It’s been weighing heavily on mind lately how and where Weight Watchers and Paleo intersect and if they can be complementary to each other.
You all know that I joined Weight Watchers after the birth of my son and lost 55 pounds (If not, read about it here). That is why I started this blog in the first place, to share Real Food Weight Watchers recipes for those out there like me, who need the structure of a weight loss program but aren’t willing to compromise on eating clean, real food.
I hit a plateau in my weight loss and it just seemed that no matter what I did, I couldn’t lose anymore weight.
I upped my exercise, restricted my calories even further (and was quite miserable about it), started taking a closer look at wine consumption and Point heavy meals. After months of tweaking and tweaking, it just seemed that nothing was working.
That is when I decided to try an elimination diet to see if there was something in my “healthy diet” that was affecting my blood sugar or ability to lose this last 20 pounds.
A few friends had recently completed the Whole30 and I, like everyone else, had been incessantly hearing about the magic of the Paleo Diet. I was really apprehensive about the whole Paleo thing when I first heard about it – honestly, I thought it was a crazy fad. That was just ignorance on my part for not really digging in and learning more about the science behind it.
So, in January I started to slowly eliminate a lot of grains from my diet. Then I started reading more books. Some of my favorites are It Starts With Food and Practical Paleo (highly recommend). I kept counting Points Plus and managing my portion control and did see a little bit of weight movement (down) but not as much as I was hoping for.
The more I read, the more conflicted I started to become. Weight Watchers restricts fat and calories and is all about moderation – which is a concept I really like when applied to a Whole Foods diet.
Paleo is Whole Foods, all the time, without exception. No processed anything – including grains, legumes, refined sugars and most dairy. Paleo advocates for high food quality (something I already feel strongly about) and eating to fuel your body and maintain stable blood sugar levels.
About 7 to 10 days into the Whole30, I started sleeping solidly through the night. The food cravings I used to have for crackers, chips, cheese and crunchy, salty foods were completely gone. My skin started to look bright and fresh and people were stopping me and asking me what I was doing because I looked, “so refreshed”.
Fast forward to today – I’ve done a Whole30 and have been eating 95% Paleo diet and guess what?
The dry skin I had on my hand is pretty much gone, those stubborn pounds I have been battling for months and months are coming off and most importantly – I have to say – I feel better than I have in a long time.
Am I Paleo? I don’t know. I don’t know that I need to label myself.
Am I still doing Weight Watchers? Sort of. I still have the rest of this weight to lose.
So, what does that mean?
As for Weight Watchers, I am still going to the meetings for accountability and for the most part eating “Simply Filling” minus the grains, dairy and legumes, which is Weight Watchers alternative to counting Points. If you aren’t familiar, it is basically eating real, whole foods until you are full, anything with a green triangle next to it in the food book or in eTools.
I will still provide the Points Plus for all of my recipes because I know so many of you are counting Points and I want to be able to count on me for Real Food recipes that help you eat better and get healthier!
As for Paleo, I don’t like the idea of assigning a label to myself because there will be a time where I eat dairy or grains or sugar. But as you have already seen, my recipes are getting cleaner and cleaner and more “Paleo” friendly.
I think that is a good thing thought because it means that more and more of us are eating Real Food and that has always been my mission!
I am impressed! I think it’s all just about finding a sustainable balance that works for you and feels like something you can genuinely do and feel good about.
Bravo!
Thanks lady!
Alyssa, this is a terrific post and I’m happy you are feeling so good! No need to label – it’s about listening to your body, eating whole foods and finding the right balance for yourself, which you clearly are. Thank you for sharing your experience! xx
Thanks so much Hannah!
Alyssa,
I’m so glad you shared where you’re at on your journey. I think it’s important to feel good about what you’re eating, and to be mindful of how your diet makes you feel. Sounds like you’re doing well on all accounts.
Completely agree Kirsten and thanks for the support!
Really interesting post! In the end it’s mainly about matching the amount of fuel coming in to the amount one burns – and because as we age our metabolic rates slow, the calculus becomes a bit confusing at times. Both Weight Watchers and Paelo are great ways to cut calories. I find that including loads of natural fiber in my diet is the best way to eat less. But even if I’m all fibered up, put a bowl of ice cream in front of me, I’ll eat it – even if I’m not hungry. Controlling that urge is the tricky part, and both those diets do a pretty good job of it – or at least that’s the way it looks to someone looking in. I thoroughly enjoy learning about your experiments – thanks so much.
It’s quite interesting John because Paleo is pretty calorie and nutrient dense as much more protein and fat is consumed than you may normally think of when people think “diet”. I don’t necessary consider the Paleo style of eating a “diet” as much as a clean, real-foods lifestyle though.
I love this – people are so caught up with labels – paleo, vegan, pescatarian…. I am all of those things and none of those things. I eat real food but I also like to enjoy amazing food experiences and treats once in a while.
So true! The only thing I am not is starving lol
My story is very similar to yours. Where I was stuck at a plateau and upping my activities only made me more hungry and only a high veg and protein diet seems to work for me.
Thanks for adding the WW points to your meals. It surely helps with tracking.
I will still attend WW while eating Paleo, I have more energy than ever and feel great now that grains and beans are out of my life.
I think the more tools we have in our toolbox the better off we will all be. Our goal is to be fit, healthy, and active…we use those tools we need to go get there.
Best of Luck Ladies!!!
Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing Ruthie! So glad you feel good and have so much energy – awesome 🙂
This is defintiely an interesting post! I did WW for a while and liked it but didn’t necessarily agree with all of their points, and it was too hard to do while marathon training so I stopped for a while. It did help me to be more mindful about what I was eating and have smaller portions, though, which was a good thing! I think so long as you’re doing something that makes you happy and that works for you, then it’s all good!
I completely agree about the mindfulness Joanne. WW also really helped me learn the value of portion sizes.
To me this is a very interesting post! I have literally been a ‘foodie’ since almost childhood, and, yes I do have weight problems at times and yes I am both a medico and a nutritionist 🙂 ! I respect Weight Watchers immensely and they do seem to achieve results with their points system. ‘Paleo’ does not appeal an iota, but neither do a number of other ‘foodie’ systems. If you feel it works, God bless, I could never go to analysing what I eat to such a degree. For me it is knowledge and understanding of how the body works and applying such to a degree I feel I need without leaving the absolute joy food can bring to self and family and friends! Moderation: in the long term it does work!! And does not hurt 😀 !
I love food Eha, that is for sure! The best part is I don’t feel deprived or like I am analyzing what I am eating – I am just eating real food that isn’t processed in any way, shape or form. I think “Paleo” gets a bad rap – I can see why though, like I said before, I totally thought it was a crazy fad before I dug in and felt the results.
I guess time allows one to ‘do the right thing’ automatically! The WW ‘points system’ included!! I’m also totally into food which is as little processed as possible: I guess I too make many my choices without thinking! I’m just a tad perturbed these days by the long list many people present of food they do NOT eat : it HAS to be vegetarian or vegan or gluten-free or paleo or whatever – and part of me ‘screams’ BUT what fun is there left if you cannot even go > well-spoken-off restaurant without a number of Qs: ‘do you . . .’ 😀 !
Couldn’t agree more Eha! I also dislike the rigidity that comes with some of the labels.
Thank you so much for this post. I have been struggling with this topic and application in my life.
You are welcome LeAna! 🙂
I’ve been a WW lifetime member for over 20 yes – but not at goal, until recently. Altho I’m just barely at goal & could be a bit over next month.
Anyway. I began to flirt with paleo the last couple of months. It’s helped me push thru those last 10 lbs & now it’s just the last 5 lbs.
More importantly, I am far less hungry & have far fewer cravings & just feel more nourished. And my body looks better on it.
But I still count pts & still attend meetings & always will – it’s simply what works for me. I don’t think tnere’s any one right answer for everyone. Which is part of why I love WW; you can plug pretty much any way of eating into it!
I could write volumes, but just let me end by saying I’m so glad to have found your blog!
Hi Judy,
Congrats on getting so close to your goal weight – it is not easy! I completely agree about the cravings, feeling more nourished and just plain old having so much more energy. It’s pretty amazing what food can do for you (and how it can hurt you!). Anyway, thanks for sharing your story and following Everyday Maven 🙂