Here at Jcabale.com we believe that if works for you, DO IT! If you choose to follow a diet and you are seeing results, I do not see a reason to change it. I like most, cycle my diet throughout the year depending on my goals.
Weight Watchers has been a highly debated topic for years and seems to get a bad rep no matter what they do. Although a corporate mindset, I can definitely appreciate the constant remarketing and rebranding that goes on. Changing with the times is no easy task. Since the overconsumption of high-calorie foods has been a problem for quite some time, they do a pretty decent job of letting you keep some of them in. Although having these foods should NOT be the staple of your diet, there is no reason why you cannot indulge once in a while.
Weight Watchers (How it Works)
Like most programs, there needs to be an assessment and Weight Watchers does just that. The assessment will ask about your current food preferences, eating habits, the type of activity you currently engage in, and your lifestyle.
Depending on your assessment you are assigned to a color that ultimately determines your food guide and goals.
Your Weight Watchers app (Yes, they have an app, Horray!) will now be tailored to your personal needs, points, activity, and more!
When it comes to fat loss, everyone is an individual. What may work for your brother may not work for you. All Weight Watchers plans are simple, effective, and customizable! They give you the plan, BUT now is up to you to do the work. You will have a ZeroPoint and SmartPoints budget.
Weight Watchers Points
Weight Watchers SmartPoints
Daily SmartPoints +
(bonus) weekly SmartPoints =
your SmartPoints Budget
Let’s go through the colors: The colors pretty much are your so-called “calorie/food” budget”. Be prepared, depending on your assessment you could be eating a little or a lot. Below are your Weight Watchers Points.
GREEN has a small SmartPoints Budget – 100+ ZeroPoint Foods(Fruits and non-starchy vegetables)
BLUE has a medium SmartPoints Budget – 200+ ZeroPoint Foods(Fruits, veggies, and lean proteins)
PURPLE has a large SmartPoints Budget – 300+ ZeroPoint Foods (Fruits, veggies, lean protein, and whole grains)
How Does One Locate Smart Point?
Zero Point Foods
Here is the complete list of Zero Point Foods
Green
Blue
Purple
Below is a list of my favorites:
ZeroPoint Foods List by Category
ZeroPoint Dairy
- Yogurt, Greek, plain, nonfat, unsweetened
ZeroPoint Beans and Legumes
- Beans (refried, fat-free-canned)
- Beans (adzuki, black, broad/fava, butter, cannellini, cranberry, green, garbanzo, great northern, kidney, lima, lupini, mung, navy, pink, small white, snap, soy, string, wax, white)
- Chickpeas (garbanzo)
- Edamame
ZeroPoint Fruits
- Apples
- Banana
- Beets
- Berries, mixed
- Blueberries
- Cherries
- Cantaloupe
- Clementines
- Cranberries
- Grapefruit
- Lemon
- Lime
- Litchis
- Mangoes
- Peaches
- Pears
- Persimmons
- Pineapple
- Plumcots
- Plums
- Pumpkin
- Strawberries
ZeroPoint Proteins
- Eggs
- Jerk chicken breast
- Satay, chicken, without peanut sauce
- Tofu, all varieties
- ZeroPoint Seafood
- Calamari (grilled)
- Fish (anchovies, arctic char, bluefish, branzino ((sea bass)), butterfish, carp, catfish, cod, drum, eel, flounder, grouper, haddock, halibut, herring, mackerel, mahimahi ((dolphinfish)), orange roughy, pompano, rainbow trout ((steelhead)), roe, sablefish ((including smoked)), salmon ((all varieties)), salmon, smoked ((lox)), sardines, sea bass, snapper, sole, striped bass, swordfish, tuna ((all varieties))
- Shellfish: cctopus, oysters, scallops, shrimp, squid
- Sashimi
ZeroPoint Sauces and Condiments
- Lemon zest
- Lime zest
- Pico de gallo
- Pumpkin puree
- Salsa, verde
- Salsa, fat free
- Sauerkraut
- Tomato puree
- Tomato sauce
Note: There are plenty of other spices and seasonings that have a 0 SmartPoints value but aren’t considered ZeroPoint foods. Only foods that form the building blocks of healthy habits are included in the ZeroPoint foods list.
ZeroPoint Vegetables
- Artichoke Hearts
- Arugula
- Artichokes
- Artichoke Hearts
- Beets
- Broccoli rabe
- Broccoli slaw
- Broccolini
- Brussels sprouts
- Bok choy
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Coleslaw mix
- Eggplant
- Garlic
- Greens, mixed baby
- Hearts of palm
- Mushrooms (all varieties)
- Onions
- Parsley
- Pepperoncini
- Pickles
- Pimientos
- Radishes
- Radicchio
- Rutabagas
- Salad, mixed greens
- Salad, without dressing
- Scallions
- Seaweed/ Nori seaweed
- Shallots
- Sprouts
- Squash, summer (all varieties)
- Squash, winter (all varieties)
- Taro leaves and shoots
- Vegetables, mixed
- Vegetables, stir fry, without sauce
Some fruits and vegetables contain SmartPoints values. These include:
- Avocados
- Olives
- Potatoes
- Sweet potato
- Yams
Here is Weight Watchers Glossary of terms according to WeightWatchers.com
Glossary – Weight Watchers Points List
SmartPoints: smarter, and more holistic, than counting calories.
- The SmartPoints value is one simple number that represents the number of calories, protein, sugar, and saturated fat in food.
- Sugar and saturated fat raise SmartPoints value. Protein lowers it.
- The higher the SmartPoints, the more attention you’ll want to pay to portions. (Don’t worry, we’ll help you with that.)
ZeroPoint foods: Build meals and snacks around these nutritious foods.
- The foods on each ZeroPoint list (100+ for Green, 200+ for Blue, and 300+ for Purple) were specifically chosen by our nutrition team as “go-to” foods.
- These are the foods you can feel comfortable reaching for because they form the foundation for a healthy pattern of eating (which is good!) and they are much less likely to be overeaten than other foods (also good).
- You don’t have to weigh, measure, or track ZeroPoint foods.
FitPoints®: What SmartPoints are to food, FitPoints are to exercise.
- You earn FitPoints for all physical activities—from running and resistance training to activity in disguise, like gardening or cleaning your house.
- You’ll receive a personalized weekly FitPoints goal based on your current activity level.
- You can use FitPoints as a way to see progress as you get more fit. Or you can swap them for SmartPoints.
- Every time you track activity, you earn Wins that you can redeem for really cool rewards.
Weight Watchers Meetings
Need support? Weight Watchers meetings TO THE RESCUE! At times we all know you feel like you are doing this alone. Not with Weight Watchers! Schedule a meeting with a coach to discuss all your questions and concerns!
Pros and Cons of Weight Watchers
Pros of Weight Watchers
- There’s structure – Some diet plans (often modeled off of Weight Watchers) Kind of leave you in the dark. Weight Watchers has a very structured system that leaves very little room for error.
- There’s an App – This app tracks everything really leaving no room for excuses. All your Weight Watchers Points are tracked in one app.
- They allow freedom. Making up your own meals is great! They even have on the go food that you can take with you! CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THE FUN STUFF THEY HAVE!
- They have a Support Squad – Let’s be real, most people hate the thought of tracking and going on a diet. At Weight Watchers you have a support group that is going through EXACTLY what you are going through.
- You win prizes when you reach goals! I MEAN REALLY? WOW!
- They’re pretty flexible – Rigid Meal Plans STINK!
- They have recipes upon recipes, WOW!
Cons of Weight Watchers
- Although it’s custom, Is it really? Unless you are working on one with someone it’s really hard to determine exactly what they need. A questionnaire is great and so are ranges, BUT when you really need to dial in a gram by gram program is needed. The ranges may be too little or too much for a certain individual.
- They do have a wonderful line of pre-packaged food, the only thing I am concerned about is the number of products people will use in comparison to regular food. One has to remember these are all here to help, not to replace.
- Weight Watchers Cost – It can be costly when you start to buy their products. Although it starts as little as $3 dollars a week all the way up to $14 dollars a week. You will have to budget wisely in order to stay on the plan.
- Counting points can be overwhelming. Tracking every single point down to the point can be extremely tedious. Be ready to be looking at your app all day to squeeze in the foods you want to consume.
- This type of structure can lead to unhealthy eating habits. Getting obsessive over counting points is not exactly what you want from something that’s supposed to make your life easy. If you start to get obsessive take a break for a few days then get back on it.
- Weekly weigh-ins – A lot of people don’t deal with the scale weight very well. So if you’re looking for a mood killer, this may not be the right plan for you.
In conclusion Weight Watchers is an effective weight loss program that if done correctly like most diets will yield great results. I recommend this program for long term success. Like any lifestyle change, it has its pros and cons. If YOU feel this is the right program for you then I give 2 thumbs up!
Are you ready to jump on the Weight Watcher Bandwaggon? For further info please contact Jay here.
Talk soon –
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