Gluten Free Weight Watchers – Day 1 – Cream Cheese – Oh my!

This is the second in a series of articles I will do this month on Weight Watchers Gluten Free. Please leave a comment at the bottom of this page if you have any questions.

I downloaded the Weight Watchers app on my iPad this weekend in preparation for today. During breakfast, I discovered that the app has a scanner that allows you to scan barcodes on products. If it’s in their database, it will show how many points per serving it is. If it’s not in their database, a blank label shows up, and you fill in so that you and everyone else can use the information in the future. You have to realize that when you use others’ information that they enter into the system, it may contain errors.

Read about my first day. Then check out the update at the bottom of the page to see my Tuesday morning weight!

Part of a Gluten Free Weight Watchers Breakfast

Note: In case you missed my first article about Weight Watchers Gluten Free, take note that there will only be a few articles about this diet. I wanted to research for everyone. If I develop recipes for it, I may create an entirely separate website for them.

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Weigh in Day

I set my weekly weigh in day to be Monday. I’ll never be able to wait until Monday to get weighed in. I find that the scale going up even one pound is a sign of me eating too much or water retention. I like to watch my weight that closely. However, since this diet is set up to lose weight slowly, 1 – 2 pounds per week, it would be depressing to see no change at all day after day. I weighed in at 152.8. Weight Watchers set my goal at 138 which is losing 10% of my body weight. My long term goal is 125. I usually get stuck at 129 for a long time. We’ll see what happens! Before I quit smoking, I weighed 135. I’d be happy to see that again!

Breakfast:

Chobani Nonfat Greek Yogurt – Peach – 4 points

1/2 slice Gluten Free Oat Bread – 3 points

3/4 teaspoon Smart Balance Light Margarine with Flaxseed Oil – 0 points – Yeah! (1 teaspoon would have been worth 1 point)

1/2 teaspoon organic peach jam – 0 points – Yeah!

Total Breakfast Points – 7

Those four points are equal to 10 Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Tortilla Chips, which I love! (Chobain is gluten-free! Not all yogurt is.)

While my Smart Balance Lite Margarine showed up at 1 point per tablespoon, I only used one-fourth of that (3/4 teaspoon). I first tried entering .25 points in the app, but unfortunately, it doesn’t accept fractions. So, I scanned the margarine in which gave me the points for 1 tablespoon and I chose 1/4 serving. Voila! – 1 am most likely going to use up every point I have in the beginning. Oh and then there was the 1/4 teaspoon of organic peach jam I added to the last two bites of my toast. (I didn’t like the lite margarine. There wasn’t any flavor. It was like adding creamy shortening to my bread with a little salt. However, I enjoy it on popcorn.)” – I know, I have long thoughts! LOL!

Meanwhile, it turns out that when you create your own food items, you can add the amount of the serving or fraction thereof. Example, you add the nutritional facts for a slice of bread. You add 1/2 serving if you wish to count half a slice for breakfast. That’s what I did!

I had a half piece of toast. However, the only bread that I had made in my freezer is this Gluten Free Oat Bread using whole eggs. (You’ll now find the Weight Watchers Points as well as nutritional facts for the bread on that page. I also added the whole loaf nutritional facts in the Tips section in case you slice it thinner or thicker to get a different amount of slices other than 13.

Lunch:

1/2 slice Gluten Free Oat Bread containing whole eggs – 3 points

1 tablespoon full-fat cream cheese – 2 points

1 teaspoon of organic peach jam (0 points)

Total Lunch Points – 5

I normally wouldn’t have cream cheese for lunch, but I need to clean out the frig from the unused items I never used. It’ll be slow going at first, but once that’s all gone, it should be smooth sailing for losing weight! If I can be on a diet and have some cream cheese, I’m in!

If I had used 1 tablespoon of jam it would total 1 point. Therefore, after using 1 teaspoon of jam three times, it would equal 1 point. I think they’re trying to keep things simple, though.

The food above just wasn’t enough. I became light headed about 2 hours later. I’m a program for my MS where I have to wait 2 hours after a meal to take my calcium. Then I have to wait another before I eat anything. So, that didn’t work out very well for me. However, next time, I’ll know to eat more.

Midday Snack:

3/4 cup sliced carrots – 0 points – Yeah!

1 tablespoon almond butter – 5 points (won’t do that again!)

Total Midday Snack Points – 5

Dinner:

1/5 lb. cooked 10% ground beef, scrambled and seasoned heavily (see recipe for beef kebabs) – 6 points

1/2 cooked Minute Rice (Minute Rice contains less carbs than traditional rice) – 2 points

Zucchini Casserole Recipe:

1 medium zucchini, cooked – 0 points – Yeah!

1/4 cup chopped yellow onion, cooked – 0 points – Yeah!

1/2 tablespoon olive oil – light in flavor – 2 points

1/2 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese – 0 – Yeah!

Total Dinner Points: 10

I really used 15% fat organic ground beef, but I pat out the grease well, and that probably makes it like 10% fat, or possibly under.

Night-Time Snack

3 cups organic popcorn, popped in a paper bag in the microwave – 3 points

1 teaspoon Smart Balance Light with Flax Buttery Spread – 1 point

1 Go Naturally Hard Candies, Organic, Pomegranate – 1 point

Total Night-Time Snack Points – 5

Total Points for Monday: 32

Daily and Weekly Points

I am only allowed 30 daily points based upon my sex, height, weight, and level of activity (almost zero right now – it depends if my MS is acting up or not). However, I have an additional 28 points to “spend” on whatever I desire. I used two of those today, actually three, if I count my flaxseed oil that I take as a supplement. I think I’ll save most of them up for the weekend. That’s when I usually like to splurge.

Supplements

Wow! Since I just learned that I can add 1/3 of a serving of my flax seed oil, it shows up as zero points when I add it with my meal. That’s crazy! If I add 3 capsules, it counts as 1 point. I take 3 daily. I know once I started taking them it added to my daily calories and weight increase. Perhaps I should count it.

Oil Supplements – 1 point ???

Fitness – Activity

You are given small goals to reach in regards to physical activity. Because I reported that I was not active at all, they started me off with 1 point for steps to earn today.

The iPad app lists hundreds of ways to earn activity points. The most popular ones listed are walking, running, elliptical, walking the dog, circuit training, stationary bike, yoga, spinning, Zumba, and strength training.

I downloaded the FitBreak by Weight Watchers app on my iPad today. I’ll check that out tomorrow. It’s a free app, as is their Weight Watcher app (though you must be a member to sign in and use them.)

Why I Started Weight Watchers

I don’t know about you, but when I was younger, I never needed to join a weight loss program for an incentive. I’ve always been good at setting goals and reducing fat, calories, or just carbs. However, as I get older (I’m 57 now), I find myself with few reasons to keep thin, other than health. I’m married. So, I don’t date. My husband and I both have gained weight. So, we’re on equal footing there. In addition, as we age, it takes a lot more work to lose weight. The last time that I dieted, I tried a low-carb diet. I cheated too much. That resulted in a month of extremely hard work, and I lost five pounds. I quit after that and quickly gained them back along with two others. It was so hard to diet while I was retesting recipes for my upcoming cookbook.

Since then, I have gained 3 pounds over the holidays. I gained them all from eating out almost every meal while we were out of town. (A few mornings I had granola and nonfat milk.)

I do well with following a diet that you count something…carbs, calories, etc. I’ve always loved basic math. I can think with it. It’s easy. I’ve never been on a Weight Watcher’s Diet. I thought I’d give it a try. I remember a friend of family was on it for years. She did well on it. It became a lifestyle for her. I remember making her a nonfat milk, frozen strawberry, and diet sugar shake with ice summer when I was 19. (It’s funny what we remember!)

Is the Weight Watchers Diet Safe?

US News reports on the Weight Watchers Diet in stars with the highest being 5:

Overall
4 stars
Weight-Loss Short-term
4 stars
Weight-Loss Long-term
3 1/4 stars
Easy to Follow 3 3/4 stars
Nutrition
4 stars
Safety
4 1/2 stars
For Diabetes
3 stars
For Heart Health
3 1/4 stars

Scores are based on U.S. News health experts’ reviews.

Weight Watchers vs. Nutrisystem

I was on the Nutrisystem Diet for 2 months once. I lost eight or ten pounds (don’t recall which) the first month and two more the next. Unfortunately, it isn’t gluten free. Plus, I think that their food isn’t very healthy.

The thing I liked about it was I didn’t have to cook, as they ship you the food, and I got to have a snack or dessert every night. My favorite was cheese puffs.

Snacks on Weight Watchers

Speaking of cheese puffs, I just Googled “cheese puffs gluten free” to find some. The first one I checked out would be perfect for a diet as it is made of beans, Beanitos Puffs – Real Cheesy. Beans contain a large amount of fiber which is filling. Perfect! However, beans also contain a lot of carbs. However, it may work for you. I haven’t figured out the points on that one.  For me, they’re out, as they contain tapioca and I’m allergic. There are several other brands. I will work on one of those.

Next Update

I’ll update you again soon if I find something interesting. However, Monday, January 11 will tell us all more. You’re supposed to lose 1 – 2 pounds per week to start.

UPDATE Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, II lost 1.4 lbs. in one day! Hurray! I now weigh 151.4.

4 Replies to “Gluten Free Weight Watchers – Day 1 – Cream Cheese – Oh my!”

  1. Carla, Good luck on your WW adventure. I’m saddened that someone has vandalized your web site causing you to make it subscription only. I will miss checking out the site for good trustworthy recipes. I am signed up for your newsletter. thank you for all of your hard work making gf recipes that are easy to make and good.

  2. I’ve always wondered about doing WW while having to be gluten free-may look in to it more. I would like to lose 25 pounds. My sister(who is not gluten free) has lost 75 pounds since March 2015 doing Weight Watchers. She loves it.

    Looks like you are off to a great start.

    1. Dana,

      Before you used to have to go to meetings. I don’t have time or the need for that. However, it probably prevents you from falling off of the wagon for too long.

      Now, it’s great to do it online! I love it. However, the first day was excruciating try to figure out the nutrition facts for everything that I ate, etc. Now that I have some things in the app, it’s easier today. I can’t wait to load on the veggies, as they are zero points!

      Good luck, Dana!
      Carla

    2. I’m gluten free and on WW. I make it work. I found out that I’m better off not eating much bread, they are just to many points. ?

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