Zero points food

Geoff,

Laura mentioned potatoes, if you like baked potatoes (what the Brits call
jacket potatoes), you can do those in the microwave fairly quickly. Just
make sure you poke the potato with lots of holes so that it does not
explode. Also, you can get some of the prepared potatoes in the freezer
section here in the US, so try there but check the points as they may have
some added ingredients that increase the points.

Also my WW leader suggests cutting up the potatoes like you would for french
fries (known as chips in the UK) and spread them in a single layer on a
baking pan and spray with olive oil spray and seasonings and bake. You
could even crisp them up a bit under the broiler and you have home made low
point chips for your meal.

Debbie

"Laura" wrote in message
...

"Geoff" wrote in message
...
"Deb in Northern California" wrote in
message
...
I too am not a fan of veggies, but you said you like burgers, do you
eat
them with tomato, onion or lettuce or plain with mayo, ketchup and
mustard?

Hi again Debbie. Well I haven't eaten one burger since starting to lose
weight. I'm embarrassed to say that I don't like tomato, onion, lettue
or
may or mustard! Kinda funny in a way isn't it? I used to have burgers
with
just cheese and nothing else. I don't consider a burger something I
should
eat on a diet though so I'm staying well clear of them. I know I could
still
have one but it would take up too many points, and there are a few other
things I like anyway that are less points, so I can have more of them to
help fill me up.

You can eat the burger, btw. It is usually all the extras like mayo that
add
the extra calories. Don't supersize it either. A 4oz patty made with lean
meat is around 5 points. Add a low fat/high fiber roll for another 2 or 3
and you have a 8 point sandwich. Nothing wrong with that. That's the
beauty
of the program - nothing is really forbidden or impossible to have. You
just
have to get creative with your points and fit things in. There are also
veggie (oops there's that word again) and turkey burgers. Both taste like
beef if seasoned right and are much lower in points. I even found Tuna and
salmon burgers but have not tried them. Burger king even has veggie
burgers.

I actually didn't realise that you have to eat 5 (I think people have
said
5, right?) bits of fruit or veggies per day with the points system. Lots
of
people have told me that though so I don't know why my Mother (who is
following WW 'properly') hasn't mentioned that to me. I wonder if the
American and British points system are slightly different? I know you're
American by the way (because of how you spelt 'realize'). :-) Anyway
I'll
ask my Mother what she's been told about it when I see her.

Does your mother still have all of her materials from the meetings? The
first book from the US program is called Getting started and explains the
whole program plus has a handy food guide in the back. Maybe reading that
would help you understand the program fully. I know that you have said
that
you are just doing the points part of it but maybe you'll find the program
worth doing completely.

Also, did you realize that most bananas count as two fruits.

No I didn't, and as I like bananas, that's a good thing.

I think you would be able to get your fruits/veggies in with fruits
if
that
is what you like. A serving of fruit is not much, but it can count as
a
lot
towards your fruits and veggies.

That's great. I realise I need to change what I currently eat to include
fruit properly. At the moment I just have a banana if I feel like it,
but
that's not even one a day. When I go shopping though I am going to buy
other
fruit that I like and I'll have that instead of some of the other things
I'm
eating at the moment. At the moment, for something sweet after a meal
(or
my
version of a meal anyway!) I either have a cereal bar or a bown of
cereal.
At least cereal gives me some of what I know I need like fibre, and it's
better than eating cakes.

Finding other fruits would be a good idea. Bananas are the only fruit that
is high in points.

Also potatoes and corn are veggies, as someone else stated they are
not zero point veggies, but they do count as a vegetable. So you may
be surprised with a potato and a banana and one other fruit/veggie and
you have had your minimum for the day.

Well I like potatoes-It just takes a while to prepare and cook them so
that
puts me off, but I suppose the ones you get in a tin are ok? I have some
of
those tins so I'll look up the points for them and see how possible
it'll
be
to have a tin of those a day. Then I just need to find something to have
with them.

Mashed is good too as long as you avoid the sour cream and/or butter.
Check
the calories, etc of the ones in the tin. They might have sauces added?

Do you have a microwave? That would make cooking them faster.

I personally find I am more satisfied with 1/2 rice (2 points) than
potatoes
or pasta.

Also did you know fruit juices also count towards the fruits and
veggies, granted they don't fill you up but at least you get your
minimums
fulfilled.

I didn't know that, no. I only really like apple juice so I'll look up
what
the points are for that too.

Thanks for all the information and support Debbie.
Geoff.

On Mon, 31 May 2004 10:46:26 -0700, Fred
wrote:

So what do you call eggplant, again??

Aubergine.
"The eggplant is a member of the potato family, and it is known
worldwide as aubergine, eggplant, brinjal, melanzana, garden egg, and
patlican."

"Two nations divided by a common language" GBS

Ray


Or lightly cook some zucchini (help needed here -- I can't
remember what Right Pondians call zucchini) and douse it with low-fat
marinara sauce.

Courgettes. I love the term Right Pondians Very Jonathan Swift!

--
rmnsuk
273/193/182

"Geoff" wrote in message
...
"Laura" wrote in message
...
That's an excellent start.

Thanks.

The more I read this thread the more I realise that you CAN do the WW
program without the veggies. Or at least you can at your weight.

Yeah I agree, and you make a good point when you say "at least at your
weight". As I get sick of saying to some people, I MAY try veggies someday
but at the moment, what I am doing IS working and I AM losing weight, and
at
my weight that is all that matters. What more do people want? Before
someone
suggests that it won't do my body any good to not eat veggies, please
accept
that it will do my body a heck of a lot LESS good than staying as I am
(was), as THAT is the alternative.

I don't mean all that at you Laura by the way. I'm just pretty wound
up
right now for a number of reasons, one being that I just replied to yet
another poster telling me I have to eat veggies and that I must get
exercise, etc, etc..

That is understandable. I think that if you can relax a little more about
the comments that people are writing then you'd understand that they are not
being mean or critical. Without having the whole picture of what you like to
eat or your activities, it is hard to give you advice. Remember, we are
total strangers. It would be helpful it you were more receptive to the
comments made. Just file them away for another day without responding back
that you won't/don't/can't do that. I think that is what Ray was refering to
when he said he felt that you were playing games with us. You come and ask
for help, yet you have responded back to many of us with a reason why our
ideas won't work. This can be viewed as a game.

I think the hard part is going to be when you get down to 250-300 range
where your points are around 30 points.

How do you know how much I weight by the way? Maybe I mentioned it but I
don't think I did?

I am only guessing based on your comments about not being able to see the
true weight on the scale.

This will be when you will want to start looking at finding 0 point
foods
to
keep you satisfied.

Yes I agree and I will be more inclined to start on veggies then. To be
blunt though, if I ever manage to get to that weight I'll be SUCH a
different person in SO many ways that trying veggies may not be a problem
at
all!

You will find that your tastes and attitudes towards food change too. I
always critisized by sister for liking soy stuff. Now that I have tried
veggie/soy burgers and chips I like them. They can taste great and are
certainly healthy for you. Imagine chips that are good for you. Imagine
"scrambled eggs" made from tofu. What a concept. There is a whole world out
there of healthy food just waiting for you to explore. You will need to
approach it with an open mind. Maybe the veggie thing is not going to work
but there are certainly a lot of other low point alternatives just waiting
for you.

Thanks Laura,

You're welcome.

They aren't as good as veggies but they aren't burgers and
cakes and things. I'm really not that daft ya know. I simply don't want
to get into details of what I DO eat because then several people will
critisise that and it'll just make me feel like there's no point carrying on
with it. I already do feel close to that because of what some people here
have written.

I don't really think it matter that much what you eat, so long as it's
below BMR. Of course there are things that most people agree on like
you should limit saturated and trans fats; And things many people
agree on like you should eat a bit more protein than 'normal', and
lots of fruit and veg; and there the consensus ends. And the consensus
on these is for fitness not weight-loss in any case.

Eating lots of fruit and veg is partly so that you can eat more volume
and experience less hunger. There may be other ways of achieving the
same ends if we knew what your diet was in more detail. For instance
if you eat lots of sausage, then eating homemade burgers may be
better. And yes I still occasionally eat burgers made with my own fair
hands

For
example, accusing me of "playing games" with you by giving better and
better excuses for not eating veggies!

Thats the way you come across.
I've read a lot of the thread again and I'm afraid I haven't changed
my mind.

Also telling me that I must exercise? Please Ray, give me a
little credit? Please? Don't you think I am exercising, as I've stated in
many posts here?

You refer to exercise in 4 posts, suggesting that you have started
walking 30 minutes each day. Thats actually a good start. Walking is
really good exercise. As you lose weight it'll get easier. Using a
stationary bike is less likely to put a strain on your joints.

This time, I AM getting somewhere and have so
far done it ON MY OWN. If that doesn't mean I've looked into myself for help
first, what does it mean?

Again I can only react to what I see.
You don't give much away in terms of your weight and eating habits.
It's hard to suggest ways to help and encourage you without getting
some kind of view of who you are.

My assumption/guess is that you are eating processed food like pies
and sausage and potatoes. You say you eat a lot of chicken, but again
processed.
From the 4.5 pound loss in the third week of the diet, and the fact
that you can't use a bike my guess is you are starting from a much
higher weight than I did.

Don't worry too much about hitting the 36 WW points limit. So long as
the number of calories is below BMR you will lose weight. Eat a bit
more if you are really hungry. Losing 4.5 pounds in a week is OK up to
a point. It's possible you are putting yourself through hell when it's
not really necessary.

Ray

PS what area are you from - your ISP is BY so we may be neighbours or
not. I'm from around Birmingham.
--
rmnsuk
273/193/182

"Geoff" wrote in message
...
"Laura" wrote in message
...
You can eat the burger, btw. It is usually all the extras like mayo that
add
the extra calories. Don't supersize it either. A 4oz patty made with
lean
meat is around 5 points. Add a low fat/high fiber roll for another 2 or
3
and you have a 8 point sandwich. Nothing wrong with that. That's the
beauty
of the program - nothing is really forbidden or impossible to have.

I only used to have them plain anyway so the extras like mayo wouldn't
affect me. It's still a lot of points though, and it doesn't really fill
me
up much. I eat alternatives now that are much better for me and less
points,
so I can eat more of them.

You just have to get creative with your points and fit things in. There
are also
veggie (oops there's that word again) and turkey burgers. Both taste
like
beef if seasoned right and are much lower in points.

I found some chicken burgers and they have a crazy number of points. They
weren't plain breasts (the actress said to the bishop), but ones with a
coating on that you freeze and cook in the oven. I couldn't believe how
many
points they had. I need to spend longer looking for stuff like that when I
go shopping. I have been having roast turkey lately on a Sunday with plain
potatoes and quite a large meal is only about 5 points. I'd do that every
day if I could afford it or be bothered to cook it all.

Watch out for the kind with breading or skin. That's where the extra points
come from. We have plain skinless chicken breasts. We bbq'd them last night.
I had part of the left over one for lunch and will probably have another for
dinner. I love chicken.

I even found Tuna and salmon burgers but have not tried them. Burger
king even has veggie burgers.

I like Tuna but as I don't like mayo it's very dry. The only thing I have
it
with is bread in a sandwich, but it's so dry and there's nothing at all I
like to put on it.

These are mixed with something to make them stick together. Probably mayo.
Do you like mustard? that's also very low in points.

As for BK veggie burgers-Well my girlfriend eats them and they stick badly
of garlic and have SO many nasty things in. I just couldn't eat though.

Does your mother still have all of her materials from the meetings?

Yep.

The first book from the US program is called Getting started and
explains
the
whole program plus has a handy food guide in the back. Maybe reading
that
would help you understand the program fully. I know that you have said
that
you are just doing the points part of it but maybe you'll find the
program
worth doing completely.

I have looked at it a bit but I just don't think I want to do the it
'properly'. Maybe once I've lost a resonable amount of weight, I'll feel a
lot more confident and feel like going to the meetings etc.. I still don't
like the idea of paying them for what I already know, but if it's the only
way to meet people properly in the same position as me, maybe I might do
one
day.

What I was thinking that it would give you some food ideas in addition to
how the program is supposed to work. Many here don't go to meetings so don't
think that people are pressuring you into going. Some of us have found that
we lose more when we have some one-on-one support that the meetings can
provide. Some have found the meetings useless, others like doing it alone.
It is a matter of personal preference and what ever works for them.


Finding other fruits would be a good idea. Bananas are the only fruit
that
is high in points.

I only like bananas, apples and grapes and am getting them when I shop
soon.

Mashed is good too as long as you avoid the sour cream and/or butter.
Check
the calories, etc of the ones in the tin. They might have sauces added?

Oh I don't like sauces. Mashed is an idea though, thanks. I'll take a
look at some instant mash and see what it says about fat/calories.

How about spices? they always help make things more flavorful.

I personally find I am more satisfied with 1/2 rice (2 points) than
potatoes
or pasta.

Guess what? I don't like rice! LOL. That is something I'm often tempted to
try though and I think I'll probably be ok with that.

Maybe you could post what you do like so that we can guide you better.

Thanks Laura,

"Laura" wrote in message
...
That is understandable. I think that if you can relax a little more about
the comments that people are writing then you'd understand that they are
not
being mean or critical. Without having the whole picture of what you like
to
eat or your activities, it is hard to give you advice. Remember, we are
total strangers. It would be helpful it you were more receptive to the
comments made. Just file them away for another day without responding back
that you won't/don't/can't do that. I think that is what Ray was refering
to
when he said he felt that you were playing games with us. You come and ask
for help, yet you have responded back to many of us with a reason why our
ideas won't work. This can be viewed as a game.

Many others agree with me that some people are being over-critical and not
helpful. I am being extreemely receptive to people and kind and polite, and
thanking everyone. I don't know what more I can do. Some people DO
critisise-It's just how some people are, and I am simply telling those
people that although I am grateful for their comments, they really aren't
helping. I do not understand why anyone would think I'm playing a game. I
think that's really unfair. Remember that although I want support and
advice, there are some thing that all fat people know and it gets annoying
when I hear it over and over again even when I've explain many times in this
thread why those particular comments are not helping.

Ok let's forget this thread and I'll leave the group because I'm obviously
upsetting people, and getting upset myself.

Thanks anyway Laura and all others who have tried to help me. I've read a
lot of good comments and very helpful advice, which I have made a record of
and will be using some of in the near future.

Good luck everyone with their quest to lose weight.
Geoff.

Fred,

The people in England speak English, we speak American. There is definitely
a difference between English and American, even though we use a lot of the
same words.

Debbie

"Fred" wrote in message
...


On Mon, 31 May 2004 18:25:16 GMT, ray miller
wrote:

On Mon, 31 May 2004 10:46:26 -0700, Fred
wrote:

So what do you call eggplant, again??

Aubergine.
"The eggplant is a member of the potato family, and it is known
worldwide as aubergine, eggplant, brinjal, melanzana, garden egg, and
patlican."

"Two nations divided by a common language" GBS

We speak English, what do you speak? (G)

Ray


Or lightly cook some zucchini (help needed here -- I can't
remember what Right Pondians call zucchini) and douse it with low-fat

Oh, just caught what "right pond-ians" means? Unless you view the
world from Greenland down, I guess!

marinara sauce.

Courgettes. I love the term Right Pondians Very Jonathan Swift!

And I take it "courge" may be some larger squash???

"ray miller" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 28 May 2004 20:31:20 GMT, "Anny Middon"
wrote:

Or lightly cook some zucchini (help needed here -- I can't
remember what Right Pondians call zucchini) and douse it with low-fat
marinara sauce.

Courgettes. I love the term Right Pondians Very Jonathan Swift!

Thanks for the info, Ray. And while on the topic, what the heck is a
vegetable marrow? (I remember that when Hercule Poirot retired in the
country he intended to raise vegetable marrows.)

Anny

Thanks for the info, Ray. And while on the topic, what the heck is a
vegetable marrow? (I remember that when Hercule Poirot retired in the
country he intended to raise vegetable marrows.)

A vegatable marrow is a courge as fred put it. A huge courgette.
I think they are all related to squashes. Maybe what you call green or
summer squash? Just a guess.

I'm not keen on marrow or courgettes - too watery, but I love squash.

Ray
--
rmnsuk
273/193/182

"ray miller" wrote in message
...
Thanks for the info, Ray. And while on the topic, what the heck is a
vegetable marrow? (I remember that when Hercule Poirot retired in the
country he intended to raise vegetable marrows.)

A vegatable marrow is a courge as fred put it. A huge courgette.
I think they are all related to squashes. Maybe what you call green or
summer squash? Just a guess.

I'm not keen on marrow or courgettes - too watery, but I love squash.

Thanks again, Ray.

I'm a big fan of zucchini/courgette -- but it needs to be young and very
lightly cooked. A fast saute in olive oil with onions and garlic -- yummm!

Anny