I had some questions regarding Weight Watchers' new plan, Momentum. If you have no desire to hear about Weight Watchers, feel free to skip this lengthy post.
Over the next nine weeks, in my Weight Watchers Wednesday posts, I will try to give you a snippet of the pamphlet I'll be receiving in my Weight Watchers meetings. As the new program was just implemented nationally this past week, I received the first week's pamphlet at my meeting last Monday. To catch you up, I'm giving you last week's snippet today:
Per Weight Watchers:
The key to successfully losing weight and keeping it off is to find a sustainable plan. Something that doesn't leave you hungry. Something that doesn't leave you deprived. Something healthy. Successfully losing weight and keeping it off is not an activity you do for a few weeks and then stop. To truly succeed, you need to find an effective plan that you can make second nature. One that allows you to live your life the way you want...
The
Momentum plan is the plan. It combines the very best of nutrition research with 45 years of experience helping million of members around the world lose weight. We'll teach you a more satisfying way of eating- guiding you toward healthy foods that will help you feel fuller longer. And when you're satisfied, you'll have staying power on your side. You'll be more likely to stick with it. And if you stick with it, you'll be more likely to succeed...
The Momentum plan puts you in control and helps you build the skills you need to achieve your goals and live healthier.
Every day, we're faced with many food choices. Which foods should we eat, and how much of them should we have?
- The Points System helps you evaluate the weight-loss impact of foods
- The Filling Foods help you keep hunger at bay
- The Good Health Guidelines help you make sure you're meeting your body's needs
- And, the weekly Points Allowance helps you prevent feelings of deprivation
Every food has a Points value. Points values serve as a shorthand way to understand calories in and calories out, and also take into account fat grams and fiber, which are important for good health.
Why pay attention to fat & fiber? Foods that are high in fat tend to be less healthy and have more calories. Points values factor in fat so that they'll help limit the amounts of these foods that you eat. Similarly, naturally occurring fiber-rich foods tend to be more nutritious, and lower in calories. Adding fiber to the equation guides you to these options, because their Points values are lower.
How many Points values should you eat a day? Use this to determine your daily Points target:
1. What do you weigh? Enter the first 2 digits of your weight in pounds.
2. Are you Female? Add 2
Are you Male? Add 8
3. How old are you?
17-26: Add 4
27-37: Add 3
38-47: Add 2
48-58: Add 1
Over 58: Add 0
4. How tall are you?
Under 5'1": Add 0
5'1"- 5'10": Add 1
Over 5'10": Add 2
5. Do you spend most of your work day:
Sitting down: Add 0
Occasionally sitting, but mainly standing: Add 2
Walking most of the time: Add 4
Doing physically hard work most of the time: Add 6
6. For nursing moms only, are you:
Solely breastfeeding: Add 10
Supplementing breastfeeding with some solid foods or formula: Add 5
Add up your points. If your total is less than 18, your daily points target is 18; if your total is more than 44, your daily points target is 44.
Stay ahead of hunger by choosing Filling Foods. Knowing the Points values of foods will help you make smart choices. Sometimes, though, foods have low Points values, but lack staying power. Five jelly beans, for example, have 1 Points value. But how effectively will jelly beans keep you feeling satisfied? Before long, you may need another snack, for more Points values.
Filling Foods, on the other hand, keep hunger at bay longer. They're great sources of protein; or they're packed with water, fiber, and sometimes air- elements that fill you up and keep you satisfied.
Choose foods that are Filling Foods, and you'll stay satisfied even as you're taking in fewer calories so you can lose weight. People tend to eat the same volume of food each day-- by filling their stomachs with food, they avoid feelings of hunger. If you eat foods that are high in volume, but low in calories, you'll feel satisfied even as you do what you need to do to lose weight: cut calories. Filling Foods are low in energy density-- low in calories relative to their volume. They'll fill you up in fewer calories.
Examples of Filling Foods:
- Whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, potatoes and grains
- Vegetables and fruits
- Whole-grain cereals-- without added sugar, nuts or dried fruit
- Lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, beans and meat substitutes, such as tofu
- Fat-free milk and milk products
- Soups, made with filling foods
Filling Foods help you stretch your Points values. For example-- these two breakfasts contain the same Points value, but which do you think will make you fuller?
Breakfast 1-
2 slices of toast, no butter or spread: 4 points
Breakfast 2-
Omelet with fruit:
1 egg: 2
1 egg white: 0
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms: 0
nonstick spray: 0
1 slice of fat-free cheese: 1
1 1/2 cups of strawberries: 1
Total: 4 points
That's it for this week's "lesson". Stay tuned for next week's on Wednesday!
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