Yesterday I began wondering if the now defunct Weight Watcher's Core program would not prove to be a good mix for me. It seems that the old Core has been absorbed or reinvented as the Filling Foods plan or part of their Turn Around plan. The reason I began wondering is that I had no reaction to eating gluten products, but I am having a reaction to excluding them in my diet. That reaction is in the form of constipation, and I know from previous experience with low carb food plans that it can become very serious in me, so this is a red flag to try something different. The old core plan stated that you eat until you are satisfied ( not full or all you can eat) of lean meats, fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy. Limits come in with whole wheat bread and pasta and one other product, but things like corn, popcorn, oatmeal, whole wheat couscous, bulgar, brown rice and polenta are not. You have to get in your good health goals of so many fruits, vegetables, dairy, protien and healthy oils as well as water and daily activity. For me, the mental reminder that healthy whole grain ( and gluten free) foods are okay can help to eliminate the problems with constipation. The limits of whole wheat products ( though I do not understand why whole wheat pasta is limited but whole wheat couscous and Bulgar are not). Bottom line with any program is that you have to eat less, eat more intelligently and get active, but different variations to that basic idea will serve some people better than others. I also have a collection of Core recipes in my software that will make it easy for me to make the plans, do the shopping list and keep on track.
Meanwhile, yesterday was a nice , companionable sort of day. School, sadly no exercise ( I was very tired all day long), and then a nice dinner. I made Southwest pork chops ( pork chops, Trader Joes Peach salsa, corn and black beans) and a salad of romaine, dandelion greens, watercress, berries and a tablespoon of rosemary roasted pecans and dried cranberries from Trader Joes. It was the best salad I have ever eaten ! Bob bought me a dozen roses ( aw!!) and I celebrated the day with a walnut brownie and some butter pecan ice cream. We were both so wiped out that we struggled to stay awake through Glee, and fell asleep about 15 minutes into Jillian Micheal's new show. Yeah, lock up your daughters folks- party animals sure live here !!!
6 comments:
I've been pretty much eating the way the Core plan is structured and have had NO problems in the bathroom dept! LOL! It's a good program and a very healthy balance of foods :)
Core seems like it would be the balance I am looking for. It's getting rather frustrating trying to find the right balance for me !
Mmmmmm things to think about! I think the core program was the best program they had.
I think Core was the closest yet to the old exchanges program that Weight Watchers began with. Focusing on balanced, healthy real foods in realistic portion sizes. I was on a couple of email groups where there were several Core followers, and it worked where the Winning Points and Wendie plans failed. Many people loved the freedom of not having to count points with everything but still having a degree of structure to keep them 9in line. Those who became naysayers seemed to be the folks who could not live without bread, chips and lots of things found in those 100 calorie packs. The only thing I really question about Core is that dried fruits are forbidden. I think if one used them in moderation as a sweetener, they can be a lot healthier than things like Splenda, Agave nectar and so on.
I remember Core as well, and it was a good plan. Seems like a reasonable idea to incorporate it back in if possible.
I have to wonder if the WW pasta was limited because of wheat/flour content, where bulgar and couscous are whole grains in themselves? Who knows, but you're giving me some food for thought too.
Thanks for your comment today, esp. saying that I don't sound crazy! The spiritual path you mentioned (regardless of which one it is) is absolutely the only way to find peace in the chaos.
Leslie I believe you are right about the difference between WW pasta and say Bulgar. While ww pasta has "all" of the grain, it is in a refined form, where as with Bulgar it is less meddled with. Couscous however breaks the rules because it is wheat formed into flour and then couscous.I think with couscous the small grains become so filling because they take longer to eat. You can scarf a mouthful of pasta in one quick movement but harder to do with couscous. Then again it may have something to do with the mild fermentation that occurs with making flour into bread and pasta ( one reason why these foods are not kosher). In either case the plan seems like a happy medium.
As to spirituality, I think like diets, one does not fit all but when you find the right one for you, it can become the most valuable source of strength in your life. Mine is a confusing mix of Shaman/Druid/Wiccan- or "shamanuiccan" as I tell my husband.
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