Wednesday will be my third week weigh in after rejoinging WW for ...I don't even remember how many times...this time I plan to succeed for the last time as I plan to become a lifetime member and then continue to attend meetings thereafter.
I have lost weight two weeks in a row and have been walking for exercise as well. I have been journaling and staying for the meetings and am very encouraged by the great group and leader I have. I am setting weekly goals, not rushing it, and thinking of myself as a person who is already thin --- it surprised me how my behavior and eating changed --- I ate less, made better choices, etc.
Is it time consuming because I'm relearning how to eat in a way that will promote slimness and health? I feel like I can't spend all this time in the kitchen...maybe I don't have enough cooking, shopping, preparation strategies. If someone has any ideas...please share.
My concern is that I won't be able to keep this up (all the time it takes) and I don't want it to affect my efforts...thanks all for your help!
I'm lazy, and I'm also a college student. Easy things are good. I cut up a bunch of veggies at the beginning of the week and put them on a plate or something (depending on how much room is in the fridge). Then I use my homemade ff yogurt ranch dip and snack on those. I got soup from costco...I like the progresso chicken soup. Tortillas and cheese are good too. Salad, either in bunches or in bags are good to have on hand. My roomies love the rice cooker. Just dump the stuff in and leave it alone...no boiling over or anything.
What types of things do you like to make? Maybe subscribe to a magazine like Cooking Light or Vegetarian Times? Those usually have good ideas for things to eat that are easy to make. Maybe look at some cookbooks in the bookstore? I think the main key is to do all the boring cutting/cleaning of veggies and fruits in bulk, so you can just measure out the quantities you need.
But it is very doable, and if you just take it one day at a time, you will succeed.
It's my 3rd week also - and I agree that it is time consuming. Some tricks I've found ... I make the WW soup up every Saturday in bulk and add white or pink beans for protein - this way I can eat it heated in the microwave all week. Also, I read on some website to portion out snacks etc. into small sandwich bags with the points written on the bag - again it's easy for me to grab and it keeps me on track. I also cook up a family pack of chicken breasts and freeze them in sets of 2 - then I microwave and eat with salsa. For veggies I usually do them fresh each night - but I have the luxury of a foodstore less than a mile away. I do miss the ease of driving up to a window and ordering dinner though :-)
Kim
The time it takes to be organized is one of the reasons that I start and stop so often. Staying on program requires full concentration. I know that the times I have done the best with staying on program is when I am the most organized with my meals.
This may seem like a lot of work, but actually, an hour or two of planning your meals for a month (yes, a month) will save you lots of time during the month. My dinner meals aren't always very low in points, but then I know it ahead of time and plan for that meal. It also helps for planning your shopping list. I am also flexible. If I don't want to eat a certain dinner that night I switch it with something else.
My lunches and breakfasts don't change that often, but if they do, I can adjust dinner accordingly.
I hope this helps. I know not everyone can plan their meals so far in advance. I even find it hard, but when I do I am far more successful with WW.
Mhami - How on earth do you even start planning meals for the entire month in one day?
<college student with mouth hanging open>
Don't you ever not want to eat what you've planned for? I would love to do that...but I have no idea how I would even start doing that....do you do all your shopping at once too?
Do you use any websites for ideas?
These are all great strategies! trixiepup is right about preparing stuff in bulk. I use a giant Tupperware container to hold the salad I make freshly every three days or so (can't stand those salads in a bag--they're either dry or slimy and they don't have enough veggie variety). I also cook 0-point veggie soup in bulk to have throughout the week. I'm not a churchgoer, so I use Sunday mornings to cook several freezable dinner bases--chili, cassseroles, stews, turkey burgers, pasta sauce, etc.--and freeze in single or double portions. Very relaxing, chopping away with the radio on and a mug of good coffee to sip!
And whenever I'm cooking from scratch for dinner, I try to make enough for another meal, then pop it in the freezer or fridge. (This is why I make pasta all the time.) There's just my husband and me, and I know it's easier to have leftovers when you don't have a big family. But, really, once you're chopping and stirring, it's just as easy to do double the amount, I find.
I know what you mean! With all the shopping, planning and journalizing my foods, I feel like I am more obsessed with food than I was BEFORE I started dieting!
I sort of look at it as now being aware of what and how much I put in my mouth. When I'm binging or not eating well, I don't pay any attention to what or how much is going in - that's what got me overweight in the first place. I don't like journaling (re:menu planning), but it is one of the most effective tools for knowing what you're doing, as long as you're honest. I know my body better now and it's cycles of hunger through the month. As far as cooking goes, I set aside half a day on the weekends and plan and cook for the week, using the freezer a lot. I usually have enough left over so that one week to 10 days out of the month, I don't have to do anything but buy fresh fruit and veggies for salads. This is also much better on my budget than eating out or stopping by the store to buy frozen food.
I love my pressure cooker. I eat a lot of legumes and my prep time has been cut by more than a third. I make refries with black beans and use them in a lot of ways. With the old method - just cooking them in a pot over the stove - it used to take a few hours from start to finish. Now it's 45 minutes!! I use the refries for burritos, quesidillas, beans and rice, nachos, etc.
Stir fry is another quickie. Once you get used to knife work it takes no time to chop up the veggies. I put tofu in mine and from start to finish I have a HUGE plate of food in about 30 minutes for 5 points (4 oz. reduced fat tofu = 2 points, 2 t peanut oil since using a wok = 2 points, veggies = 0, and then a bit of sweet rice wine in part of the sauce = 1 point). Vary the veggies to change the dish.
I once bought a cookbook "Once a Month Cooking". There was a two week menu I started with. The trick was to shop once day, on day two you chop and peel and day three you cook. I'm pretty organized but that was something else. The meals were very good, lots of chicken, and most were for 4 people. There are two of us so I extended my two week menu into three or more. Would I do that again, no way. It was work. Now if two women got together and then split the meals and cost that would work very well.
Every time I fix a dish, I always double the recipe and freeze the extra in servings for 2. I try to keep Costco already cooked chicken breasts on hand and Mrs. Friday halibut fingers and frozen fish to grill. Once you build up some extra meals in the freezer all you have to add is a salad and vegetables. You can even freeze mashed potatoes or use instant for DH and /or kids.
Try to plan a menu for one week. Then try another week. Throw in some easy crock pot dishes. Take the meals that worked for you and add another week, or repeat your two week plan with a few different items throw in.
I have to agree that starting up anything new is exhausting and can be maddening when things do not go well.
It does get better though, once you learn what you are doing without looking everything up or having to calculate the points.
Some things I do to get into the groove. I write the points of everything on the box or container once I get it home, so if I decide to chew on something, I can immediately judge the wiseness of the move.
I use lots of Tupperware and Rubbermaid and know the capacity of all of it, so I am able to measure snacks and meals into the containers.
I plan my meals for two weeks at a time and do the shopping accordingly. (yes College student - you can be faced with a meal you do not really want, but I am wearing 50 pounds I really really do not want, so it is very rarely I make a change. This is also what makes it so economical, I can plan the leftovers for later uses.)
I write my menus into my 12-week WW journal so I know what I am doing from work and can pick up anything missing items.
There are lots of ideas around, some you try and bomb out on you and your lifestyle, some are wonderfully useful and become the best ideas in the world.
Thanks ladies for all the super advice (please continue if you like)... I think a weekly menu plan is definitely what I need to do, also cook some things in advance, prepackage some foods into serving portions, freeze more stuff, and write on the package the number of points for a serving (that particular one I really like)...these are excellent ideas. It's good to know also that it gets better in time. I know I just have to refine this because I believe it's one of the reasons I kept going off the program the other times I joined. Doing all of this I'm sure is part of the learning process. I guess if I had nothing to learn I wouldn't be overweight in the first place. Thanks much!
Right on, Delia. Just think of it as a control issue, as in YOU have control: Every meal you cook at home is a meal for which you know the EXACT nutrient/calorie/fat/fiber content. That's one less meal during which you have to sit in a restaurant worrying about how they're preparing the food in the kitchen...and whether they'll lay off the friggin' oil as you requested! It's worth the effort to know you are on program.
You know you have to eat anyway, so doing the work ahead of time (and it is work, we all admit!) frees you up to not worry about it later.
Planning meals a week ahead is the best lifestyle change I ever made. Trixiepup, I've never had the "I don't want to eat this tonight" syndrome because I have enough flexibility to switch menus for a night or two, or a lunch or three. My big bugaboo is food waste, so I work to avoid throwing out stuff. How can I use a half-cup of basil before it gets slimy, two turnips before they get soft, the rest of the lowfat shredded cheese before it becomes green?
I admit it's easier for me because I love to cook and have a wealth of lowfat recipes, but I do try to make a game of it so I can throw out as little as possible. Making several trips to the store each week helps--yes, it's time-consuming, but you get really fresh produce and you buy only what you need. I am lucky because I live in a big city and have access to great grocery stores within walking distance...so I understand not everyone has that luxury.
In addtion to all of these great ideas about planning ahead, I also take full advantage of convenience foods. Granted some of these cost a little more $$, but they do save lots of time.
I buy broccoli, carrots, celery etc already cleaned and chopped. All I have to do is bag it up. I also buy the already made and washed salads, just dump it in a bowl and eat. I get Breakstone's cottage cheese in individual serving packs, 2 points each.
I also make sure that I always have my favorite frozen (low point) items in the freezer for meals on the run. These include Chungs vegetable eggrolls (in the refrigerated meat section, only 2 points per eggroll with sauce and taste great!), lean cuisine meal in a bag (chicken primavera is my fave, 6 points for 1/2 a bag!), Freshetta 4 cheese small pizza (only 7 points per 1/2 pizza if you just have to have it), etc.
Something that really helps me is this. When you Make your meal plans, be sure to keep your trackers so you can go back to them and know what you enjoyed and how many points the whole meal was. Or you can do what I do. I got some index cards and when I have a meal I enjoy I write it down on the index card and put the total points for that meal at the top. Then on any given day you can mix and match a breakfast, lunch and dinner from your index cards. It takes a bit of work at first but after you have quite a few cards allready done it is very easy and convenient.
