hey all,

I have been a member of WW and a Lifer since 1989, and the Quickstart Program. It seems like no matter where I go, no matter what meeting I end up joining, I end up being the class mascot. There maybe another guy or two, but I am always the youngest guy and they always flatte me alot.....not thsat I have a problem whith that at all :-)..
Our leader and our receptionist (who subs on occassion) fully support Core, although the leader still does Flex.

Hope your first WI went well Danny, and it looks like we started at the same point, and have the same goal....you keep on it boy

HAPPY LOSIN,

-nate

I lost 5.6 lbs, which was a little better than what I had predicted. My weight was so inflated when I started, though, that I think that this next week is a better test. Still, I am very pleased with it.

Hey, Katy - - maybe that was me at your meeting!


danny

Sugar free fat free pudding is a Core food............
lots of flavors!
Great dessert
Cin~

Hi guys!
My what a busy thread this is! Hard to keep up, but great info and fun!
I'm doing better and am so glad that I have been keeping my journal and really portion controlling my core. I'm back on a role again, I think and will hopefully do better at weigh in this coming week.
As for me disecting a recipe, I think I am good at that kind of thing. For example, if I made a lasagne, I would try very hard to substitute all core ingredients to make it work for me. I'd use whole wheat pasta, ff ricotta and mozarella, egg substitute, canned diced tomatoes or plain tomato sauce (with no fat) and add spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, etc. to make it interesting and healtheir. I would make the usual recipe into a core recipe and have a great time doing it! If I couldn't find whole weat lasagne noodles, I would use "normal" pasta and maybe only count the points for a serving of the pasta if everything else in it was core.
I guess some ww leaders are much more into the core thing than others, like everyone was mentioning. I was astounded at last night's meeting when one person (in a fairly decent sized group of people) raised their hands when the leader asked who was doing the core plan. But, everyone seemed excited that this one woman had lost 4 pounds in two weeks, so maybe more will try it this coming week? Will be interesting to see!
I found something that I totally enjoyed this past weekend that added a flex point to my omlet, by the way, so I have to share. I made an omlet using egg substitute and sauted red pepper to put in it. We were at a summer cottage and I didn't have my usual supplies on hand of ff cheeses and did have laughing cow lite wedges. These are one point, but my daughter on flex points has been eating them spread between two slices of lite bread toasted and so I had them along with me. I diced up the cheese wedge and added this to my omlet and it was so very good! The creamy swiss type of flavor combined with the peppers was totally worth spending that point!
Hey, Java Turtle, hope you try this, it is definately turtle friendly and easy to follow. Wtih flex points, I was always having to look up things and use my points finder. I have the basic core foods pretty much memorized and now can kind of move along on my own with much more freedom.
I am, however, journalling, I just need to keep control and watch myself. Being used to being on flexpoints, I am keeping very tight on my points allowance. I don't want to lose control of portions.
I did gain last week, but when we went away over the long weekend, I ate out four times. I was trying to be on core and it just wasn't working by the end of the weekend. I was starving and they brought the breadbasket to the table, it was warm and wonderful. Plus, what is it with resteraunts nowadays putting cheese on garden salads, I'm going to have to start asking about that now, three out of four places had cheese sprinkled on top. All, I am glad to say, had ff dressings, at least, and I got them on the side. My darling husband enticed me with chocolate and I was like an alcaholic going on a binge, after that. I take full responsibility. But, that could have happened on both core or flexpoints. In order to make any program successful, one must FOLLOW it! I am sure following it these last few days and we are not going away over the weekend, so I can be much more successful!
Take care everyone and Go Core!
Linda in NH

Had a yummy core lunch today. Took 1 cup of lentils, chopped one tomato and half a cucumber, added 2 tbsp fat free sour cream and curry powder and salt and pepper to taste. It made a huge bowl of food and tasted wonderful. (hint, don't mix it together til you are ready to eat. That way the tomatoes stay nice and the sour cream doesn't go watery.)

Could anyone suggest good snacks to take to work? All I can think of is fruit. Any other ideas? I get very hungry between meals on core, probably because it is so low fat. I usually get my oil at supper.

Cheers all,
Nova

Hello All.........I have been reading this POST for hours and it is very motivating, since I am ON THE FENCE about The Core Plan. I am a lifetime member but have 3 lbs to get me back to goal, AND STAY THERE. I hem and hawed about this plan but this board and ALL of you and Linda in Derry's receipes has lit my fire. I am back on course for the past 11 weeks having lost 15 so far. Guess I gained back more than I thought but I am making progress. I was thinking I am the last hold out for the Core Plan but this post is convincing me that on Core is where I should be. MY reluctance was MY desserts....I am a dessert person and always allow my pts for them. I am thinking as I am reading all the great idea you all are coming up with.
Tell me Linda in Derry or CIN .....the oatmeal cookies....can we have more than one with a glass of FF milk? Also CIN, what about the FFSF puddings - is it one per day like the Smoothies??
I want to THANK YOU ALL for being so positive on this, I needed it. I realized I have not posted here in a year. Sure am glad I found you again.
I hope to hear from ALL of you.......
Linda

Hopefully someone knows this....it is confusing some of WW at the work...
If you have a store bought CORE soup, and then decide for dinner you want your own made with WW pasta, FF chicken broth, added vegs and chicken....do you then HAVE to count one of them as pts???

I might have missed something, but I don't know of a limit on soups. I have invested in a box full to keep here at work - all on the CORE "list".

Hi Ladies,

I, too, am a lifetime WW who is having trouble staying within the 2-lb. limit. When I heard about CORE I had to go to the meeting and find out all about it. Since journaling and counting points was something I hated to do--I am definitely on the CORE program. I, like you other ladies, am very excited about this. The foods that are CORE are all very nutritious and healthy. My husband is a diabetic and since I am feeding him the way I am eating his diabetis has been more in control. One thing I am doing is having one of the chocolate WW treats each day and counting the points-2 pts. I am also using the other 3 points each day for whatever I want. I am truly satisfied and by trying the many recipes you ladies have posted I definitely am not bored. And the best news of all is I am losing weight!

Look forward to reading more posts on this subject.

Take care,
Anita

As far as I know, Linda, there are not limits to soups, only pasta would be maybe what you are referring to? There is one serving of pasta per say, so two servings of soup with pasta would have to have the points counted, if that is what you were getting at?
Not sure what oatmeal cookies you meant in terms of having milk. I've not found any oatmeal cookies YET that are core, just oatmeal itself. Oatmeal need not have milk with it, as with a few other cerials.
Linda in NH
"I am the one who holds the fork", quoted from Richard Simmons motivational tape, 1980s. We made the choices, we live with the choices. Let's make some good choices!

Hi Linda in Derry....about the soup is exactly what I meant. So if one Core soup has noodles in it the other home made should be counted or vise versa.
As for the oatmeal cookies, I was talking about a recipe I thought you posted, or some kind of oatmeal dessert with all core ingredients than are more than 1 allowed with a nice glass of FF milk??

You have posted some really great recipes and I for one, can't wait to try the beef stronganoff
I have written in down and look forward to it.
I was a BIG TIME 'No Way' Core person, but your posts and this board in particular has swayed me. I just had a great lunch and 1:30 and before that I had Fiberone with FF milk for breakfast at7:30 and then @ 10:30 some grapes, and I have NOT felt starved, something I have experience on FLEX sometimes during the day.
So actually this entire week I had not met my range for most days, do to Hurricane France and not having much in the house as well as no power or refrig. So my pts count was low.....even though if I want to consider myself as having done Core for the week then I used my 35 pts allowance but I am fine with that because for the rest of the day today (thursday) and tomorrow I will Core it all the way, and Saturday starts my new week again.
Was finally able to get some fruit at the supermarket - they finally got a delivery of dairy products and fruit......just in time for my new plan.
I hope we all have a great rest of our week and hear from each on how we are doing out there......everyone have a great rest of you day......Linda

Debra.....sorry about the miscommunication on the soups.....I guess I was talking about if the store bought soups had some sort of noodles in them.
I also just looked at my Complete Food Companion and I looked more carefully at the brands listed. I am a 'soup' person and don't want to mess anything up since I have been a long time hold out for the new Core Plan.
So again I am sorry.

Have a great day!!!!!!! LindaJ

HI!
I just reviewed all my posts on this thread, skimming through them and can't quite see the oatmeal dessert I posted.... but it was probably making an apple crisp with oatmeal, core margarine (some kind of soy or whatever is allowed or a point for what you can put in to make it work) and Splenda. If you mix oatmeal with cinnamon, nutmeg, Splenda and oatmeal and add a bit of margarine or maybe tiny bit of olive oil and some ww butter spray for flavor, you can put it over top of apples and bake it like a regular apple crisp. It would be totally on core, other than margarine if you added it. One could have milk with it, or I was thinking of taking plain ff yogurt and mixing it with Splenda and vanilla (to taste) and putting that over top? Sounds pretty yummy and I'll be my darling husband would eat it!
I need to come up with some more chocolate ideas.... I am obsessed with chocolate.
Sugar free "diet" hot cocoa is core, so I was thinkig of diluting the mix packet with a teeny bit of water vs. the entire amount ot make hot cocoa and making a chocolate sause to drizzle over top of things.... might work?
Here's another great recipe idea..... adapted from the Fanny Farmer cookbook!

Schoolteacher Squash, core plus one flexpoint

An old-fashioned vegetable casserole that a schoolteacher used to make. It adapted well to the microwave and it is just as good today, as ever!

1 pound zucchini, sliced
1/4 cup water
salt to tste
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup olive oil (as this serves 4, you must add one point here for this, or cut back on what you use)
1/2 cup grated fat free sharp cheddar cheese (the recipe does not say ff, but this is where we get creative!)
1 egg slightly beaten
This is CORE plus one point for the olive oil, we should have olive oil, but not quite this much at once!
Put the zucchini, water and salt in a 2 quart microwave safe casserole and microwave on high for 6 minutes. Drain off the excess water and mash the zucchini. In a seperate small dish, microwave the onion and pepper with two tablespoons of the olive oil on high for 1 minute. Add the onion mixture to the zucchini along with the cheese and egg and stir to blend. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over top. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 4 minutes, then turn the dish and microwave for 3 more minutes.


This really will come out nicely, good flavor, etc! Could be good served with brown rice and a meat/fish. You'll be on core and enjoying something different!
Have a great day all,
Linda in "Coresville USA"

LindaJ: what are some off the shelf soups that are considered core?

danny