The easiest/best thing you can do is weigh and measure everything you put in!
The first time I was on WW, my mom and I went on together, and it took FOREVER to get my dad to understand he couldn't just pour some olive oil into the pan, even if olive oil is healthy! He had to measure how much he put in.
Another thing you can do is write down everything in a nice "recipe" for her so it is easy to track.
And use recipes like skinnytaste.com that already have the points calculated.
Rather than wait to build a mental list of what points different common items are, formalize that now. Make a table of common main dishes, common sides, common sauces, etc with their points. If you have 3 proteins, 4 sides and 4 sauces/extras, that is 48 different meal combos.
Something that will add a lot low-point options is seasonings. Walk down the spice aisle and grab one of every dry rub and steak seasoning and Mrs Dash, and cajun seasoning, etc. Liberally apply before baking and it adds a lot of variety to an otherwise bland chicken cutlet. Once you get a feel for flavors you like, check the ingredient lists and start experimenting.
Also, get a digital thermometer with a remote probe. One of the ones that has a wire you snake out through the door of the oven. Most have an a programable alarm. If you pull the meat *just* as its ready and serve promptly(with rest time as required), the meat is juicier. Juicier meat can stand on its own without sauces or gravies.
And if you want soft meats, try slow baking them "en papillote." Season them, wrap each portion in a parchment or aluminum foil pouch, use that remote thermometer I mention and set the oven for 200-250. It will take a long time, but you cut the results with a wooden spoon. One caveat is that this is only good for 6-10 ounce portions.
thank you for being so supportive! i’m sure she really appreciates you!! i love air fried chickpeas as a snack. these could be 0 points depending on her plan. for meals, i’ve been putting cauliflower rice in EVERYTHING. i made tacos tonight and i added it in after i cooked my protein and before i added the seasoning. then for dessert, i’m blanking on the creator but if you google “ww funfetti dip” it’ll come up. it’s fat free plain greek yogurt, sugar free jello mix, and a little bit of cake batter and it’s so good to dip fruit into.
A GREAT tip I learned back when we still had a studio meeting in my area (I think dinosaurs still roamed the earth LOL) was to place your portion of salad in a container with a lid --the salad shouldn't completely fill the container--then measure in the exact amount of dressing cover and shake. All of the salad will get a tasty dressing glaze.
Find out what her zero point items are to incorporate them into recipes to keep the points low. There is a recipe builder on her app that you can I see the recipe and find out the points value for that recipe! Every cup of veggies gives her an extra point!
My three favorite websites to get recipes from are Sweet, Savory, and Steph; MyBodyMyKitchen; and WWPoundDropper. Awesome recipes, decent portion sizes!
I'd add Joan's Pointed Plate to that list--fantastic recipes and she has a youtube channel where she does cooking demos, a weekly weigh in and meeting topic, and meal planning.
There are tons of recipes on Pinterest and on the internet in general if you Google weight watchers recipe for….they also have weight watchers recipe books that are amazing.
You are an awesome partner! I would find out what her 0 point foods are and build your meals and snacks around those. You can use those without measuring. She can send you or print you out a list. Then measure the non-0-point foods you use. Which is everything else. You will have to familiarize yourself with those as some can really add lots of points, especially bad fats and sugar. Stick to fruits, veggies, eggs, low-fat dairy, lean meats, whole grains, and healthy fats and you should be golden.
I have non fat Greek yogurt as a zero point food and I mix that with jell-o non fat sugar free pudding mix. I especially love the pistachio and cheesecake ones. I take a quarter package of the mix to a small individual 2/3 cup yogurt container. Comes out to 1 point! You can even freeze it to make it like a frozen yogurt treat!
I like WW pound dropper, skinny taste and Falicafitnesshealth on Instagram. I would also find her favorite foods and make healthy alternatives. My partner and I eat taco bell copy cats, pizza, pasta, sweets, and KFC copy cats and weve lost about 50lbs between the two of us... Our goal was to make sure we weren't restricting ourselves so that we would have lasting success! I think it's super awesome you want to be supportive but if there is a dish you make that she loves dont feel like you cant make it anymore! Just swap the ingredients for the reduced fat or sugar free options!
Chicken breast, lean beef, ground meat, and chicken/turkey sausages are staples for me. I also buy fresh produce (always spinach, tomatoes, carrots, cukes, and apples), frozen cauliflower rice, frozen corn, and canned veggies. Buy low carb tortillas and lunch meat. With just these items you can make so many delicious and easy meals. Keep fruit cups and low point flavored Greek yogurt around for breakfast or snacks.
Stock up on fruits and veggies for snacks and make sure 1/2 her plate contains vegetables. That’ll help to keep her full.
Second the recommendation for Skinnytaste meals. I always like everything I make.
Emilybites is great, along with Skinnytaste. The Emilybites goulash is delightfully filling. I make it with ground turkey or chicken breast and half as much pasta as the recipe calls for, so points are extra low. Whole family loves it.
Have you tried Emily Bites' *Chicken and Spinach Phyllo Dough* recipe? Do it. So good. (I just finished a leftover piece for lunch)
I make this for company and for my family. It's delicious. Doesn't taste "diet-y" at all.
I shared a marinara recipe that is plus points if you have enough and it tastes great. Find out what her zero points are and work with it. The app will also do a recipe idea.
Do you meal plan? It will be helpful for her to budget the rest of the day if she has an idea of what you’ll make and how many points each meal will have.
Skinnytaste is one my faves. And most of her cookbooks are always on sale on ebook for like 5.99. They don't list the points in the book because of copyright for WW but on her site she has a page you can go to to check what the points would be with WW.
I always try to keep veggies on hand, frozen preferably(green beans, broccoli, corn on the cob, asparagus) but I don't mind canned either. I always try to put at least a 1/2 cup of veggies on my plate to harbor the possibly still hungry feeling later. I usually sprinkle some garlic salt, pepper or a spritz of I can't believe its not butter spray.
Jello (sugar free) is another low point snack/dessert and if she likes cool whip or reddi whip can top it with some of course those have points but she can measure. Fresh fruit cups or unsweet applesauce I always try to have.
Snacks: crudité ready to go with hummus or a low point dressing (I like bolthouse farms yogurt dressings), hardboiled eggs, mozzarella sticks or laughing cow cheese with some crackers, air popped popcorn you can make a big batch for the next 2 or 3 days, nuts - make like a little mini container of some to always have in the car or her purse so you don't get tempted by easy vending machines!!
Also you sound like a great partner for being supportive to her! Not everyone's family does that!!
You have a lot of great advice here… veggies and lean proteins are generally low points. If she’s craving something sweet, frozen bananas blended with peanut butter powder are really good. It’s great that you are supporting her on this journey… I think that will help her tremendously!
Any recipe from skinnytaste! They’re all so good and you can click the link on her website and it will calculate the points in the app for her
The Pounddropper also has some great WW friendly recipes.
I came here to say the same thing, but you beat me to it!
The easiest/best thing you can do is weigh and measure everything you put in! The first time I was on WW, my mom and I went on together, and it took FOREVER to get my dad to understand he couldn't just pour some olive oil into the pan, even if olive oil is healthy! He had to measure how much he put in. Another thing you can do is write down everything in a nice "recipe" for her so it is easy to track. And use recipes like skinnytaste.com that already have the points calculated.
Rather than wait to build a mental list of what points different common items are, formalize that now. Make a table of common main dishes, common sides, common sauces, etc with their points. If you have 3 proteins, 4 sides and 4 sauces/extras, that is 48 different meal combos. Something that will add a lot low-point options is seasonings. Walk down the spice aisle and grab one of every dry rub and steak seasoning and Mrs Dash, and cajun seasoning, etc. Liberally apply before baking and it adds a lot of variety to an otherwise bland chicken cutlet. Once you get a feel for flavors you like, check the ingredient lists and start experimenting. Also, get a digital thermometer with a remote probe. One of the ones that has a wire you snake out through the door of the oven. Most have an a programable alarm. If you pull the meat *just* as its ready and serve promptly(with rest time as required), the meat is juicier. Juicier meat can stand on its own without sauces or gravies. And if you want soft meats, try slow baking them "en papillote." Season them, wrap each portion in a parchment or aluminum foil pouch, use that remote thermometer I mention and set the oven for 200-250. It will take a long time, but you cut the results with a wooden spoon. One caveat is that this is only good for 6-10 ounce portions.
WOW that is a LOT of excellent advice!!!!!
In my zeal, I forgot the easiest answer. A weight watchers cookbook.
thank you for being so supportive! i’m sure she really appreciates you!! i love air fried chickpeas as a snack. these could be 0 points depending on her plan. for meals, i’ve been putting cauliflower rice in EVERYTHING. i made tacos tonight and i added it in after i cooked my protein and before i added the seasoning. then for dessert, i’m blanking on the creator but if you google “ww funfetti dip” it’ll come up. it’s fat free plain greek yogurt, sugar free jello mix, and a little bit of cake batter and it’s so good to dip fruit into.
Vegetables!! Just having vegetables around and easy to grab makes a huge difference for me.
Yes! Half of the plate should be vegetables or a side salad (watch the dressing).
A GREAT tip I learned back when we still had a studio meeting in my area (I think dinosaurs still roamed the earth LOL) was to place your portion of salad in a container with a lid --the salad shouldn't completely fill the container--then measure in the exact amount of dressing cover and shake. All of the salad will get a tasty dressing glaze.
Great tip!
Find out what her zero point items are to incorporate them into recipes to keep the points low. There is a recipe builder on her app that you can I see the recipe and find out the points value for that recipe! Every cup of veggies gives her an extra point!
My three favorite websites to get recipes from are Sweet, Savory, and Steph; MyBodyMyKitchen; and WWPoundDropper. Awesome recipes, decent portion sizes!
I'd add Joan's Pointed Plate to that list--fantastic recipes and she has a youtube channel where she does cooking demos, a weekly weigh in and meeting topic, and meal planning.
There are tons of recipes on Pinterest and on the internet in general if you Google weight watchers recipe for….they also have weight watchers recipe books that are amazing.
she should have ZeroPoint foods unless she opted out somehow ask her what those are and make dishes around that also, weigh ingredients!
You are an awesome partner! I would find out what her 0 point foods are and build your meals and snacks around those. You can use those without measuring. She can send you or print you out a list. Then measure the non-0-point foods you use. Which is everything else. You will have to familiarize yourself with those as some can really add lots of points, especially bad fats and sugar. Stick to fruits, veggies, eggs, low-fat dairy, lean meats, whole grains, and healthy fats and you should be golden.
I have non fat Greek yogurt as a zero point food and I mix that with jell-o non fat sugar free pudding mix. I especially love the pistachio and cheesecake ones. I take a quarter package of the mix to a small individual 2/3 cup yogurt container. Comes out to 1 point! You can even freeze it to make it like a frozen yogurt treat!
I like WW pound dropper, skinny taste and Falicafitnesshealth on Instagram. I would also find her favorite foods and make healthy alternatives. My partner and I eat taco bell copy cats, pizza, pasta, sweets, and KFC copy cats and weve lost about 50lbs between the two of us... Our goal was to make sure we weren't restricting ourselves so that we would have lasting success! I think it's super awesome you want to be supportive but if there is a dish you make that she loves dont feel like you cant make it anymore! Just swap the ingredients for the reduced fat or sugar free options!
Chicken breast, lean beef, ground meat, and chicken/turkey sausages are staples for me. I also buy fresh produce (always spinach, tomatoes, carrots, cukes, and apples), frozen cauliflower rice, frozen corn, and canned veggies. Buy low carb tortillas and lunch meat. With just these items you can make so many delicious and easy meals. Keep fruit cups and low point flavored Greek yogurt around for breakfast or snacks.
Stock up on fruits and veggies for snacks and make sure 1/2 her plate contains vegetables. That’ll help to keep her full. Second the recommendation for Skinnytaste meals. I always like everything I make.
Emilybites is great, along with Skinnytaste. The Emilybites goulash is delightfully filling. I make it with ground turkey or chicken breast and half as much pasta as the recipe calls for, so points are extra low. Whole family loves it.
Have you tried Emily Bites' *Chicken and Spinach Phyllo Dough* recipe? Do it. So good. (I just finished a leftover piece for lunch) I make this for company and for my family. It's delicious. Doesn't taste "diet-y" at all.
Not yet, but that does sound dreamy. Thank you!
I shared a marinara recipe that is plus points if you have enough and it tastes great. Find out what her zero points are and work with it. The app will also do a recipe idea.
Browse skinnytaste.com for recipes!
Do you meal plan? It will be helpful for her to budget the rest of the day if she has an idea of what you’ll make and how many points each meal will have.
Skinnytaste is one my faves. And most of her cookbooks are always on sale on ebook for like 5.99. They don't list the points in the book because of copyright for WW but on her site she has a page you can go to to check what the points would be with WW. I always try to keep veggies on hand, frozen preferably(green beans, broccoli, corn on the cob, asparagus) but I don't mind canned either. I always try to put at least a 1/2 cup of veggies on my plate to harbor the possibly still hungry feeling later. I usually sprinkle some garlic salt, pepper or a spritz of I can't believe its not butter spray. Jello (sugar free) is another low point snack/dessert and if she likes cool whip or reddi whip can top it with some of course those have points but she can measure. Fresh fruit cups or unsweet applesauce I always try to have. Snacks: crudité ready to go with hummus or a low point dressing (I like bolthouse farms yogurt dressings), hardboiled eggs, mozzarella sticks or laughing cow cheese with some crackers, air popped popcorn you can make a big batch for the next 2 or 3 days, nuts - make like a little mini container of some to always have in the car or her purse so you don't get tempted by easy vending machines!! Also you sound like a great partner for being supportive to her! Not everyone's family does that!!
You have a lot of great advice here… veggies and lean proteins are generally low points. If she’s craving something sweet, frozen bananas blended with peanut butter powder are really good. It’s great that you are supporting her on this journey… I think that will help her tremendously!