WW Core Plan

Yep, I made the switch. The last time I seriously considered going on the core plan, I read through the food list, saw that it included no bread or cheese (except fat-free cheese--gross!), saw that I could have either whole-wheat pasta OR potatoes OR brown rice ONLY once a day, and said, basically, screw that.

However, after eating my way through the last two weeks, and a box of Godiva chocolates, and gaining 3.8 pounds in said two weeks, I took another hard look at the core plan. And decided to give it a go. And surprise! I love it!

Here's what I love about it:

I'm not tied to my points calculator/points finder/points list/points whatever. I eat when I'm hungry. When I'm not hungry anymore, I stop eating. That sounds really basic, right? And it is. There have been many days on the flex plan when I got to the end of the day and still had more points to eat to hit my target. So I like not having to worry about that.

No temptation to sluff off my eating plan and go eat out. Why? Because there's not a whole lot that I can eat out, at least not at a fast-food restaurant, which is what I can afford. Or, well, not afford, as the case really is. I'd rather save the money for books and clothes, not spend it on food. Anyway, I can eat vegetables, fruit, lean meat, eggs, fat-free (ugh) cheese, fat-free milk (which I have actually grown to like, so no harm there), certain types of cold cereal only once a day, etc. I can have brown rice or whole wheat pasta or potatoes only once per day, so I have to plan pretty carefully. That means that Chick-Fil-A, for instance, is out. There's nothing I can eat there right now. And that's fine. No McDonald's. Which, again, is fine. It means I'll be sitting in the breakroom at the office reading a really good book and eating some edamame (surprise--I love the stuff!), green beans, bell peppers, whatever, fruit, and soup or whatever leftovers I've brought. Or salad. So basically it means that the money I've been wasting on going out at lunch time can now be wasted on books (which means it's not wasted) or on clothes (which means it's not wasted) or other fun things.

I'm sure that as I proceed through the rest of the week, I'll find more to love. I'm surprised, honestly. I thought it was going to be a more difficult switch. And I know that I can still have a piece of bread if I want one (just have to pull that pesky points calculator out and take the point for the bread out of my 35 weekly points allowance). But honestly, it's easier not to eat it, and with all the legumes I'm eating, trust me, I'm getting plenty of fiber. Or, to use the nickname I've shamelessly ripped off from a Ned's Declassified commercial, let's just call me Fartacus and leave it at that.

Oh, and the fat-free cheese? Well, the Kraft shreds that I got at Target yesterday are acceptable if I'm dying for a little cheese on a salad. Otherwise, they're not that great. I didn't expect them to be. I bought a mild fat-free Mexican at Central Market yesterday, and it tastes much better. Think kind of a Velveeta-ish texture, but not quite so squishy, with very flavorful jalapeno pepper bits in it. Now I'm a fire-breathing Fartacus.

Joe and I are going to the Barenaked Ladies concert tonight. I will look completely adorable in my new shirt (size 18/20--NOT size 24!!!), and I'll put on gobs of eyeliner and mascara. I'll get him to take my picture, so I can post it tomorrow, and you can see how much better I'm looking than I was. But just remember, I still have a dang lot of weight to lose. There's definitely room for improvement.