What are your brilliant finds?

[kiwi_chick]

Hey all,

I'm a WW LTM and ex-staff-member (in NZ). I've only just moved to the UK, and so while I have the programme pretty much sussed I'm really struggling with basically having to start over with the food. Back home, I knew which were the best brands, who did low fat but still tasty options, what treats felt like an indulgence but didn't cost too many points (Knight's liquorice straps for 1pp used to be my favourite!), what options when eating out give you the best value for your points, etc...

These are the sorts of little tricks that usually you only learn about after months of supermarket shopping and becoming familiar with the products, or spending ages inputting a million different options into the calculator. Or, all that can be fast-tracked, by sharing our finds with each other.

The only one I've really discovered so far, is that M&S do a "milk and belgian white chocolate mousse" for only 3pp! If I've had a long day, and just need a little pick-me-up in the evening as I commute home, it's a brilliant fix.

So, what are your top discoveries?

 

[sarah.w]

i like skips (2pp each), same as quavers (2pp each), ryevita crackers (1pp each), curly wurly chocolate (3pp each)

heres a few snacking ideas:
http://www.minimins.com/weight-watchers-propoints-queries/256602-snacking-ideas.html

and heres a list of ww foods from 0 pp to 10pp:
http://www.minimins.com/weight-watchers-propoints-queries/256913-snacking-advice-needed.html

good luck

 

[NZSharlie]

Hey! A kiwi!!!!
I am still in NZ however. I found the WW forums a bit slow over here and like the fact that these ones have so much info on so many topics.
Good luck with the transition to UK foods, i'm so jealous. Such a huge variety over there.

 

[kagome75]

my friend, what you need to do is pick up your LTM card and go to one of your local meetings. There, you can buy the shopping guide and eating out guide and those can be life savers when you're starting out! There are also the apps on your mobile phone where you can calculate the points while you shop, those help loads when you decide what is better for you.

I must say that I agree with your choice for a treat, M&S belgian chocolate mousse is SO luch for 3pp! My favourite also. 1/2 slice of leerdammer lighterlife cheese is 1pp, fage total 0% greek yogurt is only 1pp per 100g and has the lowest content of sugar I have ever seen in a low fat yogurt... I love it with half a crushed banana in. There are loads of WW products in the shops so you can start with buying those, it ranges from WW creme freche, chips, crisps, tortilla, ready meals of any kind, ice creams, desserts, drinks... quorn products are also very good and low fat, and the lighter choices of the various supermarkets normally have also the points on, like Count on us for M&S as you know, or Tesco's lightchoices and sainsbury's Be good to yourself and etc.

Good luck and welcome to the UK!

 

[kiwi_chick]

my friend, what you need to do is pick up your LTM card and go to one of your local meetings. There, you can buy the shopping guide and eating out guide and those can be life savers when you're starting out! There are also the apps on your mobile phone where you can calculate the points while you shop, those help loads when you decide what is better for you.

I must say that I agree with your choice for a treat, M&S belgian chocolate mousse is SO luch for 3pp! My favourite also. 1/2 slice of leerdammer lighterlife cheese is 1pp, fage total 0% greek yogurt is only 1pp per 100g and has the lowest content of sugar I have ever seen in a low fat yogurt... I love it with half a crushed banana in. There are loads of WW products in the shops so you can start with buying those, it ranges from WW creme freche, chips, crisps, tortilla, ready meals of any kind, ice creams, desserts, drinks... quorn products are also very good and low fat, and the lighter choices of the various supermarkets normally have also the points on, like Count on us for M&S as you know, or Tesco's lightchoices and sainsbury's Be good to yourself and etc.

Good luck and welcome to the UK!

Yep, I've done that! I'm finding the eating out guide frustrating because it doesn't give portion sizes or very many more generic options - it's mostly big chains. And the shopping guide seems to be pretty limited for brand selection. So I have an app on my phone that I use to work it out at the supermarket (although that's pretty time-consuming!). Not sure what the best solution for eating out is though - any tips?

Thanks so much for all the suggestions guys, that's great! Definitely going to look out for the yoghurt you mentioned, and quavers. I've already discovered quorn - that's a truly brilliant product!

Thanks

 

[kiwi_chick]

Hey! A kiwi!!!!
I am still in NZ however. I found the WW forums a bit slow over here and like the fact that these ones have so much info on so many topics.
Good luck with the transition to UK foods, i'm so jealous. Such a huge variety over there.

Hello, fellow NZer! Yeah they seem to have some great options, although there are definitely things back home I miss! Really good Japanese/Vietnamese/Laotian food for instance - they have delicious low point takeaway options! It must be here somewhere, it's just a matter of finding it! Oh my god, and you have no idea how much I miss Chew Bars and ww Rich Toffee bars - 2pp for a chocolate fix was so amazing!

Also, as a side note, can anyone please tell me which supermarket chain stocks the best range of WW products? I've been to a couple of Waitrose stores an one Tesco, and thus far all I've managed to find are a limited selection of ww yoghurt (yum!), biscuits (no better for pp value than regular biscuits), and frozen meals. I know there must be a bigger range than that - where should I look?!

 

[rover_gem]

I find Morrisons have the best range of ww products, and Sainsbury's are quite good too. In the EOG, the points shown is for the actual portion you get served - including any sides which come with it. So if you order a chilli con carne from somwehere and the menu says it's served with garlic bread, then the pp values is for the whole lot

 

[kiwi_chick]

Wow, really? So say for the soup at cafe nero, is that 4pp for the tomato and basil soup including the bread and butter?! I've been having the soup on it's own! And do the salads all include dressings too, then?
That's great to know about the supermarkets, thanks. Will have to have an explore!

 

[rover_gem]

It says in the front of the book "All the Propoints values listed in this guide are for the item 'as served', that is as it is described on the menu, unless otherwise stated. So for example, if you ordered the Brocolli & Cream Cheese Bake at Chicago Rock Cafe, the 17 propoints values includes the Ciabatta Garlic Bread and Salad Garnish with Dressing that comes with the dish. If you have any additional accompaniments, you'll need to add the propoints values of those too." Hope that helps!!

 

[kiwi_chick]

That's very helpful, yes - thanks so much!