JustDietNow

Head over to JustDietNow! Click on a restaurant to see the menu items along with the nutrition info and Weight Watcher points values! Tons of restaurants are listed!

Cheat Sheets

I love Weight Watchers cheat sheets. These are for members only and have been one of my favorite parts of the website. There are several cheat sheets to choose from (Mexican, pizza, Chinese, cocktails, etc.). You drag what you're thinking about eating onto your plate and it adds up the points for you! It's awesome! There are a couple on the iPhone app, but many more online. If you're a Weight Watchers member, check them out!

http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/CollectionA.aspx?pageId=1254511

Portion Sizes

Portion size is one thing I've found very important! It also was my biggest problem. Here are portion sizes. Thanks Weight Watchers!

Eating Out Tips

Here are some tips to help you with eating out!

• Beware of salads! Although you would think a salad would be healthy, they are often not too healthy! If you do choose a salad, make sure to stay away from ranch, honey mustard, or other creamy dressings. Choose a fat free salad dressing. (I like balsamic vinaigrette.) Also be aware of what all is on the salad. Croutons, cheese, and other "extras" can make your points add up! A typical chef's salad is 8-11 points WITHOUT dressing!
• Choose meats that are grilled or baked. Chicken and fish are your best options. A grilled chicken breast or fish fillet is about 3 points. Just make sure there are no creamy sauces on top!
• Choose your side options wisely. Save French fries for a true craving, or order them and eat just a few! (A serving of fast food French fries is 10 (if not more) points!) Also, try to stay away from mashed potatoes, even though they are a favorite of mine! If you order a baked potato, hold the butter and sour cream. Vegetables are good choices if they are not cooked with butter or have a sauce on them. Check to see how the vegetables are prepared. Rice is an okay side if you aren't big on the veggies (like me). A cup of rice has about 5 points.
• You don't have to make a happy plate! Restaurants give you huge portions! It's okay if you don't eat the whole thing. A serving of meat is only 3 ounces. That's about the size of the palm of your hand.
• Drink water! Water is free (usually) and the best option! If you just can't drink water with your meal, choose unsweetened tea or a diet drink. Stay away from sodas (20 oz. of regular soda has a whopping 6 points!) or sweet tea (20 oz. for 5 points).  

Quick Supper Idea

Have you tried Ronzoni Garden Delight pasta? It's delicious, and a serving of pasta has a whole serving of veggies! The pasta tastes exactly like regular pasta-no vegetable taste. My favorite is the rotini (it is easier that angel hair to measure a serving). Try the pasta with Ragu Light no sugar added tomato basil sauce. This makes a quick, easy, low point meal!
(8 PointsPlus for the pasta and sacue)

How many Weight Watchers points do I get?

Here's an unofficial site that will calculate your daily PointsPlus allowance. I put in my height and weight, and it was accurate. If you'd like to see how many points you're allowed, click the link below.
http://www.exercise4weightloss.com/points-plus-allowance.html

Walden Farms-CALORIE FREE

You HAVE to try this! Walden Farms has many products that are calorie free. Yep-CALORIE FREE!! There are no stores that carry Walden Farms products in the Tupelo area, but they are definitely worth the drive! Click on the store locator button to find a store near you that carries their products. (I found a store in Florence, AL.) I've tried the choclate dip, marshmallow dip, and chocolate syrup. They are all delicious and calorie free, which means no points! I bought the Caesar salad dressing as well, but I haven't tried it yet. I'll let you know how it is!

They have syrups, mayo, fruit spreads, salad dressings, BBQ sauces, peanut spread, condiments, fruit dips, veggie dips, and pasta sauces. I can't wait to try more of their products.

Check out their webiste by clicking on the picture.  

Try the Weekend Challenge!

WH WEEKEND CHALLENGE: Donkey kick/bird dog! In the modified version, simply hold your abs tight for 10 seconds (breathing throughout). That's one rep. Same idea in the regular and advanced versions, but you're lifting your leg or your leg and opposite arm. This weekend, before each meal, complete 3 sets of 10 reps. Are you in?

Try This App!

If you aren't a Weight Watchers member, check this out! If you'd like to track points (without paying Weight Watchers membership), try the iTrackBites app. It's only $1.99. I haven't tried it, but I've heard it was great. Search the App Store, or click the logo for the link.

Chocolate Crepe

I made these as dessert one day for my family (husband, mom, dad, and uncle). They all loved them! The crepes are light, fluffy, delicious, and satisfying. Plus, you can refrigerate the batter and make a few at a time! One crepe is 3 points. (Have as many strawberries as you like!)

Here's the recipe: Choclate Crepe

Oh, by the way, I love SkinnyTaste!

Bubble Up Pizza-Great Weekend Meal

Craving pizza? Give this recipe a try! A serving is only 10 points on Weight Watchers. It's very good! I followed the recipe exactly (not sure why the picture shows a black iron skillet-I used 9x13 baking dish), but you could substitute the ground beef with ground turkey or chicken. Hope you enjoy!

Bubble Up Pizza recipe link

PointsPlus Calculator

I found this PointsPlus calculator online.
(Reminder: I can have 26 PointsPlus a day.)

Chicken Fried Rice

Here's another great Weight Watchers recipe. The recipe does not include chicken, but I added it to mine! I chopped up a chicken breast (or two) and cooked it in a skillet. After I finished the rice, I added the chicken. Very yummy! Mine was a little dry, so I added a tad more soy sauce. The fried rice has 4 points. A chicken breast is about 3 points, so the recipe plus cooked chicken is about 7 points.

Here's the link: http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeID=182921

Cheesy Chicken Shells

This is a delicious recipe from Weight Watchers. I couldn't find jumbo shells like these at my grocery store, so I used the large manicotti shells. (It actually says manicotti shells in the recipe.) Very tasty and a HUGE portion! Three shells have 11 WW Points.
Here's the recipe: http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeid=51449

Some Favorites from Pinterest

Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets

These are pretty easy and very tasty! The serving size is huge! And they only have 4 points! Here's the link:
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/04/healthy-baked-chicken-nuggets.html

Anytime Fitness

Besides doing Weight Watchers, I also have been trying to work out more. With Weight Watchers, you can not only track your food, but you can also track your exercise. When you exercise, you can "get" more points to eat. However, I do not add points to my day. I always stick to 26 PointsPlus. I think this gives me an extra boost for losing weight.

Join a gym! My philosophy is: If you are paying for a gym membership, you are more likely to go to the gym. There are tons of great gyms around-check them all out.

I am a member of Anytime Fitness. As the name suggests, it is open anytime. There goes the excuse, "The gym is closed!" Also, all of their cardio machines have TVs. You can plug in your headphones and watch whatever you want. This makes working out a little easier! The gym I go to offers classes. I have a fabulous instructor who pushes me to the extreme. I look forward to going to class every week. If you are in the Tupelo area, join us!

Anytime Fitness

"Free" Snack

Here is one of my new favorite "free" snacks. By free, I mean that it has zero Weight Watchers points. That means eat all you'd like!

Sour Grapes
Ingredients:
Grapes
Package of sugar free Jell-O (any flavor)

Wash grapes. (I left mine on the stem.) Place grapes in a bowl. Do not dry them! Sprinkle unprepared Jell-O mix over grapes. Toss the grapes so that the Jell-O covers all grapes. Freeze. Enjoy!

These are too good to be zero points!

This is a Pinterest idea-but use the sugar free Jell-O for it to be zero points!

I love Hungry Girl!

I do! I love Hungry Girl! If you haven't checked her out, please do so! Click Hungry Girl.

Here is the link to one of her recipes that I have tried. And its oh-so good!

Ring Leader

What do I eat for breakfast?

As you know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I've never been one to skip out on a meal, even breakfast, but I know many dieters do. I try to start out my morning with a healthy breakfast that will keep me full until lunch. Every morning, I eat two of these muffins. Here's the recipe! Enjoy! (Oh, and they are only one PointsPlus point each!)

One Point Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:
3 cups Fiber One Cereal (Original)
1 box Krusteaz fat free blueberry muffin mix (or any fat free flavor)
3 cups hot water
2 tablespoons baking powder

Directions:
Mix cereal and hot water. Add muffin mix and baking powder. Bake at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes.

Makes 18 muffins.

Adapted from CoffeeB's recipe.

Products I LOVE!

Special K Cracker Chips

They are delicious, light, crunchy, and fulfill your salty cravings. Special K cracker chips come in several flavors (I like them all). They only have 110 calories for 27 chips! WOW! And, since I’m on WW, they only have 3 PointsPlus per serving! Incredible!

Pringles Light

I have always loved Pringles, but now I love them even more! Pringles Light (I prefer sour cream and onion flavor) are fat free! FAT FREE! They only have 2 points for 14 Pringles.

Sugar Free Jell-O

I have a pack of sugar free Jell-o every day for my lunch dessert. As you can see on the package, the sugar free Jell-o is endorsed by Weight Watchers. It’s one of those “free” foods I was talking about. That’s right- you can eat all you want! At zero PointsPlus, I stock up on sugar free Jell-o. I love all of the flavors, especially raspberry and strawberry-kiwi! (Just make sure it’s sugar free!)

Weight Watchers String Cheese

Weight Watchers brand string cheese is delicious-tastes just like the other brands string cheese. However, WW’s is low fat, and only one PointsPlus point. This makes a great afternoon snack. I always keep string cheese in the fridge!

Smart Ones

On most days, a Smart Ones meal is my lunch. Smart Ones are frozen individual meals. There are tons and tons of different choices, the one pictured happens to be my favorite! I haven’t tried a Smart Ones meal that I didn’t like. The PointsPlus values vary for the different dishes, but PointsPlus values are clearly labeled on the box.

Diet Dr. Pepper

Hear me out on this! I absolutely hated Diet Dr. Pepper (or anything diet) before now. I know several people who say that Diet Dr. Pepper tasts just like Dr. Pepper-no, it doesn’t. I could always taste the “dietness” of it. Throughout January and February, I did not have any soda of any kind. (It was horrible giving up Coke.) After being “off” Coke (as in Coca-Cola) for two months, I decided to go back and give the diet brands a try. Diet Dr. Pepper is my favorite, and I can no longer taste the diet after-taste. I also like Coke Zero and Sprite Zero. If you are like me and despise diet drinks, lay off of them for a while, then come back and try one of these! Maybe it will taste different than before! Oh, and all diet sodas have zero PointsPlus values!

Crystal Light

I have always enjoyed Crystal Light products. The raspberry lemonade is my favorite! At zero PointsPlus, I like Crystal Light even more now! Also, mix the Crystal Light with a 12 oz. Sprite Zero and it tastes even better! So good! Try it-I promise you’ll like it!

Jell-O Sugar Free Fat Free Chocolate Cook and Serve Pudding

I eat pudding just about every night! Make sure you buy the sugar free fat free. (It has blue on the top of the box.) My favorite is the chocolate! I also prefer the cook and serve over the instant. If you make it with skim milk, half a cup is only 2 PointsPlus points. (It’s even better if you eat it out of the boiler!)

why weight watchers?

Throughout the years, I have tried MANY different diet plans. None of them worked-until I tried Weight Watchers.

Here’s why I chose Weight Watchers:

1. YOU CAN EAT ANYTHING. Seriously, you can. I’ve tried the Special K diet. (I couldn’t survive in “real” life eating only cereal.) I’ve tried the “eat a banana one day, tuna the next,…” (Doesn’t work either.) With WW, you literally can eat anything you want, as long as you count your points! Forget “dieting”-eat what you love to eat!

2. IT’S EASTY. The WW plan is very simple to follow. Basically, you have to keep up with what you eat on a points system. (I get 26 PointsPlus a day, 49 PointsPlus to splurge a week.) If you have a smart phone, Weight Watchers has a very user-friendly app. (You have to be a WW member, though!) I couldn’t live without it!

3. SOME FOODS ARE ZERO POINTS. Since I only have 26 points a day, I love the “free” foods. Fruits and veggies are totally free, which means you can eat as much of them as you like!

4. THERE ARE TONS OF RECIPES ONLINE. Google “weight watchers recipes” or “points plus recipes.” I guarantee you will find one that sounds good. Others’ recipes have saved my life! (I’ll share mine with you!)

5. IT WORKS! Seriously, it does! Just try and see!


There are so many more reasons WHY to choose WW. If you have any questions about WW, I’ll be glad to give you my input!