FREESTYLE...

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Weight Watcher's Freestyle that is!
It's been just about a month since Weight Watcher's Freestyle was introduced in the meeting room.  Incase you were on the fence about heading back to the meeting room - do it, you may like the changes that have come to the program.  The WW Freestyle is their new program that builds on the already very successful Smartpoints.  Now there are MORE foods with a Smartpoints value of zero so there's less measuring and tracking.  That's right folks Weight Watchers listened to their members and staff - people just hate all the measuring and tracking (not everyone, I know).  They also listened to the fact that members we're using all of their daily points...drumroll...you can now roll over up to 4 Smartpoints per day!  Which is awesome, especially if you're enjoying those zero point foods!  Rolling over those Smartpoints allows for even more flexibility and freedom to live every moment.
  
So of course the most common question asked is "If I can eat all the zero points foods, how will I lose weight?"  Zero Points foods provide the foundation of a healthy eating patter and are less likely to be overeaten than other foods.  WW's research indicated that members were able to eat those foods without tracking and measuring and still lose weight successfully.  The key is to eat zero point foods until you're satisfied, not stuffed.  My leader made a point that has stuck with me - NO ONE in the meeting room joined Weight Watcher's because they were overeating boneless, skinless chicken breast or chick peas.  We are all there for overeating other foods.  Most people don't consider any of the foods on the Zero Smartpoint list to be a trigger food ( I said most...).  The other point she made as - Sure you can eat 12 eggs for breakfast because they are now zero points...but CAN you actually eat 12 eggs and not get sick?  Probably not.  So if eating the zero points foods until you explode is your prerogative - awesome, but don't expect to see a loss in the meeting room!

The next natural question is should you only be eating zero point foods?  Their answer...NOPE!  Eating certain foods from a list sounds like a DIET and who wants to be on a diet?  A healthy patter of eating combines zero point foods and Smartpoints value foods.  Enjoy a variety of foods you love rather than only zero point foods!

Now, is tracking still important?  YES!!  Being mindful of what you eat is a cornerstone of the Weight Watcher's program and tracking is a key tool.  While you don't have to track zero point foods, it's still important to track foods that have Smartpoint values.  And remember that tracking will allow you to roll over up to four unused points to your Weekly Smartpoints!

At first I was terrified at the fact that my daily points target dropped from 30 to 23.  I thought to myself that this zero point food list meant nothing to me, other than MAYBE the fact that eggs went from 2SP each to 0SP.  The whole shellfish thing is pretty great too - because I do love seafood and corn on the cob as zero...WIN!  But as I've told my meeting room friends, I am a toddler when it comes to eating my veggies.  I suck at it.  I prefer to eat all the point based foods instead.  I did commit to eating a full plan week incorporating those Zero Point foods.  I plan to give the plan a "try" this week, so I'll report back after trying.  By doing this I can see if this is a true lifestyle change that I can make and continue.  Because as my Leader reminds us, if you can't make a lifestyle change that you can actually live with and have it be sustainable, then it's just like any other "diet plan".



Here it is: an expanded list of all 200+ zero Points foods.*
The foods on this list form the foundation of a healthy eating pattern, so you don’t need to weigh, measure, or track any of them. Enjoy!
 
  • Apples
  • Applesauce, unsweetened
  • Apricots
  • Arrowroot
  • Artichoke hearts
  • Artichokes
  • Arugula
  • Asparagus
     
  • Bamboo shoots
  • Banana
  • Beans: including adzuki, black, broad (fava), butter, cannellini, cranberry (Roman), green, garbanzo (chickpeas), great northern, kidney, lima, lupini, mung, navy, pink, pinto, small white, snap, soy, string, wax, white
  • Beans, refried, fat-free, canned
  • Beets
  • Berries, mixed
  • Blackberries
  • Blueberries
  • Broccoli
  • Broccoli rabe
  • Broccoli slaw
  • Broccolini
  • Brussels sprouts
     
  • Cabbage: all varieties including Chinese (bok choy), Japanese, green, red, napa, savory, pickled
  • Calamari, grilled
  • Cantaloupe
  • Carrots
  • Cauliflower
  • Caviar
  • Celery
  • Swiss chard
  • Cherries
  • Chicken breast, ground, 99% fat-free
  • Chicken breast or tenderloin, skinless, boneless or with bone
  • Clementines
  • Coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots), packaged
  • Collards
  • Corn, baby (ears), white, yellow, kernels, on the cob
  • Cranberries
  • Cucumber
     
  • Daikon
  • Dates, fresh
  • Dragon fruit
     
  • Edamame, in pods or shelled
  • Egg substitutes
  • Egg whites
  • Eggplant
  • Eggs, whole, including yolks
  • Endive
  • Escarole
     
  • Fennel (anise, sweet anise, or finocchio)
  • Figs
  • Fish: anchovies, arctic char, bluefish, branzino (sea bass), butterfish, carp, catfish, cod, drum, eel, flounder, grouper, haddock, halibut, herring, mackerel, mahimahi (dolphinfish), monkfish, orange roughy, perch, pike, pollack, pompano, rainbow trout (steelhead), rockfish, roe, sablefish (including smoked), salmon (all varieties), salmon, smoked (lox), sardines, sea bass, smelt, snapper, sole, striped bass, striped mullet, sturgeon (including smoked); white sucker, sunfish (pumpkinseed), swordfish, tilapia, tilefish, tuna (all varieties), turbot, whitefish (including smoked), whitefish and pike (store-bought), whiting
  • Fish fillet, grilled with lemon pepper
  • Fruit cocktail
  • Fruit cup, unsweetened
  • Fruit salad
  • Fruit, unsweetened
     
  • Garlic
  • Ginger root
  • Grapefruit
  • Grapes
  • Greens: beet, collard, dandelion, kale, mustard, turnip
  • Greens, mixed baby
  • Guavas
  • Guavas, strawberry
     
  • Hearts of palm (palmetto)
  • Honeydew melon
  • Jackfruit
  • Jerk chicken breast
  • Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes)
  • Jicama (yam bean)
     
  • Kiwifruit
  • Kohlrabi
  • Kumquats
     
  • Leeks
  • Lemon
  • Lemon zest
  • Lentils
  • Lettuce, all varieties
  • Lime
  • Lime zest
  • Litchis (lychees)
     
  • Mangoes
  • Melon balls
  • Mung bean sprouts
  • Mung dal
  • Mushroom caps
  • Mushrooms: all varieties including brown, button, crimini, Italian, portabella, shiitake
     
  • Nectarine
  • Nori seaweed
     
  • Okra
  • Onions
  • Oranges: all varieties including blood
     
  • Papayas
  • Parsley
  • Passion fruit
  • Pea shoots
  • Peaches
  • Peapods, black-eye
  • Pears
  • Peas and carrots
  • Peas: black-eyed, chickpeas (garbanzo), cowpeas (blackeyes, crowder, southern), young pods with seeds, green, pigeon, snow (Chinese pea pods); split, sugar snap
  • Peppers, all varieties
  • Pepperoncini
  • Persimmons
  • Pickles, unsweetened
  • Pico de gallo
  • Pimientos, canned
  • Pineapple
  • Plumcots (pluots)
  • Plums
  • Pomegranate seeds
  • Pomegranates
  • Pomelo (pummelo)
  • Pumpkin
  • Pumpkin puree
     
  • Radicchio
  • Radishes
  • Raspberries
  • Rutabagas
     
  • Salad, mixed greens
  • Salad, side, without dressing, fast food
  • Salad, three-bean
  • Salad, tossed, without dressing
  • Salsa verde
  • Salsa, fat free
  • Salsa, fat free; gluten-free
  • Sashimi
  • Satay, chicken, without peanut sauce
  • Satsuma mandarin
  • Sauerkraut
  • Scallions
  • Seaweed
  • Shallots
  • Shellfish: abalone, clams, crab (including Alaska king, blue, dungeness, lump crabmeat, queen) crayfish, cuttlefish, lobster (including spiny lobster), mussels, octopus, oysters, scallops, shrimp, squid
  • Spinach
  • Sprouts, including alfalfa, bean, lentil
  • Squash, summer (all varieties including zucchini)
  • Squash, winter (all varieties including spaghetti)
  • Starfruit (carambola)
  • Strawberries
  • Succotash
     
  • Tangelo
  • Tangerine
  • Taro
  • Tofu, all varieties
  • Tofu, smoked
  • Tomatillos
  • Tomato puree
  • Tomato sauce
  • Tomatoes: all varieties including plum, grape, cherry
  • Turkey breast, ground, 99% fat-free
  • Turkey breast or tenderloin, skinless, boneless or with bone
  • Turkey breast, skinless, smoked
  • Turnips
     
  • Vegetable sticks
  • Vegetables, mixed
  • Vegetables, stir fry, without sauce
     
  • Water chestnuts
  • Watercress
  • Watermelon
     
  • Yogurt, Greek, plain, nonfat, unsweetened
  • Yogurt, plain, nonfat, unsweetened
  • Yogurt, soy, plain
 
*All fruits and vegetables are fresh (raw or cooked), frozen, or drained canned without added sugar or oil. All poultry and seafood are fresh (raw or cooked), frozen, or canned in 0 SmartPoints value sauces or spices, without added oil.

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