What foods to have on hand?

  • I've been a faithful low carber for most of my "dieting" days. DH is trying to convince me to make the switch to WW, and I am considering it.

    Being so used to the LC lifestyle, I have no idea what types of foods I should have on hand for the WW plan. (We plan to join online IF we make the switch)

    LC foods include: full fat sour cream, pepperoni and summer sausage, lunch meats for snacks, chicken breasts, zucchini, eggs, etc., etc. So what about WW? What foods do you always have on hand and how many pts on average do those items count for?

    Thanks!!

    (PS- I'm SUPER pumped about the possibility of eating potatoes again soon!! )
  • Okay here are my essentials:

    Frigo light string cheese-one point
    cut up carrots-zero
    cup of strawberries-zero
    cup of grapes-1 pt.
    cucumbers-zero
    pickles-zero
    laughing cow light cheese-1pt
    pretzels-2 pts per serving
    sliced bell peppers-zero
    almost any fruit-1 pt
    plums- .5 pts
    peanut butter and jelly sandwich -3 pts (1tbsp pb, 1 tbsp sugar free jelly or preserves and 2 slices nature's own light wheat bread)
    light english muffin-1 pt (sugar free jelly or jam-zero or spread laughing cow light cheese for another pt)
    weight watchers snack cakes-1pt
    ww candies-1pt per piece
    Ken's light ceasar dressing- 1pt per tbsp
    deli ham-2pts for 2 oz
    reduced fat shredded cheese- 1/4 c for 2 pts
    medium cooked red potato-1pt
    smart balance light margarine-1 pt for 1 tbsp
    light sr cream-.5 for 1 tbsp
    put the last four ingredients together with broccoli or spinach for a delicious stuffed potato for only 4.5 pts...mmmm

    I hope this helps some.
    -Phil
  • I also keep
    low fat/low carg torilla sm (50 cal) 0 pt, large 1pt
    egg beaters 1pt
    ff or low fat mayo
    mustard 0 pt
    frozen mixed veggies
    corn torillas 1pt, make great chips and works in casoroles
    shrimp, white fish fillets etc. usually 1 pt per serving
    baking potato--to slice and make into baked french fries 1/3 potato 3pt
  • I have to tell you that for the year prior to starting WW I did a diet similar to yours. After starting WW I realized just how much fat I was taking in and I think that it's the reason I couldn't get it to work for me. I found it very limiting also. Now I can eat anything (but choose not to, I'm learning how to eat well for the first time in my life) as long as it's portion controlled. I don't feel deprived of anything! I love that I can have potaotes!

    I buy the things mentioned above, lots of fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables and also occasionally buy things like:

    WW yogurt-1 pt.
    Yoplait yogurt-2pts
    Skim Milk
    Sunchips-3 pt.
    Veggie chips-3 pt
    Boca burgers- 1-2 pts.
    Morning star sausage patties- 2 pts
    they also make bacon and sausage links
    Morning star meat crumbles (use in place of ground beef)
    Progresso light soups-0 pt.
    Sugar free hot chocloate-1 pt
    sugar free fat free pudding mix
    Fiber 1 bars-2-3 pts.
    Talapia fish, 4 oz-2 pts
    Fiber 1 cereal-depends on which one
    whole wheat or whole grain saltines-1 pt. for 5
    fat free cottage cheese
    Rice cakes-1 pt ea. for the large
    Goldfish-3 pts for 55
    turkey lunchmeat-1 pt. for 6 slices
    Sara Lee 45 calorie bread-1 pt. for 2 slices
    whole wheat pancake mix
    sugar free syrup
    splenda
    brown rice
    whole wheat stuffing mix
    eggs-2 pts. for a whole egg
    or 3 egg whites-1 pt.
    V-8-1 pt.
    Fat free gravy-0 pts. (for the baked potatoes)
    Fat free cottage cheese (best mixed with some fruit, it's not the best tasting)
    Cooking spray and I can't Believe it's Not Butter spray-Beware, after 5 squirts it racks up points, as do any 0 point items. In other words 5- 0 pt. items = 1 pt.
    I also bought extra measuring cups and spoons since mine are being used so much now. I measure and weigh everything. A digital food scale is helpful too.

    Good Luck and let us know how you do!
  • So true Dolly,

    When I started I called myself the queen of one point snacks. Now I find that I choose to eat veggies and fruit over processed snacks...so much so that I ended up tossing ww snack cakes because they got moldy in my cabinet. It is amazing how 10 months of ww has taught me how to eat!!!!
  • WW ONE POINT FOOD LIST

    FRUIT
    Apple, dried, 1/4 cup (3/4 oz.)
    Apple, fresh, 1 (4oz)
    Apples, crab, 2 oz or 1/2 cup
    Apples, mountain, 3 (2" x 1 7/8")
    Applesauce, unsweetened, 1 cup (8 oz)
    Apricots, 6 dried halves (3/4 oz)
    Apricots, fresh, 3 (4 oz)
    Blackberries, 1 cup (5 oz)
    Blueberries, 1 cup (5 oz)
    Boysenberries, 1 cup (5 oz)
    Breadfruit, uncooked, 1/3 cup (3 oz)
    Cantaloupe, 1/4 melon (8 oz) or 1 cup (5 1/2 oz)
    Cherries, fresh, 1 cup (5 1/2 oz)
    Cranberries, fresh, 1 cup (4 oz)
    Currants, fresh, 1 cup (4 oz)
    Dates, fresh, 2 (3/4 oz)
    Elderberries, 1 cup (5 oz)
    Fig, dried, 1 (3/4 oz)
    Fig, fresh, 1 (2 oz)
    Gooseberries, 1 cup (5 oz)
    Grapefruit sections, 1 cup (9 oz)
    Grapes, 1 cup, 20 small, or 12 large
    Green papaya, 1 cup
    Guava, 1 (4 oz) or 1/3 cup pulp
    Honeydew melon, 1/8 (6 oz) or 1 cup
    Kiwi fruit, 1 (4 oz)
    Kumquats, 10 small or 5 medium (3 oz)
    Mandarin orange, fresh, 1 (6 oz)
    Melon balls, 1 cup (6 oz)
    Mulberries, 1 cup (4 oz)
    Nectarine, 1 (4 oz)
    Orange sections, 1 cup (6 oz)
    Orange, 1 (5 oz)
    Papaya, 1/2 (8 oz) or 1 cup (5 oz)
    Passion fruit, 3 (3 oz)
    Peach, fresh, 1 (6 oz)
    Pear, fresh, 1 (5 oz)
    Plums, 2 (4 oz)
    Prickly pear (cactus pear), 1 (5 oz)
    Prunes, 2 (3/4 oz)
    Raspberries, 1 cup (4 oz)
    Strawberries, fresh or frozen (unsweetened), 1 cup
    Tangelo, 1 (7 oz)
    Tangerine, 1 (6 oz)
    Watermelon, 2" slice or 1 cup (5 1/2 oz)
    Breads
    Bread, high fiber (3 grams or more dietary fiber per slice),
    1 slice (1 oz)
    Breadsticks, 2 long or 4 short
    Cocktail (party-style) bread, any type, 2 slices (3/4 oz)
    Crisp breads, 3/4 oz
    Flat breads, 3/4 oz
    Matzo farfel, 1/4 cup (1/2 oz)
    Melba toast, all varieties, 6 rounds or 4 slices (3/4 oz)
    Oyster crackers, 20 (1/2 oz)
    Pita, any type, 1 small or 1/2 large (1 oz)
    Reduced-calorie, any type , 2 slices (1 1/2 oz)
    Rice cakes, any type, 2 (3/4 oz) or 6 mini
    Sauces & Soups
    SAUCES
    Barbecue sauce, 1/4 cup
    Chili sauce, green, 1/4 cup
    Chili sauce, red, 1/4 cup
    Cocktail sauce , 1/4 cup
    Duck Sauce , 1 Tbsp
    Gravy, beef, chicken, or turkey, canned, 1/4 cup
    Pizza sauce, 1/4 cup (2 oz)
    Spaghetti sauce, bottled, any type, reduced-fat,
    1/2 cup (4 1/2 oz)
    Spanish sauce, 1/2 cup
    Teriyaki sauce , 1/4 cup

    SOUPS
    Chicken noodle soup, canned, 1 cup
    Chicken soup, without matzo balls, 1 cup
    Egg drop soup, 1 cup
    Protein Sources
    Anchovies, 6 (3/4 oz) or 1 tsp. Paste
    Bacon, 1 slice crisp
    Beans, dry 1/3 cup or 2 1/2 oz cooked or 3/4 oz uncooked
    Bison/Buffalo meat, 1 oz.
    Cheese, 1 fat free slice
    Cheese, cottage, 1%,2%,or nonfat, 1/3 cup (2 3/4 oz)
    Cheese, hard 3 Tbsp. Shredded, 2 Tbsp. Grated or 3/4 oz
    Cheese, Neufchatel, 1 Tbsp (1/2 oz)
    Cheese, nonfat, hard or semisoft, 1 slice, 1 (1") cube, 3 Tbsp
    Shredded, 2 Tbsp grated, or 3/4 oz
    Cheese, pot, 1/3 cup
    Cheese, ricotta, nonfat, 1/3 cup
    Cheese, soy, nonfat, 1 slice, 1 (1") cube, 3 Tbsp shredded,
    2 Tbsp grated, or 3/4 oz
    Chicken drumstick, cooked, without skin (with bone), 1 (1 1/2 oz)
    Chicken roll luncheon meat, 1 slice (1 oz)
    Chickpeas, dry, 1/3 cup or 2 1/2 oz cooked or 3/4 oz uncooked
    Clams, cooked, 1/2 cup (2 oz)
    Crabmeat, cooked, 1/2 cup (2 oz)
    Crayfish, cooked, 1/2 cup (2 oz)
    Egg substitute, fat-free, 1/4 cup
    Egg whites, 3
    Fat-free luncheon meat, 6 slices
    Fish, fresh, flaked, 1/2 cup
    Frankfurter, beef, pork or turkey, fat free, 1
    Gefilte fish, 1 piece (1 1/2 oz)
    Goose, wild, cooked, 1 oz
    Lentils, dry, 1/3 cup or 2 1/2 oz cooked or 3/4 oz uncooked
    Lobster meat, cooked 1/2 cup (2 oz)
    Luncheon meat, lean (less than 2 grams fat per oz), 1 slice or 1 oz
    Mussels, cooked, 1/2 cup (2 oz)
    Oysters, cooked, 1/2 cup (2 oz)
    Peas, dry, black-eyed, 1/3 cup or 2 1/2 oz cooked or 3/4 oz uncooked
    Peas, dry, split, 1/3 cup or 2 1/2 oz cooked or 3/4 oz uncooked
    Pheasant, cooked, 1 oz
    Quail, cooked, 1 oz
    Salmon, smoked, 1 oz
    Sashimi, 4 pieces (except salmon or mackerel)
    Scallops, cooked, 1/2 cup (2 oz)
    Shrimp, cooked, 1/2 cup (2 oz)
    Smelt, cooked, 1 oz
    Soybeans, dry, 1/3 cup or 2 1/2 oz cooked or
    3/4 oz uncooked
    Squab, cooked, 1 oz
    Sweetbreads, cooked, 1 oz
    Tempeh (fermented soybean cake), 1/4 cup (1 oz)
    Textured vegetable protein, 1/3 cup (3/4 oz dry)
    Tripe, cooked, 1 oz
    Turkey roll, 1 slice (1 oz)
    Vegetarian breakfast patty (sausage-type), 1 (1 oz)
    Venison, cooked, 1 oz
    Whitefish, smoked, 2 oz
    Cereals
    Cereal, cold, bran flakes, 1 cup
    Cereal, cold, high fiber (10g or more fiber per 1/2 cup)
    Cereal, cold, puffed, 1 1/2 cups
    Cereal, cold, shredded wheat, 1 biscuit
    Quaker Corn Bran, 3/4 cup
    Spreads & Condiments
    Almond butter, 1 tsp
    Butter, regular or whipped, 1 tsp
    Chutney, 1 Tbsp
    Cream cheese, light or whipped, 2 Tbsp (1 oz)
    Cream cheese, nonfat, 4 Tbsp (2 oz)
    Cream cheese, regular, 1 Tbsp (1/2 oz)
    Fruit butter, any type, 1 Tbsp
    Jam , jelly or preserves, 1 Tbsp
    Ketchup, 1/4 cup
    Margarine , fat-free, 4 Tbsp
    Margarine, reduced-calorie (tub), 2 tsp
    Margarine, reduced-calorie (stick), 1 1/2 tsp
    Margarine, regular, 1 tsp
    Margarine, squeeze, 1 tsp
    Mayonnaise, fat-free, 4 Tbsp
    Mayonnaise, reduced-calorie, 2 tsp
    Mayonnaise, regular, commercial and homemade, 1 tsp
    Olives, 10 small or 6 large (1 oz)
    Peanut butter, 1 tsp
    Pickles, sweet, 2 large
    Salad dressing, fat-free (except Italian), 2 Tbsp
    Salad dressing, reduced-calorie, Italian, 2 Tbsp
    Sour cream, light, 3 Tbsp
    Sour cream, nonfat, 1/4 cup
    Sour cream, regular, 1 Tbsp
    Spreadable fruit, 1 1/2 Tbsp
    Sweet and sour sauce, 2 Tbsp
    Prepared Foods
    Beans, 1/2 cup fat free refried
    Beets, pickled, 1/2 cup
    Onion soup mix, 1 cup prepared or 1/2 envelope
    Poi, 1/3 cup cooked (3 oz)
    Potato flaked (instant mashed potatoes), 1/3 cup (3/4 oz)
    Uncooked
    Potato pancake, frozen, 1 (2 oz)
    Potatoes O'Brien, frozen prepared w/o fat) 1 cup (4 1/4 oz)
    Potatoes, hash-brown, frozen (no fat added), 4 oz
    Sushi, maki (vegetables and rice rolled in seaweed) 4 pcs.
    Yogurt and cucumber salad, 1/4 cup
    Starchy Vegetables
    Chestnuts, 6 small (2 oz)
    Corn on the cob, 1 small ear(5") or 4 oz
    Corn, baby (ears), 1 cup
    Parsnips, cooked or uncooked, 1 cup or 6 oz
    Peas, green, cooked or uncooked, 1 cup or 6 oz
    Squash, winter, 1 cup or 7 oz cooked
    Water chestnuts, 1 cup (4 1/2 oz)
    Beverages
    Apple juice or cider, 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz)
    Beer, nonalcoholic, 1 can or bottle (12 fl. oz)
    Cappuccino, 5 oz
    Clam-tomato juice, 1 cup (8 fl. oz)
    Cocoa, hot; instant, fat-free, 6 fl. oz
    Cocoa, hot, instant, no sugar added, 6 fl. oz
    Cranberry juice cocktail, low-calorie, 1 cup (8fl. oz)
    Cranberry juice cocktail, regular, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)
    Fruit juice, combined, any type, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)
    Grape juice, carbonated or noncarbonated, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)
    Grapefruit juice, any type, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)
    Hot chocolate, 1 cup fat free
    Nectar, any type, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)
    Orange-grapefruit juice, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)
    Orange juice, any type, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)
    Pineapple juice , 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)
    Prune juice, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)
    Tangerine juice, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)
    Wine, light, low-alcohol, or nonalcoholic, 1 small glass
    Or 1/2 cup (4 fl oz)
    Snacks
    Crackers, 7 fat-free crackers (3/4 oz)
    Popcorn, light, microwave-popped, 3 cups
    Popcorn, plain, hot-air popped, 3 cups
    Pretzel sticks, 23
    Pretzel twists , 8 small
    Seeds, pumpkin or sunflower, 1 Tbsp
    Sweet Stuff
    Biscotti, 3 sm. (1 regular) fat free
    Candied fruit, any type, including citron, pineapple,
    And gingerroot, 1 Tbsp or 1/2 oz
    Cookies, gingersnap, 2 (1/2 oz)
    Cream, whipped, 1/4 cup (1 oz)
    Fortune cookie, 1
    Fructose, 1 Tbsp
    Fruit juice bar, frozen, 1
    Fruit juice bar, no sugar added, frozen, 2
    Fruit pop, frozen, 1 bar (1 3/4 fl oz)
    Honey, 1 Tbsp
    Ice cream cone, plain or sugar, 1 small
    Ladyfingers, store-brought, 1 large or 2 small (1/2 oz)
    Lollipop, 1 (2 1/4" diameter)
    Marshmallows, 2 medium (1/2 oz)
    Molasses, light or blackstrap, 1 Tbsp
    Sugar, any type, 1 Tbsp
    Syrup, low-calorie, 2 tbsp
    Syrup, regular, any type, 1 Tbsp
    Topping, fudge, regular or fat-free, 1 Tbsp
    Topping, pineapple or strawberry, 1 tbsp
    Topping, whipped, dairy or nondairy, 1/4 cup (1/2 oz)
    Weight Watchers chocolate mousse bar, 1
    Miscellaneous
    Bran, all varieties 1/3 cup (3/4 oz uncooked)
    Breadcrumbs, dried, 3 Tbsp (3/4 oz)
    Cornmeal mix, self-rising, 2 Tbsp (3/4 oz)
    Cornmeal, uncooked, 2 Tbsp (1/2 oz)
    Cream, light (coffee/table cream), 2 Tbsp. (1 fl oz)
    Creamer, nondairy, 1 Tbsp powder
    Creamer, nondairy, 2 Tbsp liquid (1 fl oz)
    Creamer, nonfat, flavored, 2 Tbsp liquid (1 fl oz)
    Flour, any type, 3 Tbsp (3/4 oz)
    Half and half, 2 Tbsp (1 fl oz)
    Vegetable oil, 1 tsp
    Vegetable shortening, 1 tsp
    Wheat germ, 3 Tbsp (3/4 oz)
    Wonton skins (wrappers, 5 skins (3"x3" squares )
  • wow, that is a great list Arlene!! I think I'll print that. Thank you!

  • Oh wow, what a great list! I'm going to print that out too, to have handy on the fridge and make additions to my grocery list.

    I'm a former South Beacher myself. I didn't have much success with South Beach, mainly due to my problems with portion control and the fact that I can't have dairy and that was hard with SB. I'm so incredibly glad I made the switch to Weight Watchers, the only thing I regret is that I didn't do it years ago!
  • Thanks for the list! I also make a double batch of the WW soup, and keep it on hand.
  • What a great aid to finding 1 point foods thank you so much for posting this I have saved it and will print it off DH will be impressed with that as well.
  • Great thread, thank you!
  • Well I work at a bank part time so it means im here for a majority of the day. I leave the house at 7:30 and I don't get home until 5:00.

    So the night before I'll sit down and plan my lunch and snacks for work.

    I always bring a yogurt,banana,my sandwhich or whatever I'm eating for lunch,stawberries,a ww string cheese,and an apple just incase! I try to snack on healthy stuff all day.

    In the house I try to keep WW ice cream, I only have it once a week IF THAT,but it helps around that time of the month!
  • you eat what you want just count the points. of course choose healthier options but if you want to splurg that what the extra 35 points are for. My daughter and I love ww