You guys are right. I'm going to ignore these changes to their program, if I can lose about a pound a week (which is how CORE has been so far for me) the way I've been going all along, then I am doing OK. I think, for example, that if I wanted a half cup of FF cottage cheese in between meals, if lunch wasn't "holding me" I can't see much difference between that food and a Smoothie, both offer similar things to my body and probably very similar calories.
I will probably lose control and regain some weight over the holidays, but I accept that, and it's OK by me. I think CORE gives me exactly what the word implies, a CORE base of foods that I can fall back on when I've been eating the wrong things at certain times, like a party for example.
I think these new restrictions are for those who can't portion control and don't have a "red light" when it comes to overeating. I have heard some people in meetings make remarks about CORE not being for them as it sort of gave them permission to eat out of control, all day. I don't have time for that and I know better, I've been a WW for far too long.
As a lifetime member, who went off the wagon, I know all too well what kind of trouble you can get yourself into if you ignore portion control and what you eat. The are extenuating circumstance in my case, like medications, menopause and two deaths in the family, but I still hate what I did to myself.
My way of dealing with the loss of both my mom and dad, 4 months apart from each other was to self-medicate with food. I regained all my weight back and then some. I'm done with that now and recognize what I did. If it happened all over again, though, I don't know if I could stop myself from going for chocolate doughnuts and losing control when I was so upset.
At any rate, CORE keeps me "in check" and I like that. The treats that I really would love to have and would "excuse" if I were on the flex plan by using flex points, and then some, seem really out of control nowadays.
I wonder if you all think that we CORE people eat basically like a diabetic? I must read through the new materials more today, as there was a page in there, I noted, with a glycemic index or something like that. Truly sounds like a diabetic thing. Diabetes is "epidemic" nowadays, so it all makes so much sense to me.
Hope I made some sense here,
Linda

Linda, we are SO soul Sisters. I've medicated with food all my life and am in recovery. Let's do this together. And when you get there, you can reach back and drag me with you!

And, if you get there first, reach bag and drag me too!
Soul sisters, I love it!
So, what's on your dinner plate this evening?
My plate has ham, baked potato and on the side WW garden vegetable soup. All CORE... but I will put margarine (the Lee Iococca kind) on my baked potato and count the flex points for that. If any margarine (I've yet to try a FF kind) could be core, it's this one kind as it's made with all the "good" oils for the most part. So, I like using it when I want margarine/butter, it's better than most margarines in flavor and about as healthy as that kind of product can get.
If any you use margarines, what kinds are you using and what do you consider healthiest?
Linda

I love the taste of ICBINB but it has trans fats in it. So I'm back on Smart Balance and Smart Balance light. No hydrogenated or partially hydrogented. It's got some pretty darned great oils in there. They have a FF but I haven't tried it yet.

I put margarine on my veggies. It's the only way I can get them down. For now I pay points.

I had Chicken Cacciatorre tonight. It was fabulous.

I like the taste of Smart Balance too, but it has canola oil in it, which I'm allergic to. If I have it in small amounts, I'm fine, which I guess is good for my diet!

I usually just use spreadable fruit or something instead of ff margarine, because to me, it tastes like butter-flavored plastic.

Angela

"soul sisters" i love it!! you girls can both grab me and drag me, too.

i just bought several boxes of light blue bonnet margarine. (50 cents ea) i'm counting the points.

linda, your dinner sounds yummy. makes me drool.

I eat Take Control margarine but just a little bit, and only on vegetables. Judd likes Promise Light. We have some Smart Balance Light and he'll eat it (if he has to) on vegetables but not on his wheat bread.

I'm going to check the packaging on a few margarine when I am at the grocery store today. There is another I like that comes in a blue and white plastic container that has yogurt blended with it, Brummel and ___? or something like that. I wonder if it has trans fats or any of the bad stuff?
I can't get down a baked potato without butter or margarine on it, either. Veggies, I have found that I can eat them lightly salted (which isn't that good either, I know, but I use lite salt at least) but a baked potato is just something that is "boring" without something on it. I've tried FF plain yogurt or FF sour cream, but it tastes pretty awful to me.
I have taken leftover baked potatoes (I usually bake one or two extra ones if I am heating the oven anyway) and dice them and saute' them in 2 tsp. (per potato) olive oil with onion powder and S+P to brown them. They make a lovely side dish or breakfast "hash brown" and are totally core.
I am going to try to find a recipe for a potato pancake browned in olive oil as they are basically grated potato with egg and onion browned in oil. Sounds like it would be totally CORE and yummy, but one would have to really pay attention to portion control, of course.
I'm totally alone for dinner this evening, by the way. My son is at work, my daughter will be on a date and my husband has to leave on a business trip this afternoon. I shall make my own dinner, truly what I want and catering to no one else's food interests in the house. I look forward to doing this for a change.
I think it will be fresh fish (probably haddock or swordfish) with brown rice and asparagus? We'll see. By the way, did you know that asparagus is a natural diuretic? If you have overeaten, it can help purge your system!
Linda

Linda, try the oven fries. I, too, do not enjoy a baked potato very much without a lot of margarine or sour cream. I can get them down with FF sour cream but don't enjoy them much that way. Jim and I eat the oven fries at least once or twice a week. It's a delightful way to get your 2 teaspoons of healthy oil in. The recipe is on our board. Let me know if you can't find it. Try them at least once.

hi guys!

linda: well said. i think i may end of iggying the rules too based on what ive heard. seems the new rules are making ppl obsess more over food. i thought the whole idea of core was to make it more natural. the whole ww product nonsense is just that. its nonsense!

The core list is certainly not small by any means. I know a lot of people were complaining about not losing or small losses but from their menus they were eating way too big snacks. Everyone needs to judge that for themselves. Just because WW put 2 items on the core list does negate everything. No one said they were mandatory.

susan, i just looked at your tracker. congratulations, girl. that's an awesome accomplishment.

Susan, you certainly have had good results - way to go!
I get weighed in today. I'm afraid that though my intentions were good ones, the approaching holiday has affected many of my meals already this past week. I hope to have a loss, but who knows? Their scales are always different than mine.
Plus, I think I overate at lunch, which will add to my weight. I do think the new rules are making me obsess quite a bit and worry more. I need to chill out and not thing.
Lunch was a boneless chicken breast cooked in 2 tsps oil, lima beans and wax beans. I feel full. I'm going to try to not even have water before my meeting, which is in a little under 2 hours as that will increase my weight as well.
I do stress out about weighing in, I even worry about what I am wearing, take of my watch and my belt each week. I should just wear the watch and belt for one week and then go from there and keep them on, but I go a bit insane over it.
Linda

Hi, You gals sound like you're doing great. I noticed two foods that are now absent from the previous Core list. Vegetarian baked beans (certainly a trigger for me) and regular couscous. Whole wheat couscous is fine, so I think I'll make the changeover.

My WW leader said that there were members eating 1/2 a chicken as a snack and wondering why they weren't losing weight. Well, come on!!!! I am going to assess this program and think about tweaking my snacks after the New Year, but I am not going to let Core feel like a "diet" because that will get me every time!

Also, my leader says that if you are accustomed to eating 6 small meals a day, there is no reason to stop doing that. I think WW's just wants people to be aware of what they are doing, especially with snacking. I have to admit I was ticked when I first saw the changes, and am definitely considering not changing over to them.

Good luck to a great group of gals. And Happy Holidays to all!
Judy/Itryharder

Hey Judy! Happy Holidays to you and your family. I'm going back hardcore on December 27th. I'm actually looking forward to it!