it is awesome!
The ones we have tried have all been 1pt per 1 TBSP.... so for 2pts you have plenty of dressing... my new fave is a raspberry viniagrette! mmmmmmmm

once you start counting your points, you will find things you like etc... adn you will find yourself knowing what foods that you eat a lot, are how many points etc... (do not stop journaling though!!!)

also, if i get the munchies, i make myself drink a full glass of water before eating any snack~
good luck

 

[kayeandjim00]

Thanks so much to all of you for your advice and support. I haven't done the greatest at WW so far I signed up right before we went on vacation and while I went on vacation with good intentions.... they soon went out the window when I got there. Now I've got to get serious and these tips will help! I'm printing them out and will refer to them often. Thank you so much. :