Some Ideas to Savor

Monday, January 4, 2010

Frances has been so kind as to invite me to blog here and there. She is doing a wonderful job at getting all the info out.

In October a friend and I joined our local Weight Watchers. I had been down this road before and needed to head back toward my destination after having my second child. However my friend was new to this journey and she has really struggled with ideas of what you can actually eat. I mean really eat. Things that you will find in your fridge and in your pantry. Here are some of my ideas and I would surely welcome yours. I am always looking for new food choices so that I do not feel limited and bored with with being on a "diet". Remember, as Frances said this is really a lifestyle change not a diet. It is a way to get healthy and feel better in those jeans and yes eventually a swimsuit. So here goes....

Breakfast

This is the most important meal of the day to jump start you metabolism. DON'T SKIP IT!!
If you are a hardy breakfast eater look for cereal like Special K (plain-not sugary cereals) and skim milk. Here is my breakdown.

2 cups of Special K- 5 points
1 cup Skim Milk- 2 points
That will give you 7 points for breakfast.

OR

1 Lite Whole Grain English Muffin- 1 point
1 slice of 2 % cheese (Kraft Singles)- 1 point
1 egg and one egg white scrambled - 1 point
That will give you 3 points for this breakfast and if you choose to add orange juice, 1 cup would add 2 more points to this menu. Or you could even add a small banana for 2 additional points as well.

As you can see, you can make your points go very far and feel full by planning your points wisely. Our meeting coordinator said "You can eat whatever you want!! You just have to count the points for it." It is like a bank account. You have a balance and when you have reached "0" that is when you need to stop or there could be consequences.


Snack

1 large apple - 2 point (cut that in half for a small apple)
Or
14 Quaker Rice Quakes (a rice cake snack each about the size of a half dollar) 2 points
Or
1 bag of Orval Reddenbacher popcorn 94% fat free (I like slightly sweet/salty) 2 points


Lunch

1 Arnold Sandwich Thin- 1 point
3 oz if BoarsHead thin deli meat (Chicken, Ham...keep in mind the fat content) 3 points
1 Tablespoon of Hellmann's Mayo (light)- 1 point
1 slice of tomato- 0 points
1 slice of lettuce - 0 points
16 Baked Lays Chips- 2 points
This meal has a total of 7 points and it is very filling.


Dinner

This is usually my larger meal because like Frances, I sit down with my family.

1 tossed salad- 0 points (be careful of adding croutons, seeds, eggs... these add points)
2 Tablespoons Maries Lite Blue Cheese Dressing (This is wonderful stuff!!)-ONLY 1 point!!
1 grilled or baked boneless chicken breast (use the deck of cards reference as a serving, but most breasts are about twice that size) - 6 points
1 large sweet potatoe plain - 3 points (if you use butter or brown sugar add additional points)
1 cup broccoli steamed - 0 points (if you like cheese, add a slice of 2% cheese for 1 point)
This meal as listed without extras is 10 points.


SNACK

1 Skinny Cow chocolate ice cream sandwich - 2 points


These options are probably manageable within all of our point ranges and there are so many more. By picking the 2nd breakfast option and eating what is listed for lunch, dinner and picking 2 snacks, I have only used 26 points and that is a lot of food. What are some of your ideas? I would love to hear new ones.

Oh and don't forget the WATER. We cannot stress enough that this will make a BIG difference in your weight loss, not to mention make you full, hydrate your skin and aide in overall body function. Happy weight loss!!!

Windy White