So... I have a slight problem. One that someone of my...erm...stature rarely encounters.
I don't think I'm eating enough food.
You see, like I've said, I'm on Weight Watchers. Weight Watchers assigns you a daily number of "points" that you are to consume in one day. It's okay to occasionally go over those points (you are given a fixed amount of weekly "extra" points that you're encouraged to consume some of), but you're not supposed to go under your daily limit. Insert here some fluff about how your daily point total is carefully formulated to meet your basic nutrition needs, blah blah...
Anyway, my current daily point allowance is 44 -- the allowance changes as your weight goes up or down. In my time on WW, I've discovered that 44 is a REALLY FUCKIN LOT OF POINTS, good grief!
At the end of a typical day, I've got at least 5-6 points left, occasionally more.
Tonight, for example? Thirteen. THIRTEEN POINTS LEFT. What the hell?!
It's not that I'm not eating or trying to starve myself skinny -- this is what I've eaten today:
Breakfast: a frozen breakfast sandwich consisting of a wheat english muffin, egg white, reduced fat cheese and turkey canadian bacon; and a container of nonfat cherry-flavored Greek yogurt
Morning Snack: a single-serving pouch of mixed nuts (Planters' NUT-rition 'wholesome nut mix', if you're curious).
Lunch: WW "Best Ever BLT" recipe -- basically, toasted wheat bread, light mayo, spinach, tomato, reduced-fat bacon, and half an avocado (side note: effing delicious. Highly recommend. Mix a little salt, pepper, and scallions into the mayo. Easily sidles up next to grilled cheese as my favorite sandwich ever.); also, approximately one cup of mixed berries (blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries.
Afternoon Snack: a heaping cup (probably closer to 1.5-2 cups) of cherry tomatoes
Dinner: a Grilled Cheeseburger Wrap (from SkinnyMom's Kitchen) -- also delicious --, a side salad with light yogurt-based ranch dressing, and another handful of cherry tomatoes.
I feel like I've been eating all freakin' day! How is it possible that I have 13 points left!?
I honestly don't know what to do here. I'm not hungry, and it's getting too late for me to be eating anything that significant points-wise anyway. I had this problem when I was on WW before (the first successful time), and this partially led to my demise. I'd come home from work, and I'd have SO MANY POINTS left after lunch that I literally had enough to consume an entire box of macaroni & cheese. So I did. I still lost weight, so I didn't see the harm. Clearly, this is not the way to be.
The last time I discussed this dilemma with someone "in the know", they suggested swapping out some of my reduced-fat/low-fat choices for the full-fat ones. This is a problem in a couple ways a) in most cases, I don't like the taste of those things anymore, and b) I don't want to get into the habit of having a bunch of full-fat stuff in the house. I also feel like subbing in things that are technically on the unhealthy side is not the way to go (see previous statement regarding the full box of mac & cheese).
The only real error I see in my food choices is that I don't eat a lot of meat just in general (this was true even before I got serious about my weight loss effort), so I'm probably missing out on a lot of vital protein. However, I hate the idea of drinking protein, so that shoots that idea in the foot. And it's not that I'm not getting any at all.
I had half of an avocado and a hearty portion of nuts today (the mix I ate has cashews, almonds, and macadamia nuts), so I'm getting the healthy fats.
But still, WW dictates that I'm supposed to eat more. I would literally need to eat an entire fourth full meal to fulfill those 13 points -- it would be a pretty nasty snack to use that much.
What do you all think? What should I do?
Okay, one of the biggest misconceptions is that vegetarians don't get enough protein. This link provides alot of info about protein, if you're worried about it. http://www.nomeatathlete.com/vegetarian-protein/
ReplyDeleteThe one thing my mother always comments on when she comes to visit is how much I eat. Remember, vegetables don't have as many calories so, you can eat more of them. So up your intake. It won't kill your points or calorie count and it will keep you fuller longer.
I eat tons and tons of veggies now... I eat some meat, just not a whole lot. And I eat a lot of beans and other protein sources, just maybe not enough. I'm working on that. :)
DeleteI was going to say something along the lines of Katie - if you're worried about protein and you need some points, try some protein-rich grains like quinoa or farro? I will scan in a recipe for farro that Dan and I really like (except for the olives and I'm not a big fan of capers - too salty), and I pinned a recipe for quinoa with spinach and parm cheese that I loved on my Food board on Pinterest. (There are also other "grain" recipes on there too.) Also, I know you don't have a lot of time in the morning, but maybe on the weekends or as a do-ahead, quinoa makes a good sub for oatmeal? Or maybe just eat oatmeal (not the sugary instant stuff but real oatmeal - try oatmeal with half a banana sliced and some cinnamon. YUM!)? You could also add in some whole wheat pasta? Or beans?? I have a recipe for veggie chili that we really liked? And are you getting in your dairy?? (Arent' there still dairy boxes that you have to check off on your journal?) Add 1/2c plain non-fat Greek yogurt with 1/2c berries to your oatmeal with the bananas?
ReplyDeleteBut wow! 44 is a lot of points? Is that the min or max? Yike. I see your problem....
I had typed a whole paragraph and deleted it by accident. Basically, I do like quinoa but have never tried farro. It's on my to-do list. I'm not a fan of real oatmeal (and the instant stuff is iffy, though when I do eat that I go for the lower-sugar variety). I love beans and whole wheat pasta, so I'm working on getting more of those in as well as brown rice. Also, I usually get about 2 dairy servings a day, which I think fulfills my WW requirements. I've been eating a cup of greek yogurt in the mornings with my breakfast, and that adds some protein, which is nice.
DeleteAnd yes, 44 points is my daily minimum. On top of that I get 49 weekly points to use at my discretion (which obviously I rarely ever touch), and then I earn activity points when I am, well, active. On a non-working out day, I get about one point just based on the number of steps I take. Those can be traded for food too, which, again, I rarely ever do.
The bonus is that as my weight comes down, so will my daily point allowance, and this will be less of an issue. Hopefully. We shall see!
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ReplyDeleteThis was the same problem my mom haf! Im telling you, you need to talk to her!
ReplyDelete