I tend to drink a protein shake every morning, and then go exercise. My shake is 1 cup skim milk (Core), 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter (2 pts), 1 scoop unflavored soy protein (90 calories, 1 fat no fiber), and 1 scoop Spiru-tein (100 calories, 1/2 gram fat and 2 fiber). So if I'm doing this right...6 points?

How can unflavored soy protein NOT be Core? I'm a bit confused. There's no sugar, no flour...and natural peanut butter, too. How can THAT not be Core? Salt and peanuts, right? I was under the impression that Core is to get us away from processed foods and back to "the way things grow"...am I wrong?

Can you tell I'm new to this?

peanut butter isn't core.

Mousie,
we are glad to have you. We all have lots of questions when starting core. Do you have the WW materials?
I am really not one to answer questions about protein powder, as I've only used it briefly in the past. I'm sure others would have better answers.
The only thing I can think to say is if you love them, and they don't seem to hinder your weight loss, is use the points for them?
The following isn't great advice, but it's the truth: some of us have incorporated things into core that aren't really core. So you could try doing core regularly, have your shake, and see if it gets in the way of losing weight. If so, then start counting the points for it. If not, you've just tweaked the plan to be personalized for you. Lots of people are against tweaking the WW plans, but sometimes it works better for some people.
Wow, that was a lot. I hope it makes sense. I'm sure someone else will come along and be more helpful.

I can only guess, but I'd say protein powder's not core because it is totally processed. It doesn't require your body to do any extra work to digest it.

Personally, I'm with you. If sf/ff jello is core, protein powder should definitely be ok. But they didn't ask me. Could you throw some tofu in there instead?

(Peanut butter I understand. Loads of fat, plus it's a huge trigger food.)

I don't do WW at all, but I snoop around on a lot of threads...
are peanuts themselves core (or are they counted differently as points?)

Maybe you could try grinding up peanuts and making your own PB with no added sugar/salt. That's probably healthier than the jarred alternative, regardless of how it fits in to the plan.

Good luck!

That's why I counted it as 2 points.

SF/FF jello is Core?? Good grief. And THAT'S not totally processed?? That makes no sense to me. But at least I can have dessert 'free of charge' in exchange for having my protein shake with points...does that make sense to anyone else (and can you explain that logic to me? ) ?

Heh. Anyway. Peanut butter is healthy fats, right? The fats you need...hmm. I'm obviously going to have to look at this more.

The goal of Core is not to eliminate processed foods.

We still use Splenda (artificial sweetener), jell-o, etc. It's to eliminate excesses of these foods. WW Core is a lifestyle, not a diet.

Hmm. I'm still not getting it, I think. What's the overriding belief? I mean, Core foods seem to be basic, simple, outer-edges-of-the-grocery-store foods. Right? How do I figure out what foods are Core? I have the first week booklet, but that's obviously not got all the foods there ever were in it.

Mousie, it would help if you bought the Daily Food Companion. Hundreds of Core foods are listed, more specifically the brand named ones.

I'll see if I can find the Science of Core article that I read somewhere. It may help you.

No nuts are Core. WW thinking is that they are trigger foods and therefore have potential for abuse.

I'll go look for the article.

Core
The other plan you can choose is the Core plan. With this plan, you are not given a daily point range to follow, but are instructed to choose between foods in a list similar to the foods available on the South Beach Diet. In fact, many assume the Core plan was Weight Watchers response to the popularity of South Beach, though they really didn't have anything to worry about. According to our own survey of Weight Watchers members, only one in ten actually prefer the Core plan, and the rest prefer the versatility of the Flex plan.

What will you eat on Core? You can have lots of vegetables, including fresh, canned, or frozen, but not vegetable juice. The same rule applies to fruits - fresh, canned, or frozen, but not fruit juice. You must also make sure there is no added sugar in your fruit or vegetables (such as tomato or spaghetti sauce). Fat will be strictly limited. All dairy must be fat-free, and you can only use fat-free margarine. You can eat whole grains such as whole wheat pasta or brown rice. These must be limited to one serving per day. You can also eat white potatoes, but again they are limited to one per day.

One advantage to choosing the Weight Watchers Core plan over the South Beach Diet is that you actually do get the opportunity to eat non-Core foods, unlike the South Beach Diet. On Core, you are given a weekly allowance of points that you spend on non-Core foods, as long as you stay within the limit. Your Core foods, however, will not have actual limits (other than the grains and potatoes) but you will be advised to eat just until you are satisfied. This is the part many people don't like. If it was so easy to eat just until satisfied, we wouldn't have become overweight in the first place.

Edited to add the 3FC review of WW Core -- katpo 12/28/05 3:54 pm

I do WW Online, and it has an online index of all the foods that are Core. That's how I know.

BTW, we're not supposed to directly post the WW material on this board, since it's copyrighted material.

See the sticky above. ^^

I think it's ok as long as we give them credit. I'll check with Kathy to be sure.

We can copy things like this -- what Vickie posted is available to anyone who visits their site.

What we aren't allowed to do is post the specifics (food lists, etc.) of the Core plan.

I edited the post, however, to add the 3FC official review of WW Core.