I have learned that planning is key on Weight Watchers (WW). If you prepare for success, you will be more likely to be successful.
Other than healthy food, here is what you need to get started working the plan.
Food scale
I already had a food scale when I started WW from past healthy eating forays but when starting with WW, I actually bought a second one for my office! It is much easier to count many things by weight and it's more accurate. To be able to count your servings correctly a food scale is a must.
You need 3 basic functions tare, weight in oz and weight in grams. This is the one I bought for my office, there are lots of options of Amazon for under $15.
Non-stick pans
One of the challenging things about cooking on WW for me was to use less oil for cooking. Using a little olive oil would quickly make my 0 point vegetables 1 point, or more if I was too heavy handed!
Using less oil is great but you need good non-stick cookware to do it. I don't like Teflon because it flakes off. I use Calphalon non-stick pans or a cast iron skillet (I have one like this) to cook most things on WW.
The Calphalon pans are amazing, I can cook most things will no oil or at most a quick spritz of cooking spray. I have a full set but you don't need to get all new cookware just to loose a few pounds, if you have one good pan you can cook most things in it. This is my favorite pan from my set.
Lots of storage containers
I think there is a direct relationship between the healthiness of my lunch and the number of containers I take to work. I pack breakfast, lunch, morning snack and afternoon snack EVERY day! Since I have been trying to reduce my fruit consumption, there are even more containers! Apples don't need a container but chopped cucumbers do.
I really like the 2 cup Ziploc twist & lock containers for toting my fruit and vegetables to work but will use everything including old sour cream containers.
Zero point bell pepper strips in a ziplock twist and lock container |
I prefer to cut up a lot of my fruits and vegetables every morning but I do usually prep lunch/dinner for several days at a time by cooking a big batch meal on Sunday and on Monday that keeps us fed until Wednesday or Thursday.
Think about getting an Instant Pot
I don't think an Instant Pot is necessary to be successful on WW but I definitely use mine a lot. I make soups, yogurt, shredded chicken and lots of quick dinners in my pot. It is kind of a like a crock pot on steroids. You throw everything in, walk away and when it beeps, dinner is ready. A lot of times my husband and I will go on a walk in the neighborhood while dinner is in our Instant Pot.
However, it does take up a lot of counter space and there is a learning curve to using it.
I have the 6-quart Duo model and think it's great for my two-person household with lots of leftovers (also known as meal prep!). If you are thinking about getting one, check out this size guide to see which would be good for you.
Powdered Peanut Butter
Everything else on this list is a kitchen equipment but I wanted to include powdered peanut butter on the list because it has helped me to eat more celery than I ever thought possible. Why can't you eat regular peanut butter you may be wondering? Well you can but it will use up your points like crazy. Regular peanut butter is about 6 points/2 tablespoons compared to 1 point for powdered. The difference is a whole glass of wine! Now, which would you rather have? :)
There are a bunch of different brands, I have tried several, and my favorite by far is PBFit. PB2 is also a popular brand and many people can buy it locally (sold at Wal-Mart and possibly elsewhere) but I prefer the taste of PBFit, I think it's closer to regular peanut butter.
To make peanut butter you just mix the powder with water until it reaches the desired consistency. I eat it as pb, drizzle it on ice cream, use it replace some flour in baked goods, all sorts of things.
Peanut butter options! |
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