Weight Watchers to the Rescue(?)

As I mentioned in my Maison Celeste blog, I joined Weight Watchers yesterday.  I still plan on using frozen entrees, but I figured I need moral support.  I went ahead and signed up for the monthly pass, and I think it’s the best deal.  In the past, I had to pay extra for the E-Tools anyway, so now I am supposedly only paying on average $10 a week with the E-Tools included.

After a bit of back and forth with tech support, I was able to regain access to the account I set up LAST time I was on Weight Watchers – maybe 3 years ago?  All of the recipes I had saved in the Recipe Builder were still there – amazing!  I think that it will make it easier to keep track of my intake, using WW Points instead of calorie counts.

Now the only caveat about using the Weight Watchers site on frozen entree Points is that not all companies are created equal.  ESPECIALLY if that company is Lean Cuisine.  Those items are not included in the database, which I find kind of mean.  Luckily for us, the Lean Cuisine website has a search engine where you can look for meals of specific “pointage”.  The Points are also on each box, but that doesn’t help if you are trying to plan a shopping list ahead of time.  Another good resource is HeatEatReview, that has its reviews classified by manufacturer AND WW Points.  Hungry Girl.com includes the Points values for any food they review, as well as for their original recipes.

I did 30 minutes of Mall walking today, and now I think I will clean house a little.  Apparently NO ONE ELSE is going to do it!

Friday

Breakfast:

• Small box Kellogg’s Rice Krispies – 90 calories
• 3/4 canned peaches – 75 calories

Total: 165 calories

Snack:

• 4-5 Triscuit Crackers Whole Grain Original – 120 calories
• 2 wedges Laughing Cow Light French Onion Flavor wedges – 35 calories a wedge

Total: 190 calories

Lunch:

• Lean Cuisine Pesto Chicken Flatbread Melt – 330 calories

Thursday

Breakfast (7:30)

• Mini box of Raisin Bran – 140 calories
• Mini box of Special K – 90 calories
• 8 ounces of 2% milk – 120 calories
• 1 large banana – 120 calories

Total calories – 470 calories

• Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers Roasted Chicken Masala – 240 calories – only okay tasting…
• 1 Devil’s Food fat free pudding cup – 100 calories
• 4 Graham Crackers – 120 calories

Total calories – 460 calories

Snack: 1 can Slimfast Chocolate Royale – 190 calories

Dinner:

• 3 slices medium Pizza Hut Meatlover’s Pizza (Pan crust) – OUCH! 320 calories per slice
• 1 cup Edy’s Slow Churned French Silk Ice Cream – 130 calories per 1/2 cup

I really liked the Edy’s Slow Churned ice cream – it will be a pretty good substitute for the DQ French Silk Pie Blizzard, I think!  Check out the flavors!

Wednesday

Breakfast (7:30 AM):

• 1 mini box Crispix cereal – 100 calories
• 1 mini box Special K cereal – 60 calories
• 1 large banana – 120 calories

Total= 280 calories

Lunch (11:30 AM)

• Lean Cuisine Chop House Steak Flatbread Melt  – it is awesome! – 330 Calories

Alas, after that, things all went to hell – I had Cheetos and a sugary orange soda, then, for some reason I ordered Pizza Hut…

Oh, well, tomorrow’s another day!

Some Helpful Sites

I made it through Day 1! – Yay for me! – Oh, I added cherries to the snack list – it’s cherry season and I love them! One cup equals 74 calories. I was able to fit about 17 cherries in one cup. It’s 14 calories more than the suggested fruit serving, but I think I will deal.

I have been checking around to see if there are more validation on using frozen entrees for weight loss: Here’s an interesting article entitled Nutritious frozen foods can play role in weight-loss programs. It is, however, a study using Uncle Ben’s Rice Bowls. I used to be able to find them in the Atlanta area – I distinctly remember having one or two for lunch about 4 0r 5 years ago. Now, however, I can’t seem to find them. Maybe they are available elsewhere, so I am keeping those choices up.

The very first thing I discovered on Try #1 of this diet is that it is impossible to find all of the entrees in one store’s freezer section. Some, like the Princess Chicken, are discontinued. Others, like the Ethnic Gourmet, are not available at all stores. Amy’s Kitchen is usually available but the full line is rarely available. So, rather than get highly frustrated, or spending too much time trying to be a perfectionist, I choose my own meals. I do check the calorie count (If it’s under 350, that seems fair to me) and I usually only choose from the organic or diet section. I am not watching sodium, but I think I read somewhere that the fat content should be under 11%. I don’t remember where I read this. However, here’s another article on choosing frozen foods wisely.

I wanted to offer the websites of companies that produce frozen entrees. While doing this, I noticed an interesting trend. When I went to Amy’s Kitchen, there was a new section called the Amy’s Kitchen diet plan. It’s really awesome and includes shopping lists and menus for two full weeks of dieting. I was pretty impressed, and may try it later when I get bored with the diet I’m on now. The only “warning” is that cooking is involved: I think I saw oatmeal in the morning as an offering one day…

Here are the sites that I found – I limited it to the ones I have experience with right now:

Amy’s Kitchen
Healthy Choice
Lean Cuisine
Kashi
Smart Ones
South Beach Diet
Ethnic Gourmet
Michelina’s (to be offering the new Advantage line, with whole grains)
Cedar Lane (just made a deal to produce The Zone meals)