A Day on Simply Filling

I get questions from people about what they should eat now that they have started their own weight loss journey. Below is a record of what I ate for one day using the Weight Watchers Simply Filling technique. These healthy foods kept me satisfied throughout the day.  I hope this post gives you some new ideas which you could easily add to your daily routine.

{Breakfast}

For breakfast I ate...

hot oatmeal (powerfood)

blueberries (powerfood)

1 tbsp agave nectar (2 pointsplus)

1 liter water (0 pointsplus)

delicious blueberries

{Morning Snack}

I was so full from breakfast that I wasn't hungry for a snack. That doesn't always happen, but on this day it did.

{Lunch}

For lunch I ate...

1/2 bbq chicken lean cuisine pizza (4 pointsplus)

green salad (powerfood)

2 tbsp fat free zesty italian dressing (0 pointsplus)

1 liter water (0 pointsplus)

water bottle

{Afternoon Snack}

For snack I ate...

1 large banana (powerfood)

{Dinner}

  For dinner I ate...

1 slice nature's own 100% whole grain bread (powerfood)

2 egg muffins (powerfood)

1/2 cup roasted tomato, potato, zucchini, and summer squash (powerfood)

1 liter water (0 pointsplus)

roasted tomato, potato, zucchini, and summer squash

 {Late Night Snack}

For snack I ate...

4 cups plain, air-popped popcorn (powerfood)

{Daily Total}

3 liters of water

lots of powerfoods

used 6 pointsplus from my 49 weekly pointsplus allowance

Simply Filling Technique

Over the past few months I have been eating more "whole foods". Whole foods are foods that have been processed or refined as little as possible and are free from additives or other artificial substances. I feel very strongly about the importance of making wise food choices.

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For the past 5 years, I have followed the Weight Watchers program. I have consistently followed the PointsPlus technique and it has worked. I lost 90 pounds in 2009 using the PointsPlus program. 

Recently, I have been conflicted, because I wasn't sure that I could continue to be on the Weight Watchers program with my new convictions about the importance of eating whole foods. Instead of quitting Weight Watchers all together, I have decided to start a new journey using the Simply Filling technique.

On the Simply Filling program you eat foods from the Power Foods list until you are satisfied, not worrying about counting PointsPlus. If you want something that isn’t a Power Food, then you use your Weekly PointsPlus allowance or any Activity PointsPlus you earn. If you want more information, here is what Weight Watchers has to say about it.

My plan is to try Simply Filling for two weeks and see how it goes. I am both nervous and excited at the same time! This morning I was so careful about the food choices that I made, because I wanted to be sure that they were within the Simply Filling guidelines.

I have tried Simply Filling before, but I have always gone back to PointsPlus, because it is what is familiar to me. I don't want that to happen this time around.

I can't wait to give you more feedback in the coming days and weeks about this technique!!

Hungry For Change

Occasionally, I have free time to sit down, prop up my feet, and watch something on Netflix. This past weekend I decided to watch a documentary called "Hungry For Change: Your health is in your hands". This documentary really challenged me look at the food choices that I make on a daily basis. They communicated the importance of our need to stop dieting and completely change our lifestyle.

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One of my favorite things that they talked about was that we need to begin to transform our minds. Personally, I believe that God's word is the only way to truly renew our minds and we need to fill our minds with scripture. However, I believe that there is value in the quote shown below.

If I tell myself that we can't have something, I feel deprived and want that food more than ever. However, if I recognize that I can eat anything I want, but I choose not to. Well now that gives me power over food, so that I do not have to be controlled by my cravings.

As a result of this movie, I am going to focus on eating more Weight Watchers Power Foods for the next few weeks. I tried the Simply Filling plan when I was pregnant with Sophie, but I didn't do a very good job of staying on plan. This time around, I am really going to focus on making healthy foods choices and being careful about what I put in my body.

How can you begin to make healthier food choices today!?

Simply Filling and Pregnancy #2

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I want to make it very clear that what I am going to write is my opinion. It is NOT the opinion of Weight Watchers or anyone else. I am writing from my own personal perspective and opinion. I am not a professional nutritionist, just a woman trying to lead the healthiest lifestyle possible while I am pregnant.

With that being said, I think I should share with you that OFFICIALLY you cannot follow the Weight Watchers program while you are pregnant. A portion of the Weight Watchers health notice states, "Weight Watchers prohibits participation in its weight loss plan for children under the age of 10, those individuals with an active medical diagnosis of bulimia nervosa, those whose weight is less than 5 pounds above the minimum weight of the Weight Watchers Weight Ranges, and during pregnancy." To read the entire Weight Watchers health notice, please click here.

. . . . . . . . . .

Last time I was pregnant, I continued to count my pointsplus values throughout the first half of my pregnancy and tried to modify the program to meet my needs. Unfortunately, during the later half of my pregnancy, I really let myself eat whatever I wanted causing my 45 pound weight gain. To read more about what I did throughout my first pregnancy with Olivia, please click here.

Since I learned that I was pregnant again, back in April, I have not been tracking my pointsplus values. I have been trying to listen to my hunger signals and make healthy choices.

Now that I have finally reached my 12th week of pregnancy and am almost done with my first trimester, I feel like it is time to come up with a gameplan for this pregnancy. Please don't judge me, I'm a planner and this is just what I do. It is important for me to decide how to continue to make healthy choices throughout my pregnancy, because if I don't come up with a game plan now, I won't do it at all!

As I have considered my options, I have become more and more convinced that I should follow the Simply Filling plan throughout my pregnancy. In all honesty, the entire time I have been on the Weight Watchers program (since 2008) I have never followed the Simply Filling plan. However, I think it might be very helpful as I continue to try and make healthy choices throughout pregnancy #2.

For those of you who might be wondering, here is a breakdown of how to use the Simply Filling Technique.

1.  Focus on Power Foods/Simply Filling Foods ~ lean proteins, fat free dairy, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, your 2 tsp of healthy oil, reduced calorie breads and broth based soups. 

2.  Use your Weekly PointsPlus Allowance (49 pointsplus+) for any foods that do not fit in the above categories or do not fit into a category on this Simply Filling Food Lists.  You do not have to track the pointsplus+ for any of the Simply Filling Foods you eat.  You only track the non-Simply Filling Foods. 

3.  Eat just until satisfied making sure you eat slowly, listen to your body and stop/rest/assess as you are eating.  The goal is to not feel too full or too hungry, but, to feel “just right”.

I think this is a great fit for me for many reasons!! First, Simply Filling will allow me to eat as much food as I need until I am full/satisfied. Second, Simply Filling will help me to make healthy choices all day long, because I can eat them for free. Finally, following Simply Filling will also allow me some wiggle room as I crave foods that are not on the Simply Filling lists.

I am so excited about this change that I've been on Pinterest looking for Simply Filling recipe ideas and I cannot wait to make them!

Vacation Renovation

Here is an article from Weight Watchers that summarizes my meeting from Saturday, July 7, 2012.

Vacation Renovation
Extra weight is one souvenir no one wants to bring home. But the average vacation weight gain ranges from five to eight pounds. So why do so many people end up with extra baggage? The culprit — vacation amnesia! It can creep in when you've slipped into full R&R mode and before you know it, you've taken a break from your healthy habits. The good news is that vacation weight gain isn't inevitable. Take your Plan along and you'll have all the strategies and tools you need to beat the odds!

Four ways to avoid Vacation Amnesia
1. Choose your option
Setting a Winning Outcome — a powerful Tools For Living strategy — is like setting a goal, and it's important to do it before you leave for your getaway. Choose whether you want to come home having lost weight, maintained or maybe even gained a little. Knowing ahead of time what you want the outcome of your efforts to be will help you set a realistic plan and avoid surprises.

2. Determine strategies
Consider what aspects of your upcoming vacation might make it difficult for you to stick with the Winning Outcome you set. How will you manage offers of food and snacks? How will you eat out in restaurants? Will you be able to get online and track? How will you exercise?

3. Gather the necessary tools
Along with your clothes and toiletries, you should also pack things that will make it easier for you to stay on track. For example, what will you need for your work out? Do you have favorite healthy snacks that might be difficult to find where you're going? Are you prepared to track PointsPlus® values? Or perhaps you'll want to take a break from tracking and give the Simply Filling technique a try (see below).

4. Make a post-vacation commitment
Vacation amnesia can often linger for days or weeks after the actual getaway. Some people may let a slip turn into a landslide — derailing their progress by not jumping back on the healthy track. Decide before you go that no matter what happens, you'll pick up your efforts again the day you get back.

5.Try the Simply Filling Technique
We encourage people to track, because it makes you more aware of what you’re eating, and helps you maintain control when you’re aiming to lose weight. Still, it’s not for everyone, and you might find yourself in certain situations where you’d prefer to just stick to certain foods and not have to think too hard about what the PointsPlus values are.

With the Simply Filling technique, you track only your weekly PointsPlus Allowance for foods that are not Power Foods. Your Leader can tell you more about this technique, so you can figure out if it's right for you.If you decide to go for it, the Plan Manager makes it easy. Go to “Settings” and select “Tracking Preference.” We’ve updated the Plan Manager to allow you to follow it for as little as one day at a time. You can always switch back any time you want if you decide Simply Filling isn’t for you.

Why would we even want to revert back to old habits just because we are on vacation? Why not continue with the newly formed habits but use your PointsPlus values for a few indulgences in a controlled manor?

Simply Filling = Simply Fabulous

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I think the Simply Filling Technique is one of THE MOST underutilized tools Weight Watchers has! There are many benefits for MANY members. The new flexibility of using Simply Filling on a daily basis is AWESOME, particularly since a HUGE factor of success is accountability and tracking - which is where so many people get tripped up. So often members feel they can't be successful trackers, don't want to write it down, aren't following our Good Health Guidelines, feel it takes too much time, won't track because it isn't perfect, have trouble figuring out PointsPlus values, etc. I am really passionate about "converting" people to the joys of the Simply Filling concept - once in a while or even daily; it is a block buster strategy on vacations! What could it hurt…..

SIMPLY FILLING = SIMPLY FABULOUS

We encourage people to track, because it makes you more aware of what you’re eating, and helps you maintain control when you’re aiming to lose weight. Still, tracking isn’t for everyone — and for those who want to try a different method, we offer the Simply Filling technique.

So, what is simply filling? Following the Simply Filling technique means you eat exclusively from the Power Foods list without counting the PointsPlus values of those foods. You can find a complete list of power foods in the following places:
• Pages 40-43 Meet PointsPlus® 2012
• Pocket Guide( Green section ) page 103
• Power Start colored Trackers contain a list

You know a food is a power food if it has a green triangle beside it in the companion guides, pocket guides, or on e-tools.
Eat portions that feel right for you. Not so much that you feel too full, and not too little that you still feel hungry.

If you decide to try the Simply Filling technique, the Plan Manager on e-tools makes it easy. Go to “Settings” and select “Tracking Preference.” Follow it for a day, a week or more; whatever works for you. You might find it's a good idea if you're on vacation or have a special event. You can always switch back if you decide Simply Filling isn’t for you.

You’ll still enjoy a weekly PointsPlus Allowance with the Simply Filling technique, and have room to treat yourself with food that is not on the Power Foods list. Just remember to track those items, and stay within your weekly allowance. You can also continue to earn, and swap, activity PointsPlus values.

With the new PointsPlus 2012 system you can decide to do the simply filling technique on a day to day basis! (Used to you would have to follow the simply filling plan for an entire week at a time.)

You can also Include your 2 tsp. of healthy oil each day without counting PointsPlus values. Use your weekly PointsPlus Allowance for any additional oil. Healthy oil choices include:
• Olive oil
• Canola oil
• Safflower oil
• Sunflower oil
• Flaxseed oil

Remember, as with the regular PointsPlus plan your goal is to get in all of your good healthy guidelines each day. Those include (pages 48-53 of Meet PointsPlus 2012 book):
• 5 servings of fruits/veggies
• 1-2 servings of lean proteins
• At least 2 servings of non-fat and low fat dairy
• Choose whole grains whenever possible
• Get in at least 48 oz. of nonalcoholic liquids each day (water is your best choice)
• Get in 2 tsp. of healthy oil
• Take a multivitamin daily
• Watch your intake of sodium, added sugar, and alcohol

If you find that you are already eating a lot of power foods, then the simply filling technique may be right up your alley. Give it a try this next week and see how you like it!