February Weight Watchers - The Skinny Valentines! - Page 2

[annettemarie]

Can someone clue me in on healthy fats? I'm checking off everything but those.

What kind of stats? Like weight?

I started out in January at 206. By the end of the month I was at 196. Tomorrow is my weigh in day. I do the online program, so I weigh in at home on my scale, first thing in the morning.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by akwifeandmomma

Linda, you are SUCH an encouragement, thanks for your posts!

Your welcome! Typing it up helps keep it fresh in my mind. This is a process for me, too.

Originally Posted by annettemarie

Can someone clue me in on healthy fats? I'm checking off everything but those.

2 teaspoons of healthy oil each day. This needs to be a pourable oil, such as olive oil or canola oil. You can cook with it or stir it into food, and you do need to count the points for it (1 pt per teaspoon).

This was the hardest part of WW for me when I started. It seemed so strange. I was pretty much fat free before, and I couldn't believe that I could have that much oil and it would help with weight loss. I decided to try it for a week and just see what happened.

My skin looked sooooo much better at the end of the week! I'm 43, but since I added the oil into my diet, I look younger.

I'm not sure that it helps me lose weight, but it does help me stick with the plan because I feel more full. Because of this, I try to get it in at lunch.

I find it easiest to get the exact amount by adding it to other food, such as a smoothie or applesauce.

Even if it seems wierd to you, I would encourage you to give it a test drive for a week and just see what your experiences are.

[Linda on the move]

Do you guys want to do daily topics or daily questions? I was thinking that emotional eating would be a good topic.

[akwifeandmomma]

Originally Posted by Linda on the move

Do you guys want to do daily topics or daily questions? I was thinking that emotional eating would be a good topic.

&

Evening munchies and how you all battle them...
Exercise routines...
Convenience foods/meal planning.

[Jennifer3141]

Originally Posted by Linda on the move

Do you guys want to do daily topics or daily questions? I was thinking that emotional eating would be a good topic.

Linda, that's a great idea!

And yes, Annette. Those stats.
10 pounds in a month is GREAT! Congrats! Do you see/feel a difference?

[nina_yyc]

I am really..... intrigued to see what will happen at my WI tomorrow.

This was the first week that I did not try to cut down on carbs. I adore any type of bread, rice, or grain but I do always eat whole grain. I cut back on the protein this week so I would have more room for carbs and it was great. I was much, much less hungry and cranky. Whether this will translate to weight loss, only time will tell.

This is also the first week that I've done an "off-plan" meal. I went out last night with my DH and I had 8 points, 20 WP and 15 AP left so I figured I could eat pretty much anything within reason. I had a baby spinach salad with feta and sundried tomatoes, flatbread with pizza sauce and cheese, 1/2 of a piece of chocolate cake and a cafe au lait. I counted it as 30pts. Before WW I would have ordered a greasy appetizer and pasta or steak, plus a whole piece of chocolate cake, cocktails and wine, so I'm calling it a victory.

I also counted my AP differently this weeks. I do 45min strength workout 3x a week and 2 days of cardio. My strength workout was designed by a trainer and it is all supersets with cardio intervals and no resting on the weight bench. I feel kinda cheated getting just 2 AP for "free weights, vigorous effort." I put 45 min into the points calculator for "moderate" and got 2 pts. Then I changed it the hightest intensity and got 5 pts. I figure on that scale my workout is a 3.5 - it's not the equivalent of running for that amount of time but I'm definitely working out of my comfort zone...I would not really consider it "moderate." Is that kinda cheating? I work harder than most people who do free weights at the gym and spend half their workout resting on the benches.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by nina_yyc

This is also the first week that I've done an "off-plan" meal. I went out last night with my DH and I had 8 points, 20 WP and 15 AP left so I figured I could eat pretty much anything within reason. I had a baby spinach salad with feta and sundried tomatoes, flatbread with pizza sauce and cheese, 1/2 of a piece of chocolate cake and a cafe au lait. I counted it as 30pts.

As long as you also followed the GHG, then you were on plan. Using your points the way you want to is part of the plan, which is why WW works well. It's livable long term because you CAN do things like enjoy a nice dinner with your sweetie.

I also counted my AP differently this weeks... Is that kinda cheating?

It's really hard to say. The most accurate thing you could do is get a heart rate moniter and use it and convert your calories to APs. Otherwise, just do it this way for 2 or 3 weeks and see how it goes for you.

[JTA Mom]

Jennifer3141, thanks for the welcome and the recipe! It looks really yummy. Gosh, I haven't had Shepherd's Pie in soooo long. :

It's midnight here and I actually stuck to my daily points!!! It's amazing, actually, that the only thing I really had to change was my portion sizes. I am actually eating pretty healthy--just way too much of it. I did have the hungries throughout the day though. I waited way too long between breakfast & lunch though, about 4.5 hrs, and I became hypoglycemic, aka all shakey. Didn't help that breakfast was very carby either. I'm not diabetic, I just trend towards having low blood sugar, esp. if I don't eat protein heavy.

I'm actually amazed at thinking how much mindless munching I usually do. Shoot, by 8pm I still had some points left over, but I remember thinking about how I would prolly have snacked on a couple of handfuls of raw nuts, maybe had some dark chocolate, etc etc. Those 'little' nibbles really do add up!


I guess I should also post my stats, since I forgot to in my intro post.

Ok, here goes.

Height: 5'2''
Current Weight: 207.5 (UGH!!!)
Goal Weight: 130-135.
My End-of-the-Year Goal weight will be 157lbs. I should be able to do that, as it's a teeny bit more than 1lb a week.

I also want to go to the gym 5-6 days a week. Back when I was exercising regularly, it made me feel sooooo good! I'm going to use the Couch to 5k running program, mix it with some extra elliptical/bike cardio and I will get in as much strength training as I can. I hate strength training, but I need it. I just hate how I can't really daydream through it, like I can while doing cardio. Anyone else dislike strength training yet still do it consistently? How do you do it?

Ami

[Maluhia]

subing

[CookiePie]

I had WI this morning!!! I'm down -2 lbs!!! I guess that the exercise that I started is helping!!! I'm so ready for this week. Like I say, each week I have a loss I'm so motivated to see what the next week will bring. Ok I have to go get ready for my kick & sculpt class this am!

[Jennifer3141]

Congrats, Cookie!!

And Ami, success will be just a whole bunch of days where we all stuck to our points. That's it. Plain and simple.

[akwifeandmomma]

Originally Posted by JTA Mom

I hate strength training, but I need it. I just hate how I can't really daydream through it, like I can while doing cardio. Anyone else dislike strength training yet still do it consistently? How do you do it?

Ami

I am just the opposite! I get so, so bored on the treadmill or elliptical, but I love doing circuit training, where you rotate machines with stepping.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by JTA Mom

Height: 5'2''
Current Weight: 207.5 (UGH!!!)

Hello! We are the same height and you only weigh 2 pounds more than I did when I started! You can do this!

Anyone else dislike strength training yet still do it consistently? How do you do it?

I tell such a huge difference in my body when I do it. It really motivates me to keep it up. Even 30 min., 3 times a week is enough to really tell the difference. It is really what reshapes us. Most of us don't just want to be smaller, we want to be shaped differently. Strength training is the ticket.

[Linda on the move]

Monday Topic:
Evening munchies and how you all battle them...
This is our chance to get to know each other a little better. What works for you?


This is a tough one for me. I do pretty well most of the time now, except when I have PMS.

Things that help me:
having point friendly munchies on hand
eating enough during the day
staying hydrated
planning a small, healthy snack

I've been trying to figure out why I still sometimes have problems with this. I think that some of it is boredom. Even though I'm busy, a lot of times I'm busy with things that I don't find that interesting.

I'm also wondering if the amount of artificial sweetners I've allowed to creep into my diet is affecting me in not so good ways. I want to experiement by having a few days with no artificial sweetners and see if it is better, but I'm having trouble making it through 1 whole day without any!

[Meli65]

Evening munchies:

I usually leave a few points so that I can have a little something after dinner -- I feel very deprived if I don't. Koala Crisp cereal (2 pts) and 1/2 cup of soy milk (1 pt) does me just fine. It's sweet and chocolatey and not terribly bad for you. Yogurt works, too but doesn't have the chewing factor.

Or:

Hot herbal tea.

Learn to knit!

Brush your teeth right after dinner (this is from a friend).

The first one works best for me :

[Jennifer3141]

Evening munchies...

Let's see, I do try to save a couple of points for noshing. But I'm trying to chose very high fiber stuff for snacks like apples, Fiber One bars, etc.

I also drink tea, brush teeth, or read and then go to bed. I also like to look at fashion magazine while in the bathtub. You know, the really, really awful ones like "In Style" or whatever. I like to imagine what I would look like if I had some of the really gorgeous cloths made for me. And I'm working on developing a "style." Right now, I'm "grunge mom." I'm the queen of tee-shirts and jeans. You know who I really, really liked? Katherine Hepburn. The entire "pants with cuffs and crisp, clean shirts" seriously appeals to me. And I'm tallish so that stuff really looks nice on me, once I'm near GW.

So that's what I do when I'm really close to losing it on nighttime snacks and ruining my day.

I'm trying to get tea into every day now. It's been one 11 days since my last Coca Cola. I miss it. But, I do feel better. I have a giant Heath bar in my glove box for after WI tomorrow morning. But it doesn't sound so appealing right now. (I used to take baths with Heath bars and Coca Cola. The corn syrup manufacturers of the world must LOVE me!)

Linda, the artificial stuff is the one thing I disagree with WW about. But it came up in our meeting last week and I was fascinated to hear all these 50 year old grandmothers voicing their concerns about all the junk we have in a typical American diet nowadays. I wish WW focused on educating people about REAL nutrition, IE avoiding corn syrup as much as possible, CAFO meat, heirloom veggies and fruits which have flavor as well as more nutrients, etc. I agree that getting weight off quickly and safely is important but I can't help but wonder what kind of food revolution would happen in the U.S. if everyone involved in WW actually saw a video on CAFOs during a meeting. Would 15,000 people get disgusted and opt out of the current system? 50,000? 150,000?

What if WW charged $1 more for every frozen dinner thingie but made them only from certified organic suppliers or CAFO free meat?

What if we talked about the fact that people used to spend more than 10% more of their income on food 100 years ago and got much better quality?

I rambled. Sorry!

[annettemarie]

I have no evening munchies advice. I'm trying to get it under control, but I always seem to have a few extra points hanging around at the end of the day. I do try not to eat after 9 PM and popcorn is a yummy, 1 point, high fiber snack.

I have a hard time finding real, whole foods that fit in the plan as well.

[Hazel]

I am also doing WW online so my WI was at home, first thing this morning.
I am so excited to say.....I'm down -1.5 lbs!!! WOOOP!!!!! After all the stress I had about the gain from my TOM and then not eating all my points etc. and I still have a loss! :::
Ok. so I had to get that out. I'm just so excited!
Gave me great motivation to stick with the plan another week.
I don't really have night time munchie problems. Mine come in the afternoon.
So I try to save my yogurt until then. Or sometimes I cook up a cup of broccoli and add in a wedge of light laughing cow cheese and mix it all up and I'm good to go until dinner.
Sometimes I just drink a bunch of water if I haven't gotten in a lot of my water by then.
Or slices of cucumber. yum. crunchy!
Thanks for all the support Linda and Jennifer and every one else too! It was so nice to have someone talk me through the rough days I was having. It helped me to stay on plan and I am so happy I did!

[akwifeandmomma]

Yay, Hazel!

Evening munchies are the absolute WORST for me. I do fine all day long, but once the kids are in bed and I'm hangin' on the couch with my hubby in the evenings, I just want to snack.

I keep low-point ice cream (Dreyer's - or maybe it's Breyers fat-free is really good) in the freezer, low point hot cocoa mix (totally artificial, sigh, but it really fills that chocolate and hot drink craving... ) Low-fat Triscuits and Laughing Cow cheese is one of my favorite new snacks. Costco is carrying LC cheese now, 4 rolls for under $9. Sometimes I'll do popcorn or a Fiber One bar, or yogurt with ground flaxseed.

I save at least 3 points for evening snacks, and 5 or 6 if I think I may want a glass of wine. I try to be done eating for the day by 9 PM.

[Jennifer3141]

Well, there you go Hazel! Congrats!

I'm very proud of you "at homers." I cannot do it that way. I have no disciple if no one looks at my WI apparently.