Weight Watchers Chat #293: Eat This….So You Can Eat That!

News and Reviews October 2022

For this last chat in October we are going to address the elephant in the room…another program change on the horizon. I’ve been a Weight Watcher for over a quarter of a century and have been through many program changes. Some were good. A few were so confusing you had to be a mathematician to figure it out. One was so simple and so amazing that many of us who are current bloggers used it to get to our goal weights and were rolling around on the floor crying when they took it away. We are NOT spending the entire chat talking about rumors, things posted from Canada, or pre-release theories that are supposedly given to a few “special” people to leak out to the public on their blogs. Here is what I do know:

Weight Watchers has historically done large program changes every 2 to 3 years and a tweak on the other years.
2021 was the roll out of the Personal Points program which should mean 2022 is a tweak…”should” mean
I’m not special so no one leaked info to me, and I won’t ask because it could cost a WW employee their job. And honestly we could all use a little patience #sorrynotsorry
It does appear either a normal tweak or some other change will happen sometime in November like normal. Happening right before the holidays is NOT NEW.
Weight Watchers is a science-based, for-profit weight loss company which means a couple of things that should be important to you (and me):
- - They use real science to continue to tweak what will help the most people lose weight, keep it off, and be as healthy as they can be
  - WW is for profit which seems to upset a lot of people. I’M THRILLED that they have to make money! That means there is someone besides me invested in making sure this works for the largest number of people possible
  - No matter what catchy name they give the company or the program, it is created ultimately for weight LOSS
And lastly, we are in this TOGETHER and TOGETHER, we will figure it out for Success!

Last week during Chat #292 How To Make Your Points Budget Work For YOU! I broke the news that we had:

31 days until Thanksgiving
62 days until Christmas
69 days until New Year’s Day

Which means we have 7 less days than that today!

Paul’s Biscuits and Gravy versus Gwen’s Chocolate Lava Cake

The big difference in this showdown? I face the biscuits and gravy every week. If I want to plan for them I have the opportunity to…literally every, single, week.

The chocolate lava cake on the other hand was a once in a lifetime special treat for Gwen and her husband and they decided not to get it. He has not let her forget that missed opportunity…literally every, single, week.

If the bigger point meal presents itself often, take the time to plan how to handle it. But for that once-in-a-lifetime, never-going-to-have-it-again, don’t-miss-out, spouse-is-going-to remind-you-constantly-of-the-missed-opportunity meal, it’s ok to enjoy it. Once in your lifetime LOL

What’s your pain threshold limit?

I don’t know about you, but with many decisions in life I have to decide what my “pain threshold limit” is. Meaning it may not cause me too much discomfort to spend $60 on a pair of jeans I know I will wear 100+ times, but it causes me great discomfort to spend the same amount on a pair of “dressier” pants I may only wear a handful of times.

In terms of points you are willing to spend, how painful is it to spend 20 points on something that was hot, fresh, and delicious versus something soggy, leftover and unenjoyable. Come on, we’ve all done it!

Eat This, so later you can Eat That

There are so many opportunities to lighten up a day, a meal, or even a week by eating “this” so that later we can eat “that”!

2 on, 1 off – eating two meals on plan so you can enjoy the higher off-plan meal
Choosing something lower point so you can enjoy the something higher pointed
Planning zero point meals (even adding back points with zero point non starchy vegetables) so you can “afford” that higher point meal without guilt or anxiety!

Your homework for last week was #EatThisAndThat. This week I want you to tell us how you would plan a zero point meal (this) so that you can enjoy a higher point meal or treat (that). Bonus points if you plan a way to add back points with extra non starchy veggies ….and then type it, snap it, share it however you like, and then tag me for your next cool badge!

Let’s see how you did!

Deanna did what I call “covering your tracks” tracking and that is OK! She had an In and Out Burger so the next meal was on track, on point, and on the way to success!
Tina had a salad for lunch and then chicken and green beans for lunch so she could enjoy a Starbucks PSL guilt free!
Lynn didn’t feel like cooking but had to weigh in the next day so she made a sheet pan dinner out of things she found in her fridge Kielbasa, potatoes, onions, red, yellow, and green peppers, and a few stalks of asparagus for a total of 7 PP. Made enough for two meals AND she had points to spare for something else!.

Bravo, you did it!

This Week’s Topic: Eat This….So You Can Eat THAT!

Who knew my homework assignment from last week was almost literally the topic for this week!?

The official WW topic was Smart Swaps so I’ll throw in a few of those too just to keep us all on the same page.

According to Wikipedia “Eat This, Not That! (ETNT) is a media franchise owned and operated by co-author David Zinczenko. The original book series was developed from a column from Men’s Health magazine written by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding and since 2012, has sold over 8 million copies.” We all say we want choices, but apparently 8 million of us just need some help knowing what to avoid.

But how about some help knowing what to INCLUDE as well?

Make sure the swap is “smart”

If you are swapping out a food for caloric, health, or WW points reasons, please take a moment to make sure it’s a “smart” swap. I had a long discussion with a Sunday School classmate today about biscuits and gravy (he’s well….let’s just say “from a little North of here”) and I had to set him straight on a few things about how they are made and meant to be eaten.

Anyway…the one thing we both agreed on is that a little real butter is sometimes better than a swap for a whole lotta fake butter. Know what I mean?

If the quality, taste, enjoyment, etc… is still there then it’s smart. If you are just going to be disappointed and go hunting for something else to eat then not so much.

Use the swap to make room (points) for something you really want

Eating “this” so you can enjoy “that” is a super smart swap. You might be swapping to save points for a special event or meal, reset after an off point day, or maybe to simply enjoy something point-dense without the guilt!

Some “Eat This Instead of That” Ideas:

One of the things I love about Weight Watchers is that no food is off limits. What you eat, when you eat it, and why you eat it is entirely up to you. But, when you need some smart swap ideas try one of these!

Veggie spiralized noodles instead of pasta
Riced cauliflower instead of rice
Guacamole or hummus instead of mayonnaise

This Week’s Homework: #EatThisInsteadOfThat

Your homework for this week is #EatThisInsteadOfThat. This week I want you to tell us how you would work in some zero point foods (this) instead of a higher point meal or ingredient (that). ….and then type it, snap it, share it however you like, and then tag me for your next cool badge!

Don’t forget to do your homework #EatThisInsteadOfThat and tag me when you share on social media!

Tag @ifyouhaveanegg on Instagram
Tag @ifyouhaveanegg on our Facebook Page
Tag @Kelly Green Milligan in our Facebook Group
Tag @ifyouhaveanegg on WW Connect

Extra Credit: ZERO Point Lunch!

In keeping with this week’s “Eat This Instead of That” theme I am showing you how to plan not only a zero-point lunch but one that your civilian friends and family will LOVE! Keep in mind, the foods we’ll be talking about this evening are zero points for me, but they may not be for you – so be sure to adapt your plan accordingly!

One of the best things you can do is build your plan for the day around a zero-point meal, especially if you know you’ll be splurging a bit on a special treat or meal.

For tomorrow’s lunch I’m going to make myself some chicken tenders served with a dressing

Three traditional fried chicken tenders is roughly 12 points. Instead, I’m going to make my own chicken tenders following the That Man’s Chicken Breast style.

An average dressing would cost us roughly 5 points for a regular serving. To continue my trend of smart swaps, I’m going to make a delicious creamy jalapeno dressing from Pound Dropper and, in true If You Have An Egg fashion, I’m going to add in a couple of orange and red peppers to make it my own and add some extra color.

Finally, I’m going to add a bagged salad mix as a bed for my chicken tenders and dressing. For a quick fast food comparison, a commercially prepared chicken tender salad would cost 17-18 points. All things considered, this delicious homemade salad has ZERO points. Yup, you heard me. ZERO.

As I mentioned last week, I wouldn’t recommend doing zero point meals for every meal of your day, but they’re a great way to build in enough points to enjoy a guilt-free treat every now and then.

What zero point lunch smart swaps do you enjoy? Let me know in the comments!