I need some food guidance...

  • Tomorrow I will have my first WW weigh in. I am quite sure I haven't lost an ounce, and today, on the doctor's scale I showed a 1 lb gain. I need some food guidance. I started WW last Tuesday...and I carefully recorded everything and was doing great until Friday when we left for an out of town show. Saturday morning (restaurant) I had bacon and eggs. Before I ate any of this meal I got a doggie bag and put 1/2 of everything except eggs into it leaving me 2 fried eggs, 2 bacon, a cup of fried hashbrowns, 1 slice of buttered toast & coffee. Lunch at the vendor's table I had a can of Equate Ultra Weight Loss Shake (5g fat;24g Carbs; Sugar 17g;10g protein; 180 cal). At 6pm I had the polish sausage out of a polish dog bun from the food vendors cart; at 9pm I ate a big pasta, vegetable stir fry from a restaurant. I ate that way on Sunday morning with ham instead of bacon...lunch was the Equate drink again. For dinner we were invited to a home. I had about 1 1/2 cup of a pasta, hamburger dish (I don't know what the sauce was). I was still hungry when I left, and I ate 1/2 of a club sandwich and a bowl of chicken rice soup later.

    I need to refocus, and I will. But I need some help eating at the only restaurants that are generally open when we finish each day of a show. What can a person choose at the basic truck stop restaurant that fits with Weight Watchers. I am usually very hungry at Breakfast time and toast and scrambled eggs wouldn't do it, since I won't be having much for lunch. What kinds of food could I take in a cooler? I know I can go to my diet plan book, but nothing pops out at me. Thank you,
  • Welcome to 3FC

    Putting half the food in a take-home bag was a good start. Did you then eat those things later, though?

    At any restaurant don't be afraid to ask for food to be made a certain way. It's your money, and most places don't mind making things a little differently.

    Here's one thing I noticed immediately: Where were your fruits and vegetables for the day? I saw... a vegetable stir fry... which likely didn't hold all your daily amount of veggies.

    Starting with breakfast: I'd stick with eggs. If possible, I'd ask for scrambled eggwhites with many vegetables. This not only bulks the meal up, but adds in much needed veg. I'd skip the hashbrowns entirely. I would not put butter on the slice of toast if I'm looking to save on points. I'd actually eat more egg whites and no hashbrowns if given the option. Make that toast wheat bread, too.

    As for a cooler... you can keep fruit and sliced veggies on hand with very little maintenance. How cool are you able to keep a cooler? Yogurt and low-fat cheeses might go a long way to helping you keep hunger at bay.

    Nuts or certain types of trailmix bars can come in handy on the road, as well. They keep well, and are often very hearty.

    Are there other food vendors where you go? Take a close look at what they offer, there may be better choices than kielbasa.

    I hope that helps to start! Give it time, you'll come up with some great solutions and be able to stick to plan
  • Does the truck stop have oatmeal? I'd probably have an egg or two and oatmeal instead of the hashbrowns.

    And definitely bring fruit and veggies. For the veggies, you can bring some low cal dip/hummus in a cooler bag with some ice.

    How about nutbutter sandwich on wheat bread during the day? That doesn't require refridgeration and should hold you for a while.

    I'd ditch that Italian sausage and maybe bring some turkey pepperoni or jerky to snack on, if you want a savory/salty meat snack.

    Can you also bring a thermos, with some low point veggie soup?

    Hard boiled eggs are another snack I like, and I toss out all of the egg yolks beyond the first one.

    And make sure you are getting enough water. Sometimes thirst feels like hunger (at least it does for me). If I skip my water, I tend to eat more food.
  • I have found that when I eat out, that I really, really cut points if I eat low carb. So, for most dining out (I've been doing lower carb a few months so occasionally won't do this) I will reject anything that has grains or very much added sugar. No bread, no pasta, no potatoes, no rice. I avoid sauces except very basic sauces (teriyaki sauce, OK. Alfredo sauce, not so much).

    So, when I sent to Denny's I ate scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage links but no toast, pancakes, hash browns.

    If the restaurant serves fish or shrimp that is usually less points. But, again, watch for carbs. Fried fish or shrimp usually has a high carb coating on it so I avoid that. But, grilled fish or grilled shrimp is fine (grilled shrimp if available is very low calorie).

    Get a salad. I don't worry about the dressing being high fat, but I do avoid croutons. If you are worried about portion control, get the dressing on the side. Often you can get vegetables as a side instead of things like potatoes or pasta. Remember at fast food places you can substitute often. My favorite Jack in the Box dinner is grilled chicken strips (with 1 container of the buttermilk dipping sauce). I get the meal but substitute a side salad for the french fries (no croutons). You can do that kind of thing at a lot of places.

    The plainer you eat the better since it often the sauces that are really high calories. Also, be sure and watch portion control.

    When you eat out, food is often very high sodium and so can result in water retention even if the calories are fine. I will avoid eating out unless I have to on the 3 days before I weigh in.

    For snacks, I mostly eat nuts and avoid high carb snacks.