This is definitely been a new one for me. I probably have been on and off weight watchers since I’ve been about 10. There’s nothing I really don’t know about dieting, especially the weight watchers plans. However this one actually requires a lot of thought. The current plan, called smart points, is a protein-based plan. Meaning, lean meats are the lowest points.  Carbohydrates, even the whole-grain complex ones, a much higher points. The vegan diet, obviously, does not eat any meats. My diet consists of those complex whole grain carbohydrates plus lots of lentils and beans. Those items are very costly on smart points. My green split pea soup which is all vegetables and split peas cost 12 points a serving. My favorite lentil sloppy joe cost 6 points before you add either bread or rice. My long grain brown rice I eat almost everyday is 7 points a cup. I get a total of 30 smart points a day. You can see how in two meals I’ve almost used up my daily allowance of food and I haven’t had breakfast or a snack. Yes you get extra weekly points to use but not that many.

Fruits and veggies are free so you’d think, as a vegan, I’d have it made, but I don’t eat raw veggies often. The fruit, yes, that helps, I like fruit. My vegetables actually have to be hidden in recipes. I’m not a salad eater especially without a dressing. I have entered each of my vegan recipes into the smart points calculator and based on the ingredients I got a total. So I had to search for recipes that won’t be as high in points. This week I’ll be trying some new recipes and hopefully sharing them with you on Sunday.

I also went right back into my scale obsessive pattern of weighing myself almost everyday. Now that I have to face the scale each week, I’m obsessed with a number. It’s the wrong attitude but unfortunately my ignoring the scale didn’t work either. I’m not losing weight for anyone other than myself. I just get frustrated when I’m doing the right thing and the scale isn’t moving. The scale number needs to come down not for a boyfriend, not for a pair of jeans and not because I think I’m too fat. I need to lose weight because I have MS and now I can’t get up so easily when I’m on the floor. My arms have to do all the work or someone has to help lift me. It’s as simple as that.

I am changing my weight in date back to Thursday so I’ll let you know how it goes. I know right now, based on the home scale, nothing has happened. I may still need to figure out how to be vegan on this plan.