OK so I have been doing WW since June...but I am thinking that they are giving me too many points...I haven't lost since october, but that is when I started exercising and I have lost 3 sizes. Anyway, I just don't think 24 points a day is allowing me to lose weight..it just feels like too much sometimes. A lot (ok majority) of my meals are smart ones and lean cuisines. I jsut want your opinion on these. If I eat veggies...in a lean cuisine...would you say taht is healthy? I know they are high in sodium but I am a convenience FREAK and I can't STAND spending more than 10 mins in the kitchen.. I recently decided to start calorie counting...but is it really just as simple as that? so far today I have had 19 points, but only 900 calories...I'm having trouble justifying eating more food, but I guess now that I am keeping track of calories I'm a little confused...any help? thanks!

I have never done weight watcher's so can't comment on points. Calorie counting seems much more simple and direct to me. Personally, I combined calorie counting + whole foods with incredible, long lasting success. It's not enough just to lose weight, you have to plan how you are going to lose weight and keep it off. Eating frozen meals isn't a terrible thing, but it might get very boring and redundant over your life. Part of this process is learning healthy, lifelong habits, so finding some tried, true and FAST healthy recipes for the kitchen (that you can make a big batch and eat 3-4 days) might be a good idea.

I do like to cook, but I have some basic rules for most of my meals - no more than 2 pots (hate dishes!) no more than 30 minutes (hate it taking forever!). Working with those 2 rules, I create a ton of really great, fast recipes.

During my weight loss journey, I became very interested in the idea of food as cancer fighter, disease preventer, youth extender. All 4 of my grandparents died very young (cancer, cancer, diabetes, complications of alzheimer's). It is very important to me to eat right so I can live longer and extend the quality of that life. Tomatoes to protect the skin from sun damage, spinach for the eyes, blueberries for the brain, whole grains for the gut - that's why it's so important for me to put a little extra effort into the kitchen and eat whole foods instead of convenience foods.

900 calories (particularly considering your exercise) isn't a very healthy number. If you are having trouble eating more, try to eat some super healthy foods with high caloric value - nuts, nut butters, avocados, healthy oils. Just a small portion of those incredibly healthy foods with add a good number of calories for the day.

Ultimately, it's a personal journey for everyone and everyone has to find what works for them! Good work with the exercise and your three size loss, that's awesome!

From back in my WW days (when the point system first came out) a point was approximately 50 calories . . . and that would seem to tie in with your 19 points and 900 calories. So . . . I think you are only looking at about 1200 calories for 24 points. Most 'experts' (whoever they may be) usually recommend that you do not go much below 1200 calories to ensure that you are getting adequate nutrition.

I'd also recommend that you buy some bagged salad and FF dressing to add to your lean cuisine regime. Most of those prepared entrees have very little in the way of veggies and those that are present tend to be overcooked.

Thanks so much for the advice! Glory, I would LOVE it if you could give me some quick and easy (and 2 pot! thats awesome!) recipes! Or at least direct me to the right place. I love fresh foods, but I am very busy and only get to the grocery store about once every 2 weeks, so I have trouble keeping fresh foods fresh : / It is true, I do get tired of some of the LC and smart one dishes...but they do have tons now, so I switch them up as often as I can.
Meow, thanks for the info about the points/calories...I wasn't aware that 1 point=about 50 cals, that is good to know. I also have issues with salad. I just don't like it! I hate salad dressing, so if I do eat a salad it usually consists of baby spinach (hate lettuce also...dont mind it on top or inside things, just dont like too much of it at one time), roma tomatoes, a little bit of mozerella, carrots, and sometimes hard boiled eggs. But I don't really eat salad much because of the fresh food thing : / Thank you so much for the advice ladies!

Sent you a PM!

Breakfastsurreal, I agree with what Glory said 150%.

Cooking is not one of my favorite activities, but eating healthy foods IS one of my (newly) favorite activities. It really is worth the extra effort. I too make some real quick and healthy and yummy food. I could not stick to this new lifestyle if I didn't totally love what I was eating.

If you're not a salad lover, there's always vegetables. And have you tried different kinds of lettuce, red leaf, romaine, or a combination along with the spinach? I make a real yummy salad with chopped onions, chopped tomatoes and chopped kirbys with a lemon oregano dressing. Zero calories and since it has lemon in it you can make it once and it keeps for at least 5 days.

I've got lots and lots of recipes if you're interested. Let me know.

Good luck to you!!!

bring on the recipes! Spam me with them all you like! I need to make a database so I can not have them floating around in random spots on my computer...I'm so unorganized when it comes to recipes haha.

Breakfast, I would also like to add that LC and other convenience foods have WAY too much sodium.
I couldn't get off my plateau until I dropped my sodium down to human levels, 2,000 to 3,000mg per day.
My Lean Pockets I used to eat ALL the time got "redesigned" and are "New and Improved" and now have something like 690 mg sodium.
Way too much when you add in my soup at lunch 1020mg and my dinner and snacks too. I was regularly ingesting 4,500 to 6,500mgs a day.
As soon as I cut down my weight dropped and I stabilized to my lean mean fighting weight!!

lol!

Now all I need is someone to kick start my exercise again!

For convenience, most grocery stores are now selling bagged veggies that are clean and cut and ready for the microwave. 4 or 5 minutes and you have a great side dish! Also, there are some pre-cooked rice sides (look for the whole grain brown rice) that microwave up in only 90 seconds. I've checked the ingredients, brown rice, water and a little oil--nothing more than I would add when cooking raw rice. At that point, all you need to add is protein. Steam some fish in a little Pam and water and serve over the rice with the veggies on the side. Or grill some chicken. Very easy (I tend to do this 2-3 times a week).

Jilly, re marinade dish: do you cook the boneless chicken breasts or on the bone? I bought boboli last week because of you, but have not tried it yet. I was going to use this crushed tomatoe sauce and some goat cheese on top; maybe I'll try it tonight.

Here's another healthy breakfast or snack (or even dinner if you're really starving and lazy/tired): Kashi Go Lean Hot Cereal (its a small packet with a mixture of different whole grains), 1/2 cup fresh berries (blue or black), 2 tablespoons walnuts, 1 tablespoon raisins; add 2/3 cup water and put in microwave for 2.5 to 3 minutes. Very filling and very delicious!

I only buy 99% fat-free boneless skinless chicken breasts. It's the only kind of chicken I buy because I have issues with handling raw meat, so I can't deal with peeling off the skin or picking it off a bone or trimming off the fat (yeah, I'm a freak ).

I cooked a whole chicken a couple of times in a rotisserie my sister gave me, but I never get enough meat off it to make it feel worth the effort, and sooo much of it ends up in the trash. And so, I am strictly a boneless, skinless, super-lean chicken breast girl. I also generally only buy it either thin-sliced or breast tenderloins--whole breasts are too thick and don't soak in as much flavor from the marinade or toppings, and I don't much care for plain chicken (I know, I am super-picky).

jilly what brand chicken do you buy? I also hate trimming the fat and handling raw chicken breasts...the worst is when there is a huge tendon in it you have to cut out...yuckkkk!