Weight Watchers – Makin' it Mo'Betta

Weight Watchers – Pros and Cons

Kim

Obviously, I decided to take a break from blogging. That break turned into an extended hiatus! So what have I been doing all this time? Well, if you follow me on Instagram, you know the answer to that – I’ve been “up in the gym, workin’ on my fitness” (queue Fergie) and following Weight Watchers to lose the extra fluff that tends to creep up, especially after age 40! I am also working as a school nurse, as a sub…so my hours are sporadic – which I like.

Since I follow so many other Weight Watchers on Instagram, I thought it might be a good idea to share my experience here on the blog. I would also like to do posts on tips & tricks for keeping points low, etc. But first, why am I even doing Weight Watchers? (and no, this is not a sponsored post.)

I started doing Weight Watchers because I felt fat. I started back in March 2016. I had put on extra weight and even though I wasn’t hugely overweight, I was definitely over my comfort level, my clothes didn’t fit, and I just plain didn’t like what I saw in the mirror. Therefore, I made up my mind to do something about it. *And that is THE BIGGEST STEP in weight loss (or anything for that matter), you have to make up your mind to make a change. You have to be determined to see it through. You have to put in the work. There are no shortcuts.

Since I had done Weight Watchers in the past, I knew it was a program that worked for me. I also knew that I should have a little bit easier time this go round because I have my hypothyroidism under control…which I didn’t before (and still managed to lose weight, albeit slowly)

I am not a meetings person, so I opted to do the program strictly online. This works for me, others may enjoy the interaction & support system you get in going to the meetings. So, on to my pros and cons –

PROS –

(1) Easy to use app that is downloaded on my phone. It tells how many points you have for the day, it has a barcode scanner to see how many points are in packaged foods, it has an extensive list of foods & points available to look up if it doesn’t have a barcode, many restaurants are listed, and it tracks activity points.

(2) The WW app links up to my Garmin so my exercise/steps can automatically be configured to activity points. (You get points for activity & those points can be “traded in” for food. So, the more active you are, the more you can eat, and still lose weight. And let’s face it, if you are looking into Weight Watchers, it’s because you like to eat.) *hand raised* I love food. Hence, the food blog.

(3) It’s much easier to track with Weight Watchers than to calorie count (with programs like My Fitness Pal) because when counting calories, everything you put into your mouth needs to be tracked. With WW, I automatically know that all fresh fruits and vegetables are zero points (unless they are juiced or being put into a drink/smoothie). For example, if I eat a salad, I know that I only have to track things other than veggies – like cheese, meat, dressing, etc. If I were tracking calories, I would have to enter the lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, etc. I think it is also a mental thing of “I’m hungry and if I eat this apple/orange it won’t cost me any points” leading me to eat more fruits & veggies and make healthier choices.

*There are other “perks” to the app, like online recipes, a community to connect with others, and other resources that I do not utilize.

CONS –

(1) It cost money. That is what kept me from joining a long time ago. It seemed silly to me to pay money to track what I ate, when I knew it could be done for free. I have actually used My Fitness Pal, and it works well, and it’s free. But as stated above, it’s just not as easy for me. What can I say…I’m a lazy tracker. It basically comes down to about $20 a month. However, I’ve decided that losing weight was well worth that. I always catch the promos too, so I’ve never had to pay a joining fee.

(2) Not everything is in the app. This isn’t really a big deal, but if you make a recipe from scratch, you have to add everything into the recipe builder and then it will tell you how many points per serving. Or if you go to a restaurant that isn’t in the app, you have to use your best judgment on points based on what you’re ordering. As I said, this isn’t a big deal really, it’s just time consuming to add everything for a recipe, but I don’t see any other way to do it.

So…how much weight have I lost? I lost almost 30 lbs! I started March 3, 2016 at 150 lbs. (I’m 5’2″). On August 19th, I reached my goal weight of 125 lbs. When I stopped tracking with WW on 10/7/16, I was at 122.4. Anddddd……then the holidays happened. And I ate all the cookies and drank all the egg nog. I rejoined WW on 1/2/17 at 132 lbs. Today I am 127 lbs. I could be less if I would eat sensible on the weekends, but I basically splurge all weekend. So it’s 2 steps forward and one step back. However, I’m basically happy maintaining at this point. The moral to this story is – you have to maintain calories in vs calories out, because fat cells have an excellent memory & it’s SO much easier to gain than it is to lose! It truly does have to be a lifestyle change or it will be a constant yo-yo. I know people like to see awesome transformation/before and after pics, but I don’t really have any. When I felt fat, pics got deleted! And a loss of 25 lbs isn’t nearly as dramatic as a 50 or 100 lb loss…but it’s all doable! I firmly believe that if you follow the program, it WILL work. Follow just about any program, and it will work…but is it sustainable? That’s the key. It must be something you can live with. Weight Watchers makes me much more conscious of my choices.

This is the best I could come up with for now. It feels so weird posting these too. My girls are constantly taking selfies & on Snapchat…it’s amazing the difference in the times! Kids today are so narcissistic…says the mom who posts flexing bicep pics on Instagram. hahaha

Non-Scale Victories {#TheWinningMoment #WeightWatchersIceCream #ad}

Kim

This post brought to you by . The content and opinions expressed below are that of Makin’ it Mo’Betta.

I don’t know about y’all, but I get sick and tired of obsessing over everything I eat, everything my children eat, and constantly feeling like I am depriving myself. I have often had the mentality “I can’t eat that”…because it has too much fat or too many carbs, it has this in it or that…It can be exhausting! That’s one of the things I really like about the WW program, is that it takes a lot of the stress out of eating. The apps make tracking food easy, and counting points was much less stressful to me than counting calories. Now, it’s been a couple of years since I followed the program, but I still keep the basic principles in mind…I know if I eat pizza, I need to balance that with healthier options the rest of the day. Just knowing I CAN eat pizza or whatever you may consider your “forbidden” food, makes eating much more enjoyable. It’s all about moderation! It also helps a TON, that Weight Watchers® has many products available that are comforting and delicious, but still help maintain your goals. These non-scale victories make everything better!
are satisfying, delicious, and if you are interested in the Points Plus values, they are listed right on the package. Less stress + yummy treats = A Winning Moment! Not to mention they come in a variety of flavors and are available in bars, cones, and sandwiches. They have flavors other than those pictures as well, like Dark Chocolate Raspberry! I’ve tried them all (you know, for research purposes *coughcough*) and I have to say that the Dark Chocolate Dulce de Leche was a favorite! Another great thing, they are sold in several convenient locations such as Walmart, Target, Kroger, Publix, Safeway, Stop & Shop, Shoprite, and Supervalue.

My kids were more than happy to dive into the treats, and being able to keep up with my children and enjoy life with them is definitely a winning moment as well. There are certainly more things in life to validate me, my life and my sense of self-worth other than a number on the scale.

It’s little changes that I am continuing to make each day that help me feel happy, healthy and content. Don’t get me wrong, I still want the number on the scale to go down…but I’m not obsessing over it. As a matter of fact, my daughter sneakily took the above picture of me, and I didn’t immediately delete it! Usually, I’m my own worst critic, and loathe seeing pictures of myself. Not only did I not delete it, I decided to post it here. Why? Because I can see progress. Those are my winning moments.

And this…this is another non-scale victory and winning moment! Whenever I go over my step goal for the day (usually around 10,000), I feel a sense of accomplishment. It means I got my butt moving. It means I’m doing something for ME, but I’m also (hopefully) setting a good example for my children. When my kids see me exercising, preparing meals for the family, making healthier swaps with ingredients and food choices, and teaching them that foods are not to be considered the enemy or forbidden, but enjoyed and incorporated into a balanced life, I hope it sticks with them as they grow and make their own choices.

What do you consider some of your winning moments?

WEIGHT WATCHERS on foods and beverages is the registered trademark of WW Foods, LLC. WEIGHT WATCHERS for services and PointsPlus are the registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. Trademarks are used under license by Wells Enterprises, Inc. ©2015 Weight Watchers International, Inc. All rights reserved.

2-Ingredient Pancakes {Weight Watchers friendly!}

Kim

This will be the shortest recipe post ever…b/c it’s seriously just 2 ingredients. Or if you are like me and have to add stuff…maybe 3. So, we could spend some time discussing , and how it was added to the Oxford dictionary. Seriously?! I didn’t know the “dance” had a name. Or we could discuss how Miley Cyrus apparently has made the word famous by her embarrassingly ridiculous performance on the MTV Music Video Awards. Or we can just cringe and hope all that goes away very soon. I’m sure my girls have already watched in on YouTube. *shudder*

Yeah, let’s move on before everyone loses their appetite. And, if you don’t know what I’m talking about, then just Google it or get on Twitter b/c it’s (unfortunately) errrywhere. Poor Billy Ray.

Speaking of everywhere, I’ve spotted this recipe on Pinterest many times, but was first inspired to give it a go after seeing it at . Something this simple, and being so low in points was something I had to try. Even though I don’t like bananas. Yep, one of the two ingredients is bananas, but I decided to give it a go anyway. (Because I was really wanting pancakes but didn’t want to use up a half a day’s points on them!)

All you need is a ripe banana, 2 eggs, and a blender (or food processor). I also added cinnamon to help cover up the banana flavor 🙂

2-Ingredient Pancakes

1 ripe banana

2 eggs

cinnamon (optional)

Blend ingredients until smooth in a blender or food processor.

Pour onto a heated, greased/sprayed griddle or skillet.

Cook until it appears almost set, then flip and finish cooking on the other side.

Serve with choice of toppings. I used sugar free maple syrup. I got 6 pancakes from this batch and calculated it as 4 points. If you use Egg-Beaters, the points would be even lower!

Notes:

Yes, these taste like bananas. However, I think adding a little more spice and some nuts would make it more of a banana nut bread flavor, which I would be okay with (of course, nuts add points if you are doing Weight Watchers).
I think I would also like them with chocolate chips (duhhh!)
These are very thin pancakes, but you can eat SIX without guilt 🙂
I personally prefer the texture better after they cooled a bit – less egg-y, sponge-y.
They could be used like a crepe, and wrap things in them.
I tried this with pumpkin instead of banana and it didn’t work well..however, I think it’s doable, I just have to play with it. If you try it and it works, let me know.
Even though I didn’t love them, I would make them again. Maybe with chocolate chips a blueberry topping.

Anyone else out there dieting? Does it suck for you too? Actually Weight Watchers really hasn’t been too bad. I’ve been doing it for several weeks now and I’m down 13 lbs. I’d like to lose 9 more. My pants today are baggy, so it’s worth it 🙂

I may be linking up at any of the following – (Monday) , , , , , , , , , , , (Tuesday) , , ,,, , and , , (Wednesday) , , , , , , , (Thursday) ,, , , (Friday) , , , , , ,, , , ,, , , ,, , (Saturday) , , , (Sunday) , , ;

Super Skinny Chocolate Muffins {copycat Vitatops}

Kim

If ya don’t like chocolate, you’re at the wrong place today (and uhhh, how are we friends? Just kidding.) I know there are some people who just don’t care for chocolate. Some of these people even share my same genetic pool. I truly don’t understand it. Anyway…these are for the chocolate fans out there. Especially the chocolate fans who loooove chocolate, but don’t necessarily care to wear their fat pants on a daily basis. These be some skinny muffins. Pinky swear.

and yes, I ate both of these as soon as I took the picture.

Super Skinny Chocolate Muffins {copycat Vita Tops}

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups old fashioned oats
3 egg whites
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (I used Hershey’s Dark)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (I used cinnamon, b/c it’s all we had!)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or regular plain yogurt)
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup hot water (I think coffee could be used here too)
1/2 cup sugar or sugar substitute (I used half Splenda and half xylitol) Update: I prefer to use half stevia or xylitol and half real sugar.
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray (or use cupcake liners).
Using a food processor (or a blender), blend all of the ingredients together except for the chocolate chips. Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth. (Note: grinding oats first, before adding other ingredients may make it easier to get a smooth consistency. I still had a few pieces of oats, but I was fine with that.)
Pour mixture into prepared muffin pans. These aren’t going to rise a lot, so you can fill them pretty full for larger muffins, or about half to 2/3rds for the traditional VitaTop look. Add a few chocolate chips to each muffin cup (about half of them) to ensure each muffin has chips in it. (If you add them to the batter bowl, they all just sink to the bottom.) The other half of the chips will be added to the tops in the next step. If you don’t want any on top, add them all now.
Place muffin tins in the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove from oven and distribute the other half of the chocolate chips on top of each muffin. This just makes them look all pretty and like VitaTops.
Place the muffins back into the oven and bake for an additional 2-5 minutes (mine took 5-7), or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Source:

We got 12 decent sized muffins for 3 points plus each. I think next time I will make them smaller. I haven’t had Vita Top muffins in a while, but from what I remember, these are pretty darn close. I thought they were good, and my kids thought they were okay, but not great…but they don’t have to worry about fat pants and 41 year old metabolisms. ugh. This recipe also does not contain flour, so I’m assuming could easily be made gluten free.

Thanks to for featuring this recipe!

I may be linking up at any of the following – (Monday) , , , , , , , , , , , (Tuesday) , , ,,, , and , , (Wednesday) , , , , , , , (Thursday) ,, , , , (Friday) , , , , , ,, , , ,, , , ,, , (Saturday) , , , (Sunday) , , ;

2-ingredient Apple Angel Food Cake

Kim

Yes, it can be done! Another tested 2 ingredient recipe that turned out oh so tasty! You may remember that I have already tried the 2 ingredient brownies, which were quite good. I have also made the 2 ingredient lemon bars, but my pics were lost on my crashed computer. They were also pretty good. So now….the 2 ingredient apple cake!

SO EASY!

Apple Angel Food Cake

1 can pie filling (any flavor, I used apple)

1 box of Angel Food Cake Mix

nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix can of pie filling with dry cake mix. {No other ingredients}
Stir until blended.
Pour in a greased/sprayed 9×13 baking dish.
Top with walnuts if desired – making this a THREE ingredient cake 🙂
Bake at 350 until done. *I saw on a pin somewhere that it should be baked for 20 minutes. This was not long enough in my oven. It took at least 25-30, and the middle of mine still wasn’t done, and my oven usually cooks faster than the recommended times. Next time I will def. cook it longer and make sure to check the center. Mine also ‘deflated’ by the next day, but that could also be because I didn’t cook it long enough. However, the flavor was really good, especially since I was craving something sweet like a mad woman.

This is a great little recipe to have tucked away when you need to throw something together in a hurry, looking for something low fat (definitely not low in sugar however), or just have a sugar craving. You can use any flavor pie filling you want, so you can make lots of variations. I have also found a ‘no sugar added’ pie filling, so that would cut down on the calories as well. Now, if I could just find a chocolate recipe with no sugar, no carbs, no fat, but full flavor. Yes, it IS nice in my dream world, haha.

I’m linking this up with for Food on Fridays