OK.. I am ready to go. Going to start on Sunday and have 100 lbs. to lose! I have read all 10 pages of threads (whew) and have some questions about staples and equipment to keep around. (I am going shopping tomorrow)

My list so far is...

1. butter spray
2. LF Mayo
3. Salsa
4. Mrs. Dash
5. Some sort of salad dressing?
6. ??????
7. No fat creamer???? (coffee person here)
8. some sort of cracker? (I like crunch)

What other food/spice/condiments items would be good to have that I would want to keep around?

Equipment

Measuring spoons/cups
Food scale? (liquid/dry?) I have never had one before so not really sure about this.
Water bottle with ounces printed on the side.

Oi.. I want this to be successful but not overwhelming. I picked WW flex because I like the variety and don't want to get into a boring rut.

Thanks for any suggestions & input!

You can do this!!!!! To 3FC

Equipment:
Food Scale (You can get a decent one for between 10 - 20 dollars) Often they come with an adjustable "zero". Meaning you can place a bowl on the scale... set the zero... and then just weigh the food/liquid that you're putting into the bowl. I got one from linens n things for 10 bucks. Just to measure meat & other things that don't come with nutritional info.

If you enjoy water cold, you might want to get a pitcher to keep in your fridge.

Food: (These are just things that will keep for awhile)

Mustard (I LOVE Guldens, or different kinds if you like variety)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Splenda (it's what I use in my coffee)
The low calorie spray dressings (wish-bone) are tasty for salads.
Melba Crackers
Popcorn (Best if you have an Air Popper, but 94% FF is good, too!)
Fiber One Bars
& Fiber One Original Cereal (I think it's tasty, and it's zero points for 1/2 a cup)
Whole Wheat Pastas
Frozen Grapes (Freeze a cup of grapes in a bag... very yummy!)

Regularly, make sure to keep stocking up on your favorite fruits & veggies and keep them ready to eat in your house. You'll be more likely to snack on them that way.

Make sure you stick around & keep posting We'd love to help out with any other questions you have!

I'm a bit of a snacker so I keep lots of WW or low point snacks around (like Special K Mini Breaks, which are delicious!) because I know I'm going to snack, so may as well snack on something good. I also spend a lot of time at school and these snacks are easy to throw in my bag. I tried taking carrot sticks with some salad dressing once, but not only were they warm when I went to eat them, but the water in the carrots had completely diluted the dressing. It really wasn't nice. So while I know I'm unlikely to eat vegetables when I'm at school, I can still throw something in my bag instead of heading for the vending machine This works for when you're out and about at the mall or something too!

Thanks for the input you two!

I actually have more here than I thought I did once I made an inventory. I love the original fiber one cereal and like to snack on it dry. I have a box of samples that are 1/2 cup each already so I can throw that in my bag for work. I like putting that in my yogurt for extra crunch, but obviously am buying the wrong yogurt!

I am armed with my point calculator and list. Hubby is very very supportive and is willing to walk down every isle in the supermarket with a pad of paper writing food items down with their point value for me as we go along so I can use that info for future grocery shopping / menu planning ... LOL I am so lucky.

You are lucky Chey! That's great that he is so supportive of your efforts!

Also, make sure to get a few "emergency" (as my aunt who is also doing WW calls them) dinners. If you are running late or are too tired to cook, keep some frozen meals in the freezer. It is just as easy as getting takeout but much better for you! These are usually what I turn to after a long day at school, and I generally pair them with an easy vegetable that I can throw in the oven at the same time (like asparagus or carrots with a little bit of olive oil).

Chay, welcome! Your husband sounds like a sweetie, you can't imagine how lucky you are to have that kind of support at home. I have to say I'm really excited to see you come through here, just starting out, looking to arm yourself with knowledge. Way to plan on being prepared!!!

My WW non-perishable staples repeat a lot of what's been said:
Fiber One cereal
Cartons of soy or almond milk in the cupboard
Mustard
Lemon juice, lime juice
Low-fat dressing/marinade for meat
Dried herbs
Olive oil
Different vinagers to make dressings: balsamic and red wine in particular
Ryvita rye flatbread crackers
Goldfish crackers when I'm in the mood
Thomas's Light Whole Grain english muffins (1 point each)
Flat-Out or other low-carb wrap
Nuts - almonds, pistachios, and walnuts in particular
Oatmeal (non-instant)
Grains like bulgar wheat, barley, and quinoa (so you don't get bored of rice)

Perishable items I always have on hand:
Fruit & Veggies (obvious, that one!) - Avocado, spinach, tomato, different kinds of onion, bell pepper, zucchini, squashes, apple, pears, strawberries, blueberries, eggplant, sweet potato - whatever's in season, mostly.
Plain low-fat yogurt
LF string cheese
Light Laughing Cow wedges

Stuff in the freezer:
Frozen back-up veggies for soups or times when I don't have fresh
No Sugar Added fruit popcicles (1 point for 2!)
Meat I've bought while on sale, packaged into serving sizes, and frozen
Low-fat Eggo waffles for a quick breakfast
frozen fruits for making syrup-type sauces and smoothies and raita
a couple of Smart Ones or Lean Cuisines for busy nights/lunches
Many, many tupperwares of homemade soup I've frozen into single-serve portions so I can take them for lunch


Etc etc... The list goes on. Good luck, tell us how your cupboards look now after grocery shopping!

OMG you guys! We had a blast at the grocery store tonight. We went in, I was armed with my points calculator and list from here as well as other items from my books... it was like a military precision exercise... rofl! Hubby was really getting into looking at labels and reading off calories, fat and fiber.. lol. We got some strange looks and that made it all the more fun! We were in there for 3 hours making lists and writing points down!

When I picked up a package of Flatouts, there was a lady at the deli getting corned beef and skinny swiss cheese. She saw me looking at the Flatouts and came up to me and asked if I was on WW. I told her I was starting tomorrow and she gave me a few tips on some low point foods and BREAD! 2 slices equal 1 point! Needless to say, I found that bread. I will post what it is tomorrow after I organize my cupboard. Hubby's idea. I get my own cupboard.. I am so blessed!

He would pick up something that we would normally get and would read off the info and I would announce how many points and he would grimace and put it back.. a few things we were totally shocked! He was overwhelmed at those 100 calorie snack packs - didn't realize there was so much of that, and kept finding WW stuff for me. I never laughed so hard grocery shopping in all of my life!

I got this really cool scale. It is digital and you can punch in a code (from the supplied book) for foods that you aren't sure of the nutritional contents on (i.e. - 1 chicken breast) and it will determine the weight and give you the nutritional information. I can figure the points from there and then put it in a freezer bag, label it and freeze away! It will let me set it to zero with my bowl.. great suggestion Faerie - a few others didn't.

freedomreins - I did pick up a few of those SmartOnes dinners... hubby found a few of the healthy request ones to keep around for those nights that I don't cook and he wants to eat. We also got some of those Progresso soups too.

suite - that is an awesome list! I am going to print it out to help with my meal planning!

I have never been so excited about a diet in my life. I am so glad I stumbled across this site and you guys.

I'm so glad you are enjoying yourself already! It makes it so much easier to succeed if it doesn't feel like a complete chore. Well done at the grocery store! That sounds like a lot of fun! I know I certainly thought twice about buying certain things once I started WW. There are these amazing potato chips here in England (so I suppose they are crisps!) that I am head over heels for but they are 6 points for a tiny handful so I only buy them once in a while instead of every time I'm at the store. Good luck, and please stick around and talk to us in the Flex Talk thread and help us out with our big weight loss tally. I think your excitement will be infectious and help motivate the rest of us

Chey-
Well done! Funny how some would think 3hrs in the food store is way too.....long Sounds like your hubby is great support, that is wonderful for you, and your own cabinet..you are very lucky
I agree with freedom stick around and let us know how things go for you. This site is all about helping, sometimes you are the giver and other times you are the receiver. Best of Luck to you this week

Thanks for all the support and for the warm welcome! All of you are a wealth of information.

Well, I am off to the kitchen! I have lots of new stuff I need to label and a week's worth of meals that I need to get on paper menu rather than a list and post on the fridge!

Chey to WW!

Sounds like you did fantastic on day one! You are blessed to have such great support in your husband!

I learned about a really super product from other WW'ers that has not been mentioned here, it is among my staples...lifestyle staples really. These containers from Sharper Image. (Sharper Image FresherLonger Miracle Food Storage http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/ca...uct/sku__ZN020) Vegetables and fruits stay FRESH for a long time in them and I can have them washed and ready to go. I buy huge containers of salad greens at Costco and put them in the largest size, sometimes I layer different stuff with a paper towel in between (spinach on one level, arugula, baby greens, parsley) and I have a salad base ready to go for up to 10 days or so!! Incredible to me. They really work for "instant grabbing" of veggies to take to work every day and I can buy larger quantities of fresh vegetables and know they will last for a while.

Another helpful "staple" practice for me is to write point values on the outside of boxes and cans with a big Sharpie pen. You can look in your cupboard and mindfully choose what to eat based on your points. And it makes tracking faster too. I keep a post it pad stuck on the fridge, jot stuff down as I prepare it and then go log it in my computer later. So I know basically the point value of the stuff I am eating before it goes in my mouth.

Your scale sounds really great! Good move on the scale, I have one at home and work. I would love to know the bread you found when you get your stuff all organized.

The WW Chicks here are VERY motivational and supportive! Good luck this week--the first couple weeks are the hardest, it gets easier and you will learn point values for things you eat often pretty quickly, but it sounds like you are motivated to make it through!

My staples that I keep around are:
Bananas
Apples
Grapes
Lettuce
Cherry tomatoes
Sugar Free Jello
Crystal Light (I use 1/2 packet per 24 oz bottle of water)
Perdue 93% lean ground Turkey (3 points per 4 oz) Use this exclusively over ground beef
Popcorn
Salsa
Broccoli(for my salad)
Chicken
My crockpot. This way I can make dinner when I work night shift, just throw something in when I get home in the AM. Plus leaves plenty of leftovers for lunches.

Jamie

It's amazing how much fun grocery shopping can be

I just wanted to add Boca burgers to this list--I don't know how you feel about veggie burgers, but I stopped eating red meat about 3 years ago...just started eating these, and with some WW cheese, grilled onions, and toasted on high fiber bread, they are awesome!

I eat a lot of baked potatoes with salsa. Always have salsa..you can put it on anything and everything!

I also like the WW smoothies---the smoothie mix is one point, and it's really good with the WW yogurts, or fruit tossed in. (and it counts for one milk!)

I put spinach in absolutely everything. I love it in marinara sauce over whole wheat pasta.

Fiber 1 bars are really good, for 2 points per bar!!

Love the lists of items.... I do most of them....
Thanks for the suggestion for the food storage-- I ordered the set and can't wait to get them.

Great! I hope you love them as much as I do! The other cool thing is that they are very nice and neat when stacked in the fridge with all my lovely fruits and veggies in them.

Oh, one other staple. Fresh mushrooms. I slice them and sauté in about 1/4 cup sherry and keep them in the fridge in one of these containers to layer in everything! No oil, and SUPER flavorful!