[Suzanne 3FC]

We've heard a lot of mixed feelings about core since it was first introduced. Have you been successful with it? Please share your experiences, and any big tips you think helped you the most.

[septembersgoal]

Hi Suzanne,
You've caught us at a rocky time on this board! A lot of us have been MIA and I think having trouble with our programs.
But I can tell you about how great core works when you work it! When I first started WW I was doing flex. I had a hard time because I was constantly obsessing about how many points I had left for the day, and then saving my points up for something junky. I never drank milk or ate cheese because I saw it as a waste of points.
With core I was forced to make good choices, even things I thought I didn't like, such as applesauce. I lost three times as much weight on core as I did on flex. It does require a little more commitment to cooking and preparing food at home I think, but it's worth it.
With all that said, I think core is one of the best eating plans out there. I feel healthy when I'm following it. So I should probably get back on the wagon, huh?!
Hope that helps, even if I'm not a good example of any kind of eating plan right now.

[ontarget]

melissa, you're 100% right. i don't know what else to say. core works if you let it.

[Sheila53]

I love Core. I lost the last 30 lbs. on Core, and will eat this way for the rest of my life. Like Melissa, I wasn't eating dairy much, and since I have osteopenia, I really need my dairy. Plus I wasn't eating good fats. With Core, you can eat as much dairy as you want/need, and good fats like olives and avocados. There aren't any "forbidden" foods because you have the 35 pts. to use if you want to.

My biggest tip is that you need to plan on Core. Restaurants aren't difficult as long as you plan.

[Elanajel]

I think it's a mixed bag.

What I like:
1. increased awareness of satiety, checking my hunger level more carefully
2. I cut way down on processed foods
3. I eat ff yogurt almost daily--never a bad thing
4. I eat more fish

What I don't like:
1. It's not a vegetarian-friendly plan (IMHO)--many of my staples like nut butter and tempeh aren't considered CORE
2. I had to give up or count points for some of my favorite breakfasts (GoLean waffles, any cereal w/sugar--even a low sugar one like Puffins or All Bran)
3. Hard to find workable snacks when you don't feel like fruit, veg. or popcorn. I used to do 2 Ryvita crackers w/a Laughing Cow spreadable wedge (1 pt.) but that would mean using WPAs for it.

[jadedjane]

Suzanne,

I have had tremendous success with CORE. My first weigh in was at 310 pounds. I hit my goal weight 18 months later at 150 pounds and have maintained for almost a year at below goal weight (135-140) pounds. A few people here at 3FC know of me, though I'm not around as often as I should be.

I think the program has been successful for me because, from day one, was honest to myself about the type of person I was (and still am). I am not diligent enough to count points right away, or organized enough to keep track of everything but still equally motivated as anyone else in my situation. The weight had to come off for my health's sake and for my daughters (who had openly admitted to being embarrassed of my size).

Core seemed like the right fit for my somewhat lazy personality. Once I got into the program, and as weeks went by with steady losses, I realized that the core program wasn't a life sentence of eating bland low cal foods. It forced me to look at food / cooking / eating in a whole new light. Believe me, the first two weeks were tough, eating nothing but baked chicken and steamed veggies gets old fast. I loved the success on the scale though. I re-checked the book and reminded myself that there were more food options out there and I shouldn't be afraid to step outside of my baked chicken boundary.

here's a few tips on the core plan that have helped me.

*alot of recipes can be converted to core very easily
*plan out meals in advance (whenever possible)
*make it a point to try something new every Sunday (or whichever day)
*Core is NOT a restriction plan - don't deny yourself (remember WPAs)
*know that when you reach your goal nothing changes. You continue to eat the same way. The program is such a natural "common sense" way of eating there is little to change between weight loss and weight maintainence

[Daisynyc]

I haven't done Core, but the Core thread on the WW board is always hopping, and there seem to be a ton of great success stories there.

I have been failing with Flex and have been considering trying Core. I'm interested to read the responses here....

[derrydaughter]

I've been on an endless plateau with flex and have not been losing much at all. In desperation, about a week and a half ago, I switched to CORE and stuck with it. I lost 2.8 pounds in one week, which was great for me. I stopped everything over Thanksgiving weekend and re-started CORE yesterday.
I like it, but miss breads. I don't want to use my flex points up on breads as I want to use those when I dine out on weekends. However, I am going to break down and starting having lite bread at lunchtime sometimes, I think.
I hear WW is going to distribute a "new" program the week of Dec. 10th (I could be wrong on the date) and that there are going to be more vegetarian friendly items listed on the CORE plan.
I look forward to the newly revised CORE plan and think it will maybe include a few things that our logic tells us ought to be considered CORE????
I'd love to hear what your favorite lunches are on CORE, that is the meal I get stuck with at times.
Linda in New Hampshire

[Elanajel]

Some Core lunches I like:

canned or homemade soup (usually w/beans, it keeps you full longer)

big salad w/chopped hard-boiled eggs, chunks of turkey or a can of water-packed tuna dumped on it

whole grains--cooked (any you like--bulgur, couscous, etc.) mixed with a can of beans (drain and rinse well), chopped veggies and a homemade vinaigrette--use a serving of healthy oil to make the dressing

ff cottage cheese with a lot of fresh fruit, 2 Wasa crackers (1 pt.)

cook a fillet of fish in the microwave and eat w/any fresh or cooked vegetables

[pk1947]

Hi, I have been playing around with the core diet for a few weeks now. I think it just scared me not having to count pts. I'm getting use to it and I don't think I will be going back to counting pts. The core board on Weight Watchers site is a very friendly bunch of people. They have helped me out a lot with core.

[ontarget]

i would like to add a little bit more. one of the main reasons for the core program is to help us learn to make healthy food choices. i confess that when i do flex, i repeatedly choose "empty calorie" foods. when i'm working the core plan, i feel better and have more energy. recently, i have been eating mainly core but have been keeping up with my points as well. now that we're home from texas, i'm planning to "go core". while traveling, i fell into my old habits of making poor choices. i'm not happy with myself right now. core is going to help me regain my self-confidence and pride as well as to help me lose weight.

[derrydaughter]

I'm glad some of you wrote in about your experiences here. I very much like your lunch suggestions, Elana. I shall try Bulgar today, maybe. I have some and am not ever sure how to cook it! But, I can maybe find something on line to tell me.
Last night, I did an experiment and I liked the results. My daughter tried what I made and she gave it a thumbs down, though. I purchased polenta at the store, and it came in a plastic tubular shaped package, like a sausage in shape. It's totally core. Someone had told me to slice it really thin and bake in a hot oven to make kind of "crisps" out of it that I could dip in salsa. I didn't want to make crunchy things, I wanted chewy things. So, I sprayed a cookie sheet with olive oil spray and laid out slices of polenta that were about 1/4" in size. I sprayed butter spray over top of them and salted them. Then, I baked them for about a half hour in a low temp over, about 275. They came out like bread, almost. I liked them. I'd almost consider using them to make some sort of sandwich thing with, but I'm not sure what I'd put in them yet.
I'm having a hard time staying on core around the holidays as everywhere I go, there seem to be treats. Flex is better when you have baked goods and can kind of figure some points in with them, but even then treats that people always are bringing to meetings and things like that are just hard to resist in general.
Linda

[Katpo]

Wow, Linda! That really sounds good!

The first thing I thought of when I read what you made was putting FF refried beans and cheese on top and broiling it, then topping with chopped tomatoes and onions, sort of like a mini tostada. I've never bought the premade polenta but think I might try some now after reading about your experiment.

[ontarget]

linda, i thought of ff/rf beans, too. i have used polenta in the past as a bread for sandwiches. here's another suggestion: look over in the dept in your grocery store where they have cornmeal, etc..... you may find bags of polenta there. there are directions on the bags for making polenta. i often add some chopped jalapeno, onions, and/or salsa. what i do is boil the mixture, then i bake it a long time in the oven. (45 min?) (9x11 pan sprayed with pam) after the batch has cooled, i cut it into serving sizes and pkg for the fridge. then i either bake it again or grill it on my pancake griddle when i'm ready to use it.

just some suggestions. i'd love to hear what others are doing.

i've also made the same type thing using cornmeal. it works almost as well.

[derrydaughter]

I saved my leftover polenta slices (I did refrigerate them, but not sure if I'd have to) and ate them alongside my soup at lunch, it made me feel more full and a bit less deprived. I made some turkey soup a week or so ago (Remember turkey day?) and it was all out of CORE ingredients and I froze it in individual portions. It tasted really good today with my polenta toasts... they are kind of like a melba toast, but chewy, and I liked them cold today as well. I tried dunking a piece in the soup, but that was "so-so".
I will try some other variations, I think.
By the way, the same brand of polenta that I purchased comes in a variation with sun-dried tomatoes, I'd have to check to see if that was core or not.
Linda