What you can eat in a day on WeightWatchers
At WeightWatchers, we’re food lovers! We’re firm believers in two things – first, there’s no such thing as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods, and second, what you eat is entirely up to you – and we’re here to show you how to enjoy all your favourite foods in a way that gets you to your goals.
To prove the point, we’ve put together a few meal ideas and suggestions that you probably wouldn’t expect you’d be able to enjoy regularly when you’re trying to lose weight. There’s everything from pancakes for breakfast to pasta for dinner and cheese and crackers for snacks that all fit within your Points Budget.
As you’ll discover, while some options are surprisingly handy for weight loss already, just a few tips and small tweaks (what we call smart swaps) is all it takes to make meals weight-loss friendly.
For breakfast, start your day with:
- Mug muffin
Whether you prefer sweet flavours like our date and banana mug muffin or savoury like our smoked salmon and cream cheese mug muffin in the morning, we've got a mug cake that’ll suit you. “Mug muffins are so versatile,” says nutritionist Kaitlyn Burg. “They can be filled with delicious, filling and nutritious ingredients such as oats, bananas and dates, with the added bonus of being super-quick to prepare.”
- Pancakes
Pancakes are a great way to squeeze in a serve of nutrient-rich fruit and yoghurt or oats to start the day like in our much-loved 3-ingredient banana pancakes. You can even make them with ZeroPoint butter beans to bump up the protein content of your morning meal.
- Big breakfast
Think a traditional ‘big brekkie’ is off the menu? Not so. “Big brekkies can be surprisingly lower in Points than you might think,” says Burg. “By using ZeroPoint foods like eggs, beans and non-starchy veggies as your base, you can create a wholesome meal that’s rich in protein and fibre, before adding some of your favourite ingredients that have a Points value.”
For lunch, you could choose:
- Sandwich or wrap
“When building your sandwich or wrap, focus on choosing a wholegrain option as the base, and adding your favourite ZeroPoint non-starchy veggies and lean protein, like chicken or turkey breast like in our chicken with greens sandwich.”
- Takeaway – like sushi
“Takeaway is definitely still on the menu,” says Burg, “and something like sushi is a fantastic option as it's rich in omega-3s, an excellent source of protein and often contains veggies packed with fibre.” You could also consider swapping some of the sushi for sashimi or a serving of edamame to bump up the meal’s hunger-busting protein content.
- Leftovers
On top of reducing food waste and saving money, leftovers can be a simple, time-saving way to make your lunch more nutritious – cook something healthy for dinner, like a vegetable chickpea curry or veggie frittata, and pack the leftovers away as tomorrow’s lunch. Or, if dinner includes roast veggies, make extra and simply add some lean protein to make a salad for lunch, the following day.
For dinner, take your pick from:
- Pasta and lasagne
“Top tips for making a healthy pasta or lasagne include choosing wholemeal pasta varieties, which are higher in fibre than regular pasta,” says Burg. “Spelt and pulse pasta varieties are some other healthy options to try. And if you’re looking to include more veggies in your day, consider trying zucchini zoodle bolognese, or swapping in veggie slices in your lasagne like in our zucchini and turkey 'lasagne'.”
- Stir-fry with rice
“Stir-fries make a fantastic meal option because they’re simple, delicious and offer many nutritious benefits. You can incorporate lean protein options – even fish or meat-free options – and load them full of colourful, fibre-rich veggies like in our loaded veg stir-fry for zero Points. For this reason, stir-fries can be super low in Points and you can choose low GI white, brown or wholegrain rice to further enhance the meal from a nutrition point of view.”
- Eating out
Despite what you might think, there’s no need to avoid eating out when you are trying to lose weight – and when you think about it, plenty of cuisines – everything from Thai to Indian – offer dishes that are vegetable heavy. “Quick tip – if you know you’re eating out for dinner,” says Burg, “try filling up on lower-Point options earlier in the day so you’re not too hungry when it’s time to order – and you’ll also have more Points to play with.”
For dessert, you can enjoy:
- Cakes and baked goodies
“With some simple adjustments you can lower the Points value of these,” says Burg. “For example, you can lower the added sugar by using natural sweeteners like fruit purees or fresh medjool dates, and you could replace white flour with wholemeal flour to add some additional fibre to your baked goods like in WeightWatchers Coach and Ambassador Rebecca's lemon and blueberry syrup cake.”
- Ice cream
“All food is there to be enjoyed, and if that means having a scoop or two of ice cream for dessert, that’s more than okay! Focus on the serving size and, if needed, lean on your Weeklies if you’ve used all your Points for the day. Or, you could try a healthier version of ice cream such as our strawberry nice cream – frozen banana and strawberry and a dash of vanilla, blended into a fruity and refreshing dessert.”
- Chocolate
Honestly – you can still eat chocolate! And while you’re free to enjoy as much chocolate as you want and have the Points budget for, research shows that just a bite or two of sweet treats like chocolate tends to satisfy a ‘taste’ for it as effectively as a larger portion. And in terms of delivering a hit of healthy antioxidants, the higher the cocoa content of the chocolate, the better.
And for a snack, make yourself some:
- Bliss balls
“These make the perfect healthy sweet snack because they’re typically filled with protein and fibre such as nuts and dates – like in our chocolate hazelnut bliss balls – which is a powerful combo to help manage hunger. They’re simple to make and handy to have in your bag when you’re on the go” says Burg.
- Crackers and cheese
“This tried-and-tested snack can provide a healthy source of carbohydrates and protein,” says Burg. “A handy tip to increase the nutrition profile is to look for crackers made with wholegrains to provide a source of dietary fibre. And why not add some fruit or veggie sticks to create a cheese & cracker style snack board for afternoon tea?”.
- Muffins
A lot like mug muffins for breakfast, choosing a muffin as a between-meal snack can be a tasty, simple way to bump up your intake of vegetables or fruit, bearing in mind that only 6% of Australian adults are eating the recommended amount of fruit and veggies every day. Some muffins even contain fruit and veggies like our carrot and banana muffins. Plus, they can also deliver unexpected extras – like cottage cheese and oats in our strawberry muffins – to provide even more nutrients and hunger-busting potential all while keeping the Points down.