Help ME help HER!!!! Please!

[pryncess77]

So, my older sister is trying to get back into shape after having 2 kids. I just spent the evening writing her an exercise plan after buying her weights, resistance bands, and a jump rope, for her birthday. I asked her to send me an outline of what her daily intake of food is. She first wrote me back saying: Well, I'm on weight watchers, so I eat anything that fits into my points. Then, she recently sent me an email with her diet, and it's soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo far off what I would recommend that I feel uncomfortable making changes to it. I understand that weight watchers works for some people, but my sisters exact words were: "I can eat Taco Bell as long as it fits into my points."


Well................. I have such a drastic difference in opinion that I don't want to attack her with, so I was hoping for some help. She just emailed me her 'diet', and it frankly put my jaw on the floor. Here is what she sent me: what is the nicest way I can tell her that her diet SUCKS without hurting her feelings?

Any help is most appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!:
My sister's email:


Okay so on a normal day I will have:
Breakfast:
1. Oatmeal w/dried fruit and sometimes I add nuts
or
2. 1 lean breakfast pocket
or
3. 1 Thomas?s light English muffin w/ 1 TBS of Jelly.
And a Coffee with Fat Free Creamer.
Lunch: varies all over the place but I tend to eat:
1. soups and/or a frozen meal, i.e. weightwatchers/lean cuisine?s
and a yogurt or fruit with the soup or frozen meal.
I know it?s bad, but it?s easy with kids to throw something frozen in a bag and run.
Dinner is ALL over the place:
Sometimes spaghetti or chicken with rice pilaf or chicken salad or chicken with asparagus or fajitas or chicken tacos, or soup, etc.
Does any of this help at all? Any recommendations you have are fine with me and very welcome!!!




More info: My sis is 5'10 and I'd guess about 195lbs. She does a little bit of cardio ever day, but that's about it!

[pink378]

she clearly asked for recommendations, so apparently she is expecting you to change her eating plan. she even admits some of her food choices are bad. what would be wrong with you writing out a good diet for her and explaining what she needs to eat, and why? she is obviously asking for advice and some direction.

[dkemano42]

You can either write us something totally new, or find out how her points work and write up something that is good for her, and will maybe work with her points.

I would try working within the WW point system and see if you can come up with a good plan that way. Maybe add a couple things outside the plan if she needs more calories....

Not sure, but a suggestion anyhow. I know folks on WW really seem to like the system.

DK

[blu2xtreme]

I attended Weight watchers for 62 weeks and lost weight each and every week for a total 96 lbs. I never during those weeks did I ever eat taco bell or anything close to that. What I did notice during those meetings was that people who did not make healthy choices did not make much progress.
I now have decided to give up weight watchers to eat clean and lean up my now "skinny fat" body and hopefully lose a little more in the process.
The advice I would give your sister is that weight watchers is a great beggining but you have to include good food choices , more lifting and cardio ( I did way to much cardio - I worried to much about the scale ). Weighing in each week has it's up and downs, I like to win so it worked for me.
Good luck to your sister.

[twinnett]

Weight watchers has changed a lot...they are recommending healthy choices..fruits, veggies, lean protein, etc...I would say you help her make healthier choices but don't tell her Taco Bell is "off limits'...small steps!

[Butterfly09]

Tell her to read up on the WW Momentum plan. It stresses whole foods and less processed ones. Good luck to you.

[Amanda76]

Tell her she needs to eat a food that's comprised primarily of protein to encourage her body to hold on to muscle as she drops fat. In addition to that, IF SHE CHOOSES PROTEIN FROM WHOLE SOURCES, she'll burn more calories simply digesting (processing ) her food than she will eating all the food that's already been partially broken down for her. Doing that will make her have to be more choosy about where the rest of her points come from.

Explain the importance of all the macros and why source is so important in a way that means something to her. Complex carbs will give her more energy to have more productive workouts. Healthy fats will support all her body's functions so she'll be able to continually progress and feel good while doing it.

She doesn't have to go from convenience foods to squeaky clean overnight, but you can help her figure out how to make healthy considerations. Say, if she wants a bacon sandwich and realizes there's a need to consume fat that her body can't produce and that she's going to feel and perform better choosing EFA's it'll help her figure out the best places to get protein from to save room for a serving of nuts, avacado or salmon somewhere instead. Lack of fiber and nutrients/additives in some breads might help her to look into eating something like part of a sweet potato or rice in it's place. Every little decision like that will be a step in the right direction, so make sure you make her feel good about what she does, even if it's not "perfect."

[terracotta]

Actually her diet is really not all that bad. Most people can use help with their diet.. but trust me, this diet is NOT that bad.

The one concern I have with weight watchers is that their point system does not treat all calories equal, ie. 200 calories from carbs could be fewer points than 200 calories from protein (as an example).

Really the source of nutrients is not as important as some people around here seem to think. If you are getting the same macros but from processed foods instead of unprocessed, your results should be the same.

The exception of course is if someone is low in energy, a change in foods could fix that.

She is BUSY, she is definitely going to fall flat on her face if you did a complete 180 with her diet.

If I was helping her my goal would to be get her eating a protein, carb and fat at each meal. I'd forget about "omg her diet is so processed" to a degree and try to find meals she can make in 5-10 min to replace the breakfast and snacks.

I'd leave the lean cuisine + fruit/yogurt lunch alone personally, and just switch up the other stuff. It will save her some cooking.

Her breakfasts need protein of some sort. Even if she just has a glass of milk, it would be a good start. I used to have oatmeal + milk, or oatmeal + milk + whey.

Again, I say concentrate on getting protein + carb + fat in each meal, and 5 meals per day. Once she is used to that, say in a couple weeks, I'd try pushing out some of the processed foods. But really if she is time crunched having 1 no prep meal like a lean cuisine won't hurt her.