New, questions

[bellinghamgirl]

Hey, everybody. I'm sure glad to find this board. I've been doing core (well, my version of core I guess) for three weeks and I've been doing okay. There was ONE person at my meeting today who's doing Core besides me, and she was across the room and I couldn't figure out who she was (it's 30+ people).

So anyway. Are Gardenburgers core? What about nonfat sour cream? I haven't been counting my 35 bonus points, although every week I have something that comes up where I eat non-core foods. I get especially hungry for carbs, but it's really easy for me to overdo it, core or no core. I feel like the little book I got when I joined is sort of inadequate, and the free WW website is less than inadequate.

Is the WW site you have to pay for worth it for Core? Anyway thanks for reading this far. Any advice would be most welcome.

Bellinghamgirl

[eveheart]

I do WW online (pay for the subscription) and I find the POINTS calculator convenient. Even after almost a year, I still have to look things up, plus I enjoy the articles. Compared to my former grocery and fast-food bill, WW is cheap-cheap-cheap!!!

What caught my eye about your post is how you notice that you are hungry for carbs. I find that my Core intake of food is about 50% carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and dairy), so I think Core gives you a good balance. I highly recommend paying close attention to figuring out your Comfort Zone signals and use the Tools for Living to keep your motivation high.

Good luck!!!

[bellinghamgirl]

Thanks, Eveheart. I tend to drink lattes especially when I'm out and I get hungry, which can be overdone! I do eat fruits and veggies, but I have to watch that too -- too many make my tummy hurt. If I posted my daily intake it'd look like plenty, but I am fairly active.

Are avocados and olives both core? Thanks, Christie

[eveheart]

Being aware of our food consumption, being mindful, is part of learning your Comfort Zone. Again, the Tools for Living are designed to help you get past habitual eating patterns and bolster your decisions to make changes. Thoughtful food planning and preparation might be part of changing your habit. I bring and apple or orange in the car if I'm going to be out for a while and anticipate a snack. I "see" myself as a graceful, slender woman sitting attractively behind the steering wheel to remind me that I don't want to "stop for something," but eat my piece of fruit, instead. The more you use the Tools for Living, the more natural your mental changes will become.

[nightsinge]

Hey and welcome from a fellow newbie, Bellinghamgirl! Are you in Bellingham, WA or Bellingham Mass? I'm in the former and just started a week and a half ago. My meeting only had one other core person too.

Gardenburgers and Bocas are core (and so is that Nature's Burger mix). I've been having a Boca patty for lunch most days. Never thought I could go without bread, but I'm doing it and feeling totally satisfied! Some of the points people at my meeting told me I could have 1pt breads such as WW or Squirrly bread, but I think I'll do without for now since it's my personal carb downfall (or one of them).

I'm a student so not paying for anything above meetings. Maybe if I ever switch to points the e-tools will be useful? For now it seems like there's tons of recipes, info and support on line for free.

[bellinghamgirl]

Wow, Nightsinge, I'm in Bellingham, WA too! Maybe you're the other person at my meeting! Well I go to the early Saturday morning one, so if you've been going for a week and a half, maybe you go to a midweek meeting. Anyway cool. Maybe I'll PM you with my email and we could get together sometime. (I know, only crazy people get together with people they meet on the Internet, but we could go to Starbucks and swap hints or something since there are so few people who actually DO core around here).

Gardenburgers are great, aren't they? I'm the same way with bread as you are. Once in awhile I'll end up eating out and have a small sandwich, which is a way to have some without going overboard, but I"m not really counting my points yet. The first two weeks I lost a total of 6.6 pounds, and was getting worried that I'd lose the weight to fast and then gain it back really fast too, so I was happy when I lost 0.8 pounds this last week. Slow and steady is the way to go for me -- I've done it the other way and don't want to ever do it again.
Christie

[nightsinge]

Going to Starbucks would be great! I'll trust you not to be crazy and will try to keep my own craziness in check.

I'm looking forward to meeting people and want to encourage and be encouraged. I wasn't the person at your meeting though--ain't called "Night" for nuthin! Good for you for getting up and getting to a meeting on an early Saturday morning though--that's dedication. Who's your leader?

Yay and congrats on your continued success--and on your positive outlook too! I'll shoot you an e-mail...

[HippoMommy]

Hi, Night and Bell! (Hope you don't mind my abbreviations).

Welcome to Core and to this site. I just wanted to comment briefly on the carb/bread thing. I love bread, too. But I've noticed that since starting Core (about a year and a half ago), I eat very little of it. I think it's important, though, to be getting in your whole grains on a daily basis. Learn to love and prepare quinoa, barley, bulghur, polenta, etc. Maybe you won't love all of them (I'm kinda so so on barley some days), but make them a regular part of your food plan so that you are getting the complex carbs and other nutrients from the grains. When I'm having my grains as I know I should, I can go for days and days without bread and without suffering.

Enjoy!

[bellinghamgirl]

Thanks, H-mom! (One good abbreviation deserves another!) I know I get really hungry sometimes and I've had to try different things to see what fills me up. I love carbs, but I have to add some healthy protein to my breakfasts especially. I bought nonfat cottage cheese and pineapple canned in its own juices -- maybe that will hit the spot. Christie