WW (Weight Watchers) Chat #243: Getting To Know Your Eating Patterns

WW News October 2021:

We have a new Egglette! Our YouTube creator, social media manager, and Egg Lady Badge Developer has given birth to another beautiful baby girl! I may be biased because she is also my daughter, but Beau Ruth is another tiny miracle from an amazing mom. Big Sister Alyssa is OBSESSED!! Please join me in congratulating this little family of four <3
WW International President and CEO Mindy Grossman announced this month that she is stepping down from her role after the first quarter of 2022. Since 2017, Mindy has helped WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers rebrand, grow the membership base and report membership retention at an all time high…even during a pandemic. As soon as we hear who will be filling these exciting shoes I will let you know!
Historically, every other year we receive news of something sometimes not so affectionately known as “plan change November”. Following in that tradition, WW has clinical trials underway for a plan update that I expect will be released in November as usual. I don’t have any insider information, but because I am an observer of things I will give you my guesses as we continue to chat over the next few weeks

The month’s theme is “What Happens In Your Body When You Eat (and Drink!)” and is in my opinion another easter egg (clues hidden in plain sight) to the new program launching in November 2021. If you go to the desktop version of WW you will notice a new MyWW+ Personal Assessment on the homepage of ww.com. Please don’t wander off…I promise we will talk about my theories on the new program in the second half!

Last week during Chat #242: Overcoming Obstacles – Control Late Night Eating, we talked about nibbling at night and heading to the fridge or pantry even when we knew trouble was coming!

There are lots of reasons that the munchies can get started and fortunately just as many ways to stop them.

Why they start:

Waited too long to eat
Boredom
Habit

When they start::

Late afternoon / evening
When you have nothing else to do
Maybe only on certain days, might be every day

What to do:

Try to find a way to eat earlier in the day or have a high protein dinner and then leave the scene of the crime (close the kitchen for the night)
Find something else to do with your hands like crochet, do a puzzle, rock a new grandbaby
Create a realistic “implementation intention” like dividing up and pre-pointing go-to late night snacks so you have to get up and go get them if you want more while you are watching tv before bed

Your homework for last week was #ManageTheMunchies. Create your own late night munchie implementation intention “When ___________ I will ______________”

….and then type it, snap it, however you want to share it and then tag me for your next cool badge!

Let’s see how you did!

Kathie says, “When dinner is over I will brush my teeth.” It’s a signal that eating time is over and she’s one step closer to winding down for the evening!
Jeanne figured out when eats too low on her points that she gets snacky so, “When I find myself getting snacky I will eat higher point meals including real cheese and nuts.”
Jackie says, “When I find myself wanting to munch while I watch tv I will only go to my pre-packaged snacks and only one bag at a time.”

Bravo, you did it!

This Week’s Topic: What Happens in Your Body When You Eat & Drink – Getting to Know Your Eating Patterns

When you get in the car you have a pattern of behavior unique to you. For me it’s to close the door, then put on my seatbelt, then start the car, then look in the mirrors. Your eating patterns are also unique to you and I believe will be the basis of WW’s new plan rolling out next month.

We will talk more about my thoughts on future programs in the second half, but if you will start to notice and even record things that lead up to the next time you eat you can create a pattern that works or break a pattern that is disruptive to your weight loss and wellness efforts.

The graphics this week are SPOT ON! Please take a few minutes to log onto your WW account or check out the app. A picture (or in this case a graphic) is worth a thousand words!

Before you eat answer the following questions:

How long has it been since I last ate?
On a scale of 1 to 5 how hungry am I?
How do I feel right now? Put a name on it or even better check out the WW graphic and put an emoji to it!

Track and then eat your next meal:

On your WW app
In a planner or journal
On Connect or your favorite support group (like IYHAE!)

Set a timer for 30 minutes after you finish eating and then answer these questions:

Was the amount you just ate the amount you planned, more than you planned or less than you planned?
Now on a scale of 1 to 5 how hungry are you?
How fast did you eat?
How mindful were you of what you were eating?
Do you think you will eat something before your next planned meal?
What did you enjoy most at this meal?
Looking back at that WW graphic choose an emoji for how you feel now

This Week’s Homework: #EmojiMyMeal

Your homework for this week is #EmojiMyMeal. Pick a meal and an emoji and tell us:

1st how you felt before you ate

2nd how much you ate

3rd how you felt after you ate

….and then type it, snap it, however you want to share it and then tag me for your next cool badge!

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

Instagram tag @ifyouhaveanegg
Facebook Page tag @ifyouhaveanegg
Facebook Group tag @Kelly Green Milligan
WW Connect tag @ifyouhaveanegg

Extra Credit: Why You Should Choose Blue

Two weeks ago we talked about why you might choose Purple so it only makes sense we chat about Blue this week!

I also think it makes sense to talk about the elephant in the room….and that’s the impending plan change. Every two years at this time WW makes either a minor or in a handful of cases major change to the plan. First, just like I told you two years ago and two ears before that – BREATHE. It’s just a change. If you try it you might like it and if you don’t you’ve already got some skills to fall back on. Plus, it’s not here yet! The rumors flying around are just that, rumors at this point. Anyone who works for or with WW has signed a confidentiality agreement that could cost them their job if they spill the beans. WW is serious about testing, trying, and working as many bugs out as possible for us before they release a new plan or changes to a current plan. Please just BREATHE and we will get the facts when the facts are ready.

But…I do have some theories just like I did last time. They are unknown, I haven’t asked anyone to verify (nor would they), and I haven’t seen, heard or been divulged to anything to verify or even entertain them. From the topics we’ve shared the last few months, the new groups I’ve seen form on Connect and the sudden presence of a new MyWW+ Personal Assessment on the homepage of ww.com my theories this week are this:

Theory #1 – Even more personalized plans. When WW switched to Blue, Green, and Purple the plan was for the first time ever personalized to the way you eat today, and you could change it up for how you may eat tomorrow
Theory #2 – What you WILL eat versus what you SHOULD eat. I’m not sure how that will play out, but I believe the new plan will somehow work around meal preppers and eater-outers, as well as veggie lovers and picky eaters
Theory #3 – The point values will be calculated differently. I don’t know how, I don’t know why, but my gut tells me there is a change coming
Theory #4 (even though I usually like things in 3’s hahaha) – Health and wellness will be an even bigger focus

So based on my gut feelings I decided to spend a few weeks chatting about our current plan. You may think “Kelly, that’s a waste of time…I heard Blue, Green, and Purple are going away” or “that avocados and nuts are going to be zero now” or “if I’m diabetic / vegetarian / high blood pressure / fill in the blank I’ll be on a completely different plan than you.” But I think we will be asked to think about what we eat, when we eat it and how we get to the point of eating it in a way that only makes sense that we review what we know so we can give an educated opinion when asked later. OK? Still with me?

WW My Way Blue is the previous Freestyle Plan. This one was a good middle road for me after having so much success on Points Plus. It gave me just enough points to play with things like skim milk and eating out, but not so much freedom to go wild eating unlimited brown rice and sweet potatoes as Simply Filling.

Click here to download this printable guide

Why is Blue different?

Nothing is “free”. Zero points versus “free” makes my brain process what I’m doing differently. Free = eat until you want to puke / Zero Points = eat a serving at a time
Over 200 Zero Point Foods. Having 200+ named things that are zero still gives you a huge selection of things including corn, beans and non starchy veggies
More recipes. There are tons of recipes both online and on the WW app that are “friendly” on Blue and your family will eat them
A minimum 24 daily points plus rollovers to enjoy things that will round out your satisfaction at each meal (for me it’s FairLife Skim Milk, low carb tortillas, peanut butter, and french toast with the family every Sunday morning
The Blue Plan can be used for as little as a week or for a lifetime, and I think it is especially good for people with families who want to eat healthier but aren’t ready to join the veggie bandwagon

Who should choose Blue?

Anyone trying to balance health and weight loss with more whole foods to #bulkitup convenience items you may need to use from time to time
Families. Like I said this is a great plan for people with families so you don’t have to cook one meal for them and one for yourself. My Air Fryer Candy Corn recipe is zero points on Blue and trust me, even picky spouses won’t know it’s on plan!
Those who like to do a little meal prep but may only have an evening or two to spend in the kitchen. Air fryer roasted veggies, soups, bento box style meals, frozen meals and frozen veggies are the perfect time savers to keep you on track!

Perfect Blue Pantry!

These are the things I keep handy when on Blue and are the basis for a perfect fridge and pantry (these are all no seasoning or additives already included):

Chicken or turkey breasts (whole or ground)
Frozen grilled chicken, fish, or shrimp
Canned beans of all kinds
Canned green beans, corn, and chopped tomatoes
No salt seasonings
Fresh fruit like grapes, apples, bananas, seasonal melon
Seasonal vegetables like butternut or spaghetti squash, zucchini or yellow squash, mushrooms, corn, fresh leafy greens, etc
Frozen fruits and vegetables
Frozen convenience meals (check those points BEFORE you put them in the buggy)
Tofu or tempeh
Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt or, if you don’t like plain Greek yogurt, you have a few extra points a day to enjoy commercially prepared and flavored yogurt
Ingredients for lighter point muffins and breads from fellow WW’ers like Pound Dropper and Drizzle Me Skinny
Nutritional Yeast
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Perfect Blue Recipes!

These are recipes that are tried and proven, perfect low points and perfect for #bulkitup opportunities:

That Man’s Chicken – This chicken thigh version is savory, spouses and kids will love it and you have a few extra points a day to splurge on this deliciousness!
Deviled Eggs – Every family loves these and no one will know you’ve lightened them up!
Breakfast Bento Bowls – Throw a little bacon in there and you’ll get no complaints
Air Fryer Baked Apples with a scoop of Halo Top or Enlightened Ice Cream -Need I say more?
Mel’s Mexican Chicken Casserole – With all that cheese they will never know it’s not rice!
Air Fryer Tofu anything – yes, I’m going to keep bugging you about trying tofu since it’s still zero on Blue!

Blue On The Go!

There will be times you need to grab and go, head through the drive thru or go in and sit down. These are my go to’s on the go (yes I know this is exactly the same list as Purple but you really can’t go wrong on either color with these):

That Man’s Turkey Tenderloin – a family favorite. We use this for meals but more importantly for snacking, road trips, and a quick protein powered pick me up
Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs – can’t boil an egg to save your life? That was me before I tried this super simple way to make the perfect hard boiled egg that peels like a dream
Convenience Stores – hard boiled eggs, bananas, flavored water, snacking cheese, pickles, veggie snack packs
Drive Thru / Dine In:
- Chick-Fil-A Grilled Chicken Nuggets and a fruit cup
- Chipotle lettuce, fajita vegetables, salsa, pinto beans, chicken
- Cracker Barrel grilled chicken tenderloins or grilled catfish, green beans, pinto beans, seasonal fruit
- IHOP Simple & Fit Omelette with fresh fruit
- Wendy’s Plain Baked Potato, small chili and light sour cream