Friday, August 13, 2010

Points for this, Points for that, What the heck are points?

I am always talking in points when it comes to food. I am a trained Weight Watcher. WW's has a formula that uses Calories Fat and Fiber to figure out how many "points" a particular food is worth. Then you have to figure out how much you can/want to eat in order to use up the amount of Points you are required to eat in a day. Currently I am given 26 points in a day. (That number is not for everybody so dont use it as a guide for yourself. If you want to do WW join the program and learn how it's done, today I'm just trying to give you an idea of how I plan my meals and a basic understanding of WW's without breaking any copyright laws. That way you will understand my future posts without these long explanations.)  Ok back to my 26 points. When I first started WW's I had my little points calculator with me when i go to the grocery store and right there in the store before i even considered buying the item i looked up the points. Then if i thought it was worth it I would take it home and write on it with a Sharpie marker the Points value so i didnt have to look it up over and over again. Now, I have done WW's several times over the last 7 years and I can kinda get a good idea what the points of a food is in the store without my calculator but I still double check it because guessing all the time leads to weight stalling and gaining in some cases. I also measure all my food. Instead of serving myself with a serving spoon I use a measuring cup so I know exactly how much I ate and therefore exactly how many points.  I try to eat breakfast everyday but sometimes i fail because I am not a breakfast eater and I just plain forget. Lately Ive been trying to get better about it and therefore eating breakfast probably 4 to 5 times a week. I try to keep breakfast in the 4 points or less range, lunch to around 6 or 7 points, dinner 8-10 points and then i use the remaining for cocktails and snacks. We are supposed to use our points in a good healthy way by following the Good Health Guidelines WW gives which is very similar to the food pyramid. Grains, dairy, meats, fruits and veggies, healthy oils. Getting these in helps you to eat healthy and uses your points in a healthy way. You could eat junk stay within your points and still lose weight but it's not healthy and doesnt teach you to eat healthier for the long run. I personally  believe WW's teaches me how to eat for the rest of my life, a lifestyle change if you will. I love WW's because even on a day when i dont wanna eat all healthy and I want some pizza and beer I can have it, just count it, keep it to a healthy portion and enjoy! Who wants to be on a diet where you can never have pizza and beer ever again? NOT ME!!
Cooking healthy comes easy to me. I love to cook in Olive oil so I get in healthy oils easily. Making simple changes to a recipie can lower the fat and calories and up the fiber so easily that I can have just about anything I want and make it healthy and good. YUM! It is easy to find lighter recipies all over the internet. I gotta give a shout out to the ladies on the WW's Newbie Message Board! Ahhhhhh they are AMAZING and a wealth of information, support and fun! If i ever cant find something on my own they always know just what to do. They offer their own recipies and ideas freely I couldnt do this without them.
In addition to the 26 points a day, i get 35 points to use as i wish during a week, we weigh in once a week so the 35 points resets on weigh in (WI) day. I love these 35 points these are my going out to eat with family and friends points, oh and cocktails. Life savers these little 35 pts. I usually use 1/2 of them one night and 1/2 of them another night in the middle of my week. Never the night before WI.
Do I spend a lot of time focusing on what im eating? Yes I do but I look at it this way if I didnt I would still remain Plus size. I still eat pizza only now i make it with flatbread, homemade sauce, veggie toppings and low fat cheese, Delicious. I make fruit smoothies almost everyday with diet cranberry juice, frozen mixed fruits, fat free yogurt and blend, maybe top with lite cool whip. Grill steaks with Roasted vegetables, Sweet potatoes, or summer squash. I play with new recipies often. Well I hope you got an idea of how I do this and why. Maybe understanding the points thing will help make sense of future posts.

Something i said in my post yesterday just sounded pretty stupid to me so Im going to say this: I shop in the plus size section and though sometimes the clothes look frumpy I have to admit there are some clothes that are pretty darn nice and look pretty darn good. Some days i just feel fatter then others and yesterday must have been one of those days. I still want to be able to shop "off the rack" so to speak though and in any store. That's all!

Accountability Statement for today:
I actually got outta bed early this morning thanks to my Bff for calling and getting me moving. Went to the gym and did my Cardio and Arms/weight machines. So far a pretty good day.

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