Weight Watchers Smart Points Surprises: Facebook Live Chat!

Weight Watchers Live Facebook Chat:  Smart Points Surprises!  I’ve participated in at least five different versions of Weight Watchers programs over the past 20+ years.  Some things I should know.  Others should be common sense.  A few have changed drastically with the new Smart Points system…heck even after all these years even I get surprised sometimes on this latest WW journey!

Thanks for watching and please remember to Like, Share, Comment and especially Subscribe so I can do more helpful Weight Watchers videos!  These are the transcriptions from tonight’s chat about my WW Smart Points Surprises! with Smart Points listed if applicable.  As always these are available on Facebook, YouTube and on my blog www.ifyouhaveanegg.com

• First things first, these are LIVE video chats when they are recorded so yes, I talk to people when they ask questions!
• Please remember to Like, Comment, Share and Subscribe on Facebook and YouTube so I can keep making more of these Chats and easy recipe videos!
• Remember, my other chats are available on ifyouhaveanegg.com or on YouTube search IFYOUHAVEANEGG
• Thank you for all your ideas for future chats!!!
• Surprise #1 – Avocadoes aren’t FREE!! Not much else I can say about that one other than come on Oprah…can’t you go to bat for us on this one?
• Surprise #2 – BLT’s go beyond bites, licks and tastes! If it goes in your mouth it needs to go in your journal.  A splash of milk and a dash of sugar in your coffee, a bite of your husband’s dessert, a lick of your child’s dripping ice cream.  It all adds up.  And surprise!
  • 2 tsp of cough syrup will cost you 1 SP whether you write it down or not. Taken twice a day, sick for 7-10 days and you’ve got yourself 14-20 weeklies, ouch
  • 1 regular cough drop is also 1 SP. No wonder your teeth feel like they are wearing sweaters by the end of the day…one every 4 hours x 7-10 days = 28-40 weeklies gone!
  • Gummy Vitamins….come on, aren’t we all adults here? Taken twice a day is a whopping 3 SP.  Take them daily for a month and you’ve lost 90 Smart Points.  Take them for a year and…are you sitting down?  1095 Smart Points!  Time to change vitamins I’d say!
• Surprise #3 – Your body can retain up to 5 pounds of water…FIVE POUNDS. And that’s even if you aren’t having any medical issues.  I’ve learned about Edema the hard way dealing with my father’s kidney disease and now my mother’s skilled nursing care after a bought with infection complicated by extreme water retention in your arms and legs.  The best ways to fight Edema and shed that water weight at the same time:
  • More Water! If you are dehydrated your body clings to water as a defense mechanism.  Drinking more water (not diet sodas, real water) can fill quickly remedy your internal water to salt ratio and even “flush” the extra weight away.  Remember though, this is water weight gaining and losing!
  • Exercise! Working out sheds extra water but can also reduce inflammation
  • Eat more healthy fruit and veggies and make sure you get enough fiber! If you’ve never experienced “fat flush” try bulking up your natural fiber combined with some more water.  Even though it’s not really fat you’re flushing it feels great after a sluggish weight loss or plauteau!
• Surprise #4 – You can’t out exercise what you eat. I used to try…eat a Krispy Kreme, walk an extra mile.  Did you know a small commercially made smoothie is 15 to 20 SP and would take me 180 minutes of walking to burn off?  But Surprise!  Walking just 10 minutes at a time, 3 times a day can reduce blood pressure, alleviate depression, and that’s three times a day you aren’t sitting around eating!  For more great news about moderate exercise see this article about why walking is a great workout:  http://www.active.com/walking/articles/forget-the-gym-why-a-brisk-walk-is-a-really-great-workout
• Surprise #5 – Smart Points aren’t calculated like Points Plus…duh. I fought it at first.  Fought it HARD.  All of my favorites had doubled and some tripled in points.  I was mad.  But Surprise!  Smart Points are designed to help you bulk up on healthy low fat proteins, fiber rich foods, fruits and veggies that I had begun to ignore.  Ok so avocadoes are still too high…I’m bitter but I’ll get over it.  And when you see how much food I eat every day you will too!
• Surprise #6 – I was using processed snack foods as a crutch! No wonder I lost well and then got bored again…there wasn’t much real food eating going on.  See how I replaced my old Points Plus day with 30 fill me up real food Smart Points:
  • Breakfast:
    • Points Plus = cereal & skim milk
    • Traded for Smart Points! = Secret Recipe Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Fruit or a Weggo and Fruit!
  • Mid morning snack:
    • Points Plus = Fiber One Bar
    • Traded for Smart Points! = Fat Free Greek Yogurt, Strawberries, Blueberries and 1-2 Tbsp of my favorite granola!
  • Lunch:
    • Points Plus = Salad
    • Traded for Smart Points! = 2 light string cheese, 2 ounces ham, cucumber slices, hummus, Trader Joe’s Savory Thin Edamame Chips
  • Dinner:
    • Points Plus = Chicken Pot Pie
    • Traded for Smart Points! = That Man’s Chicken, Bacon Wrapped Asparagus, my recipe Candy Corn!
  • Evening snack:
    • Points Plus = 3 cups Skinny Pop
    • Smart Points! = 3 cups Skinny Pop and a cup of hot tea
  • Surprise #7 – You don’t have to have a lot of time or cooking skills to make Smart Points work! For 20+ years I relied on pre-prepared meals, didn’t cook, and spent over an hour at the store every week investigating which frozen meal I was going to subject myself to the next day.  How much time do I spend on Smart Points?  Surprise!
    • I can’t boil an egg…so I buy them already hard boiled!
    • If I’m not prepping for a chat I spend about 30-45 minutes a week at the grocery
    • My WW Index Cards (see that chat!) and the If You Have an Egg App keep me focused and help me make my grocery list. The app is convenient On The Go in case I need some ideas and didn’t have time to make a list before I left
    • I save time by making most things in my waffle maker, the microwave, my beloved Air Fryer, or if I have to heat up the oven I bake ahead and freeze multiples for later. Visit my blog ifyouhaveanegg.com  for some of my favorites or check Pinterest www.pinterest.com/ifyouhaveanegg for the easy meal ideas!
  • Surprise #8 – Your family and friends won’t die. Using yummy recipes from If You Have an Egg, Drizzle Me Skinny, Skinny Taste and a multitude of other resources for yummy and “civilian” type recipes and Surprise! They may not even notice J
  • Surprise #9 – I had always treated my food choices like money no matter the version of the program. Surprise!  Smart Points money is more like real money…I can’t explain it…maybe it’s because our weeklies are spread out a little daily instead of all being plopped onto one day.  Great example:  On PP I would have gladly spent a Saturday afternoon with a Small Cookies & Cream Milkshake from Chick-Fil-A.  But with SP money that milkshake is worth the same as *gasp* 108 CFA Grilled Chicken Nuggets.  ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT.  That’s one expensive beverage.
  • Surprise #10 – There are some days I don’t want to do this. I wake up some mornings and think “why do I have to get up early and walk?”  When everybody else is in the breakroom eating delicious homemade cakes and cheesy goodies I scuff my shoe across the floor and say “I never get anything good”.  There are days I break into triple digit Smart Points and wonder “what am I doing here?”  But SURPRISE!  I open up the Facebook group and see your sweet comments.  I go to my WW meeting and remember I’m not the only one working hard.  I see my ailing parents and remember I have a grandbaby on the way…and I want to play, run and enjoy him or her!  And I surprise myself by getting up early the next morning, enjoying my walk, savoring my Weggo, and watching everyone else be jealous of my Fluffer Nutter Bites when I make them in the showroom.  And surprise…I am happier and healthier now at 50 than I was in my 30’s or 40’s!
  • Let’s hear your Smart Points Surprises!
  • The blogs and recipes I mentioned are:
    • Mine of course haha! ifyouhaveanegg.com
    • Drizzle Me Skinny drizzlemeskinny.com
    • Skinny Taste skinnytaste.com
    • Secret Recipe Scrambled Eggs: http://www.ifyouhaveanegg.com/?p=905
    • For the best place to find my meal ideas and shopping items use the If You Have an Egg App or my Pinterest Boards which are divided by Smart Points pinterest.com/ifyouhaveanegg
    • Crazy Corn Recipe
    • If you want to know more about Nutritional Yeast visit this Chat and start at about 10 minutes
    • Fluffer Nutter Bites! 
  • Additional Resources: whether you are doing WW Online, attending meetings, or just gleaning what you can from us you have resources!  Use the recipes and meal ideas in your weekly from the meeting.  Search hashtags like #weightwatchers on social media to get some great ideas.  If you are using ETools you can scan, track, keep up with favorite foods and ideas.  Or if you like pen and paper grab a paper track every week.  My daughter Kc likes to journal and they are so much fun with pretty markers and *squeal* stickers!  Resources from moi:
    • I use index cards to keep a written record that I can touch, see, carry with me and then sort by Smart Points Value. If it’s a real I post it in a printable version on the blog:  ifyouhaveanegg.com  I can also sort these and know what my points are going to be for the day.  Bu-bam…7 sets of cards = 7 days = you guessed it…home base for me
    • If You Have an Egg Social Media for FREE and sharable food, meal and recipe ideas!
      • Blog: ifyouhaveanegg.com and go to “click here for more great recipes” to see categories grouped by Smart Points
      • Pinterest (my SP ideas grouped by points per board!): pinterest.com/ifyouhaveanegg
      • Instagram: @ifyouhaveanegg
      • Facebook Page(open to the public): https://www.facebook.com/ifyouhaveanegg/
      • Facebook Closed Support Group (closed group, only viewable by members): https://www.facebook.com/groups/113471572340708/
      • Facebook Closed Meatless Meals Group (closed group, only viewable by members): https://www.facebook.com/groups/487742901407108/
      • My App: available for Apple and Android in your app store search IFYOUHAVEANEGG  (if you are on an iPad you have to search by iPhone only even though you are on an iPad…no reason why).  The app has Shopping Guides divided by store (Trader Joe’s, Aldi, Costco, etc) and then by Smart Points.  Only have 3 Smart Points and you’re in the middle of the Cookie Butter aisle at Trader Joe’s?  No problem, open up the App, touch Trader Joe’s and the scroll to 3 Smart Points…tada!  App categories include:
        • Shopping Guides with Smart Points (and most have complete nutritional information listed)
          • Trader Joes
          • Aldi
          • Costco
          • Sams (coming soon!)
          • Whole Foods
          • National Brands (Kroger, Meier, Ingles, Dollar Tree, Target, etc)
          • Halloween Candy
          • Girl Scout Cookies
          • Convenience Stores (coming soon!)
          • Eating Out (work in progress)
          • My Top Pantry Picks (Top 5, Top 25, Top 100!)
        • Easy Meal Ideas with Smart Points
        • New Recipes with Smart Points
        • YouTube chats, recipes and ideas on the Go!
        • Direct Link to the blog so you can check more recipes On The Go!

****Don’t forget…if you want to see more helpful Live Chats and easy WW Recipe videos be sure to Like, Share, Subscribe and Comment!****

Thank you again, this is my happy relaxing time with you guys each week.  To find more information, see the other chats or get my FREE recipes and meal ideas remember to visit me:

*On Facebook on the If You Have an Egg Page or in my group
*My blog:  www.ifyouhaveanegg.com
*On my app:  available in the Apple iTunes or Google Play Store search IFYOUHAVEANEGG
*Pinterest:  search IFYOUHAVEANEGG
*YouTube:  search IFYOUHAVEANEGG

 

See you next week!

<3 Kelly