Weight Watchers is a popular weight loss program. It advocates healthy eating and exercise habits, designed to last a lifetime. It is not a quick fix because it encourages slow and steady weight loss and helps establish behaviors that will keep the weight off. While it is not necessary to buy Weight Watchers foods to follow the plan, they do have prepackaged meals such as Smart Ones.
Weight Watchers Program
The Weight Watchers system works on a points program. According to the Weight Watchers website, a food's point value is based on its calorie, protein, carbohydrate, fat, and fiber content. Foods low in fat and calories and high in fiber have the lowest points. When a member joins, a daily points allowance is assigned based on gender, current weight, age and activity level. The goal is to stay within the allowed number of daily points so that 1 to 2 pounds are lost per week. For some, this process may be easier then counting calories. The goal is to eat in a way that most of the allowed daily points comes from healthy, low-point foods.
Smart Ones Food
Smart Ones includes a wide variety of frozen meals including breakfasts, entrees, desserts and snacks. Smart Ones products list the point value per serving on the front of the packaging and like all foods, the nutrition label lists the calorie, nutrient, fiber and fat content per serving as well. Smart Ones foods can be found in grocery and convenience stores; they cost approximately the same as other popular frozen meals.
Benefits
Since Weight Watchers points are based on one serving size, members must make sure they are eating just one serving size or doubling the points if they are eating two servings. Controlling portion size is a key component of a successful Weight Watchers weight loss program. However, this often requires new members to measure out foods such as 1 cup of pasta, 12 crackers or 1 ounce of cheese. This can be time time-consuming and frustrating, and when busy or feeling stressed, it may result in abandonment of the plan. During these times, using a prepackaged product such as Smart Ones can help as the food is portioned out. Additionally, Smart Ones can be quickly heated in a microwave, saving you prep time.
Considerations
While consuming mostly frozen meals is convenient, it is not the healthiest habit to develop. Since Smart Ones products are designed for use with the Weight Watchers program, they do try to make the meals as nutritious as possible; however, sodium and sugar amounts can still be high. Using Smart Ones meals occasionally may help you stay on the plan, but if you are concerned about your sodium and salt intakes, a better option is to cook your meals at home and include fresh fruits and vegetables as much as possible.
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