Sponsored by Weight Watchers
My teen daughter was with me when I did the grocery shopping this time. “Mum, look at all this healthy food!” she said looking down into the trolley. “It just makes me feel good looking at it.” I think that sums up the food in the new Weight Watchers No Count program. It makes you feel good.
The focus of Weight Watchers program is about falling in love with real food again. There’s an important distinction here in that the focus is not dieting, but supporting a sustainable healthy lifestyle. There are two programs available for all members. The SmartPoints® program suits members who want to eat what they want while staying within certain point allocation. Then there’s Weight Watchers best kept secret for weight loss, the No Count option that I am highlighting in this post.
I like the sound of the No Count option, a lot. So much so, I have joined myself so I can have access to the 4,000+ recipes and other tailored tips. I am not currently overweight, but I would like to shake those last five kilograms I can’t seem to budge. I have established a sustainable weekly exercise plan, but I do need support with healthy eating and this option is perfect for someone like me who dislikes surrounding food with numbers.
The No Count plan is based around a carefully selected and nutritious, flling and healthy food list (which you can find here). The foods include lean proteins, wholesome carbohydrates, low-fat dairy, legumes and all fruits and vegetables. The idea is if you stick to these healthy foods, you don’t have to weigh, measure or count any of them. Instead, the No Count option focuses on eating nutritious and satisfying foods and letting hunger and fullness signals be the guide.
What swayed me about this plan is the balance of the foods, including healthy carbs. I’m not really a sweet tooth; I struggle with unhealthy carbs like chips and white bread the most, but I still want carbs! And there are plenty of healthy carbohydrate options on No Count food list so I’m aiming to learn more about how to better incorporate these into my meals.
To illustrate some of the many ways you can use these No Count foods, I have included a breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes I tried. Anyone can access these particular recipes, so you can try them out for yourself to give you an idea of the type of food you can eat with the No Count option. I’ve been so impressed with the recipes; they are filling, yum and so healthy. They make me feel good! Check out the breakfast recipes, the lunch recipes and the dinner recipes.
Breakfast – Breakfast Slice
I’m SO happy with this Breakfast Slice recipe. It’s delicious and filling, and you can make a batch and keep it in the fridge for 4 days so that’s almost a week of breakfasts sorted.
Lunch – Tomato & Chick pea salad
The Tomato & Chick Pea salad is crisp and quick to prepare. It’s easy to substitute ingredients if you need to; for example, I couldn’t find watercress for this recipe so I used a mixture of rocket and baby spinach instead. I prepared the salad to last for a few days and to do this, I simply prepared the salad ingredients bar the tomato and dressing, and placed in a container to store in the fridge. Then I added the tomato and dressing fresh when ready to eat.
Dinner – Lamb & Lentil Fattoush with Roast Pumpkin
The Lamb & Lentil Fattoush recipe was a lunch recipe I decided to allocate for dinner. The flat bread crisps were SO GOOD. The recipe would feed about 5 servings, and because this food is for me (and some for husband too), I prepare it to keep for a few days. In this case, I roasted the pumpkin and keep it in a container in the fridge. I also do the same with the lamb. Then it’s a simple matter of throwing the salad ingredients together and crisping the bread (which takes 5 minutes). I had an extra bowl when I was re-creating these recipes for this post, and my teen daughter (who is on exam block at the moment) enjoyed it for lunch. It got big thumbs up from her for taste too.
Below is just one example of what a breakfast, lunch and dinner can look like on the No Count plan. Look at all that lovely colour!
I’m not a fabulous cook, and I found the recipes easy to follow, and they worked well too (above is my attempt and below are the professional images).
With a strong focus on a sustainable healthy lifestyle, the Weight Watchers program is a useful tool for those wanting support to improve their health. Find more about the No Count and SmartPoints options over at WeightWatchers.com.au
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