Of course, every day is a Weight Watchery day (except for those days when I fall headfirst into a takeaway pizza and tell no-one about it but we’ll ignore those), however I was recently challenged to share my typical day and the kind of obstacles I might encounter along the way, tempting me into the path of calorific catastrophe.
I’m quite lucky in so far as, I work from home. I don’t have to pass a thousand Starbucks on my way in to work. Krispy Kreme and Cornish Pasty Co. stands are figments of my dreams rather than daily obstacles that need to be dodged. Thank god, I can only imagine how unhealthy I would be if I had to run the typical commuter gauntlet on a daily basis. That being said, my life is not devoid of temptation… my mother is a one-woman army of home-cooking that needs “testing” within twenty seconds of stepping foot inside her home. And my husband? Well, his name is Paul and he’s addicted to Haribo.
I’m allowed 29 points a day on the Weight Watchers plan. That’s plenty enough to create a filling meal plan but you do need to be creative. If you think that genuine hunger (and I mistake thirst for hunger many, many times throughout the day) will be a problem for you, you need to get clever about planning your meals, and this takes both dedication and time.
Pulling some images from my instagram, where you can keep up with 90% of my eats (I’m sorry), here’s what a typical day looks like for me food-wise.
Breakfast.
My biggest struggle is this little meal that you’re supposed to eat upon waking, in order to break the fast of the night. I hate breakfast. I’m never hungry in the mornings and if anything, I always feel that eating breakfast makes me desperate for moar food as the morning progresses. The key to a successful breakfast for me is finding something that is going to sustain me because once that fast is broken, there ain’t no going back.
Porridge with dried fruit and agave syrup, a banana, and a cup of tea (7 Propoints)
You can forget your miniscule portions of packet cereal, have you seen how much 30g actually is? I could snort that amount quicker than it takes me to pour it out of the packet. Porridge is where it’s at on a cold morning… the only problem is making it edible. I always make mine with water, in the microwave… adding a splash of milk at the end. I bulk it up with some dried or frozen fruit (added before cooking) and a drizzle of agave syrup or a tsp of demerera sugar. I also allow myself 50g dry weight. That’s more than most plans allow but if I don’t fill myself up, I start to think about lunchtime far too early!
If I’m not eating porridge for breakfast, then you’ll usually find me chomping on a Weight Watcher’s branded bagel (they’re smaller, hence I eat less) with low-fat cream cheese and smoked salmon, or the same topping… but on an English muffin, or a Warburton’s Thin (as shown below).
Warburton’s Thin with butter, low fat cream cheese, and smoked salmon (and lots and lots of black pepper! 7 Propoints)
I’m a bit too lazy for cooked breakfasts to be honest.
Lunch.
Weight Watchers Beef Lasagne (7 Propoints)
I’ve stopped having these (or any calorie-controlled ready meal) for dinner because they don’t fill me up enough without a mountain of bread/salad to go alongside. Instead, a ready meal (doesn’t have to be WW branded, Tesco do some good ones with the Propoints displayed on them) makes for a perfect lunchtime meal that doesn’t distract me too much from working. The downside to working from home, as you can imagine, are the numerous distractions and one of my worst habits is leaving the computer to go and fix myself some lunch… before returning three hours later. Slinging one of these in the microwave removes the temptation to do the washing up or throw a load of washing in the machine, convenience… can be good!
Alternatively, I’m not that great with my lunchtimes yet. My next mission is to make myself some batches of soup but my freezer is too full at the moment to store them! Other lunches include this sort of thing, I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not the most inspiring meal on a plate:
Random medley of scrounged food (6 Propoints)
Dinner.
Dinner is what it’s all about. I grew up in a family where both parents worked, dinnertime (never “teatime” in our house) was the only point in the day where we’d all see one another. We also usually had it quite late in the evening, around 7-7.30pm and nearly always consisted of a one-pot affair. Chilli con carne, spaghetti bolognese, curry… the sort of food that could feed an indiscriminate number of children, one of us would always bring a “hanger-on” home with us!
Nowadays, I try to have my main meal earlier in the day, sometimes I swap lunch for dinner (and have it at 4pm with a snack in the evening). If you follow my instagram feed, you may have noticed that one of my favourite meals is…
…sausages! Sausages (Tesco Light Choice Cumberland), green beans, yorkshire pudding, butternut squash and gravy (10 Propoints)
Or sometimes, I like to save up my points and be a bit naughtier…
Rump steak (cooked in garlic butter), fried onion, egg-white coated chips, oven-baked mushroom, and salad (11 Propoints)
I usually try and hold off having a pudding for at least an hour after my evening meal. I eat my food far too quickly… and often don’t feel full until a good twenty minutes after I’ve put my knife and fork down. Leaving a delay between dinner and pud ensures that I actually enjoy my dessert and that I’m not just eating it for “eatings” sake. As for what I have… I won’t put pictures in because it’s nothing amazing but I’ll alternate between: Meringue nest with grapes/pineapple and WW greek yogurt (2 Propoints), slow cooker rice pudding with jam (4 Propoints a portion), or a big bowl of sorbet (2 Propoints). As the Summer nears, I’ll be stocking up on Solero Exotic Explosions (3 Propoints each), and Mini Milks (1 Propoint).
Now… as for obstacles, like I say… I don’t have too many… but we did go to the cinema a couple of weeks ago for Mr. L’s birthday and I couldn’t have done without smuggling in a couple of packets of these from Boots:
Boots Shapers Maple Popcorn (2 Propoints) – you can see how big the bag is compared to the size of my thumb, it’s very generous!
And as for missing a coffee treat when we’re out shopping… well, I don’t. I just ask for a tall skinny caramel macchiato w/sugar-free syrup (I always emphasise SF syrup) for 3 Propoints, instead of something like the equivalently sized tall signature hot chocolate which I believe is a whopping 11 Propoints. Yeah, take a look at the steak picture again, that’s 11 Propoints too!
Alternatively, if you’re at home… you could treat yourself to something like this…
I bought my syrup just before Christmas and next time would go for a sugar-free Davinci or Sweetbird coffee syrup. Either way: kettle, coffee syrup, favourite instant blend and a dash of milk and you can make your own ghetto Starbucks. Kinda.
Hope this post has given you some ideas about the sort of food I eat on the plan. Our environment is geared up to feeding us convenience at a high cost in calories. Waking up to this fact and being vigilant (though not militantly so!) about it is the key to finding a balance that works for you. There’s no real restrictions other than an initial daily point guide and subsequently what you impose upon yourself with this plan but you do quickly find yourself realising that an 11 point hot chocolate is not the best way to “spend” your daily allowance.
The plan works for me, it’s not actually rocket science… it’s just a simplified method (once you get the hang of it) for calculating your food’s nutritional values, opening up your eyes to the healthy and filling options that will keep you sustained for longer (i.e. low GI), and encouraging ways to help you make the right choices over the wrong ones.
If you have any questions or tips on foods you think I might enjoy discovering, please let me know in the comments!
* I am a Weight Watchers blog ambassador and my links to their website are affiliated. I have received no payment for this post.
Propoints…? Is it something new?Weight Watchers closed at 2006 in Greece . I gain all my weight since and i ended up with gastric sleeve operation at 6 December . Sorry for my English . I follow your blog , it is excellent . Big hugs from Greece
I’m not on WW (though I probably should be) but I really enjoy reading these posts. I remember when I was trying to lose a dress size and my everyday breakfast was porridge made with water and a banana 🙁 I recommend red lentil soup for lunch, easy to make, tasty and really filling xx
Great post, I am weight watchering online at the mo and found this really helpful. I always get stuck in a rut but this has given me some new ideas, deffo going to make the sausage dinner!
Love these kinds of posts! Im trying to eat healthier too… porridge is lovely with bluberries and raspberries… or when im craving chocolate, I add chopped banana and choc chips! X
I really need to dog my WW books out and have another go. Slimming World was too much for me, I actually got sick of eating. Yo, a fat bird who doesn’t really enjoy food, go figure! 🙂 I never feel hungry at breakfast, in fact I normally feel as sick as a dog at the very thought of it. Like you, once the floodgates have been opened, I just want moarrrrrrrr, so I tend to go hours and hours without eating, which will probably cock up my gall bladder. It’s time to take myself firmly in hand (ooer.) I enjoy your foodie posts on IG. xx
I’m down to 27 points a day now as I get closer to my healthy weight, and it’s amazing what a difference those last 2 or 3 points make to what you can eat in a day. I’ve found myself snacking a lot more on fruit – bananas and oranges – to get through the day where before I might have had a slice of toast or special K bar or something.
I have smoked salmon with cream cheese on crumpets a lot they’re fewer points than bagels. I also really rely on mushrooms on toast for dinner when I’ve had a bigger lunch at work. Sometimes chuck a bit of chorizo in with the mushrooms too, cos a little goes a long way.
Have you tried recipes from SkinnyTaste.com? That’s my absolute favourite website for WW friendly recipes. So many WW recipes are a bit bland or tiny portions (especially the ones on the website) but she really knows what she’s doing. I do her adobo chicken at least once a fortnight, and her cajun chicken pasta is better than a full fat one.
Lunch is always my downfall. I actually like to buy it while I’m at work because then I at least leave my desk for five minutes, but it really is difficult to find things that aren’t loaded with hidden nasties in your usual lunchtime haunts – I spend a lot of money on sushi and cooked chicken slices now, because any kind of sandwich is wasted points to me.
I was on 27 points last May and definitely, it does make having anything outside your core 3 meals a day VERY difficult which is a little bit sucky. How do you treat your weekly points? Do you use them or not generally? I love crumpets but can’t put anything savoury on them it just feels wrong! I haven’t bought crumpets in ages actually, will pick some up with some chocolate philly.
I have tried the SkinnyTaste recipes and keep meaning to go back for some more inspiration, I’ll start with the adobo chicken, thanks! x
Weeklies usually go on one big indulgence on a Friday or Saturday or (and I know this is bad) on alcohol when socialising. I try not to use them as little daily add-ons or I find I don’t lose. I definitely need the majority of my days to stick rigidly to the 27 points or I just plateau.
I think really this is the universe telling me that I need to add in some serious exercise. I’m happy to use my activity points for an extra snack – somehow that feels better than using weeklies?
So I just returned from my annual physical and my doctor gently suggested I join WW. (I joined in the past but had a traumatic accident and healed myself into 25 additional pounds). After joining WW online (Do I really want to socialize at meetings when I’m food crazed?), I found your post. First, I already feel better about the journey after reading your post. I’m a tad bitter that you get 3 more points but the ghetto Starbucks suggestion makes up for it. I second the skinnytaste.com recommendation. You might also want to try hungry-girl.com. She has a growing oatmeal bowl that you can make the night before. (http://www.hungry-girl.com/askhg/show/2523). Plus she offers a variety of foods, recipes, tips, tricks and general tomfoolery. Wish me luck, determination and patience.
What a great post, ive always been interested in weight watchers or slimming world, but have never tried it because im not keen on the group sessions.
the food you ate was absolutely gorgeous, and it doesnt even look like a diet. How many calories is the weight watchers point equivalent to?
Thanks Yasmin, it doesn’t really work like that because fruit and vegetables are ZERO points (therefore encouraging you to fill up on those!), but if you’re eating out and you can’t find the nutritional values, dividing the KCAL by 40 will give you a rough idea of the number of points in something.
Thanks for this post – it’s interesting to see what fellow WWers have throughout the day! I have a really early start so I’m always starving by the time I get to work. I agree that 30g of cereal is NOTHING. I usually have a decent sized bowl of bran flakes or similar with a banana sliced into it and almond milk. I keep my lunch as low in points as possible because I’m always most hungry for my evening meal and whatever sweet treats I’m allowed to have afterwards!
I also agree with the environment thing – I find working from home actually tempts me more than being in the office, because I currently still live with my mum and she keeps the cupboards stocked up with all kinds of bad-for-me stuff. Although when I’m in the office there’s usually a packet of biscuits or two lying around! Removing the temptation is the obvious solution, but for me the biggest and hardest part is having the willpower to Just Say No…
What’s your opinion on WW products, apart from the ready meals? I love the yogurts and wraps but don’t really have much else from the range. I think it’s easier and cheaper to find equivalent products from other brands that are also PP-friendly.
From the WW range, I buy:
Yogurts (I can’t find anything else that isn’t 3pts a pot or phenom expensive)
Biscuits (but only if I’m passing poundland because I LOVE the sultana & cinammon ones that I think have been discontinued)
Bagels (smaller than normal sized, 4 in a pack… keep forever, bulk buy when on offer)
Ready Meals (I keep a couple in the freezer and buy them when they’re on offer)
I tried the toffee bars that you can get in meetings and they’re lush, also the little chewy red sweets in boxes which saved my LIFE when I went to the cinema – but I don’t think I can be arsed to make a telephone order and pay P&P just for those two bits – if you could get them in supermarkets, I would.
That’s it really… most other things are supermarket own brands. I don’t bother with sauces because I usually use pastes for tomato-based and low fat cream cheese for creamy based sauces. Cordials, I think the WW ones are aspartame free which I like but I usually buy Vimto sugar free. Hmmm what else is there… oh, I did like the pitta breads but I’ll have to compare the prices instore because I can probably get smaller pitta breads in own-brand packaging.
Do check Poundland for WW goodies, they have quite a range. The wraps are currently 3 for £2 in there.
Thanks for the tips! I do pop into Poundland every now and then so will look out for the biscuits and the offer on the wraps!
My favourite biscuits are rich tea fingers (1 point for two – I get them from M&S but I think Asda do them as well), and malted milks and fruit shorties (1 point each and both available from Home Bargains/Quality Save/whatever the bargain basement shop is in your area).
Sainsbury’s Be Good to Yourself range has ProPoints on 🙂
A fab look into what food you have been eating! Love the Maple Popcorn, will keep my eye out for this – I am sure it will ease the snacking pangs I have! 🙂