Chapter One
2. The
Core Plan controls calories by focusing eating on a core list of wholesome nutritious foods without counting. The list is comprised of foods from all the food groups: fruits and vegetables; grains and starches; lean meats, fish, and poultry; eggs; and dairy products. We preselected these foods to provide eating satisfaction without empty calories. They are low in energy density and have a low potential for overeating based on our research. For the occasional treat, you can also eat foods outside of this list in a controlled amount. This approach allows you to eat healthfully and lose weight without counting or tracking.
To help build the vital weight-loss skill of flexible restraint (limiting food enough to lose weight but also with enough flexibility to avoid rigid dieting) both the Flex Plan and the Core Plan include a feature called the weekly POINTS Allowance. The weekly POINTS Allowance provides a system for having treats and indulgences without sacrificing weight loss. By using this feature and experiencing the ability to incorporate day-to-day food challenges into a method that provides weight loss without rigid rules, the invaluable skill of flexible restraint is learned.
Whatever approach is used, some fundamental food choices are essential for good health and nutrition. The Weight Watchers program covers these Healthy Eating Guidelines, which recommend that every day you:
* Include at least five servings of fruits and vegetables
* Have at least two servings of milk; three if you are a teen or over 50 years old
* Drink at least six glasses of water
* Get a serving or two of a protein-rich food
* Take a multiple vitamin-mineral supplement
* Limit added sugars and alcohol
* Have some healthy oil, like olive, canola, sunflower, safflower, or flaxseed
* Choose whole-grain foods whenever possible
Finding an eating approach that works is key to weight-loss success. The Weight Watchers food plans are designed to reach the objective of a healthy weight loss, but they do so by empowering the person to make food choices in a way that suits his or her preferences and lifestyle. We believe this is the only way that sustained weight loss is feasible.
Exercise
The Weight Watchers program provides a systematic approach to exercise throughout the weight-loss process. Research shows that beginning a structured food and exercise program at the same time is not as successful as beginning them at separate times. Therefore, the Weight Watchers program starts with focusing on the food plan, then brings the specifics of activity into the method a couple of weeks later once people have had a chance to master their eating plan. That does not mean that the role of activity in a comprehensive weight-loss program is not addressed from the beginning. Rather, while a person is getting started on learning the mechanics of a food plan, we recommend that activity changes focus on reducing sedentary behaviour. Rather than meeting specific activity targets, the focus is to spend less time sitting. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking at the far end of a great parking lot, or making a walk a part of daily life does not require a great deal of effort, is doable, and does not reduce the focus on learning a food plan.
The recommended amounts of activity vary based on the desired goal of doing the exercise. Getting the health benefits of exercise takes less time and effort than the amount recommended for weight loss. The amount of activity associated with maintaining a weight goal is even more. For this reason, the Weight Watchers program adjusts the recommended POINTS Target for activity as weight loss proceeds, beginning with the amount needed to gain health benefits and progressing so that the recommended amount of activity for sustained weight loss is met at the time that the ultimate weight goal is achieved.
One added feature of the POINTS Weight-Loss System is that POINTS values earned in activity can be swapped for additional food on a one-to-one basis.
To learn more about the POINTS Activity System, visit a Weight Watchers meeting. To find a meeting in your area, call 1-800-651-6000 or log onto WeightWatchers.com.
Behavior
Making changes in behavior is at the heart of sustained weight loss, but it doesn't just happen. Two specific components of behavior change are keys to the Weight Watchers program: self-monitoring and cognitive skills-cognitive is a scientific term that means how you think.
There are two important pieces to self-monitoring-having a way to maintain awareness about what is being done and including a method to assess weight-loss progress. The Weight Watchers program includes both.
Monitoring eating behavior on the Weight Watchers program differs for each food plan. Because the Flex Plan requires tracking POINTS values to reach the daily POINTS Target, we developed the QuikTrak(tm) System. This system includes a flexible, easy-to-use journal where the specific food choices can be recorded, or, if desired, a simple check-off method to count down the POINTS values as they are used. The Core Plan does not require counting POINTS values but rather focuses on eating as much as is needed to feel satisfied from a core list of wholesome, nutritious foods. The self-monitoring method for the Core Plan involves using a Comfort Zone scale to asses hunger and fullness on an ongoing basis. While the approaches are different, both the Flex Plan and the Core Plan include self-monitoring to keep awareness of food choices high-a key component to sustained weight loss.
To monitor weight-loss progress, the weekly weigh-in is a fundamental part of the Weight Watchers program. The weigh-in is confidential and done by a trained Weight Watchers staff member. Weight information is never shared outside the weigh-in. Many people find the accountability of being weighed by another person helpful to their weight-loss efforts and the structure of going to a Weight Watchers meeting each week a way to keep their commitment high. Weight Watchers recommends that weight be taken only once a week during the weight-loss process, preferably in a consistent way (as to the time of day or day of the week) to avoid putting too much emphasis on the erratic scale as a measure of progress.
Regular weighing is also a key factor in sustained weight loss. Weight Watchers has a unique system to encourage this behavior for people who have reached their weight goal on the program. Any Weight Watchers member who reaches a healthy body weight (defined as a Body Mass Index between 20 and 25 or a weight goal prescribed by a qualified health professional) and successfully completes the six-week weight maintenance phase of the program becomes a Lifetime Member (LTM) of Weight Watchers.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook Copyright © 2006 by Weight Watchers. Excerpted by permission.
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