The holidays are a beautiful blanket that suffocates all the good habits you’ve built around your health. It’s so warm and snuggly you don’t realize it’s sucking all the nutrition out of you. Like you, beerfits, I struggle. Big time. Like an epic Santa bringing good tidings and fuck tons of cholesterol.
It took until February for me to admit I had a problem and take accountability for the YOLO food decisions I was making. So I went back to the plan that has always worked so well for me, Weight Watchers, now called WW. I was on it briefly last year but was on the struggle bus since I was putting so much energy into Beer Fit Club. But I came back, like I always do when I know I have a problem.
I approached WW differently this time than others. My focus, first and foremost was to eat healthier and to gain back some self respect. All my poor food choices were made out of weakness and without any self-control. So I wanted to gain control, accountability, and mostly I wanted to do a service to myself and my body. The goal was not weight loss but weight loss is a natural byproduct.
If you don’t know much about WW, they use a points system they assign to food. This new program now asks you questions and they choose the best plan for you based on your feedback. I am on the Purple plan because I am not a huge fan of weighing and measuring and tracking my food. Because of this, I get more 0 point value foods to eat and less daily points in my budget. It’s been a fucking revelation, guys. I am full, well fed, and have had little cravings for sugar. I am eating CARBS, lots of protein and lots of fruits and veggies. I am STILL drinking and I am always getting my 10k steps a day that earns me more points to eat and drink!
Here are some of the top changes I have made in my diet since joining WW.
1- Protein, baby!
Breakfast for me used to me a protein smoothie with a banana and PB2, but now I am eating a big-ass egg scramble for breakfast most mornings. That’s right, I am eating shredded potatoes, peppers, onions, three eggs and some lowfat cheese. A massive breakfast! I looked at the calories and it’s a 500 calorie meal.
Here’s the thing though… I am not hungry until 3 pm. You’re talking about a meal that will hold me for 5-6 hours! So even though it seems like I am eating like a monster, I am feeding my body EVERYTHING it needs including carbs, people! There is a whopping 36 grams of protein in this breakfast and protein keeps you full for longer. This breakfast is only 5 points on WW out of my 16 points per day.
2- I am Prepared AF
I got myself prepared in a bunch of ways. Firstly, I went shopping before I got started to stock up on all the best WW foods and things that are no points such as beans, eggs, chicken breast, turkey breast, nonfat greek yogurt, all the fruits, rolled oats, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, and 99% fat free turkey breast. I also got some 90% lean ground beef… because chicken and turkey get boring. So I have FILLED my home with essentials.
I also entered some of the recipes I found on my favorite food blogs into WW before I made them so I knew that they would fit into my plan. I planned two LARGE recipes a week that I could eat for breakfast or dinner. The Instant Pot has been a VERY good friend.
Before venturing out on weekends, I researched the restaurants they had the best options for me. I knew at Chipotle I could get a mountain for food for 7 points. Chicken or Steak bowl with brown rice, beans, pico de gallo, corn salsa, and sauteed veggies… it is seriously a mountain of food that will keep me full for 5 hours.
3- Carbs are Now My Friends Again!
Like a Millennial’s relationship status, my relationship with carbs was “it’s complicated.” With this new plan on WW, getting whole wheat pasta and potatoes for zero points was a total game changer. Getting good and healthy carbs has made my sugar cravings vanish like a fucking fairy godmother waved her wand and went, POOF. This is my deduction anyways, since I am not an EXPERT in nutritional science. I did talk with Lindsay and she mentioned that this is mostly true. When we eat simple carbohydrates like white bread or sugar, we get a quick spike and surge in our blood sugar. That means we’ll get hungry quicker and we also get a quick hit if energy that is also ripped away quickly, which can make you tired. On WW, I am eating brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and even potatoes and LOSING weight. So now my relationship status with carbs is currently “in a relationship.”
4- Beer is my dude on the side, but not my main man
It’s hard for me to say this, but beer is no longer my main man. As someone that has built fame on their love of beer I now understand the hype of hard seltzers and vodka sodas. Now, don’t get me wrong. I still LOVE beer, and, more than anything, I love the people behind the beer but if I want to drink a couple of drinks to get a little buzz, I want something lighter in calories. In trying ALLLL the seltzers and coming up with fantastic drink concoctions with less of an caloric investment, I am excited for this new frontier that has opened up to me. It’s an opportunity to be less of an alcohol monogomist and more of a polygamist. Call me alcohol polyamorous. There will actually be some awesome content centered around this in he future.
5- Snacks
I don’t need to snack nearly as much with the large, protein packed meals I’m eating but when I do it’s all about the fruits, veggies, and air-popped popcorn seasoned with “Everything but the Elote” seasoning from Trader Joes. I am getting natural sugars, they crunch, and it doesn’t weigh me down. The snack is there to be a bridge between two meals.
6- Less but Larger Meals
Like I mentioned above, eating protein and complex carb packed meals, I don’t get hungry as often. Now, I am usually eating only two meals a day, sometimes a small third meal.
Usually breakfast is either a Breakfast Scramble (three eggs with veggies, a little lite cheese, and hashbrowns) or Chocolate and Peanut Butter Overnight Oats.
Lunch is usually just a snack – fruit or veggies with a dip. (if needed) OR I’ll have dinner early.
Dinner is my wild card, but I make two large dinners on Sunday and alternate throughout the week. Lately I have been loving this Chicken Chili recipe from Skinnytatse on top of brown rice with some cheese and fat free Greek Yogurt instead of sour cream. I also love making whole wheat pasta and meat sauce made with 96% FF ground beef. I also make some killer meatballs with veggies and ground rolled outs. Sounds weird until you eat them and they taste ahhhhhmazing.
7 – Meal Prep Sunday is BACK
If you’re looking for me on a Sunday, I will, most likely, be in the kitchen preparing meals for the week. I don’t go SUPER crazy but I usually make two large batches of food to last the week. That also means, I usually shop for food on Saturday, so I have everything I need to get started. That ALSO means making an in-depth shopping list of everything I will need for the week.
Fail to plan, plan to fail. If this becomes a habit, you’ll have a lot less issues sticking to your new healthy habits.
Mindset
Why are you changing your eating habits? The way you think about them will either make them feel like a punishment or an opportunity. Weight loss is an awesome goal and we’d all LOVE to lose weight but sometimes when you choose this as your reason, you subconsciously make this a punishment for being “fat”.
This time my focus was on feeling healthier and eating better for my body. You eat healthier and the weight loss is just a bi-product.
Try to look at any healthy changes as an opportunity and create your “why” (motivation) based on that and NOT a punishment.
Closing
In closing, these changes are to give you an idea of what you could do for yourself, whether or not you life #thatwwlife. I hope I could help you with some tips on making a positive change in your diet.
Now over to YOU. What changes did you make to your diet in 2020?
