Can't Figure It Out

[AmyBoz]

I can't figure out a way to balance my day so that I'm not going above my points by eating healthy meals. There just seem to be so many points everywhere!

[guest32]

Amy,

It can be hard to get your points set through the day so that you're not hungry and not tempted all the time! I'm going to guess that you are about 30-35 points? (remember, you add 10 points if you are breastfeeding) So, maybe start out with a high fiber cereal and milk (raisin bran is 3 points, the 1/2 c milk would be 2) add a piece of fruit if you are still hungry, or wait an hour or two and then have some. For lunch, you could have a ww tortilla wrap with 6 slices of deli meat (packaged, like oscar meyer low fat ham or turkey) with mustard, and lots of lettuce and tomatoes, an apple (I eat an apple virtually every day for lunch) My apple trick is to cut it into thin slices...it seems like more food You can add a bit of peanut butter to that apple for protein. Have another snack mid afternoon, or sooner if you need to. FF cottage cheese is low points, as is yogurt (yoplait ff is 2 points) I sometimes add dry cereal to my yogurt for some extra crunch. Dinner can be anything you are fixing for the family, just smaller portions. Always try to have a huge salad before your meals, that helps a lot. Add lots of veggies and maybe a chopped hard cooked egg for more protein. Try to remember the higher in fiber, the more likely it is to fill you up. You probably need more milk than what I've suggested, but I was just jumping in with suggestions. The ww site should have some good meal ideas too. Oh, and bean soup is very filling, high in fiber and pretty low in points. I make a white bean soup with chicken that I ate a lot when I first started WW. Do you have any of their literature?
Anyway....keep asking. I know there are several people on the board on WW who can help you out. And remember to drink that water!!! I always said WW worked because of all the water, you get exercise running to the bathroom!

Hang in there....you'll get into a rythem and things will start to make sense and get easier.

[guest32]

A few more things....it helps to eat every few hours and not let yourself get too hungry, or your energy level get too low. That's what kicks in the gravings and craziness! In the evenings ff pudding is a nice treat, or the skinny cow ice cream sandwiches (these saved me!!!) When I started WW three years ago, dh was always asking me..."are you eating again?!" And I had to really convince myself that it was okay to spend the extra money on healthy food and fresh produce, and tons of it! I'll see if I can dig up some recipes to post for you, I have a good one for energy bars that are 2 points

[guest32]

Energy Bars
16 servings
2 points per bar

1 cup ww flour
1/4 cup soy flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teas baking soda
1 cup applesauce
1 egg
2 teas vanilla
3 tblsp ground flax seed
1 cup dried cranberries
1 teas cinnamon (I add cloves too)

Combine flours, oatmeal, br sugar, soda, and cinnamon. Add applesauce, egg and vanilla. Mix well. Add flax and cranberries and pour into 13x9 (glass) pan sprayed with no calorie spray. Bake @ 325 for 25 minutes. Cool and cut into 16 bars. Do not overbake.

per serving: 122 calories; 1g fat; 2g protein; 24gr carb; 2gr fiber; 12mg cholesterol; 20mg sodium

I can't remember where I got this recipe...but I'm pretty sure it was one of the WW boards. My dh requests these to take hunting.

[AmyBoz]

Oh, I forgot to mention...I've had to cut out dairy because Matthew was getting too gassy from it. I had to do it when I breastfed Julia as well. No dairy for 6 months with her...hoping it doesn't last that long this time! So, no milk for cereal, no yogurt, ice cream, pudding, anything dairy-ish!

Otherwise, Mermaid, you have really given me some good ideas. I forgot about the adding 10 points because of breastfeeding. I've been doing 20, however, when I've gone over the 20, I've been gaining pounds back. Not sure what to do!

[guest32]

White Chicken Chili

6 cups chicken broth (I use low sodium canned)
1 large onion, chopped
cayenne or chili powder to taste
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 cans rinsed, drained white beans (pinto, great northern)
1-2 4oz cans mild chopped green chilis
Chicken, chopped or canned.

I've modified this from the original, so basically, I just dump it all together and heat it up until it thickens a bit and the onion is cooked and soft, 1/2 to 1 hour. You can use left over chopped chicken, or this is usually a super fast dinner for us and I use canned chicken and it turns out great. I don't have the numbers on this...but you can sort of figure it out just counting the beans and chicken, maybe 3-4 points per cup?? It's pretty filling. You can top it with sour cream or cheese. Really good warmed over the next day.

[guest32]

Amy,

Wow...no dairy! How are you getting your calcium? I drink calcium fortified oj. And, you may have to tame down the chili if you are breastfeeding, but it's still good even if you make it mild.
I can't imagine you gaining weight at 20 points!!! I'm in the 18-23 range and have never gained weight at that (I'm 5'3" and much older than you!).....if you are not eating enough your body may be holding onto fat, thinking it is starving! And at 20 points, you probably are!
And with having little ones around, I know you are getting plenty of exercise! Also...it takes awhile for the body to catch up. Try not to weigh yourself more than once a week...

I'll keep thinking.....no dairy makes it tough.

[AmyBoz]

Well, I'm still taking my prenatal vitamins, which are loaded with calcium, but other than that, yeah, I'm a bit conerned myself. I have a checkup for the boys next week. Their doctor is also my doctor, so I'll ask her where I can pick up some extra calcium in my diet along the way.

Thanks for the recipe! Looks delicious!

[Michelle]

You can try soy or rice milk as alternatives to dairy.