Weight Watchers Week 1 Weigh In and my Take on the "Free" Fruit

Week 1 on the new Weight Watchers PointsPlus is a success! I’m down 3.6 lbs! I feel fantastic and I’ve been doing great but I haven’t yet found my groove with the plan. Let me explain while answering the questions Dana left of my recent Do You Nibble post…

So I’m still curious if you like the new WW plan? Or is it hard to compare since you are have extra points right now?  Any thoughts on counting points for fruit when it’s in a recipe?

Well it’s hard for me to evaluate the plan after 1 week but I’ll give you my initial reaction. I am finding calculating points a bit cumbersome. Mostly because I still have the old points stuck in my brain. As for the nursing points, I don’t think of them much. I had nursing points when I started Weight Watchers 6 years ago so it’s a place I’m very familiar with.

It’s actually my own food journal that’s stumping me right now. I haven’t figured out the best way to record it for me yet. I used to use twitter I found it hard this week to keep up with it. Honestly, I may just go back to pen and paper. With the baby and my crazy schedule my computer time has been inconsistent.

As for the fruit and points, I do have my own strategy now. Even on the old plan I used to count all fruit as 1 point, regardless of serving size. This gave me the perfect balance between being accountable and not obsessing over how much fruit I was eating. I just don’t think we need to be weighing out a serving of grapes. That being said, on the new plan my strategy is this..

All fruit eaten solo will be counted as 0 pointsplusThis just makes sense on the new plan. If I notice it affecting my weight loss I may start counting them as a point. Fruits used in smoothies will be counted based on Nutritional InformationThis morning I made an amazing green smoothie with a banana, pear, frozen mango, and spinach (click here for the green smoothie concept) Yes, I used all 0 pointsplus fruit to make the smoothie but using the nutritional information it turned out to be 7 pointsplus. SEVEN! That needs to be counted in my opinion. Fruits used in traditional recipes will be counted based on Nutritional InformationBy "traditional" I mean cooked or mixed in. Like blueberries in blueberry muffins or mango in a stir fry. I have always counted 0 point vegetables in these types of recipes when calculating old points, why wouldn’t I do the same with fruits on the new plan?Fruits not mixed in recipes or meals but added on top will be counted as 0 pointsplusThink blueberries on top of cereal or meals like my Citrus Spinach Salad with Pomegranates and Walnuts. In these recipes the fruit isn’t modified in anyway. It’s not cooked or blended. Theoretically I could be eating it on the side of the meal.

Of course, my opinion may change as I continue on plan but this is my current strategy. I’d love your take!

Ok, that’s all I have in my tonight. The getting up every 2 hours thing is REALLY starting to take it’s toll. I need sleep. I hope to get into a better routine so I can share my food journals but right now it’s too labor intensive for this tired momma.

Oh! I did take a minute to updated my weight progress page and my goals page.

Gotta run.. I’m falling asleep… bye.

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