anyone on WW??

[greycoral]

DISCLAIMER: I am not on WW, never have been and probably never will be. I don't know a thing about points, except in ACC basketball (go heels!)

okay, okay, this is a rant. I had two cups of tea today, and that makes me rant well into the night.

I do know that eating whole foods is terribly important--for the body, for the planet--including eggs if you are so inclined to have them in your diet (I am not veggie/vegan either). I truly believe that if we paid more attention to where our food comes from and truly appreciate that (local whole foods, learn to really cook, etc., etc.), we would not have the collective weight and health issues that seem to plague North America for the past few decades.

I am talking about the collective, here, not the individual, so please don't take this as an attack on any of you, my TE friends. I have no problem with using systems like WW to get a kick-start, but good health and good eating go way beyond that, and last a lifetime, and can be so enriching--farmers markets, gardening, Slow Food, local farms, CSAs...

and a plug for GLC--she does awesome things with goats milk!! She's my Local Whole Food DIY Queen of the the Northwest inspiration!

I absolutely agree, and that's why WW has helped me so much. I don't eat a lot of processed "diet" foods, but it really taught me portion control and how important a balanced diet really is. I went from eating fast food 3 times a day, every single day of the week, to cooking at home 3 meals a day nearly every day. It took a long time to find the foods I liked, and the ones that were most filling, and ones that made me feel good about myself. Take bananas...I have stomach issues, and I have found that eating a banana every other day makes me less gassy. I learned which foods sustain me through a long workout, and they don't include energy bars or any of that other stuff. I learned what 3-4 oz of meat looks like, and how to measure my food, including fats (oil, butter, etc). I eat more fruit and vegetables than I ever have in my entire life. I wouldn't say I'm super healthy, but I'm a million times better than I was a year ago.

I definitely relied on the WW meals or Lean Cuisines to get me through when I first started, but once my appetite was a little more under control, my husband and I experimented more with food and trying new things, and learned to cook the healthy way, without using the frozen meals as a crutch. I try to eat locally first, organic if I can afford it. I shop the farmers markets when they're open so I can eat seasonally and force myself to try new things when I get bored! I've discovered so many new and wonderful foods by not being scared of them!

I think America is in the shape it's in because eating badly tends to be more affordable than eating healthy. There are definitely ways to eat well on a budget, but it's too easy to go grab fast food or a pre-cooked meal at the store. I know that's why I would eat so much fast food. Dollar menu's were my friend. That and I really really like fast food, even now. lol I don't think that will ever change, but I do allow myself "junk food" once a week, right after weigh in

[divingbiker]

Tamale Pie

1 c polenta
2 c vegetable broth
1/4 c water
12 oz Morningstar Farms Burger Style Recipe Crumbles (or Boca equivalent)
1 c onions, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 T olive oil
4 t chili powder
4 cloves garlic
1 t salt
1 t black pepper
6 oz can tomato paste
1 c Rotel tomatoes (I use the whole can)
2 cups white corn (1/2 bag frozen or 1 can)
1.5 c canned black beans, rinsed
2 c shredded fat-free cheddar cheese (or vegan cheese)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 casserole pan with Pam.

Bring water and broth to a boil. Stir in polenta, and whisk until fairly thick and most lumps are gone (just a few minutes.) Spread into bottom of casserole pan and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Saute onion and green pepper until starting to brown. Add soy crumbles and stir constantly (add water if it starts to stick.) Add chili powder, garlic, salt, and pepper and mix well. Add tomato paste, Rote, corn, and black beans. Stir together thoroughly. (This will be thick.)

Spread over the cornmeal crust and top evenly with cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350.

(Note: You may have to adjust your water content when making the polenta, depending on how coarsely ground it is. The more finely ground, the less water you will need.)

I think I recall that 8 servings are 6 pts each.

[tulip]

That Tamale Pie looks fantastic!

I've been living on frozen dinners for the last several months because my kitchen is still being renovated (January 15th is the latest completion date, but I'm hoping or February 1st!) I've found that Kashi and Amy's has good and healthy frozen dinners, but I'm really getting tired of them. It's MORE expensive for me to eat these prepared meals than if I were making stuff from scratch.

I can't wait to make my own dinners again!

--back to your regularly scheduled programming--

[GLC1968]

Ooh, that tamale pie looks great! Thanks for sharing it!

I have to say that I'm impressed with my initial introduction to the new WW. The 'filling foods' (or old 'core') plan is really, really sound. I mean, yes, yolks and nuts and fruit juice and things are all good for you, but they are definitely things you should limit if the goal is weight loss. And if you stick to the 'filling foods' and only count the points of the foods off the list, you'll definitely be eating a sound, healthy diet.

My plan is to get used to the whole 'point' thing - keep my intake in check for the holidays - learn the WW site - get my excercise back on track - and generally build up the right mindset with the next couple of weeks. Then, after Jan 1, I'm going to switch over to the 'filling foods' way of tracking my food as I think that will naturally trend towards a more healthy/whole foods way of eating.

[surgtech1956]

I've been having trouble keeping track of all my points, especially at work. At home its no problem, but unless I use a very small notebook at work, I forget to write things down. I have a couple of small pockets in my scrubs and keep my lunch in the lounge/lunch room, don't like to lay anything laying around. Those of you doing WW online, what do you do, write everything down in a book, then transfer it to online?

[divingbiker]

I've been having trouble keeping track of all my points, especially at work. At home its no problem, but unless I use a very small notebook at work, I forget to write things down. I have a couple of small pockets in my scrubs and keep my lunch in the lounge/lunch room, don't like to lay anything laying around. Those of you doing WW online, what do you do, write everything down in a book, then transfer it to online?

I use the paper tracker they hand out at meetings. Are you online only? If so, do you want me to pick up a few trackers and mail them to you to see if they work? They're pretty small and fit a week's worth of food.

PM me your address and I'll pick some trackers up at my next meeting (January 2).

[GLC1968]

I've been having trouble keeping track of all my points, especially at work. At home its no problem, but unless I use a very small notebook at work, I forget to write things down. I have a couple of small pockets in my scrubs and keep my lunch in the lounge/lunch room, don't like to lay anything laying around. Those of you doing WW online, what do you do, write everything down in a book, then transfer it to online?

I'm doing online only, but keeping track isn't the problem. Staying on track is! At work, I only eat what I bring with me...so I know what my points are going to be before the day even begins. I used to do this when I tracked my intake using other programs as well, and it works wonders. It's so easy to eat on track if I plan ahead the day before vs trying to eat right and hoping it comes out at the end of the day. Once I get in a grove, I can do fine without planning for a few days, but it's easier if I plan ahead.

This also helps with eating in general because there are no 'decisions' to be made during the day when I'm moody, hungry, etc. All my decisions about what I'm going to eat are made the night before after I've already had a good dinner. It takes a ton of the 'emotion' out of it.

[surgtech1956]

Thats a great idea - knowing exactly how many points you brought to eat - dah, I guess I should have thought of that.