How to Get Excited (Again!) About Your Go-To Foods!

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News and Reviews

  • Today is the first day of the “Swap it for less points” Challenge hosted by Julie over on the If You Have an Egg Facebook Group. Hope in any time, it’s not a competition with anyone but yourself!
  • Tonight is the Super Bowl and Wednesday is Valentine’s Day…any special challenges with those two or is it just another day in WW paradise?
  • Last up, thank you to everyone who checked on Dusty. Honestly, Casey and I thought we were taking him to say goodbye on Monday he was so bad. Turns out his sugar was skyrocketing over 600 and 700 even with insulin but we didn’t know it. He is now sporting a Freestyle Libre and one of Beau’s t-shirts while we monitor it closely for two weeks. He is still a little “wobbly” but much better than last week!

 

Last week was Chat #351 “Build a New Habit By Starting With An Old One!”

According to Merriam Webster the definition of “piggy back” when used as a verb is

piggyback

verb

variants or less commonly pickaback

piggybacked also pickabacked; piggybacking also pickabacking; piggybacks also pickabacks

transitive verb

1: to carry up on the shoulders and back

2: to haul (something, such as a truck trailer) by railroad car

3: to set up or cause to function in conjunction with something larger, more important, or already in existence or operation

 

Pro Tips for Piggy Backing an old habit to help build a new one:

Recognize the Routine

First make a quick list of things you already do every day without even thinking about them. Nothing glamorous…things like brushing teeth, putting on a seat belt, waiting in traffic, letting the shower get warm

Choose the Cue

Next choose which of these things could be a cue to also add in the new habit you want to create. Let’s say for example that you watch the news every morning at the same time for the same amount of time, that could be a cue for a new habit!

Do The Piggy Back!

Finally try out the new habit while you piggy back it with the old one and see how it fits. In our example above you could piggy back tracking your meals for the day, or filling up your water to take on the commute to work, or even doing some countertop pushups!

 

Your homework was #DoThePiggyBack. Pick a habit you’ve been wanting to try out and let us know what you will piggy back it with, super easy peasy!

Let’s see how you did:

  • Kelsey has been piggybacking some mommy “me time” with a 30 minute at Planet Fitness!
  • Carol Lou decided to piggy back a 10 minute walk with after each meal since she has to eat haha. She’s getting in 20-30 minutes of exercise a day without having to make a spot for it all at one time!
  • Mary is doing the piggy back by doing leg lifts while waiting on her food in the microwave!

Bravo, you did it!

 

This Week’s Topic: “How to Get Excited (Again!) About Your Go To Foods!” 

Alyssa loves the movie Turning Red and if you’re not a fan, you just don’t get the movie. It was totally me when I was a pre-teen and I soooo connected with the term “ride or die” when the main characters referred to their friend group while they sang their favorite 4 Town Song.

 

Pre WW I could use the lyrics

“You’re never not on my mind, oh my, oh my

I’m never not by your side, your side, your side

I’m never gon’ let you cry, oh, cry, don’t cry

I’ll never not be your ride or die, alright”

 

About foods like potato chips, candy bars, believe it or not milk, peanut butter and most especially FRENCH FRIES!  French fries were and are my ride or die.

 

So how to you get excited about your Go To Foods:

Remember your WW Ride or Die

Over the two plus decades that I’ve been on WW my list of foods I literally can’t be without to be successful has changed. More than once. What are your top 5 – 10 point friendly WW go to foods that you know have to be on hand for this ride. For me it’s things like:

  1. 2 point Greek already flavored Yogurt
  2. JIF Peanut Butter cups
  3. Lighter point “chocolate” chips like Annie’s Peanut Butter chips
  4. Six or more “back up” frozen or heat and serve meals
  5. Popsicles or frozen yogurt bars
  6. Cheese sticks of some kind
  7. Tuna packs

 

Find the Fun

Next identify a few foods, recipes, creations that you actually find FUN and add them to your go to list.

I find recreating recipes into low(er) point options fun. My friend Karen has taken great delight in finding plant based recipes to test and try on her family.

I have friends who enjoy manipulating StarBucks and other menus to find low point things they will enjoy (see the discussion over in IYHAE about KFC, it’s fascinating!)

If you find it fun, add it to your list!

 

Revisit those pre-WW Ride or Dies

If I told myself “you can NEVER have french fries again!” I would have been done with WW before I even got started. In the second half we will do a deep dive into some of those Ride or Die foods for me and help find a way to include them, enjoy them, and not feel deprived in the process!

 

This Week’s Homework: #RideOrDie

Your homework for this week is #RideOrDie. Unless you’ve already got something in mind I want you to hold tight through the second half to learn more about how to do this week’s homework! After that I want you to pick ONE Ride Or Die food from before WW and let us know how you will include it!  Now DO YOUR HOMEWORK because I promise there is someone who needs the idea you have already rattling around in your head. Whatever it is let us know, I promise your decision to participate this week will help you AND someone else!  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 #RideOrDie and tag me when you share on social media!

 

Extra Credit: Keep Your Ride or Die Foods!

In the first half of tonight’s chat I told you to hang tight through this portion before doing your homework. If you were right with me all the way and already did it, great. But most of you like me in the past are wondering how in the world am I going to include those foods that were “never not on my mind, by my side alright”

 

My Ride or Die Foods are below, what are yours?

 

Peanut Butter
It was quite common, almost normal for me to open a jar of peanut butter and just grab a spoonful. And another. 4 spoonfuls of real PB is 13+ points. 

Option 1 – I use PB2 or other peanut/nut powders in yogurt, on bananas, apple slices, etc for a bit of PB taste but I personally am not a fan of reconstituting with water

Option 2 – I keep JIF To Go Cups on hand at all times. When I “need” peanut butter I can choose to either split one with someone else like on a sandwich or banana for 4 points. If I want the entire thing myself it is 8 points but I will only open one so I’m stopped at the eight 

 

Hard Candy like Jolly Ranchers or Life Savers
Do you know how many pieces or hard candy is in a serving? I never did…it was just as many as I could unwrap until I moved on to the next thing. For information 3 pieces of Jolly Ranchers are 4 points

Option 1 – sugar free versions, but these give me tummy trouble. I try to limit them to times when someone shares ONE with me

Option 2 – frozen grapes covered in drink powder like Crystal Light, etc are fantastic for satisfying that “candy” urge and since they are frozen it takes a minute to eat them. My Frozen Candy Grapes recipe is already up on If You Have an Egg here https://www.ifyouhaveanegg.com/frozen-candy-grapes-0-freestyle-smart-points/ 

 

Sliced Bread / Buns
I’m pretty good at avoiding the bread basket at a restaurant but sometimes I just want a sandwich you know?

The sliced bread that I always kept on hand was 2 points for 1 slice. Not bad, but I never stopped at 1 slice.

Option 1 – sliced bread that is 1 point per slice, not a fave but they are “fine” toasted

Option 2 – low carb tortillas!  Banana peanut butter roll ups. Hot dogs. Spiral sandwiches. These things are great for holding all my sandwich stuffs!

Milk
I know that seems crazy to be on my list, but I could literally drink a half gallon of milk in a sitting. When I was pregnant with Casey, John would call ahead and tell people to “hide their milk” because I could literally drink all they had.

 

Option 1 – drink fat free skim milk 8 oz for 3 points

 

Option 2 – drink Fairlife Fat Free Skim Milk and have 8 oz for 2 points!

Potato Chips
Why do you think I needed all that milk? An open bag of chips is an empty bag, doesn’t matter how big it is. Whether it’s an individual bag or a family size my only regret is I would have been  happy if there had just been one more handful.  Opening a full size bag and separating into individual bags doesn’t work for me. I’ll just eat all of them.

 

Option 1 – enjoy an individual size bag somewhere I’m not likely to go back for another one like a sandwich shop, a party, etc

 

Option 2 – I do not know why this works for me and I cannot explain it. Baked chips like these Baked Cheetos or pretzels do not have that same affect on me. Do you see this Grip Stick? I poured out one serving into a little bowl and enjoyed them and was able to close the bag back up. Again, can’t explain why it works for me but it does. And in case you don’t know the math, 21 regular Cheetos are 5 points. But 34 Bakes Cheetos are only 4!

Ice Cream
This one is a toughie. We weren’t allowed to keep ice cream at home when I was growing up. My dad bought Ice Milk (which I can tell you is NOT the same thing) and we were not allowed to touch it. But when we did sneak it was just an icy gross substitute for real ice cream. Once a month he took us somewhere to get a single small soft serve each and also one for our beloved German Shepherd Dixie. It was the only “fun” he really had with us but it felt less like a reward and more like a once a month tease with that dang ice milk sitting in the freezer.

 

Option 1 – enjoy ice cream when we are out and I can keep it to a single or even double scoop but when it’s gone it’s gone. And we make it special 🙂 

 

Option 2 – I keep popsicles and frozen yogurt (like Yasso) bars in both my freezer and the freezer at work. Regular ice cream is 8-18 points per serving, Yasso bars are 3-5 points

Finally…the literal Ride or Die French Fries
I will admit I’m not perfect. If we go through a drive thru it’s still hard not to eat some / all of them even if they aren’t great. I don’t know why I have such a strong urge, desire, obsession with fries but I do.

 

Option 1 – tell myself I will only eat absolutely hot, salty and the best quality fries when I’m out

 

Option 2 – remember the fries I put in the air fryer at the beginning of this half of the chat?  They are ready and they are to RIDE OR DIE for!  The air fryer absolutely is a life saver for me to be able to keep fries in my WW go to list and not feel guilty about it later.  Hot.  Delicious. No deep fryer or grease. LOVE. THEM. And this size McD fries is 9-11 points. My absolutely fresh, made and enjoyed on demand Oreidea Extra Crispy fries are only 6 points for this same amount!

What is the Ride or Die Food you will figure out how to keep on your Go To WW Foods list?  Comment below!

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