Well, after a few weeks, I have returned to Weight Watchers. I am still at a standstill but was gratified to know the the Chief guy and CEO of Weight Watchers took years of on and off the roller coaster to get where he is today. He has just published a book called "Weight Loss Boss" by David Kirchoff which is definitely going to be on my reading list. As much as I feel that I should not be giving advice since I haven't got my weight under control, I am inspired by my colleagues in the same boat.
Over the year, I have kept off 20 lbs. or so. My clothes fit differently and my wardrobe is smaller since I have had to purge the ones that didn't fit even though I have shopped to replace some of them.
I am not there yet but I still feel the same about some of the adages I have proposed over the past year. One of them, if how I feel about fake foods. I zip my lip when I line up to get weighed in and other members are carrying armloads of supplies that are bought for treats. These light-weight boxes filled with air, fake sugar, puffed up snacks and fake flavouring are a boon to Weight Watchers bottom line but I am not sure that they are very good for you or doing anything for the line around your bottom. They even promote the sales of such fluff by walking around the line, offering up free tastes of their latest product. They are 90% packaging, 10% fluff and 0% nutrition but they aren't selling them to be nutritious. They are selling them to make money. I listen to the folks in the lineup, primarily women, talk about the fact that they are only 3 points for a package. Well if fruit and veggies are free and zero points, why would you waste your points on their stuff when you can do better.
And.... by the way, Americans are projected to spend about $70 million on weight-loss products this year.
You can eat fruits with natural sugar in it and they have zero points. However, if you eat a teaspoon of sugar that is 1 point... and then the crap they are selling for $8 a box are 3 points. Am I losing the concept or are they? My husband picked up a nectarine from the fruit bowl yesterday and said wasn't it loaded with sugar? I said that sugar in the nectarine was natural sugar as apposed to processed. He asked what was the difference. The difference is how our bodies process natural sugar. I don't think your body knows what to do with the chemical stuff. So here is some of the good stuff you can eat and be healthier too. These are affordable foods from the supermarket that are super-effective at fighting hunger, boosting your metabolism and helping you get slim!
BLUEBERRIES (0 points)
Apparently if you eat blueberries you will automatically eat 10% less without feeling deprived, the journal Food Chemistry reports. Researchers believe that anthocyanins... compounds that give the berry its natural purple pigment, actually trick your body into thinking you've eaten more than you have, so you feel fuller longer and are less likely to snack.
CHEESE
Now don't get your shirt in a knot because of the high fat content and calories in cheese. Women who ate a piece of full-fat cheese daily were less likely to gain weight than those who had stuck to the low-fat variety... and I am now quoting The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
APPLES (0 points)
There is some thought that if you eat an apple prior to a meal you may eat up to 200 fewer calories each day. I don't know if that is true but it is worth a try. The concept is due to the high water content and low calorie density so it fills you up without bulking you up. Plus, they are full of soluble fibre that takes your body longer to digest.
EGGS (2 points each)
I always thought of it as the perfect food... as well as milk. So here is a new thought. Dieters eating two eggs for breakfast lost 65% more weight than those eating a bagel breakfast! Credit goes to protein's ability to keep your blood sugar steady.
COFFEE (0 points... it is what you add to it that increases that)
Ahhhhh! Coffee... I love it. Said it before and will say it again. Coffee's supply of caffeine and unique antioxidant compounds stimulates your nervous system and increases your heart rate. What's more, sipping the brew makes you less likely to suffer from blue moods and less likely to develop depression... and the more upbeat you feel, the more likely you are to skip fattening comfort foods!
WATER (0 points)
My sons and daughters-in-law are wonderful about drinking the stuff. German researchers found that drinking 16 oz. of water bumps up your metabolic rate by 30% in an hour afterwards. That is huge.
GRASS-FED BEEF (2 points per ounce)
People in Argentina eat about 47 more pounds of beef per person a year than we do, yet they are less likely to be overweight. Why? The beef they eat is grass-fed. My friend, Shane, who has Paradise Farms will be pleased to hear that since his cattle are grass-fed. Grass-fed beef contains up to 33% less fat than the usual grain-fed beef that most North Americans consume according to the Journal of Animal Science. Plus it has fewer calories and more nutrients, such as Vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids, which keep your metabolism up.
OLIVE OIL (1 point per tsp.)
Don't worry about the high fat of olive oil. It is super-rich in oleic acid, a fatty acid that converts to a particular hormone in the intestine responsible for sending the "I'm full", signal to your brain. Other top sources of oleic acid include avocados, nuts, seeds, canola oil and grape seed oil. If you are going to chalk up points, they might as well work for you instead of empty calories.
LEAFY GREENS (0 points)
Lots of benefits to them... like revving your metabolism especially spinach and kale. Leafy greens counteract acidosis, a natural metabolic process that triggers muscle wasting as we age, by neutralizing acids formed by other foods.
Anyway, these are some of the ways that you can eat yourself thin in a healthier way than the junk food, Weight Watchers treats! Shhhh! Don't tell them they said it.
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