This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
11/12/19 Update: Effective today the myWW Program offers an option very much like Simply Filling with its Purple Plan. You can check out the Purple Plan Zero Points Food List here.
I love the Weight Watchers Simply Filling Technique (No-count option). I think it’s one of the reasons I’ve finally been able to maintain my weight loss so easily (finally, after all these years decades)!
If you want to lose weight and get healthy, I don’t think there’s a better approach around right now than Weight Watchers “Simply Filling” plan.
I was able to use what I learned from the Simply Filling approach as a launching pad to becoming what I consider a much more ‘normal eater.’
Are you familiar with the Weight Watchers Simply Filling Technique?
Basically, Weight Watchers created a no-count technique for people who don’t like to calculate points and/or track. To follow it, eat from the list of Simply Filling Foods in your Pocket Guide, until you FEEL SATISFIED, NOT STUFFED.
You don’t have to measure your food. You don’t have to count or track SmartPoints. You just have to stick with eating Simply Filling Foods.
Talk about simple. It doesn’t get much simpler than The Weight Watchers Simply Filling Technique.
Watch this video to find out what a typical day on Simply Filling looks like:
You can follow ‘Simply Filling’ for a day, a few days, a week or all the time.
Whatever works best for you!
What are Weight Watchers Simply Filling Foods?
Weight Watchers Simply Filling Foods List Include:
Fruits
- All fresh, frozen, or canned without added sugar
- Fruit canned in its own juice (drained)
- Mixed fruits with no added sugar
Vegetables
- Most fresh, frozen or canned without added sugar or oil
- Potatoes — white, red, sweet
- Corn
- Peas
- Salsa: fat-free and without added sugar, including salsa with fruit
Lean Proteins
- Beef, chicken, lamb, pork, turkey, veal: lean, trimmed, all skin removed (see food list for specific cuts and grinds)
- Luncheon and deli meats, reduced sodium, with 0.5 gram or less of fat per 2-ounce serving
- Most fish and shellfish: fresh, frozen, and canned
- Eggs: Whole, whites, and egg substitutes
- Beans: dried, frozen and canned, including edamame, fat-free refried, garbanzo (chickpeas), kidney and white
- Dried peas including black-eyed peas and split peas
- Lentils
- Tofu
- Meat substitutes, including tofu and vegetarian burgers
- Game meats
- Organ meats from beef, lamb, pork, veal, and poultry
Whole Grains
- Brown and wild rice
- Hot cereals, cooked — without added sugar, dried fruits, or nuts
- Pasta, whole-wheat or other whole-grain varieties
- Popcorn, air-popped, or 94% fat-free microwave (affiliate link)-popped
- Whole-grain, ready-to-eat cereals without added sugar, dried fruits or nuts, and with 4g of fiber or more per serving
- Whole-grains such as: barley, buckwheat, bulgur, cornmeal (polenta) whole-wheat couscous, quinoa
Watch One Weight Watcher’s Simply Filling Grocery Haul & Meal Ideas:
Non-Fat Dairy and Dairy Substitutes
- Fat-free cheeses, including fat-free cottage cheese
- Fat-free milk and beverages made with fat-free milk, such as cappuccino or latte, as long as it’s sugar-free
- Yogurt, fat-free, plain or flavored with artificial sweetener
- Fat-free sour cream
- Soy products, unflavored and plain, such as:
- Calcium-fortified soy milk
- Unflavored soy milk
- Fat-free soy cheese
- Plain soy yogurt
Plus
- Light breads, english muffins and hotdog/hamburger rolls
- Reduced-fat corn tortillas
- Soups (broth, onion, and some broth- and tomato-based vegetable soups)
- Sugar-free gelatin
Is There Anything Else To Weight Watchers Simply Filling Program?
Yes.
1. You also can enjoy the following without tracking:
- 2 teaspoons of healthy oils daily (canola, olive, safflower, sunflower, flaxseed)
- Unsweetened coffee and tea
- Diet soda
- Club soda
- Seltzer
- Water
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Capers
- Cocktail sauce
- Extracts
- Fat-free salad dressings
- Fat-free margarine
- Fat-free mayonnaise
- Flavorings
- Herbs
- Hot sauce
- Ketchup
- Lemon juice
- Lime juice
- Mustard
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Salsa (fat-free)
- Soy sauce
- Spices
- Steak sauce
- Sugar substituts
- Taco sauce
- Teriyaki sauce
- Vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
2. You still get your weekly SmartPoints. You can use them for treats and things not on the Simply Filling Foods List or the above beverages and condiments list. I use these points for foods I’m not willing to give up like peanut butter, nuts, wine and reduced fat cheese since I’m not willing to eat the fat free stuff.
Why I Love the Weight Watchers Simply Filling Technique
1. I love not having to calculate and count everything.
Can I tell you how much I LOVE not having to count and calculate points! I wonder sometimes, how much we really do it even we are supposed to be. I know I can get really lazy about it. And sometimes it’s impossible, like when you are eating somewhere other than at home, which for many of us these days, is a lot of the time.
I also think the whole “points” mentality can encourage an unhealthy relationship with food if you’re not really careful. Sometimes, in the frenzy of counting points, I forget that I’m dealing with FOOD, not points. And I find myself eating food even when I’m not hungry because I have points available. That’s CRAZY!
2. It Makes Eating Out Easier.
You can actually go out to a restaurant or at your friends and family’s homes without having to fret about so much.
It seems like there’s always something available to order/eat that will work wit the plan. Some of my personal favorites include big salads with grilled chicken or shrimp, grilled chicken sandwiches, grilled fish tacos, broth-based soups, turkey burgers, sushi/sashimi, whole wheat pasta with vegetables and chicken, fajitas with corn tortillas, and burrito bowls with brown rice.
The options are limitless, once you get the hang of it.
When I’m invited to someone’s home, I’ll often bring something along that works with Simply Filling to share, like a big salad or roasted/grilled vegetable medley.
3. I’m Never Hungry and I Feel Good.
Because I’m eating reasonable portions of real food that’s good for me. And I never feel deprived because I’m eating from all the food groups, including carbs.
Simply Filling Foods are the good-for-you foods. Mostly clean whole foods. Fruits. Vegetables. Whole Grains. Lean Proteins. The foods your body really wants. When you eat them, your body is satisfied. You have more energy. You feel less hungry.
If I had tried to eat when I was hungry and stop when I was full with my old way of eating I would have failed. I ate a lot of very refined carbohydrates – breads, bagels, pasta, pancakes – which would have constantly been creating ‘fake physical hunger.’
What is ‘fake physical hunger?’
It’s an intense feeling of I Must Eat Now with very powerful cravings that happens when too much insulin fills your bloodstream to deal with all the sugar you fed it.
For me, this happens regularly about an hour after eating a sugar or simple carb heavy meal.
When I eat a big bagel or sugary cereal for breakfast. Or a big plate of pasta. A short time later, get shaky and fuzzy-headed with a pit in my stomach that seems like it needs to be filled right this minute.
After being on Simply Filling, I was able to make the connection and realize what was happening. Realizing how awful these foods make me feel when I eat them in large doses, makes them a whole lot less attractive to my taste buds. I sometimes forget, like when I ate too much cake a few weeks ago. But that’s okay. I’m human.
The Skinny on Weight Loss Sisters Talk About WW Simply Filling:
4. It’s a Lifestyle I can Live With for the Long Term
After years of yo-yo diets and following the fads, this is major.
I feel like Simply Filling has been stepping stone to becoming a ‘normal eater.’ I’ve used it to help me reconnect with my body’s natural hunger and satisfied signals.
It didn’t happen overnight. But with time, practice and patience, I have trained myself to stop eating when I am satisfied, not stuffed.
This is a huge accomplishment for a girl who used to have to undo the button(s) on her pants or change into sweatpants at the end of most meals!
The Simply Filling Technique is worth trying for just about any person in any lifestyle. You’ve gotta be willing to give mostly clean eating a try, of course.
But why not give it a try. What do you have to lose?
Update: Now I’m able to apply what I learned with Simply Filling to ALL FOODS, not just Simply Filling Foods. By combining what I learned from The Simply Filling Technique and Mindless Eating, I have been able to break free of the vicious extreme restraint/over-indulgence cycle and am successfully maintaining my weight!
Who the Simply Filling System May Not Work For
The Simply Filling technique might not be for you if:
- You are prone to overeating and tend to eat to way past full. If you eat too much of any food, even healthy stuff you can take in too many calories making it hard to create the deficit needed to lose weight.
- You eat a lot more carbs than protein. I’ve found I need to be careful not to overdo it with the carbs, even on Simply Filling. Loading up on too much bread, pasta, cereal and rice, even if it’s wholegrain, makes it hard for me to lose/maintain my weight.
- You need more structure to insure you are eating in a healthy balanced way. You may want to check out the Old Weight Watchers Food Exchange Program if you do. It’s how I originally lost weight and became a Lifetime Member way back in the early 1990s, before Points.
If that sounds like you, be sure to check out my Ultimate Weight Watchers Guide for lots of helpful Weight Watchers Resources!
Click Here For My Favorite Simply Filling Technique Recipes
More about Weight Watcher Simply Filling:
- Weight Watchers Simply Filling: Will It Work for You (Snack-Girl)
- 10 Things I Love About Weight Watchers Simply Filling (Something Swanky)
- My Week On Simply Filling (Brooke Not on a Diet)
If you liked reading about the Weight Watchers Simply Filling Technique, you might also enjoy:
- What was the Weight Watcher’s Program Like in the 1960s
- Why I think the Old Weight Watchers Food Exchange Plan Was Better than Points
- The Weight Watchers 360 Program
- Weight Watchers Introduces new SmartPoints Beyond The Scale Program 2016
Source: Weight Watchers
[wp_ad_camp_5]
Hi There..
Im on my first week of weight watchers and so far I am doing the filling and healthy week.I am really motivated but im finding it really hard…I have no problem making the healthy meals but I find them very dry and difficult to eat without some kinda sauce or spread ..for example for breakfast I am eating a slimbo brown square bread toasted and making scrambled egg with 2 eggs and a drop of low fat milk ,but im not allowed any low fat spread on the bread so I find it very dry.Then for lunch I would have a baked potatoe and low fat cheese which is fine but again a little dry..Then dinner might be steak or chicken with potatoes and veg but without gravy or pepper sauce I find it really difficult to eat…I not hungry on the filling and healthy plan and would love it if I did not find the food so dry.I know I can use my extra treat for some low fat spread ..but as a person with a sweet tooth id rather keep onto them for a biscuit or piece of chocolate etc …any help would be appreciated ..Thanks in advance
Hi Tracy,
Congrats on beginning Weight Watchers! Filling and healthy is such a great way to start exactly for the reason you state: it
helps avoid hunger! But, for a plan to be one you can stick with for the long run, the food must be tasty and not dry! At breakfast, what about putting the scrambled eggs on top of the bread turning it into an open-faced sandwich? I enjoy my eggs that way quite often. I also like to make egg salad with hard boiled eggs chopped up with a tiny bit of mustard and plain non-fat greek yogurt, which tastes like sour cream. I then spread the egg salad on my toast. You could also make a cheese spread with nonfat cottage cheese. Put it in the blender or food processor with just 1-2 teaspoons of boiling water and process until smooth.
Other potential toast toppings: unsweetened applesauce, mashed up canned beans (white beans, pinto beans, black beans, fat free refried beans.)
Again at lunch, you might want to try plain nonfat greek yogurt which works magically as a substitute for sour cream. You could try stirring various spices and maybe a little mustard into it to give it more flavor.
Another thing I use a lot is salsa. It’s great on chicken and I even like it on my baked potatoes. Other seasonings and condiments that are considered to have 0 Points Plus include: capers, herbs, horseradish, hot pepper sauce, lemon juice, mustard, soy sauce, spices, steak sauce, taco sauce, vinegar and worcestershire sauce. They may help to moisten up various foods in a pleasant way.
Hope this helps and best of luck with your weight loss journey!
Warmly,
Martha
Hi Martha
Thank you so much for the quick response .I am usually the sort of person who would skip breakfast and pick at a few biscuits while I am making the kids breakfast and getting everything ready for school. I never actually sit at the table and eat myself I am usually busy walking around organising everything. But then by the time I get home from the school and give the house a clean over ,its about 11 or 12pm before I sit down for something to eat and I will admit even then what I was eating was not very healthy. But since I have started on the weight watchers programme I am making it a priority to eat breakfast with the kids and do more organising the night before so I have less to do in the morning .
I am amazed how once I have eaten my breakfast I am not hungry again until lunch. Clearly its down to the type of foods on the filling and healthy plan that keep you feeling fuller for longer and I also find as the week has gone on I am not craving sweets as much and look forward to my treat in the evening..
Todays mission is to get to the supermarket and buy some of the flavourings you suggested .Thank you so much for your help.
Tracy
Hi Tracy,
You have made so many healthy changes in such a short time! Taking the time to eat a healthy breakfast is a HUGE accomplishment. Remember to acknowledge yourself and give yourself the credit you deserve for making this change! Developing new healthy habits takes time and practice and patience so remember to be kind to yourself as you transition to a new healthy lifestyle. You are setting such a great example for your kids too! Way to go!! I hope the flavouring suggestions help make your meals more enjoyable.
Warmly,
Martha
Thank you so much for this information. I have been struggling for years and have been joined and quit ww more times than I care to admit. However I have never given SF an honest try. I’ve decided now is the time to do it and your article was very encouraging. I can really identify with the intense restriction at times and then being “off the rails” with my eating. I’m so tired of it. Thank u for sharing. I will be back!
Hi Leah,
Let me know if there is anything I can do. Just take one day at a time, be patient with yourself and give SF an honest go. I really think you’ll be amazed! There’s a power that comes with eating mostly real food that’s undeniable 🙂
I was a seasoned Points counter, and I maintained my weight loss for 5+ years. But, recently, I’ve put on a couple of pounds, so I’m trying Simply FIlling to change it up. I’m still tracking though, as I don’t fully trust myself yet to not measure and just listen to my body. Thanks for this post, you provided some good insights into the benefits of this technique.
Hi Kat, I know what you mean about not completely trusting your body. After years of “dieting” and “counting” it can be really scary. Once you get the hang of it though it’s truly liberating! Thanks for commenting and best of luck with Simply Filling!
I’m so glad to read this article! Thank you! I just started ww Friday and I love the simple start and I think I want to continue with the simply filling. I already feel more focused and in control. I’m not longing for sweets anymore either. I like the basic approach because I’m not constantly required to “decide” about a food option. Good to know it has worked for others!
Hi Melissa,
I’m so glad my article helped. Congrats on joining WW! It’s such a great program. And I think Simply Filling is the way to go. It really helps you focus on eating healthier and you always have the 49 points for little indulgences! Best of Luck. Would love to hear more about how it goes for you.
I realize this post is not current but in the event it is still active I would like to say I did CORE for 8 years and never felt better in my life. I reached Lifetime and can’t express the great feeling that was. I lost a total of 137 pounds which was a dream come true for me… I then decided to try points. Sad to day I am up 15 pounds from goal weight and found out the hard way counting points is not for me. I find it stressful and takes over all my thoughts trying to choose what to spend points on. I am now on Simply Feeling which is the latest version of CORE . I feel relieved, happy, and fulfilled and safe with my eating choices. I will lose the 15 pounds I gained counting points so I consider it a big lesson for me. Point counting is not for me. Best of luck to all no matter which they choose to do.
Hi Marg, Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts! As someone who originally lost her weight on the old WW Exchange program and then came to love Simply Filling as an easy, healthy, balanced way to maintain my weight I couldn’t agree more. Sometimes more choices aren’t the answer which is why many have struggled with points!
Thanks for posting. I just started the new WW freestyle and have chosen simply filling as my plan. Good luck getting those pesky pounds off again ?
The picture of the dish at the top of this article looks delicious. Is this recipe posted on your page somewhere? This article was very helpful. I’m trying one of your recipes today. 🙂
Thanks, Gina. No, unfortunately, the recipe for the dish at the top of the page isn’t posted on the site. It’s basically just chicken and vegetables roasted together in the oven with your favorite seasonings.
Hi Martha. I just started SF. Your page has been helpful, thank you. I do have a question. Can you tell me what yogurt I can have. I purchased Dannon light and fit. I just noticed that it’s not artificially sweetned. Thank you. 🙂
Hi Carole,
I weaned myself onto plain Greek yogurt a few years back (which isn’t for everyone, I realize) so I’m not sure which brands meet the SF requirements. I would say your best bet is to read the ingredients list. Artificially sweetened ones will have aspartame or sucralose listed in the ingredients. Hope this helps 🙂
Hi Carole,
i so dislike greek yogurt immensely but i know that should have it in my diet (i was diagnosed with diabetes a year ago and was put on medformin. i have it under control now and have been off the meds to 5 months) greek yogurt is on my list of foods that i can have but i cannot get past the taste! how did you wean yourself onto it?
Very happy to have just found your site and blog. 🙂
I’m about to start Simply Filling for the first time tomorrow. Truth be told, I am not sure if it is for me. Counting points really keep me accountable and my problem is I eat too many carbs!
So while I LOVE that whole grain pasta is allowed on SF, I dont see how I am supposed to lose weight eating pasta for dinner. I will probably have more than I should and this is what I dont understand, why it is allowed.
Hi Ramani,
Thanks for stopping by and best of luck with Simply Filling! We are all different and there is no one way to lose weight. We have to always be doing what is best for us. After years of struggle I have come to understand that I was overweight because I ate TOO MUCH and I tended to vacillate between periods of extreme restriction and overindulgence and so struggled to lose weight and keep it off. The key to lasting weight loss and maintenance is to learn to eat in a way that you can see yourself doing forever. For me this means learning to eat when I am hungry and stop when I have had enough. That is what Simply Filling is designed to help with. Instead of counting and measuring, you learn to work with your body and nourish it with mostly real food and then use your 49 extra weekly points for little splurges and indulgences.
Just because a food is on the approved list doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone. Eggs are on the list, but if someone is allergic to eggs, of course they are not going to eat them. If pasta is a trigger/danger food for you, I think the question to as yourself is “eating pasta helping or hindering my weight loss efforts?” If it’s a problem for you, then don’t eat it, or limit yourself to once a week.
It’s about knowing yourself and doing what you need to do to support your goals.
Hope this helps.
Best of luck!
That’s my concern! I started today, so we will see!
Martha, thanks for all your wonderful recipes I know it takes a lot of time, I plan to start the simply filling plan next week. One question, is all the recipes you post simply filling? Thanks again for all your hard work, without pepole like you
Plan to start simply filling monday, are all the recipes you post simply filling? Thanks for all your hard work to help with our weight loss.
Margaret, Good for you for giving simply filling a try! Unfortunately, all the recipes here are NOT simply filling. I do have a category, in the right column for those recipes that are. Hope this helps. Stop back and let me know how it goes for you!!
I just began using the Simply Filling Plan on Weight Watchers yesterday. I joined a month ago, but kept getting messed up when a “best guess” at a restaurant or party turned out to be a whole lot of points different than I thought. The idea of mainly eating those foods that are most nourishing and filling 99% of the time and TRACKING what I always thought of as “cheats” (so that I don’t go too overboard) makes incredible sense to me.
Judy, the Simply Filling plan really makes a lot of sense too. I think it gets us thinking about eating in a healthier, more balanced way. It’s been magical for me! I like that the new WW Simple Start is having everyone kick off their Weight Watchers experience with Simply Filling in 2014!
I have been life time WW member for 2 years and a member for 3 years. I find myself gaining weight because, I am tired of tracking. I have never tried or understood the simply filling plan until I read this article, it was very helpful