What Does Jennifer Hudson Eat?

What does Jennifer Hudson eat?
What does Jennifer Hudson eat?

What does Jennifer Hudson eat?

Photo: jenniferhudson.com

I’m curious about what people eat. What they have for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner and as snacks. What they eat out and especially what they cook for themselves at home.

So when I came across a week’s worth of Jennifer Hudson’s meals on the Weight Watchers website I was more than a little interested in taking a peek. Since Jennifer is an official Weight Watchers spokesperson, all the meals shared conform to their PointsPlus and healthy eating guidelines, which is no big surprise. But it’s always fun to take a look at how other members, especially celebrities, work the Plan.

What Did I Discover about Jennifer Hudson’s Eating Habits?

Jennifer’s breakfasts and lunches look a lot like mine. For breakfast she seems to alternate between cereal with fruit, milk or nonfat plain Greek yogurt and eggs done some simple way. Most days for lunch she has some combination of sandwich, soup and/or salad. She makes sure to include plenty of foods she likes, especially at dinner where Chinese takeout, sushi and chicken wings appear on the menu. And her snacks include several of my favorites: apples with peanut butter, light microwave popcorn, and the occasional nonfat Chai latte.

How Does Jennifer Hudson’s Eating Style Differ From Mine?

The major differences between Jennifer’s meal plan and mine? I eat a lot more nuts and leave room for a moderate amount of wine. And I also shy away from low fat mayo, salad dressings and whipped topping, preferring full fat mayo, homemade salad dressings and the occasional dollop of real whipped cream instead :-)

Here’s a sneak peek at 3 days of Jennifer Hudson’s meals. To see the full 7 days, follow the link at the end of the post.

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What Was the Weight Watchers Program Like in the 1960s?

Weight Watchers Cookbook 1967

Weight Watchers Cookbook 1967

Have you ever wondered what the Weight Watchers Program was like in the 1960s?

I picked up a copy of this old Weight Watchers Cookbook from 1966 and have really enjoyed taking an inside peek at what Weight Watchers was like back when it began in the early 1960s. In addition to lots of recipes, the book includes an introduction by Weight Watchers founder, Jean Nidetch, along with the plan’s “Rules” and sample menus.

All I can say is Weight Watchers has come a long long way in 50 years! I’m not sure I would have lasted long on this original plan, with all it’s rules and restrictions. Though clearly healthy and based on the nutritional wisdom of the time, it was definitely a deprivation based “diet” with a long list of ”Illegal Foods.”

I found myself getting anxious just reading the long list of foods that were not allowed, several of which I eat regularly. I’m glad that I originally lost weight in the 1990s on a much more liberal version of “exchanges” and am now following Weight Watchers 360 and it’s flexible PointsPlus approach to eating to keep the weight off!

In the book’s introduction, Nidetch describes her years of struggle to lose weight. Anybody who has ever been overweight and worked to lose it, will relate to her story. As someone who was overweight by the time I was in 4th grade and “matronly” looking by the time I was in my late 20s, I certainly did.

The original Weight Watchers Program was based on a diet developed by the New York City Department of Health’s Bureau of Nutrition that Nidetch followed after registering with on of its obesity clinics. When friends wanted the details of how she had lost weight, she began to meet with them at her house, where she shared what she knew and they talked over their common problems related to overeating.

When the little group got too big to meet at her house, she rented a basement, and then a large meeting hall in 1963, and the rest, as they say, is history!

The Underlying Concepts of the First Weight Watchers Plan

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Weight Watchers Celebrates 50 Years!

Weight Watchers Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Weight Watchers 50th Anniversary

I guess it’s no big secret that I’m a huge fan of Weight Watchers. It’s the only weight loss program that has ever helped me lose weight AND keep it off. Losing weight is one thing. Keeping it off quite another. Some people may find it easy to keep off lost weight, but for me it’s always been a challenge. Consequently, I’ve had to lose the same 10, 20 and 30 pounds over and over.

Like Jean Nidetch says in her quote, I’m a sharer. When I find something that works for me, be it Weight Watchers or yoga, I get a little evangelical and want everyone to benefit too.

As a lifetime Weight Watchers member, I know that when I follow the plan and attend meetings I’m able to maintain my goal weight. And when I slack off, stop paying attention and stop attending meetings, the weight inevitably creeps back on. It’s really as simple as that.

Deciding to live by the guidelines of lifetime membership and weigh in at least once a month has been the best thing I’ve ever done for taking charge of my weight and my life. What we practice and live is what we become. I want to become a lifetime member who maintains her goal weight easily and effortlessly for the rest of her life.

Weight Watchers Celebrates it’s 50th Anniversary!

I’m getting a weird kick out of the fact that both Weight Watchers and I were born in the same year – 1963 – and so will both celebrate turning 50 this year. (It really doesn’t take much to amuse me!)

And I’ve been thinking about America’s weight loss challenges then and now. Back when Jean Nidetch launched Weight Watchers, 13% of Americans were obese; 50 years later that number has nearly tripled to 36%. Back in the 1960s and 1970s the average American’s weight increased only 1 to 2 pounds a decade. By the 1980s we were gaining 8 pounds a decade and now it can only be worse.

As humans we haven’t really changed that much in the past 50 years, but our environment sure has. The proliferation of highly processed, easily available, super-sized calorie dense and nutritionally depleted food is making us fatter and sicker every year.

Many are adopting a primal or paleolithic diet, choosing to eat they way a caveman or cavewoman would have thousands of years ago, to stem this tide. But I’m not sure anything so extreme is required. Heck, if we could turn the clock back 50 years and eat like we did in the 1960s, there’s a good chance we could reduce obesity tremendously.

I’m curious what would happen to me if I ate more like we did back in the 1960s – less fast food and processed food and fewer meals out. What would happen to my weight? Would I have trouble maintaining my goal weight or would it be easier? What would be different? What would the effects be like?

So, I’ve decided to play and experiment this year. I’m going to cook more from old cookbooks and attempt to limit my diet as much as I can to foods that would have existed back in 1963 to see what happens.

I’ve done some preliminary checking and was relieved to learn that Triscuits were introduced in 1903, Cheerios in 1941, Oreos in 1912, instant hot cocoa in 1935, and salsa in the 1950s! At the moment I’m sad to say good-bye to Luna Fiber Bars  and Subway (founded 1965) for the year. It will be interesting to discover what I end up missing most and least.

I’m also curious about the evolution of Weight Watchers through the years. I know that the program my mom took part in back in the 1970s or the one that I first learned back in the 1990s bears little resemblance to the PointsPlus plan of today. So, I’m planning to read and cook from as many of the older Weight Watchers cookbooks as I can this year.

Anyone interested in joining me in this little experiment? Do you have a favorite OLD Weight Watchers cookbook to suggest?

Photo Credit:  Facebook/Weight Watchers

Related Articles

The Weight Watchers 360 Program

Weight Watchers 360
Weight Watchers 360

Weight Watchers 360 Arrives

I’m excited about the launch of Weight Watchers newest Program: Weight Watchers 360°. This new program is designed to allow us to systematically, yet simply, find the healthy lifestyle that will help us not just lose the weight, but learn to keep it off. Sound good?

While the PointsPlus aspects of the plan all stay the same, meetings will become much more focused on:

1) Tracking. Becoming more aware of our food/activity choices and making better ones.

2) Routines. Helping us establish the healthy routines and habits, such as beginning the day with a healthy breakfast and including a fruit or vegetable and some protein with every snack, and eating only at the table.

3) Spaces. Teaching us how to manage our food environments when at home, at work, traveling or in restaurants. For example, keeping tempting foods our of site and healthy options in plain view and reviewing the menu before going out to eat.

These strategies are key in helping up manage the many food choices (200 plus) we are faced with each and every day. To lose weight and keep it off in this food centric, out-of-control, super-size, all-you-can-eat environment we need a slew of healthy habits/routines that are so ingrained, we don’t even have to think about them. We just do them. Things like beginning the day with a brisk walk and healthy breakfast and having a big glass of water whenever we feel tired or hungry.

Because the truth is that a lot of the behaviors that cause us to gain weight are mindless habits that are totally influenced by our environment. (If you don’t believe me, read Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think by Brian Wansink, PhD, from Cornell. It will change the way you see food forever. It did me. I changed lots of little things that have helped me eat less in a way that feels easy and effortless after reading this book.)

Here’s an interview with Wansink to get a “taste” of what I mean:

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Identify Your Trigger Foods for Weight Loss Success

Cheeze-It Crackers - One of My Trigger Foods
Cheez-Its

Cheez-Its – Why Can’t I Stop Eating Them Once I Start?

Are there foods that cause you to totally lose control? That you eat way way too much of whenever you are in their presence?

These are your “trigger foods” and I’m willing to venture that they’re high calorie and highly tasty. (Not a fruit or vegetable in sight!)

Cheez-Its are one of mine.

Here’s how Trigger foods are defined on weightwatchers.com:

“A trigger food is a specific food that sets off a course of overeating where control is lost.1,2 The most common trigger foods are calorie-dense, highly palatable foods that are often combinations of sugar and fat (e.g. ice cream, cookies) or fat and salt (e.g. nuts, potato chips, French fries).3 Research suggests that exposure to certain trigger food cues activates particular areas of the brain that are involved with the body’s reward system.4 Food triggers should not be confused with favorite foods (foods that are highly preferred), comfort foods (foods that are linked to a sense of home and contentment) or food cravings (an intense desire to eat a particular food). With a true food trigger it is the food, not an emotion or situation, that triggers the out-of-control eating. For example, open the bag of potato chips and overeating occurs, regardless of mood, time of day or place.

As the science of brain function in response to food cues is evolving, it is not yet known whether identifying trigger foods and avoiding them altogether over a certain period of time will lessen their effect.”

We all have trigger foods but they’re different for each of us. I’m currently reading, Weight Loss Boss: How to Finally Win at Losing–and Take Charge in an Out-of-Control Food World, by Weight Watchers CEO, David Kirchhoff, who does a great job explaining his experiences with his food triggers and how he’s working to take charge of them. His problem list includes hummus, pretzels, reduced-calorie ice cream treats and nuts.

My list of trigger foods looks like this:

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Why I Want to Maintain My Weight Loss

Martha and Nana
Martha and Nana

Nana – My Healthy Living Role Model

They say it’s important to stay connected to your “why” when trying to accomplish something such as losing weight and then keeping it off. I couldn’t agree more. Most of us get serious about changing our ways when the pain of not changing becomes more painful than the pain of changing. The pain threshold is different for everyone.

I still remember the New Year’s Eve photo that awoke me from my denial and spurred me to join Weight Watchers over 20 years ago. Though the picture was torn to bits long ago it’s memory is deeply embedded in my brain.

Do you remember what first brought you to Weight Watchers? An upcoming wedding? A hurtful comment? Medical/health issues?

Keeping a list of your reasons for wanting to lose weight front and center can help keep you motivated when the going gets tough and help spur you on when you’re tempted to throw in the towel.

Now that I’ve lost the weight, here are my top reasons for wanting to keep it off and remain under goal:

My Top Reasons for Wanting to Maintain My Weight Loss

  1. Feel good and have more energy.
  2. Like what I see when I catch a glimpse of my reflection in a mirror or window.
  3. Increased confidence.
  4. Increase my odds of aging gracefully.
  5. Serve as a role model for others.
  6. Be able to travel easily.
  7. Enjoy life more.
  8. Sleep better.
  9. Better digestion.
  10. Avoid that the feelings of being “stuffed,” “too full” and/or “bloated.”
  11. Easily and comfortably do yoga, especially “plow” pose without my belly getting in the way.
  12. Improved intimacy.
  13. So I can savor and enjoy my food.
  14. Easily fit into my clothes.
  15. Feel good in my clothes and (more importantly) my own skin.
  16. Live healthier for longer (like my 90+ year-old grandmother pictured above did).
  17. Be in a better position to manage menopause.
  18. Build a healthy relationship with food and my body.
  19. To use what I’ve learned to help others.
  20. Improved mood, mental focus and clarity.
  21. Enjoy food freedom and freedom from food cravings.

What are your reasons for wanting to lose weight and/or keep it off? Have you written them down and put them someplace where you can see them? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Managing Evening Munchies

Managing Evening Munchies

Managing Evening Munchies

Taking in extra calories at night can pack on the pounds. Did you know that eating just 30 or so potato chips (300 calories)

or…

Oreos

Eating the equivalent of 5 Oreos a day (about 300 calories) can add 30 extra pounds a year!

5 Oreos (300 calories) every night for a year would add up to 30 extra pounds!

Which means finding a way to eliminate them (or similar snacks) could leave you 30 pounds slimmer by year’s end. When it comes to weight loss small changes like this really add up!

Managing night time munchies like this can be a big challenge for many of us, especially those of us who’ve struggled with losing weight and keeping it off.

If you have the urge to nibble at night, have you figured out why? Are you really hungry or is it something else? Do you know how many PointsPlus values you’re eating after dinner?

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Weight Watchers Works Best

Weight Watchers Works Best
Weight Watchers Works Best

Weight Watchers Works Best

I’m a big believer in Weight Watchers because it’s the only weight loss plan that ever helped me lose weight and keep it off. And now as a Weight Watchers leader/receptionist I see it working for members week in and week out.

The key to success, of course, is adopting the plan as a healthy lifestyle rather than thinking of it as a diet.

And even though I’ve learned to trust my experience and place it ahead of what the “experts” say, I always love when what I believe is validated in some big way. I was thrilled earlier this year when US News & World Report named Weight Watchers the best diet for weight loss for the second year in a row.

So you can imagine my delight when I heard that a new study recently published in the journal Obesity showed that Weight Watchers was more effective at helping people lose weight than more expensive clinical based weight loss programs led by health professionals trained in nutrition and behavior management. Go Weight Watchers!

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Words That Describe Me Before Losing Weight with Weight Watchers and Now

When you change the way you look at things - Children Quote

Children Quotes | Forward this Picture

I attended a Weight Watchers training recently where we were asked to describe ourselves “before” Weight Watchers and “after” once the whole weight loss thing finally fell into place. During the exercise the one word that popped into my head to describe me before was “denial.”

I hadn’t really thought about it again until this morning when I was flooded with words and feelings that described me “before” and “now.” I rushed to grab a notebook and jot them down, since I’ve learned from previous experience that these early morning thoughts, which hover on the cusp between my conscious and unconscious minds, are fleeting.

Here’s what I came up with…

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{38 Power Foods} Weight Watchers Skinny Apricot Poppy Seed Quick Bread

Weight Watchers Apricot Poppyseed Bread
Apricot Seed Bread

Slices of Weight Watchers Apricot Poppy Seed Bread

This week our 38 Power Foods Group begins its exploration of fruit with apricots. (Every week a small group of bloggers is working its through Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients, by Martha Stewart and the editors of  Whole Living Magazine.)

If you are an apricot fan, be sure to check out what these other participating bloggers have cooked up:

What Makes Apricots Power Foods?

Delicious and naturally low in calories, apricots are good sources of vitamins A, C and potassium, as well as a variety of anti-oxidants (lutein, zeaxanthin and beta cryptoxanthins). Dried apricots are a healthy alternative when the season for fresh ones (May through August here in the US) has past. Ounce for ounce, they have more fiber than fresh.

Weight Watchers Skinny Apricot Poppy Seed Bread

Since the season for fresh apricots has past, I decided to go with a recipe using dried apricots, so imagine how excited I was to find this recipe for Apricot-Poppy Seed Quick Bread in the newest cookbook to hit our Weight Watchers Centers here in Arizona: Weight Watchers I LOVE LEFTOVERS.

(I’m a huge fan of muffins and quick breads. They’re probably one of the easiest things to bake. And baking them yourself at home gives you control of what’s in them, a big advantage if you are following the Weight Watchers PointsPlus program.)

This recipe for apricot-poppy seed quick bread is low in fat and sugar and brimming with diced dried apricots. It calls for poppy seeds, but all I had was King Arthur Flour’s Artisan Bread Topping, a mixture of flax, poppy, sesame, and caraway seeds, which I used instead. It also calls for white wheat flour, low-fat buttermilk, and just 1/2 cup brown sugar to keep the calories in check while boosting nutrition. Each slice has 5 Weight Watchers PointsPlus.

I thought the bread was tasty, but a little dry, and I’m partly to blame. The instructions said to bake the bread for about 55 minutes. I used the time to take Francie for a walk and didn’t check it sooner, so it baked a few minutes more than it should have.  I also think the recipe may have  a little too much flour it it so then next time I make it,  I’ll decrease the flour to about 2 cups and begin checking it for doneness after 45 minutes in the oven.

This quick bread is not very sweet, which is fine with me. I’ve been enjoying it as part of my breakfast the past couple of mornings and think it would be delicious as an afternoon snack with a cup of tea. Since a full loaf of bread, even if it’s lighter and healthier, is too much for our little family to have hanging around, I shared some of it with my mom. Just heard back from Mom and here’s what she had to say, “It’s delicious and definitely a keeper! Noticed the fresh lemon flavor (maybe zest or juice) It was GREAT!!”

Enjoy!

Weight Watchers Apricot Poppyseed Bread

Weight Watchers Skinny Apricot Poppy Seed Quick Bread

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Are Weight Watchers Snack Cakes Worth 2 PointsPlus?

Boxes of Weight Watchers Snack Cakes
Boxes of Weight Watchers Snack Cakes

Boxes of Weight Watchers Snack Cakes

What’s a woman like me to do when given several boxes of Weight Watchers Snack Cakes?

I decided to invite my Mom to a taste test to determine if they’re worth the 80-90 calories and 2 PointsPlus, and then give the leftovers to enjoy.

Since embracing a French Woman’s approach to weight loss several years ago, eating processed snack cakes has become a distant memory. But, I’m a big believer in the dangers of deprivation and benefits of occasional indulgences. So, if pre-packaged snack cakes are your thing, it’s important to figure out how to make them part of your healthy balanced life, and make sure what you’re eating is worth the PointsPlus investment!

Weight Watchers Chocolate & Lemon Creme Snack Cakes

Weight Watchers Chocolate & Lemon Creme Snack Cakes

We tried the Weight Watchers Lemon Creme and Chocolate Creme Snack Cakes. (Carrot and sponge cake options also exist.)

As Weight Watchers members we are taught to read food labels and pay attention to the fat, fiber, carbohydrates and protein to figure out the PointsPlus value of foods, so that’s the first thing I did.  It’s also a good idea to read the ingredients list. (I try to live by Michael Pollan’s Rules for Eating which include not eating anything with ingredients you can’t pronounce and wouldn’t stock in your own kitchen.)

The ingredients listed on these boxes is very long and includes artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, partially hydrogenated oils, dextrose, propylene glycol and glycerin. But, let’s be real. When you’re craving a snack cake, the extensiveness and quality of it’s ingredients is probably the furthest thing from your mind.

And these snack cakes are small. Weighing in at just 27 grams, they’re 36% smaller than a Twinkie (42.5 grams).

Ripping into the cellophane and breaking a cake in half to check out it’s filling, I felt a weird oily residue on my fingers. (Maybe this is common in all pre-packaged snack cakes? I’m really not sure since it’s been a while.)

The lemon creme snack cake tasted dry and fake to me.  The chocolate was better, but still not great. I can’t honestly say I’d waste even 2 PointsPlus on either of these cakes.

Mom, on the other hand, gave both flavors a thumbs up. She described them as “not too sweet” and wanted to know who stocked them, saying that she could see them satisfying her cravings when she wanted a little sweet treat.

So, there you have it, a split decision!

With 80-90 calories and 2 Weight Watchers PointsPlus, if you like these Weight Watchers snack cakes, they’re a fine portion controlled option for snack cake lovers wanting to lose weight.

Why Lunch at Mom’s is Always a Challenge for Sticking with My Weight Watchers Plan

BLT

Do you have certain people, places and/or events in your life that make sticking with the Weight Watchers program especially challenging?

Me too :-) I think it’s just a reality of life for anyone living here in the US where food is plentiful, available, and usually super-sized.

One of my challenges is going to eat at my Mom’s house. I love my Mom, but she’s been encouraging me to overeat since I was a kid. Here’s just a sampling of the kinds of things that are out and about waiting to tempt me each time I’m there…

One of the Many Candy Dishes You’ll Find at Mom’s

Candy dishes. Not just one, but several scattered throughout the living and dining area…

Crystal dish of jelly beans

Jelly Beans

(I didn’t snap photos of the large container of toffee, dish of tootsie rolls, or M&M dispenser!)

Frosted Brownies from the Supermarket

There’ll be supermarket bakery sweets on the counter like these frosted brownies. And packages of cookies in the pantry. (You get the idea.)

My pulse starts to quicken and glands begin to salivate within minutes of walking through the door. My resistance is pretty high for a while, but then it starts to weaken and I usually give in to a handful of peanut M&Ms and a tootsie roll or two.

Take a look at what she served my sister and I for lunch recently and tell me what you would do to stay on program…

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{Weight Watchers Weekly Weigh-In} When It Comes to Weight Loss, Small Changes Add Up to Big Results

Small Steps
Small Steps

Small Changes Over Time Create Big Weight Loss Results

Photo: Flickr – English 106

Are you ready to get back to your healthy weight loss routine now that fall’s right around the corner?

And it turns out that the best way to make positive changes to your life is slowly and steadily, one small step at a time.

How would you complete the following statement, “In order for me to be successful with my weight loss, my routine must include…

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What I Think Weight Watchers Members Can Learn from French Kids Eat Everything

French Kids Eat Everything Illustration
French Kids Eat Everything Illustration

What Weight Watchers Can Learn from French Kids Eat Everything

Image:  Karen Le Billon

(Disclaimer: These are my thoughts and personal views as a Weight Watchers member who has struggled with my weight for a long time and should in no way be construed as an official endorsement/position by Weight Watchers.)

I recently read French Kids Eat Everything: How Our Family Moved to France, Cured Picky Eating, Banned Snacking, and Discovered 10 Simple Rules for Raising Happy, Healthy Eaters by Karen Le Billon and can’t stop thinking about it or talking about it.

It all began when I stumbled upon Karen Le Billon’s website and started reading about French school lunches (causing me to nearly drool on my keyboard). Within minutes I was hooked and the next thing I new, I had downloaded the eBook from Amazon (which is way too easy for a book addict like me, by the way).

What’s the premise of French Kids Eat Everything?

The title really says it all…How Our Family Moved to France, Cured Picky Eating, Banned Snacking, and Discovered 10 Simple Rules for Raising Happy, Healthy Eaters.

The author writes of her experience adapting to the vastly different French food culture when she, her husband, and two young daughters move to her husband’s hometown in in northern France for a year.

Once I picked up the book, I had a hard time putting it down. It’s a delightful, light-hearted look at the contrasting ways North Americans and the French approach feeding our children and eating in general.

The bottom line is that in France parents feel that teaching their children how to eat well is as important as teaching them to read and write, and schools, governments, and communities have worked together to create food and education systems that support parents in feeding their children well.

How does that compare with what’s going on here in North America? (Let’s not even go there. Since I can’t think of anything nice to say at the moment, I’ll keep my lips zipped.)

What does this have to do with Weight Watchers?

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