Hello, I'm new to smart points but not new to ww. I was doing Atkins and gained, so I thought I would go back to weight watchers. I need to lose about 160 pounds. I always start good then fall off the wagon. Hoping this time around it will be different. Hoping to get support from others because I'm doing this on my own. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.
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A lot of people are frustrated with the Smart Points system - particularly people who were used to earlier points based plans because now foods that were a certain number of points before are even more points now. They are encouraging more healthful eating and getting more activity into your life. It's hard to figure the points on your own. Newbies seem to have an easier time of it, and the rest of us complain for a few weeks and then just decide to accept it and get on with the program. Good luck to you!
I don't feel like I'm getting that much food on smart points. Anyone else feel that way?
I feel pretty satisfied when I take advantage of the free fruits and veggies, and stick to lean proteins. Here's how I used my 30 SPs yesterday:
Breakfast: 2 eggs, sandwich thin, coffee with milk and splenda, and banana
Lunch: Meatless chicken patty, sandwich thin, lt. mayo, and a huge heap of summer squash noodles with butter spray and spices
Pre-gym snack: Banana
Dinner: Salad with vinaigrette, light feta, and salad topping, and a huge heap of zucchini noodles with marinara sauce with meat
Treat: Light Yoplait with PB2 mixed in
So I think I could say one thing that's made a huge difference for me is that I bought a Paderno spiralizer (check Amazon if you're interested). This is such a fun tool! It turns veggies such as squash into noodles. No, they're not true pasta noodles but they are so easy to make, don't have a strong flavor of their own so they can be seasoned any way you'd like, and are 0 SP. They really bulk up whatever you're eating so it doesn't feel tiny, and you feel more satisfied. You CAN still eat regular pasta of course, but substituting pasta with veggie noodles really stretches your SPs.
You don't need to purchase a gadget, but this is one way I've been able to painlessly get more veggies in. I also buy a lot of frozen vegetables and nuke them for a quick side. I usually make a whole package of chicken breasts on the weekend so I can use them anyway I'd like for a quick meal throughout the week. If you hang in there and do a little planning (I know, blech), you might find it gets easier.
Location: A beautiful and peaceful place in the woods
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Quote:
Originally Posted by timetolose41
I don't feel like I'm getting that much food on smart points. Anyone else feel that way?
YES, me too I had to really re-think how I am using my points and actually change up alot of the food I eat. And I'm one who LOVES fruits and vegetables. I can't do any kind of artificial sugar or sugar substitutes and I think WW leans on that stuff - chemical bombs.
I groaned for the first couple of weeks and then just had a stern talk with myself. You basically have to incorporate a huge amount of your food volume with low and zero point foods.
I found that almond milk is barely any points compared to cow's milk so I substituted that for morning breakfast. I eat alot of eggs. Try to make a large salad for volume, skip the cheese and get my protein in there with homemade dressings with Greek Yogurt to cut down on points.
Soups - I do soups to also add volume - soup and salad, soup and a wrap instead of a bread based sandwich. My former go to quickie Lean Cuisine's are annoying pointy now for the small serving of food that you get.
Sugars and carbs will chew up all your points quickly, so I dug up some old WW recipe books, recalculated the points and had to plan out my meals more than ever before.
I'm still not keen on the program but I am losing (albeit slowly) so I am going to stick with it for now.
I really mourned points plus, but have come around to smart points. I still have dessert every day, it's just a little more sugar conscious and upping lean meats makes me have more points left by the evening anyway. I could never have done this without WW.
It really depends on what you eat. For me, there is virtually no difference in what I eat on SmartPoints versus Points Plus. But, I was already eating low sugar, I don't eat beef, and I eat a lot of protein. All of that means that most of my foods didn't change much in points. There are days I struggle to get to 30 points. I do find it a program that encourages healthier eating than did Points Plus.
Thanks everyone for your advice. I just want to stick with my old ways of eating and I know that's what got me into this mess. I will give it a little longer. I'm not big on vegetables though, so I guess I will have to adapt. I will also have to rethink a lot of the way I eat. Its not going to be easy, but not to many things worth doing are. Again thank for the advice and the encouragement to keep going.
I struggle with fruits and vegetables. One thing that I do on a lot of days is have a large salad with usually some chicken in it. That gets in several vegetable servings in an easy way. I have actually learned to really like this.
I struggle with fruits and vegetables. One thing that I do on a lot of days is have a large salad with usually some chicken in it. That gets in several vegetable servings in an easy way. I have actually learned to really like this.
Hi Koshka, you are not alone! I struggle with fruita and vegetables too. I have found that making them as available as possible gives me the best chance to have more servings. I keep lots of apples, bananas and grapes around as they are easy to eat and require little prep. I keep the fruit bowl out on my counter at home and on my desk at work where I can always see them. Whenever I prepare vegetables by roasting them or cutting them up, I do a LOT at once so that the leftovers will last me for days. Last night I roasted brussel sprouts, onions, sweet potatoes and green beans with just a little spray butter. Yum!!
Pretty sure, I am the lone person that "HATES" fruit, but "LOVES" veg!
Actually, I do not hate fruit, it just does not agree with me. It monkeys with my blood glucose levels something awful.
And it makes my stomach hurt. Like really bad.
I wish fruit agreed with me, I would like to eat more of it, except bananas. YUK.
But bring on the veg! Veggies do not upset my tummy, and you can steam, roast, fresh, toss, grill, steam, so versatile.
Shcierf I am mostly with you. The only fruit I eat is blackberries or blueberries, rarely strawberries. I don't like other fruits at all. And I am mostly just neutral on the ones I do eat.
Hello All, I am a 44 year old single mom who has been over 200 pounds since my early 20's. High school was 170lbs. I joined WW last month and today will be my official 4th week weigh in. I did points plus before but didn't stick to it. I think it allowed too many of my "trigger" foods, and I wasn't good at moderation. I'm liking Smart Points, but think that they are a bit selective with what they make a crazy number of points.
I started by just tracking everything I ate at first, and almost wanted to give up immediately. My usual 20 oz Mocha, which I used to have 2-3 x a week, ended up being a whopping 21 points!!! I then looked up even a small or regular-sized candy bar only to find that they were 15 or more points. Since sugar is "my thing" I felt that I'd fall off immediately. Thoughts of cheat days, etc. really started filling my head, and I know that would lead to a downward spiral. Luckily- I found Weight watcher girl 1 on youtube. She shared a day on smart points that looked delicious, filling, and doable.
I went shopping, found most of it at my local Walmart, and gave it a go. The first day I was actually stuffed and didn't want all my points. I have found lower fat/sugar/calorie substitutes for my treats, sugar free flavored coffee creamer with a bit of extra stevia isn't half bad, Starbucks has a skinny mocha available for 3-5 points depending on size for the occasional treat, I sub out the starch at restaurants with more veg, and best of all- with no real sugar, I'm not triggering my overeating urges.
I know I will likely have to fine tune my eating as I get closer to goal, but for now I'm enjoying being full and satisfied, and having my clothes fit better. The pants I avoided last month because they were getting a bit too snug and and uncomfortable now slide on with ease with no overhang.
I'm averaging a 2 lb a week weight loss and this is the longest I have been on any eating plan in the last 15 years. (I signed up online and followed for a week before attending a meeting, so that is why I say this is my 4th "official" weigh in week.
Wow! Sounds like you are doing great. SmartPoints is an adjustment, but that sounds like exactly what you are doing -- adjusting! One thing I like about SmartPoints is that I feel like I am eating healthier. I do still have some food with sugar in it, but mostly smaller portions and less of that kind of thing.
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